Lurkers?

[WowItsMarissa]

I love Cruise Critic. There are so many different opinions and experiences that we share with each other. Everything that we say in the boards really provides useful information on how well Royal Caribbean has been doing and what they need to improve.

 

Do you think crew such as Cruise Directors, Captains, people at RCI headquarters in Miami, etc. lurk here? Or post? I haven't seen any posts from people that work directly with RCI but maybe that's because I haven't looked hard enough or been around long enough.

 

Either way, I think reading the posts here would be a lot more helpful than reading the tiny comment section in the surveys (I never have enough space to say what I want to say!). Sure, it's less organized and I'm NOT saying to get rid of the surveys but people here are very honest :) They should take lurking into consideration if they already don't do it :D

[JanineM]

There have been lots of posts where it's been made very clear that representatives of the different cruiselines "lurk". I often wonder if anything happens to the people who post that they're stocking up on Rum Runners and packing their irons, then they post their cabin # in the roll call :p

 

I'm sure that they take into consideration comments made here, but IMO CCers probably aren't a truly representative sample of cruisers. Above all else, we're clearly internet savvy, but a chunk of the population is not.

[Desert Cruizers]

I am sure many are members of CC, however, if they are Travel Agents, they can't publically advertise themselves as TA on CC. I know my TA is a member of CC. Your Cruise lines have people who monitor the boards, to get the views of everyone who cruise. If you use a TA, their Company name or personal name can't be used on CC.

[4merlurker]

I would think that the lines do "lurk" on these boards but remember that cc members are only a tiny percentage of all the cruiser out there. Hard to believe but true LOL.

 

~Connie

[reallyitsmema]

There was a cruise director that posted but after getting attacked on a thread, he said he was done posting here. There is a captain's wife who posts occasionally. I am sure there are others we don't know about.

[Happy ks]

Not only do the cruise lines monitor (or lurk) here, I'm sure they have staff to specifically read these boards. Why would they not??? A free source of information directly from their customers.

 

What I find odd are the cruisers who lurk here and then you meet them at a Meet and Mingle. They know you by your screen name but have never posted to the Roll Call board and introduced themselves. I've met several at every M & M I've gone to. They were always very nice and I can only assume they are shy about posting. It kind of made me feel like they were "listening" to what others were saying around the corner.

 

So, lurkers, don't be shy! Introduce yourselves :) Everyone is welcome on the Roll Call boards!!!

[Desert Cruizers]

Happy I agree with you there, we had a young lady who appeared at our M&M, and was also at our Hotel. She had read about the group rate one of the members from our Roll Call set up, but she never said hello. I didn't realize she was at the M&M until someone pointed her out to me and by that time we were beginning to leave. It is sad because, she could have joined up for the activies we had planned. So please, don't be shy, step up and intoduce yourselves, & join in. I know if anyone of us had seen her earlier we would have gone over to say hello.

[4merlurker]

Not only do the cruise lines monitor (or lurk) here, I'm sure they have staff to specifically read these boards. Why would they not??? A free source of information directly from their customers.

 

What I find odd are the cruisers who lurk here and then you meet them at a Meet and Mingle. They know you by your screen name but have never posted to the Roll Call board and introduced themselves. I've met several at every M & M I've gone to. They were always very nice and I can only assume they are shy about posting. It kind of made me feel like they were "listening" to what others were saying around the corner.

 

So, lurkers, don't be shy! Introduce yourselves :) Everyone is welcome on the Roll Call boards!!!

 

 

As a former lurker (see my screen name LOL) I totally agree!!! Come out! come out! Wherever you are!!

 

~Connie

[WowItsMarissa]

There was a cruise director that posted but after getting attacked on a thread, he said he was done posting here.

 

That's too bad he got attacked. Was this a Royal Caribbean cruise director? Hope it wasn't one of my favorites! I've never had any major beef with any CDs so I'm sorry to hear this!

