You might want to mention that you are a "Cruise Critic".

[Dancinboots]

AngelsX4 (Jenne)

 

I will try and take door deco pictures of the ones from our group. I am not sure how to put pictures on line,:rolleyes: but if I don't figure it out I could mail you some pictures. I think all I need to do is scan the picture and send it. I will get back with you after the cruise.:)

 

Sharon

[emcemt]

Because RCI was smart enough to take a chance on Cruise Critic when Cruise Critic came calling. I don't know if NCL was ever approached but when RCI signed the affiliation deal, they wanted exclusivity and they got it. I don't know when the agreement started but RCI might have been the only cruise line to take a chance on CC being successful and now they're reaping the rewards of having an official affiliation with what's probably the largest cruise board out there. At this time, no one else can have official CC events.

Very interesting....thanks for the info...I always wondered why RCCI was the only one to have official meet and mingle's.

HCF...I would email NCL and see who the contact person is on the Dream. You could also try starting a post on this or the roll call board to see if anyone knows who is the contact for the Dream....Good Luck.

[SweetEmi]

First off...most of the perks I had heard about during my tenure here on the boards were due to one particular Hotel Director who is no longer with the company. At least the priority tender tickets, nightly surprises in your cabin, etc. I would definately NOT expect any of that.

 

Also, we had stuff on our doors in November last year on the Star. One CCer group had one of those dry erase boards on their's and put up messages and I would go and write messages to them. Once when I was doing that, a couple walked by and said they had fun reading our messages every day. :) I had a "Bon Voyage" banner draped on our door, it was passed on to me on the previous cruise by a fellow CCer who cruised the week before we did along with a beautiful flower arrangement.

 

This time, I made up reminder invites and spent the evening before the meeting running back and forth across every deck to deliver them in to the slots by the door - no problems with that.

 

Make sure to invite the ships officers to come if they are able to. It is really fun talking with them.

 

Aloha,

Emi

[kbcruiser]

Adele,

 

I will be on the Star Repo Cruise 5/8/05 with 3 other people. We would be happy to attend a CC meeting if you can arrange it. I also know of one other person that will be on the cruise who is also a CC member and I will ask him if he would be interested in attending. Let me know what you think.

 

Kevin

[Cruise_More_Often]

Kevin, we are definitely planning a meeting. In fact, we'll probably have one either right before or during sailaway and a more formal meeting after Catalina Island or right before we dock in San Francisco. I've already e-mailed the Star's passenger coordinator and will be setting something up about 3 weeks before the sailing. I've done nametags for those (and their families and friends) who are on the Roll Call thread for the sailing. It's a great group. Please come join us on the Roll Call and tell your friend about it!

 

Adele

[JoanB]

In setting up our meet and greet, I was advised (without my asking) that NCL will NOT be providing invitations, so I have made them myself... I was intending to put them on the little rack that is next to each door, will they be removed? I've never heard that signs weren't allowed... did they just tell you and ask you to remove them or did they take them down on their own?

:o

I was specifically told that signs could not be taped to doors or walls, but it's okay (and perfectly safe) to leave messages in the little slots intended for that purpose next to each stateroom door. I asked our butler why there's a ban on posting little signs on doors, etc. He said in the past, passengers had used adhesive materials (glue, duct tape and worse) to put up signs, and didn't clean up after themselves - leaving unsightly messes for the ship to deal with. So, no signs permitted, but you can leave messages in the "mail slot" by each cabin door to your heart's content.

[SummerRenee]

Joan B,

 

Did you see any signs posted? I am assuming that if the doors are made of metal and you use magnets, there should be no problem and/or damage to the door? Am I wrong?

[bragstarr]

I was the coordinator for the 2/20 CC meeting on the Dawn. At least the staff on Dawn at that time most definitely knew who we were; since she is just coming back from dry dock now, and I know some of the staff has changed due to vacation time (and some of them will also be going off to roll out Jewel) I have no idea what the situation will be. I can tell you this: we had a lovely CC meeting attended by 4 senior staff members, two of whom handed out their cards and offered assistance in any way we might need. I as coordinator was also afforded concierge service (yes, in my little inside cabin, not that I ever used it), was delivered canapes each evening, and was given priority disembarkation (which I DID use!)--but I was the only one of the group who was given all this, I guess for doing the legwork, I was made the "VIP." I would think, however, that any of us who used the business cards of the two staff members who distributed them (Food & Beverage Director and Assistant Hotel Manager) would have been helped immediately. I called Sean one afternoon (the F & B Director) since 12 of us (4 families) wanted to eat in Salsa the next evening as a group. He knew who I was immediately, had the table ready for us, we were treated to wine or sangria on the house, and delivered a very special dessert (read: chocolate heaven) courtesy of Klaus, the Hotel Manager. The waiters were falling all over one another serving us. If that isn't attention to Cruise Critic, I don't know what is. Even my husband and son were impressed with mom's internet obsession!

