Onboard Orion...Meet and Mingle

[stretchcruz]

I'm onboard Orion now. Meet and Mingle was tonight at 6. I went with name tags, etc. There were trays and trays of snacks, trays of drinks...hotel manager was there, cruise director, probably 6 or 7 other officers. They were expecting 40 people. My husband and I and one other couple (Sherry and Jim) showed up. Embarrassing. We got to meet a lot of officers but I felt terrible that they all went to so much trouble for nothing. Wasted food, drinks, and time for the officers. I know Sherry said she didn't get her invitation and only knew because I mentioned it on another site. We are on the next cruise from Sydney to Bali and they said that they were expecting even more people on that one. I sure hope it happens or I wouldn't blame them if they discontinued it.

[stretchcruz]

2 hours ago, stretchcruz said:

I'm onboard Orion now. Meet and Mingle was tonight at 6. I went with name tags, etc. There were trays and trays of snacks, trays of drinks...hotel manager was there, cruise director, probably 6 or 7 other officers. They were expecting 40 people. My husband and I and one other couple (Sherry and Jim) showed up. Embarrassing. We got to meet a lot of officers but I felt terrible that they all went to so much trouble for nothing. Wasted food, drinks, and time for the officers. I know Sherry said she didn't get her invitation and only knew because I mentioned it on another site. We are on the next cruise from Sydney to Bali and they said that they were expecting even more people on that one. I sure hope it happens or I wouldn't blame them if they discontinued it.

 

[stretchcruz]

Much confusion. Some invitations stated Feb 27. So meet and mingle tomorrow. I called the front desk, they apologized for the confusion but it is tomorrow. Looking forward to meeting everyone.

[Pushka]

So tonight wasn’t on then but Orion prepared for it? Oh dear. Bit of a cluster then. 

[Relaxing Rita]

Oh dear... is this another Viking error/miscommunication... it seems there have been a few. We are on Orion in May !!!

 

[Bigred84]

We have never received an invitation to either meet and mingle

[Pushka]

2 hours ago, Bigred84 said:

We have never received an invitation to either meet and mingle

Did you join up by signing up through the cruise critic link through the roll call? Not just post there but specifically sign up?

[FionaGal]

I think there is an issue with invitations being received.  We never got one for our July cruise and only found out from others we had already connected with on FB.  (And DH was the one who started the roll call)

[Pushka]

20 minutes ago, FionaGal said:

I think there is an issue with invitations being received.  We never got one for our July cruise and only found out from others we had already connected with on FB.  (And DH was the one who started the roll call)

 

I started the roll call for ours, but wondering if your DH actually registered for the extra MG as well. I guess I’ll find out in May. It’s not that I will miss not going if we don’t get one but it’s kind of embarrassing if the crew goes all out and by not getting the invite it’s a no show from us. 

Edited February 26, 2019 by Pushka

[LFS517]

Can you ask at Guest Services when the Meet & Mingle is scheduled?  That way, if you don't get an invitation, and you signed up, at least you know when to show up.  Just asking for future reference....we're looking forward to our first ocean cruise in 40 days or so!

[Missymssy]

Wow, 40 people stretchcruz!! We have only 8 for Alaska cruise this July

[Australia08]

On our recent Viking Star cruise we received our Meet and Mingle invitation the evening after the event was held. 

[just_dont]

5 minutes ago, Australia08 said:

On our recent Viking Star cruise we received our Meet and Mingle invitation the evening after the event was held. 

[stretchcruz]

We had a great meet and mingle tonight. I think well over 30 people. Turns out the invitations were printed wrong, I had spoken to someone on staff who told me the meet and mingle was last night so that's why we were there. Just a miscommunication but all is well that ends well and it was a great get together tonight! As a few of the officers said..."take 2!". Mistakes happen but it all worked out in the end. It was great to meet everybody. Viking did a great job with hosting, snacks, drinks, etc.

