Are all NCL M&G's like this?

[xenagurl]

I've never had the experience of the Latitudes party being scheduled the same day as a M&G.

 

Also the M&G's I've attended have always had the cabin crawl on a different day, not at same time as M&G. That way the M&G allows time for meeting each other.

 

Hmmm that's interesting. I've only had them not be the same day when I was on the Epic and Breakaway. On the Jewel class ships (for me) the Latitudes party was an hour after the M&G and the Latitudes Officer party was a few days later and in the evening.

[mypleasure]

When I say NCL M&G I mean for example the Latitudes party and Captains reception for suite guests. That's M&G where the passengers are there to meet the staff.

 

 

I have never seen the officers mingle at the Latitudes party. They just introduce themselves and then leave to go back to work. They do mingle and mix at the Captains party but that is restricted to only those in suites or specifically invited.

 

The Meet & Greets arranged by the cruise critic group are what people make of them. The officers introduce themselves and will answer questions, this is usually the Hotel Director who does this and it can depend on the individual Hotel Director too. When the officers leave it is up to the group to do what they want to. Some people head off and some like to meet their tour companions or just chat. It really is down to individuals to do what they are comfortable with.

[CapeCodCruiser]

I was just a little disappointed - perhaps it was just the group or the organizer. I am used to the M&G at Carnival where we do a 2 hr cocktail party for $20/person. This really gets folks chatting & mingling. I have friends I've met on my last two Carnival cruises that I chat with regularly and am cruising this October with 17 others we met in our last October cruise roll call.

 

Just wondering what everyone else's experiences were.

[Cruise_More_Often]

MnLady, you must be taking much longer cruises than I am or cruises with more sea days, because I cannot recall one single cruise where they were on different days.

 

Also, it's difficult enough to get people together for one meeting. Someone suggested a separate time for our cabin crawl on my last cruise, and no one was for it. But then, we were cruising Alaska.

[sverigecruiser]

By the NCL M&G are you referring to the Latitudes party? That is the only get together that NCL organizes. The M&G is always organized by a CC Roll Call member and there are always NCL staff members there who are introduced.

 

Whether there is more than that to the M&G is up to the organizer and/or the members. I've been to ones like the OP described but I've also been to ones where we chat after with those sitting near us, or move around meeting others.

It depends on the group.

 

The OP mentioned NCL M&G and since I haven't heared about that I just assumed that the Latitudes party and Captains reception can be called NCL M&G.

[sverigecruiser]

I have never seen the officers mingle at the Latitudes party. They just introduce themselves and then leave to go back to work. They do mingle and mix at the Captains party but that is restricted to only those in suites or specifically invited.

 

 

I have seen them mingle at the Latitudes party but not every time.

[xenagurl]

Then you must be taking much longer cruises than I am or cruises with more sea days, because I cannot recall one single cruise where they were scheduled o:)n different days, and I've done a few cruises.

 

 

That's exactly what I said. :)

 

I've only had them not be the same day when I was on the Epic and Breakaway. On the Jewel class ships (for me) the Latitudes party was an hour after the M&G

[travelnap]

I think a lot depends on these things too:

 

The interaction between folks online BEFORE the cruise. By the time I am on board I am just dying to meet those I have been chatting with. Sometimes we have planned excursions together and had additional chats. That makes for a great M&G!

 

I think a lot depends on the volunteer who takes charge of the M&G. Some people know how to make and follow an agenda that keeps a meeting going and makes it flow. I have seen great mediators and not so great ones, (in all sorts of meetings, not just CC). This person really sets the tone for the meeting.

 

I would agree, If there is good interaction between people on the roll calls prior to the cruise, usually the M&G is an enjoyable experience as you already have people that you want to meet and get to know better. If the roll call is slow or not much interaction, those have been the ones where everyone comes, meets the officers, and then leaves. I have an outgoing personality so it is easy for me to visit with just about anyone. I think NCL does an excellent job of the M&G as they do have a lot of staff show up and introduce themselves. Some lines may have one or two people show up and that is about it.

