Meet & Greet process for Oceania?

[knitter]

I'm sure someone here knows the process for organizing a M & G on Oceania🙂. Does the line offer anything? How do you go about organizing one? Thanks in advance.

[Flatbush Flyer]

1 hour ago, knitter said:

I'm sure someone here knows the process for organizing a M & G on Oceania🙂. Does the line offer anything? How do you go about organizing one? Thanks in advance.

In general, O will assist with arranging a reserved space (no cost) for CC M&Gs and will arrange “no host” bar service with advance notice. Supply O with attendees names and cabins before the cruise and the onboard concierge will have invites waiting in the included cabins at embarkation.
 

To start the ball rolling, use your Cruise Critic Roll Call for your itinerary to query others and establish tentative Plan A and/or B specifics. Then, at least a month precruise, contact O’s Group Department (call O for contact info on who handles your ship) and share the Plan and guest list (always request the presence of some officer(s) - usually hotel folks. That Miami Office person will interact with the ship’s exec concierge on your behalf. 
 

If you’ve got a sizable group (50+), you may find yourself with more officers and some comped hors d’oeuvres. 
 

Of course, this is all made much easier if you personally know your cruise’s GM. Then just send him/her a note (beyond your initial Miami Group contact) and she/he will “grease the  onboard wheels” so that staff can work with you.

 

Alternatively, particularly with a smaller group, you can just have you Roll Call folks pick a tentative spot onboard for the M&G (The long-standing default M&G time/place is embark day happy hour in the Starboard forward side of Horizons Bar. The only downside to this is if someone else has reserved the space (in which case, you make a handwritten sign that points folks to the port side instead.

 

Finally, it helps of the volunteer organizer brings name tags and borrows a few pens from Guest Services.

 

If you get that done, 

[MEFIowa]

Though what kind of "M&G"? On Sirena last year the CD Dottie didn't do a Veterans M&G. I asked her about it early in the cruise. So I asked her if I could host one. We set it up on a sea day in Martinis around 2 pm. She did the publicity. But there were no drinks or any food. Just about 25 of us sat around discussing our time in the services for an hour or so.

[pinotlover]

Haven’t had a “ formal “ M&G” since pre Covid. It has become far more difficult. Night two is most often the Captain’s Welcome Reception. Post Covid, on all my 3/4 cruises, night three has been a Newbie Welcome Party in Horizons. Sometimes there was a second Newbie Night. Then came the F&WT events, Alumni Events, corporate events, and other large gatherings making reserving any part of Horizons virtually impossible. We often ended up in the Grand Bar as far from the String Quartet as possible.

 

The best solution is as FF hinted. Just schedule it on Embarkment Day and have everyone show up starboard side mid Horizons at 5:30. Have someone there early to attempt to reserve an area. The waiters will get everyone drinks as requested. Many of the souls will disappear at 6:30 to go eat, so more food isn’t needed. Be flexible and it will come together. People sitting in the middle of the Group , not wanting to participate, will generally get up and leave.

 

 

[SophieM]

12 hours ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

In general, O will assist with arranging a reserved space (no cost) for CC M&Gs and will arrange “no host” bar service with advance notice. Supply O with attendees names and cabins before the cruise and the onboard concierge will have invites waiting in the included cabins at embarkation.
 

To start the ball rolling, use your Cruise Critic Roll Call for your itinerary to query others and establish tentative Plan A and/or B specifics. Then, at least a month precruise, contact O’s Group Department (call O for contact info on who handles your ship) and share the Plan and guest list (always request the presence of some officer(s) - usually hotel folks. That Miami Office person will interact with the ship’s exec concierge on your behalf. 
 

If you’ve got a sizable group (50+), you may find yourself with more officers and some comped hors d’oeuvres. 
 

Of course, this is all made much easier if you personally know your cruise’s GM. Then just send him/her a note (beyond your initial Miami Group contact) and she/he will “grease the  onboard wheels” so that staff can work with you.

 

Alternatively, particularly with a smaller group, you can just have you Roll Call folks pick a tentative spot onboard for the M&G (The long-standing default M&G time/place is embark day happy hour in the Starboard forward side of Horizons Bar. The only downside to this is if someone else has reserved the space (in which case, you make a handwritten sign that points folks to the port side instead.

 

Finally, it helps of the volunteer organizer brings name tags and borrows a few pens from Guest Services.

 

If you get that done, 

All good advice! I’ve done three this past year and what Flatbush says has been true. I started earlier than a month before, as the Miami contact has to get approval from the ship for date, time, & location, if you’re doing a more organized get together. I also brought a handout with everyone’s names, cabin numbers, hometowns, email addresses, & Cruise Critic names, provided they wanted to share those. I might add that it’s a process in that people join the roll call at different times, so I usually did a reminder post a time or two. Also, on our last cruises, Happy Hours didn’t officially start until 6:00 p.m. on Embarkation Day, but as we were a “blessed” group, they extended it to us if we met before then. 

[knitter]

Thanks for the information everyone. Safe travels!

[Cruisedreamer1]

Actually when I organized a M&G with the cruise line, they wanted a minimum number of people to show plus limited it to 30 people. They also wanted names, cabin numbers and confirmation numbers submitted to them by a certain date. In turn, they had a no host bartender, nibbles, swag and the cruise director came. A lot of work but it paid off with great attendance. 

[knitter]

On 12/19/2023 at 12:38 AM, Cruisedreamer1 said:

Actually when I organized a M&G with the cruise line, they wanted a minimum number of people to show plus limited it to 30 people. They also wanted names, cabin numbers and confirmation numbers submitted to them by a certain date. In turn, they had a no host bartender, nibbles, swag and the cruise director came. A lot of work but it paid off with great attendance. 

Thanks for the information!

[SophieM]

15 minutes ago, knitter said:

Thanks for the information!

My three this year have all been on the Marina. We were not limited to 30. I had 80+ on the list for the last one. Only names and cabin #s, not confirmation numbers. Good luck! It’s a great way to kick off the cruise. 

[Hambagahle]

I have organised 2 on Oceania - both on Riviera.  And several on Regent as well.  On both lines I went to the Cruise Director's office when I boarded and gave him (it was a him in all cases...) a copy of the spread sheet I had for all the CCers who had participated in the Roll Call.  In every instance but one (On Regent) a section of one of the bars was reserved for the group and some hors d'oeuvres appeared as well.   At a couple (one on R. and one on O) the CD, F&B Mgr,  GM and, in the case of Regent, the Captain appeared to greet everyone.   They were great fun.  

On a TA crossing on Riviera we had a second M&G later in the cruise.   By which time many of us had also had dinner or drinks together.