VIP/Who's Who Parties

[xpcdoojk]

Just the facts folks, just the facts.

 

To clarify so there is no misunderstandings, I have been invited to parties. The one invitation I happen to have handy was a NO NAME party. I have no idea what the others were called.

 

On to the Captain's Table!

 

I have no problem with the way pax are selected. It does vary by Captain.

 

I am some what confused. Which is it? Do you think it Is it fair and equitable or discriminatory?

 

Of course it is discriminatory, because there is no fair way to pick 70 people from 1500 that makes any sense and since we know this is the way it works because it has always worked this way it is as fair as anything in life can ever be that is based upon the class distinctions from centuries past. The strong maritime traditions are still in place. Me thinks you are trying to nit-pick on Heather for some reason. :confused: Since, most people understood what she was saying, and I do not find her statements so carefully culled from many pages of replies on this topic to be confusing......:mad: So what gives?:rolleyes:

 

Since nit-picking is what this thread is about now, I know that you have been invited to parties, but maybe you are not really a HAL VIP at all, and while having been invited to parties, you have been excluded from the most exclusive and poshest of parties the Whose Who parties or even the highly sought after exclusive VIP parties. Sometimes we think we are VIP when we really are NIP....... just a thought....:D after all you never got an invitation to a VIP or a Whose Who party by your own statements.

 

jc

[PRINSENDAM]

OK, talking about 'perks' and whatnot.....

 

Penthouse passengers also attend a private cocktail party during their cruise. Usually held in the Explorers Lounge with the other Penthouse passengers.... if there are any. Captain, Hotel Manager, GRM, F&B Manager, Purser and a few others. This is followed by a special dinner in Pinnacle Grill at a large table.

 

Last year on OOSTERDAM Ruth and I were at one such dinner. My poor brother and his wife who were in an 'ordinary' S grade suite were not allowed to attend. This enabeled my brother and his wife to enjoy an intimate dinner in the dining room so they were quite happy. The dinner in Pinnacle Grill with the 'gang' was a blast. There was nothing 'elegant and proper' about it. It was a great feast with lots of laughter. Jokes galore.

 

Stephen

[Copper10-8]

I can't believe this thread is still going on....and over something so inconsequential!!

 

[HeatherInFlorida]

Gizmo, the question you asked has already been asked by Oceanwench and I answered it. Do you read all the posts? Or just a few? My answer is clearly stated a bit above yours. And it's not about "facts" ... all of this is opinion and nothing more. I haven't seen one fact here. As I said above, it's all about semantics.

 

Gizmo, why do you delight in pulling groups of words from separate posts of mine and pasting them together? It's like being quoted out of context as I think jc mentioned awhile back. Are you trying to trip me up or something? You can't do it! I've stated my opinion clearly and it hasn't changed for a second. How can you have such built up animosity for someone you don't know at all?

 

And, incidently, I do read every post here and we're all clear that you have been invited to many parties so no need to continue to clarify that for us.

 

Caribbean Girl, you're right. Far nastier things are written and truthfully I didn't think you were directing at me. And I may have come down too hard on you because of all the other flak I've taken here. I apologize to you for that. But I still thought it was an unnecessary jab at someone. Actually the more posts we have the the more heat we take. If you decide to stick with us for awhile, you will find that. This board has gotten so unkind, truthfully, that I rarely read it anymore. It used to be fun and it's not anymore. I thought the thread was mellowing out somewhat and I just thought that remark was a bit of a slap at someone.

[jhannah]

Penthouse passengers also attend a private cocktail party during their cruise. Usually held in the Explorers Lounge with the other Penthouse passengers.... if there are any.

When we sailed the Rotterdam VI, we had tablemates who were in a PH. They invited the table up for hors and drinks before dinner one evening and the captain dropped in (they invited him.) It was really very nice of him. He sat and chatted for quite a while with us.

[FamilyofFourtoAlaska]

I don't understand all this uproar! I don't think this is opinion at all - my 2005 Alaska Cruisetour book states "VIP party with captain" under the amenities listed for PS and S category passengers. If the captain wants to invite others, I am sure he can, but apparently if you cough up for a suite it is considered part of the package, albeit one you paid for.

