Pattakins

On 2/28/2019 at 3:57 PM, nwcruiselover said:

Thank you for all the good ideas, Pattakins.  I have been to many M&G’s but I am coordinating one for the first time in late April.  So far 101 people are signed up and we have a venue assigned to us.  No one on our roll call has mentioned the social media sites, so the 101 are all CC and seem enthusiastic.  Someone who is helping me is making up name tags.  I will raffle off my free bottle of wine and maybe bring a couple more things to raffle.  We’re doing the slot pull immediately after the M&G, so hopefully that will increase attendance.  Any other ideas anyone has, I’d like to hear them.

You are very welcome!

On 2/28/2019 at 3:57 PM, nwcruiselover said:

Thank you for all the good ideas, Pattakins.  I have been to many M&G’s but I am coordinating one for the first time in late April.  So far 101 people are signed up and we have a venue assigned to us.  No one on our roll call has mentioned the social media sites, so the 101 are all CC and seem enthusiastic.  Someone who is helping me is making up name tags.  I will raffle off my free bottle of wine and maybe bring a couple more things to raffle.  We’re doing the slot pull immediately after the M&G, so hopefully that will increase attendance.  Any other ideas anyone has, I’d like to hear them.

Oh, you are so welcome! I always make up name tags also. This time, they have the sea behind them with an anchor in the middle. The person's name curves around the top. Just under the Anchor I have Cruise Critic Meet and Greet (we are on Norwegian, and that is what they call it on that line). Curving around that is the name of the ship and the dates of the cruise. 

It looks like you are well on your way to a very successful M&M. Congratulations on hosting your first one. You can usually count on about 25 to 30 percent of the folks who signed up not attending. However, I give everyone a reminder call the night before, and that has brought the number up significantly. I don't think they purposely don't come, I really think that with everything going on, they forget. Heehee. We are doing a cabin crawl right after the M&G. Before we start, whoever wants to play poker puts in $10.00 Then after viewing each room, each person who paid pulls a card from a deck of cards and that is recorded. We go to a bar afterwards and tally the hands. The first and second hand winners get the money. Makes it lots of fun.

19 minutes ago, jenf22 said:

What's the secret to a good one?  I volunteered to set up ours in 2 weeks.  So far we've got 34 people signed up and NCL has given us a venue.  I bought name tag stickers and I was planning to raffle off our free bottle of wine.  Other than that, I haven't figured anything out.  I figured people would just "mingle".  I'm open to any ideas.  Thanks!

I'm happy to hear that you are going to host your M&G. Unfortunately, two weeks doesn't give you a lot of time. First, and foremost, I keep posting the list of those who have signed up on the roll call. Then I ask if anyone else wants to join in on the fun. This usually gets a few more to add on. It's unfortunate, but with the advent of social media, we don't seem to get that many people on the roll calls here on CC anymore. So because of that, I always create a group on other social sites, using the name of the ship and the dates of sailing as the group name. That makes it easy for others to find the group pertaining to "their" cruise. On the one I"m doing now, there are almost 140 in one of my groups, but only 19 on the CC one. I hate to have to go out of CC, but it's the only way to get a lot of people. They just seem more comfortable elsewhere, or they don't know about Cruise Critic. At this point, you won't have time to make up any other groups for your cruise. I like your raffle idea, and we have done those also. Another thing I do is have a Get-to-know-you bingo game. This keeps everyone from sitting down and not mingling. It is very time consuming to make this up, so I don't know if you would want to put the effort into it with so little time left. But if so, you can go on the web and search for human bingo. That will bring up some pre made cards you can copy and print. I set a time limit of 30 minutes, and this truly gets every one in gear. They must talk to each other in order the fill the squares. Another game of sorts, is to have another set of name tags with everyone's names, whereby you go around and put a name on the back of everyone, then everyone has to find their own name and talk to that person for a few minutes. This would be a very easy one for you to do.With a small group, you could put a couple of names on each person. Sadly, I have to admit that I do spend my own money for a gift to give away. At the end of the game(s), I pull a name from a bag and that person gets the gift. Oh, and another thing everyone seems to like is to have a gift exchange. You set a dollar amount, and those that want to join in bring something wrapped or in a bag. I usually make the gift something indicative of where you live, or something cruise related. I hope this helps. Good luck...I'm sure you will all have fun!

On 2/18/2019 at 2:09 AM, don't-use-real-name said:

Another option is the Gift Exchange where folks attending the M&G bring a small gift less than $10 to

exchange with another guest.

Not a big hit - better luck with a slot pull in the Casino.

Cabin Crawl is another activity if you can get a good cross section of cabins Insides to Suites.

 

Hard enough getting an attendance of 50% of the Roll Call.

If you are the one doing the Coordinating of the M&G suggest keeping it simple - other past hosts of

the M&G may have opinions to offer - - -

For those on the Roll Call - Please attend - please strive for more guests than crew members - at least double !

NCL provides Coffee Tea fruit juices and pastries complimentary. 

It takes alot of effort to have a good Meet and Greet (Mingle). I have put several together, and have had a great attendance. But it took a great deal of effort and time! Last year, we had almost 100 people attend...this year, we already have 150 signed up. I think a lot of it depends on who is hosting it. If all they do is have people sign up, then it goes nowhere.

On 1/10/2018 at 5:47 AM, Jewells of the Sea said:

Has anyone used Excursions in Jamaica for a privately booked excursion? They are ranked highly on TripAdvisor. We are stopping at Falmouth on our March 2018 cruise and looking to book an excursion to Blue Hole and river tubing. We are a group of 15 and are looking to book on our own rather than through RCCL. Thanks in advance!

Hi. I was just wondering if you went ahead and did your excursion through this company and if it was as good as it says. We are a group wanting to do one from them in Ohco Rios, but they expect us to be off the boat and ready for them within 45 minutes of docking, so it worries us. Thanks for any help.

On 11/25/2018 at 7:07 AM, 20165 said:

We were on the Epic western Caribbean cruise last week

Im happy to answer any questions and would like to hear from someone else on Epic last week to hear their experience.

I'm sorry you had such a bad time. The first time Hubby and I cruised on Norwegian, we didn't know about the reservation system, so we never got to see any shows, nor did we get to use all of our specialty dining, because what was left was not compatible with our other schedules. We still had fun though...and have booked a cruise on Norwegian every year since. However, this will be our first time on the Epic. We love the parties they hold in Spice H2O, so I'm wondering if you could answer a question for me. Did they hold the 80's dance party on the Epic, and if so, on what night was it? We don't want to miss it, so we want to make sure we don't book anything else that will conflict with that party. It also takes us a long time to get ready for it (we go in full regalia), so nothing can be booked for hours before hand. By the way, we are on the same cruise, so the days should be the same. Thank you.

Thank you for the info on the cruise. I have a couple questions, as we are booked for the May 13th cruise. When we went on the Escape last year, we loved the 80's and Glo parties. My question is if they have these on the Getaway as well and what nights and times each is. I need to know because I want to plan all our reservations and want to make sure I don't overlap. I appreciate the help. :p

We did this last year on the Escape and my advice is to stay away from it. I generally don't book my excursions off the ship because they are so pricey, but we did it that way for this one. Unfortunately, ever since the cruise ships "found" the baths, it has gotten extremely over booked. Apparently there are no limits as to how many people go on this excursion. A river taxi took us to the island. It was large and totally full. Many people were sick, and throwing up, but the River Taxi people wouldn't clean it up, nor would they ask the people on the upper deck to move downstairs so the poor sick people could get some air. We were all asking for water, but they wouldn't give us that either. All they were interested in was having us all sign waivers. When we got to the island, they herded us into mini buses, but they didn't have enough, so we had to wait around for more to come and get us. These people were really very rude to us. When we finally got to the bathes, we had to stand around for awhile, then we were told where to walk to get down to the baths and to be back in an hour and a half. No guides, or anything...Anyway, once we got down to the water, it was literally so packed with people you could barely move. We wanted to go into the water, but it was soooo crowded. We were also worried about time. So we got in line to walk through the rocks to go back out, and worried the whole time that we wouldn't make it back in time. It was not enjoyable at all because it was like standing in line for a Disney ride. Just tooooooo many people. And then there were the people who went through the wrong direction and were trying to slide past everyone. The rocks are very narrow passages, and it just didn't do well unless there was a single line.They really ought to put a limit on how many people the cruise lines can send out, and make it enjoyable again. I'm sure it's a beautiful and wonderful place to see....if you ever get the chance to do it without the crowd. We hope to try it again sometime when not on a cruise ship. When we can go early in the morning before the cruise ship passengers arrive, or late in the afternoon, when they've all left port.