[jmraggs]

I am sure many are members of CC, however, if they are Travel Agents, they can't publically advertise themselves as TA on CC. I know my TA is a member of CC. Your Cruise lines have people who monitor the boards, to get the views of everyone who cruise. If you use a TA, their Company name or personal name can't be used on CC.

 

 

I have "seen" one that does all of the time on this board!

[kemptct]

Hi, my name is Chris, and I am a lurker. I post very rarely and when I do it is just for specific information. I have gotten many helpfull replys but most of the time it seems that I kill threads. I hope that it does not happen to this one, but my past experiance tells me different.

[John Henry on CC]

I am sure many are members of CC, however, if they are Travel Agents, they can't publically advertise themselves as TA on CC. I know my TA is a member of CC. Your Cruise lines have people who monitor the boards, to get the views of everyone who cruise. If you use a TA, their Company name or personal name can't be used on CC.

Travel agents absolutely CAN and are ENCOURAGED to identify themselves as such. They simply aren't allowed to name their agency or post any information linking to it.

[KuffMUp]

I am sure the cruise companies lurk. Even though it is a tiny part of their business, I am sure if they see something that can easily be corrected they will. I lurk on pro-gun sites because part of my job is approving concealed handgun licenses. I go there to see feedback on how our office is perceived to be doing. And, only a tiny fraction of those posts are people who would be eligible in my county. However, I have gotten some good feedback.

[jessalared]

Hi, my name is Chris, and I am a lurker. I post very rarely and when I do it is just for specific information. I have gotten many helpfull replys but most of the time it seems that I kill threads. I hope that it does not happen to this one, but my past experiance tells me different.

 

 

Hi chris!! welcome to lurkers anonymous!! haha:p

[themaxydog]

I dont think all of us who just read these boards are Lurkers but rather we are learners. The information contained on these boards is staggering and I feel I know so much about the ship and the cruise line its like being there. The cruise lines would be foolish not to read them. Those of us who are new to cruising and just learning will slowly come out of the shadows as time goes by and we have something to contribute, in the mean time we will just watch......:Dlol.

 

John

[derrick22]

On my last cruise in July, at the M & M, the cruise director mentioned that he read cruise critic.

 

So yes they do "lurk".

 

Denise

[lurkernomore]

Even though my name says I don't, I still do!:rolleyes: Although I post here sometimes, I really lurk on the sports forums - because I am a "girl" and I guess I am not supposed to know a lot about sports! HAH!

[Happy ks]

Hi, Chris and John :)

 

I sure don't want anyone to feel bad about lurking and not contributing, but it is nice when people do introduce themselves!

 

It's just a weird feeling when people come up to you at an M & M and know so much about you and the other people on the Roll Call. I lurk on other threads at times, there are some that all that can be said is...and sometimes when I disagree with the "popular" consensus, so much so that I don't want to contribute.

[Desert Cruizers]

John Henry, yes I have seen posts made by TA, as they announce they are, but their company names aren't, which is what I was referring to.

jmraggs, I guess I have missed their posts. I have seen posts many times by those saying they ara TA's but they never announce their company names.

[jmraggs]

Travel agents absolutely CAN and are ENCOURAGED to identify themselves as such. They simply aren't allowed to name their agency or post any information linking to it.

 

Here I am with that same bad habit of "Inquiring minds want to know" stuff. Here is the answer from LauraS the Community Board Manager:

 

"At times travel agents that say they are travel agents are a bit annoying, it isn't outside of our community guidelines to do so. We do allow ALL travel agents to identify themselves by including their company name (only) in their posts."

I really appreciated her getting back to me so quickly, she is the BEST!

[jmraggs]

John Henry, yes I have seen posts made by TA, as they announce they are, but their company names aren't, which is what I was referring to.

jmraggs, I guess I have missed their posts. I have seen posts many times by those saying they ara TA's but they never announce their company names.

 

You have to look down by their signature, that's where I see it. Maybe I should have missed those posts too!:D

[John Henry on CC]

Here I am with that same bad habit of "Inquiring minds want to know" stuff. Here is the answer from LauraS the Community Board Manager:

 

"At times travel agents that say they are travel agents are a bit annoying, it isn't outside of our community guidelines to do so. We do allow ALL travel agents to identify themselves by including their company name (only) in their posts."

