rcl trying to do away with cruise critic meetings

[gatour]

11 hours ago, mcatmcat said:

I'm less and less interested in those meeting ever since I got to diamond ( 3 free drinks) and since they always do it on day 2 by 11am ( tanning time I rather keep tanning)

The timing is what gets me as we usually get massages in the morning on the first sea days which is usually the day after boarding.  That is when they usually schedule the Meet & Mingle.  Schedule it for the afternoon at a location where the bar is open, better chance for us to show up.  Although for our upcoming cruise we don't have anything booked so there is a good chance we will show up.  While our roll-call is exactly large,  the people posting seem nice, and would be people I would like to meet.

[Clarea]

11 minutes ago, Beachammo said:

 

Not much for a ship that can have over 6.5k passengers. Better get there early if they have an event there.

 

I agree.  I've always wondered why there was no equivalent mid-level lounge (like the Star Lounge) on Oasis class.

[Beachammo]

2 minutes ago, Host Clarea said:

 

I agree.  I've always wondered why there was no equivalent mid-level lounge (like the Star Lounge) on Oasis class.

 

Yep

 

Everything else is stadium seating. Reason #203 not to sail Oasis class

[gatour]

25 minutes ago, Beachammo said:

 

Not much for a ship that can have over 6.5k passengers. Better get there early if they have an event there.

With most of the numbers being reported a space holding 222 would be plenty big enough.   For example our Symphony currently have 31 people signed up.

[Beachammo]

12 minutes ago, gatour said:

With most of the numbers being reported a space holding 222 would be plenty big enough.   For example our Symphony currently have 31 people signed up.

 

Not just talking about the M&M. Oasis class doesn't have a laid back informal  space that will accommodate the passenger demand for events like trivia, games (battle of the sexes, name that tune, etc), Diamond happy hour, and just to go dancing. I hate having to get to a venue an hour early just to get a seat.

 

The ice rink is not such a place....seems a bit cold. No pun intended.😎

[ShillyShally]

16 minutes ago, Beachammo said:

 

Not just talking about the M&M. Oasis class doesn't have a laid back informal  space that will accommodate the passenger demand for events like trivia, games (battle of the sexes, name that tune, etc), Diamond happy hour, and just to go dancing. I hate having to get to a venue an hour early just to get a seat.

 

The ice rink is not such a place....seems a bit cold. No pun intended.😎

This was my main issue with the Oasis class - it's very well designed to absorb the number of passengers but almost too well, I never thought there was the same informal aspect of dropping by activities or hanging in such venues as there are on smaller classes.  I'm curious if the Quantum class is similar to Oasis or more the Freedom class?

[zoepipes]

How do you meet and mingle in the ice rink?  Sitting in stadium type seating is unconducive to mingling. . .  My husband and I have never attended an M&M but have signed up for the 9-15-19 HOS M&M - I was looking forward to it but maybe not so much now. . .

 

[Clarea]

15 minutes ago, zoepipes said:

How do you meet and mingle in the ice rink?  Sitting in stadium type seating is unconducive to mingling. . .  My husband and I have never attended an M&M but have signed up for the 9-15-19 HOS M&M - I was looking forward to it but maybe not so much now. . .

 

 

There's very little mingling in the RC sponsored M&M anyhow.    We prefer the informal meets at one of the bars on day 1 right before muster.

[RFerrington]

On 3/18/2019 at 2:33 PM, southeastsun said:

currently on the anthem and had our cc meeting. About 70-80 present and we listened to Dennis's rcl promotion. some interaction but no offer

to pass the mike and limited questions. When it came to raffel time, only 2 bundled gifts of hat, pen, and other small items. NO ADULT BEVERAGES, a first 

for us and we were on Athem in Jan and not a problem, oasis in feb not a problem. I was told this is old policy and now being enforced per Miami, no wine 

to be raffeled. What is going on the other ships? Is this a budget excuse? Limit the gifts and limit the people to "0"?

 

We were on B2B on Anthem in Feb and we noticed the same thing.  Dennis loves the sound of his own voice and he would NOT SHUT UP.  

[mac66]

M & Ms are largely dependent on the type of people who go on the Roll Calls and set them up. It also depends largely on the time of year, the ship, itinerary and the cruise director/staff and how much interest they put into it.  I've been to M&Ms where we met a lot  of people and hung out with them for the week and ones where 20 people showed up and left early. It all kind of depends.

 

I have not seen any evidence that RCI is trying to do away with them.

[packercruising]

1 hour ago, Host Clarea said:

 

There's very little mingling in the RC sponsored M&M anyhow.    We prefer the informal meets at one of the bars on day 1 right before muster.

I agree with this. Much less formal.

[ShillyShally]

23 minutes ago, packercruising said:

I agree with this. Much less formal.

Me too - I'm more relaxed at sailaway and meeting outside or right as vacation begins is ripe for interaction and chatting.  Personally for me walking into M&M my shyness and introversion kicks in more and I hesitate to break into already started conversations or start one.

[Maraprince]

Other lines schedule the M&M in one of the speciality restaurants so that everyone can have a seat with others at the same table.  Makes for more socializing.

 

MARAPRINCE

[Solo1959]

They're not "really" Cruise Critic Meet & Greets. Cruise Critic doesn't sponsor them, nor does Cruise Critic provide the time, place or snacks.

 

These are arranged by and paid for by the cruise line. If Cruise Critic wanted to sponsor meet and greets that would be one thing, but these meet and greets are just to benefit people who participate in a roll call on a message board. It's very nice of the cruise lines to be accommodating, but they certainly don't have to. Cruise Critic is not the only source of reviews for the cruise line - far from it. And my review of the cruise is based on the quality of the vacation, not the snacks provided by the cruise line for the meet and greet.

 

It's great to get together with the people we've met in the roll call, put faces with names, etc. But if this is going to be called a Cruise Critic event, then Cruise Critic needs to sponsor it. I can fully understand why cruise lines don't want to keep doing the work for some message board.

[allentownahoy]

10 hours ago, RFerrington said:

We were on B2B on Anthem in Feb and we noticed the same thing.  Dennis loves the sound of his own voice and he would NOT SHUT UP.  

Truer words were never spoken. As a result he totally hijacks the Meet and Mingle and ruins it.