Disappointed, Princess not helpful to M&G organizers.

[copper004]

Very disappointed with Princess. We have a CC (and other social media platforms) group for the September 21 to October 28 cruise from Vancouver to Sydney on the Royal Princess with over 450 members. After 2 months of communication with Princess trying to set up a Meet & Greet, they reluctantly offered the Princess Live Studio. My co-host and I feel it is not a suitable location due to size of the group, the size of the venue and the fixed stadium seating. After repeated communications explaining our thoughts, Princess has stopped responding to our emails. It has resulted in us canceling the M&G. It is a shame! I always thought social media groups gatherings were good publicity for the cruise line and a way to make loyal customers feel appreciated. NCL would go out of their way to help organize these activities. I guess Princess doesn’t feel the need. 🤷🏼‍♂️

[arizonaperson]

Perhaps it’s the number of members you told them would be attending. Did all 450 members want to attend a M & G? That would be a very big number to accommodate . Maybe that’s all Princess could offer was Princess Live.

I have organized & participated in many M & G on Princess,but never that large, usually not as many show up because they forget, they get busy doing something else at the same time ,they sleep in, etc. etc.

 

I have been on 1 NCL cruise and yes very well organized and they were happy to have the M & G. Captain and officers showed up, offered a galley tour later in cruise to just the group, hotel manager sent chocolates, and they had snacks at M & G.

[Kay S]

Possibly Princess did not want to close down a venue to everyone on board in order to please a private group.  I assume you were not offering to rent a venue for money.  A group that large would need the main theater, I'm thinking.

[memoak]

That is a lot of people. I really cant

 think of a venue on that ship that would easily accommodate a group of that size. They are probably not going to close down a heavily used lounge for a group without some kind of incentive. Most meet and greets are a fraction of that size

[memoak]

1 hour ago, copper004 said:

Very disappointed with Princess. We have a CC (and other social media platforms) group for the September 21 to October 28 cruise from Vancouver to Sydney on the Royal Princess with over 450 members. After 2 months of communication with Princess trying to set up a Meet & Greet, they reluctantly offered the Princess Live Studio. My co-host and I feel it is not a suitable location due to size of the group, the size of the venue and the fixed stadium seating. After repeated communications explaining our thoughts, Princess has stopped responding to our emails. It has resulted in us canceling the M&G. It is a shame! I always thought social media groups gatherings were good publicity for the cruise line and a way to make loyal customers feel appreciated. NCL would go out of their way to help organize these activities. I guess Princess doesn’t feel the need. 🤷🏼‍♂️

Where on a NCL ship did they host 450 people.  This seems like way larger than Ang meet and greets I have heard of. Exactly what location and time were you expecting ?  Were you wanting them to cancel Bingo or trivia for your one group ?

[Wishing on a star]

There is a well know YouTube cruise blogger who has sailed mainly Princess, is 'invited' on Princess cruises, and even SHE has posted very similar concerns.

I don't know what is going on with this.

But, yet again... as in many other issues, and cutbacks and problems going all the way up to Corporate...  We ARE talking about Princess.  : (

[Wishing on a star]

I will also say this...  Just guessing,  but for a group this size, would one not have to arrange, and pay accordingly, for an 'event' that would take a venue that large?

Has the possible cost been discussed at all?

[memoak]

Just now, Wishing on a star said:

There is a well know YouTube cruise blogger who has sailed mainly Princess, is 'invited' on Princess cruises, and even SHE has posted very similar concerns.

I don't know what is going on with this.

But, yet again... as in many other issues, and cutbacks and problems going all the way up to Corporate...  We ARE talking about Princess.  : (

What venue would you have asked them to shut down for a couple of hours. ?

[memoak]

Just now, Wishing on a star said:

I will also say this...  Just guessing,  but for a group this size, would one not have to arrange, and pay accordingly, for an 'event' that would take a venue that large?

Has the possible cost been discussed at all?

Sounds like they expected Princess to shut down something like the aft lounge on deck 7. That is the only venue I could think of and that is usually where Bingo and trivia events take place 

[Clek]

On the World Cruise this winter we had a M&G in the one dining room. We had over 100 people attend. 

[Ellipooh]

Rather than ghosting OP, Princess could have offered one of the usual M&G venues along with a capacity limit - let’s say 100.  Then the first 100 people who confirmed they would attend would be invited. Problem solved, without so much angst and hurt feelings. 

[startedwithamouse]

1 hour ago, copper004 said:

After repeated communications explaining our thoughts, Princess has stopped responding to our emails.

Sounds like they told you what they could do, and you didn't like or accept their answer. Why would they waste their time?

[memoak]

9 minutes ago, Ellipooh said:

Rather than ghosting OP, Princess could have offered one of the usual M&G venues along with a capacity limit - let’s say 100.  Then the first 100 people who confirmed they would attend would be invited. Problem solved, without so much angst and hurt feelings. 