 

[Little Monty]

3 minutes ago, stretchcruz said:

We had a great meet and mingle tonight. I think well over 30 people. Turns out the invitations were printed wrong, I had spoken to someone on staff who told me the meet and mingle was last night so that's why we were there. Just a miscommunication but all is well that ends well and it was a great get together tonight! As a few of the officers said..."take 2!". Mistakes happen but it all worked out in the end. It was great to meet everybody. Viking did a great job with hosting, snacks, drinks, etc.

 

That is good news stretchcruz .. I'm glad it all worked out.

 

I would be interested to know your thoughts of the cruise so far - what is weather like ?, calm seas ?, enjoying the food ?, excursions up to expectations ?, were you surprised how nice Tauranga was ? (we were !) etc.

 

When you have time, we would enjoy knowing your thoughts.

Regards, LM

[Dauntless]

Meet and Mingles are voluntary events.  If you follow the roll call you do find those you can bond with.  Can only go with my two cruises. 

 

The first one was well attended by people that expected something from it.  One person brought name tags, one brought an guest register to get contact info.  Well attended by Viking staff and it was held in Kitchen table.   I would say there might have bee 20-30 people.  The space seemed welcoming and the crowd was able to easily mill around and converse. With drinks being served and a little demonstration of putting the snacks together and some interaction between people that seemed to generate good will.

 

The second one was held in the Wintergarden.  A beautiful space but rather large for a party of friends.  Numbers would really be needed to say the place invited intimacy or promoted social mixing.  Fewer people at this event--larger space so it felt lack of energy,  It didn't seem to have as many Viking people there but it was hard to tell if head count was more or less.  No register or name tags, so we didn't have people that generated ideas or initiative to put things together. 

 

Viking does their part to help have the party but they are not the hosts and under this format, that could make or break a party.  There are heads of of ship's departments that attend but if they don't mingle you don't know what they do or why they are there.  The available entertainers should attend and start bonding with the guests and giving them ideas of what they have to offer during the cruise.  Next cruise rep should be there. Head of Spa to answer questions about that area of the ship and restaurant people to discuss their offerings.  Shore excursion reps could be there to discuss those options.  Cruise director can attend to present a personality to the event and the guest relation person could make sure that things keep happening during the event.  Of course, none of this is the party and is only part of the mingling process.  If the space is smaller then there is no way for people to go off in the corner and wait for people to approach them.  There's no room for the Junior High Prom scenario where the girls sit on one side of the gym with the boys on the other and have a stand off.

 

Of course, if we attend with a purpose---to mix and mingle--that also helps.  When you board, on the opposite side of the ship from the Viking Bar you will see pictures of all of the people you should be on the lookout for during the cruise.  If you get to your cabin and there is no invite, check with the cruise director or guest relations.  This event is not publicized for the whole ship so if you're asking them about it, they will know you know and can get you  headed in the right direction. 

[stretchcruz]

18 hours ago, Little Monty said:

That is good news stretchcruz .. I'm glad it all worked out.

 

I would be interested to know your thoughts of the cruise so far - what is weather like ?, calm seas ?, enjoying the food ?, excursions up to expectations ?, were you surprised how nice Tauranga was ? (we were !) etc.

 

When you have time, we would enjoy knowing your thoughts.

Regards, LM

 Our included tour in Tauranga sucked. Waste of time. A lot of folks on other buses went and complained. At least our driver was funny but what a waste of time. Drive by, stop for a few minutes at a park then a stop at "The Historic Village". Basically a few shops. Bathroom stop. Should have paid for something else. My own fault I didn't do enough research. Today Wellington was cold and windy. Included again drive by with 3 short stops. Napier another drive by but we stayed in town after. Auckland sky tower and aquarium that we paid for good. Included in the afternoon drive by of stuff we saw in the morning. I'm having lots of problems with my back and knee but still these drive bys are just not good. Tomorrow Christchurch and we do the Mona Vale gardens so hoping for more. You said Dunedin was good so can't wait for that.

