Need Time To 'Mingle' at M&M's

First of all, all thanks to MSC for their elaborate Meet & Mingles. We just got off the May 8th cruise, and the M&M gathering was wonderful.

However, something seems to have gone amiss with these parties. Ours, for example, was scheduled VERY late, starting at 5 p.m. And NO ONE was allowed to enter the room until 5 p.m. People normally are getting ready for dinner at this time, but the invitees seemed to overlook that little bit of business at this time, since it was MSC's M&M and word is quickly circulating that this is a party that you really shouldn't miss.

However, it really did not leave time for us to conduct our business. The Cruise Director spoke, then introduced the 8 or 10 MSC officers who were in attendance. After that, Captain Marco Massa spoke, very graciously, I should add. Then, those in attendance (approximately 100) were gathered together for a photograph.

By then, it was getting late, approximately 5:45, I would guess. People were in a hurry to get to their rooms to dress for dinner. There was no time for our Roll Call leader to speak. There was no chance to get to know the people at the M&M. There was hardly time to share the welcome cake - I didn't count, but there probably wasn't 10-15 who partook.

So people hurried out to prepare for their evening meal. There was no time for casual chitchat, no time to "mix and mingle." No time for all the things that I have always understood the gathering was to be about. And though we had approximately 140 sign up for the M&M, and I would guess that around 100 ignored their dinner plans and actually attended, and the truth is that I met no one at the gathering.

Again, I do not criticize MSC for throwing a lovely party. But I would strongly suggest that MSC choose a time that does not interfere with the evening meal. AND, I would suggest that following MSC's introduction of the ship's officers, that they allow time for us to do our thing.

I understand that the 5 o'clock starting time has been in place for some time now. If so, I sincerely hope the MSC party planners realize that we also need time to speak and time to conduct our business. The party is gorgeous, the drinks are delicious, the ship's officers and the captain are impressive in their desire to be with us. But please also be aware that we need our time at the M&M. And it seems that this should be an easy fix - just don't start at 5 o'clock.

This is something you should tell MSC if you really want your feedback to matter as far as changing the way things are done.

First of all, all thanks to MSC for their elaborate Meet & Mingles. We just got off the May 8th cruise, and the M&M gathering was wonderful.

 

 

 

 

 

However, something seems to have gone amiss with these parties. Ours, for example, was scheduled VERY late, starting at 5 p.m. And NO ONE was allowed to enter the room until 5 p.m. People normally are getting ready for dinner at this time, but the invitees seemed to overlook that little bit of business at this time, since it was MSC's M&M and word is quickly circulating that this is a party that you really shouldn't miss.

 

 

 

 

 

However, it really did not leave time for us to conduct our business. The Cruise Director spoke, then introduced the 8 or 10 MSC officers who were in attendance. After that, Captain Marco Massa spoke, very graciously, I should add. Then, those in attendance (approximately 100) were gathered together for a photograph.

 

 

 

 

 

By then, it was getting late, approximately 5:45, I would guess. People were in a hurry to get to their rooms to dress for dinner. There was no time for our Roll Call leader to speak. There was no chance to get to know the people at the M&M. There was hardly time to share the welcome cake - I didn't count, but there probably wasn't 10-15 who partook.

 

 

 

 

 

So people hurried out to prepare for their evening meal. There was no time for casual chitchat, no time to "mix and mingle." No time for all the things that I have always understood the gathering was to be about. And though we had approximately 140 sign up for the M&M, and I would guess that around 100 ignored their dinner plans and actually attended, and the truth is that I met no one at the gathering.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Again, I do not criticize MSC for throwing a lovely party. But I would strongly suggest that MSC choose a time that does not interfere with the evening meal. AND, I would suggest that following MSC's introduction of the ship's officers, that they allow time for us to do our thing.

 

 

 

 

 

I understand that the 5 o'clock starting time has been in place for some time now. If so, I sincerely hope the MSC party planners realize that we also need time to speak and time to conduct our business. The party is gorgeous, the drinks are delicious, the ship's officers and the captain are impressive in their desire to be with us. But please also be aware that we need our time at the M&M. And it seems that this should be an easy fix - just don't start at 5 o'clock.

Totally agree it was the same at ours.

I also think a name sticker with your Cruise Critic user name would be a good idea!

Collect a blank one as you arrive and simply write your name on it and stick it on!

That would be an ice breaker to introduce yourself!

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Yes, a sticker with your CC name is really essential. That is the name most of us know you by. After you know the CC name, then the person's real name is certainly a big help.

I commented in the past that I thought 5 pm wasn't the best time, and that when we were on Divina we missed it because of time.

However, most people responded that they preferred that time....for instance cocktails were served and that was a better time than 11 am or so that is when other lines do theirs.

If our party is at 5 pm, I plan to get ready for dinner beforehand. That way I can stay and then go to dinner.

