I would attend the Meet & Mingle if???

[Dick in Falls Church]

Navigator transatlantic. Had whole upstairs lounge, with the largest M&M group the CD had seen. Yes, he was there, and the Captain stopped by for a while. Did we meet everyone from the board? Heck no, there must have been close to 150 there. Did we meet some? Sure, and we saw them again around the ship, large as it was.

[cruisecookie]

I think the raffles and prizes are great incentives to get posters to attend the M&M. At some M&M's everyone receives a free gift just for coming.

 

It is always more fun for me when someone from the crew leads an acivity that breaks the ice and gets the party going.

[horsesrus]

Hey everyone. With all the recent attention given to the Meet & Mingle over the past few days I thought this would be an interesting thread to start. I've been reading on the threads that many people do attend the official Meet & Mingle for one reason or another. What I would like to know is what RCCL and other lines could do to increase attendance? What are your thoughts and ideas???:o

 

For me it's simple:

1. I would like for the Captain to attend or at least drop by. I understand he is busy with ship duties but I am sure he could stop in.

2. Maybe free cocktails for at least an hour while there.

 

No offense intended to anyone but no changes would convince me to go to another one. I didn't like the one we went to; it was awkward and we found nobody we had anything in common with. We had better luck just meeting some very nice people just around the ship and we had the best time playing trivia with them every day in the Schooner Bar.

[LAKaye]

Have NEVER had a M & M in a smoking room. Hmm, guess it just depends onthe ship.

 

Often they are held in the largest room of the Viking Crown lounge level, which has a smoking section.

 

Leslie

[sgttami]

Our M and M on Serenade to Alaska had 25 signed up and we all were there. Time and place were perfect. It was the best. Freebie cocktails weren't expected and we were surprised that drinks/appetizers flowed freely for almost two hours!! We all had such a good time we didn't want to leave. It was a true private party. "Prizes" were pretty good as well. Met some people that said "the smaller the group, the better perks!

 

Did another mid sized one (about 40) and it was OK but the timing was bad so we only stayed for about 10 minutes.

 

Signed up for one on AOS in San Juan..100 plus people. We couldn't even get near the room so we never went.

 

Other times have registered and never went but met CC people on the ship.

[aloha of the seas]

i have been reading all your comments with great interest. Hopefully I will be going to my first Meet & Mingle in May. The reason I'm going is to meet you nice people that I have communicated with on this site. Since I tend to be a little shy, having someone start the introductiond is a good idea but I was not expecting any freebies. As a Diamond Member I am sure I will get a chance to meet the captain at a separate cocktail party. I am more interested in meeting passengers

[Alexis]

Hey everyone. With all the recent attention given to the Meet & Mingle over the past few days I thought this would be an interesting thread to start. I've been reading on the threads that many people do attend the official Meet & Mingle for one reason or another. What I would like to know is what RCCL and other lines could do to increase attendance? What are your thoughts and ideas???:o

 

For me it's simple:

1. I would like for the Captain to attend or at least drop by. I understand he is busy with ship duties but I am sure he could stop in.

2. Maybe free cocktails for at least an hour while there.

 

Hi,

1. On the Navigator the Captain does attend the Meet and Mingles. ;) (He stayed for quite a while, both weeks I was on and attended.)

2. On some of the Meet and Mingles I have attended, (the Brilliance for one 2003,) we did have free cocktails for the whole 45 minutes of the get together. ;)

[JJSMaine]

It seems clear from this post, that the level of expectations vary not only between us, but there is a vast difference in how the cruise staff themselves set and live up to those expectations.

 

 

We "buy" the RCCL cruise due to past experience and perceived expectations.

 

 

We sign up for a attend the M&M for these same expectations.

 

 

It seems to me that RCCL is very inconsistent in how they manage and execute the M&M concept leading to positive and negative experiences.

 

Many here are very good at setting their own expectations, and this is good. We should take the reins and make these events what we want.

