HAL and CC Roll Calls .....

[kazu]

My upcoming will be the third cruise since discovering the CC boards. On my Med cruise I must have read the roll call posts, as I knew there were upsells being offered and was able to grab a deal.

 

Last cruise to the British Isles, we sailed the second half of a Collector's cruise and did join the Roll Call and attended the Meet and Greet. Might have put me off doing that for life. The people on the Roll Call were, with the exception of one person, not posters to the HAL board. Also, it was people on the Collector's cruise who put together both M&Gs and they scheduled the second one for the day we boarded the ship. Not the best day, after traveling all day/night and going through check-in, etc etc. There was an odd feeling of being odd-man-out as we were joining a group that was already established. After the M&G I never got together with any of those people again, unless it was to say hi in passing.

 

Same situation this time, we are the second half of a Collector's cruise. I know the RC for the first group is very busy, though ours is starting to pick up. It seems like a great group of people and I"m looking forward to trying it again. Again, only one or two others who post here on the HAL board.

 

Funny thing on that British Isles cruise. I had stopped to chat for a bit with one of the people from the Roll Call and my very favorite Lido/Canaletto steward came by. We greeted each other by name and I think I even got a hug. This gentleman was a big part of making that my best cruise ever. Anyway, this woman was horrified that I was on a first-name basis with "the help". She never stopped talking about the fact that the beverage manager was at the first M&G. I was underwhelmed.

 

 

Amy - please don't let this put you off M & G's - most don't schedule them on an embarkation day - in fact this is actually disaster with HAL - they are far too busy (understandably) - some do a sail a way but that is informal.

 

Most M & G's are scheduled for the first sea day and easy to go to.:)

 

whether the people post here on a regular basis or on not is irrelevant IMO - there are a lot of great people you can meet and one should never overlook the chance to meet someone they might enjoy to sail with over and over and again. I have been lucky enough to meet some i want to lure over and over again:)

 

And don't ever hesitate to post here - all are welcome - we were all newbies once;)

[kc320]

At least you HAVE a Roll Call....;) I have been patiently waiting for a roll call to show up for my March cruise but so far no luck....I "know" I could start one...but that never seems to help either...:(

[0bnxshs]

Same situation this time, we are the second half of a Collector's cruise. I know the RC for the first group is very busy, though ours is starting to pick up. It seems like a great group of people and I"m looking forward to trying it again. Again, only one or two others who post here on the HAL board.

 

Amy, has any thought been given to combining the two roll calls into 1 big one by any of those involved? If I am not mistaken, and "kazu" will correct me if I'm wrong ;), the collector's cruise we are booked on started as 2 separate threads. I'm not sure who, but I think someone asked "Walt" to change the title of one of them to reflect that it encompasses both cruises. I think it has engendered a sense of togetherness in our case.

 

Funny thing on that British Isles cruise. I had stopped to chat for a bit with one of the people from the Roll Call and my very favorite Lido/Canaletto steward came by. We greeted each other by name and I think I even got a hug. This gentleman was a big part of making that my best cruise ever. Anyway, this woman was horrified that I was on a first-name basis with "the help". She never stopped talking about the fact that the beverage manager was at the first M&G. I was underwhelmed.

 

I believe it was Mark Twain who said "It doesn't take all kinds, there just are all kinds." in referring to those who make the world go 'round vs those who are just along for the ride.

 

In answer to the OPs question, I think 90% of all my posts are in the various roll calls I've participated in. I think "feathersandnananose" conveyed quite well the reasons.

[Linda&Vern]

Today we received an e:mail from HAL titled “before you board.” I have copied their message below:

 

Use Roll Call to meet your future cruisemates

 

Before we welcome you aboard, meet your fellow travelers with our newly updated Roll Call feature on our Facebook page. Share travel tips, exchange messages, set up an onboard "meet and greet" and more. It's quick and simple with Roll Call. Here's how it works:

 

(1) Visit Roll Call (link)

(2) Find your departure date and ship and you’re ready to meet your future cruisemates.

 

When I clicked the Roll Call link it took me directly to the Facebook HAL page where I was invited to find my cruise and join the FB roll call.

 

On our previous 5 cruises I have participated in one CC Roll Call (where I learned a lot of good stuff from fellow Alaska cruisers) so I signed up for the CC Roll Call for next March.

