Comparing Carnival, Celebrity, and NCL w/regard to CC Meet-n-Greet's

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

This topic came up in another thread (in the CARNIVAL forum) earlier today, and I thought it had merit enough on its own to be discussed separately.

 

Can I make a request here at the start? How about we all just read this, and add constructive input. Let's not get into any "bashing" of the various cruise lines or get snippy at each other. We are adults... right? :) This is for informational purposes only. It is not to be construed as slighting Carnival (REALLY) - it's "just the facts"! Since this is useful information, I request that if the moderators determine that the responses of some people get out of hand, to simply delete those comments or, if it becomes widespread, to delete the offending comments, and LOCK the thread down - at least it can then remain as a reference source... THANKS

 

I have attended Cruise Critic "Meet-n-Greets" on 3 different cruise lines, and would like to compare/contrast what I have seen.

 

 

=======================================================

CARNIVAL:

Since Carnival was our "first" cruise line, let's start with them. I have, on numerous occasions, contacted the Groups Department at Carnival prior to sailings when it became apparent that we had enough people on a roll call here to justify a more formal meeting place than the "aft bar at sail-away" or similar. They have always been quick to reply and quite helpful in finding a location which did not conflict with planned shipboard activities. Typically it has been in the disco, once or twice in the piano bar. A bar is usually open, with a waiter working the crowd - though we have never gone with the open bar ($) option. Perhaps someone here can give more details on that, as I am not really familiar with how that works. The groups department lately has indicated that the time/place would be listed in the Funtimes. More often than not, such a mention is MIA. At a couple of the meetings there has been a small showing of Carnival staff. Once or twice a cruise director has made an appearance - most recently Todd Whitmer. Another time or two an "activities staff person" or similar has made an appearance. Other than that - we are pretty much on our own, and simply have the place to meet one another (kind of like the intent: "meet and mingle")! I appreciated the assistance from the groups department to set the area aside for us.

----------------------------------------------

 

 

CELEBRITY:

Celebrity does things a little differently - actually devoting a page on their website (LINK). There you can register for a line supported "Cruise Critic Connections" party. Once 25 people from any (7+night) sailing register, it becomes "official". They have another page which provides for FAQ (LINK) with the following topics:

Subject: Cruise Critic Connections

> How do I register for a party?

> Is there a maximum number of people who may register for the Celebrity Cruises/Cruise Critic Connection?

> How can I cancel my registration?

> Are children allowed at the party?

> How can we ask other questions about the party?

> How will I know when and where our Connections Party will be?

> What happens at the parties?

> What is served at the parties?

> What is the dress code for the parties?

> Why isn't my Booking ID/Reservation Number being accepted for registration?

> How can I find out how many people are in my party?

> Can I register other guests who do not have an email address?

> Are all Celebrity cruises eligible for a Celebrity Cruises/ Cruise Critic Connections Party?

> How do I add someone to my party?

> How do I register a large group for a party?

> How many people do we need to have a party?

> How will we know if we qualified for a party?

> I missed the registration deadline, can I still attend?

> Is there a charge for these parties?

> Who can attend the parties?

 

On our first qualifying sailing with Celebrity (Thanksgiving 2008 on the Constellation) we met the 25 headcount threshold, and they put together a nice meeting area complete with snacks/drinks (non-alcoholic), had name tags for all, and made a short presentation. After that we all got together for a photo:

 

 

This was new to me, having not seen this kind of interaction between the cruise line and Cruise Critic members previously. It was appreciated! I have already registered online for our Eclipse sailing next January - though we have not yet met the "critical mass" number... we have plenty of time though!

