Anoynmous Phoenix

We had "trouble" recently in that the notification were not always left in the cabin (Steward too busy or forgot) AND the statements in the Freestyle Daily were missing clear indication  of the DAY and used "today".   They had forgotten that the FD was delivered on the evening before its use-by date!!

To make sure that a large party gets a table fit for your group BOOK; otherwise, as @BirdTravels says, there is NO advantage for a group of 2 or 4.

@nudistcruzer

I cannot confirm whether they now REQUIRE you to do the photo online or allow you to bypass the requirement till you arrive at the port.

I will know in 26 days when we are 21 days from our next cruise!!

@Illbcruzn4life

Judging by that question I am going to assume that once i put her birthday in it will knock off that charge??

Yes almost certainly.

We were in Fiji before Covid and received Fiji Water on a shore excursion.   It was nothing special, just like any other bottled water, overpriced and under performing!!

The bottle is the a lovely shape and fits in our pack perfectly!!

@nudistcruzer

It appeared that way to me.

I have, in the past, spent over an hour getting the two for us both to be accepted and don't want to waste that time again.   If it doesn't work first time I think i will jus roll up at the desk and take my chance.

Be concerned; NO; live day by day and enjoy every one as if it is your last.   You never know when your time is due!!

But then I am 80 and have had an excellent long life.

The last twice we boarded (July & August) we had to have our photo taken on the quay.  No one really could tell me why.   BUT I believe that you don't need to do that online any more, they are taking them at check-in as they used to,

We had three days in a cabin on 10 on the Prima and then had to move because of the lack of noise!!!   They couldn't get the phone to work!!

The rest of the cruise was in forward bow cabin on 9, no noise problem there.

@ChiefMateJRK

I think you missed two words; MORE and MORE.   I agree it is useful and used but not as used or useful as it used to be.

In general if you look at the posters then many, if not most, have posted a great deal and there are few who are starting to use Cruise Critic.   We need starter cruisers to be the next generation of the knowledgeable users of Cruise Critic.

I had hoped that my initial posting to start this thread might have brought forward suggestions as how to make Cruise Critic more used and more useful.   It needs a large number of new active “subscribers” if it to be any use at all.

The statement by @schmoopie17; “Probably the majority of people on any given cruise ship have never even heard of CC.”; started me thinking.

How do you “sell” anything most effectively?  By Advertising.   What is the best advertising?   Personal Contact.   Where is the best place to contact people who cruise?  On Cruise Ships.   How much advertising does Cruise Critic do to people actually on Cruise Ships?    NONE!!

Reading the few comments so far one thing that would help would to make available again the ability to MESSAGE.   That function has been gone for a while (Why was it discontinued?) and is really missed.   That sort of function seems to be a heavy selling point elsewhere.

Then an effective way of communicating is to have an unpaid, knowledgeable Cruise Critic “Representative” on every cruise who could advertise his/her presence by putting a flier in every cabin door “box”.

We need as much positive “material” as possible to increase the “population” of Cruise Critic.

Please help .

Anoynmous Phoenix

@hallux

The issue with that, if people want the M&G's to continue, is that the M&G as we know it was a courtesy given by nature of being affiliated with CC.  No CC, no M&G.   And so it should be

 Anyone organizing a M&G strictly through the other site (but trying to get the benefits of the CC M&G) is doing so disingenuously.   I hope that NCL stamps on this heavily.   The CC M&G is a Private Arrangement between NCL & CC.   If others want the benefits let them make an arrangement with NCL.

I thought at one point that CC didn't want people cross-organizing the M&G on CC and that other site, but it seems to be a common practice now just so they can get the participation numbers up to qualify for setting one up.   I hope this is not so; I far prefer a where attendees are at least on Cruise Critic and would prefer them to be active on here.

.... who seems to need a quoting lesson, it's difficult to understand what they wrote and what someone else wrote   I hope you can understand what I have written in answer to your post.   If you wrote it, it is italicized; if I wrote it, it isn't.   As always.

Don't complain NCL need the money!!

@MagnoliaBlossom

But it seemed after a while the host of the MnG did not have any idea in how to conduct a meeting and the whole time was spent passing around a microphone so people who didn’t know how to use one could go on and on and .   

Preparation and a Plan!!   Have something arranged so people do MEET & GREET while on their FEET not BOTTOMS.

... the officers name and numbers (the real jewel of the meeting, IMHO).   I agree but people NEED to be told how to use it and the "Dear GM" box for either to be effective.

@The Traveling Man

Hello James

So you're saying that you intended it to be interpreted as "Annoying Mouse" ???

I think, if you think back you will know one reason; a request (demand) for Anonymity!!

