No more MTG luncheon, only cocktail party

[memoak]

7 hours ago, esad9556 said:

Alcohol on the bridge, would like to see a picture of that.

This was back in the 1990’s. B2B Alaska less than 30 elites on board

[memoak]

2 hours ago, wallyj said:

Currently on Emerald, lead Future cruise consultant said they have NOT received any communication to stop having MTG lunch. One is planned for the next voyage starting tomorrow. 
 

You would think if it was corporate, why hasn’t a communication been sent ‘fleetwide’ ?

I am still convinced it is up to the individual ship and captain as to which is held.  We have seen a combination of cocktail parties and lunches going back 20+ years

[kywildcatfanone]

15 minutes ago, CruzinNoony said:

Huh??  Are you saying you couldn't swap your mini bar items for ones you prefer?

They removed the ability to swap it for coffee, which for us was a huge benefit removal.  

As far as swapping for other items, since covid that too has been hit or miss from my experience.

[memoak]

2 hours ago, Iamcruzin said:

Perhaps this is why they are discontinuing it.  Elite is150 days. If you have to go to the bottom of the barrel to get attendees then what's the point?

It is all about itineraries. On 10 day Mexico cruises out of SF the cutoff is often over 800 days our 550 don’t ever get included   On a recent b2b earlier this month both legs had over 2,100 first time cruisers and under 80 elites. We always go to the lunch if we make the cut

[memoak]

2 hours ago, asctony said:

If we all believed everything people post on here we know after our 2,000 cruise on Princess we get a free cruise in the Sanctuary. Yes, I heard that through the grapevine! LOL

EVEN GOT A FREE GLASS OF WINE!

Is that the same grapevine where the Grand and Island have been sold multiple times ?

[memoak]

13 minutes ago, kywildcatfanone said:

They removed the ability to swap it for coffee, which for us was a huge benefit removal.  

As far as swapping for other items, since covid that too has been hit or miss from my experience.

See always swap all booze for vodka all pop for Diet Coke and all water for Perrier. No problems at all since restart. We don’t really drink much coffee

Edited August 27 by memoak

[dreams_of_travel]

20 hours ago, memoak said:

Did we bump into each other on the Grand. We were at 2 MTG luncheons

We may have, but since we didn't have any cruise critic meet ups, I missed out on meeting both you and @Sea Hag.   I am not a natural mingle around/talk to everyone type person. I usually attend the sail aways or casual meet and greets just to put faces to the names I've been reading for years.   At my two MTG luncheons, the first one I sat with the entertainment officer, at the second one I sat with the environmental officer.  Both were interesting to talk to, as were the other guests at the table.  

[Teechur]

1 hour ago, mahasamatman said:

On the Diamond, it was drinks only - no food at all.

Same on the Emerald.

[CruzinNoony]

Well, my hubby doesn't drink alcohol at all, so that really sucks.  We would probably just skip the cocktail party all together if that happens on a ship we were on.  

[Cruisemeister2002]

6 hours ago, geoherb said:

 

The cocktails were readily available the time I was invited to a Top 40 cocktail party on the Island Princess. They had plenty of bar servers circulating with trays of cocktails and glasses of wine. They would take special requests as well, but that took more time.

 

The cocktails are also readily available at the Captain's Circle parties with a lot more passengers. I usually will have two or three, keeping the last glass of wine to take with me to dinner.

 

I shall keep the glass of wine for dinner in mind.Unfortunately again with P&O the wine was suitable for cleaning your washbasin and gin and tonic was like they had put the tonic in a glass and then rinsed the gin cork in the tonic as I have had stronger mocktails.

[memoak]

58 minutes ago, Teechur said:

Same on the Emerald.

Was this the MTG cocktail party for 40 people or the Captains Circle party for all past cruisers ?

[TRLD]

3 hours ago, kywildcatfanone said:

They removed the ability to swap it for coffee, which for us was a huge benefit removal.  

As far as swapping for other items, since covid that too has been hit or miss from my experience.

You cannot swap it for something that does not exist.

[555]

7 hours ago, asctony said:

We are B2B, 9 & 16.

You?

Yes, beginning on Nov 2. 

We'll be home in time for turkey. 

[kywildcatfanone]

55 minutes ago, TRLD said:

You cannot swap it for something that does not exist.

Hence the comment the benefit was removed.

[asctony]

1 hour ago, 555 said:

Yes, beginning on Nov 2. 

We'll be home in time for turkey. 

