Has a roll call ever caused you NOT to book?

[constantcruiser]

DH & I are at the very early planning stages for an 18-nt. transpacific cruise in spring 2014, and we're considering several options with slightly different ports. I'm always curious why passengers choose a particular ship/itinerary, so I checked the roll call boards for our top 2 favorites.

 

Frankly I was surprised that both already have active roll calls...one that has been going for over a year and with 1000+ posts. The vast majority of posts are made by about 50 people who have obviously traveled together several times in the past. They have a website (with several tabs), a facebook page, and have already organized two exclusive CC parties on-board and several private excursions. I thought that was a bit much, but what really turned me off was when they requested a bio for each participant (they supplied the questions), a photo and a "special" screen name to be used only for this roll call. Their target is to get at least 500 people to attend the CC party! They also plan to "take over" at least one bar every evening.

 

Well, that narrowed down our options and we immediately crossed that cruise off our list. Has this ever happened to you?

[Karynanne]

We've taken cruises where the Roll Call has been very large, and some quite small. It really didn't make a difference to us one way or another. The ships are large, and sometimes you don't even run into someone you met for a few days.

 

I wouldn't let the tenor of a specific Roll Call deter my plans.

[Gonzo70]

I actually prefer a very active Roll Call. Transatlantics in general tend to have extremely large, active Roll Calls. In the past I have benefited greatly from shared tours, shared transportation, and information I have received from Roll Calls as well as built some lasting friendships. I personally would not choose a cruise based on an active or quiet Roll Call, but definitely prefer the former. By the way, you do not have to divulge any more information (i.e. picture, bio) than you are comfortable with. On one of my transatlantics somebody organized a website with this information that many found fun and helpful, but there was absolutely no pressure or expectation for people to participate in this endeavor.

[ORV]

DH & I are at the very early planning stages for an 18-nt. transpacific cruise in spring 2014, and we're considering several options with slightly different ports. I'm always curious why passengers choose a particular ship/itinerary, so I checked the roll call boards for our top 2 favorites.

 

Frankly I was surprised that both already have active roll calls...one that has been going for over a year and with 1000+ posts. The vast majority of posts are made by about 50 people who have obviously traveled together several times in the past. They have a website (with several tabs), a facebook page, and have already organized two exclusive CC parties on-board and several private excursions. I thought that was a bit much, but what really turned me off was when they requested a bio for each participant (they supplied the questions), a photo and a "special" screen name to be used only for this roll call. Their target is to get at least 500 people to attend the CC party! They also plan to "take over" at least one bar every evening.

 

Well, that narrowed down our options and we immediately crossed that cruise off our list. Has this ever happened to you?

 

You do realize not all those things you mentioned are bad, right? Participate in what you want, pass on the rest. Our TA Roll Call is in the neighborhood of close to 6000 posts. Coming into something like that late can be daunting. Here's the way I look at it, no one really is in charge, they just think they are.

 

In answer to your question, no the Roll Call has no effect on whether we book a cruise or not. I generally don't even look them up until after a cruise is booked.

[hapicruisin]

Don't be put off a wonderful cruise because of a roll call that has been taken over by a small minority of people.

 

It certainly wouldn't stop me going on a particular cruise that I was very keen to go on especially if it was one that only goes once or twice a year. But if it was a cruise itinerary that I had been on before and/or could go on a different date I would certainly choose the different date. It does seem a pity for those people who actually want to try to meet up via a roll call so they can join privately organised groups for various tours that they have to wade through mostly personal posts which would be better done via email/facebook etc.

[Hawaiidan]

I use a roll call to find out information not forge relationships. Some do and thats great. We are not compulsive about belonging to a group, dont do face book, dont text or do blogs. Make scrap books, wear buttons and badges memorbilia. Heck I refuse to even participate in what I consider the silly elite clubs that the cruise line fosters.. like being a 7 golden anchor member of the Captains Inner circle of the mystic knights of the Sea"... Reminds me of wanting to be in Captain Kangaroos fan club

 

I and another cruiser recently went to a Cruise Critic get together and it seemed like a place where folks got together to strut their status etc. We left after about 15 min and stiled enjoyed the cruise it seemed pretty well silly and sort of needy.

 

You can always avoid groups you dont like... by not participating.

 

A roll call again is a tool to use pre cruise to the best advantage

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

Don't be put off a wonderful cruise because of a roll call that has been taken over by a small minority of people.

 

It certainly wouldn't stop me going on a particular cruise that I was very keen to go on especially if it was one that only goes once or twice a year. But if it was a cruise itinerary that I had been on before and/or could go on a different date I would certainly choose the different date. It does seem a pity for those people who actually want to try to meet up via a roll call so they can join privately organised groups for various tours that they have to wade through mostly personal posts which would be better done via email/facebook etc.