 

 

RCCL should make and effort to create some consistency across ships. By not getting invites out, changing times, choosing inappropriate venues and not sending motivated personnel to the event, they are stating that overall, they don't really care about the event. As I said before, I would much rather they not get involved if they are going to do it begrudgingly. We are capable of having a great meeting without them, but it is so much more fun when they get involved with some genuine excitement.

 

 

So it comes down to expectations.

[Rala]

Meet and Mingles vary widely depending on cruise and ship. I have been to several with RCI staff attending ranging from the Captain to the ass't bingo boy. There have been raffles with one prize(usually the aquamouse) to raffles with as many as 10 or 12 prizes (hats, backpacks, water wallets, etc,). At some I have attended there has been as few as a dozen people up to over 50.

 

I agree with the other posters who said that wanting drinks is being a little greedy. Besides, most M&M's are held in the am and I don't want a cocktail at 11am!!! YMMV !!

[Ronrocks!]

It seems clear from this post, that the level of expectations vary not only between us, but there is a vast difference in how the cruise staff themselves set and live up to those expectations.

 

 

We "buy" the RCCL cruise due to past experience and perceived expectations.

 

 

We sign up for a attend the M&M for these same expectations.

 

 

It seems to me that RCCL is very inconsistent in how they manage and execute the M&M concept leading to positive and negative experiences.

 

Many here are very good at setting their own expectations, and this is good. We should take the reins and make these events what we want.

 

 

RCCL should make and effort to create some consistency across ships. By not getting invites out, changing times, choosing inappropriate venues and not sending motivated personnel to the event, they are stating that overall, they don't really care about the event. As I said before, I would much rather they not get involved if they are going to do it begrudgingly. We are capable of having a great meeting without them, but it is so much more fun when they get involved with some genuine excitement.

 

 

So it comes down to expectations.

 

 

I agree with you. You would think they would put a little more effort into the Meet & Mingle. It's a very good marketing tool. If you have a good Meet & Mingle you come back here and say good things about the cruise line. People read about it and maybe are more willing to sail the line and attend the Meet & Mingle.

[cruise_lover]

I have never been to a M&M but cannot wait to attend my first one the week of January 13, 2008. From my understanding the ship aready provides us with non-alcoholic beverages and snacks. I am going to meet and mingle with the people I chat with throughout the year. After all isn't that the purpose of a Meet and Mingle?

[cruise_lover]

I have never been to a M&M but cannot wait to attend my first one the week of January 13, 2008. From my understanding the ship aready provides us with non-alcoholic beverages and snacks. I am going to meet and mingle with the people I chat with throughout the year. After all isn't that the purpose of a Meet and Mingle?

[NancyB84]

Have NEVER had a M & M in a smoking room. Hmm, guess it just depends onthe ship.

 

Ours on Serende was in a smoking lounge... Hollywood Odysey??? Or something like that. Anyhow, the lounge wasn't closed off for our group so we had people in there that were there only to sit and smoke.

[NancyB84]

Double post.... sorry

[pierces]

Three of the last four M&M we (I) attended were held opposite the Shopping Talk where free stuff was being raffled off (hence the "I" instead of "we"). That cut attendance in half right away. Usually half of the remaining half bailed when they saw how sparse attendance was.

 

On our last trip, the invitations were sent out with a time, but no date/day. Since a few showed up, it was rescheduled to later in the cruise...at 5:30 PM. (Dinner anyone?) We got the reschedule notice by word of mouth since they didn't send out reschedule notices to everyone.

 

We have attended some very nice M&Ms in the past, but lately it seems that they have become badly organized and usually hosted with various levels of disinterest.

 

Too bad. We used to look forward to connecting faces to avatars.

 

Bottom line: We would attend if they were more like before.

 

Dave

[Cruise Cat]

Just a few of my thoughts.....

 

We don't go to the M&M to have fun there (though we usually do). That is where we meet the people that we have fun with the rest of the cruise! Once you put names to faces, you have people you can say hello and talk to on the ship and in ports. The fun you have on the ship is the fun you make.

