Meeting people without lounge access

[lucymorgan]

We are experienced cruisers, mostly on RCI, and enjoy the status perk of lounge/happy hour access on RCI and Celebrity because it gives a nice opportunity to see people multiple times and make new acquantances over the course of a cruise. 

We enjoyed the one HAL cruise we have done, particularly the better music options, ports, the lectures, and the vibe.  I am considering another HAL cruise.  As we haven't cruised much at all on HAL we would not have access to a lounge or regular loyalty event unless we booked a high level suite, so  I am wondering about opportunities to chat with other cruisers when you don't have that sort of benefit.   Any suggestions?    

Thank you!

[0106]

I suggest you join your Roll Call.  Also, if you participate in the same activity daily, you will begin to see the same faces.  This could be activities like pickleball, trivia or going to the same bar every night before dinner.

[The-Inside-Cabin]

19 minutes ago, lucymorgan said:

We are experienced cruisers, mostly on RCI, and enjoy the status perk of lounge/happy hour access on RCI and Celebrity because it gives a nice opportunity to see people multiple times and make new acquantances over the course of a cruise. 

We enjoyed the one HAL cruise we have done, particularly the better music options, ports, the lectures, and the vibe.  I am considering another HAL cruise.  As we haven't cruised much at all on HAL we would not have access to a lounge or regular loyalty event unless we booked a high level suite, so  I am wondering about opportunities to chat with other cruisers when you don't have that sort of benefit.   Any suggestions?    

Thank you!

Unlike RCI, HAL doesn't have lounges for folks at various status levels.   The Neptune lounge doesn't have discounted or free drinks and is not a hubbub of activity, regardless.   It's more like a library than a party lounge.   HAL will usually have ONE mariner event on the first day - and maybe another lunch, and that's it.   

 

Your best bet is to frequent the bars during happy hour and stick with the one you enjoy the most.     You will meet like-minded people at the happy hours

 

 

Edited January 13 by The-Inside-Cabin

[syesmar]

1 hour ago, lucymorgan said:

…we would not have access to a lounge or regular loyalty event unless we booked a high level suite, so  I am wondering about opportunities to chat with other cruisers when you don't have that sort of benefit.   Any suggestions?…

In addition to the suggestions above, requesting to be seated with others at dinner would likely give good opportunities to chat.

[Petronillus]

1 hour ago, The-Inside-Cabin said:

Your best bet is to frequent the bars during happy hour and stick with the one you enjoy the most.     You will meet like-minded people at the happy hours

You may find a particular bar/lounge especially conducive to chatting up strangers. For me it's the Billboard Lounge, which I came to know and love because it was the principal venue for trivia games.

 

DW & I usually lunch in the Lido Market, and we almost always join a table of four or take a table of four and welcome another couple to join us. We've had some delightful conversations that way.

[cbr663]

1 hour ago, The-Inside-Cabin said:

Unlike RCI, HAL doesn't have lounges for folks at various status levels.   The Neptune lounge doesn't have discounted or free drinks and is not a hubbub of activity, regardless.   It's more like a library than a party lounge.   HAL will usually have ONE mariner event on the first day - and maybe another lunch, and that's it.   

 

Your best bet is to frequent the bars during happy hour and stick with the one you enjoy the most.     You will meet like-minded people at the happy hours

 

 

 

Your description of the Neptune Lounge as being more like a library is spot on.  In our experience the Neptune Lounge is used primarily as an access point to the Concierge and for people quickly grabbing snacks and then leaving.  It's a small interior space and it is not very conducive imo for gatherings and conversations.  Almost every other public space on board is more advantageous to meeting people.

[WriterOnDeck]

I choose anytime dining and ask to be at a table sharing with others. That's how I meet lots of people. If you go at about the same time, over a longer cruise you sit with people more than once.

[retird]

When we did RCI longer cruise, we met people at Trivia and we would always meet at one particular pub for socializing before we all went our separate ways for dinner.   From Trivia, to pre dinner meet ups and other run ins on the ship, we firmed some great friendships

[Blackduck59]

The nice thing about HAL is you don't have to have "status" to get into the secret handshake event. There are a few invitation events for loyal customers and that is fine. The idea of having a separate special people lounge reserved for those of a certain level to keep the lowly masses away doesn't seem to be a thing. I find that for many HAL "Mariners" the only thing of much interest is the free laundry at the 4 star level.

Enjoy your cruise, meeting people is easy, ask to join a table in the Lido, share a table at dinner, you will soon find your favourite lounge and will start to see the same people, strike up a conversation. On our last cruise we had a very nice lady ask to join us at an adjacent table we were happy for the company and talked all through breakfast. We saw each other from time to time and had some very nice talks. We shared each other's contact information and have kept in touch. We will be visiting her when we are in Australia next year.

You don't need status just say hello.

[OlsSalt]

The smaller HAL ships create a sense of shared community allowing renewed encounters more than the larger ones.  Agree, the happy hours, fixed dining and regular repeated activities like trivia or religious services create opportunities to meet other passengers on a regular basis. 

[lucymorgan]

Thanks for all the suggestions! 🥀  I knew a lot of them but it is interesting to have them confirmed for HAL.