It sounds like they were insisting for a venue for 450 which seems unreasonable 

[copper004]

2 hours ago, copper004 said:

Very disappointed with Princess. We have a CC (and other social media platforms) group for the September 21 to October 28 cruise from Vancouver to Sydney on the Royal Princess with over 450 members. After 2 months of communication with Princess trying to set up a Meet & Greet, they reluctantly offered the Princess Live Studio. My co-host and I feel it is not a suitable location due to size of the group, the size of the venue and the fixed stadium seating. After repeated communications explaining our thoughts, Princess has stopped responding to our emails. It has resulted in us canceling the M&G. It is a shame! I always thought social media groups gatherings were good publicity for the cruise line and a way to make loyal customers feel appreciated. NCL would go out of their way to help organize these activities. I guess Princess doesn’t feel the need. 🤷🏼‍♂️

I am well aware that all 450 members of the groups are not going to show up at the M&G. Probably closer to half would. The Studio or the Theater have seating that is not conducive for a group of any number to mix and mingle. There must be conference rooms or closed restaurants that could have been made available. 

[copper004]

45 minutes ago, memoak said:

What venue would you have asked them to shut down for a couple of hours. ?

A closed restaurant. All 3 main dining rooms are not open in the morning. 

[Iamcruzin]

 450 people is a ridiculous amount of people to host. I can't even believe Princess entertained the idea. It should have been a flat no or an offer to host a smaller amount. 

[dog]

38 minutes ago, copper004 said:

I am well aware that all 450 members of the groups are not going to show up at the M&G. Probably closer to half would. The Studio or the Theater have seating that is not conducive for a group of any number to mix and mingle. There must be conference rooms or closed restaurants that could have been made available. 

I wouldn’t say they weren’t cooperative, but I wonder if that number should be paying for the space closed off to the rest of the passengers.

I’ve arranged many M&Gs and had to pay for the microphone myself, used by our group and the Princess staff who attended.

 

signed by - a penny pincher.

[suzyed]

1 hour ago, memoak said:

Where on a NCL ship did they host 450 people.  This seems like way larger than Ang meet and greets I have heard of. Exactly what location and time were you expecting ?  Were you wanting them to cancel Bingo or trivia for your one group ?

Which they will not..they will move the group to another venue....had this happen before.

 

[suzyed]

1 hour ago, Wishing on a star said:

There is a well know YouTube cruise blogger who has sailed mainly Princess, is 'invited' on Princess cruises, and even SHE has posted very similar concerns.

I don't know what is going on with this.

But, yet again... as in many other issues, and cutbacks and problems going all the way up to Corporate...  We ARE talking about Princess.  : (

What does that mean?
I have a M&G planned for our sailing next month.  I was given a good venue (Universe theater), and offered help with invites for the captain and crew.  They may charge for the microphone (which I think is silly) but in reality, I don't believe I was ever charged for it.

Edited Friday at 02:20 AM by suzyed

[suzyed]

1 hour ago, copper004 said:

A closed restaurant. All 3 main dining rooms are not open in the morning. 

We have done one in a dining room several years ago.

[suzyed]

1 hour ago, Ellipooh said:

Rather than ghosting OP, Princess could have offered one of the usual M&G venues along with a capacity limit - let’s say 100.  Then the first 100 people who confirmed they would attend would be invited. Problem solved, without so much angst and hurt feelings. 

I am not sure the OP had an actual headcount....just the 450 that were part of the whole group?

[memoak]

6 minutes ago, suzyed said:

What does that mean?
I have a M&G planned for our sailing next month.  I was given a good venue (Universe theater), and offered help with invites for the captain and crew.  They may charge for the microphone (which I think is silly) but in reality, I don't believe I was ever charged for it.

The issue is what size is your group and what times. ?  450 people is going to be a much to handle

 

[suzyed]

Just now, memoak said:

The issue is what size is your group and what times. ?  450 people is going to be a much to handle

 

I have done one with about that many people once.  It was in a MDR.   The M&G are only scheduled for an hour so they wouldn't have to close anything down for a long period of time.

[cr8tiv1]

I have organized many Meet and Greets on Grand Class ships (sorry, no experience on Royal Class ships).  The last one was moved from Skywalkers to the Wheelhouse because we "expected" more than 150 passengers.  That main organizer had also informally invited another Social Media Group.  I don't have a final count, but know that many of my printed name tags were never claimed.  Our venue was packed.

 

Are your 450 passengers from Cruise Critic?  I know that the Meet and Greet department does not support the other social media platform.  I am aware that the Royal Class ships do not have the venues that the Grand Class ships have.  

 

Maybe you could do 2 meetings since you will have many sea days.  

[julia]

M&G's are rarely 1/2 of those confirmed and are silly, stuffy and boring.  I've heard waaaay too many "officers" talking about nothing.

 

Motivate your roll call, and have a fun, unhosted sailaway party (in an open space) where people actually mingle and meet.  It's not that difficult.