Most Traveled Passenger Lunch

[LACruiser88]

Just now, AnyMajorCruiseDude said:

For sure!  And we have visited with several in their countries, and enjoyed staying with them occasionally.

Same here. 🙂

[karatemom2]

22 minutes ago, LACruiser88 said:

In addition, we have made long-term friendships with many Senior Staff members that were our table mates at the luncheon.  We have actually hosted several at our home.

 

 

 

5 minutes ago, LACruiser88 said:

Same here. 🙂

 

Wow, that is next level. I want to make those kinds of friends. Actually, I am friends on certain social media platforms with a few of the entertainment staff we have befriended over the years and have met up for lunch in Los Angeles on one occasion when they were in port. Nice how these friendships form!

[555]

Either the lunch or cocktail party is great on any of the ships we've had the opportunity to attend. 

[CruzinNoony]

5 hours ago, 555 said:

Either the lunch or cocktail party is great on any of the ships we've had the opportunity to attend. 

I totally prefer the lunch over the cocktail party.  While the cocktail party is lovely with marvelous tid bits to eat and anything you want to drink, it is too short.  We've been to several over the years and they are only around 45 minutes.  Not nearly enough time!!

[555]

2 minutes ago, CruzinNoony said:

I totally prefer the lunch over the cocktail party.  While the cocktail party is lovely with marvelous tid bits to eat and anything you want to drink, it is too short.  We've been to several over the years and they are only around 45 minutes.  Not nearly enough time!!

Same with us. We prefer the sit down lunch any day and don't really like the socializing at the cocktail party. We're there for the food. 😃

[Cruise Raider]

We’ve been to two lunches and one cocktail party.  At the risk downplaying how lovely the luncheons were, I actually preferred the cocktail party.  It was so much more comfortable but still very elegant.  it was a special party indeed.  We had so much more time to visit with a few of the officers, as well as the future cruise staff.  
The nibbles were outstanding and the conversation, even better!  
I am delighted to receive an invitation to attend either, but just felt so much more comfortable engaging in meaningful conversation at the cocktail party rather than being seated at a pre-assigned table where the conversation might be a bit strained.  
Perhaps we just had great conversationalists at the cocktail party!  
 

[LACruiser88]

@Cruise Raider  We thoroughly enjoy both.  On our recent 32-day South America cruise on the Sapphire, we attended 2 luncheons and 1 cocktail party.  A good time was had by all!  🍷

[PrincessLuver]

52 minutes ago, Cruise Raider said:

We’ve been to two lunches and one cocktail party.  At the risk downplaying how lovely the luncheons were, I actually preferred the cocktail party.  It was so much more comfortable but still very elegant.  it was a special party indeed.  We had so much more time to visit with a few of the officers, as well as the future cruise staff.  
The nibbles were outstanding and the conversation, even better!  
 

 

This was our experience too.  The staff made sure they interacted in a sincere way with each guests and we felt more connected to the Officers after the cocktail party which was very well done on the Enchanted Princess.  It was about an hour and a half and quality time.

 

The MTG's luncheons seem to be boorish affairs to us with a couple people usually dominating the table and sharing all their cruise tales and then a lot of complaining to the officer at the table on how Princess could improve things.  

Edited February 29 by PrincessLuver

[Cruise Raider]

1 hour ago, PrincessLuver said:

 

This was our experience too.  The staff made sure they interacted in a sincere way with each guests and we felt more connected to the Officers after the cocktail party which was very well done on the Enchanted Princess.  It was about an hour and a half and quality time.

 

The MTG's luncheons seem to be boorish affairs to us with a couple people usually dominating the table and sharing all their cruise tales and then a lot of complaining to the officer at the table on how Princess could improve things.  

