time and place for meet and greet

[silkman]

We are trying to arrange a M&G on our roll call for the June 6th sailing of the Marina. It was proposed to do it on the 1st(and only) sea day which is the 1st day of the cruise ...in horizons at 5:00. Someone called Oceania to check if that was OK. Their response was that they "thought that would be all right". Then someone else on the roll call mentioned that the captain's welcome party would probably be at 5:30 that same day.

 

My question is if you want to arrange a M&G prior to sailing , with whom do you confirm a time and place?

 

Thanks

[loum140]

Most of the M&G's we've attended take place on the first evening aboard, usually right after the lifeboat drill, in Horizons - right before dinner. The few that have been planned for the first sea day have been mid-morning, but on Marina a few months ago this proved problematic as there were so many a.m. activities scheduled, including a lecture in Horizons. Other than the first evening, most of the public venues are busy with happy hour from 5-6 p.m. If the first evening works for your group, you could check in with the CD after boarding to let him/her know of your plans.

[LHT28]

We have done the same as Marsha

On Marina we tried the morning of the 1st day but there were other things scheduled in Horizons

 

You can ask the Concierge once you board but do not count on much help

Just let them know when & where your group will be so they will have extra bar staff ready ....otherwise you may have a long wait for the cruise line to OK a space

 

JMO

Lyn

[spindrift]

We have always had the M&G in Horizons after the muster drill, and that seemed to work just fine. I believe the Maiden Voyage of the Marina was later on another day, but I can't really remember. The best is right after the Muster.

 

Since O doesn't really provide snacks or drinks, it doesn't make much difference. On our April trip from Venice on the Marina, we met forward in Horizons. We had planned to meet starboard but there was a goup from Purdue where they had blocked that area. We had around 60. The CD announced and welcomed Purdue but never mentioned our CC M&G or ever stopped by to meet any of us. That was disappointing to many of us.

 

Just remember that port side back behind the bar area, it is the smoking area or room. The smell still drifts in that area.

 

It is fun to meet the other CC folks as you see them throughout the trip, and meeting early makes that nice.

 

Have a GREAT trip.

[pacheco18]

For our upcoming May 24 cruise I called Oceania to find out when the muster drill would take place, given the new regulations.

 

We decided to meet in Horizons before the drill and we are hoping we got correct information.

 

It is always a crap shoot.

[Mura]

Last October (on Marina) we had two M&Gs -- one in Horizons on the night we sailed, working around the boat drill. (The drill was at 5:15, departure at 10:00.)

 

Then I set up a second one later in the week. For that one I consulted with the concierge (as I have always done in the past). We had to change the first time because it conflicted with the Oceania Club cocktail party, but other than there were no problems. The concierge sent out invitations to the members of our 50+ group and they DID serve us some snacks with our drinks. I hadn't asked for them and was delighted to see they were provided.

 

It can depend ... But I've never had any difficulties in arranging a time and place when I consulted the concierge.

 

Mura

[pacheco18]

But I've never had any difficulties in arranging a time and place when I consulted the concierge.

 

Mura

 

Agree. But that process requires you to have everyone's full names and cabin numbers. Sometimes that is not an easy feat. We had nearly 200 for a M&G on the November Marina transatlantic and collecting that information and sending out invites was too difficult.

[Mura]

I remember that discussion last fall. But obviously with 200 people you can't compile a list. (Well, you could if you wanted to spend hours and hours doing so, I suppose.)

 

I've never been involved with such a large group -- this 50+ on Marina was the largest I've dealt with myself. We did have a little over 100 on our NCL transatlantic two years ago, but I wasn't involved in setting that one up. NCL was extremely cooperative and most of the officers showed up to our morning coffee and donuts ...

 

Mura

[wannaberetired]

We arranged one on the Nautica last year and had it around 6:00-6:30 at Horizons on the first night. This worked out nicely because everyone had a chance to get settled and the drill was over by then. Most people stayed until around 7:30 (others stayed later) which seemed like enough time to meet everyone. We posted the information on the roll call forum a few times to make sure people had the information. We had about 14 people show up.

[LuAnn]

after arranging many M&G's on O that, at this currrent time, you can not pre arrange anything. Corporate office no longer works with you re pre arranged venues/times etc. This is a corporate decision on the part of O that has impacted many of us who on CC try to help arrange M&Gs.