[ekerr19]

I don't understand all this uproar! I don't think this is opinion at all - my 2005 Alaska Cruisetour book states "VIP party with captain" under the amenities listed for PS and S category passengers. If the captain wants to invite others, I am sure he can, but apparently if you cough up for a suite it is considered part of the package, albeit one you paid for.

 

Family/Four - That is what my understanding of the whole thing was too. I was told it there is an event entitled "VIP" for PS and S guests... apparently there are a few other events in which "non-PS/S" guests attend, which very well could be the same event - but for some reason, some past cruisers in "S" have not always gotten an invite, which I thought was merely an oversight.

 

I know there are various parties for various reasons - the old Noordam III had some of the largest VIP parties we've ever seen - I think you'd be hard pressed to find someone who was "not invited" on a couple of our sailings, lol!

 

Anyway - I think the subject has been discussed "ad nauseam" and I don't think I will ever be able to attend another one of these functions without being reminded of this thread!

[caribbean girl]

Heather, apology accepted.

[caribbean girl]

And ekerr19, at the risk of being presumptious, you are far too kind to let this itty bitty silly discussion stop you from throughly enjoying your next VIP party! My advice, put it right out of your mind and order another cocktail, because, after all, they are on the house!!;)

[Krazy Kruizers]

I assume that I have been blocked out by several cc'ers on this thread as I have talked about what FamilyofFourtoAlaska mentioned about VIP party with the captain and what is now printed in the new HAL brochures - and I see that no one is paying attention to few posts I made today.

[Krazy Kruizers]

QE 2

Loved her - we did a Trans-Atlantic crossing on her - Queen's Grill category.

We loved the idea of being able to have dinner anytime from 7:30 - 9:30 - you went when you were ready. At lunch time you chose the wine that you wanted for dinner - at that time it was included with your meal - no extra charge. We even had our own private cocktail lounge.

And the parties - seemed like they never ended.

[Krazy Kruizers]

There has also been some talk about who is invited to dine with the Captain.

Some have said that passengers with a lot of days (who have cruised a lot with HAL) are invited to dine with the captain. And it was mentioned that people on chosen on how they interact with others, etc.

That was not the case on the Volendam. Passengers with a lot of days were not invited to dine with the Captain. If any of you remember my review of the Volendam, I mentioned about a table of 6 seated far from the windows who nearly got into a fight with the people sitting by the window and the curtains had to be closed. And these people never dressed for informal nights, etc. One of the men got his 100 day medal on that cruise and he also had a lot of nasty words to say to the photographers at the Captain's Welcome Aboard Party - he didn't want his picture taken and didn't want to stand in a line.

Guess who was invited to dine with the captain (about 34 passengers were invited to dine with the captain in the King's Room)? The foul-mouthed man, the woman who foul-mouthed the people sitting by the window over the curtains, her husband - and he was a real gem - HUGE - and one other quiet man from their table of 6.

[gizmo]

Gizmo, the question you asked has already been asked by Oceanwench and I answered it. Do you read all the posts? Or just a few? My answer is clearly stated a bit above yours. And it's not about "facts" ... all of this is opinion and nothing more. I haven't seen one fact here. As I said above, it's all about semantics.

 

Gizmo, why do you delight in pulling groups of words from separate posts of mine and pasting them together? It's like being quoted out of context as I think jc mentioned awhile back. Are you trying to trip me up or something? You can't do it! I've stated my opinion clearly and it hasn't changed for a second. How can you have such built up animosity for someone you don't know at all?

 

And, incidently, I do read every post here and we're all clear that you have been invited to many parties so no need to continue to clarify that for us.

 

Caribbean Girl, you're right. Far nastier things are written and truthfully I didn't think you were directing at me. And I may have come down too hard on you because of all the other flak I've taken here. I apologize to you for that. But I still thought it was an unnecessary jab at someone. Actually the more posts we have the the more heat we take. If you decide to stick with us for awhile, you will find that. This board has gotten so unkind, truthfully, that I rarely read it anymore. It used to be fun and it's not anymore. I thought the thread was mellowing out somewhat and I just thought that remark was a bit of a slap at someone.

