CC parties...were you notified?

[Cindy G]

It seems that Celebrity is having difficulties in getting the notices delivered for the CruiseCritic parties. Of our last three cruises, this has been a problem. If the active posters hadn't agreed to a "pre-CC party" several wouldn't have known about the "Celebrity" party. We didn't receive the "official" notice for our Century cruise earlier this month....and I did not get the email notice before our cruise. Could that be the link?

Also, on the last cruise, we did not get the "Connections" pins. Has Celebrity discontinued this practice too?

[Sky Sweet]

We were notified but it was at the last minute. If we had not come back to our cabin immediately after breakfast to find the notice, we would have missed it.

[grandsix]

Found the same problem of late or no notice on 3 RCL and 2 Celebrity cruises this year alone. Apparently they are putting a low priority on an individual ship basis. If so, why do they sponsor the program??

[mii]

This past June we were on the Infinity and we we got to the cabin the first day there was a notice from Celebrity tellings us and when and where the party would be. I think we also got a e-mail but that part I cannot remember well.

 

Marilyn

[tuggers]

Have had the same problems, myself.

 

If the invitations are given to the cabin stewards sometimes you get them the night of the day the party was held in the am. If they are send specially, it seems they sometimes don't make it under the right door. Some ships have a Events Coordinator who only does this and that is better. On some ships it's just a duty of someone who has lots of other duties and is not much of a priority.

 

The pins are still available but must be ordered and the ships seems to vastly under order this item.

 

I think the best way to be assured of knowing when and where the party is being held is to call the event coordinator through guest relations if you do not have your invite by the first morning of your cruise. Don't wait any longer because the parties are often at 10 or 11am on the first day. Lots of times the regular Guest Relations desk doesn't have the info. In that case it is invaluable to have a list put together by someone on your roll call, including cabin numbers, and print it out to take with you. That way you can call some of your cc buddies and get the info.

 

Lastly, support the parties by going! If the parties are given a low priority on a ship it is usually because WE have given them a low priority by poor attendance! EVERYONE can spare an hour to pop in and say 'hello' to people you have been chatting with for, sometimes, over a year. Have a plan for your party. Do a gift exchange. Have a discussion. Plan an excursion for later in the cruise that other cc'ers can go on. Our parties are what WE make them! :D

 

Almost all the ones I have been to have been FUN!!!

[canderson]

Thus far, we've been lucky. We're 3 for 3 since we started signing up for these last year.

[SheilaNC]

We had problems with notification on our last 2 cruises...on one it was late, on the other there was no invitation but a very small notice in the newsletter that was missed by most of the group AND it was more than half way through the cruise. When we asked guest relations about it (prior to the day of the party) we were given 2 different times for the party and no one seemed a bit concerned. The cruise director, who came to the 'little' party on the Millie was quite defensive and used very poor customer relations in his response to our concerns. Suggest they either ditch the parties or become more consistent about when/where and notification.

[mahdnc]

We have only done the cc party thing during our last cruise in Mar. We did receive notifications and a connections pin in our stateroom....

[trcori]

we've been to four or five of them (I know there wasn't one on our first Century cruise but can't remember re: the second!) --- no problem with advance invites OR pins. Crew attendance varies, but that's OK by me. I will echo Tuggers' point re: PASSENGER attendance -- just put in an appearance, for heaven's sake! For one of our cruises, we had something like 80 signups -- and only about 20 showups. Last couple times, I managed to eke some news out of the CDs, so there's a reason to show up besides mingling with your fellow CC'ers -- you might get some info!

 

TR

next: Galaxy PC 4/1/06

****

past: Mercury AK 8/05, Millennium EC 12/04, Mercury CA-MX 4/04, Infinity AK 8/03, Century WC 3/03, Century EC 9/02

[tadjr]

This is quite amusing to me. There were 6 of us going on our cruise and I signed the other 5 people up for the party. Four of them got their invitations the first night (and told me about it) which was good since it was at 10am the second day of the cruise. My partner got his invitation the second night of the cruise and I didnt get mine until the third night of the cruise!

They pass out a lot of invitations onboard (select/elite members) and the cabin stewards dont have a clue what is in it. Maybe it would be good for them to start putting a date on the front of the envelope so they know how important they are to get out to people? I also didnt receive the invitation to the wine blending and another tour until the day after the sign up deadline had passed so it wasnt just the CC invitations that were late, but I would be upset if I hadnt found out about it until it was too late.

We did get the Cruise Connection pins this time, although this was the first time I have received one.

[canderson]

We did get the Cruise Connection pins this time, although this was the first time I have received one.

Of interest, this is the first cruise (of 3 where we attended) where I'd ever even seen one! I thought they were new until reading some threads here when I got back. They handed them out as we entered for the CC meeting. Have never had one delivered in advance -- or at any other time, for that matter.

[canderson]

We did get the Cruise Connection pins this time, although this was the first time I have received one.

Of interest, this is the first cruise (of 3 where we attended) where I'd ever even seen one! I thought they were new until reading some threads here when I got back. They handed them out as we entered for the CC meeting. Have never had one delivered in advance -- or at any other time, for that matter.

[Cindy G]

Hi Tuggers....and Sky Sweet, it that really you? From the Connie?

 

Gosh, in reading some of the replies....could it be that Celebrity really does not care for these functions.....and maybe, just maybe, they don't care for Cruise Critic either? Hummm? Something to ponder, isn't it?