------------------------------------------------------------

 

NCL:

 

Prior to our first sailing on the Epic earlier this year, I learned that to set up a CC meeting one needed to contact (via email) the Groups Coordinator for the ship you are sailing on. Since nobody in our roll call had taken the initiative, I decided "what the heck" and made contact. They replied very quickly. Everything was set up for an 11am meeting on the first sea day in the Bliss Lounge. They only asked that I get back with them shortly before the sail date to give them a headcount. I did, and what they put together was even more impressive than what Celebrity had done! We entered the lounge not knowing what to expect and found all their monitors around the bar (it's a disco at night) scrolling a Cruise Critic logo :cool::

 

 

They had refreshments set up (no photos of that, darn!) and several officers were mingling. Present was the Hotel Director, F&B Manager, Cruise Director, Chef, Captain, etc... They all took turns speaking to the crowd. The Captain even displayed a sense of humor, saying something along the lines of: "we at NCL do read your reviews, though sometimes I wonder if I was on the same ship"!

 

 

 

They handed out their cards, with their phone extensions listed there. They seemed genuinely interested in making sure that we had a good cruise experience - telling us to give them a call if we had any problems or questions. NICE TOUCH!

 

BTW - I have already set-up plans for a repeat CC meeting onboard for our 11/26/11 return to the Epic!!

-------------------------------------------

 

Well, there it is! If anyone cares to add anything, or has any question, don't hesitate to ask!

 

Thanks,

 

Tom

[Lois R]

Hi Tom,:) I have been to many CC gatherings and there have been

ship's officers attending on Celebrity too. I do not think it is the

same on every cruise though. Sometimes there are officers and

sometimes not.

I was on Summit in February (Superbowl Weekend:D) and the Hotel

Director and CD both were in attendance. We had a good group

on that particular roll call and the gathering was really nice. It was

held on Sunday (late afternoon) before THE GAME;)..they served

champagne (which I cannot remember having before), along with juice

and we all introduced ourselves and there were alot of Packers/Steelers

fans on board.

If "Partyalldatime" is around...Steve, you have anything to add?:)

 

Can't give a comparison...haven't sailed Carnival since 1992 and

never sailed NCL before.

[cherylroslyn]

This topic came up in another thread (in the CARNIVAL forum) earlier today, and I thought it had merit enough on its own to be discussed separately.

 

Can I make a request here at the start? How about we all just read this, and add constructive input. Let's not get into any "bashing" of the various cruise lines or get snippy at each other. We are adults... right? :) This is for informational purposes only. It is not to be construed as slighting Carnival (REALLY) - it's "just the facts"! Since this is useful information, I request that if the moderators determine that the responses of some people get out of hand, to simply delete those comments or, if it becomes widespread, to delete the offending comments, and LOCK the thread down - at least it can then remain as a reference source... THANKS

 

I have attended Cruise Critic "Meet-n-Greets" on 3 different cruise lines, and would like to compare/contrast what I have seen.

 

 

=======================================================

CARNIVAL:

Since Carnival was our "first" cruise line, let's start with them. I have, on numerous occasions, contacted the Groups Department at Carnival prior to sailings when it became apparent that we had enough people on a roll call here to justify a more formal meeting place than the "aft bar at sail-away" or similar. They have always been quick to reply and quite helpful in finding a location which did not conflict with planned shipboard activities. Typically it has been in the disco, once or twice in the piano bar. A bar is usually open, with a waiter working the crowd - though we have never gone with the open bar ($) option. Perhaps someone here can give more details on that, as I am not really familiar with how that works. The groups department lately has indicated that the time/place would be listed in the Funtimes. More often than not, such a mention is MIA. At a couple of the meetings there has been a small showing of Carnival staff. Once or twice a cruise director has made an appearance - most recently Todd Whitmer. Another time or two an "activities staff person" or similar has made an appearance. Other than that - we are pretty much on our own, and simply have the place to meet one another (kind of like the intent: "meet and mingle")! I appreciated the assistance from the groups department to set the area aside for us.

----------------------------------------------

 

 

CELEBRITY:

Celebrity does things a little differently - actually devoting a page on their website (LINK). There you can register for a line supported "Cruise Critic Connections" party. Once 25 people from any (7+night) sailing register, it becomes "official". They have another page which provides for FAQ (LINK) with the following topics:

Subject: Cruise Critic Connections

> How do I register for a party?

> Is there a maximum number of people who may register for the Celebrity Cruises/Cruise Critic Connection?