Yes, keep an adult pool. Who does Carnival think books and pays for these cruises? Not the rug rats, that's for sure. Even when our kids were young, we'd take some time for ourselves at the serenity pool. Too bad they're doing this, as I will Not book any cruise without an adult only area. Bye bye Carnival.

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On a Carnival cruise, during school vacation, we had a least a dozen pre-teens running up and down the hallway and screaming all night long. Have no idea where their parents were. Never took another Carnival cruise again, nor sailed during any school vacations, including spring break.

A lot of parents on Carnival let their children run wild in the hallways. They are my least favorite cruise line....bottom of the barrel in my opinion. When ever we use them, we always try to find a room far from the elevators and a bit out of the way. There are usually no children there.

During my last cruise, three years ago. DH and I were on the Explorer of the Seas in a promenade facing stateroom. Very first day, hours after boarding, I was looking out our window at the beautifully decorated promenade..... only to see our "neighbors" across the way stark naked with their shades wide open!! :o

And that's why I NEVER GET A PROMINADE ROOM!

For awhile we were taking our kids on a cruise every year. On his very first one, our server told my son he could make him an Ice Cream Sunday, which was not on the menu. They got bigger and better each night, and by the end of that 14 day cruise, our server brought him the biggest, most colorful Sunday any of us has ever seen! Ever since, he always orders an Ice Cream Sunday for every desert while on board ship. We are taking the "kids" ( 21 & 17) again this summer, and I can't wait to see if he keeps up his tradition!

Not trying to start trouble, but this poster does have a legitimate gripe. Here in Las Vegas, where almost everything is service oriented, you have plans for things like illness, etc. Yes, it happens, and yes, sometimes people have to be patient, but lets face it folks....cruising is a very intense service oriented business. it is not good business to make people stand out in the

cold and rain for hours. Come up with a plan, like handing out times to come back to be able to board promptly, etc. (think Disneyland's fast pass)They could also give those who have to wait some kind of freebie to use once on board, such as an 8x10 photo, or a couple of free drinks at one of the bars. Even waiting in your car, or at a restaurant is much better than standing in line forever, once you know the cruise line cares about your feelings and comfort. This poster has a legitimate reason to never want to cruise on Carnival again, given that they didn't seem to care about him. It doesn't matter whose fault the long lines were...it matters that the poster felt the cruise line had no regard for his comfort. Carnival has to remember that a lot of business gained or lost is generated by word of mouth. ALL service industries should bear this in mind. Yes, there will always be those who complain no matter what, and you will never make them happy. But most long time cruisers know the difference. I have been on many different cruises and on many different lines. So far, Carnival has been my least favorite for a variety of reasons (I have been on 5 cruises with them, so yes, I have plenty to compare). Although I will still take a Carnival cruise, it is not my first choice, and I may forego them completely if they made me feel like I meant nothing more than $$$ to them. And for those who said the poster should have had the travel insurance, it's really not that easy. You've already taken the time off work, paid for the house/animal sitter, etc. Not to mention waiting all that time for your dream vacation, so no, it really isn't that easy to just say oh, well...maybe next time.

Does anyone have a recent set of the daily activities on the 7day Mexico cruise that they can share?

Do they offer skeet shooting on the sea days?

Thanks,

Burtie

This is a link from a man who posted all seven days from mid November, 2015. It's the closest I've found so far. And, actually, he wrote a whole blog on his cruise with pictures and other information. It was a great read with a lot of interesting points about the Miracle.

http://www.jimzim.net/Photos/CarnivalMiracle/CarnivalMiracleFunTimes.pdf

I know...big shock, eh??:D

 

One door had about 30 multi colored cogs that were all motorized and connected, so it was like a moving sculpture for the entire trip....

