JBVols Posted March 22, 2010 #1 Share Posted March 22, 2010 I know this has been discussed before but after recently returning from an Azamara Journey cruise in the Caribbean, I thought it needs to be brought up again. On our second night on board, Azamara hosted a CC party in what O would call Horizons. It was attended by approximately 50 fellow CC passengers. Azamara supplied free drinks and hor d'oeuvres for about an hour. All attendees were introduced and each gave their CC name. All the ships executive staff was in attendance. This was great PR for Azamara. They realize what a powerful tool the CC board is. In fact, they indicated that they read every post on the CC board. They also hosted a coffee for the CC members but we could not attend because of a tour to the ship's bridge. Does O still have CC parties and if not why not? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare LHT28 Posted March 22, 2010 #2 Share Posted March 22, 2010 In the early days they did host Yahoo parties but have not hosted any CC parties that I am aware of. We usually just organize our own Meet & greet Lyn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
azam71209 Posted March 23, 2010 #3 Share Posted March 23, 2010 We sailed on Azamara Journey last summer. I agree that the cruise critic party was great and wonderful PR for Azamara. They made us feel like our opinion counted. They also made a point of asking us to talk to them directly about problems or concerns and not wait until later to post it on cruisecritic. The end of trip coffee was also fun. For the price of coffee and rolls, they had a ready made focus group of knowledgeable people who really care about cruising. I'm disappointed that Oceania doesn't do something similar. Not a good first impression. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aruba Posted March 23, 2010 #4 Share Posted March 23, 2010 On every O cruise we've been on, someone has organized a CC meet and greet. It's no big deal, just suggest a date, a time, and a place to meet on CC. What I most like about it is the opportunity to meet fellow passengers....not the ship's executive staff as the OP mentioned. There are other opportunities for that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare LHT28 Posted March 23, 2010 #5 Share Posted March 23, 2010 They also made a point of asking us to talk to them directly about problems or concerns and not wait until later to post it on cruisecritic. The end of trip coffee was also fun. For the price of coffee and rolls, they had a ready made focus group of knowledgeable people who really care about cruising. I'm disappointed that Oceania doesn't do something similar. Not a good first impression. If you have a problem on Oceania you should contact the person in charge at the time....it will be taken care of. Why wait till you are back home or post on CC. Do you mean you had to pay for coffee on AZA? Lyn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare LHT28 Posted March 23, 2010 #6 Share Posted March 23, 2010 On every O cruise we've been on, someone has organized a CC meet and greet. It's no big deal, just suggest a date, a time, and a place to meet on CC. What I most like about it is the opportunity to meet fellow passengers....not the ship's executive staff as the OP mentioned. There are other opportunities for that. I agree We would rather meet the fellow cruisers Lyn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruisecountess Posted March 23, 2010 #7 Share Posted March 23, 2010 DH and I have sailed on O and AZ, most recently on AZ Panama Canal in Dec. We are looking forward to O's Yacht Havens cruise on June 17. I, too, am disappointed that O is not arranging a CC gathering. I don't feel it is my place to do so (besides, we have a VERY inactive roll call). Yes, we love meeting other guests, and feel we have ample opportunities to do so during meals and activities. But the chance to meet with the executive staff in a casual setting with relatively few people (never more than 30 on our AZ cruises) is a great way to have them listen to your needs and concerns, as well as your compliments, of which we had several to give on AZ. It just amounts to great PR, IMHO. With regard to "the coffee," the poster meant that in addition to the first CC party with wine and hors d' ouvres, AZ also hosted a coffee where THEY served coffee and danish. The cost referred to was the cost to AZ, a small investment for a big return in customer satisfaction. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JBVols Posted March 24, 2010 Author #8 Share Posted March 24, 2010 Thanks cruisecountess, although O is better than A other than the food it is not as much a difference as you would expect from reading the Oceania CC boards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClaudiaF Posted March 24, 2010 #9 Share Posted March 24, 2010 In the beginning there was a yahoo board party, with cocktails and goodies hosted by the ship.. I think they got tired of hosting it and then it was just a get-together with a no host bar thing and no appitizers served.. which made it kind of boring....I also think that is a mistake.. if not for all the contribution on these boards..there would not be so much hysterics made about new ships..............:rolleyes: Aza is keeping the fire burning withthe get togethers..heck Royal carib does it for that matter..it is just good will for "good friends" keeping them in the news and I think it should be a given on each cruise by Oceania..but then that is just my