 

I am sorry you misunderstood my post. The "facts" were only to clarify I have been to a party. That was it, nothing else. It had nothing to do with what I quoted.

 

To accuse me of taking delight in pulling groups of words is outright wrong.

 

Many of your posts are very long and the entire post may not apply. In respect for others I do not copy the entire post since it can clutter up the post.

 

I do not feel I took anything out of context. You made two different statements that contradict each other IMO. I see this as two different opinions.

 

Since you feel that not copying the entire post takes it out of context here are both posts.

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by ryansmemom

..........................

 

For the most part in our society, people who pay more, do get more. What would the point be to paying more, if they didn't? ....................

Linda

 

 

 

Linda, I agree with almost everything you said. But with regard to the above, when you pay more for a cruise, you get a better stateroom which is as it should be. If you are getting anything more than that, it should be listed as part of the price of the category. In Concierge Class on Celebrity all the perks are spelled out upfront.

 

Moving to JHannah's post: As far as the Captain's Table is concerned, I was told by an officer of one ship that the people are selected for various reasons. One being that they have often cruised with the line, one being if you "know" someone higher up the chain (many years ago this was the reason I was asked ... at that time you were there the entire week). But another way is various staff members talk with people as they make their way around the ship and find people who they think will be interesting and forthcoming at the Captain's table as well as blend well with other guests at the table.

 

I have spoken to a few passengers on ships who were "chosen" in this way. You'll be surprised to know that I have no problem with that selection process whatsoever. There is no way that everyone on a 7-day cruise can sit at the Captain's Table. So I think it's a fair and equitable method of selection. We can't let the Captain sit by himself so in this case people do need to be singled out for the honor.

HeatherInFlorida vbmenu_register("postmenu_3913207", true);

Blue Ribbon Cruiser

Join Date: Oct 2003

Location: Sunny Florida

Posts: 4,228

 

 

Oceanwench, with all due respect, I've really explained my position on this several times over in many posts throughout the thread. I really don't think I can clarify it further. It's just my opinion and has been formed as the thread unravelled. It did become an issue of semantics, really.

 

Being seated at the Captain's Table has always been discriminatory and we know that. Yet it was suggested that just about anyone can be invited to a "VIP" party. I'm offended by the term "VIP" and "Who's Who" as if the invitees are special in some way. We're really not.

 

I thank Stephen for clearing the issue up quite a bit from his personal experience and loved his story. I think that pretty much clarifies everything that's been said.

__________________

Heather

 

 

[PRINSENDAM]

QE 2

 

Loved her - we did a Trans-Atlantic crossing on her - Queen's Grill category.

 

We loved the idea of being able to have dinner anytime from 7:30 - 9:30 - you went when you were ready. At lunch time you chose the wine that you wanted for dinner - at that time it was included with your meal - no extra charge. We even had our own private cocktail lounge.

 

And the parties - seemed like they never ended.

 

 

Queen's Grill on QE2 has got to be the best restaurant on board any ship and surely ranks as one of the finest in the world. The food and service are exceptional. If you like the oold caviar this is the place to be!

 

7.30 to 9.30? I think the times are 7 to 9.... and anywhere in betweeen! Choosing the evening's wine at lunch is fun. Choosing lunch's wine at breakfast is even more fun!!!! :rolleyes:

 

One morning on QE2 arriving in New York everyone at the table requested caviar for breakfast. The Hotel Manager came to the Grill to check this out. Not because of the caviar... that was a normal request. I had specially requested baked beans and that was definoitely not normal!!!!:eek:

 

Stephen

[PRINSENDAM]

[quote name=

 

 

Linda, I agree with almost everything you said. But with regard to the above, when you pay more for a cruise, you get a better stateroom which is as it should be. If you are getting anything more than that, it should be listed as part of the price of the category. In Concierge Class on Celebrity all the perks are spelled out upfront.

