Reports on recent cruise critic meet & greets?

[bedfordmom]

Recent M & G in the last year have been somewhat disappointing in terms of officer attendance and snacks. On the Getaway TA in October, we had a rather large crowd with some of the officers staying there about five minutes. I think they had some coffee, juice, fruit and danish.  There was a nice lady (a travel agent I think) who gave out sticky pads with the name and date of our cruise.    This last one on the Escape TA  also had a large crowd in the Brewhouse with no officers and even less snacks (coffee, water). Personally unless you are trying to connect with someone, for me they are no longer worth attending.

[jkbec101]

17 minutes ago, bedfordmom said:

This last one on the Escape TA  also had a large crowd in the Brewhouse with no officers and even less snacks (coffee, water). Personally unless you are trying to connect with someone, for me they are no longer worth attending.

We went to one, also on the Escape last June in the Caribbean and it too was in the District Brewhouse, but we had all the senior officers (except the Captain), plenty of snacky food and a free beer.  Did they all stay for a ton of time, no Jack the CD introduced everyone and left almost immediately thereafter.  It was ok, we all then went to the casino and did a slot pull. 

[DebbieCruises]

On 7/17/2024 at 5:44 PM, Firstin87 said:

Something that has not been mentioned here that we have found to make an M&G more enjoyable for us is when the host has 'get acquainted' activities planned for the M&G.  Not just 'sign up for...', but during the M&G something to get people up and moving and talking to each other.  One of the best ones we attended was hosted by @Anoynmous Phoenix when he was known as "caso fil i a"   Attendees had a list of 'find someone who...' that we filled out, so people were up and asking each other questions - 'are you from outside the US', 'do you have more than 4 kids', 'do you drive a Ford', etc.

I'm interested in creating something like this for our cruise in the fall.  Could you tell me a little more about it?  Was it just a list, or set up like a Bingo card, or something else? Was there a time limit?  Was there a prize for getting the most answers? Or was it more like a list of conversation starters?

[Anoynmous Phoenix]

@DebbieCruises

 

I am Anoynmous Phoenix who was quoted in the piece you copied.

 

I have built up the material I used for the "Getting to know you" section of the Meet & Greet and would only now use it for groups of up to 60, with whom I am in email contact a number of times before the cruise and who, I assume, are committed to attending, as my method involves a great deal of time and effort by me.

 

Unfortunately I find it works best when I have my own spreadsheet at home with all relevant information which will allow me to make personalised name tags and my question sheet that is specific to those committed to attend.

 

The colour coded name tags were used to get people talking about themselves; they included where they came from (not always fully clear eg Cymru) and a greeting that should be used when you approached someone (Talofa or G'day for example).   They were also colour coded so that could be useful for the game card if necessary.

 

I was able to get 2 game cards on a sheet of A4.   Each person named their own and gave the cabin number.   There were then 15 questions that required others to fill in their N&CN for only ONE question they could answer (I always filled one space on everyone's sheet; not the same one every time).   The questions could be general (Age over 70) or specific (On Deck 4).   The latter based on information given to me in confidence.

There were also 5 other spaces filled in the same way (N&CN) for people with the same colour coded information on the name tag as yours (Same title or greeting).

 

I delivered those and an instruction sheet and personalised invitation the day BEFORE the M&G so people could start when they arrived.   I also arranged that the officers would arrive 15 minutes AFTER the start.   Then after the officers and my talk people got into it again.   It usually kept going till 40 minutes after the start.   Then people chattered about anything at all till it was time for lunch, which I had arranged.

 

Any one who wanted to be in for a prize had to hand to me before I went to lunch, with an arranged group; where I went through them taking out the ones where people had made a real effort to fill in and getting the Maître d' to choose one.   That won the prize; an NZ calendar, an NZ fridge magnet, an NZ book mark and a couple of NZ Commemorative coins.

 

I delivered the prize and a letter during the afternoon continuing my connection with people.

 

 

A warning, you will have to adapt my idea so that it is not contrary to what Cruise Critic allows.  My method has a couple of things that were not acceptable to Cruise Critic which is why I now longer arrange a M&G.

 

HTH

 

Mike/AP

[graphicguy]

On 7/16/2024 at 11:29 AM, fastpitchdad said:

 

What perks?

I've seen some people get all bent out of shape when more than one person organizes (or tries to organize) a M&G because they don't get perks.  

 

I've organized some and don't recall getting ANY perks.  I might have received some chocolate covered strawberries once.  But, even there, I'm not sure if it was because of a M&G organizer.