I wasn’t going to go there but up when at a table, it seemed like a competition on who had more days, etc when we attended the luncheons.  I don’t believe anybody is any better than any other human being so just hate going there.  ‘Boorish’ is the perfect adjective!  I want to converse about things that actually matter and I hate complainers!  Look at me complaining about complainers.  😆 

I recognize the irony!  
At the cocktail party, we truly had heart to heart conversations about others lives and that why we loved it so much.  It was so much more intimate than the luncheons we’ve attended, albeit, there were only 2 and we really did felt so privileged to be able to be invited.  
 

Edited February 29 by Cruise Raider

[karatemom2]

It makes sense that a cocktail party might be more conducive to those intimate and self directed conversations. I'm sure the officers appreciate that as well. It frees them to move among people, and perhaps spend more time with those they find genuinely pleasant and less with those who are among the more, shall we say, braggadocious. And, no one gets confined at a table from which they can't escape.

 

I will note, however, our friends have raved about the menu served at some of the lunches!

Edited February 29 by karatemom2

[AnyMajorCruiseDude]

7 minutes ago, Cruise Raider said:

I wasn’t going to go there but up when at a table, it seemed like a competition on who had more days, etc when we attended the luncheons.  I don’t believe anybody is any better than any other human being so just hate going there.  ‘Boorish’ is the perfect adjective!  I want to converse about things that actually matter and I hate complainers!  Look at me complaining about complainers.  😆 

I recognize the irony!  
At the cocktail party, we truly had heart to heart conversations about others lives and that why we loved it so much.  It was so much more intimate than the luncheons we’ve attended, albeit, there were only 2 and we really did felt so privileged to be able to be invited.  
 

Very true.  We have passed several times on the invite when we know a lot of the other invitees and are familiar with their normal lecture circuits.  That's why we try to frequent ships and itineraries that are not as appealing to the "super elites".  One advantage of the cocktail parties is that we can choose our own seating and still enjoy talking with crew representatives.

[Cruise Raider]

5 minutes ago, AnyMajorCruiseDude said:

Very true.  We have passed several times on the invite when we know a lot of the other invitees and are familiar with their normal lecture circuits.  That's why we try to frequent ships and itineraries that are not as appealing to the "super elites".  One advantage of the cocktail parties is that we can choose our own seating and still enjoy talking with crew representatives.

Thta is the real treat!  

[Hulagirl]

We have been lucky to have been invited to several of the lunches and a few cocktail parties.  Totally agree with the lunch tables at times.  Have had some interesting people over the years.  Agree about the cocktail parties and being able to talk to whom you want to.  Honestly I'm always happy and surprised when we are invited to these.

[Waynetor]

I prefer the lunches,   Never had a problem with complainers or people boasting.

 

A one cocktail event my wife passed as she was feeling a bit off.  I sat with a single lady and a officer then sat next to her and just talked to her with once acknowledging I was sitting right across from her,  Another time we sat with another couple and when the officer came by he sat and talked the whole time with the other male passenger ignoring the other 3 people sitting together.  A couple other events no officer came up to us at all.  

[AnyMajorCruiseDude]

25 minutes ago, Waynetor said:

I prefer the lunches,   Never had a problem with complainers or people boasting.

 

A one cocktail event my wife passed as she was feeling a bit off.  I sat with a single lady and a officer then sat next to her and just talked to her with once acknowledging I was sitting right across from her,  Another time we sat with another couple and when the officer came by he sat and talked the whole time with the other male passenger ignoring the other 3 people sitting together.  A couple other events no officer came up to us at all.  

We always sit by ourselves, as far away from the crowd as possible.  We seem to always attract numerous officers who stay the whole time.  

[alanasgpa]

Just off the discovery on 24 February on a five day Cabo and that was our 60th Cruise with 493 days and we didn’t make it😂😂

[suzyed]

On 2/26/2024 at 7:53 PM, Coral said:

You have a better chance of making the cut in Alaska than some other routes with those numbers.

Exactly!! Maybe most cruisers to Alaska are newbies?  I got invited to the luncheon and I am by no means "most traveled" in the usual way.  So I think itinerary, ship and loyalty level must play some part?