Sorry, we will miss you. On NCL JOY 11\2 then Sun 11\9 - 30.

Happy Turkey after your Happy Cruise!

[TRLD]

31 minutes ago, kywildcatfanone said:

Hence the comment the benefit was removed.

The benefit is the minibar

 

The entire coffee card program was eliminated for everyone. Thus the comment you cannot swap for something that does not exist.

[Cruise Raider]

On 8/25/2024 at 6:01 PM, CruzinNoony said:

As I mentioned, I would absolutely be extremely happy if this turned out to be a false rumor!. Over the years,  I've been to lots of the luncheons and a few cocktail parties.  I am aware that in the past it has been the captain that makes the decision as to whether to host a luncheon or the cocktail party.  Both of my friends just got on the Discovery and the Sun a day or so ago and this is what they reported:  The MTG luncheon has been discontinued fleetwide and from now on just the cocktail party.

We just attended two MTP luncheons, with the most recent being just a few days ago.  We were assured they weren’t phasing the luncheons out.  I suppose that could change??? 

[Cruise Raider]

On 8/26/2024 at 10:08 AM, memoak said:

Where on the Majestic was a cocktail party for 40 people held. I cannot recall a small enough area except for what used to be bar next to the casino which I believe is now used for slot machines 

It wasn’t for the MTP party but we did attend a cocktail party for sail away with Jeff Corwin that was limited to about 30 or 40 people and it was held up in the Hollywood Conservatory.  It was quite nice, too!  The PES happy hour was also held up there on the first leg of our B2B.  
Also, just of note, there is a small area of the Double Down Bar that has two gaming tables (I believe they were high limit tables) but the remainder of the bar still hosts patrons of the bar. As a matter of fact, they used that bar for the second leg of our recent B2B sailing for the PES event.    

BTW .. The MTP luncheon was held in Harmony on deck 5.  

 

 

[Thrak]

We have 269 days with Princess and will be adding another 41 next year. (Land tour days don't count of course.) We will never be MTP. Not a big deal. I used to say we would never be Elite but that was actually a pretty easy thing to achieve after all. (MTP on the other hand... I don't know that we would really enjoy that many days at sea anyway. 😵)

[Coral]

7 hours ago, memoak said:

This was back in the 1990’s. B2B Alaska less than 30 elites on board

I don't think they had Elite level in the 90's. I think that came sometime in the early 2000's.

[memoak]

1 hour ago, Cruise Raider said:

We just attended two MTP luncheons, with the most recent being just a few days ago.  We were assured they weren’t phasing the luncheons out.  I suppose that could change??? 

We were on the Grand first 2 weeks of August. Luncheons were held both weeks. I do not believe this is fleet wide. Kind of like sharing a pizza in Alfredo’s or a charcuterie plate in Vines. Ok on some ships and not others

[memoak]

21 minutes ago, Coral said:

I don't think they had Elite level in the 90's. I think that came sometime in the early 2000's.

It was a level but really no benefits to speak of. I know this was prior to 2001

[t&atravel]

24 minutes ago, Thrak said:

We have 269 days with Princess and will be adding another 41 next year. (Land tour days don't count of course.) We will never be MTP. Not a big deal. I used to say we would never be Elite but that was actually a pretty easy thing to achieve after all. (MTP on the other hand... I don't know that we would really enjoy that many days at sea anyway. 😵)

@Thrak  I wouldn’t say never.  We have been invited 3 times with less than 350 days.  Once in AK, once around NZ….can’t remember what cruise the third was

Edited August 28 by t&atravel

[memoak]

24 minutes ago, Thrak said:

We have 269 days with Princess and will be adding another 41 next year. (Land tour days don't count of course.) We will never be MTP. Not a big deal. I used to say we would never be Elite but that was actually a pretty easy thing to achieve after all. (MTP on the other hand... I don't know that we would really enjoy that many days at sea anyway. 😵)

If you had been on the Grand early August you would have been at the lunch as the number 3 most traveled was under 400 days and someone I know who was at lunch was under 200. It is all about the itinerary   With 550 days we figure it is a 50/50 shot any given cruise

Edited August 28 by memoak

[Iamcruzin]

6 hours ago, kywildcatfanone said:

They removed the ability to swap it for coffee, which for us was a huge benefit removal.  

As far as swapping for other items, since covid that too has been hit or miss from my experience.

That's because it was abused. People would save the last punch and have access to unlimited regular coffee for the rest of their life. I can't even count how many time Elites would brag about hoarding the cards and selling them on eBay.