[garycarla]

The Latitudes party/event is TOTALLLY different. It is a one way deal from the ship to the passengers. Has nothing to do with M&G organized by CruiseCritic passengers.

[travelnap]

I've never had the experience of the Latitudes party being scheduled the same day as a M&G.

 

Also the M&G's I've attended have always had the cabin crawl on a different day, not at same time as M&G. That way the M&G allows time for meeting each other.

I have seen them both ways, I think it depends a lot on how many sea days you have and the timing of those sea days. Usually the CC M&G is scheduled for the first sea day. The same goes for the cabin crawls, that will depend on what else is going on that day. I have seen them same day, and also on different days.

 

MnLady, you must be taking much longer cruises than I am or cruises with more sea days, because I cannot recall one single cruise where they were on different days.

 

Also, it's difficult enough to get people together for one meeting. Someone suggested a separate time for our cabin crawl on my last cruise, and no one was for it. But then, we were cruising Alaska.

 

I think you are right, in my experience when we had a lot of sea days the M&G and latitude parties were on different days, but on those with limited sea days they were on the same day. It also depends on how many latitude members are on board as they sometimes have two different latitude parties on different days. With the Alaska cruise, even on the non port days people want to be outside viewing the scenery so I think everything gets crammed together.

[xenagurl]

 

I think you are right, in my experience when we had a lot of sea days the M&G and latitude parties were on different days, but on those with limited sea days they were on the same day. It also depends on how many latitude members are on board as they sometimes have two different latitude parties on different days. With the Alaska cruise, even on the non port days people want to be outside viewing the scenery so I think everything gets crammed together.

 

That's interesting. I wonder if it has to do with the route? I've taken Caribbean, Bermudian and Mediterranean cruises on Norwegian (all 7 days and more a with varying sea days) but not Alaska or Hawaii. Or perhaps it's just a matter of general ship scheduling.

[emcelh]

I've been with some fantastic M&G's (on NCL and other lines as well). As others have said, it is up to the people to get it going and mix/mingle with each other.

 

I think it's a huge plus that NCL's officers do show. It means they are interested in all of us.

 

We've had super groups in the past with options for other activities like slot pulls, cabin crawls and poker runs (all of which were well attended, and not all the same people - just whatever made people happy to join in with).

 

(And, then again, I've been to a few total duds as well.)

 

The best M&G I've ever attended was the one you organized on the Gem last September. Because people got involved and organized other activities, there was alot of interaction in the group. We're still in touch with some of them.

 

I also agree that it's a plus that NCL has enough interest in CC to have some of the officers attend. On a roll call a few years ago, the person organizing it asked us to think of questions we might ask of the officers. We heard some very interesting stories. Sometimes, depending on the ship, the Captain extends an invitation to tour the bridge.

[cherylroslyn]

It is ironic because I think the thing that makes an NCL Cruise Critic M&G better than that provided on any other line is the fact that multiple officers and even the Cruise Directer and/or the Captain will show up.

 

I think that fact serves to make people a little more shy and a little more awkward because of all the white shirts in the room. Also, the even is almost always planned for 11:00 am on the first morning after sailaway....alot of people have partied a little too hard the night before and they are not peppy or boisterous...or even wanting to be in public for that matter.

 

I have organized at least four M&G's on NCL and I have seen everything from wild gift exchanges with "stealing" of gifts allowed and lots of "smack talking" to make it funny....... to total silence and crickets chirpping......

 

It definitely helps if people get there before the officers so they can say hi to each other when they do not feel like the "principal" is in the room...... I really think that people get intimidated by the presence of the officers and they take it down a notch.......and having the officers come and give their cards out and offer to fix problems for us....that is simply the best treatment of any line out there........ and no mainstream line comes close.......

