Cruise Countdown - Day 7 - Getting to know the Carnival Dream - Our Cruise Director Butch

I found this interview of our scheduled cruise director on John Heald’s Blog.  Obviously he has been re-assigned to the Carnival Dream, but I thought it would be good to know who is going to be leading the fun for our 9 days at sea J…

Butch Begovich

1. Please tell us about yourself and your journey to the Cruise Director chair.
I was born in Spokane, WA and grew up in Stillwater, MN.

I am a graduate of Simpson College in Indianola, IA where I studied Theater Arts and Corporate Communications. After graduating from college in 2002 I went on to work for Glimmerglass Opera in Cooperstown, NY as an event coordinator and in 2003 for Appel Farm Arts and Music Center in Elmer, NJ as an Education Outreach Coordinator serving inner city schools in Camden County, NJ.

I Joined Carnival in March of 2004 as a Social Host on the Carnival Glory, that is where in my first contract I met the great John Heald.…..Later I was honored to be a part of the start up team on the Carnival Liberty in the summer of 2005 working under John. On the Liberty John promoted me to Assistant Cruise Director and in the spring of 2007 was promoted to Acting Cruise Director. I received my full CD promotion August of 2008 while back on the board the Glory.

2. What ship are you currently serving on.
I will be returning to the Carnival Liberty after my vacation (Sept. 5)

3. Before we talk about you lets talk about the ship. What are you favorite areas of the vessel and what is it that makes your ship the best in the Carnival fleet.
Of course I love the main show lounge (The Venetian Palace) that is where I get to do most of the “fun” parts of my job. I also the love the promenade, that is where I get to interact with our guests one on one and I try to meet as many people in a single cruise as possible.

4. Can you tell us about your itinerary and please pick your favorite shore excursion from each port and tell us why you like it so much

The Liberty rotates eastern and western Caribbean itineraries. Our western run takes us to Cozumel, Ocho Rios, and Grand Caymen. Our eastern run brings us to Half Moon Cay, St. Thomas, San Juan, and Grand Turk.

Although it is a very busy day for our team members because they all have to work ashore, Half Moon Cay, is the highlight of our Eastern run. It is a private island that we basically take over for the entire day and is what I would describe as absolute paradise. Our guests can relax on the beach, go parasailing, and even rent private cabanas with special services. This is also Carnival’s only port of call where our guests can eat ashore at no charge, use their sail and sign cards for beverages, and enjoy entertainment and even spa services all from our ships staff.

5. If someone were to ask you ” what does a Carnival Cruise Director do ” how would you reply
As I Cruise Director, I am in charge of all of the on board entertainment and programming. In addition to managing all of the full time entertainers I am the voice, the face and the brand of the ship.

6. What is your most favorite part of the job.
I love people and every week I get to meet so many amazing and interesting people from all over the world. Just sharing my experiences and reveling in other people’s lives is a constant enjoyment for me.

7. If we were to sail on a ship where you are the CD what would be the must not miss activity or show that you host.
My crazy disco dance class has become very popular throughout the years and is also my favorite event of each cruise.

8. What is the hardest and or most challenging part of the job of Carnival CD.
Time Management! I don’t think that many of our guests realize the amount of work and time that is put in behind the scenes in our jobs. In addition to the great things our guests see our cruise directors do, we also are responsible for managing a department, being apart of a number of different safety committees on board, and serving the Captain as an advisor in our weekly senior officers round table meetings. Juggling all of these things and still being visible, while finding time for yourself in the day, just to eat, reflect, read, or send a personal e-mail to your family is really hard…….and finding time to sleep……I struggle with that one!

9. If you could sail on any other cruise ship ( not Carnival ) what ship would you like to sail on as a guest and why.
I would have to pick one of our sister companies: Costa. They have been described to me as the “Carnival of Europe,” and a majority of their itineraries are based in the Mediterranean. I fell in love with the med a few years ago during the inaugurals of the Liberty and have been dreaming of returning there ever since.

10. Finally – please fill in the blanks

YOUR FAVOURITE ACTOR
Ricky Gervais

YOUR FAVOURITE ACTRESS
Diane Lane

WHATS ON YOUR EYE POD
Everything Disco!

YOUR FAVOURITE MOVIE
Farris Bulers Day Off

WHO MAKES YOU LAUGH
Ryan Fitzgerald, also a great Cruise Director. I handed over the Glory to him earlier this year and I have never had so much fun in my entire life!

YOUR FAVOURITE CARNIVAL CRUISE DIRECTOR EXCLUDING YOURSELF AND ME ( JOHN ) AND WHY
I am a huge fan Stuart Dunn……a few years ago I had the opportunity to work with him when I was an assistant. He is committed to trying to new things, not afraid to fail, and is passionate about being the best that he can be always.

IF YOU WERE INVISABLE FOR A DAY WHAT WOULD YOU DO
Find a quiet place and take a nap!