On Board Activities...suggestions?

[uneamie]

I thought it would be a good idea to start a thread of "ideas and suggestions" for "new activities" on board all NCl ships...

 

Let's use this thread to make some "positive change"... go for it!

 

 

I will go first...

 

1. Scrabble tournements

2. Free "behind the scenes tours"

3. Shuffle board tournements

4. On board "daily lotterY"...to win a free cruise.

 

Please post your own unique ideas.....and please dont' spoil the fun by being negative. ;)

[WinnieinWA]

Craft classes on sea days

History lectures on the ports to be visited

Educational type classes ie:digital photography etc.

[uneamie]

Craft classes on sea days

History lectures on the ports to be visited

Educational type classes ie:digital photography etc.

 

I love those suggestions...especially the "history lectures".

[flattop223]

How about

 

cooking demo/class that is then followed up with a make your own cruise menu lunch or dinner

 

digital photo contest could be judged on a video display and prize is just getting hard copys of the photos

 

digital scavenger hunt - have to find items and get snap shots could be crew members items in the gift shops etc... would allow the ship to push passengers to things/places they would like PAX to visit while letting PAX have a good time and giving them an opportunity to win some kind of prize

 

I like the idea of this thread

[Kancruze]

Wow, these are all good ideas. What I would like to see is the crew's quarters...where they sleep, eat and kick back, although I don't think they do much of that judging how hard they seem to work. I've always been intrigued with Crew Only doorways and would love to have the nerve to sneak in but I'm afraid that I would get left on the dock of the nearest port when I got caught.:eek:

I'd also would like to take some cooking lessons but I know that when I'm on a cruise, I don't want to do anything that taxes my brain too much! So whatever it is, keep it light.:)

[CRUZIN TOM]

Definitely stay away from BINGO. Very costly. The ship could pay for itself with the money they make on bingo. :)

[mypleasure]

I would like to see port talks, about the history, key sights etc. No mention of shopping or Diamonds International would be made.

[sjbdtz]

I'd like to see a series of allocated "Social Hour" times in Spinnaker lounge (or equivalent).

 

This would be a set time when you could visit Spinnaker, and find a number of people who are interested in meeting new people.

 

We enjoy the M & G and the Friends of Dorothy meetings for this very reason...we're quite sociable, and enjoy meeting others.

 

NCL could facilitate by providing Sharpies and blank stickers so we could write a name / interest...and have a meet & mingle situation.

 

 

Since many people cruise NCL because they like to be able to keep to themselves, this Social Hour would help identify those who are more outgoing.

 

Cost to NCL: sharpies & stickers.

[KermitClin]

 

Cost to NCL: sharpies & stickers.

 

And if it's held at the lounge like you suggested they'd probably make a nice little sum on drinks purchased by those attending the social hour. I like your idea a lot!

 

I also like the suggestion of "port talks" that doesn't concern shopping. Maybe while discussing certain history or sites to see in port, they could have a very brief mention of a tour they offer that will go into more detail for those interested but I don't mean anything pushy for tour sales.

 

My suggestion is exercise classes/groups (if they don't already have some). Maybe a spinning class, or pilates or something and I think a "ship walkers club" would be great to get to know some of the others walking around the ship for some exercise and make some new walking buddies.

[PassionFruit]

The first few posts made me SUPER excited since I thought these were new things people had experienced on their cruises! Then I realized this is a wish list. These are really good ideas, though.....keep wishing out loud and maybe NCL will implement some of them!

[rrobynec]

Some great new ideas here, but a lot of the suggestions were on my DAWN cruise this summer.:D

Is it possible that not all NCL ships have the same activities?:confused:

Maybe this relates to the "why do you like your cruise director" thread......

[njhorseman]

Some great new ideas here, but a lot of the suggestions were on my DAWN cruise this summer.:D

Is it possible that not all NCL ships have the same activities?:confused:

Maybe this relates to the "why do you like your cruise director" thread......

 

 

And a lot were on many cruises I've taken...on NCL and many other cruise lines.

 

Cruise directors all seem to have graduated from the same school. They tell the same corny jokes, run the same activities, etc. (of course each adds his/her personal touch). Of course it's not school at all...they learn their jobs by working on cruise ships and seeing what is typically done...and not a heck of a lot has changed over the years. There doesn't seem to be much if any incentive for a cruise director to get creative and try out new ideas.

[trojangirl90066]

I'll volunteer to give a Feng shui lecture if anyone is interested.

[CanadianTwosome]

I'd like to see a series of allocated "Social Hour" times in Spinnaker lounge (or equivalent).

 

This would be a set time when you could visit Spinnaker, and find a number of people who are interested in meeting new people.

 

We enjoy the M & G and the Friends of Dorothy meetings for this very reason...we're quite sociable, and enjoy meeting others.

 

NCL could facilitate by providing Sharpies and blank stickers so we could write a name / interest...and have a meet & mingle situation.

 

 

Since many people cruise NCL because they like to be able to keep to themselves, this Social Hour would help identify those who are more outgoing.