 

That said - Having my cruise “talk” on Facebook is the last thing I want. How do others here feel about it?

[sail7seas]

I have gotten the same e-mail after booking some of our cruises.

I would not dream of posting to a Facebook Cruise Roll Call. Out of the question....... for me.

[Linda&Vern]

I have gotten the same e-mail after booking some of our cruises.

I would not dream of posting to a Facebook Cruise Roll Call. Out of the question....... for me.

Ditto Sail - As soon as I realized where the link was taking me I was out of there!

[mymickstar]

I have to stick up for people who roll-call but do not post regularly. There can be lots of reasons for such behavior......including:

 

1. I might have no questions left that haven't been answered by a good search through previous threads.

2. When someone asks a question, someone else gets there first with what I was going to say. I think "echoing" is pretty useless, most of the time.

3. Some of us just don't "feel" experienced enough to tell others what to do.

4. I don't have a strong opinion about stuff, AND take everything I read with a giant grain of salt. So when someone goes off on how XXXX was the best / worst ship/cruise ever...... it's just not worth getting involved.

 

But for those of you who DO post often and regularly, THANK YOU. Many of us are lurkers who really DO appreciate your expertise and willingness to help. Just don't think badly of us.....

 

Barb in so cal. The lurker. (one of many!!)

 

I could not have said it better! I always read through the Hal Forums to find anything I would like to know. I try to keep up with the Roll calls just so I can see a friendly face on a boat of strangers.

 

(also from SoCal) Mymickstar

[Krazy Kruizers]

Today we received an e:mail from HAL titled “before you board.” I have copied their message below:

 

Use Roll Call to meet your future cruisemates

 

Before we welcome you aboard, meet your fellow travelers with our newly updated Roll Call feature on our Facebook page. Share travel tips, exchange messages, set up an onboard "meet and greet" and more. It's quick and simple with Roll Call. Here's how it works:

 

(1) Visit Roll Call (link)

(2) Find your departure date and ship and you’re ready to meet your future cruisemates.

 

When I clicked the Roll Call link it took me directly to the Facebook HAL page where I was invited to find my cruise and join the FB roll call.

 

On our previous 5 cruises I have participated in one CC Roll Call (where I learned a lot of good stuff from fellow Alaska cruisers) so I signed up for the CC Roll Call for next March.

 

That said - Having my cruise “talk” on Facebook is the last thing I want. How do others here feel about it?

 

I don't belong to Facebook and have no desire to join that sute.

[Krazy Kruizers]

This Thread was on "Ask A Cruise Question":

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1696526

[sail7seas]

WOW !!! I read that forum but missed that thread. We were away at the end of August when it was active.

They requested a Bio of everyone...... take over a bar every night???

I didn't read the whole thread but the post I saw was quite amazing. :eek:

I never heard of anything quite like that before.

[Cinder Again]

Speaking only for myself, I almost always join Roll calls, I've met some great folks that way, and shared private excursions with them, making what I hope will be lifelong friends. I cruise at/near the same time every year, so I often meet the same folks that just want to get out of snowy weather each winter (like me!) Some roll calls are more active than others, some are more welcoming than others. That's life. They have provided me more positive encounters than negative, and the cruise lines have always been extremely accommodating about setting them up.

As far as the HAL Board goes, I read it when I have a cruise booked, just to stay current, but the questions asked and answered here tend to be similar over time.

Using these boards for information has often helped me with "tips" and I appreciate new information as it arrives. Thanks to those who impart new, helpful information, it is much appreciated!

[kazu]

Amy, has any thought been given to combining the two roll calls into 1 big one by any of those involved? If I am not mistaken, and "kazu" will correct me if I'm wrong ;), the collector's cruise we are booked on started as 2 separate threads. I'm not sure who, but I think someone asked "Walt" to change the title of one of them to reflect that it encompasses both cruises. I think it has engendered a sense of togetherness in our case.

 

 

Rich you are absolutely right (about asking Walt and about the sense of togetherness):D and for Amy this is very easy to do. We had two threads as well and quickly realized that one would be better. So Holl Doll who started the TA roll call asked that the title be changed (you just click the red alert in the corner to send a message) and I asked that my roll call thread be deleted/merged with the other one.

