Options for a Cruise Critic Meet & Greet?

[MagnoliaFly]

I want to plan a meet and greet for my roll call group since we're growing quite large. I was wondering what the options are and when I call Carnival what should I say?

 

Tips on what to do or avoid quite welcome!

 

Last time we just did an informal meet and greet at the aft bar but since our group is so large I thought I'd plan something better if possible.

[pkrchkr]

We planned a meet and greet thru the special occasions dept at Carnival. It worked out to be 11.44 pp for 1 hour with our own bartender and the bar to ourselves.. oh and snacks too... Our group has gotten so large that we will be moving venues soon..I heard somwhere that to do an official CC M&G there is fee( not sure how much but it gets paid to CC)and that is why we decided to go thru Carnival..16 days till we go

[Irishlinny]

If your roll call is interested, you can plan a one hour cocktail party through Carnival to be held on one of the sea days. This needs to be planned ahead of time...I think you do it through the Groups dept. One person would do the ccordinating and you will have to collect checks from everyone ahead of time and then pay Carnival before you cruise. They will take into account how many guests you have coming and then assign you to one of the lounges, usually later in the afternoon. You find out where shortly before you sail and tell the group when and where to meet. It will be one hour of open bar (any drinks you want) and last time I did this it was a little under $12 per person. You can also do a 2 hour one if you want.

Hope that helps!:)

[FlaGrl4Evr]

I want to plan a meet and greet for my roll call group since we're growing quite large. I was wondering what the options are and when I call Carnival what should I say?

 

Tips on what to do or avoid quite welcome!

 

Last time we just did an informal meet and greet at the aft bar but since our group is so large I thought I'd plan something better if possible.

 

 

When we were on the Legend in Oct and had 2 M&G for our r/c. The first was on sailaway day at 2pm at the Casino bar. This was a great central location that had some nice tables and a seating area. The second M&G was prearranged by one of our r/c members. It was for 1.5 hours, cost around $18 pp. It was held on the first sea day at 2:30 in the Piano Bar. Carnival provided bowls of snacks such as pretzels and cheee flavored gold- fish crackers. We were all given name tags and wristbands(brought by a r/c member) to notate that we were part of the group. They passed trays of the most popular drinks such as the Funship and the Blue Margarita and a Rum punch of some type. You could also request anything except top-shelf from the bar. They had Miller Lite on Tap for the beer lovers. We had a goody-bag drawing and the hour and a half just flew by. Those under age could have soda pop or non-alcoholic drinks.

 

The r/c member that set this up with Carnival did NOT tell them that we were a Cruise Critic group. I am not totally sure of the reason. She just said that we were a group of friends that were all sailing together which was esentially true. You need a min. of 20 people to set this up and one payment needs to be made to Carnival for the 20 people. You can add more people later if you wish but you do need 20 to schedule the party. Our roll call member collected payments by using a pay-pal account or US mail to collect the funds form anyone interested.

 

We had a great time and the first sea day proved to be a great day to have the organized M&G. It gave us a chance to meet our roll call members that we had been chatting with for months prior to the cruise; this way we would recognize each other around the ship and on excursions and ports of call. We held it at 2:30 as a lot of folks, ourselves included, wanted to see the Hairy Chest and Mixology contest. These events were held poolside from at 1:00 and 1:30 pm.

 

We had a great time but honestly I think an hour would have been fine. I limited myself to 2 drinks only, concentrating on meeting new friends and not how much alcohol I could consume as the first sea day was formal night and I wanted to be able to enjoy it without any repercussions from too many free-flowing-beverages. My fiance had a few too many rum punches and had to take a long nap before dinner. But to each his own... JMHO Some serious damage can be done in an hour. :D

 

I do not know what ph# or Carnival dept our r/c member used so I cannot provide that for you but perhaps another poster could help out.

 

 

Have a great time and a great cruise.