 

At the suggestion of others on the O board, I have tried to contact the concierge to tell him/her of our plans made on the R/C re a time and place to M&G...no one was available to help me...or another CC member who was trying to arrange a luncheon for his wife's BD. This was on the day of embarkation..."they" were no where to be found...even though we were given repeated times when we could meet this staff member at their desk. I KNOW this is a busy day for them...but please don't tell me I can meet with them at X hour...and then no one is there...as Mike and I showed up over and over again at the times the concierge was to be there to meet us!!!! and they were not there!

 

So...here's my take on this!! Either pick a time and place for the M&G before you all leave for the cruise and post it on the R/C..and take your chances that it will work out...that's what I did on the Marina spring T/A and we did have an issue with a group of 10 people...which was quickly resolved by O staff ....OR wait until at least until the 2nd day of your cruise (remember I'm talking about a T/A with many more sea days and opportunities to meet...rather than a port intensive schedule) to consult the concierge. Our CD was disappointed that I had not contacted her after boarding...but I had never been told by O that this was an option...or that she would have worked with me on this. My info from O has always been...you're on your own. Perhaps others have had a different experience (I was told by the CD that " a pre-arranged M&G event" which had taken place earlier this year was because of the "connections" that CC member has with O and that CD. I don't think that is fair...or good marketing...we are not all insiders!!!!

 

We had a group of well over 100 CCers on board....to be honest...I'm still not sure why O doesn't want to help out this "group" of passengers...when they organize and schedule so many other "groups".

 

Can you tell this is a HOT issue with me??? :( It is...and I still don't understand why O continues to discount CCers in their attempts to get together...they put into the daily schedules meetings of" Friends of Bill, Friends of Dorothy, Canadians, and other "private" parties...but not CCers!! I think all those groups deserve a time and place to meet...but what about CCers....we sometimes make up over 10% of the passengers...yet..I think...are treated like 2nd class citizens...when I think we are probably their best repeat customers!

 

OK I'll step off my "soap stand".....This upsets me..because I love O and sail her frequently. But I sail other lines as well...and they ALL work with me to arrange CC gatherings...So...here's my 2 cents worth! Hope it helps...but at least it let me "vent".....:D:eek: LuAnn

[Mura]

LuAnn,

 

This has NOT been my experience. Maybe I was lucky.

 

Last fall (before our Marina cruise which left Civitavecchia on October 21st) I saw a number of posts here that said what you have said. But when I boarded I found the concierge and had no trouble setting up an M&G. In our case, we were about 50 people.

 

In the past I've had similar help with smaller groups -- I gave the concierge a list of participants with their cabin numbers and invitations were delivered. Ours have always been in Horizons ... whatever the ship ... and yes, the date and time depended on what else was going on.

 

Very small groups can indeed just name a time and place and do it on their own. My experience in the past with mid-size groups was that we had an open bar -- I did have to make sure the bartenders had been given this message! -- but no munchies. Last October, we WERE provided with munchies and there was no problem with the open bar. (By that I mean the waiters didn't assume that I was paying for everyone's drinks.)

 

Now, I AM wondering if the problem may be with really large groups -- yours at around 100 people, Laraine's at around 200 -- so that when the groups get so large the O staff just throw up their hands.

 

I won't deny that other ships may be more helpful ... I'm not a fan of NCL but on our one recent cruise on NCL we had a group of about 100 people and all the officers showed up and talked about their various departments. THAT I have never seen on O.

 

But I just don't think such blanket statements as you just made are true. Or maybe not ALWAYS true.

 

As I said, maybe I've been lucky ... but prior to our October 2011 cruise our most recent "party set-up" had been in July 2010 and so I thought that conditions MIGHT have changed. But they had not.

 

Could it be the luck of the draw? Definitely, from what I can gather calling O in advance of the cruise is pretty useless.

 

Mura

[LuAnn]

This was not a blanket statement...this is what I FOUND to be true on my last 2 T/A's....and I tried to make that clear....Re "What I have Found".....

 

I appreciate and understand that other CCers, like yourself may have found other ways to "get this together"...I continue to try...as in my future T/A from Rome to Rio to pull this together with my fellow CCer Jan......my point...which I'm trying to make...is that I just don't undertand why this is so HARD to pull off!!!????

 

FDR..which we have met several times...seems really to like and particpate in CC..and I think...he is the voice and soul of O..so WHY is this not something that we can pull together BEFORE we board...as is the case with Azamara...and many other lines??? That's all I'm saying...I"m not trying to say I'm right or wrong...just telling MY story of what my cuises have been since the corporate 'changed" several years ago....

and I have tried to be the organizer of a M&G...it SHOULD be easy...and, right now...IMHO...they are making it HARD!!! I love O...and sail them often...but I think this aspect of marketing is lacking...LuAnn