 

Cost to NCL: sharpies & stickers.

 

This sounds almost exactly like the pub crawl we did on the Star. They only organized two of them (one the first 'sea night' and one later in the week), but that first night was all we needed to find the 'socializers'. I REALLY missed it on the Pearl this past January (asked why there wasn't one and found out that - of course - some past 'overindulgers' had led to the discontinuation).

 

I would like to see some dance classes - I remember learning 'the Hustle' when I was on a cruise in the 70s and it was a lot of fun.

 

I would also be interested in bridge - though I know it's a little out of fashion! I'm not expert, but I'd love to get involved in an activity that could involve an initial lesson, another meet to 'practice', and then maybe a little tournament.

 

Lastly, I think if they're going to have Wii on board, it would be fun to have a 'Rock Band' tournament. They could set it up wherever they do karaoke and it would encourage people to get together in teams - and people could sign up as 'fillers' for groups that don't have four people. (I imagine the staff could have a bit of fun, too, since someone would have to play all the songs to open up the entire library!)

[uneamie]

Dance contest

Costume contest

Name that Tune Contest

Who Wants To Be a Millionaire Contest

 

 

As U can see....I love contest! :D

[STARFISH*4]

more adult type games at night....like QUEST

i like the scavenger hunt idea too

more things to do as a couple.....but not sure what...i just know that i enjoy doing activities with hubby....we play table tennis, actually more like i warm him up for the tourny play......lol.....

congo line, bunny hop...just FUN THINGs

like the craft idea too...lots of the ideas presented i like!!!

[chloemonkey]

How about bringing back the galley tour? the midnight buffet? the passenger talent show? And i still enjoy the wine tasting....but lately it seems more to sell you wine than to actually learn much....

 

Horse racing? OH! I really like the idea of a lottery for free cruises! ANYTHING they come up with that would have a free cruise as a prize I would sign up for...

[HarpHarp]

The first few posts made me SUPER excited since I thought these were new things people had experienced on their cruises! Then I realized this is a wish list. These are really good ideas, though.....keep wishing out loud and maybe NCL will implement some of them!

We did a scavenger hunt on our first cruise- had to answer questions about different public spaces on the ship.

Our NCL Alaska cruise had history talks-The Goldrush, and some computer classes that included digital photography.

I'd like to see book discussions (I'm a librarian & I'd like to lead one) dance classes, craft classes, Free exercise classes. electronic gaming (I guess they have Wi on some ships now) port talks, not shopping talks.

The passenger talent show on the Star last year was great. Could they have a couple of comedy skits passengers could rehearse and then perform?

[johnql]

Horse racing?

I have always loved horse racing on cruises. I don't know why this activity seems to have disappeared over the past 5-8 years. They need to bring horse racing back.

 

For those who aren't familiar with horse racing, here's a post of mine from 2 years ago:

 

Horse racing was a cruise activity that was commonplace on most cruise ships back in the '80s and '90s. It might still be found on some ships nowadays but NCL dropped this activity at least five years ago.

 

Basic horse racing works this way:

 

Set in a lounge or on the pool deck, there are six designated horses (actually, each is a passenger holding up a numbered sign indicating which horse he is - Horse No. 1 thru Horse No. 6). A "racetrack" is set up - it's actually a series of spaces blocked out on the floor. Let's say there are 15 spaces from the start of the race to the finish line. The staff member overseeing the race (usually the CD) rolls a set of big dice. If, for instance, the dice comes up 3-4, Horse #3 and Horse #4 both get to advance one space. The dice are rolled until one of the horses crosses the finish line.

 

Now, to spice it up, basic horse racing is often turned into a Kentucky Derby (or Big Race) activity. First, there is a horse auction early in the cruise. Six horses are auctioned off to passengers (or syndicates of passengers). I've seen horses auctioned off for as much as a couple hundred dollars. Let's say the six horses are auctioned off for a total of $1000. The $1000 is now used as the "purse" or payoff for the winner of the Big Race.

 

Between the time of the auction and the actual running of the Big Race, each syndicate of horse owners gets to name and decorate its horse. The horse is usually a broomstick-size stick with a horse's head attached. During the course of the cruise, the syndicates gets to parade its horse throughout the lounges and dining rooms, drumming up interest in the race and supporters for their horse.

 

At the Big Race itself, all passengers are allowed to bet on the race, usually in increments of a dollar. Based on the betting patterns of the passengers, the odds are set on the six horses (similar to how parimutuel betting works at a real racetrack). Each horse is introduced by a representative of the owner's syndicate, usually giving a humorous bio of the horse, how it was named, etc. Then, the race is run, with the syndicates cheering on their horses (hoping to win the $1000 purse) and the passengers cheering on the horses that they bet on.

 

Typically, the second place (place) and third place (show) horse owners are awarded consolation prizes (e.g., bottle of champagne).

 

I've always had loads of fun with horse racing, both as an owner (won a decent purse on a Princess cruise) and just betting on the race. It's fun for participants and onlookers alike.