 

If you're doing it to get perks, you're going to be disappointed.

 

The one I organized on the Epic last October had about 60 people.  But, I kept reminding people about it on the Roll Call here at CC.  The one I attended on the Joy this past May had maybe 12-15 people and I don't even remember who organized it.

 

It really is a nice way to get to know some of the others you have seen post here.

 

I've met quite a few CC-ers at the M&Gs.  Some, I would consider cruise friends.

Edited July 19 by graphicguy

[DebbieCruises]

8 hours ago, Anoynmous Phoenix said:

@DebbieCruises

 

I am Anoynmous Phoenix who was quoted in the piece you copied.

 

I have built up the material I used for the "Getting to know you" section of the Meet & Greet and would only now use it for groups of up to 60, with whom I am in email contact a number of times before the cruise and who, I assume, are committed to attending, as my method involves a great deal of time and effort by me.

 

Unfortunately I find it works best when I have my own spreadsheet at home with all relevant information which will allow me to make personalised name tags and my question sheet that is specific to those committed to attend.

 

The colour coded name tags were used to get people talking about themselves; they included where they came from (not always fully clear eg Cymru) and a greeting that should be used when you approached someone (Talofa or G'day for example).   They were also colour coded so that could be useful for the game card if necessary.

 

I was able to get 2 game cards on a sheet of A4.   Each person named their own and gave the cabin number.   There were then 15 questions that required others to fill in their N&CN for only ONE question they could answer (I always filled one space on everyone's sheet; not the same one every time).   The questions could be general (Age over 70) or specific (On Deck 4).   The latter based on information given to me in confidence.

There were also 5 other spaces filled in the same way (N&CN) for people with the same colour coded information on the name tag as yours (Same title or greeting).

 

I delivered those and an instruction sheet and personalised invitation the day BEFORE the M&G so people could start when they arrived.   I also arranged that the officers would arrive 15 minutes AFTER the start.   Then after the officers and my talk people got into it again.   It usually kept going till 40 minutes after the start.   Then people chattered about anything at all till it was time for lunch, which I had arranged.

 

Any one who wanted to be in for a prize had to hand to me before I went to lunch, with an arranged group; where I went through them taking out the ones where people had made a real effort to fill in and getting the Maître d' to choose one.   That won the prize; an NZ calendar, an NZ fridge magnet, an NZ book mark and a couple of NZ Commemorative coins.

 

I delivered the prize and a letter during the afternoon continuing my connection with people.

 

 

A warning, you will have to adapt my idea so that it is not contrary to what Cruise Critic allows.  My method has a couple of things that were not acceptable to Cruise Critic which is why I now longer arrange a M&G.

 

HTH

 

Mike/AP

Thanks for sharing the details of your game. It does sound quite time-consuming and labor intensive. I'll have to see if there is a way I can incorporate a version.

I used to deliver invitations to all the cabins, but I'm not sure I could handle running around the ship as easily as I used to.  Right now over 70 people have signed up, but only 50 have said they are confirmed. We still have a couple months until we sail though. We'll see. Thanks again!

Oh, and I agree with GraphicGuy. I have never received any perks for hosting. I am not a travel agent and just host to be helpful. 

[zqvol]

7 minutes ago, DebbieCruises said:

Thanks for sharing the details of your game. It does sound quite time-consuming and labor intensive. I'll have to see if there is a way I can incorporate a version.

I used to deliver invitations to all the cabins, but I'm not sure I could handle running around the ship as easily as I used to.  Right now over 70 people have signed up, but only 50 have said they are confirmed. We still have a couple months until we sail though. We'll see. Thanks again!

Oh, and I agree with GraphicGuy. I have never received any perks for hosting. I am not a travel agent and just host to be helpful. 

Less is more. When someone does all of that those are the M&G that I avoid like the plague. 

[DebbieCruises]

27 minutes ago, zqvol said:

Less is more. When someone does all of that those are the M&G that I avoid like the plague. 

Are you saying if you get a hand-delivered invitation, you won't attend? Or are you saying you prefer no ice breaker games?

[Firstin87]

@DebbieCruises Hi, I'm the one whose post you copied referencing the excellent M&G hosted by @Anoynmous Phoenix with the 'get to know each other' game.  While he explained the details of how he put the game together, I'll add some question ideas for you (listed below) as I think that's also what you wanted.  Be aware - I have never hosted an M&G and do not know if any of these would be a problem for NCL ; I trust AP will be able to respond if that is the case.  I don't recall it being a Bingo card layout, but a list that you filled out.  We had an extra bottle of champagne in our room, so gave it to AP to use as a prize.