humble opinion..again ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yorkiemomjn Posted March 24, 2010 #10 Share Posted March 24, 2010 Check out the roll call for the Regatta March 21 TA from Miami to Barcelona that left Miami this past Sunday. Oceania is hosting one for them. I don't know if that is an exception because they have a large CC Roll Call or a new policy?:confused: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare LHT28 Posted March 24, 2010 #11 Share Posted March 24, 2010 Check out the roll call for the Regatta March 21 TA from Miami to Barcelona that left Miami this past Sunday. Oceania is hosting one for them. I don't know if that is an exception because they have a large CC Roll Call or a new policy?:confused: If you give the concierge or the Club Ambassador (new) they will send invitations out to the members & provide a space ...however it does not mention if drinks will be provided free of charge. They have done this in the past without free drinks We have had a M & G in the morning where coffee & rolls are available in Horizons or in the evening after the Muster Drill .....nibbles are provided in the bars Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yorkiemomjn Posted March 24, 2010 #12 Share Posted March 24, 2010 If you give the concierge or the Club Ambassador (new) they will send invitations out to the members & provide a space ...however it does not mention if drinks will be provided free of charge. They have done this in the past without free drinks We have had a M & G in the morning where coffee & rolls are available in Horizons or in the evening after the Muster Drill .....nibbles are provided in the bars Post #1123 says "They will be providing cocktails and hors d'oeuvres. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare LHT28 Posted March 24, 2010 #13 Share Posted March 24, 2010 Post #1123 says "They will be providing cocktails and hors d'oeuvres. That is good I read #1203 Based on his comments I'm not sure we will have any complimentary drinks and/or food but we will enjoy ourselves, I'm sure, how ever it turns out! LuAnn maybe Luann forgot what she posted in #1123;) Guess we will find out when they return Lyn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yorkiemomjn Posted March 25, 2010 #14 Share Posted March 25, 2010 That is good I read #1203 Based on his comments I'm not sure we will have any complimentary drinks and/or food but we will enjoy ourselves, I'm sure, how ever it turns out! LuAnn maybe Luann forgot what she posted in #1123;) Guess we will find out when they return Lyn Luann was probably not sure since they initially said they were providing food & drinks, but did not mention that again when they notified her of the exact time and place. But since they did tell her they would be provided, I'm sure they will be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JBVols Posted March 25, 2010 Author #15 Share Posted March 25, 2010 I know this is a dumb question but what is post #1123? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hondorner Posted March 25, 2010 #16 Share Posted March 25, 2010 No questions are dumb, I hope my answer is also not dumb. Post #1123 is the 1,123rd post in the roll call for the 3/21/10 transAtlantic cruise on Regatta that left Miami last Sunday bound for Barcelona, out of 1,210 total posts. LuAnn is the lady who organized the meet & greet aboard. The cruise set some records for Cruise Critic participation for Oceania, nt only in the number of posts, but because about 95 people were involved in the roll call, a record number as far as we could tell. Ultimately, no more than 93 sailed, since Betsy and I missed the cruise because I had a stroke last Friday. Oceania cut out setting up parties for on-line participants back in the day when Yahoo Groups was winding down in popularity, and Cruise Critic was first gaining popularity. LuAnn is a go-getter who chased the Oceania Club department head until he proposed an Oceania-sponsored meet & greet for this cruise, and it was approved. Yorkiemom is also a go-getter who is handling the m & g for the Regatta cruise immediately following the transAtlantic (sailing from Barcelona on April 4),and she followed LuAnn's example. The only thing we aren't certain about it whether Oceania is reconsidering having a party for on-line folks, or whether LuAnn's success is one-off for that cruise. In fact. we actually don't know what Oceania is actually doing on that cruise; I think the party is scheduled for 3/26, tomorrow (Friday) eve. We should hear from them some time after Easter. The link to the thread with the post is http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=835232 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yorkiemomjn Posted March 26, 2010 #17 Share Posted March 26, 2010 No questions are dumb, I hope my answer is also not dumb. Post #1123 is the 1,123rd post in the roll call for the 3/21/10 transAtlantic cruise on Regatta that left Miami last Sunday bound for Barcelona, out of 1,210 total posts. LuAnn is the lady who organized the meet & greet aboard. The cruise set some records for Cruise Critic participation for Oceania, nt only in the number of posts, but because about 95 people were involved in the roll call, a record number as far as we could tell. Ultimately, no more than 93 sailed, since Betsy and I missed the cruise because I had a stroke last Friday. Oceania cut out setting up parties for on-line participants back in the day when Yahoo Groups was winding down in popularity, and