 

Robin

[Dancinboots]

We attended a cruise critic meeting on the Star in Hawaii 2 years ago in the Bier Garten. We were treated like royalty to say the least.;) We were greeted by 2 of the ships captains, and then we were treated to hor'dourves and free drinks for the entire hour of our meeting.

 

The Captain took the names and stateroom numbers of all the group, and from then on we were pampered the entire cruise. Every afternoon all of us recieved "goodies" delivered to our stateroom like cheese & crackers,shrimp cocktail, chocolates, fresh cut up fruit, etc. In addition we each received vip passes to leave the ship early at every port, as well as the last day leaving the ship.

 

Believe me this only happened at one meeting so far. (Maybe this kind of royal treatment only happens in paradise.):eek: We attended a meeting last year on the Sun and recieved nothing, besides being greeted briefly by one of the NCL crew members.

 

We are leaving tomorrow (March 21st) for a Mexican Riviera Cruise on the Star.:D I have been arranging a cruise critic meeting for a large group (over 50 including kids and teens) The meeting will be held Tuesday in the Star Lounge. I will let you know when we return if we receive any special perks.:p

 

I am bringing nametags also for our group with a star on each one. In addition I have made up a list of all the ones in our group with their "fake" cruise critic name, along with their "real" first names, where they are from, and also their cabin numbers. Everyone will recieve a copy at the meeting. That way in case they want to meet up anyone after the meeting, it will be a means of contact. Everyone in our group thought that was a great idea. Maybe I will give a copy to the captain!!:D

 

We are also all decorating our doors. (We did this in Hawaii and no one said a word) The main thing is to use something like Elmers Tac & Stic that will not stick to the door.

 

Later...Sharon

[Warmblooded]

Hi,

I am coordinating a Roll Call meeting for our group on the Sun. We are leaving Saturday. We have a list of 40 plus adults plus kids. Some of you have mentioned that you invited crew members/officers to attend your get-togethers. I think it would be great if any attended ours. How did you arrange it? Did you do this by name or issue a general invite and if so through who? I haven't a clue. I would be happy to write out invitations but would appreciate details of what you did or suggestions that you could offer.

 

Actually, I'd be happy with any additional general suggestions any of you might have to make our meeting successful.

 

Thanks!

[Carolyn1950]

When I arranged the meet and mingle for the Sea, officers showed up and I never asked for any.. We had the captain and I believe 4 other officers. They were funny and informative.. We really enjoyed them.. They stayed about 20 mins..

[Dancinboots]

I have not invited a captain to attend, but Jennifer Hoadley from NCL who has been helping us co-ordinate the meeting told me in an e-mail that there would be an officer at the meeting.

 

Do you have someone from the Sun helping you arrange the meeting? Do you have a specific place arranged by the ship to meet? Like I said on my previous post, we did not receive any vip treatment on the Sun last year,only a crew member in the lounge to greet us with a cruise critic sign.

 

The things I mentioned on the last post as far as ideas for the meeting (nametags & a list of names, where from and cabin number) seems to be going over very well with our group. The cruise critic meeting is a great way to meet some nice people from all over. (we have a couple from Germany joining our group) You may even develop some lasting friendships. We will have to report back to the board after our cruise.

 

Have a great cruise..Are you going to the Western Caribbean? That's where we went last year on the Sun.

 

Sharon

[Cruzin'Fool]

The last two times I sailed with NCL, I made it plainly clear that I was a Cruise Critic member; I got absolutely no perks.

 

The last time I sailed with NCL I wrote a certified letter to Mr. Veitch regarding some issues with the cruise. In the letter I mentioned I was a CC member; I got nothing in return except a "we're sorry you're unhappy" form letter.