 

Sorry, I disagree. I view roll calls as a chance to get to know my fellow cruisers before we all board the ship. The more participation, the merrier! The more active the roll call, the better the cruise is likely to be in my experience. I would find it harder to have to keep going off to Facebook and other sites to keep up with the people on the roll call. Not to mention that people would have to reveal their full names and their e-mail addresses in order for that to work. Many are not comfortable posting that information on a public message board. Those who don't want to participate don't have to. Seems like a win-win situation to me--participate or don't as you wish.

[Orator]

This question has been asked before and my answer is still "No".

[Lsimon]

If you like the roll call then participate, if you don't then don't participate. But as others have said it is a very large ship and if you don't want to join in with the roll call activities then they won't bother your cruise at all.

 

I've also noticed that almost all Celebrity TA cruises have huge roll calls like this one. I think this is because TA's have a particular appeal to frequent cruisers.

 

As far as the roll call itself and the various activities and bios. Like the cruise you can participate fully, not at all, or part way. Just because some participants are very active doesn't mean all have to be.

 

We've had roll calls with the extensive bio forms too - although I didn't look at the one you mentioned. These are used as a means of getting to know one another in advance of, and on, the cruise. Some participants provide all the information, some very limited information (such as only their first name and their screen names) and some provide no info for these but still participate a little on the roll call. Any of these levels of information will be just fine for everyone else on the roll call and no one will complain.

 

We've also been on roll calls where we have a lot of past cruisers chatting. Sometimes we know the other people and sometimes we don't. We've never found these people to be exclusive or to have any desire to exclude others although some occasionally get that mistaken idea. The fact is that most of these people met the others on roll calls for past cruises and are hoping to make new cruise friends on the current cruise and want newcomers to join in so they will have the opportunity to meet them. So feel free to either join in or to be shy and just lurk or anything in between. But please don't feel bad about the cruise because of the roll call.

[navyrotorhead]

I use a roll call to find out information not forge relationships. Some do and thats great. We are not compulsive about belonging to a group, dont do face book, dont text or do blogs. Make scrap books, wear buttons and badges memorbilia. Heck I refuse to even participate in what I consider the silly elite clubs that the cruise line fosters.. like being a 7 golden anchor member of the Captains Inner circle of the mystic knights of the Sea"... Reminds me of wanting to be in Captain Kangaroos fan club

 

I and another cruiser recently went to a Cruise Critic get together and it seemed like a place where folks got together to strut their status etc. We left after about 15 min and stiled enjoyed the cruise it seemed pretty well silly and sort of needy.

 

You can always avoid groups you dont like... by not participating.

 

A roll call again is a tool to use pre cruise to the best advantage

 

"They" no doubt put YOU on :eek:D-O-U-B-L-E__ S-E-C-R-E-T__P-R-O-B-A-T-I-O-N:eek: for not wearing their pledge pin on your uniform!!!:D

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

On Holland America you don't have that problem ...

[seashell]

I also use the roll call for information. I like active roll calls but i've had good cruises with quiet roll calls. I go solo on some cruises so the roll calls help me to meet people ahead. It's nice to get on a ship and "know" a few people. I've gone on some fun excursions with the people on roll call. One of the biggest groups drew several staff members to the party and lead to my first Bridge Tour. One roll call did disuade me from going because of a theme group on board, can't remember but maybe band group that took over several venues daily.

 

If the group seems overwhelming you can limit your interaction. That also depends on the size of the boat. 500 on a ship of 2000 is more overwhelming than 500 on a ship of 3500. I have picked one cruise over another because the people are friendlier on roll call. Hope you have a good cruise.

michelle

[TMLAalum]

There are just 96 posts so far for the Millennium Transpacific 4/26/14 roll call. OP, did you mean 2013?? That transpacific sailing has a very active roll call and I've found it's members to be very helpful by using their research to make port plans for our cruise a year later.

 

On our last cruise, those who booked early were very frequent posters on the roll call, but as prices dropped closer to saildate, the newcomers were welcomed as warmly as can be conveyed in a post. Our sailaway gathering and connections party were well-attended with a mix of newbies & oldies.

 

Please don't let the vibe of a roll call keep you from booking the cruise of your dreams! When you actually meet the folks who seem to dominate a roll call, you will likely be pleasantly surprised at how nice they are in person;).

[ghstudio]

While I wouldn't cancel a trip because of a roll call, it's clear that on some cruises there are groups of folks who enjoy getting to know each other and fill the cc roll call with non trip related posts such as "good morning". It is very annoying for me and others who actually are trying to find out information about the cruise, the ports and cruise related information...but they continue to chatter back and forth.

 

I assume that they will find some place on the ship to continue to chatter away during the cruise. We are joining at least some members of "the group" on one or two shore excursions because the excursions are interesting however from the posts I can see that we have little in common so we won't be hanging out with them.