[MagnoliaFly]

When we were on the Legend in Oct and had 2 M&G for our r/c. The first was on sailaway day at 2pm at the Casino bar. This was a great central location that had some nice tables and a seating area. The second M&G was prearranged by one of our r/c members. It was for 1.5 hours, cost around $18 pp. It was held on the first sea day at 2:30 in the Piano Bar. Carnival provided bowls of snacks such as pretzels and cheee flavored gold- fish crackers. We were all given name tags and wristbands(brought by a r/c member) to notate that we were part of the group. They passed trays of the most popular drinks such as the Funship and the Blue Margarita and a Rum punch of some type. You could also request anything except top-shelf from the bar. They had Miller Lite on Tap for the beer lovers. We had a goody-bag drawing and the hour and a half just flew by. Those under age could have soda pop or non-alcoholic drinks.

 

The r/c member that set this up with Carnival did NOT tell them that we were a Cruise Critic group. I am not totally sure of the reason. She just said that we were a group of friends that were all sailing together which was esentially true. You need a min. of 20 people to set this up and one payment needs to be made to Carnival for the 20 people. You can add more people later if you wish but you do need 20 to schedule the party. Our roll call member collected payments by using a pay-pal account or US mail to collect the funds form anyone interested.

 

We had a great time and the first sea day proved to be a great day to have the organized M&G. It gave us a chance to meet our roll call members that we had been chatting with for months prior to the cruise; this way we would recognize each other around the ship and on excursions and ports of call. We held it at 2:30 as a lot of folks, ourselves included, wanted to see the Hairy Chest and Mixology contest. These events were held poolside from at 1:00 and 1:30 pm.

 

We had a great time but honestly I think an hour would have been fine. I limited myself to 2 drinks only, concentrating on meeting new friends and not how much alcohol I could consume as the first sea day was formal night and I wanted to be able to enjoy it without any repercussions from too many free-flowing-beverages. My fiance had a few too many rum punches and had to take a long nap before dinner. But to each his own... JMHO Some serious damage can be done in an hour. :D

 

I do not know what ph# or Carnival dept our r/c member used so I cannot provide that for you but perhaps another poster could help out.

 

 

Have a great time and a great cruise.

Sounds fun! I'm polling my rollcall to see how many people would be interested. Good to know we'd need at least 20, that'll give me a number to shoot for.

 

Love the idea of nametags and wristbands.

 

I'm curious how far in advance I'd have to book it. Need time to collect payment and all that from R/C members.

 

Great information thank you all!

[MagnoliaFly]

Are kids charged the same as adults for a Meet and Greet?

[FlaGrl4Evr]

Some of the younger children were at Camp Carnival but we did have a few teenagers and unfortunately they were charged the full price. Also, those that did not drink alcohol were charged the full amount as well.. It doesn't seem quite fair but where they would make money on one person they will surely lose it on another. I had 2 Miller Lite Draft beers so that didn't cover the $18 but my fiance had 7 Rum Punches, so they probably lost a little on him, it all evened out in the end and we did have a nice time. The bartenders and servers were VERY quick to keep your drink full. They would put another down for you when you were less than half way done with the first. The service was very,very good so we passed a hat and we all threw in a few dollars to tip. They really did do a good job of not only making sure that we had plenty of drinks and snacks but also guarded the door to keep out any party crashers.

 

If you decide to have your M&G in the Piano Bar you can pay a little extra and have the piano player too. We did not opt for this so I can't tell you if it was worth the extra or not. They did pipe in some Jimmy Buffet style music for the duration of the party.

 

 

I think that our M&G was arranged with Carnival about 4-6 weeks prior to our sail date. We paid on 09/14 and sailed on 10/31.

 

You are in for a great time, the Legend is a beautiful ship.

[MagnoliaFly]

Some of the younger children were at Camp Carnival but we did have a few teenagers and unfortunately they were charged the full price. Also, those that did not drink alcohol were charged the full amount as well.. It doesn't seem quite fair but where they would make money on one person they will surely lose it on another. I had 2 Miller Lite Draft beers so that didn't cover the $18 but my fiance had 7 Rum Punches, so they probably lost a little on him, it all evened out in the end and we did have a nice time. The bartenders and servers were VERY quick to keep your drink full. They would put another down for you when you were less than half way done with the first. The service was very,very good so we passed a hat and we all threw in a few dollars to tip. They really did do a good job of not only making sure that we had plenty of drinks and snacks but also guarded the door to keep out any party crashers.

 

If you decide to have your M&G in the Piano Bar you can pay a little extra and have the piano player too. We did not opt for this so I can't tell you if it was worth the extra or not. They did pipe in some Jimmy Buffet style music for the duration of the party.

 

 

I think that our M&G was arranged with Carnival about 4-6 weeks prior to our sail date. We paid on 09/14 and sailed on 10/31.

 

You are in for a great time, the Legend is a beautiful ship.

 

Good to know - when I asked on my roll call it seems lots of people want to bring their kids with them for some reason. Might change if they know they'll have to pay for them too.

 

Thanks for all the info! I'm so looking forward to my second trip on the Legend.

[serene56]

the 1 hour cockatail is fine-- but what that does is elimanate the non drinkers who do not want to pay the fee but would like to meet up.

 

In the past we would do the tea party- 3:30 on sea days and the people can see it listed in the funtimes.

 

Also get together at a public place-- just for a get together-- no money.

 

I have found getting together the first day is rather hard for some people.

Getting onboard- learning your way around, unpacking, muster drill etc etc.

People do not want to stop the momentum to go meet "strangers" Many are non shows.

So if you want a meet and greet the first day--- make some others during the week so the "others" can meet also.

[serene56]

the kids are free in the cocktail party. (although they may have to pay for a soda or two if they drink those)

 

Someone in the group gets in touch with the agent--

Someone MUST be in charge of collecting the monies and forwarding that to the agent.

This must be done within a certain amount of days BEFORE the cruise.

Sailing at 44 days-- you gotta get a move on if this is something your group wants to do.

[MagnoliaFly]

the kids are free in the cocktail party. (although they may have to pay for a soda or two if they drink those)

 

Someone in the group gets in touch with the agent--

Someone MUST be in charge of collecting the monies and forwarding that to the agent.

This must be done within a certain amount of days BEFORE the cruise.

Sailing at 44 days-- you gotta get a move on if this is something your group wants to do.

 

I know, the roll call didn't get really active until two weeks ago.

 

This would be a second Meet and Greet most likely, for those that wanted to pay for a cocktail hour. I agree, I wouldn't want to exclude non-drinkers from a roll call meet and greet. On our last R/C we set a time each evening for everyone to meet after the day was over if they wanted (10PM at Lido Deck bar) to chat, really informal and it was nice to sort of catch up and hear what you did during that day.

 

Just wanted to try something new if enough people were interested! :) Thanks for the info!

[jetskier]

Two weeks prior to the sailing.

For the one hour open bar it is $11.44 adult and $5.95 for those under 21. The adult cannot purchase the under 21 rate if they do not drink.

 

Minimum of 20 to book it. Must be paid in advance. DO NOT mention it is for Cruise Critic. They have had some crash the parties for CC groups. It is why I recommend using wrist bands to let the bar waiters know who has paid. This way it also lets the non-drinkers join the party.

 

If someone wishes to join after the final payment has been made to the groups dept, all they have to do is go to the formalities shop and pay there with their S&S card.

 

The open bar can also be scheduled for 1.5 or 2 hours but at a higher rate. You can also have cold and hot food served for a fee but with all the food onboard, I dont know why someone would do this.

Dave

[DEBnGAB]

Jetskier thanks for the under 21 info. We will have a 7 yr old with us and be nice not to have to pay the full price.

 

 

We are going to try the cocktail party, I believe for my Sept cruise. So far our roll call has about 25+ people.

 

MagnoliaFly youll have to post back and let us know how it goes. :)

[MagnoliaFly]

Two weeks prior to the sailing.

For the one hour open bar it is $11.44 adult and $5.95 for those under 21. The adult cannot purchase the under 21 rate if they do not drink.

 

Minimum of 20 to book it. Must be paid in advance. DO NOT mention it is for Cruise Critic. They have had some crash the parties for CC groups. It is why I recommend using wrist bands to let the bar waiters know who has paid.

 

If someone wishes to join after the final payment has been made to the groups dept, all they have to do is go to the formalities shop and pay there with their S&S card.

 

The open bar can also be scheduled for 1.5 or 2 hours but at a higher rate. You can also have cold and hot food served for a fee but with all the food onboard, I dont know why someone would do this.

Dave

 

Great info! I was just about to put in a call anyway since we quickly reached the 20 person minimum.

[*Mach*]

Jetskier thanks for the under 21 info. We will have a 7 yr old with us and be nice not to have to pay the full price.