 

Hence the last time I sailed on NCL will be the last time I sail on NCL.

 

Yes, as some have said, it can't hurt to mention you are a CC member, but don't expect anything out of it; that way you won't be disappointed when you get nothing.

[Host CMLA]

Hence the last time I sailed on NCL will be the last time I sail on NCL.

Please tell me if I've misunderstood you. You won't sail with NCL again because they didn't give you special treatment for being a CC member? Did I read that wrong?

[shoreguy]

Please tell me if I've misunderstood you. You won't sail with NCL again because they didn't give you special treatment for being a CC member? Did I read that wrong?

 

 

No Cruzin'Fool won't sail on NCL because the ship was late back to NYC and wanted more then the $20 OBC they got :eek:

[swoosh2005]

we got extra internet minutes for anyone who was using internet time aboard + an offer from the Mandara Spa-if there were at least 8 people booking spa - we didn't-and I forget what it was.

Everyone got business contact cards from all of the officers who attended in case they needed anything or had any questions.

As someone said previously, the best thing was having 25-30 friends on the ship!

Denise

[Cruzin'Fool]

No Cruzin'Fool won't sail on NCL because the ship was late back to NYC and wanted more then the $20 OBC they got :eek:

 

It goes deeper than that, Shoreguy. It was the way NCL handled the whole situation, before, during and after the cruise. Examples:

 

Before:

1. Everyone received the $20 OBC, even those who were able to change their travel plans and get to the terminal later in the day. No consideration was made for those of us who waited up to 10 hours sitting in the terminal with nothing to do but wait.

 

2. I found out after the cruise, on these boards, in fact, that NCL had contracted buses to take passengers anywhere in the city they wished to go while waiting for the ship. The only problem was, it was never communicated to those of us who arrived the earliest. We were told that, since we had already gone through security, we could not leave the terminal until called for boarding. I found out later in the day that this was not true; people near the exits were coming and going as they pleased.

 

During:

3. The morning after departure, I went to the service desk to question the lack of adequate compensation. I was met with the response "Sir, do you realize how much this cost us already, and how much more it would cost us if we gave everyone on the ship even more? We already lost a bundle last week because we had open bar almost every day!" As far as I am concerned, this was not a very professional response, and was made to make me (and others who were there for the same reason) feel like we were asking for too much.

 

4. Even though we did not board until 8:30 pm, and our room steward made it a point to tell us that he would not be turning down the beds or providing any service that evening, we were still charged the service charge for the first day. When I went to have it removed the last day, the associate at the service desk told me that it shouldn't have been there, but "the computer does it automatically, and they have no control over it". Again a flimsy answer.

 

After:

 

5. The day after I returned from the cruise, I wrote a letter to NCL and sent copies, by certified mail, to both Mr. Veitch, and to Ms. Tara Robertson, who supposedly is the head of NCL customer service. What I got back was an obvious form letter, and not from either person I had written to, saying that they would not be able to offer me the amount I requested as compensation. The only problem was, I had never requested any amount; I had just related the issues I've listed above in this post, and that I felt this was no way to run a cruise line.

 

 

All of this taken together is because I do not intend to sail with NCL again.

[emcemt]

The last two times I sailed with NCL' date=' I made it plainly clear that I was a Cruise Critic member; I got absolutely no perks.

 

The last time I sailed with NCL I wrote a certified letter to Mr. Veitch regarding some issues with the cruise. In the letter I mentioned I was a CC member; I got nothing in return except a "we're sorry you're unhappy" form letter.

 

Hence the last time I sailed on NCL will be [u']the last time[/u] I sail on NCL.

 

Yes, as some have said, it can't hurt to mention you are a CC member, but don't expect anything out of it; that way you won't be disappointed when you get nothing.

Please dont get me wrong here but you mention that the last two times you sailed you informed NCL that you were a CC member. According to you signature you sailed 8/03 and 10/04 but yet you join date is 9/03.......am I missing something?????? No one said that every CC member is afforded extra service on the ship, just experience has been that the person that ARRANGES the meeting is usually given concierge service.....doesn't always happen though. Seems certain ships are better than others in recognizing CC members.

