No more MTG luncheon, only cocktail party

[coo359a2]

On 8/27/2024 at 1:20 PM, CruzinNoony said:

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.  

Meredith, he can have anything he wants to drink.  I have diet Coke at every luncheon I have been too.  At the cocktail parties, I try out new drinks which is nice if we don't have a package.  Food has always been seafood heavy (Ken loves that) but I have to hope for meatballs or pigs in blanket for me..

[esad9556]

On 8/27/2024 at 5:14 AM, geoherb said:

 

We had champagne on the bridge when we took the Ultimate Ship's Tour. The officers did not join us in drinking it. And photos weren't allowed during the tour.

Not sure of when you had your Ultimate Ship Tour...... However dating back to the late 1970's NO alcohol was permitted on the bridge or engine control room. After the Exxon Valdez spill (1989) in Alaska officers of the watch had to certify to this in the watch log book. As far as photo's....never heard this (no video's). From the TSE cruise April 2024

 

[esad9556]

18 hours ago, memoak said:

Back in the 1990’s the Captains Circle was called Cirqulo del Commendante. I attend my first past passenger party in 1992

Initially P&O/ Princess cruises tracked the number of cruise but had no loyalty program per se. The Circquio Del Commendante was the Sitmar system that Princess adopted when P&O aquired them in the early 1990’s. Many of the passenger manifest records of Princess Cruises were destroyed in a warehouse fire in the late 1980’s prior to the move from Century City. 

[Cruisemeister2002]

12 hours ago, Iamcruzin said:

What really annoyed me with Princess was the fact that you had to buy fresh regular coffee to begin with. Yes I get having to pay for fancy espressos and Lattes but they couldn't just brew some Maxwell House and include in the fare? I swear they piped in that syrup coffee in Horizon Court from the La brea Tar Pit.

One of the funniest things that happened on a P&O cruise was that the coffee in the MDR was served at the table from a pot with milk to followed unless you wanted black. It was duly served to my wife. She took one sip and found they had managed to put coffee and tea in the same pot. It quickly went back to the waiter for a replacement. We called it coftea.

[CruzinNoony]

13 hours ago, coo359a2 said:

Meredith, he can have anything he wants to drink.  I have diet Coke at every luncheon I have been too.  At the cocktail parties, I try out new drinks which is nice if we don't have a package.  Food has always been seafood heavy (Ken loves that) but I have to hope for meatballs or pigs in blanket for me..

Hi Tina!  Bob doesn't drink soda either.  At the luncheons and Captain Circle Cocktail parties, he orders Perrier.  Unfortunately, he is allergic to shellfish and avoids other seafood, so that is also out.  All in all, I am extremely disappointed about no more MTG luncheons.  I'm really hoping that if enough people complain, they will rethink their discussion.  It worked with traditional dining.

[memoak]

28 minutes ago, CruzinNoony said:

Hi Tina!  Bob doesn't drink soda either.  At the luncheons and Captain Circle Cocktail parties, he orders Perrier.  Unfortunately, he is allergic to shellfish and avoids other seafood, so that is also out.  All in all, I am extremely disappointed about no more MTG luncheons.  I'm really hoping that if enough people complain, they will rethink their discussion.  It worked with traditional dining.

Again the demise of MTG lunches has been misrepresented. We had lunch’s twice on B2B cruises this month on the Grand. Others have reported them on other ships. There has always been a combination of cocktail parties and lunches depending on ship and captain even before future cruises took over the loyalty function 

[CruzinNoony]

6 minutes ago, memoak said:

Again the demise of MTG lunches has been misrepresented. We had lunch’s twice on B2B cruises this month on the Grand. Others have reported them on other ships. There has always been a combination of cocktail parties and lunches depending on ship and captain even before future cruises took over the loyalty function 

 

I do hope you are right.  We have over 1000 days and have been on the top 40 list for a long time.  I know how it works with the captain deciding which he prefers (luncheon or cocktail party).  However, both the Discovery and the Sun had cocktail parties this week and my friends on these two ships were told this is the new thing going forward.

[Thrak]

19 hours ago, TRLD said:

I would agree. I have never attended the 40 person MTG cocktail party without food items being served.

 

On the other hand that is pretty much the norm at the Captains Circle parties.

 

One cause of such possible confusion is the fact that they introduce the most traveled guests at the regular Captain's Circle "party".

[555]

35 minutes ago, CruzinNoony said:

 

I do hope you are right.  We have over 1000 days and have been on the top 40 list for a long time.  I know how it works with the captain deciding which he prefers (luncheon or cocktail party).  However, both the Discovery and the Sun had cocktail parties this week and my friends on these two ships were told this is the new thing going forward.

If what you posted becomes the new norm, I doubt if we'll be attending the cocktail parties any longer. When we eat at any specialty restaurant it takes over 2 hours to complete a meal & only we dine early as possible. That gives us a choice between the restaurant or cocktail party.