 

I really appreciated her getting back to me so quickly, she is the BEST!

 

Fascinating.

 

Here are the guidelines as posted on Cruise Critic:

 

Travel Agents

 

Travel agents (and their associates, employees or designated representative) are encouraged to participate in the discussions on the Cruise Board and establish themselves as experts on a particular topic by responding to members' inquiries with useful answers.

 

In doing so, you are welcome to sign your name and note your professional business. You may not use your business name as your Cruise Critic user name. You may sign your posts with your first name only. You may not list your phone number, business location (city or state), web site address, contact info or e-mail address. You may not include your location and/or website address in your Cruise Critic profile. Responding to member's inquiries on the boards with an ad for your services is not allowed. Only items of a general nature may be discussed on the forums by any travel agent.

 

Cruise Critic considers requests to be E-mailed for additional information as soliciting and will return those postings to any travel agent trying to sell or promote themselves on Cruise Critic. Additionally, attempts to circumvent our rules may result in your company name being censored from our forums.

[jmraggs]

Fascinating.

 

Here are the guidelines as posted on Cruise Critic:

 

Travel Agents

 

Travel agents (and their associates, employees or designated representative) are encouraged to participate in the discussions on the Cruise Board and establish themselves as experts on a particular topic by responding to members' inquiries with useful answers.

 

In doing so, you are welcome to sign your name and note your professional business. You may not use your business name as your Cruise Critic user name. You may sign your posts with your first name only. You may not list your phone number, business location (city or state), web site address, contact info or e-mail address. You may not include your location and/or website address in your Cruise Critic profile. Responding to member's inquiries on the boards with an ad for your services is not allowed. Only items of a general nature may be discussed on the forums by any travel agent.

 

Cruise Critic considers requests to be E-mailed for additional information as soliciting and will return those postings to any travel agent trying to sell or promote themselves on Cruise Critic. Additionally, attempts to circumvent our rules may result in your company name being censored from our forums.

 

If I am reading this correctly, they just can't use their business name as their cruise critic user name. It doesn't sound like it prevents them from listing their business name, just not the location etc.

[ultidisc]

Happy I agree with you there, we had a young lady who appeared at our M&M, and was also at our Hotel. She had read about the group rate one of the members from our Roll Call set up, but she never said hello. I didn't realize she was at the M&M until someone pointed her out to me and by that time we were beginning to leave. It is sad because, she could have joined up for the activies we had planned. So please, don't be shy, step up and intoduce yourselves, & join in. I know if anyone of us had seen her earlier we would have gone over to say hello.

 

I'm a lurker. :eek: :o Posted a question, but didn't really get into the Meet n' Mingle thing. For me, it's not so much shyness as it is feeling like I won't really contribute anything. This will be my wife and I's first cruise (YAY!), and when I went to the roll call, there were over a thousand posts. So I kind of felt like "Well, I could post, but about 3 people would read it before it got lost among the other 1200 posts." I hope that doesn't sound bad; lurking has been wonderful, we've learned an immense amount, and have come to learn that cruisers are their own unique brand of human (that is COMPLETELY intended as a compliment! ;) ).

 

All that to say, we lurkers don't mean it as bad at all, it's more just kind of waiting until we feel like we're "in the groove" of the community. But for any potential passengers of the 9/17 Explorer Canada/NE cruise, we look forward to seeing/meeting you all!

 

- Corey from AL

[SEASONEDCRUZER]

Here I am with that same bad habit of "Inquiring minds want to know" stuff. Here is the answer from LauraS the Community Board Manager:

 

"At times travel agents that say they are travel agents are a bit annoying, it isn't outside of our community guidelines to do so. We do allow ALL travel agents to identify themselves by including their company name (only) in their posts."

 

I really appreciated her getting back to me so quickly, she is the BEST!

 

Travel agents are annoying? How so? :confused: