use cruise critic

[uneamie]

 

If you've never been to a meet and greet how can they feel forced to you? :D:p

 

Hmm....I don't have to go to one to know how I'd feel going to a gathering of people I don't know and then feel a sort of obligation to mingle and talk. ....been there done that in other situations. I am not the social butterfly that some of my friends are. They love this stuff where I am always uncomfortable with it.........when I say "forced", I mean I'd feel forced to "small talk"...it would be rude not to engage. Not saying I never do that, just prefer not to unless the situation presents itself.....all by itself.

[shadowmeboy]

i often wondered while on a cruise what % of people on the cruises all over the ncl system know about and or use it ? most people i mention it to on the ship never heard of cruise critic??

 

 

Can't wait to meet you aboard the Star in December.

 

 

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[shadowmeboy]

Hmm....I don't have to go to one to know how I'd feel going to a gathering of people I don't know and then feel a sort of obligation to mingle and talk. ....been there done that in other situations. I am not the social butterfly that some of my friends are. They love this stuff where I am always uncomfortable with it.........when I say "forced", I mean I'd feel forced to "small talk"...it would be rude not to engage. Not saying I never do that, just prefer not to unless the situation presents itself.....all by itself.

 

 

 

That is fair. I had the same thought as quilting_cruiser when I read your previous post as to why you thought it was forced. It makes sense now!

 

 

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[bronxboy683]

Can't wait to meet you aboard the Star in December.

 

 

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on the dec 22nd sailing

[shadowmeboy]

on the dec 22nd sailing

 

 

Yep, saw you had a autopost to the roll call and saw you on this thread, so I want to mention it!

 

 

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[Quilting_Cruiser]

Hmm....I don't have to go to one to know how I'd feel going to a gathering of people I don't know and then feel a sort of obligation to mingle and talk. ....been there done that in other situations. I am not the social butterfly that some of my friends are. They love this stuff where I am always uncomfortable with it.........when I say "forced", I mean I'd feel forced to "small talk"...it would be rude not to engage. Not saying I never do that, just prefer not to unless the situation presents itself.....all by itself.

 

That's understandable. I've seen people sit in the corner and not talk to anyone and it's been curious to me why they attended (not that I gave it much thought. I'm usually the coordinator and I try to make it pretty low key though I do encourage folks to mingle. But, if you're not a mingler and have no interest in the meet and greet, of course there's no reason to go. I usually enjoy them and have met some very nice people--some I'm still in touch with and others I never saw again.

[Gloworm2]

After my 2nd cruise I started using CC and am part of rollcall for my next cruise. I feel like there's so much on the larger ships that I missed a lot last time. So now I have ideas of what to do. And with a 7 day cruise I don't mind meeting new people and not hanging with my group all the time

 

 

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[skierjj]

Hello, I just wanted to put in my 2 cents also:

I am quite shy but I like to join the meet and greets of our roll calls to put names to faces.

Sometimes the group organizer puts together little ice breaker games that connect aspects of what the roll call member has said or where they are from etc. Those are fun.

Also joining in a gift exchange can be helpful activity to get to know people.

Cabin crawls are very interesting to see a lot of varied accommodations. Sometimes organizers of cabin crawls incorporate a portion of a game at each cabin.

Slot pulls can be fun; we've never won anything, but it is fun nonetheless.

Last but not least is a pub crawl, maybe done later in the cruise. Try a drink in every bar...(how could this go wrong)? Now we are all Friends! Hope everybody has UBP (ultimate beverage package)! Very Fun!

Joyce

 

 

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[ExpatBride]

Well, if you subscribe to the Roll Call, often a fellow cruiser will alert you to a price drop. You could be missing that.

 

Not really. I live within driving distance of 2 ports and book within 90 days of sailing.

[mugtech]

I like the gift exchange, I always bring a souvenir I received at a AAA baseball game and hope I get lucky enough to get a gift from a Canadian, for I love their maple syrup.

[Gloworm2]

If my roll call does a gift exchange I'm not going. Just one more thing to prepare for before vacation.

 

 

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[Quilting_Cruiser]

If your roll call does a gift exchange you don't have to participate. It's totally optional--anyway I've never seen one that wasn't. When I coordinate, if the roll call members want a gift exchange, I schedule as the last thing we do at the Meet and Greet so that those who aren't participating can leave if they'd like.

[Gloworm2]

[emoji106]🏾

 

 

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[perditax]

Don't forget there's some app (or something) that auto-adds you to the roll call thread with a canned greeting. So that skews the stats as well.

 

 

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[moonbmn53]

I've been a CC member since 2004. I find it a very useful research site. I always look for information on any cruise I am considering taking prior to making reservations for excursions and things to do in port. It is also useful for just general information on activities associated with various port cities. I went to a wedding in Key West a few years ago and although I had stopped there as part of a cruise I wanted more information since I would be there for five days. CC had a lot of pertinent information on things to do and see. I also participate in the meet and greet activities. As previously stated it is a good way to connect with the people you have been chatting with on your Roll Call, if you are interested. I have also learned over the years that there are a lot of negative and snarky comments made by people. You just have to take them with a grain of salt, because everything is subjective to your own point of view. I started cruising in the mid 70's on NCL way before you got your points for days and unfortunately all those cruise don't count. Oh well. Such is life. Cruising is definitely my favorite vacation and I can't wait until my next one scheduled for July on the Escape. Enjoy your cruise everyone.

[sverigecruiser]

Well, if you subscribe to the Roll Call, often a fellow cruiser will alert you to a price drop. You could be missing that.

 

 

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Since ExpatBride is from Europe, maybe it's better not to know about price drops?

[coloradocruiselover88]

I use cruise critic and join the roll calls for all cruises that I am not familiar with (whether it be the cruise line, the ship or the itinerary) or to do research for my clients (yes, I am a TA). I have met many wonderful cruisers through this site and have gained some great insights for excursions, hotels and other services. Not once have I felt obligated to hang out with other cruises after a meet and greet, but have enjoyed the friendships I have made here. It is not for everyone and you have to weed your way through some BS, but I enjoy the site and take it at face value.

 

cheers!

[KeithJenner]

It's always dangerous when I get talking statistics, especially when there is some debate about them.

 

Anyway, to try to get it a bit more accurate, I have spent a couple of hours doing some research (cos I'm sad like that). I've had a look at the recent posting history of enough people on here to be confident to within a few percent, and the result was that 78% of the people I looked at have posted on a roll call in their last 50 posts. There are known errors in that going either way that probably pretty well cancel themselves out.

 

That would suggest that my initial guess at 90% involvement over cruise critic as a whole is probably slightly high, but not by much at all. Maybe 85% would be a better guess.

 

That would suggest that, if we go with an average roll call size of around 50 then the proportion of CC users would be 1-2%. I actually think the average roll call is probably smaller than that.

[GUT2407]

I've joined a few roll calls, been to a few meet and greets (not all of them) met a couple at one M&G we've stayed friends with.

 

A couple of others we've stayed casually in contact with.

 

Others I couldn't care if I never see again.

[Lizcourt]

There is a ton of cruising and travel sites out there on the innerwebz, Cruise Critic is just one of the many.

 

 

But, no kidding, I think it's by far the best. I learn things here I never even thought to ask about.

 

 

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[BrewPubby]

I've lurked here for years. I've found that if I mention cruise critic on ships rarely does anyone know what I'm talking about.

[Buttwig]

I've used CC for most of my cruises (less than 10 so far) but joined the first Roll Call for my upcoming cruise on the Escape at the end of this month. Decided to sign up for the M&G as well for the first time and will probably participate in the Pub Crawl if the M&G isn't too awkward (by awkward, I mean me. Hubby can talk to anyone!) . Glad to see others posting their experiences because I wondered if we would be setting ourselves up for being annoyed since we enjoy each other's company and don't cruise to make new friends. I feel better now knowing that we aren't expected to become one big happy family but hope to meet some nice people who I can at least say hello to if I see them around. Someone on our roll call posted about making cabin door signs with CC and your username...no way am I posting anything with BUTTWIG on my door because that is just asking for trouble, even from strangers who have no idea what CC is! :P

[irvington]

That gave me a good laugh to think of seeing a sign like that on someone's door.

[Quilting_Cruiser]

BUTTWIG! :loudcry::loudcry::loudcry: I would certainly "crack" up every time I passed your door!

[amygutman]

Really interesting thread - Here's my two (or three) cents ....

 

In the past 5 years my family and I have gone from non-vacationers to bi-annual cruisers and have learned a ton from cruise critic. The community of cruisers is incredibly helpful for tips on planning vacations, ships, locations, rooms, fare drops (or hikes), restaurants, meals - even where to find little hidden spots / drinks / quirks on any ship.

 

We've had hits-and-misses on meet and greets, and prefer to lurk a bit rather than plan - however, the best excursion we've been on was with a couple we met at a meet-and-greet after connecting with them on a roll-call.

 

Cruise critic is an invaluable resource, but understand that everything said is someone's opinion on what is the "best", "worst", etc...take with a grain of salt. I love the Boards because I find living vicariously through fellow cruisers experiences really intriguing.

 

As for cruisers not knowing what Cruise Critic is...I've worn my logo fleece sweater on our past 2 cruises, and both times I've been offered free drinks, discounts on spa treatments, coffee with officers - the staff knows exactly what this website it and responds in kind. A good review is golden free advertising. We've also bumped into many passengers who recognize the logo and come over to smile and introduce themselves. We're a great community - why not advertise it?

 

As of 14 minutes ago, I am 30 days out from cruise #6 ~ thanks cruise critic for keeping up the excitement!

 

Warm Regards,

Amy