Has your Roll Call ever been a let down?

I am one of the least Roll Call experienced people here. I joined the Roll Calls for my last two cruises. The first one had practically no activity and the second one was very active. I am currently on two Roll Calls for future cruises, and both of them are very active.

I feel that the Roll Calls are very much like cruises--everybody gets to customize them to fit their desires. In all honesty, I participate because I just enjoy on-line chats with people about our upcoming cruise. To be honest, I am not interested in Slot Pulls, or Cabin Crawls (I don't even know what they are.), or, especially, gift exchanges (the big reason I am not really crazy about Christmas). I'm OK with M&Gs, but, frankly, my wife does not like them. On our last cruise we spent about 15 minutes at the M&G. We met some very nice people and it was a lot of fun for me to bump into them during the cruise and chat for a few minutes. For my wife, though, not so great.

We enjoy cruising because, as I indicated, we can do what we want to do. We enjoy shipboard life. Ports are pretty inconsequential to us. My wife, loves sitting on the balcony drawing. I love taking laps on the promenade deck. She likes to dine at tables for two. I also enjoy dining with just my wife, but for breakfast, I'll head to the buffet and sit with new people every morning. She is a late sleeper. She's happy as a clam, and so am I. I'll usually bring her a muffin or something from the buffet to nosh on. :)

Again, Roll Calls, like all on-line forum threads, are much like cruises. I participate for my own reasons, and, surprise, everybody else participates for their own reasons.

A very common characteristic of on-line forums is "thread drift." It is the nature of the beast. No, I'm not interested in your grandkids, but it doesn't irritate me. I am OK with you customizing your Roll Call experience. It is pretty easy to scroll past those posts and see what the next person has to say. That person make make some tangential statement--they enjoy motorsports, or California wines, or opera--that intrigues me, and I may continue that thought way off track. :D

Sadly, another characteristic of on-line forums is snarkiness. The OP was correct about posters being "unkind." It is an unfortunate fact of on-line forum life. :mad:

Cruising solo I enjoy being on a roll call because I feel like I "know" people before I even get on the ship. On all my solo cruises we have set up a dinner the night before the cruise to get to know each other in person. I am still in touch with a number of people I have met on roll calls.

The last roll call I joined was the only disappointing one. Being for a short cruise I was expecting a fairly quiet roll call. What I was not expecting was that "friends" were welcomed to the roll call and others were ignored. I did not let the rudeness of some people to impact my cruise - I had a terrific time.

We used to love getting involved in the entire Meet and Greet process...and enjoyed the social events onboard. But in the last few years, especially on HAL, we have watched many of our Roll Calls deteriorate to discussions of things like, "my dog died, "my sister is ill," "gift exchanges," "door decorations," "do you use a lanyard," etc. And then on our most recent HAL cruise (Prinsendam) when we actually decided to go to our first M&G in many cruises.....the lady who organized the event asked about private tours and if anyone needed more folks. Immediately, another lady stands up and objects and says, "it is not allowed to ask about private excursions." Another person quickly objected....and we did not hear any of the debate since we (and a few others) were already on our way out of the lounge to do better things. There always seem to be a few who want to impose their own rules, object to something, etc. When a social get together deteriorates into rule making, bosses, 15 min discussions about name tags, etc. it is time to move on.

Hank

I've been on 8 cruises before even hearing of CC so roll calls were new to me when I did join. I started the roll call for that next cruise. Noticed that after the cruise (and checking some of my fellow traveler's posts post-cruise to see what they said about the cruise or future ones), I noticed that one guy, who basically showed up at one of the meet and greets and admitted to lurking, was complaining about the roll call for our cruise on a roll call for his next cruise. I don't know what his problem was as he wasn't specific but maybe he expected us to plan activities such as slot pulls or whatever (things I didn't even know about until I read some more roll calls late on). He certainly didn't make any suggestions.

As we don't plan to join in on any private excursions with others, I really am not interested in that aspect. Also, having a meet and greet with officers isn't high up on my priorities either. My hubby isn't interested as he doesn't go on this site. So I might check out the roll call just to see if there's passengers I may have cruise with before.

I've had some great roll calls and we've met a lot of wonderful people on our cruises through Cruise Critic and the roll calls and the Meet and Greets.

