Gift exchange

[Sunnydale]

Has anyone come across a gift exchange at a Meet and Mingle? It sounds like a nice idea but how does it work? Does everyone bring a gift from their home town to be included in the RC raffle or is it something different? If you've seen it happen, what sort of gifts are brought to include?

[fluffygirl]

We did this on our last Freedom cruise. We all signed up for it on the roll call. Wrapped items that had our screen name were placed on a table and after the M&M the ones who brought the gifts picked out a new one. Their were T-shirts, tote bags, mugs all from your area. A $10 limit was put on the gift.

[Jan_In_Maine]

We usually do the same thing where there is a $10 cap. I usually am the one that starts the meet & mingle and then I'll do a "care" package of all things Maine and have it raffled during the M&M get together. I have met so many wonderful new friends over the years (some that we have cruised with again). Jan

[setsail]

You can go to the roll call section of the boards and read several roll call threads to find out what people do.

[cruise wizard]

Some of the "gifts" were well thought out and had some "fun" items too!!!!

 

T-shirts, logo ball caps, fridge magnets, logo cups, koozies and candy (like salt water taffy) are popular gifts.

 

I usually include a couple of scratch-off lottery tickets..........our State needs the income!!!! I did have a nice bottle of 100% New York State maple syrup all packaged in my luggage..............well the bag never made it to our cabin as we had to go to the "naughty room" to claim our luggage. Security thought that it was alcohol...........after several conversations with the "police", we were allowed to claim our confiscated luggage and exchange gift.

 

Gift exchanges can be so much fun............I hope that your M&M group decides to have one.

[AussieVisi2r]

I love the M&M gift Giving.

Must be careful to make the gift something that will fit into peoples luggage - not to heavy or bulky.

 

I wrap mine in the local newspaper from my town purchased on the day I leave. Just gives people a bit more about my local area and they can they throw it out.

 

Raina

[DragonOfTheSeas]

We have participated in several of these. It has always been fun. However, on our last cruise there were a few people that took more gifts than they brought. Others that gave away freebies they had gotten elsewhere.

 

The person who ran the gift exchange was very upset.

 

So, my advice would be. Hand each person a number as they put down their gift. [2 if the bring two gifts] Then call them up by number to take a gift. [some exchanges allow "taking gifts." ]

 

You can not do anything about what people bring. :)

[Cigar King]

I'm not a fan. We have to fly, and I think that makes me a little overly concerned about weight issues. Trust me...if it's a choice between the "gift" and another pair of shoes for the wife...which do you think will win?

 

That being said, I see no reason why those who do enjoy it shouldn't go ahead and do it. After all, the M&M should be about getting to know your fellow cruisers, and the gift exchange seems like one more vehicle to move that process along.

[Desert Cruizers]

We have a big trip next year beginning in March to Sydney, Australia and our Roll Calls don't seem to be interested in setting up activities etc, which is ok, the enjoyment comes from meeting everyone and we have done enough room crawls. We do like the gift exchanges and will probably get something for the lady handling our Roll Call on the one cruise.

[lady_cruiser]

Has anyone come across a gift exchange at a Meet and Mingle? It sounds like a nice idea but how does it work? Does everyone bring a gift from their home town to be included in the RC raffle or is it something different? If you've seen it happen, what sort of gifts are brought to include?

We love the gift exchanges but living in a small town of 4,000 it is next to impossible to find gifts unique to our town so we buy gifts from this area; tabaco products from New Iberia, tony chachere's seasonings from Opelousas, community coffee, etc. And I always include our full newspaper with our gifts since it comes out once a week and is usually less than 20 pages.

 

As for the raffle, they usually come from Royal Caribbean.

[julesbeara]

I typically buy exchange gifts in the airport before we board. Pecans, salsa, BBQ & Hot Sauce are sold in Texas airport gift shops. We received the best seafood seasoning and a great ice tea glass from gift exchanges.

[Philly Steve]

There is a variation of the gift exchange called the "Yankee Auction," that allows people to pick a gift that has already been selected and unwrapped. The person who previously held that gift is allowed to pick a wrapped gift again. It's a great way to pass the time in the event of less than perfect weather but you may face time constraints on the use of the room. RCI staff will take up a sizable portion of that time, especially if they take questions.

 

A plus side of the gift exchange is that a packed item, given away, frees up more space for your newly acquired goodies on the return trip home.

[sjb317]

We've participated in several successful gift exchanges but the last one turned a little nasty as some people complained quite vocally about the gift they received. There was a $10 limit but a few felt they received "cheap" gifts, not up to par with what they had given. I decided to no longer participate as this really took the fun out of it.

 

Sherri:)

[travellovers]

Sorry new but what is roll call and how do you find out about it

[Clarea]

Sorry new but what is roll call and how do you find out about it

The roll call is the group of people on your specific cruise. Look in the roll call section:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=35

 

Find your ship and sail date and that's your roll call.

[ebk2795]

At our gift exchange, everyone who participated stood in a circle. Someone read a poem that contained the words "left" and "right" throughout. Every time either word was said, the gifts were passed to either to the left or to the right. When the poem was done, whatever gift you had was the one you took. It was a lot of fun.

Eileen

[lady_cruiser]

At our gift exchange, everyone who participated stood in a circle. Someone read a poem that contained the words "left" and "right" throughout. Every time either word was said, the gifts were passed to either to the left or to the right. When the poem was done, whatever gift you had was the one you took. It was a lot of fun.

Eileen

We always did that "left-right game" at our Secretarial Assoc Christmas social. It drove me crazy.

[KeywestK]

Gift exchanges can be fun, and it's usually quite simple: if you bring a gift, then you take a gift. There's usually a price ceiling on it to keep things fairly equal. The best gifts are the ones that showcase the area (state/city/region) the person comes from. I typically fill a medium sized gift bag with a Maryland mug, a magnet, and a tin of Bay Seasoning. Then I add a picture postcard with a brief personal note.

 

Some roll calls like to do it, and some don't. I just go with the flow:)

[Sunnydale]

Thank you for all your replies - we will buy something locally therefore going prepared and see what happens.

[Alamogirl]

Thank you for all your replies - we will buy something locally therefore going prepared and see what happens.

 

The ones we've been in, there has always been someone that keeps a list on the Roll Call to indicate who is participating and sets down the "rules" ie.. dollar limit. It's normally been 1 gift per couple and/or individual. Some couples indicate they will be bringing 2 gifts. Gifts are normally wrapped or in a gift bag. Lots of fun!