The ship is excellent. The staff unbelievable. They remember our names. The service fantastic as well as the food. Enjoying our time immensely just wish I'd spent more time on excursion planning. I work too much!!

[Aussie Cruise Nuts]

21 hours ago, stretchcruz said:

We had a great meet and mingle tonight. I think well over 30 people. Turns out the invitations were printed wrong, I had spoken to someone on staff who told me the meet and mingle was last night so that's why we were there. Just a miscommunication but all is well that ends well and it was a great get together tonight! As a few of the officers said..."take 2!". Mistakes happen but it all worked out in the end. It was great to meet everybody. Viking did a great job with hosting, snacks, drinks, etc.

 

I am pleased to read that "Take 2" worked for the Meet and Mingle.     We have 54 signed up for our M&M for the 21 April Hong Kong to Vancouver cruise.     There are a lot of engaged people on our roll call and most are signed up for the M&M, so I do expect our combined enthusiasm for sharing info etc will lead to a pretty full turnout.     I trust this is the case as I know the cruise lines do go to some effort to put on the M&M and ensure a reasonable roll up  of Officers etc.   

Whilst this will be  our first Viking Ocean cruise, I have always found the Cruise Critic contributors from our  many past cruises do value the Cruise Critic Boards site and generally embrace the valued shared input  from the CC community.   

 

Rod     

[Little Monty]

4 hours ago, stretchcruz said:

 Our included tour in Tauranga sucked. Waste of time. A lot of folks on other buses went and complained. At least our driver was funny but what a waste of time. Drive by, stop for a few minutes at a park then a stop at "The Historic Village". Basically a few shops. Bathroom stop. Should have paid for something else. My own fault I didn't do enough research. Today Wellington was cold and windy. Included again drive by with 3 short stops. Napier another drive by but we stayed in town after. Auckland sky tower and aquarium that we paid for good. Included in the afternoon drive by of stuff we saw in the morning. I'm having lots of problems with my back and knee but still these drive bys are just not good. Tomorrow Christchurch and we do the Mona Vale gardens so hoping for more. You said Dunedin was good so can't wait for that.

The ship is excellent. The staff unbelievable. They remember our names. The service fantastic as well as the food. Enjoying our time immensely just wish I'd spent more time on excursion planning. I work too much!!

 

Oh dear .. sorry to hear about the tours stretchcruz.

 

I probably should have mentioned we did our own thing in Tauranga as the included and optional tours didn't attract us.

 

In Dunedin I did the included excursion (which was good) and DW did the wildlife cruise which she enjoyed (but it was hard to take photos due to rocking and rolling of the boat). After DW finished her excursion we took the shuttle back into town for a walk around and lunch (at 'Best Cafe' - across the road from the railway station, great fish and chips). Enjoy.

[stretchcruz]

We are still having a great time, don't get me wrong,  but today's included was the worst of the worst. We are in Christchurch. Driver mumbled, took us to Mona Vale gardens with no explanation of where we were going or why or history...told us about the earthquake. This place is being rebuilt,  oh that place couldn't. A lot of people were killed. Drove past the same places 3 times. He stopped and said well here's the museum be back in 15 minutes. What museum? Then he'd tell us be back on the bus at 12:30. He was nowhere to be found, bus not running, no AC.  I heard a passenger ask him about taking the gondola. He told her to go to the museum and she could take it from there. She asked if they took US money and he said yes. The gondola is close to the ship, not at some museum. It was awful!! 4 couples on the elevator were talking about it and filling out their comment cards, one couple already on their way to guest services. We filled ours out and handed it in personally. 

My own fault I was working so much I didn't research enough. I should have just done private or maybe paid for a few. I've been so disappointed in the included tours and upset with myself that I didn't do enough research. Working on it now for the rest of our cruise but feel that I really missed New Zealand.