 

Walt (our moderator) took care of this very quickly for us:D

[PRWeezer]

I have to stick up for people who roll-call but do not post regularly. There can be lots of reasons for such behavior......including:

 

1. I might have no questions left that haven't been answered by a good search through previous threads.

2. When someone asks a question, someone else gets there first with what I was going to say. I think "echoing" is pretty useless, most of the time.

3. Some of us just don't "feel" experienced enough to tell others what to do.

4. I don't have a strong opinion about stuff, AND take everything I read with a giant grain of salt. So when someone goes off on how XXXX was the best / worst ship/cruise ever...... it's just not worth getting involved.

 

But for those of you who DO post often and regularly, THANK YOU. Many of us are lurkers who really DO appreciate your expertise and willingness to help. Just don't think badly of us.....

 

Barb in so cal. The lurker. (one of many!!)

 

I agree and would add to that list:

 

5. Some may simply prefer to use CC for social interaction over the nuts & bolts type of threads.

 

I think some just drop in for conversation about their own cruise but they don't have interest beyond that. Or, as you say, they find the information they need but don't feel compelled to post.

 

I recall a couple of people on our last roll call who have been on CC for 10+ years, have thousands of posts, but rarely post outside of the roll calls. In other words, they're not newbies who just drop in for a roll call then go away (not that there's anything wrong with that). Then there was a couple with 600 days & counting on HAL who had such a wealth of experience to share (in person) but they hardly ever post on CC...they're too busy cruising! :)

[Krazy Kruizers]

WOW !!! I read that forum but missed that thread. We were away at the end of August when it was active.

They requested a Bio of everyone...... take over a bar every night???

I didn't read the whole thread but the post I saw was quite amazing. :eek:

I never heard of anything quite like that before.

 

I can see why the thread started was turned off from wanting to go on that cruise.

There is no way I would give a Bio.

It's bad enough when there is a charter and they have a couple of parties that close down a bar for a couple of hours, but a get-together each night -- no way.

[California Traveler]

Originally Posted by feathersandnananose

I have to stick up for people who roll-call but do not post regularly. There can be lots of reasons for such behavior......including:

 

1. I might have no questions left that haven't been answered by a good search through previous threads.

2. When someone asks a question, someone else gets there first with what I was going to say. I think "echoing" is pretty useless, most of the time.

3. Some of us just don't "feel" experienced enough to tell others what to do.

4. I don't have a strong opinion about stuff, AND take everything I read with a giant grain of salt. So when someone goes off on how XXXX was the best / worst ship/cruise ever...... it's just not worth getting involved.

 

But for those of you who DO post often and regularly, THANK YOU. Many of us are lurkers who really DO appreciate your expertise and willingness to help. Just don't think badly of us.....

 

Barb in so cal. The lurker. (one of many!!)

I could not have said it better! I always read through the Hal Forums to find anything I would like to know. I try to keep up with the Roll calls just so I can see a friendly face on a boat of strangers.

 

(also from SoCal) Mymickstar

 

Hello fellow So Cal Travelers! We are in San Diego.

 

Ditto on both posts, we are new to CC boards, have posted a few questions before booking. Thanks evryone for all your assistance.

 

I am addicted to CC and the HAL threads - I have gathered so much info, have planned to purchase the Rumrunner flasks for our Margaritas :D along with our Sangrias.

 

I posted on Roll Call our 2014 cruise (I know it is far off) hoping to find some fellow travelers. Did I do it right - our date is not showing on the roll call just the posting. I am assuming the list isn't updated daily.

 

 

CT

[Randyk47]

 

I posted on Roll Call our 2014 cruise (I know it is far off) hoping to find some fellow travelers. Did I do it right - our date is not showing on the roll call just the posting. I am assuming the list isn't updated daily.

 

 

CT

 

I'd have to go look at the Roll Calls but all cruises are not automatically listed on the Roll Call section just waiting for somebody to post. There has to be an original poster who starts the thread with the basic information like the ship and the sailing date. If you were the originator and didn't add the sailing date it won't automatically be added. I guess you could contact one of the moderators and ask them to modify the original posting so that the date information would be included in the title of the thread for that cruise.

 

UPDATE: I went and looked at your post and it's just fine. Has all the information needed to start a Roll Call for that cruise. Nobody else has posted but April 2014 is a bit of a ways in the future so you'll have to be patient.

