Paid speakers on ship vs. unpaid speakers at RCI marketing events across the country

[mikeerdas]

Some cruise lines offer free lectures on ship, with topics ranging from computer skills to history. My uncle is a prof and has been given free cruises for giving 1 or 2 short lectures per ship--I feel that's a great value for the lecturer. Could have been Cunard. I don't know which line he's been "employed" on.

 

What got me thinking about all of this was the following thread, where, allegedly, RCI is inviting customers to give uncompensated presentations about their cruising experiences at coffee shops and bookstores:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=985525

 

Hate to see a great Company allegedly engage in seemingly sleazy PR and Marketing practices. Someone on that thread mentioned they'd be given a free cup of coffee as an honorarium. Um, how about $100 to $200 OBC? The cash value equivalent of which is probably a lot less than face value. And it can only be spent on an RCI ship... so come on "Nation of Why Not?" Why Not compensate customers for promoting your product?

 

Anyway, I found it disappointing on my Mariner cruise that RCI seemed to offer no such thing. There may have been an "art lecture", but that was probably given by an art auctioneer employed by RCI or one of its contractors; e.g. something that might persuade you to buy more products. Nothing wrong with that, but what my Uncle was asked to do seemed a lot more interesting.

 

Does RCI ever offer free lectures on its cruises that aren't related to buying various products? If so, how do they compensate their lecturers? And I mean casual lecturers like my Uncle whose profession is off ship.

 

What cruise lines offer this sort of activity? It would be especially nice to have educational lectures on sea days (I am a Port person and don't care much for sea days).

[gatour]

I guess I don't understand why on one hand you say "sleazy PR and marketing practices" and then on the other hand suggest they give $100-$200 OBC? Is it only sleazy because they are not paying the speakers? Actually I think it would be the exact opposite.

 

In answer to your question on our recent Med/Egypt cruise they did have a lecturer that gave presentations on each port. There was also a "life style" lecturer

 

Of all of the mass market cruise lines Princess is probably the best about having lecturers

[mikeerdas]

I guess I don't understand why on one hand you say "sleazy PR and marketing practices" and then on the other hand suggest they give $100-$200 OBC? Is it only sleazy because they are not paying the speakers? Actually I think it would be the exact opposite.

 

In answer to your question on our recent Med/Egypt cruise they did have a lecturer that gave presentations on each port. There was also a "life style" lecturer

 

Of all of the mass market cruise lines Princess is probably the best about having lecturers

 

Great point about payment. I can see it either way. A bit of a catch-22 there. Thanks for calling me out on that one. The lingering question I have about that promotion is: was it user-initiated or was it constructed by a PR firm? That's a difference that makes a difference if you know what I mean.

 

Glad to hear there were port-specific lecturers on your cruise. Were the lectures given by profs and teachers or RCI-staff? Were the lectures free of commercial interest, e.g. purely educational or "By the way y'all, Ahmeds carpet store is something you should check out." :-) I'm fairly certain my Uncle was never asked to promote any products or services, nor would he have consented to anything like that.

 

Seems like many here promote RCI as a more "high brow" experience, and Carnival being a "low brow" experience. I don't see it like that, but then I have yet to try Carnival and have no personal basis for comparison. However, if RCI is positioning itself as a more sophisticated offering than Carnival (and RCI's pricing certainly hints at this), I'd like to see them deliver the goods. "Tasteful" ship interiors and Formal Nights two "sophistication" indicators--but they're not on my list of priorities. I like to cruise primarily to explore, learn, and relax. Not to go "formal." What one person considers a Carnival ship's interiors to be "Vegas-style abomination" wouldn't bother me in the slightest. I was a bit aghast not to find any educational lectures on the ship's Compass--had only taken one cruise before the Mariner, and was hoping some day to find interesting lectures on a ship vs. Bingo. Bingo is fine if that's your interest. But it's not mine.

 

Sounds great about Princess. Don't know if Princess is in my budget, but I will definitely take a look. So, does Celebrity not do the same?

[crusinmama06]

Seems like many here promote RCI as a more "high brow" experience, and Carnival being a "low brow" experience. I don't see it like that, but then I have yet to try Carnival and have no personal basis for comparison.

 

Try Carnival, then come back and tell us how it went. :cool:

 

And Carnival has "Carnvial Parties" that you can win and then promote the Carnival brand.

 

I would say no difference.

[TEXASMUNK]

Frequently on Celebrity and Holland America.