 

 

 

Not sure who posted the above. Heather? HAL does list the perks for Suites and Penthouses in the brochure. If you want a laugh...read the brochure:

SUITE AMENITIES WITH THE CAPTAIN'S COMPLEMENTS" Complements indeed!!!!!!!! ;)

 

Stephen

[HeatherInFlorida]

To accuse me of taking delight in pulling groups of words is outright wrong.

 

I accused you of nothing. I said that is what you did. That's not an accusation.

 

I do not feel I took anything out of context. You made two different statements that contradict each other IMO. I see this as two different opinions.

 

The statements do not contradict each other. Both statements that you originally quoted are with regard to the Captain's Table. Both say that the choosing of those guests is discriminatory. Everyone knows that the Captain's Table guests are selected by a process. And so far I've never heard anyone wonder why they weren't invited to sit there.

 

 

According to this thread (and this is all I know on the subject) such is not the case with the VIP/Who's Who parties. So we have some suite passengers who don't understand why they're not invited if it's a suite party. And then there are suite passengers who evidently get upset if they're not invited, but other non-suite passengers are.

 

 

So it goes back to my feeling that if it's a party for suite passengers, call it the Suite Passenger Party and be done with it. If it's a honeymooner's party, call it that. If it's a past passenger's party, call if a Mariner's Party, if it's for people with more than 300 days, call it The 300 Party and so forth.

 

 

If I've not been clear, I apologize. Part of the reason is that my opinion has ebbed and flowed as the thread progressed and I gained more information. As I became aware of some misinformation, I had to reformulate my opinion.

 

 

However I have never contradicted myself. By calling it a VIP or a Who's Who Party, they leave a lot of people wondering why they're not as good as anyone else. So I initially called it "barbaric" (meaning not in good taste, not mannerly), and I stand by that. Nobody has to agree with me ... and that's okay!!!

[HeatherInFlorida]

Not sure who posted the above. Heather? HAL does list the perks for Suites and Penthouses in the brochure. If you want a laugh...read the brochure:

SUITE AMENITIES WITH THE CAPTAIN'S COMPLEMENTS" Complements indeed!!!!!!!! ;)

 

Stephen

 

Yes, Stephen, that was me. Up until a recent post, I didn't know they did that. And if they list the VIP party as a perk, that negates part of my argument. Thanks for pointing that out:)

However, that would mean that every suite passenger should be invited and it was said here that they are not. Sooooooo...............:confused:

[bookworm0911]

If the brochures list a VIP Party as a Suite amenity they could very well be referring to either the Suite Welcome Party or the Suite Buffet Luncheon.

 

I doubt there is a living soul at HAL who would ever think the Captain and HM hosting several suite parties and at least one and maybe more other cocktail parties for other groups would degenerate into this. Of course there are misunderstandings of who said what when a thread goes on forever and some posters are quoted ad nauseum and misquoted or think they were. Does it even matter???

 

This whole discussion reads as if some of the participants are so sensitive and fragile they shouldn't be allowed on the internet without parental supervision. I can't imagine why the CC hosts haven't locked it up. :rolleyes:

[Tricia724]

As far as the brochure mentioning a "VIP party with the captain," I would think that since the captain is the top dog on the ship, ANY event he hosts would fulfill that obligation. Perhaps that's why the name of the special party was changed from the "VIP" to the "Who's Who" party...so that suite passengers who had already had a cocktail party did not feel that they should be included in another one. Apparently HAL feels the need to acknowledge others who are not S or PS passengers, which is a good thing. However, like some others, I think it would be more sensitive not to call it a VIP or Who's Who party. Perhaps they could just call it a cocktail party with the captain.

 

I am one of those people who has been in a suite and not included in the "Who's Who" or whatever-its-name party, but I was invited to a suite cocktail party and luncheon...which I think fulfills the perks HAL lists in their brochure for a suite passenger. I'm a fairly ordinary person who will probably never be considered a "VIP" by HAL, but that's OK. I consider myself extremely lucky to even be on the ship....and that's the truth!

[Odd Ball]

If the brochures list a VIP Party as a Suite amenity they could very well be referring to either the Suite Welcome Party or the Suite Buffet Luncheon.