Our roll calls have done cabin crawls, slot pulls, etc. If you have a lot of days at sea, it's nice to have some activities FOR THOSE THAT ARE INTERESTED.

All activities on a roll call are voluntary, whether it be private tours, cabin crawls, whatever. No one is "obligated" to do it. (I don't care for gift exchanges either - hard to find something that will suit everyone for a nominal cost - not to mention another thing to pack).

Don't let those things put you off if they are not of interest. You don't have to do it. It doesn't mean you can't still participate in the roll call or go to the Meet and Greet.

If our cruise is port intensive or long, then I usually do a spread sheet for the roll call (I was introduced to this on a previous roll call and it was a huge help). It saves posting over and over again the details of a tour, who's on, etc. Those spread sheets/web pages are for the roll call. Anything that anyone wants on it, is added. It can be information, weather, tours, good websites, etc.

We have made some wonderful friends over the years, friends that we stay in contact with and cruise with when the itinerary and timing fits. If I hadn't participated in the roll calls and hadn't gone to the Meet and Greet we would most likely never have gotten to know them.

Cruising solo I enjoy being on a roll call because I feel like I "know" people before I even get on the ship. On all my solo cruises we have set up a dinner the night before the cruise to get to know each other in person. I am still in touch with a number of people I have met on roll calls.

I had never thought of that, but it is an excellent point. :)

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Our roll calls have done cabin crawls, slot pulls, etc. If you have a lot of days at sea, it's nice to have some activities FOR THOSE THAT ARE INTERESTED.

 

All activities on a roll call are voluntary, whether it be private tours, cabin crawls, whatever. No one is "obligated" to do it. (I don't care for gift exchanges either - hard to find something that will suit everyone for a nominal cost - not to mention another thing to pack).

 

Don't let those things put you off if they are not of interest. You don't have to do it. It doesn't mean you can't still participate in the roll call or go to the Meet and Greet......

Per above ^ absolutely!

I've organized every roll call on every cruise I've been on and we've had a great response. It depends on the people and level of participation.

The reason I asked is that I live in a non cruising area, the idea of a cruise around here is a 5 ft rowboat in a creek. I get so excited when I book a cruise, I have no one to share my excitement with. So, participating in a roll call is very beneficial to me to gain insight and information on my specific cruise. I don't let non participants burst my balloon, as I have indeed met others on board to make a nice cruise, but it sure is nice getting information you can use or not!

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I agree with you 100%. We sail 1 week from today on the Westerdam - I started a roll call about 9 months ago and we have about 6 people to join. I have seen people on our cruise (1st time cruisers) post a lot questions on multiple boards trying to find info on their cruise when it all could be answered in one place. No luck when they were asked to join the roll call. Also love the fact of sharing the excitement as you mentioned. Enjoy your cruise.

Initially, I found roll calls most beneficial in helping to plan port excursions. Also, participating in a HAL 20 med cruise roll call helped me find a great apartment in Rome and wonderful private shore excursions. I purposely did not join a roll call for our next cruise because it is nothing more than a count down clock. If there is any information to be had, it is lost in endless posts regarding the number of days left until the cruise - there is still 180+ days to go until the cruise. I realize some people like this and that's great if they are getting enjoyment out of it.

Depending on the cruise and the people involved, the information can be extremely helpful. We have also met wonderful people at the meet and greet. With the exception of the above, we will continue to join the roll call.

I think Roll Calls are starting to lose their popularity. All too often, they get overrun by cabin crawls, slot pulls, etc and those who don't wish to commit to those events seem to fall through the cracks and therefore stop participating in future roll calls.

Roll Calls still have their value though and some folks still love them.

I've booked a cruise recently and went to look at the roll call. I won't be joining this one.

 

It's very active and has well over 100 couples signed up. One person seems to be running it and has started a web page, is asking for photos and making name labels. They have arranged shore excursions together, plan a gift exchange and are meeting for a pre-cruise dinner.

I have a feeling that you might be on the same cruise (and therefore looking at the same roll call) as I am next month. It's one of the most active and organized ones I've been on, but is controlled by just a few people. I've been able to glean much good info and join some excursions, plus many of the posters are wonderful people. But snarkiness has happened off and on, and some people seem to dominate the board.