[SM77]

 Every one’s experience is individual.  We have enjoyed all of our included bus excursions.  We are having fabulous weather, warm & sunny, a tiny bit of rain in Auckland but we were already back to the ship.  In Auckland we went across the bridge; went into some lovely expensive residential areas that had great views, looked at some neighborhood that are trending, & to Savage Memorial Park.  It was a fine overview of a congested city.  Loved our tour of Tauranga, our bus driver gave excellent commentary about the area & of the Maori battle w/ the British in 1884(not quite sure of the date).  Yes, we went to this little historic village that had buildings from different parts of NZ, we found it charming.  It would have been nicer if we could have stayed longer in Tauranga so that we could have tried walking around Mt. Maunganui.  Napier was a short bus tour but there not a lot to the town. Our driver took us to a residential area to show us examples of residential Art Deco homes.  It was quite different to see & then he dropped us off in town so we could explore & walk, then caught a shuttle back.  

Wellington - yes, it was three stops but we got to see the interior St. Paul’s, up to the top of Mt. Victoria, & then to the rose gardens.  Three hours is not a lot of time.  

We docked in Lyttleton & I can certainly see why it was bypassed if it was windy. It was amazing to watch the Orion squeeze through the entrance of the harbor. Christchurch is 30 minutes drive.  Not much to see of the city center since most of the buildings were destroyed in the earthquake. Sad to see the state of the main cathedral but at least it will be restored.   The Mona Vale Gardens were very nice to walk through.  

We’ve had some bumpy nights. Not enough for meds, but enough for the anchor to slam against the hull.  We are on deck 4 in the front.  For our Baltic cruise we were on deck 3 in the front & never heard the anchor. The difference in the bodies of water!  I’m anxious about our Tasman Sea crossing but have lots of meds!

BTW, things ran very smoothly @ the airport(once we got thru passport control & the customs inspectors regarding food) - plenty of Viking personnel, took our luggage to be trucked to the ship; we boarded a small van & was whisked away to the ship. Embarkation was also quick.  Got into our cabin by 1:30.  As usual, staff is superb!

 

Edited March 1, 2019 by SM77

[Missymssy]

After so much reading negative things about excursions, I scheduled private ones or planned diy things for Alaska cruise this July. Viking I think does that itinerary starting in May, so I doubt that's enough time to "iron out the kinks". We are taking a few included if we get can fit them in, but if not I think we planned ok

[stretchcruz]

We are having a GREAT TIME. The staff onboard is incredible. They call my husband and I by name every meal....they ask our names then call us by name the rest of the meal. The food is fantastic. The ship marvelous.

I think the success (or failure) of an included tour depends on the bus driver (who is also the guide). Some good, some not.

[SM77]

Just another comment on the included excursions- as with any excursion it really depends on who you get as the guide. In NZ, all of our guides thus far are the bus drivers, unlike any other excursion elsewhere where we had guides & drivers.  I suspect there is not a lot of detailed historic information on these ports where it matters to have an official ‘tour guide’.  I have to say on our excursions, at least two of our tour bus drivers have their own tour companies so we got a fair amount of information on each port & NZ in general.  But I have heard others complain about their outings & it sounded like the bus driver wasn’t very informative.  On our shuttle run from Napier back to the ship, our bus driver gave us commentary as if it was an excursion!  I think I had set my expectations differently once I heard feedback from others on the earlier voyages but I have been pleasantly surprised.  Our bus drivers have been eager to share their knowledge, are very proud of their homeland, and have been very responsive to our needs.  

[Pushka]

17 hours ago, Missymssy said:

After so much reading negative things about excursions, I scheduled private ones or planned diy things for Alaska cruise this July. Viking I think does that itinerary starting in May, so I doubt that's enough time to "iron out the kinks". We are taking a few included if we get can fit them in, but if not I think we planned ok

 

Im on the first Alaska cruise starting May 26 and most of my excursions have been booked privately. I have about 20 days until mine open up on Viking. We are also doing a lot of tender ports so figure that into your plans by checking the Alaska port info. We are even tendering in Vancouver for embarkation.