 

Question Ideas:

Who drives a (insert husband's favorite car maker here)?

Who has cruised on Oceania or Regent (NCLH's other brands)?

If you know where people are from, who lives in the city/state that a pro sports team just won the championship (i.e., New York if the Yankees won the World Series)?

Who has more than 3 grandchildren?

Who has worked in x industry (healthcare, tech, etc.)?

 

Just thoughts to start the brainstorming.  Generally, questions that will get people to find they have something in common and get people chatting not just at the M&G, but later in the cruise.  As I noted in my original post, because AP had attendees roving around, we were able to recognize each other around the ship and led to further conversations.

 

 

[zqvol]

57 minutes ago, DebbieCruises said:

Are you saying if you get a hand-delivered invitation, you won't attend? Or are you saying you prefer no ice breaker games?

Both, those are supposed to be very casual. If someone is going to all that trouble there is way more structure than I am willing to deal with.

[DebbieCruises]

55 minutes ago, Firstin87 said:

@DebbieCruises Hi, I'm the one whose post you copied referencing the excellent M&G hosted by @Anoynmous Phoenix with the 'get to know each other' game.  While he explained the details of how he put the game together, I'll add some question ideas for you (listed below) as I think that's also what you wanted.  Be aware - I have never hosted an M&G and do not know if any of these would be a problem for NCL ; I trust AP will be able to respond if that is the case.  I don't recall it being a Bingo card layout, but a list that you filled out.  We had an extra bottle of champagne in our room, so gave it to AP to use as a prize.

 

Question Ideas:

Who drives a (insert husband's favorite car maker here)?

Who has cruised on Oceania or Regent (NCLH's other brands)?

If you know where people are from, who lives in the city/state that a pro sports team just won the championship (i.e., New York if the Yankees won the World Series)?

Who has more than 3 grandchildren?

Who has worked in x industry (healthcare, tech, etc.)?

 

Just thoughts to start the brainstorming.  Generally, questions that will get people to find they have something in common and get people chatting not just at the M&G, but later in the cruise.  As I noted in my original post, because AP had attendees roving around, we were able to recognize each other around the ship and led to further conversations.

 

 

Thanks, I appreciate the suggestions.😊

[Firstin87]

You probably don't have to know the answers, like AP did.  It might be easier on you to have more generic 'find someone who...' that will exist in any large group (say 40+) of cruisers.

[wpkarp]

Wish we could do some kind of game to get everyone moving.  Our Sept 1, Majestic Japan cruise has over 230 people signed up for the Meet n Greet.  We had to move it to the world stage so it will be very challenging.  Our roll call spreadsheet has almost 250 people on it.  This is the largest I have ever seen

[Capitan Obvious]

2 hours ago, zqvol said:

Both, those are supposed to be very casual. If someone is going to all that trouble there is way more structure than I am willing to deal with.

 

You realize, of course, that the whole viewing an invite to a social gathering designed for people to get to know one another as something needing to be "dealth with" is exactly the reason why people have to resort to the invites in the first place?

 

If someone doesn't want to come, doesn't want to be a part of the group, then they probably should just skip the roll call completely.

 

Besides, its just an invite to meet people who you've been communicating for weeks/months before the cruise. You just go and say "Hi, nice to meet you". Not sure what you'd have to "deal with".

[Anoynmous Phoenix]

@DebbieCruises

 

If you contact me at casofilia @ gmail , com I will send a few thoughts.

 

Mike

Edited July 19 by Anoynmous Phoenix

[Anoynmous Phoenix]

@zqvol

 

If you had ever wanted to attend a M&G where I had arranged the "Getting to know you" "game" you would have been very welcome to attend and not take part.

 

I worked on the assumption that most people wanted some method of "Meeting and Greeting" or "Meeting and Mingling" people that the only thing that they had in common was a Cruise Critic Roll Call and the cruise itself.   

 

Remember the pointed comment from LauraS:-

Tip from LauraS: When you attend the gathering, DO NOT SIT DOWN. This is often the kiss of death at these events. Although there are usually NCL Officers at event, the entertainment really is….you! Remember that your main purpose is to meet your fellow Cruise Critic members. Get up, and MINGLE!   That was one of my main drivers.

 

There were always a small number who were happy to remain affixed to a piece of furniture throughout; that was their choice.   The greater number took to the game with gusto.