I've been on 11 roll calls and each is different. I started 2 of them, but I don't think the original organizer needs to dominate the group or make others do things their way. My very first roll call had just me and one other person! We agreed to meet up on deck for sailaway but she didn't show up. :( Then there have been 3 roll calls that were very active and so much fun; both online and on the ship.

I've had fun at cabin crawls (especially if it was my first time on a certain ship or cruiseline), one slot pull (broke even) and a couple of Meet & Greets, but the main thing I use a roll call for is to assist with pre-cruise planning. I guess everyone has their own reasons for joining a roll call and hopefully they aren't made to feel obligated to participate in things they don't wish to. :D

Some are good, some aren't so good.

Does it effect my cruise, nope.

I think Roll Calls are starting to lose their popularity. All too often, they get overrun by cabin crawls, slot pulls, etc and those who don't wish to commit to those events seem to fall through the cracks and therefore stop participating in future roll calls.

 

Roll Calls still have their value though and some folks still love them.

You said exactly what I was thinking, but I'm not sure of popularity, but because of "snarkyness". If someone posts their "opinion" and someone else doesn't agree, there goes the neighborhood......some exchanges do get nasty, and maybe that's why a lot of people don't join the roll calls, because they don't want to deal with that.

Or like other posters have stated, you get those couple or few who "take charge" and we will do this and this at this time and place.

It just seems lately the roll calls have become a battling ground for opinions and have lost the excitement for planning your cruise.

I'm looking for Carnival Fascination, August 14th, Roll Call. Cruise is next month and no roll call!:confused:

I am new to roll calls, so don't have experience yet on the outcome. But I'm on one (roll call, not cruise) right now that I feel is way overboard. JMHO. Not only are they tracking the Meet and Greet, Pub Crawl, and Cabin Crawl (which all seem sort of ok and normal), they have atleast 10 other things - games, gifts, and even a book to read and discuss. Other than the book, don't you think we could wait until we get on the ship, meet, see if we even like each other, before getting lists of folks interested in various games.

So the whole roll call is people signing up, and discussing that instead of the cruise, ports, or excursions.

I am on 2 others, and they sound more like what I was thinking they would be like.

Will see I guess . . . . .

I am new to roll calls, so don't have experience yet on the outcome. But I'm on one (roll call, not cruise) right now that I feel is way overboard. JMHO. Not only are they tracking the Meet and Greet, Pub Crawl, and Cabin Crawl (which all seem sort of ok and normal), they have atleast 10 other things - games, gifts, and even a book to read and discuss. Other than the book, don't you think we could wait until we get on the ship, meet, see if we even like each other, before getting lists of folks interested in various games.

 

So the whole roll call is people signing up, and discussing that instead of the cruise, ports, or excursions.

 

I am on 2 others, and they sound more like what I was thinking they would be like.

 

 

Will see I guess . . . . .

If this is a short, port-intensive cruise, I would agree -- maybe all of that stuff is going overboard, a little. Where all of those activities are a life-saver is on long cruises, with lots of consecutive sea days. And yeah, in that particular situation, you're going to be stuck on a ship together, whether you all like each other or not. Might as well have something to do, right? ;)

BTW -- how are you "on" the roll call, but not the cruise? Are you talking to folks on the r/c about possibly booking that particular sailing? :confused:

If this is a short, port-intensive cruise, I would agree -- maybe all of that stuff is going overboard, a little. Where all of those activities are a life-saver is on long cruises, with lots of consecutive sea days. And yeah, in that particular situation, you're going to be stuck on a ship together, whether you all like each other or not. Might as well have something to do, right? ;)

 

BTW -- how are you "on" the roll call, but not the cruise? Are you talking to folks on the r/c about possibly booking that particular sailing? :confused:

She said she was "on one right now" and then went on to clarify she meant she was on a Roll Call - not on the cruise at this very moment. Pretty sure she is participating in a Roll Call for her upcoming cruise.

As for Roll Calls in general, in relation to the original topic - yes, I do find them somewhat unappealing but that's only because I've never had one that EXACTLY suited my personal preferences. I (used to) join the Roll Call for every cruise we booked. My intention was to generate a little excitement during planning and enjoy some on-line banter with people who shared at least one commonality - we were all booked on the same cruise. What I didn't want was any sort of commitment beyond that. No dinners the night before, no M&G, no shared shore excursions or plans to do activities together on-board and no intention whatsoever in maintaining a relationship. But that's me. No way would I be unrealistic enough to expect that anybody else would want the same or to be disappointed when the Roll Call doesn't progress the way I'd like.

