Roll Calls and Meet and Greets

[gigianne]

DH and I are considering a cruise in 2015 and I would like to start the Roll Call as there isn't one yet for this particular cruise. Is it proper CC etiquette that I also offer to organize the Meet and Greet and welcome new posters to the thread? I have always offered to help the organizers of the M&G - maybe it's time I stepped up the plate.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Some people who start the Roll Call threads will also organize the Meet & Greet on the ships.

Then there are some people who start the Roll Call but just want to talk and not really want to organize anything. Sometimes some one will take over -- over times nothing is planned.

You have to decide for yourself if you want to do all that work and record keeping to keep track of everyone and make the contact in Seattle to set up everything.

[CruiserBruce]

It is early, but, someone has to start it, right?

 

Not sure why you don't think it appropriate to offer to organize the M&G. Sounds pretty nice to me.

[olson99]

On my upcoming Collectors cruise, I started the Roll Call and offered to organize the Meet & Greet for the first leg. Someone else started the Roll Call for the second leg and I am doing the Meet & Greet for the second leg So it is really up to you how much you want or do not want t do. All is acceptable.

[kazu]

Georgina - starting a roll call does not mean that you HAVE to organize the meet and greet. If you WANT to then it's always appreciated. I have rarely started a roll call (someone usually is ahead of me) but I have offered to do the meet and greets as not everyone is comfortable doing them.

 

If you decide to do one and you need a hand - feel free to drop me a line/call. You know how to reach me:D

 

I think it's always nice to welcome people to the roll call.

 

Having had the pleasure of being on three roll calls with you now, I know you will be welcoming new comers:D

[rafinmd]

gigianne, I'd say go ahead and start the roll call. As others have said, the OP does not need to be the one to do the meet and greet. On my first modern HAL cruise I saw that no one was doing anything about it (I think the OP may even have cancelled), I decided to take a stab at it. A couple of months later a very experienced HAL cruiser booked as first segment of a collectors, and became my co-organizer. I don't think I'd have had serious trouble doing it on my own, but her experience certainly made it a better meeting. Actually, I don't think I've been on a cruise yet where the OP of a roll call arranged the meet and greet.

 

But nothing can happen until you have an actual roll call.

 

Roy

[startwin]

I'm afraid I'm one of those who doesn't relish organising the M&G:o so I tend to hang back until someone else starts the roll call, and then I join! I like laid-back M&Gs - all of ours have been like that - and I have avoided a couple where there has been so much organising that it put us off. Gift exchanges, cabin crawls, slot pulls - these are not for me. And I don't like giving out my cabin number, either.

[IRL_Joanie]

DH and I are considering a cruise in 2015 and I would like to start the Roll Call as there isn't one yet for this particular cruise. Is it proper CC etiquette that I also offer to organize the Meet and Greet and welcome new posters to the thread? I have always offered to help the organizers of the M&G - maybe it's time I stepped up the plate.

 

Some will tell you yes it is proper etiquette and others, myself included will tell you no it is not improper to not offer to host it.

 

I have in the past stepped up to the plate to host them. I am no longer going to because I do not believe in these days and times that it is a Faux Paux to start a Roll Call and to not wish to host a CC M&G.

 

I am on vacation and no longer wish to worry about making and delivering invitations, arranging the M&G or if any and/or all of the people who say they will be there will or not.....

 

If someone wishes to start one, be my guest. I will continue to start my Roll Calls, when there is none started, but not host again:) Heck, I may never feel like attending one either for that matter:)

 

Finally gonna have a relaxing cruise with no worries.

 

And for the record, this post is not a slam at anyone, just making it clear that you do not have to host if you do not want to.

 

Start a Roll Call and relax:)

 

Joanie

[kazu]

Some will tell you yes it is proper etiquette and others, myself included will tell you no it is not improper to not offer to host it.

 

I have in the past stepped up to the plate to host them. I am no longer going to because I do not feel that it is no longer a Faux Paux to start a Roll Call and to not wish to host a CC M&G.

 

I am on vacation and no longer wish to worry about making and delivering invitations, arranging the M&G or if any and/or all of the people who say they will be there will or not.....

 

If someone wishes to start one, be my guest. I will continue to start my Roll Calls, when there is none started, but not host again:) Heck, I may never feel like attending one either for that matter:)

 

Finally gonna have a relaxing cruise with no worries.

 

And for the record, this post is not a slam at anyone, just making it clear that you do not have to host if you do not want to.

 

Start a Roll Call and relax:)

 

Joanie

 

Joanie, you have hosted the M & G's in the past which is very nice:D, but for the sake of the OP -just want to clarify that it is not necessary to host the M & G. HAL is very good at providing a location where you can all meet (traditionally the Crow's Nest). btw - if you want bar service (depending upon the time of your M & G) just ask HAL when you book for a NO HOST bar (meaning everyone pays for their own drinks).

[gigianne]

I am reading posts from very experienced cruisers and organizers of Meets and Greets - thanks for the valuable information. Any of the get togethers I have attended have been very well organized.

[startwin]

I am reading posts from very experienced cruisers and organizers of Meets and Greets - thanks for the valuable information. Any of the get togethers I have attended have been very well organized.

 

Well at least some were helpful - unlike the ones like mine (won't do it, or won't do it anymore!) Looks like Kazu is your best resource.;) And I agree with the others, start a roll call and see how it evolves.

[sapper1]

Well at least some were helpful - unlike the ones like mine (won't do it, or won't do it anymore!) Looks like Kazu is your best resource.;) And I agree with the others, start a roll call and see how it evolves.

I have met so many wonderful people who have enriched my cruises through roll calls that I cannot imagine starting a roll call with no intention of attending the meet and greet. That defeats the purpose don't you think?

 

I think some may be confusing hosting a meet and greet, with organizing one. Nobody would expect anyone to step up and be a host. The meet and greets are mostly just organized and held in the Crow's Nest.

 

From what I have read over the years, some people seem to get unbridled joy out of organizing. When you have someone like that on your roll call it is bound to be a great success.

[kazu]

I have met so many wonderful people who have enriched my cruises through roll calls that I cannot imagine starting a roll call with no intention of attending the meet and greet. That defeats the purpose don't you think?

 

I think some may be confusing hosting a meet and greet, with organizing one. Nobody would expect anyone to step up and be a host. The meet and greets are mostly just organized and held in the Crow's Nest.

 

From what I have read over the years, some people seem to get unbridled joy out of organizing. When you have someone like that on your roll call it is bound to be a great success.

 

by any chance are you insinuating I am one of the ones that get unbridled joy out of organizing:p:p I wouldn't exactly call it joy - it's a lot of work - but it does get one in the spirit of the cruise;)

[sapper1]

by any chance are you insinuating I am one of the ones that get unbridled joy out of organizing:p:p I wouldn't exactly call it joy - it's a lot of work - but it does get one in the spirit of the cruise;)

Nobody who didn't enjoy it could have put so much heart and soul into making our meet and greet on the P'dam the best ever. I still have my name tags that your "assistant" Gigianne made. I don't think I could ever part with them. Heck, I might just pack them and wear them at future meet and greets. :)

[startwin]

I have met so many wonderful people who have enriched my cruises through roll calls that I cannot imagine starting a roll call with no intention of attending the meet and greet. That defeats the purpose don't you think?

 

I think some may be confusing hosting a meet and greet, with organizing one. Nobody would expect anyone to step up and be a host. The meet and greets are mostly just organized and held in the Crow's Nest.

 

From what I have read over the years, some people seem to get unbridled joy out of organizing. When you have someone like that on your roll call it is bound to be a great success.

 

You're absolutely right, now that I think of it. On our Zuiderdam M&G last year with over 100 people, everything seemed be shared between Cruzbuds who started the roll call, and Lynda, and someone else again kept track of everyone leading up to the cruise. It was the most successful roll call & M&G I've ever been a part of. Note: I did nothing:o

[Mumsysailor]

You're absolutely right, now that I think of it. On our Zuiderdam M&G last year with over 100 people, everything seemed be shared between Cruzbuds who started the roll call, and Lynda, and someone else again kept track of everyone leading up to the cruise. It was the most successful roll call & M&G I've ever been a part of. Note: I did nothing:o

 

That was an excellent M&G. I think one key to it's success was that the majority of people stayed standing and 'mingled'. :cool:

 

I organised the one on our last cruise and, having mentioned that to sit down would be the 'kiss of death' to it's success, everyone promptly sat down. :rolleyes:

 

Still we did make some great new friends from that one too.