[travelnap]

That's interesting. I wonder if it has to do with the route? I've taken Caribbean, Bermudian and Mediterranean cruises on Norwegian (all 7 days and more a with varying sea days) but not Alaska or Hawaii. Or perhaps it's just a matter of general ship scheduling.

 

Yes, I think it does have a lot to do with the route. They usually try to have the M&G on the first sea day to give people a chance to meet each other as soon as possible. I think I met you last year on the Star Bermuda Cruise, are you still doing your travel Blogs? I checked it out last year before we sailed and it was very good.

[travelnap]

It is ironic because I think the thing that makes an NCL Cruise Critic M&G better than that provided on any other line is the fact that multiple officers and even the Cruise Directer and/or the Captain will show up.

 

I think that fact serves to make people a little more shy and a little more awkward because of all the white shirts in the room. Also, the even is almost always planned for 11:00 am on the first morning after sailaway....alot of people have partied a little too hard the night before and they are not peppy or boisterous...or even wanting to be in public for that matter.

 

I have organized at least four M&G's on NCL and I have seen everything from wild gift exchanges with "stealing" of gifts allowed and lots of "smack talking" to make it funny....... to total silence and crickets chirpping......

 

It definitely helps if people get there before the officers so they can say hi to each other when they do not feel like the "principal" is in the room...... I really think that people get intimidated by the presence of the officers and they take it down a notch.......and having the officers come and give their cards out and offer to fix problems for us....that is simply the best treatment of any line out there........ and no mainstream line comes close.......

 

I agree, I have sailed on most of the mass market lines and I think NCL has the best M&G of any of them that I have attended.

[newmexicoNita]

There was not much meeting & greeting among the roll call members at all. Everyone just kind of shuffled into a lounge and sat down. Then the asst. CD introduced the department heads who each made a brief statement. Then everyone left.

 

I am used to M&G's where it is about meeting & chatting with the members of the roll call - not meeting the hotel staff.

 

Are they all like this? Do they have to be like this?

 

M&Greets can be anything, but the formal ones, which NCL has usually are for information about the cruise line and a chance to meet and asked questions. Normally, we have found the best way to have successful M&Gs are to offer two or them, one informal, usually the day of the cruise beginning and then a formal one with staff management. Believe it or not, most people really enjoy talking with the staff. In fact I

 

have heard people complain because there were no staff members at M&Gs or they were not very friendly. Does this answer your question?

 

NMlady, I agree, we have never been to a M&G held the same day as the Lattitude party

 

The basic get together, on the first evening is an opportunity to meet those from CC; they seem to go over the best, when there is planning, maybe the gift exchange, maybe something that allows you to get to know your fellow cruisers better, or whatever works for your group. The official one is a time to continue visiting with your new friends, but also to hear about what is happening with the cruise line and the industry. I have been to M&G on almost every mass marketed line and by far, NCLs are the best.

[MrsNancyG]

I'm curious, do the other cruiselines also have a M&M for members of different cruising forums too? Or are we really the ones to see?

Clarifying the question. Are Cruise Critic site members the only ones recognized with a M&G with the cooperation and welcome of the ship? Are other cruise forums also offered this opportunity?

[xenagurl]

Yes, I think it does have a lot to do with the route. They usually try to have the M&G on the first sea day to give people a chance to meet each other as soon as possible. I think I met you last year on the Star Bermuda Cruise, are you still doing your travel Blogs? I checked it out last year before we sailed and it was very good.

 

I was on the Star to Bermuda in May and Sept, so we definitely might have met! Thanks very much for the compliment. Oh yes, the blog is bigger with a few thousand more photos. (Link)

 

Yes that's my experience as well. --- It's funny because it reminds of me of a conversation I had with someone regarding the White Hot party, he'd never been to one held inside and I'd never been to one held outside.

LOL :D

 

[seafish]

IMO - the very best M&G's are done without the involvement of the ship's staff. Do-It-Yourself by setting a meeting time based on roll-call input (usually a Sea Day) ... choose a good public meeting location based on number attending ...make & keep a check-off list of those that (plan) to attend ... prepare & pack a table top M&G sign ... have pre-printed name tags ... bring snacks ... arrange for a "No-Host" bar set-up ... get there early & greet all ... arrange table/chairs to discourage sitting-in small-groups ... circulate & keep the stand-up conversation going ... consider doing a group photo to be emailed later - the M&G is also a great place to finalize private group tour arrangements, etc., - get to know one another and just plain have fun!!! Simple & easy .. with no commercial messages.

[agabbymama]

I organized the M&G on our Pacific Northwest cruise on the Star in 2011. When I emailed NCL with the time & place I was requesting, the rep tried desperately to get me to change. I asked for the Biergarten at Sailaway.

 

I stuck to my guns (even tho rain was forecast) and she finally relented stating the ship's officers might not be able to attend. I said that was fine, we would deal with it. She also told me refreshments would cost like $7 pp. I declined refreshments, and brought pretzels myself.

 

I had ribbon confetti streamers on all the tables, we had discussed on our Roll Call to wear Mardi Gras Masks, one CC member had a Mardi Gras banner, some wore beads, I had made CC name tags. We met immediately after the Emergency Drill.

 

I had lots of help, 1 CC member organized the small gift exchange (held at the M&G), another CC member organized the slot pull (on a different day, we didn't win anything, but we didn't lose all our money either), and yet another CC member organized the Cabin Crawl with poker draw (I won!). Then we had 5 CC birthdays so we did dinner at Cagney's one night. We had such a blast!:D

 

At the M&G, we had approx 9 crew members show up (not the Captain tho) and our Social Rep on the ship had us sign a roster (and a lot of us were invited to dine with the staff, and we were invited to a Bridge Tour.

There were servers that brought out pound cake and cookies, punch, coffee and tea. As well as the bar (with 4 bartenders) for those that wanted alcoholic beverages. We had approx 58 of the 61 signed up on our Roll Call show. Everyone sat around, stood around, moved around and visited with each other.

 

I have attended a Celebrity M&M that you have to have 25 sign up to and Celebrity foots the bill for refreshments, has the photographer come by, and some staff attends. I attended a CC M&G on Grand Princess that we had 20 signed up for but only 11 of us attended, no staff & no refreshments provided by Princess at all. This NCL CC M&G was by far the best I've ever attended. We had terrible weather, :eek:so without all the activies planned and held by CC members, the cruise would have been abysmal.

 

The highlight for me was dinner with the Captain and Hotel Director the night of my birthday! Really made the evening & cruise a special memory.

 

So yes, the CC members on the Roll Call have to WANT to make it a special occasion.

[NLH Arizona]

I'm really looking forward to my upcoming November NCL Cruise Critic meet and greet.

 

I've attended two so far on different cruise lines.

 

The first was on Crystal and, I have to say, the ship did a great job offering free cocktails, etc. and many of the officers were in attendance (including the Captain), but the people attending could care less about anyone there that they previously didn't know, this included the hostess. Even if you tried to introduce yourself, as soon as they saw someone they knew they would walk away. About five of us new to Cruise Critic members, just ended up sitting with each other and having a great time. I vowed never to attend another Crystal Cruise Critic meet and greet, because of the rudeness. BTW, I was new to Cruise Critic, but not to Crystal.

 

The second was on Celebrity last year. The meet and greet was a disaster, only three of us showed up when all the officers, including the Captain, were there and another showed up a little later. It was on the first full day at 10:00am, which happened to be a port day. But they did have a sailaway party that was very nice and people did introduce themselves; the hostess made sure to come around and introduce herself to everyone. The only thing bad about this one was, that they directed everyone to a facebook page on the roll call and pretty much planned everything there. I don't do facebook, so I didn't know when the other activities were nor did some others on the cruise, so we missed out on it all. In hindsight, maybe they should have had something to pass out at the sailaway telling everyone of the other activities, so everyone could have been involved if they wanted to.