My last cruise was the only one I've participated in more than just the meet and greet. I also did the slot pull and cabin crawl and enjoyed them both. We had more than 100 people in attendance at the M&G and only 26 at the slot pull and fewer than that at the cabin crawl. Just because these things are organized on the roll call doesn't mean everyone needs to participate in them. Each person is free to pick and choose. Where I find the most benefit is in arranging private excursions; I hate the cattle calls so many of the excursions turn out to be when booked through the ship, so being able to arrange and fill private tours is a huge benefit. I'm always hesitant about committing to dinners and such; I'd much rather wait until I meet people before committing to spending an evening with them. :o:D

The most annoying are when a few people only want to chat endlessly among themselves about things that have absolutely nothing to do about cruising.

No, I don't care to know about their grandchildren's dance recitals and I certainly won't want to see pictures.

So true. :) I was on a roll call that was started really early, like more than a year out, so like someone else said, pages and pages of posts to try to read through to find something useful. Plus it was part of a B2B, so we ended up having posters talking about both cruises on just the one roll call. For a while it was impossible to try to keep things straight until someone finally mentioned to keep it to just the one sailing.

She said she was "on one right now" and then went on to clarify she meant she was on a Roll Call - not on the cruise at this very moment. Pretty sure she is participating in a Roll Call for her upcoming cruise.

 

As for Roll Calls in general, in relation to the original topic - yes, I do find them somewhat unappealing but that's only because I've never had one that EXACTLY suited my personal preferences. I (used to) join the Roll Call for every cruise we booked. My intention was to generate a little excitement during planning and enjoy some on-line banter with people who shared at least one commonality - we were all booked on the same cruise. What I didn't want was any sort of commitment beyond that. No dinners the night before, no M&G, no shared shore excursions or plans to do activities together on-board and no intention whatsoever in maintaining a relationship. But that's me. No way would I be unrealistic enough to expect that anybody else would want the same or to be disappointed when the Roll Call doesn't progress the way I'd like.

I must have read it wrong :o -- thanks for clue-ing me in.

And actually, what you have described is the 'ideal' rc: an active group, where everyone participates to the extent that they wish -- but there's no pressure to do anything that they don't. I've been really lucky, in that most of my r/c's fell into that category. Although, I have heard plenty of horror stories about "roll-call-zillas" who quickly take over a thread and try to make everyone else jump to their tune (I'd be out of there, SO fast)! :eek:

I am on my third roll call and all of them have been pretty good. I have received helpful info from those who have done the same cruise itinerary before and I always try to make an effort to welcome those who join the roll call after me. So far, so good :)

If this is a short, port-intensive cruise, I would agree -- maybe all of that stuff is going overboard, a little. Where all of those activities are a life-saver is on long cruises, with lots of consecutive sea days. And yeah, in that particular situation, you're going to be stuck on a ship together, whether you all like each other or not. Might as well have something to do, right? ;)

I love long cruises with lots of sea days, and I don't see them as being "stuck on a ship".

I don't need anyone to organise activities for me. I'm quite capable of amusing myself.

I enjoy relaxing, and doing what I want to do, without any commitments to join in anything.

I'm not anti-social - I will sit and talk with anyone and it's nice to see some familiar faces from a roll call, - but I've never enjoyed party games and organised socialising.

 

Anyone else ever encounter this and what did you do.

Our last 4 cruises on RCI had great roll calls.

We just sailed on Celebrity, and that roll call was a big blah.

So, I think the best roll calls would be on RCI and Carnival.

I was on a cruise 3 years ago. There was a huge on line response to the proposed M&G .However ,only 6 people showed up to the meeting .

 

 

I was on a RCI cruise that I had arranged a M & G and NO ONE showed up!

The original forum had about 12 people, it was a 5 day cruise out of Cape Canaveral. That didn't discourage me thou since I have been involved in many M & G that have been wonderful experiences where we arranged excursions prior to the cruise, arranged for a group lunch and every time we've done the Slot Pull, we've had more fun because everyone is cheering everyone on. Also I've done Cabin Crawl's which I love to do and see the different sizes and locations.

Helen