[suzyed]

On 2/27/2024 at 10:35 AM, karatemom2 said:

 
Roll calls are hit and miss - we have a super active roll call for our summer cruise, but the roll call for our recent New Year’s cruise was virtually non existent, even though the ship was full. 
 

In our recent experience it seems our longer cruises and those to more distant places where shared excursions are a desirable option seem to get better participation. 
 

Very glad the one for our June cruise is so great. We have made many friends from our roll calls, a number we still stay in contact with many years later. 

Yeah, except we have a cruise out of Singapore later this year (32 days with lots of sea days) and the roll call is dead...maybe a post  or two every few days.  There is no spreadsheet and I feel at a loss since all but the Hawaiian ports are new to me.  I don't recall ever sailing  on Princess without someone creating a spreadsheet.  I have arranged several M&Gs but not one word about it on our upcoming sailing. We don't even have a list of the names of our fellow cruisers. 
We MAY have found a fellow cruiser who might attempt the spreadsheet after we shared ones we used previously. If I knew how to do it, I might attempt it.
Maybe it will pan out.
 

Edited March 1 by suzyed

[Thrak]

1 hour ago, suzyed said:

Yeah, except we have a cruise out of Singapore later this year (32 days with lots of sea days) and the roll call is dead...maybe a post  or two every few days.

 

Be sure to check if there is another roll call thread. I've seen it happen where there were duplicates and one was very active and the other basically dead.

[Cruise Raider]

9 hours ago, suzyed said:

Exactly!! Maybe most cruisers to Alaska are newbies?  I got invited to the luncheon and I am by no means "most traveled" in the usual way.  So I think itinerary, ship and loyalty level must play some part?

We also aren’t invited regularly to the MTP parties.  We booked the two identical 5 night cruises offered out of San Francisco offered last month, not a B2B.  There was a 10 night cruise in between them.  The first one had many more passengers that had more days than us but we were invited to the second one.  

[LACruiser88]

9 hours ago, suzyed said:

Yeah, except we have a cruise out of Singapore later this year (32 days with lots of sea days) and the roll call is dead...maybe a post  or two every few days.  There is no spreadsheet and I feel at a loss since all but the Hawaiian ports are new to me.  I don't recall ever sailing  on Princess without someone creating a spreadsheet.  I have arranged several M&Gs but not one word about it on our upcoming sailing. We don't even have a list of the names of our fellow cruisers. 
We MAY have found a fellow cruiser who might attempt the spreadsheet after we shared ones we used previously. If I knew how to do it, I might attempt it.
Maybe it will pan out.
 

We are also on the same cruise you mentioned (Coral Princess, Singapore to LA).  This is one of the slowest roll calls we have seen.  I think it comes down to very few CC members on this very unusual itinerary. 

 

The work that it takes to create and maintain a cruise spreadsheet is a serious commitment that not many want to take on.  🤷‍♂️

[eclue]

Just off the Regal on the 25th - Captain Gavin Pears hosted a wonderful cocktail party . He is very personable...much better than sitting at an assigned luncheon table with one officer...The party allows all the officers to mingle...sometimes at the luncheons, the captain does not even attend the entire event....We are just happy to be there!

[555]

If we get an invite that's enough to make us happy no matter where it's held. 

[LACruiser88]

1 minute ago, 555 said:

If we get an invite that's enough to make us happy no matter where it's held. 

Us too!!!  🙂🍷

[suzyed]

11 hours ago, LACruiser88 said:

We are also on the same cruise you mentioned (Coral Princess, Singapore to LA).  This is one of the slowest roll calls we have seen.  I think it comes down to very few CC members on this very unusual itinerary. 

 

The work that it takes to create and maintain a cruise spreadsheet is a serious commitment that not many want to take on.  🤷‍♂️

The good news is that one has now been created and it looks good so far!