Excellent idea, except that there are few people left in the room to mingle with. At least in our situation, there wasn't. I'll bet that there wasn't 10 people there afterwards. As soon as the 'official photograph' was taken, there was a mass exodus for the door.

You have to keep in mind that MSC's Meet & Mingle is for all Cruise Critic members, not roll call participants. Why would they give time to the roll call to "do their thing"? That would just exclude the people who were not a part of the roll call.

Looking at the OP's sailing, 40+% of the people signed up for the M&M never even participated in the roll call.

You might have a "roll call leader", but the people on the roll call have nothing to do with coordinating or running the M&M on MSC. This is really MSC's event for ALL Cruise Critic members.

The M&M is not the time to “discuss your business”. Only after the CD and the Captain’s speech and other announcements pertaining to CC members, should you do your thing. I remember on HAL those planning tours, etc. would stay after the morning meeting to do their thing.

It isn’t put on by MSC for those reasons. I agree about the time. Ours have been 10:30. Sometimes other events may prevent meeting at a certain time. The first few I attended did have time for mingling and meeting face to face with fellow CC members.

A rollcall member should set up a different time to discuss plans for that group such as a slot pull, cabin crawl, etc. Just my 2 cents worth on this topic.

I will consider attending MSC's style of M&M. I've never been interested in the Roll Call meeting.

Dennis

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While we understand that 5pm is "late" for some folks, its actually pretty early for others :). On many of our cruises (we have taken more than 100) the Meet and Greets are generally held around 10 - 11AM during the first sea day. DW and I hate that time since we are generally comfy in a deck chair and have no great desire to go running off to a Meet and Greet (so we normally skip these things). A 5 PM function would be fine as would 6 or even 7 :).

My point is that there is no pleasing everyone. Not everyone wants to be running to dinner before the sun sets.

Hank

OK, this is my final remark on this discussion: the main point was the hour it started- and the fact that there was no time given our group to, well, thank MSC, for example. That is just an off-the-wall example, admittedly, but the point remains - we would have appreciated the chance to speak up.

I totally applaud MSC for the effort put into planning these events. I applaud the interest shown to us at Cruise Critic and I REALLY applaud MSC for the delicious snacks and drinks given to us. Believe me, no other cruise line comes close to matching you in this respect.

But do I think their policy in keeping out those who have not signed up for - what? - two or three days in advance? Yes I do. And do I wish they would choose a time for the Meet & Mingle that is not quite so late? Yes, I do.

Now, there are undoubtedly people like Hlitner who would prefer that the M&M's are scheduled late like this. And I don't really understand the discussion of Roll Calls vs. the M&M meeting. Perhaps it is because I didn't explain myself clearly. At any point, please don't think that I am totally unhappy with MSC's effort to present a beautiful M&M experience for us. I must say, there are MANY things about it that outrank any of the others.

This is all I have to say about this subject. Obviously, you can't design an event that will please everyone. Thanks, MSC - obviously my critique wasn't popular. But your version of the Meet & Mingle is overwelmingly appreciated - yes, especially by me!

I'm completely unaware of the MSC cruise critic M&M events. Do they have them on all sailings or just the ones out the the US? How do you find out about them?

We just came off the MSC Seaside and 4 of us attended the M&M at 5:00pm. MSC planned a very nice cocktail party serving cocktails and appetizers, as well as a beautiful cake. We had over 100 in attendance. Captain Massa make a nice welcoming speech, told us it was their most important party on board, and with the many officers in attendance, made us feel welcome and appreciated. We had 5:30 dinner reservations and left right after having a group picture taken and tasting the cake. We arrived at dinner about 5:35 with no problem. We dressed for the M&M as we would for dinner. I thought it was an excellent party, perhaps the best of any cruise line.

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I'm completely unaware of the MSC cruise critic M&M events. Do they have them on all sailings or just the ones out the the US? How do you find out about them?

I only sail out of the States so I'm not aware of the other areas, but I assume the parties are everywhere. If you look at the "Meet and Mingle" area at the top of this page, you will see 'MSC.' That will tell you about these gatherings.

OK, this is my final remark on this discussion: the main point was the hour it started- and the fact that there was no time given our group to, well, thank MSC, for example. That is just an off-the-wall example, admittedly, but the point remains - we would have appreciated the chance to speak up.

 

 

 

I totally applaud MSC for the effort put into planning these events. I applaud the interest shown to us at Cruise Critic and I REALLY applaud MSC for the delicious snacks and drinks given to us. Believe me, no other cruise line comes close to matching you in this respect.

 

 

 

But do I think their policy in keeping out those who have not signed up for - what? - two or three days in advance? Yes I do. And do I wish they would choose a time for the Meet & Mingle that is not quite so late? Yes, I do.