 

Much of the pre trip "bravado" planning goes by the wayside as soon as the ship sails....so I don't worry too much about their taking over a bar. One of our defenses against groups is booking aqua which creates a somewhat smaller ship experience. We are also elite and they can't "take over" the elite happy hour or breakfast.

 

So yes...some of the roll calls definitely turn me off...but there is little relationship between the roll call and the actual shipboard experience.

[cynbar]

Honestly,I wouldn't let a roll call affect my decision to take a cruise, one way or another. Just remind yourself that the participants may seem to be an overwhelming majority, but are really only a small percentage of passengers on that voyage. I have had a few roll calls that were very helpful, and some of the participants organized small private tours that we wuldn't have had access to on our own. But, other roll calls just haven't appealed to me at all, for various reasons. We did have one that seemed to be hijacked by a late arrival, but I just pulled back and didn't miss it at all. I sometimes go to cruise critic meet and greets if I have enjoyed the roll call, but often I skip it, and it hasn't impacted my cruise. Personally, I think the OP is giving the roll call too much importance here, my advice is to just ignore it if you don't feel comfortable and take the cruise you want.

[wwcruisers]

Some of my best cruise memories came from cruises with active roll-calls. I don't think there is anything wrong with the "getting to know you" chatter that goes on -- especially when the cruise is a long time off. But it's also important for everyone to pay attention to folks who are just joining (or thinking about booking). Often, they have questions that need answering. And nobody participating in a roll-call should ever be pressured to give out any information that is beyond their comfort level. Even if you are organizing a cabin crawl, you can always wait to get someone's room number after you are all aboard. :cool:

[DebbieMacG]

I've always felt that being part of a roll call benefited me. Not only because I get to meet new folks and have a laugh but I get to experience things (tours) that I never would have as part of a larger group at a much reduced price! :D

 

I would be happier with a larger active roll call where I could choose to join in or not rather than a non existent or hardly active one ;)

[bula squeak]

If 500 of these ''train spotters'' try to take over a bar on our cruise, there will be tears.

[PNW Traveler]

If you don't like the roll call pre-cruise "chatter" ignore it. You aren't required to attend gatherings or cabin crawls. Use the roll call to your advantage. It's a great way to learn about ports and contacts for tour guides. We've booked private (2 to 4 people) tours with excellent tour guides mentioned in roll call postings. If you have questions about your specific cruise or ports, ask them. There are fellow cruisers who will be helpful and respond to your questions. This is especially true of European ports and cruises.

[celebrity]

I have been on great and not so great roll calls. The best was an Explorer cruise where I became friends with a great group and we continue to meet several times a year and yet we haven't sailed together again. On another roll call, I was basically shunned by a very cliquish group for suggesting to them a restaurant in NYC that might be better suited to their needs. All I can say is, "WOW". This one poster lambasted me no end so I never posted there again. In fact, it was so bad, that on a subsequent cruise, I met a fellow CC passenger that recalled the melee and apologized for her fellow posters. Yes, it was that bad. Anyhow, I still sailed on that cruise and had a great time. There is no way I would base my cruising decision on a roll call.

[Muushka]

I remember several years back we got involved with a very active roll call. These people had all cruised together and were best of friends.

 

But the nicest thing happened. They included everyone in the plans.

They didn't want an exclusive group, they were open to new people.

 

That is the kind of group I want to join!

[A Sixth?]

If 500 of these ''train spotters'' try to take over a bar on our cruise, there will be tears.

 

Say what? :confused:

[Russterus]

I can't imagine a roll call affecting whether I booked or not. If I didn't like it, I would simply treat the cruise as if it didn't exist.

[jconeil]

We've always participated in roll calls for our cruises, not only to "meet" people but to get together for shore excursions. We've always found that to be a wonderful way to meet those who are interested and adventurous enough to make their own plans. We have never had a problem with any of these excursions or the participants. So it was with this experience in mind we logged onto our next X cruise in Dec to the Carribean. The forum appeared to have been taken over by a group who posted miscellaneous pictures which evidently they found amusing. Hundreds of these one liners. When I attempted to ask about shore excursions, I was told to go to the search link on Cruise Critic. At that point several other posters attempted to break this one liner cartoon network but were also dissed. I suggested then that if anyone wanted to find shore excursions to try the roll calls before & after our cruise because it was easier to find appropriate info there. That set off a new round of rude comments. But as I look at it, it is really only a few posters which unfortunately have put off people like me, who just want polite info or comments, to the point no one except these people post to the site. This will not make a bad cruise for us because we are capable of amusing ourselves, but won't make any acquaintances beforehand. :DWe've never been on a bad cruise:D

[rkacruiser]

I do agree that the "tone" of a CC Roll Call can be detected prior to a cruise. If that tone does not meet your desires, ignore it, don't attend the function(s), and enjoy your cruise.