 

Some of our best M&Ms have been unofficial ones non RCCL that we organized ourselves by just coming up with a place and time on our roll call thread. We usually pick a time late the first evening, with a second one after lunch the following day (usually the first sea day).

 

The more time the captain or anyone else does the talking means less time we all have to meet and talk with each other. It's not a high school dance where an MC is going to call your name to dance with somebody; it's a mixer where you walk right up to people, introduce yourselves to each other, and start talking. When you find you have nothing in common or the conversation is ended, you move on to the next set of people and repeat. A lot of times, we'll meet someone from the boards and then call back to others we just met and say, "Hey ______, this is "so and so", then you get a larger group all talking to each other discussing posts we made or things we are going to do, which dinner seating we are at, etc.

 

Someone has to be the first to get up and "dance"; you can't just sit there waiting for someone to sweep you off your feet.

[dutchess43]

I have been ro 2 M&M one was great the other terrible my attitude is it is what it is. It'a a place to meet some of the people that you have been conversing with. If it turns into an attacking(complaining) session to whomever the RCI person they send then count me out. I would rather be lounging somewhere & relaxing then listening to the whiners.

[CleoPat]

Well, I do hope that RCI has someone reading these posts so that they know what to do in the future. I agree that it has to do with the staff of each ship. Some M&Ms are nice and some are not. There should be more of a guideline for every ship to follow. The most important suggestion IMO is to schedule it when nothing else is going on and NOT on a sea day in the Carib or right before dinner:p My last one was in Portofino hence no smoking. The Bingo guy showed up and did have us stand up and introduce ourselves and did some sort of little game for the mouse and then there was a raffle for other things. They should NOT let anyone in the rooom if they don't have an invitation or if their name is not on the list.

[CleoPat]

OK, I'll try this again since the first time CC went out of commission on me:( Anyway, like I was saying.............it seems to vary from ship to ship on on well a M&M is set up, etc. The last one I was on was done in Portofino so no smokers. The Bingo Guy showed up and had us each get up and introduce ourselves. He also did some kind of game to give away the mouse I think. There was also a raffle for other things. My first M&M was messed up by a mixup on the invitation date and time, so hardly anyone showed up. I hope someone from RCI reads these posts. There should ge a guideline for the setup of the M&Ms so that they are all the same. They should not be set up when something else is going on the ship, and NOT on a sea day in the Carib or NOT right before dinner.:p They should NOT let anyone in the room who does not have an invitation or who is NOT on the list.

[CleoPat]

See? Now I double posted!:mad: Sorry.:o

[KillaFee]

I would definitely always attend M&M's if they were held at the Pool Bar or Sky Bar because I tend to be there alot. :D I've never attended an official M&M because I'm usually bouncing around all over the place on cruises but on the Serenade last year we all agreed to meet up at the Sky Bar at 4pm and it worked out perfectly! I always end up bumping into people from roll call regardless of whether or not I go to M&M, which is pretty cool! I will attend one of these days....

Laura

[mxylpic]

I would attend one .. if they had one :)

 

I don't know why RCI only does M&M for 7 days and longer (not complaining, it's their call).

 

So, here's hopping to many responses to my Roll Call for my April 4 on the Soverign OTS and setting something unofficial up.

 

Cheers and Happy Cruising.

[Cruise Cat]

I am tryijng to understand some who are saying they want it held on a Port Day....Why would you want it on a port day? That is a day when we eat and quickly get off the ship to spend our day in port, get back to the ship and then eat late dinner. Also, on many ships, the first port day is a couple of days into the cruise. Why would you want to meet that long to meet everyone. There is nothing really important going on on the ship on the sea days.

 

???????

[newtocc]

I disagree with you Cat, I think all the M&M's should be held on port days, port is a cheap wine, maybe not what you Texans like, but, you must agree, it'll get ya drunk, right?

[Ronrocks!]

It almost sounds like RCCL should stop holding official Meet & Mingle. It looks like the members do a better job of doing it themselves. From what I am reading here it seems most have a better time at the unofficial pre-meeting!