Cruise Critic was first gaining popularity. LuAnn is a go-getter who chased the Oceania Club department head until he proposed an Oceania-sponsored meet & greet for this cruise, and it was approved. Yorkiemom is also a go-getter who is handling the m & g for the Regatta cruise immediately following the transAtlantic (sailing from Barcelona on April 4),and she followed LuAnn's example. The only thing we aren't certain about it whether Oceania is reconsidering having a party for on-line folks, or whether LuAnn's success is one-off for that cruise. In fact. we actually don't know what Oceania is actually doing on that cruise; I think the party is scheduled for 3/26, tomorrow (Friday) eve. We should hear from them some time after Easter. The link to the thread with the post is http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=835232 Don, thank you for explaining this so well! I'll take being called a 'go-getter' as a compliment!!! :D Judy (yorkiemomjn) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hondorner Posted March 26, 2010 #18 Share Posted March 26, 2010 Don, thank you for explaining this so well! I'll take being called a 'go-getter' as a compliment!!! :D Judy (yorkiemomjn) Intended as such... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yorkiemomjn Posted March 27, 2010 #19 Share Posted March 27, 2010 I heard from Oceania today and they are not going to host a M&G for our Regatta April 4th Roll Call. They said we had to have at least 75 members and we only have 34. Oh, well, at least I tried and I am sure we are going to have a wonderful time anyway. We are going to have an informal get together in Horizons after the muster drill on Sunday, April 4th.:) Judy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skandls Posted March 27, 2010 #20 Share Posted March 27, 2010 Azamara (being a Royal Caribbean company) will have Cruise Critic M&Ms. I believe RCCL is a big sponsor for this website. The other cruise lines (most Carnival cruise lines) do not have official cruise critic gatherings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samsonmo Posted March 27, 2010 #21 Share Posted March 27, 2010 I heard from Oceania today and they are not going to host a M&G for our Regatta April 4th Roll Call. They said we had to have at least 75 members and we only have 34. Oh, well, at least I tried and I am sure we are going to have a wonderful time anyway. We are going to have an informal get together in Horizons after the muster drill on Sunday, April 4th.:) Judy Judy we are on Nautica sailing April 9 Hong Kong-Athens with 47 cc members. Same information conc the meet and greet from "O" so we are trying to arrange our own informal m&g on first sea day in Horizons. Happy sailings Peter/Amsterdam Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joan24 Posted March 27, 2010 #22 Share Posted March 27, 2010 Regent, same owners as Oceania, have CC parties or at least they did a few years ago. We've always arranged our own with others on the Roll Call. I don't think that it really matters as long as you have a get together of some sort. Joan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yorkiemomjn Posted March 27, 2010 #23 Share Posted March 27, 2010 Regent, same owners as Oceania, have CC parties or at least they did a few years ago. We've always arranged our own with others on the Roll Call. I don't think that it really matters as long as you have a get together of some sort.Joan You're right, it doesn't matter. I was just hoping for some "extras" from Oceania, like they are furnishing for the larger TA 90+ Roll Call on the Regatta immediately prior to our sailing. We are going to meet in Horizons at Sail Away the first day, and hopefully we can have another M&G on one of the shorter port days! Our cruise, Pearls of the Riveria, Barcelona to Rome, is very port intensive, actually, a port every day, so that makes it more of a problem to arrange a get together. This is actually our very first O cruise and I am sooo excited!! From what I have read here on CC, an Oceania cruise sounds like it will be perfect for us. Actually, CC is why we even chose Oceania in the first place. I was not even aware of it until I started spending time researching here. We wanted a small ship, but not a formal cruise! I narrowed it down to Azamara and Oceania and CC recommendations were what made me choose Oceania! This is a great website! I love hearing directly from others!:D Judy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rickey 88 Posted March 27, 2010 #24 Share Posted March 27, 2010 I am sure you will have an enjoyable cruise, and a great time in meeting your fellow cruisers. As others have posted, Oceania has hardly ever "hosted" a CC party - read that as "free drinks included". Unfortunately a few seem to think that they should - but there is always a Captains Party early in each cruise held in the lounge where the staff and officers are introduced. Drinks and service would be included -- -- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sitraveler Posted April 5, 2010 #25 Share Posted April 5, 2010 For our record setting cc party on Regatta, Oceania provided drinks and munchies, also visits by senior officers. Unfortunately, my better half & I had Polo reservations for the same time and could only stay a few minutes but all had a wonderful time. Of course on Oceania any time is fantastic. Can still taste and savor every minute Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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