I am now silver on NCL!

[UnbridledEnthusiasm]

What goes on at the cocktail parties?

[luv2kroooz]

Drinking, advertisement for selling cruise next certificates.

[IAcruising]

A glass of bubbling something, a snack, and a shout out to anyone Platinum or above.

 

Oh, and the sales pitch to buy CN certificates, for your convenience. 🤣

 

[ChiefMateJRK]

Yeah.  What goes on?  You waste an hour that you could have been having actual fun.  It was marginally beneficial when us folks in steerage didn't get free drinks back in the day.  Now?  I have no idea because I've avoided them like the plague for many years.  Time to bridle that enthusiasm and just have a (free) drink at the bar.😎

[complawyer]

not to much goes on, some hor d'ourves, some fruity drinks, as they say in  the old country, you aint missin much, but it beats a stick in the eye. it's a small but nice gesture on the part of ncl who usually wont give away ice cubes in winter. on our  last cruise in july, they offered a cocktail party for those in the military. they had to offer a 2nd one since hardly anyone showed up for the 1st.

 

let's hear it for apathy!!!

[IAcruising]

8 minutes ago, complawyer said:

let's hear it for apathy!!!

 

Apathy is easy when it's the least enjoyable place you could be on the ship at that moment.

 

[schmoopie17]

When you walk in, everyone yells, "Hi-YO, Silver!!"

 

That doesn't work as well for Gold, Platinum, etc.

[graphicguy]

10 hours ago, UnbridledEnthusiasm said:

What goes on at the cocktail parties?

If you don't know the secret handshake, you have to listen to the Cruise Next promos and drink a some concoction with too little alcohol and too much sugar.

 

For the rest of us, they give us envelopes filled with cash.

[Sailing12Away]

We make a note of when it is occurring, and if we don't have anything else going on and happen to be passing by the place it is held in - we'll pop in. If there's an issue or something we need to chat to someone about, it helps having a face and name to bring your concern to the right chief.

 

I like asking the CN folks about when they're going to offer some wild and new itineraries rather than the same old same old. Sometimes they have good insight to new adventures I didn't know were out there, other times the point is made and they leave me alone knowing I won't need a CN certificate when there's no itineraries that catch my eye.

[9tee2Sea]

Im Sapphire on NCL, and I always enjoy stopping in for the " Mixer".  I like to ask people what was their best cruise and why.  After talking to one of the people in the " Mixer", i booked a cruise to Tahiti ( they made it sound sooooooo fun).  Drinks are abundant and ok.  Im out there after about 30 min.

[ChiefMateJRK]

10 hours ago, complawyer said:

there aint a hell of a  lot going on other wise.

The bars and casinos are open! 🤡

[kenzie]

Gosh we are Sapphire and never attended 

[The Traveling Man]

We usually attend.  Like @ChiefMateJRK said, in the olden days before everyone seemed to have a beverage package, it was an opportunity to get a free mixed drink.  They also used to give away door prizes.  Most of those were pretty lame, but on one cruise we did win a free bottle of wine, complimentary laundry service, and a couple of bingo cards.  Those days are long gone, though.  The attraction for us now is the receiving line and a chance to get to know some of the senior officers.  I have to confess to having held up the line for several minutes more than once while I schmoozed with the Captain, GM, or other ranking officers.  As a result, almost every time I sail with NCL now, one or more of the senior officers will greet my wife and me by name as we are boarding.  Some folks may say "so what," but we really enjoy getting to know the ship's officers and spending time with them.  We have shared dinner with 30 different NCL officers over the years, and still remain in touch with many of them.

[UnbridledEnthusiasm]

9 hours ago, The Traveling Man said:

We usually attend.  Like @ChiefMateJRK said, in the olden days before everyone seemed to have a beverage package, it was an opportunity to get a free mixed drink.  They also used to give away door prizes.  Most of those were pretty lame, but on one cruise we did win a free bottle of wine, complimentary laundry service, and a couple of bingo cards.  Those days are long gone, though.  The attraction for us now is the receiving line and a chance to get to know some of the senior officers.  I have to confess to having held up the line for several minutes more than once while I schmoozed with the Captain, GM, or other ranking officers.  As a result, almost every time I sail with NCL now, one or more of the senior officers will greet my wife and me by name as we are boarding.  Some folks may say "so what," but we really enjoy getting to know the ship's officers and spending time with them.  We have shared dinner with 30 different NCL officers over the years, and still remain in touch with many of them.

What happens at them now?

[Portia!]

I attended on both the Escape and the Epic in December. There is live music. Sometimes people dance. There's a shout-out to Latitudes categories. Not all of us do the FAS drinks package, so the drinks and snacks are a nice thank you for cruising. A bit of Cruise Next advertising. Sometimes a head's up on upcoming double points or double Cruise Next. And a chance to talk to other Latitude members, officers, etc. On the Epic, they gave away a couple of bottles of champagne.

[The Traveling Man]

9 hours ago, UnbridledEnthusiasm said:

What happens at them now?

As others have said, the Cruise Next Manager introduces some of the senior officers, then spends ten minutes or so on a sales pitch to encourage Latitudes members to purchase Cruise Next Deposits and to book a future cruise.  The band plays, the waiters serve cocktails and hors d'oeuvres, you can chat with other Latitude members (if the music isn't too loud), and maybe one of the senior officers may hang around to greet some of the guests.  If you are fairly new to NCL, you may find the party a useful way to pick up some tips from more seasoned travelers.  We have learned from other passengers at the party about how to book a cruise to get extra Latitudes points, purchasing NCLH stock to get free OBC, the most effective way to use World Points earned on our NCL Bank of America Master Card, techniques for successfully biding on stateroom upgrades, plus insights on a wide variety of itineraries we may never have considered if not for speaking with others who had been there, done that.