 

Mumsy.

[LindaM]

It is soooooo easy to set up the M&G. The success depends on how chatty the attendees are. The one I set up 3 weeks ago lasted over 2 hours. It had nothing to do with me---people just enjoyed talking! People made their own nametags on sticky tags I brought. Some had nametags from a previous M&G. I've never been to one where the host actually spoke to the group as a whole---that I can remember. The bonus is you end up getting invited to the Captain's cocktail party for the 4 stars and the Q&A at the end.

[kazu]

It is soooooo easy to set up the M&G. The success depends on how chatty the attendees are. The one I set up 3 weeks ago lasted over 2 hours. It had nothing to do with me---people just enjoyed talking! People made their own nametags on sticky tags I brought. Some had nametags from a previous M&G. I've never been to one where the host actually spoke to the group as a whole---that I can remember. The bonus is you end up getting invited to the Captain's cocktail party for the 4 stars and the Q&A at the end.

 

Linda - just to let you know this bonus of the Q & A is only on the Prinsendam. I've done lots of M & G's and never been invited to a Q & A on the other ships. I don't even know if they have them. They very well might, but I've never had an invite when I did M & G's on them.

[sapper1]

Linda - just to let you know this bonus of the Q & A is only on the Prinsendam. I've done lots of M & G's and never been invited to a Q & A on the other ships. I don't even know if they have them. They very well might, but I've never had an invite when I did M & G's on them.

 

Jacqui, I organized a meet and greet on the Eurodam once and wound up being invited to a Q&A session. I've only been to that one though.

[kazu]

Jacqui, I organized a meet and greet on the Eurodam once and wound up being invited to a Q&A session. I've only been to that one though.

 

nice to know they do have them. Guess I just didn't warrant an invite;):p

[cruz chic]

I've been invited to at least 3 q and a's. One was on the Westerdam, one was on the Oosterdam and I can't recall the other ship. I've never organized a meet and greet. The last one I attended was in 2011. I wonder if it has to do with being a four star or more and how many others there are on the ship. I'm sure organizing the m and g would do that as well.

[sail7seas]

Linda - just to let you know this bonus of the Q & A is only on the Prinsendam. I've done lots of M & G's and never been invited to a Q & A on the other ships. I don't even know if they have them. They very well might, but I've never had an invite when I did M & G's on them.

 

 

I've never organized a M&G and almost never attend but have been invited to a number of the Q & A sessions.

 

OP....... By all means, start the Roll Call if you wish. See how it evolves and how you feel about it as people start enrolling and no rush to decide how much involvement you want.

 

[kakalina]

I have organized and attended over 20 M&G's. The largest was for 118 and the smallest for about 10. I get a great deal of enjoyment out of meeting folks beforehand and getting to know them through the roll call.

 

Oftentimes, especially on long cruises like the Hawaii/Tahiti cruise I organize a second M&G about half way through.

 

The roll call is also the perfect place to organize and settle private tours. One should not discuss private tours during a HAL sponsored M&G. It isn't right to do so ( sort of like discussing rope in the house of a hanged man). I always set up a meeting to deal with tours after the M&G when all the HAL employees have gone.

[RJ2002]

Let me offer an account of the Roll Call and M&G from my last cruise, on NCL.

 

The Roll Call was started by a member, who took great care in re-publishing the roll call list each time someone new joined the roll call. Every time they re-published the list, they would include a phrase something like this:

 

"Please feel free to organize a Meet & Greet!"

 

In other words, the member was happy to maintain the roll call list, but they didn't want to organize the M&G. This was absolutely fine. No worries.

 

On that Roll Call, we got to about 6 weeks out, and no one had volunteered to handle the M&G. Well, I stepped forward. Had never done it before, but everything worked out fine.

 

My advice... do what you are comfortable with. Everything will fall into place one way or another!

[Krazy Kruizers]

I'm afraid I'm one of those who doesn't relish organising the M&G:o so I tend to hang back until someone else starts the roll call, and then I join! I like laid-back M&Gs - all of ours have been like that - and I have avoided a couple where there has been so much organising that it put us off. Gift exchanges, cabin crawls, slot pulls - these are not for me. And I don't like giving out my cabin number, either.

 

 

Those are the reasons I don't join Roll Calls.