The other is personal.   A number of years ago Day 1 of a cruise had; in the Freestyle Daily, that DJ ANOYNMOUS was to "play".  I checked and it was too late to change before Day 2 but on Day 3 it had been corrected to DJ ANONYMOUS.   I was on B2B and, YES!, on Day 1 of the second cruise what would appear in the Freestyle Daily but DJ ANOYNMOUS!!   It makes me smile to think of it; it proved that no one on the ship ever Proof Read the Freestyle Daily.

A couple of years later on another cruise we had a great laugh about it when I called across the deck "Hey Anoynmous"!!

A P

@schmoopie17

The Roll Calls are useful for sharing excursion ideas, places to stay before the cruise, etc., but I doubt there is little value beyond such things.

I think that useful is not strong enough; it is fabulous when there are enough people actually taking part; too few these days.

Gift exchanges...meh. Cabin crawls...meh. Ducks...meh. Maybe it's just me(h),   I agree totally and let me add Slot Pulls and Pub Crawl but each to his own.

However can I push the Meet & Greet; properly arranged; they are fabulous.   If there are 40 people (20 couples) there then you should have spoken with at least 20 during the meeting and then have an arranged lunch afterwards to meet the others!!   Finish off with a dinner ⅔ of the way through the cruise.

A P

@schmoopie17

Many people who sign up for Meet and Greets don't even show up.

A quote from  https://boards.cruisecritic.com.au/topic/1240211-how-to-set-up-a-cruise-critic-meet-mingle-or-meet-greet-on-your-ncl-cruise/#comment-25428559

Tip from LauraS: If you RSVP that you are going to the Meet & Mingle, PLEASE GO! If the cruise line takes the time to set up a special gathering for Cruise Critic members, we should definitely do our best to attend.

My NUMBER ONE personal rule for attending anything; If I say I will attend, I COMMIT to doing so, and do so.

If you look at the Roll Call Spreadsheets I quoted earlier you will see I have put "MAYBE".

A P

@schmoopie17

Probably the majority of people on any given cruise ship have never even heard of CC. 

Very true but how many who do know advertise the fact by having a sheet on their cabin door.   Cruise Critic has a great one to advertise that you belong.

I have.

A P

HELP.

Not only me but also yourself AND Cruise Critic.

I first heard of Cruise Critic on the Star going through the Suez Canal in October 2016.

Since then, I have attended many Meet & Greets; some excellent, most great but a few terrible ones.

I have also arranged a number and have; in two guises; posted over 14,000 times on Cruise Critic. 

I have also arranged a number of dinners and/or lunches for Cruise Critic friends.

Early this year I stood back from Cruise Critic but returned recently and am horrified at what seems to have happened to Cruise Critic.

I am 80 and don’t think my health and my wife’s health will allow us to do many cruises after we do the 8 we have “in the pipeline”.

It is raining today so I had time to look critically at the Roll Calls of those 8.

What I want people to think about is “How does Cruise Critic reinvent itself?”   It is no longer number ONE!

Below is a table of the 8 cruises showing the ship; date of the cruise; posts on the Roll Call and the numbers of followers of the Roll Call.

Four of the cruises have “self-addition” spreadsheets so I have included the number of Cruise Critic names on each (Spread) and then numbers indicating attendance at a M&G.  There seems no likelihood of a Cruise Critic Meet & Greet on the other four.

My concern from these numbers, when I think back to the wonderful period before Covid, is that Cruise Critic is entering a period of a long and painful death.   That would be a pity as Cruise Critic has been good to us and I have enjoyed the camaraderie of it.

I am sure that a Mod will see this and pass it on to those in charge of Cruise Critic BUT I hope that as many of you who care as much for Cruise Critic as I do will put your thinking caps on and contact the Cruise Critic Community at community@cruisecritic.com with ideas to return Cruise Critic to the number one position for the promulgation of assistance when cruising.  

I believe that, at best, it is losing that position and, at worst, has already lost it.

Aroha Nui

Nāku noa, nā Anoynmous Phoenix.

No Casino

Two overnights in 7 days.

@Glen&Kathy

Thank you for asking, I can't give you an answer BUT I have used what you wrote about your price drop problem to try to sort out a problem with my PCC who has failed to answer the previous 3 emails about a similar matter.

A P

@DCGuy64

Been there, done that, received it too.

BUT a warning; be prepared to be run off your feet if you do one for over 100 people and arrange things to do at it rather than just put your name to it.

..... my wife starts getting out the cases and starts bothering me with questions about clothes to pack!!!   VBG

@Katie111

5) What does the NCL cruise consultant do?  Booked two days ago and they've called me about 5 times already.  

You are lucky!!!   VBG

I think mine is only interested if he thinks he can make some money from my booking another cruise.   I cannot seem to get him to answer awkward questions nor look into problems nor requests to save me money!!

@DCGuy64

 I don't know if it was because I offered to host the Cruise Critic Meet & Mingle,

Yes