Group amenity - cocktail party questions

[inq]

one of our options to use our groups amenity points is a one hour private cocktail party with dry snacks. Has anyone done this that can share details like:

Where was party held?

What was offered for drinks?

What was offered for snacks?

Did you have any say in when or where party was held?

Would you do it again or pick something else?

 

Thanks.

[gymbomb]

one of our options to use our groups amenity points is a one hour private cocktail party with dry snacks. Has anyone done this that can share details like:

Where was party held?

What was offered for drinks?

What was offered for snacks?

Did you have any say in when or where party was held?

Would you do it again or pick something else?

 

Thanks.

 

 

We had one in 2012 on the Dawn.

 

It was held in the Star Bar on the last afternoon of the cruise. They honored the time we requested, but we did not try to request a specific location. There are probably some limitations to what times you can request depending on what else is going on on the ship at that time?

 

Red wine, white wine, and some sort of fruity mixed drink were pre-poured on trays the servers were circulating with, but they also served anything else anyone requested. Not sure if there were limitations to this, but several of our guests requested things not on the tray and had no trouble getting them.

 

Snacks were just typical bar snacks -- a dry mix with nuts, small crackers, etc.

 

If I did it again would depend on the situation. Our group was onboard for our embarkation day wedding, and we wanted to have a get-together for everyone at the end, especially since we didn't have a reception and had minimal group activities planned during the cruise. So for us it worked out really well and I would do it the same way again. However, if it weren't for a special occasion like that I would probably have chosen onboard credit instead.

 

We did tip the servers/bar tenders at the end since they were very friendly and met all of our requests.

[Planmaam]

We had three amenity points for our January 2013 cruise on the Star, and chose to use them all for one-hour cocktail parties.

 

I e-mailed the proper person (group coordinator, I think?) several times, first requesting the dates and approximate times. She e-mailed back with the available rooms. We preferred the Star Bar for all 3, and had them shortly after sail-aways from ports. Not all of our times were available for the Star Bar, so I requested other times so we could use this one, our favorite for small gatherings like this. (We had also had one on the Pearl during our last Alaska cruise in 2009).

 

We were able to get accommodated for all three parties in the Star Bar. There were not any drinks ready for us, we all ordered as we arrived. The bartender and one waiter were there, and they soon got to know the drinks we all liked. I think they limited us to bar brands. We tipped very well the first night, and after that the drinks flowed very freely! The waiter would bring us two at a time to be able to accommodate everyone during the hour, and when the hour was getting close to the end, he asked us if we wanted more, and would usually bring us two more. We were able to take them with us to dinner, then.

 

On the last day, some people came into the bar, and though there was a sign "closed for private event", they talked with the bartender and were allowed to sit near the door until we our hour was over.

 

We tipped very well for all three events, and the bartender and waiter made special drinks for our granddaughters, ages 4 & 5 at the time. Shirley Temples with lots of cherries, if I remember correctly. The girls also made friends with them, and would sit at the bar and be paid special attention. Just little things, like hand-slap games, etc., but they loved it and it surely went a long way with the grandmothers!!!

 

So you can pick your day, time, and place, but sometimes not all three can be accommodated, but they try very hard, and work to make the time very special. We will surely do it again when we have enough people to be a group!

 

Have fun!

Edited April 8, 2014 by planma'am

[beachmonkey]

One thing to remember about the use of your points for a reception...more and more people are getting the beverage package. While the reception is a great way to get together, it may not have as much value if everyone is on the package.

 

We used our points to add OBC to our friends rooms. We still arranged to get together, but this gave them the chance to use the $$$ for spa, pictures, dinner, or whatever else they wanted.

[mattR]

What are all the options you were given?

[Clay Clayton]

And can you feel us dummies in on what it takes to qualify as a group in order to get the points?

[jmele999]

One thing to remember about the use of your points for a reception...more and more people are getting the beverage package. While the reception is a great way to get together, it may not have as much value if everyone is on the package.

 

We used our points to add OBC to our friends rooms. We still arranged to get together, but this gave them the chance to use the $$$ for spa, pictures, dinner, or whatever else they wanted.

 

Can you please come back and tell us about your wedding. My partner and I are NCL cheerleaders and would love to hear about your experience.

[inq]

What are all the options you were given?

 

There are various options which "cost" various amounts of points. If you search for amenity point menu I think you will find a post that included a detailed listing. Some of the options are for on board credit, bottle of wine, dinner in specialty restaurant. We have a total of 3 points to use and I was thinking of a cocktail party for one point and Italian restaurant for 2 points.

[inq]

And can you feel us dummies in on what it takes to qualify as a group in order to get the points?

 

My daughter is getting married on board the Dawn. We went to our TA and she booked us as a group. Not sure how many cabins you need to qualify as a group, but we started with three and should end up with 12-15 total. I know you can call the group department at NCL as well. No dummies here :) only the curious. no way I would have known about it without these boards.

[inq]

Can you please come back and tell us about your wedding. My partner and I are NCL cheerleaders and would love to hear about your experience.

 

I will definitely post details after the wedding, but it will be a long wait as the date is set for August, 2015. Nothing like planning ahead! Probably shows that this is the first of my children to marry.

[Demonyte]

What are all the options you were given?

 

See here: http://www.ncl.com/nclweb/cruiser/cmsPages.html?pageId=Groups2Amenities

[beachmonkey]

Can you please come back and tell us about your wedding. My partner and I are NCL cheerleaders and would love to hear about your experience.

 

Of course! Look for our wedding review under "Special Interest" "Wedding and Honeymoon". We will also update our wedding website when we return. We leave for New York in 2 weeks.

 

Now on topic...We received points as part of having a group for our wedding. We are using our points to provide in-room treats and OBC.

[Planmaam]

A group is 8 or more cabins in a booking. Friends and family can have reservations linked together to become a group.

 

We decided we could get more value with a cocktail party than with the $25.00 per cabin OBC.

 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk

[mattR]

See here: http://www.ncl.com/nclweb/cruiser/cmsPages.html?pageId=Groups2Amenities

 

Thanks for the link. How do you know how many amenities points you get? For the restaurants is it for everyone in the cabin or just 2?

[Planmaam]

Per cabin. The amount depends upon the number of cabins and the level of cabins purchased.

 

They send you an amenity menu with your total points earned.

 

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[newmexicoNita]

one of our options to use our groups amenity points is a one hour private cocktail party with dry snacks. Has anyone done this that can share details like:

Where was party held?

What was offered for drinks?

What was offered for snacks?

Did you have any say in when or where party was held?

Would you do it again or pick something else?

 

Thanks.

 

We did it about 6 years ago. It was one of the best options we have seen. They served anything to drink you wanted and great appetizers. As for the drinks, they almost over pushed them, if that is possible. The party was held in a private room near the observation lounge on the cruise we took.