[tuggers]

Cindy,

 

I'm not so sure they don't like us. Part of it could be that they set these parties up on almost every cruise and lots of the parties have very poor attendance.

 

I've been lucky in that the parties I've been involved with have, except for one of two, been great successes with lots of participation.

 

And I just don't get people who can't make it to an hour function to talk to people they have chatted with or at least read their chats for sometimes over a year. To then say, 'Oh, we can't spare the time' and blow it off, is to me, disrespectful. I heard one woman say, 'we're coming with our family and only want to be with them'. Trust me, I met the family and I'll bet by the end of the cruise they would have gone to a paint drying exhibition for a little time with some different people!! :D

 

JMO. I think if we supported the parties more we would see better attitudes from X.

[Susan-M]

The CC party on our Millennium/Med cruise was almost a non-event due to the invitations not being sent out until the last minute. I doubt that the invitations would have ever been sent had I not pestered the guest relations staff the night before the CC party (invitations were finally issued after 9 p.m ...with the party scheduled for 10 a.m. the next day.) They had incorrect names on the envelopes, incorrect date (from a previous sailing) and incorrect meeting spot. They then phoned everyone to advise correct details.

Very unimpressive, but I'm glad to report that the rest of our cruise experience was very positive!

[LauraS]

Have had the same problems, myself.

 

If the invitations are given to the cabin stewards sometimes you get them the night of the day the party was held in the am. If they are send specially, it seems they sometimes don't make it under the right door. Some ships have a Events Coordinator who only does this and that is better. On some ships it's just a duty of someone who has lots of other duties and is not much of a priority.

 

The pins are still available but must be ordered and the ships seems to vastly under order this item.

 

I think the best way to be assured of knowing when and where the party is being held is to call the event coordinator through guest relations if you do not have your invite by the first morning of your cruise. Don't wait any longer because the parties are often at 10 or 11am on the first day. Lots of times the regular Guest Relations desk doesn't have the info. In that case it is invaluable to have a list put together by someone on your roll call, including cabin numbers, and print it out to take with you. That way you can call some of your cc buddies and get the info.

 

Lastly, support the parties by going! If the parties are given a low priority on a ship it is usually because WE have given them a low priority by poor attendance! EVERYONE can spare an hour to pop in and say 'hello' to people you have been chatting with for, sometimes, over a year. Have a plan for your party. Do a gift exchange. Have a discussion. Plan an excursion for later in the cruise that other cc'ers can go on. Our parties are what WE make them! :D

 

Almost all the ones I have been to have been FUN!!!

 

I don't think I could have said this better! Thanks, Tuggers...

 

Laura

[LauraS]

Added note: I've forwarded your feedback over to the folks at Celebrity. They are always interested in what our members have to say...

 

Laura

[tuggers]

Thanks, Laura. Having done 30+ cruises on X in the last two years, I have been to a LOT of these parties! I want us to support them and make them interesting and fun!

 

Susan, who was the CCH on Millie?

 

Gail

[Cindy G]

People can't attend if they they don't know. Many posters agree that the intial problem is Celebrity's failure to get the invitations to the guests.

Maybe a poll can be started.....did you get the invitation? Did you attend? If not, why not?

Tuggers, even on the cruise that we shared, the invitations were a problem and some did not get them.

Going back to my opening statement....people can't come if they don't know.

[Browezilla]

Lastly, support the parties by going!

On RCCL, we always get email notices and the invitations in our room. Also, be aware that each requires 25 people to sign up. One problem I've run into on some ships/itineraries is the time they decide to have the party. On some trips it is midday on a port day, so it is poorly attended.

[sweetair]

just got off the connie...the connections invite and pins were in the cabin on embarkation day.

Connie other itinerary has the CC party at 930am(sunday in st maartin..scheduled during some excursions)at the bar at the edge.Michaels was a smaller better venue for the party previous cruises.

Roll call people should try and have a get together on embarkation day to avoid some of these problems.

 

tad: i got my invitation for the wine mixing for DEC 5th at 130pm. My cruise started on dec 10th!!!! i laughed and called the cc desk and said...i know i was drinking but i think someone down there drank more!

 

*sweet*

[MopedMama]

I just got off the Connie also, and I did not know about the party. I woke up at 10:45am the second day (sleeping off an exhausting previous day of travel) to find my invitation and my pin on the door for 10:30am :( . If I'd known ahead of time, I would have set the alarm for earlier! I was really upset, I was planning to share a cab with a CC'er for a beach on one of the islands. Only knowing their CC handle, and not their cabin # or even their real names, or what they look like, there was no way to contact them.

[wieslaw]

just got off the connie...

 

...i know i was drinking but i think someone down there drank more!

 

*sweet*

 

No way........unless ....it was Me or is it I......only Sudi would know.

 

Wes

 

Hi Sweet, I am glad that you are not sick anymore.

[Nilla]

HI I am new to this site! What is a CC party? Thanks

[canderson]

HI I am new to this site! What is a CC party? Thanks

Celebrity allows users of this forum ("Cruise Critic") to sign up for a ship sponsored "event" for us to get together. It is, when possible, usually held on the first at-sea day of a cruise. You can sign up for it, and if 24 like minded folks also sign up, an event happens, and you get to meet your fellow CC members here live and in person.

 

The Celebrity site is just about impossible to find. Here's the link:

 

http://www.celebrity.com/cruisecritic/home.do