 

 

Now, there are undoubtedly people like Hlitner who would prefer that the M&M's are scheduled late like this. And I don't really understand the discussion of Roll Calls vs. the M&M meeting. Perhaps it is because I didn't explain myself clearly. At any point, please don't think that I am totally unhappy with MSC's effort to present a beautiful M&M experience for us. I must say, there are MANY things about it that outrank any of the others.

 

 

This is all I have to say about this subject. Obviously, you can't design an event that will please everyone. Thanks, MSC - obviously my critique wasn't popular. But your version of the Meet & Mingle is overwelmingly appreciated - yes, especially by me!

Certainly, MSC has run enough on-ship events to know when the best time is to hold the event...the best time for the venue, the crew, and the invited guests.

Again, the M&M is for all Cruise Critic members, not just for those who partake in the roll call. There is no reason that the roll call should receive a microphone and time...it simply isn't their event. If you just want to thank MSC, do so in your review, your post-cruise survey, and/or by expressing your appreciation at guest services. There are PLENTY of opportunities to express your gratitude.

FWIW, the cut-off for M&M sign ups is a policy of Cruise Critic, not MSC. Cruise Critic is the one who is gathering the list of attendees and submitting them to MSC. MSC needs time to plan, arrange for invitations, ensure enough snacks/drinks/cake for all attendees. Maybe people could learn to not wait until the last minute to sign up.

Just to note when speaking to the crew members at the party they do listen to your comments and critic.

And yes it is a fabulous party they give.

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I agree, the party is over the top nice. In speaking with Officers they told us that they have Monitors that read all social media so in effect Shugey's comments are going directly MSC as intended.

The only MSC ships that are included in the M&M's are Seaside and Divina. I would like to see the Meraviglia included soon as they are also doing sailings within the U.S.

Are the M&M's on MSC only undertaken on the American based cruises ?

If so, why is that when CC members are from all different nationalities not just American ?

It would be nice if M&M's could be arranged on Med based cruises as well......but I suppose the logistics could be difficult when people embark at multiple ports (I've probably just answered my own question !)

I agree, the party is over the top nice. In speaking with Officers they told us that they have Monitors that read all social media so in effect Shugey's comments are going directly MSC as intended.

The only MSC ships that are included in the M&M's are Seaside and Divina. I would like to see the Meraviglia included soon as they are also doing sailings within the U.S.

I agree that MSC reads the reviews. They acknowledged that to me on my second Divina cruise. My first Divina review, “The Good, the Bad , and the Ugly”, was my honest appraisal of our cruise in a balcony room. Prior to our second Divina cruise, MSC offered us a Yacht Club upgrade at a very reasonable price; it was a fabulous experience; a cruise of a lifetime. The review for our latest cruise, last week on Seaside, was submitted yesterday and should appear on Cruise Critic as soon as it is approved. MSC wants us to identify what we feel are shortcomings so they can make our cruise experience more enjoyable. It’s also important to our CC members that we point out the many fantastic features of our cruise. A review should always be fair. Who knows, you too could be offered an upgrade opportunity in the future.

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Reading these comments about the M&M with MSC makes me feel like we choose the right line this time around. Our last 3-4 sailings I was the point for the CC M&M's. It did take some effort to get all the things necessary to have a well attended M&M. It looks as if MSC takes care of all the little details that are necessary to have a great M&M. All we have to do is sign up and show up. We are sailing on Divina in January (inside cabin) and Seaside in July (Yacht Club). Look forward to both M&M's.

... and, I just want to say that our cruise over-all was a tremendous success. MSC has the best captain on the seven seas - Captain Marco Masso. Capt. Marco gives you every opportunity to give your opinion on ANYTHING! I happened to disagree with the starting time of the M&M, but if I am one of the very few who wanted an earlier starting time - that's fine. Apparently 5 o'clock does not bother most people, and if so, that's OK!

RNCruiser was on my cruise, and I'm sure she will agree with me that this ship - and the cruise - were OUTSTANDING!

Very glad you had a good time!

I probably prefer a late morning time myself, but that may be that's just what I'm used to. I guess I'll find out for myself in July.:D

Reading these comments about the M&M with MSC makes me feel like we choose the right line this time around. Our last 3-4 sailings I was the point for the CC M&M's. It did take some effort to get all the things necessary to have a well attended M&M. It looks as if MSC takes care of all the little details that are necessary to have a great M&M. All we have to do is sign up and show up. We are sailing on Divina in January (inside cabin) and Seaside in July (Yacht Club). Look forward to both M&M's.

I think you will be very happy with your choices. I also think MSC is really looking to set the bar high and IMO they succeeded.

Enjoy!

I like the time! That way it is a cocktail reception with canapés, much more inviting than morning coffee and pastries.

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I like the time! That way it is a cocktail reception with canapés, much more inviting than morning coffee and pastries.

 

 

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The one in the morning is a cocktail reception with canapés and cake. No coffee or pastries 😁