 

Mike/Anoynmous Phoenix.

[fastpitchdad]

7 hours ago, graphicguy said:

I've seen some people get all bent out of shape when more than one person organizes (or tries to organize) a M&G because they don't get perks.  

 

I've organized some and don't recall getting ANY perks.  I might have received some chocolate covered strawberries once.  But, even there, I'm not sure if it was because of a M&G organizer.

 

If you're doing it to get perks, you're going to be disappointed.

 

The one I organized on the Epic last October had about 60 people.  But, I kept reminding people about it on the Roll Call here at CC.  The one I attended on the Joy this past May had maybe 12-15 people and I don't even remember who organized it.

 

It really is a nice way to get to know some of the others you have seen post here.

 

I've met quite a few CC-ers at the M&Gs.  Some, I would consider cruise friends.

 

I have hosted a few and have one coming up next month. Usually 50 to 60 people show up but I have never gotten any perks (but I didn't expect or ask for any). I just do it because it is fun and I like to meet fellow cruisers. 

[Anoynmous Phoenix]

There are two very divergent views regarding a "Cruise Critic Meet & Greet" and I seem to be in the minority.   I intend to adhere to that minority view, to bury my head in the sand and go the way of the Dodo.  

 

Haere Rā

 

Mike

[DebbieCruises]

1 hour ago, Anoynmous Phoenix said:

There are two very divergent views regarding a "Cruise Critic Meet & Greet" and I seem to be in the minority.   I intend to adhere to that minority view, to bury my head in the sand and go the way of the Dodo.  

 

Haere Rā

 

Mike

You do you, Mike.  Everyone is entitled to their opinion.

[graphicguy]

I'm not a game person, per se.  I do like to chat with my fellow cruisers, especially if I've interfaced with them a lot here on CC.  So, I'll seek them out at the M&G.

[Markanddonna]

Historically, M&Gs have been more common on cruises longer than 7 days. I never received anything for organizing, but was aware that some perks were previously (10 years ago+) given. 

 

On the last one I organized, one disorganized woman used the meeting to get things off her chest and just complained about things unrelated to the M&G.  I thought it was rude and have vowed to not organize them anymore. Once onboard, people find all sorts of reasons to not show up.

[CPT Trips]

On 7/17/2024 at 4:02 PM, JIMESOPUS said:

If the roll call is done right, there should be no issue with attendance, spreadsheet, and constant communication / post to keep the roll call on page #1 so everyone can easily find it. There were always some no-shows in the past, but that number was minuscule. After the restart, almost everything has gone awry.

On the Prima TA in 2022, there was a CC roll call, a FB roll call, and a secret CC group. The third group only became known to me and other CCers when the Oktoberfest invite was posted 

A secret CC group? Like in the Di Vinci Code? How do I create on of those?

 

 Before Covid I organized several roll calls. The initial ones were smaller, but percentage wise, much better attended than the more recent ones. I attributed this to a last minute influx of Facebook only types.
In one case the Facebook group administrator “invited” people to sign up with her and she then responded here that she and friends would attend. It was some ridiculous number and I told her “no” and to have people sign up individually here. Needless to say I got flamed in the Facebook group and she brought lots of freeloaders to the M&G. 

 

[JIMESOPUS]

10 minutes ago, CPT Trips said:

A secret CC group? Like in the Di Vinci Code? How do I create on of those?

 

 Before Covid I organized several roll calls. The initial ones were smaller, but percentage wise, much better attended than the more recent ones. I attributed this to a last minute influx of Facebook only types.
In one case the Facebook group administrator “invited” people to sign up with her and she then responded here that she and friends would attend. It was some ridiculous number and I told her “no” and to have people sign up individually here. Needless to say I got flamed in the Facebook group and she brought lots of freeloaders to the M&G. 

 

The " secret " group had ties with Cruise Critic, some of them pretty well known. They didn't appear on the roll call listing or attend the M&G. I have this habit of checking the roll call during the cruise; sometimes things will pop up, and an invite to the Oktoberfest was posted. I tried to find as many as possible on the roll call to make them aware. 

I was surprised to find out who was already there and how many of them had never joined the roll call, guess they had their M&G.

Aqua TA, didn't want to start the M&G so I let someone else run with the ball, by comparing posts here and on FB, looks like it's an FB roll call.

Jim 

 

 

[CPT Trips]

@JIMESOPUS aha! Good tip to check rollcall during the cruise.