 

 

We are going to try the cocktail party, I believe for my Sept cruise. So far our roll call has about 25+ people.

 

MagnoliaFly youll have to post back and let us know how it goes. :)

 

 

There have recently been some hiccups in the booking procedure for cocktail parties. They are now requiring a group booking number, provided by a TA or Groups at Carnival, before they will allow you to proceed.

I ran into that when booking the cocktail party for our Crazies group cruise coming up on the Ecstasy Saturday...

:)

[DEBnGAB]

There have recently been some hiccups in the booking procedure for cocktail parties. They are now requiring a group booking number, provided by a TA or Groups at Carnival, before they will allow you to proceed.

 

I ran into that when booking the cocktail party for our Crazies group cruise coming up on the Ecstasy Saturday...

 

:)

 

 

 

OH MY! :( Thanks for that info Mach! Ill pass that along to the roll call.

 

So its a requirement? What if its just a large group of friends (not a technical group booking) wanting to celebrate something? No exceptions?

[MagnoliaFly]

OH MY! :( Thanks for that info Mach! Ill pass that along to the roll call.

 

So its a requirement? What if its just a large group of friends (not a technical group booking) wanting to celebrate something? No exceptions?

 

I was just wondering this too....

[sunshinecruiser62]

I was just wondering this too....

 

Magnolia, If it turns into a hassle when u call, let's just stick with our origonal plan. That way people with kids and/or non-drinkers will still want to stop in. IMO:)

Sunshine

[serene56]

I ran into that when booking the cocktail party for our Crazies group cruise coming up on the Ecstasy Saturday...:)

 

could explain why i never had the problem-- i always had the group leader do it for me

[*Mach*]

OH MY! :( Thanks for that info Mach! Ill pass that along to the roll call.

 

So its a requirement? What if its just a large group of friends (not a technical group booking) wanting to celebrate something? No exceptions?

 

 

Cruise Critic's TA that books ALL of the group cruises got turned down flat... I called Groups and was told that I HAD to have a group booking number... end of story.

The concern is that folks who have not paid are getting in and drinking up the profit for Carnival. I've seen it happen in the past. We ALWAYS have specific wrist bands to identify those who have paid... can't get in without one.

[jetskier]

could explain why i never had the problem-- i always had the group leader do it for me

 

This is something new. I have booked several of these and only had to supply my individual booking number.

 

Dave

[*Mach*]

This is something new. I have booked several of these and only had to supply my individual booking number.

 

Dave

 

 

Yeah, it took some extraordinary effort to get ours done...

:rolleyes:

[MagnoliaFly]

Ok so the Carnival event person for my ship just contacted me back, here is a summary of what she told me (I gave an estimate for 25 adults attending so far):

 

I understand that you will like to have a Private Party for your group of 25 guests. The 1 Hour Open Bar with Dry Snacks is $9.95 per person + 15% service charge. We require a minimum of 20 guests, you already have 25 .

In order to reserve the space you need to let us know day and time , and we will check if it is available. We will reserve the space in a lounge ,with the food and beverage order for your group, and the payment must be made onboard prior to the event. If you add more people to the party , you have to let us know, because we will need to adjust the number , that way you will be charge correctly.

I'm getting some clarification as to how payment can be made on board and when I should get the final guest numbers to her for the reservation since we sail in 43 days. Seems easier than I thought it would be! Also asked about what children are charged.

 

Will post updates as I get more answers.

[DEBnGAB]

Magnoliafly Thank you!!

 

So no mention of needing a group booking #?

[MagnoliaFly]

Magnoliafly Thank you!!

 

So no mention of needing a group booking #?

 

They just took my individual booking number - actually they looked it up themselves when I told him the ship and sailing date I was looking to do an open bar party on. I never had to provide one myself.

 

More info now:

Payment must be made by the Group Leader once onboard prior to the event. The total amount will be charged to sail and sign account. The final count must be given by (12 days before sailing in my case).

If you have children in your group, ages 5 to 20 will have to purchase the 1 hour non alcoholic party @ $5.00 per person plus 15% service charge.

 

Oh and to inquire about booking one you e-mail them! Here is the e-mail address: groupeventplanning@carnival.com