[jp2001]

- Dance lessons for dummies (1 hour every day to learn Salsa for example and 1 hour every night with this type of music so even us, dummies, can have fun dancing).

- Bridge lectures/duplicata games even on 1-week cruises (they sometimes have it on longer cruises) and maybe an initiation bridge class (1 hour every day and a duplicata game at the end of the cruise for the new players).

- Solo cruisers get together (not the "single" get together since this has a very different purpose for many people).

- Book discussion (they tell us the book discussed in our Welcome Booklet so we can read it in advance)

- Movie discussion (we watch a movie together then discuss about it)

- Circuit of funny games on the sports court (run with your partner with legs attached, free throw, limbo, carry something with a straw only, etc.)

- Best passenger lecturer contest (10 guests have 5-6 minutes to do a lecture and the person who does the most interesting one gets the chance to give a real lecture on this cruise and if the staff find it interesting enough, they can give this person a contract for lecturing on the ship - I would sign up to talk about Canada-New England ports of call)

- Less lectures geared toward selling us something (port of calls talk that really talk about what there is to see without a NCL tour and without shopping at their recommended locations, spa talks that is NOT geared toward one of the treatment they are offering

- Picture contest before the shows (instead of pushing their lottery)

[coka]

Port history lectures...sign me up as the speaker!

 

Horse Racing...oh I miss those too!

 

Book talks on the longer cruises

 

NCL-U: Make Me Over...lessons on applying make-up properly...could be a money-maker if they get a good cosmetic company to sign on.

 

Rainy Day At Sea: Hold a wedding reception...since anyone can re-new a couple's vows, any member of the cruise staff can officiate a real or fake one...hold a quick contest to see who the lucky couple is...or do a group of couples...passengers can be the wedding party...can be the guests...then have a DJ with dancing in a big lounge...could be a money-maker because everyone will hit the bar before, during, and afterwards...

 

Specialty Restaurant Crawl: For a fee, On the cruises not sailing full capacity, or on the weeks where few are eating in the specialty restaurants, have each course in a different restaurant (appetizer, soup/salad, entree, dessert). Might get people more interested in trying them the remainder of the cruise. Limit the number.

 

OR...have a specialty restaurant tour the first day with little samplers. they do spa tours and ship tours but why not focus on the restaurants?

 

Empty suites: Instead of giving one of them away at bingo like they sometimes do, offer for a fee or for free, "suite for a day..." more passengers would get the experience thereby increasing the liklihood they may book a suite in the future.

 

Tours: Offer adventure packages...snorkeling packages...sight-seeing packages...instead of hoping people sign up every day...during the port-intensive cruises offer a buy 3 get 1 free or offer a pick 4 with least expensive free or some combination package. Since many do independent tours, it might be more enticing to get people to book tours through NCL.

 

Sounds like my answers turned more into how to increase revenue...! LOL

[flattop223]

Coka I like your suggestions and if there are chances for it to boost revenue the Cruise Line would be more apt to use them

[SteveH2508]

On our last cruise on the Jade they had little samplers (and I do mean little!) at many of the speciality restaurants during embarkation. We thought we would do those as lunch (very nice but not sufficient for my gross appetite!)

 

On the Jewel there was a series of photography lectures, so there are some differences between the ships (I suspect the itinerary has a lot to do with it as well).

 

So long as they keep doing the Martini classes for $15 per hangover we're happy!

[UandMe4Ever]

How about bringing back the galley tour? the midnight buffet? the passenger talent show? And i still enjoy the wine tasting....but lately it seems more to sell you wine than to actually learn much....

 

Horse racing? OH! I really like the idea of a lottery for free cruises! ANYTHING they come up with that would have a free cruise as a prize I would sign up for...

 

 

Hi, just wondering if there is anything similar to the "Quest", like on RCCL on the Jewel? It was so much fun to watch and be hysterical at the antics. Not for young kids for sure....Going on NCL Jewel (1st time) and was just wondering.

 

Thanks, in advance.

[DMH15]

On our transatlantic cruise we had an excellent lecturer in Dr. Sydney (he talked about ports and history and even one or two on movies, Broadway, etc.). I really missed that on our South American cruise. A friend had said her SA cruise had stargazing, we did not.

 

In the past we have had "Name That Tune" and "Shout it Out Movie Trivia" both real fun.

 

We also had a scavenger hunt on the Sun. It was fun. Never have seen Qwest (or Quest). Sounds like fun.

 

Did see cooking demo/contest on the Jewel not on the Sun. Likewise with the Fruit and Veggie carving demo. The one on the Jewel was so lame. I could have taught this class 1000% times better with my culinary training. However, the fruit and veggie carvings have all but disappeared on cruises and I love them. How do you guys feel about them?

 

A towel animal class.

 

Love the ideas for parties to m & g. We seem to meet so many new friends in trivia. New friends met on a cruise can make the cruise even more memorable.

 

Love to play games. Tourneys sound great.

 

Love all the ideas. Great thread.