[solocanadian]

Today we received an e:mail from HAL titled “before you board.” I have copied their message below:

 

Use Roll Call to meet your future cruisemates

 

Before we welcome you aboard, meet your fellow travelers with our newly updated Roll Call feature on our Facebook page. Share travel tips, exchange messages, set up an onboard "meet and greet" and more. It's quick and simple with Roll Call. Here's how it works:

 

(1) Visit Roll Call (link)

(2) Find your departure date and ship and you’re ready to meet your future cruisemates.

I don't do Facebook. I'm happy with the CC Roll Call Board.

When I clicked the Roll Call link it took me directly to the Facebook HAL page where I was invited to find my cruise and join the FB roll call.

 

On our previous 5 cruises I have participated in one CC Roll Call (where I learned a lot of good stuff from fellow Alaska cruisers) so I signed up for the CC Roll Call for next March.

 

That said - Having my cruise “talk” on Facebook is the last thing I want. How do others here feel about it?

I refuse to use Facebook for any reason. However will participate in CC Board Roll Calls.

[KirkNC]

Our next two cruises on HAL have roll calls but they are pretty dead. Granted they are a ways off but we also have a cruise booked on X in 2014 and it's roll call is something like 20 pages. Our HAL roll calls can't even stay on the first page. Not sure why.

[Joy R]

We have done cruises on Princess and one on Oceania, and last year was our first HAL cruise. This December will be our second. I always join Roll Calls, get to "meet" some fellow-cruisers and have joined in private tours through the Roll Calls.

 

I have found the HAL Roll Calls to be far less active than the Princess ones. Goodness knows why. And it can't be just because there are fewer passengers on the HAL ships. One of our Princess cruises was on one of their smaller ships (700 passengers) and it was far busier than our Volendam Roll Call (1400 passengers). I have often wondered about the reluctance of HAL cruisers to join Roll Calls.

[sail7seas]

There is no consistency.

Some HAL cruises will have a very large, active Roll Call while another the week before or after will be extremely slow.

 

Some many variables contribute to how busy or slow a Roll Call may be.

[cruisemom42]

While it's true that roll calls vary greatly by sailing, it is also true that in general, HAL roll calls have fewer posts overall than other lines.

 

I just went and did a little comparison to see if the figures for posts back this up. I decided to compare the HAL roll call posts with the Celebrity roll call posts because a) the two lines are not too dissimilar in terms of positioning in the overall scheme of cruise lines and b) the total number of passengers that can be carried by all the ships in each of their current fleets is pretty close:

 

HAL: 15 ships carrying a stated capacity of 23,493 passengers

 

Celebrity: 12 current ships carrying a stated capacity of 22,806 passengers.

 

(If you add in the new Reflection, which isn't launched yet but already has a few roll calls started, the total is 25,852 passengers for Celebrity, but for the sake of keeping the numbers close, I removed the posts to the Reflection roll calls from my count.)

 

Total posts to the roll call threads for HAL cruises: 575,521

Total posts to roll call threads for Celebrity cruises: 1,224,315

 

So -- even though Celebrity has slightly fewer passengers, they have over twice as many posts to their roll calls, compared with HAL!

[sail7seas]

So what does that mean? :confused:

 

Is there some message hidden in there that I'm not understanding? :D

 

[cruisemom42]

So what does that mean? :confused:

 

Is there some message hidden in there that I'm not understanding? :D

 

 

No hidden message. It just confirms what a couple of other posters were suggesting, i.e., that HAL roll calls in general are not as active as those on other lines.

[sail7seas]

I guess I'm hunting for a why? :D

 

Probably many reasons..........

[Randyk47]

I guess I'm hunting for a why? :D

 

Probably many reasons..........

 

I would agree it's many reasons but I also know from my Celebrity cruise in 2005 Celebrity has long embraced and recognized Cruise Critic up to the point of being able to click a box in your pre-cruise on line registration to join a Cruise Critic Meet and Mingle. We had over 100 people show up for the Meet and Mingle on the old Galaxy. They provided refreshments, a cake, and a number of staff including the cruise director to greet and welcome the Cruise Critic members on board. They also took and provided attendees a group picture if they wanted one. Apparently this close relationship between Cruise Critic and Celebrity goes back a long time and Celebrity CC members are very used to this close connection and participate accordingly.