Infrequently, (unless it is something like a Panama Canal sailing) on RCI.

 

Not sure about Carnival so I asked my son...he says they will have guest lecturers on how to shoot a beer, drinking till you P*K*, using cutoffs and ripped t-shirts as formal wear. He is not much of a Carnival fan (can you tell/)/

[seeship]

Some cruise lines offer free lectures on ship, with topics ranging from computer skills to history. My uncle is a prof and has been given free cruises for giving 1 or 2 short lectures per ship--I feel that's a great value for the lecturer. Could have been Cunard. I don't know which line he's been "employed" on.

 

What got me thinking about all of this was the following thread, where, allegedly, RCI is inviting customers to give uncompensated presentations about their cruising experiences at coffee shops and bookstores:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=985525

 

Hate to see a great Company allegedly engage in seemingly sleazy PR and Marketing practices. Someone on that thread mentioned they'd be given a free cup of coffee as an honorarium. Um, how about $100 to $200 OBC? The cash value equivalent of which is probably a lot less than face value. And it can only be spent on an RCI ship... so come on "Nation of Why Not?" Why Not compensate customers for promoting your product?

 

Anyway, I found it disappointing on my Mariner cruise that RCI seemed to offer no such thing. There may have been an "art lecture", but that was probably given by an art auctioneer employed by RCI or one of its contractors; e.g. something that might persuade you to buy more products. Nothing wrong with that, but what my Uncle was asked to do seemed a lot more interesting.

 

Does RCI ever offer free lectures on its cruises that aren't related to buying various products? If so, how do they compensate their lecturers? And I mean casual lecturers like my Uncle whose profession is off ship.

 

What cruise lines offer this sort of activity? It would be especially nice to have educational lectures on sea days (I am a Port person and don't care much for sea days).

My firends are wonderful dancers. They are non-professional, just like to dance and are very good. They give free dance lessons at churches, VFW,etc. A collection is taken to give to the building owner to defray heating/AC costs. They just want others to enjoy dancing like they do. They were approached by the CD on Carnival and HAL to give 4 half hour lessons(7 day cruise) in exchange for the cruise. They could do this as often as they wanted to and as they had time. They go several times a year.

[unklez]

Not sure I understand your question properly. On one hand, you say this is a sleazy practice and on the other you want this on your next cruise.

 

Then you want it on sea days but you also say you don't care much for sea days.

[mikeerdas]

Not sure I understand your question properly. On one hand, you say this is a sleazy practice and on the other you want this on your next cruise.

 

Then you want it on sea days but you also say you don't care much for sea days.

 

Nice try, no cigar. :-) What I find objectionable is what's being discussed in the other thread--the marketing promotion where they ask customers to lecture about RCI cruises, for free, in coffee shops and bookstores. I find it slightly sad. But that's my problem.

 

What I'd like to see on RCI cruises are educational lectures, on subjects like ancient history, etc. Not drinking till you puke, ha! I'm sure many have learned such secrets while in college, but likely not from a professor at the lectern. My interest has definitely been piqued about Celebrity (RCI-owned) and Princess (Carnival-owned). It's not my top priority (has to be overall affordable and fit my budget), but I'd like to see more history and culture lectures as sea day activities.

 

Gosh I'm curious about Carnival. Wonder if I'll find it as horrific as some folks here do. Only way to tell will be to try it and learn for myself. May do a 7 night western carib with Carnival in 2010.

 

The idea of a Beach Blanket Bingo Bablyon type cruise repulses me. But as I see it, I don't attend the "hairy leg" contents on RCI cruises. I don't see how that's any different than "hairy chest" contents and the like. RCI receives an "F" on classiness in that regard, as does Carnival. :-) I find those things as personally objectionable as Formal Nights; just different extremes is all. I don't think I'd lobby hard for their removal, but I try to avoid them.

[Tucker in Texas]

On our trans-Atlantics (and Panama Canal) cruises they have had lecturers that were excellent. One was an retired gentleman from the LA District Attorney's office or maybe he was a detective, can't remember. Anyway, talked about Hollywood murders. A couple of times there have been historians speaking about WW2. Maybe they just do that on long cruises. We haven't been on any 7 day ones in a long time.

 

Tucker in Texas

[Sailingbear]

There was a music critic for a paper in Arizona on the Explorer of the Seas in January who gave three lectures during the 9 night sailing. He had an agent that helped get him the work. Didn't get details on the compensation.