I am also not a big fan of NCL customer service but I have to tell you that just from reading this quick account of your experience your may be wound a little too tight. Getting annoyed at not recieving turn down service when the ship had a late departure is a little much. Would you rather had you bed turned down and not had any pajamas to sleep in because your luggage hasn't arrived yet? What do you think the stewards are doing during departure?? Just my 2 cents.

[Dancinboots]

This will be my 3rd cruise critic meeting coming up in a couple days. Yes we got pampered at the meeting in Hawaii on the Star and not on the Sun. I am not attending my 3rd one to see what I can "get":eek:

 

The main reason for attending is to meet alot of very nice people from all over the US, Canada and even Germany and perhaps developing some lasting friendships. We have a great group meeting on Tuesday on the Star and I am very much looking forward to meeting them all.

 

I feel like I already kinda know some of them, so it will be fun putting a face with a name. Material "stuff" is really not what counts in life. It is enjoying your friends and family and being greatful for what you have been given. :)

[bahama2]

Well, I did it. I wrote to Yulexi and told her I would like to arrange a Meet and Greet for CC members on June 20, 2005 at 10:30 am in the Star Bar, if that was possible. I said at this time it would be for about 20 -30 members but would give her a more definite count as we got closer to the date.

Maybe now more members will join the NCL Dawn - June 19, 2005 Roll Call. If you don't sign up how will we ever meet. Like I said on another site - we don't have to be joined at the hip for the rest of the cruise -its just to meet your fellow cruise critics and say Hi. Happy to accept any advice anyone wants to give me.

[Warmblooded]

Dancinboots:

 

 

Yes I had a nice e-correspondence going with Maybelin of NCL who answered questions and forwarded my request to someone (Christina?) on the Sun. I heard back from Maybelin on Friday that 2 conference rooms were booked for our meeting on Deck 6 for the day and time I requested. She was great. She is now on what I'm sure is a well deserved vacation.

 

 

I liked all your ideas. They were very helpful. I had thought about name tags but not a list of names for handouts for the group. I also like the idea (yours or someone's) to use magnets for holding up signs and as mementos. Someone in our group offered to make signs if hanging them isn’t a no-no. I don't know if I'll have time to find and decorate magnets. It’s a great idea and not too expensive for me to do but I've left so many things for the last minute. I’ll get to it if I can.

 

 

I am not expecting any VIP treatment and would not be at unhappy if none is provided. I’m just hoping the meeting is a success and everyone enjoys meeting each other. My biggest concern is that it will conflict with some popular activity or something will happen and we have a small turnout. (That is very painful to think about….)

 

 

We are indeed going to the Western Caribbean. I am really looking forward to it! We are doing Stingray City (3 stops) with Captain Marvin, Lamanai ruins in Belize and visiting Paya Bay in Roatan. I sort of ran out of steam and didn’t plan anything for Cozumel.

Thank you and everyone for sharing your ideas!

[TVLady2]

This past Oct. was my 3rd time on the Dawn. I was in a balcony cabin and I attended the CC meeting and a few of the officers came and they put out a nice table of refreshments for us. We were handed thier cards and they wrote down our cabin #s. To my surprise trays of goodies were delivered every day to my cabin and I received concierge services and VIP debarkation! Now thats somethin else!!! This Oct. 2nd will be my 5th sailing on the Dawn and Ive started a roll call so we can meet & mingle with the crew again. Who knows, just maybe we'll get VIP treatment again.

[Dancinboots]

We received the same vip treatment 2 years ago on the Star in Hawaii. Check back about 13 posts (post 59) to read what I had to say about it. It was great, but it has not happened since.We are leaving tomorrow for another cruise on the Star to the Mexican Riviera, and I will be attending my third cruise critic meeting.:)

[caren]

Staples sells magnetic copy paper. I heard about this on our April 10th Dawn roll call. I bought the paper today and copied my sign using my regular at home printer, and my Cruise Critic sign came out great. It's an 8 1/2 by 11 magnet.

Happy sailing!!!!!!!!!!

[lorn63]

I arranged a CC meeting on the Dawn cruising April 10. I did it because I think it will be fun to meet all of the people I have been talking to for almost a year, not because I expect to reap any benefits from NCL. I already have concierge service because I am in a mini suite. It doesn't matter to me if NCL knows I'm a CC member or not. I just want to meet and mingle with people on these boards. It will be nice to finally meet the faces I have been talking to.