[memoak]

27 minutes ago, 555 said:

If what you posted becomes the new norm, I doubt if we'll be attending the cocktail parties any longer. When we eat at any specialty restaurant it takes over 2 hours to complete a meal & only we dine early as possible. That gives us a choice between the restaurant or cocktail party.

We rarely eat dinner before 7:30 at any time so the hours aren’t a problem. However every cocktail party we have had people just sitting and talking to people they already knew. What we like about the lunch is the opportunity to meet and talk to new people

[chrysalis]

There is a luncheon on the present Emerald sailing.

[cr8tiv1]

Fascinated by range of comments.

[Steelers36]

On 8/29/2024 at 1:12 PM, 555 said:

If what you posted becomes the new norm, I doubt if we'll be attending the cocktail parties any longer. When we eat at any specialty restaurant it takes over 2 hours to complete a meal & only we dine early as possible. That gives us a choice between the restaurant or cocktail party.

OTOH, we have never spent that much time in a SD.  Usually, they need the table for the next res as well.

[Yehootu]

On 8/29/2024 at 2:51 AM, esad9556 said:

Not sure of when you had your Ultimate Ship Tour...... However dating back to the late 1970's NO alcohol was permitted on the bridge or engine control room. After the Exxon Valdez spill (1989) in Alaska officers of the watch had to certify to this in the watch log book. As far as photo's....never heard this (no video's). From the TSE cruise April 2024

Island Princess April 2018, Champagne served on the bridge at end of the Behind the Scenes ship tour. Captain opened the first bottle, but no crew member had any.

Edited September 6 by Yehootu
Date

[karatemom2]

We are on the Ruby right now on a round trip Alaska cruise out of Vancouver and we were so excited to finally make the cut this trip! We got our invitation to the MTG cocktail party and are looking forward to attending to see what it’s like. Lunch would have been nice, but I’m happy to get this perk. 

[Cruise Raider]

9 hours ago, karatemom2 said:

We are on the Ruby right now on a round trip Alaska cruise out of Vancouver and we were so excited to finally make the cut this trip! We got our invitation to the MTG cocktail party and are looking forward to attending to see what it’s like. Lunch would have been nice, but I’m happy to get this perk. 

Some friends of ours are on a cruise right now (not sure which ship) and we’re also invited to the cocktail party.  
I wonder if the cruises choosing to do the cocktail party instead of the lunch, if there are just no suitable sea days to host the lunch.  

[cr8tiv1]

1 hour ago, Cruise Raider said:

I wonder if the cruises choosing to do the cocktail party instead of the lunch, if there are just no suitable sea days to host the lunch.  

 

We had a total of 8 sea days (16 day cruise) and had a cocktail party. 4 sea days in a row.

[memoak]

6 minutes ago, cr8tiv1 said:

 

We had a total of 8 sea days (16 day cruise) and had a cocktail party. 4 sea days in a row.

From my conversations on the Grand last month with both future cruise consultant and the captain it is really up to each ship to determine which they want to do

[ArizonaStorm]

What a topic!  I’m guessing the sun will keep on rising in the morning. 

[memoak]

2 minutes ago, ArizonaStorm said:

What a topic!  I’m guessing the sun will keep on rising in the morning. 

There really is a big difference between a couple of free cocktails and a 3 course sit down luncheon with dishes you would never get in the MDR

[CruzinNoony]

I talked to my friend that is on the Discovery for a B2B.  She is the one who alerted me to the discontinuation of the luncheon fleetwide.  They went to the MT cocktail party both weeks and were very disappointed.  It was at 4:30 in the afternoon and was over at 5:00 because they had to set up for the elite lounge (beginning at 5:15) which was in the same venue (Take Five).  Sounds very rush-rush and not at all special for the top 40 most traveled passengers.  I think I'll just skip it.  

[Cruise Raider]

3 hours ago, cr8tiv1 said:

 

We had a total of 8 sea days (16 day cruise) and had a cocktail party. 4 sea days in a row.

OH wow .. that wouldn’t be the reason for cocktail party in that case.  

[voljeep]

3 hours ago, memoak said:

From my conversations on the Grand last month with both future cruise consultant and the captain it is really up to each ship to determine which they want to do

does the ship and the captain not answer to corporate?

 

[JimmyVWine]

35 minutes ago, voljeep said:

does the ship and the captain not answer to corporate?

 

The question answers itself especially if cost-cutting is the impetus here.  The Captain probably has some leeway as to how to spend the money that Corporate budgets for the event.  But the Captain cannot spend more of corporate's money than what was budgeted.

[voljeep]

1 minute ago, JimmyVWine said:

The question answers itself especially if cost-cutting is the impetus here.  The Captain probably has some leeway as to how to spend the money that Corporate budgets for the event.  But the Captain cannot spend more of corporate's money than what was budgeted.

thank you ... thank you very much