[TEXASMUNK]

If RCI asks folks to talk about their grreat vacations on a RCI ship, I do believe that has been called a testimonial....probably for the past few hundred years....

 

When you bragged about your new YUGO car, that was a testimonial....When you bragged about your investment with Bernie Madoff....that was a testimonial.

 

Seriosly, how in the world can anyone get upset when someone talks about how much fun they had on a specific vacation? For a cup of coffee?

[mikeerdas]

If RCI asks folks to talk about their grreat vacations on a RCI ship, I do believe that has been called a testimonial....probably for the past few hundred years....

 

When you bragged about your new YUGO car, that was a testimonial....When you bragged about your investment with Bernie Madoff....that was a testimonial.

 

Seriosly, how in the world can anyone get upset when someone talks about how much fun they had on a specific vacation? For a cup of coffee?

 

It's a bit of all-in-good-fun hyperbole on my part to say I'm upset. However, I guess I like in-person testimonials about as much as I like informercials--which is to say, not at all. But someone must like informercials or they wouldn't be on the air. Just doesn't have to be moi.

[stompy]

On our last cruise Walter Scott from NASA gave several unplanned lectures. He was just a regular passenger like the rest of us but had been trying to get on cruises officially doing lectures for them. The cruise director liked what he had to say so they gave Scotty time to chat "with a couple of folks who will probably show up."

 

well... we had a hundred folks show up for the first one then they moved him to theatre he was so popular. They gave him an hour and then we spilled over to the Schnooer Bar for another hour after the lecture was was over.

 

When he talked about the Apollo 1 fire and the Challenger explosion there wasn't a dry eye in the house. He's been retired for several years but NASA keeps bringing him back every mission.

 

Scotty and his wife were a lovely surprise addition to our cruise.

 

It seems that longer cruises with more sea days tend to have lectures.

[mikeerdas]

Neat Stompy.

 

What particular ship were you on? Nice to know some cruise directors are open to this sort of thing. I hope we'll see more lectures like these as planned-in-advance activities. Would be a nice differentiator between RCI and Carnival. If there were many such lectures, esp. during sea days, it might slightly skew me in favor of RCI. If RCI is the thinking gal and feller's cruise line (compared with Carnival), I see no evidence of it other than nicer decor and more formality.

 

I'd say if anyone wants more of this type of activity, that we "write it in" on the cruise comment cards at the end of each cruise we take. I know I will. These cards do get read. Unless there's some other way of making our opinions known.

[stompy]

Neat Stompy.

 

What particular ship were you on? Nice to know some cruise directors are open to this sort of thing. I hope we'll see more lectures like these as planned-in-advance activities. Would be a nice differentiator between RCI and Carnival. If there were many such lectures, esp. during sea days, it might slightly skew me in favor of RCI. If RCI is the thinking gal and feller's cruise line (compared with Carnival), I see no evidence of it other than nicer decor and more formality.

 

I'd say if anyone wants more of this type of activity, that we "write it in" on the cruise comment cards at the end of each cruise we take. I know I will. These cards do get read. Unless there's some other way of making our opinions known.

 

We were on Voyager prior to her going into dry dock.

 

They had a lady lecturing who wore fabulous costumes each day. One day she was a pirate, another she was dressed like Molly Brown on the Titanic-very creative.

 

I couldn't imagine what her suitcases looked like or how she got the hoops skirts through customs...

 

Anyway, her lectures were in the main ballroom (ie. Cleopatra's Needle on VOS) and completely standing room only...

 

Another older gentleman did his in the theatre and he was rather dry and handed out sheets with "fun facts" on them. I would have rather seen more of Scotty but he was ok...

[TenerifeSharon]

On our recent Jewel of the Seas TA (from Miami to Harwich), we had a series of fantastic, informational lectures on all sea days, about producing PowerPoint Photo Albums, done by PPTPrincess, Debbie Gilden. The group grew each day, and my comment was that the "lectures were worth the entire price of the cruise for us". Except for a mention in the daily Compass, there was no other advertising done for this great series.:confused: We found out about the lectures purely by accident when we went looking for Debbie, who was on our CC roll-call!

[petesweet]

Here's information I learned from our Explorer cruise in January:

 

Go to website: http://www.sixthstar.com/index.php

 

 

To sum it up:

 

You can pick itineraries/ships that interest you.

You pay $35 a day (which includes you and a roommate).

You provide your own materials.

(This was for craft projects and lectures. We had both. The lectures were on investing.)

 

Pretty sweet deal, I'd say.

 

Kathy