 

I missed the meet and greet on my last NCL cruise last year, because they only posted the day and time on the roll call the day before the cruise and I was already in Vancouver sans my computer.

[halos]

I think a lot depends on these things too:

 

The interaction between folks online BEFORE the cruise. By the time I am on board I am just dying to meet those I have been chatting with. Sometimes we have planned excursions together and had additional chats. That makes for a great M&G!

 

I think a lot depends on the volunteer who takes charge of the M&G. Some people know how to make and follow an agenda that keeps a meeting going and makes it flow. I have seen great mediators and not so great ones, (in all sorts of meetings, not just CC). This person really sets the tone for the meeting.

Exactly what you said.

[Basketweaverz]

I have only attended 2, one on the Epic last year and the Pacific Coastal this year. The Epic one was fun and people got acquainted. The one this year was bad, mainly because of a very rude attendee. The venue was very crowded and DH and I were seated in a group of chairs and tables. Rude guy sat in the middle chair, turned his back to us and totally blocked our exit and wouldn't move even when we excused ourselves to get out and mingle. Finally, DH moved enough chairs that we were able to exit and we went back to enjoy our balcony.

 

We never met one person at the M&M, thanks to one jerk. We are elderly and can't climb over furniture like we could a few years ago!!

[valleyvillage]

I organized the M&G on our Pacific Northwest cruise on the Star in 2011. When I emailed NCL with the time & place I was requesting, the rep tried desperately to get me to change. I asked for the Biergarten at Sailaway.

 

I stuck to my guns (even tho rain was forecast) and she finally relented stating the ship's officers might not be able to attend. I said that was fine, we would deal with it. She also told me refreshments would cost like $7 pp. I declined refreshments, and brought pretzels myself.

 

I had ribbon confetti streamers on all the tables, we had discussed on our Roll Call to wear Mardi Gras Masks, one CC member had a Mardi Gras banner, some wore beads, I had made CC name tags. We met immediately after the Emergency Drill.

 

I had lots of help, 1 CC member organized the small gift exchange (held at the M&G), another CC member organized the slot pull (on a different day, we didn't win anything, but we didn't lose all our money either), and yet another CC member organized the Cabin Crawl with poker draw (I won!). Then we had 5 CC birthdays so we did dinner at Cagney's one night. We had such a blast!:D

 

At the M&G, we had approx 9 crew members show up (not the Captain tho) and our Social Rep on the ship had us sign a roster (and a lot of us were invited to dine with the staff, and we were invited to a Bridge Tour.

There were servers that brought out pound cake and cookies, punch, coffee and tea. As well as the bar (with 4 bartenders) for those that wanted alcoholic beverages. We had approx 58 of the 61 signed up on our Roll Call show. Everyone sat around, stood around, moved around and visited with each other.

 

I have attended a Celebrity M&M that you have to have 25 sign up to and Celebrity foots the bill for refreshments, has the photographer come by, and some staff attends. I attended a CC M&G on Grand Princess that we had 20 signed up for but only 11 of us attended, no staff & no refreshments provided by Princess at all. This NCL CC M&G was by far the best I've ever attended. We had terrible weather, :eek:so without all the activies planned and held by CC members, the cruise would have been abysmal.

 

The highlight for me was dinner with the Captain and Hotel Director the night of my birthday! Really made the evening & cruise a special memory.

 

So yes, the CC members on the Roll Call have to WANT to make it a special occasion.

 

This MnG was a highlight of my cruising! Eleanor, you made the day...all the activities really added to our cruise. Thank you SO much! :D

[fergusonvt]

On the two NCL M&G's I've attended we did have some interaction between members but it was a way to meet the ship's officers all in one place. I suspect that on some cruises there are CC members that are actively looking for other people to do things with on the ship and at ports and maybe you just haven't been lucky enough to hit one of those yet. Those I would imagine would be more active M&G's.