Popular Carnival Cruise Director Accepts New Position

Popular and dynamic Carnival Cruise Director Chris “The Flying Scotsman” Williams has accepted a promotion within the cruise line and will become a Fleet Cruise Director beginning the week of November 13, 2023.

The position gives Williams new duties and the opportunity to help direct all cruise directors in the Carnival fleet to create amazing experiences for every guest that sails with the cruise line.

Chris “The Flying Scotsman” Williams, who first joined Carnival Cruise Line nearly 12 years ago and has been an engaging and energetic crew member ever since, is moving up to spread his unique style to more cruise directors throughout the Carnival fleet. Williams made the announcement on Wednesday, November 8, 2023, though he has been aware of the promotion for roughly two weeks.

Williams began his work with the cruise line as a singer, then moved up to a playlist productions performer, and then to a cruise director. His unique style includes comedy, singing, dancing, and a larger-than-life personality with a flair for interacting with guests.

Now, as a Fleet Cruise Director, he will be able to share his experience and expertise with other cruise directors on all Carnival ships, helping support new cruise directors and integrating new activities and programming across the fleet.

“This is a new chapter in my life, a chapter I’m so excited about,” said Williams. “I can’t tell you how excited I am to be in this role.”

“For me, it’s all about the integrity of Carnival, and pushing out that top entertainment that we do, and now I get to be part of that process.”

Williams joins Chris “Donkey” Salazar and Mike Pack in the Fleet Cruise Director position. All three are instrumental in ensuring that Carnival’s cruise directors offer the best possible experiences for all guests, no matter what ship they are enjoying.

Previously, Williams has served as cruise director aboard a range of Carnival ships, including Mardi Gras, Carnival Sunrise, Carnival Dream, and many others.

What a Fleet Cruise Director Does

While an individual cruise director is responsible for coordinating entertainment, activities, and guest experiences onboard a single ship, a fleet cruise director is a broader position based not on one ship, but from the cruise line’s corporate shoreside offices.

Fleet cruise directors travel to all different ships, sailing in different regions of the world, with temporary placements as they support, train, and encourage individual cruise directors. A fleet cruise director might be onboard one ship for just a few days or even a few weeks, depending on each assignment.

Additional duties might include crafting new onboard activities, overseeing hiring of new Fun Squad members, revising existing programming, evaluating cruise directors, and making recommendations for cruise director assignments or promotions.

It should be noted that a fleet cruise director – and indeed, an individual cruise director – is a separate position from an entertainment director. Each ship’s entertainment director coordinates with performers and positions for onboard entertainment, but is not heavily involved with activities such as a trivia, games, dance contests, and other onboard offerings.

Read Also: How Much Does a Cruise Director Make?

With Williams’ promotion, Carnival Cruise Line will now have three Fleet Cruise Directors. None of the individuals appear to have a more senior position over the other two, but are sharing similar duties.

The cruise line has not indicated how many of the positions may eventually be created, but as the fleet grows with more new ships setting sail – including Carnival Jubilee in December 2023 and Carnival Firenze in May 2024 – it is reasonable that there may be additional cruise directors promoted to the fleet position.