 

I doubt there is a living soul at HAL who would ever think the Captain and HM hosting several suite parties and at least one and maybe more other cocktail parties for other groups would degenerate into this. Of course there are misunderstandings of who said what when a thread goes on forever and some posters are quoted ad nauseum and misquoted or think they were. Does it even matter???

 

This whole discussion reads as if some of the participants are so sensitive and fragile they shouldn't be allowed on the internet without parental supervision. I can't imagine why the CC hosts haven't locked it up. :rolleyes:

 

I would think those at Hal who read this board are ROTFL. All this fuss over not being invited to a party, the use of the word VIP, and now it is'barbaric'. The thread has gone full circle back to the original post mentioning 'barbaric' which was deleted. Much of this thread has been amusing but Bookworm nailed it. It is time to put it to bed. How much more can be said?

[montgomeryfamily]

Prinsendam (Stephen), you mentioned that the PH passengers also have a private party and are invited to the Pinnacle Grill for a dinner. Is this experience an amenity listed in the brochure?

 

I understand that your experience was on the Oosterdam about a year ago. The reason I ask is that we were in the PH on the Zuiderdam about one and one-half years ago and we weren't invited to any type of private party involving the PH passengers nor to a complimentary dinner at the Pinnacle Grill (let alone involving any of the ship's officers). We were invited to the Suite cocktail party and what is being called here the VIP cocktail party (although it wasn't called that on the invitation), but that was all. So unless this is something that has been instituted on all of the Vista ships, passengers booking the PH shouldn't expect it. Perhaps it is something that only the Oosterdam has or it was a special invitation extended to your group.

 

By the way, although we have cruised on HAL six times, three of which were in Suites and one in the PH, we were never invited to the VIP cocktail party until we booked the PH (which was our latest HAL cruise), although we were always invited to the Suite passenger cocktail party. We had always assumed the amenity referenced in the brochure referred to the Suite passenger cocktail party.

 

 

Kathy

[ekerr19]

If the brochures list a VIP Party as a Suite amenity they could very well be referring to either the Suite Welcome Party or the Suite Buffet Luncheon.

 

I doubt there is a living soul at HAL who would ever think the Captain and HM hosting several suite parties and at least one and maybe more other cocktail parties for other groups would degenerate into this. Of course there are misunderstandings of who said what when a thread goes on forever and some posters are quoted ad nauseum and misquoted or think they were. Does it even matter???

 

This whole discussion reads as if some of the participants are so sensitive and fragile they shouldn't be allowed on the internet without parental supervision. I can't imagine why the CC hosts haven't locked it up. :rolleyes:

 

If you go back and read the posts you will see that the Captain's welcome for Suites reception in the Neptune Lounge and Suites luncheon have already been covered... this is something altogether different.

 

I think your comment about needing "parental supervision" is somewhat unfeeling and really pretty condescending to those who have tried very hard to clarify the issue. Please speak to the facts - as I said, many of the various posters have addressed the specific parties and I reiterate, it is not the Captain's welcome for Suites nor the luncheon that are the issue.

 

I was the one who originally posted that the issue has been discussed ad nauseam - but I still think it's important to have the proper facts associated with the original question posed by the OP. Obviously it is important to many on these boards - as evidenced by the number of people continuing to post on the thread.

[WillK]

If only "Hyacinth Bucket" could weigh in on this issue.:)

[ekerr19]

I would think those at Hal who read this board are ROTFL. All this fuss over not being invited to a party, the use of the word VIP, and now it is'barbaric'. The thread has gone full circle back to the original post mentioning 'barbaric' which was deleted. Much of this thread has been amusing but Bookworm nailed it. It is time to put it to bed. How much more can be said?

I don't see anyone forcing you to participate - as I mentioned, it is obviously important to some, as evidenced by the number of participants.

 

If you think it's "done and gone full circle" why even bother to check in? - Oh, and for the record, the post you refer has not been deleted, but once again you misrepresent the facts and/or issue...

 

It's just that to me it's reminiscent of the old days of several classes on ships ... separating the "upper" and "lower" classes. I find it a bit barbaric.

[michmike]

as proof of the old axiom that "opinions are like posteriors.. everyone has one".. I offer into evidence, the previous 198 posts..