> How can I cancel my registration?

> Are children allowed at the party?

> How can we ask other questions about the party?

> How will I know when and where our Connections Party will be?

> What happens at the parties?

> What is served at the parties?

> What is the dress code for the parties?

> Why isn't my Booking ID/Reservation Number being accepted for registration?

> How can I find out how many people are in my party?

> Can I register other guests who do not have an email address?

> Are all Celebrity cruises eligible for a Celebrity Cruises/ Cruise Critic Connections Party?

> How do I add someone to my party?

> How do I register a large group for a party?

> How many people do we need to have a party?

> How will we know if we qualified for a party?

> I missed the registration deadline, can I still attend?

> Is there a charge for these parties?

> Who can attend the parties?

 

On our first qualifying sailing with Celebrity (Thanksgiving 2008 on the Constellation) we met the 25 headcount threshold, and they put together a nice meeting area complete with snacks/drinks (non-alcoholic), had name tags for all, and made a short presentation. After that we all got together for a photo:

 

 

This was new to me, having not seen this kind of interaction between the cruise line and Cruise Critic members previously. It was appreciated! I have already registered online for our Eclipse sailing next January - though we have not yet met the "critical mass" number... we have plenty of time though!

------------------------------------------------------------

 

NCL:

 

Prior to our first sailing on the Epic earlier this year, I learned that to set up a CC meeting one needed to contact (via email) the Groups Coordinator for the ship you are sailing on. Since nobody in our roll call had taken the initiative, I decided "what the heck" and made contact. They replied very quickly. Everything was set up for an 11am meeting on the first sea day in the Bliss Lounge. They only asked that I get back with them shortly before the sail date to give them a headcount. I did, and what they put together was even more impressive than what Celebrity had done! We entered the lounge not knowing what to expect and found all their monitors around the bar (it's a disco at night) scrolling a Cruise Critic logo :cool::

 

 

They had refreshments set up (no photos of that, darn!) and several officers were mingling. Present was the Hotel Director, F&B Manager, Cruise Director, Chef, Captain, etc... They all took turns speaking to the crowd. The Captain even displayed a sense of humor, saying something along the lines of: "we at NCL do read your reviews, though sometimes I wonder if I was on the same ship"!

 

 

 

They handed out their cards, with their phone extensions listed there. They seemed genuinely interested in making sure that we had a good cruise experience - telling us to give them a call if we had any problems or questions. NICE TOUCH!

 

BTW - I have already set-up plans for a repeat CC meeting onboard for our 11/26/11 return to the Epic!!

-------------------------------------------

 

Well, there it is! If anyone cares to add anything, or has any question, don't hesitate to ask!

 

Thanks,

 

Tom

Tom I think your assessment is very fair having traveled all three lines numerous times.

 

Carnival has never done anything for any of the cruises I have been on and I am not knocking them because I like them....and although my favorite line is Celebrity...when I travel with my college aged daughter I take her on both NCL and Carnival.

 

NCL has ussually been better than Carnival as far as the Cruise Critic Meet and Greet but on the Epic they were a step above their usual game...but not quite the welcoming that you and your group had....that sounds very nice.

 

My experience this year on the Summit was far more impressive than any of my prior cruises on any other line. This year we had a very nice sized group and we were given a reception including champagne and mimosas. Quite a few officers came to the reception and they even made us "cruise critic lapel pins". The highlight however was that we each recieved invitations for bridge tours and we were given bridge tours in groups during the week. That was a fabulous experience.

 

 

By the way...John H just called....he wants to know "who you are and whats your problem with the chef table?" LOL....JUST KIDDING!!!!!! You can tell I was cruising over on the Carnival Boards this afternoon......and I am completely kidding!!!!!!

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

...

By the way...John H just called....he wants to know "who you are and whats your problem with the chef table?" LOL....JUST KIDDING!!!!!! You can tell I was cruising over on the Carnival Boards this afternoon......and I am completely kidding!!!!!!

 

:eek:

 

;)

 

Tom