I'm sure if I searched my computer while, I could find a pic....

I would love to see a pic of that if you can find it.

These are our doors from our Mexican Riviera Cruise on Mariner of the Seas last July. The "fiesta" door was ours, and the "Pirate" door was our kid's. We got a lot of compliments on both of them, although these pictures don't do them justice. We were surprised that not one thing got stolen from the doors even though we were on an active hallway.

Jiminw

Thank you so much for the picture. I love to see other's decor! I'm glad you got to hear so many positive remarks also.

 

sign for my dad and moms cabin!

How cute! May I ask where you found the designs for this?

Do you know about how wide the door is?

Gosh, I'm not sure. I know they are not as wide as a regular door. I did a search, and found that on Radiance of the Seas, the standard door is 23 inches wide. Of course, I don't know what line you will be on but I would think this will be close. They are a little bigger when you go up to the suites. Just do a google search or search the line you are on if you need to know the exact size of the door. I hope this helped. :p

How do you attach a fish net with fishys?

First, I use those cheap little nets....the ones you find for luaus at the party store. They're very light weight. I attatch heavy duty magnets to it, wherever I can. I hot glue them to the net. I used to just "sit" the fish on, but this time, I'm going to attach the fish, boat, etc, to the net with hot glue before I leave home. I'm hoping that will help to keep them from "swimming" away. I'll hang it on a door at home for the approximate placement. Oh, and this time, I bought some blue shimmery paper to put behind the net to look like water. Good luck if you decide to do this. If you have any more questions, just ask. My cruise isn't until July, but I will post pictures of the door on here when we get back.

I'm really happy to see so many "first timers" for door decorating here. It seems it has been a slow thing to catch on, but more and more people are starting to do this. It's a blast to see what people do. I love to find the real elaborate ones and I like to leave cute little notes for those who encourage it. It's just another show of the friendliness you find on a cruise ship :rolleyes:. I do hope all of you plan to decorate take pics and post them here when you get back!

Congratulations on your first cruise Savannahmoon! You'll find these boards very, very, helpful. I just love it here. Birthday decor on the door sounds perfect. Really go for it!

Well, I finally decided how I'm going to decorate our doors on our cruise this time. For our door, I'm going to do the fish net with a bunch of fish, a boat with a fishing line (where the kids can attach notes), and hopefully, a likeness of the ship we'll be on. For the kids' door, I'm going with a pirate theme. The cruise is still 5 months off, but I've already started shopping for everything. lol.

We have always decorated our doors, and I just love doing it. On our last cruise to Hawaii, there were 14 of us, so we all decorated our doors. My sister hung a net with fish on it, and a big lobster. This was a 15 day cruise, and on about the 11th day, the lobster went missing. This was the first time we had ever had anything taken from the doors, so we made a sign about the lobster being "sea-napped" and asked for it's safe return. Well, we never did get the lobster back, but we sure did hear a lot about it. Many people asked us if it had been returned, and some told us they

"actively" looked for it. Two ladies said they asked everyone they saw if they had seen it. It became a challenge to them to try and find the lobster. And then there were the people who were very angry that it got stolen to begin with. It was really interesting to see the reactions. Anyway, we always pick a theme and go with that, and we do the inside as well. For Hawaii, I found a great palm tree mural to hang on the wall, and some hula dancer lights, among other things.

I have a suggestion for when you pack up also. I never even thought of it until the last cruise...But if you are not going to use the decorations after your cruise, ask your steward if he/she might like to have them. (provided they are not of a personal nature). The wall mural I had was made for a door, but we hung it on the wall in the cabin, and many room service people commented on it. The last one said she really liked it, so when we packed up, we asked our steward to give it to her. That's when he told us ALL of them had asked him for it if we left it. So we asked him if he wanted the other decorations and the lights, and he was thrilled. So, from now on, I will offer them to the staff when we leave.

So, now I am busy collecting the items I will use to decorate our doors on our Mexican Riviera cruise in July. I will do one of them with the net and fish again, but this time I will attach them to the net really well.