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Does NCL provide any perks for a M & G Organizer?


dongordon
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Organizing a M & G can be a busy job.

I have had some great organizers of our M & G on NCL cruises.

 

Just curious if NCL (or any other cruise line) provides any perks to those that take on this responsibility (e.g. free dinner at a specialty restaurant or a free spa treatment)?

Edited by dongordon
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'fraid not. In my experience, the recognition I got was being called by my first name while passing the activities director in the hall!

 

But I have read that other ships had offered small perks. So it must vary. Certainly not a reason to take on the responsibility~

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They would give perks and incentives if it was something that they really wanted on board. I think that holding these get togethers is more of an obligation then anything else.

 

I don't organize the meet and greets for any type of perks, I do it because I have the time and I enjoy doing the organizing and meeting new people. I've organized 15+ Meet and Greets in the past on NCL, and have quite a few more in the works.

 

NCL does as much, if not more, than other cruise lines as far as the Meet and Greets go. They provide the meeting space, send down some of the top officers to chat, and most of the time provide coffee/juice and snacks.

 

The way I see it, the officers on the ship don't mind doing this and getting the opportunity to meet with the cruisers and get some feedback....and to also encourge the group to let them know of any issues on the ship and handle them on the ship instead of coming back to the internet and posting about the problems and not giving them a chance to correct the issue on the ship.

 

 

Margaret:)

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They would give perks and incentives if it was something that they really wanted on board. I think that holding these get togethers is more of an obligation then anything else.

 

I beg to differ. They do not feel as though this is an obligation. They welcome CCers with open arms.

 

To answer the original question...it all depends on the Hotel Director. I have received free dinners in the past and have also not received anything for organizing meet and greets.

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I beg to differ. They do not feel as though this is an obligation. They welcome CCers with open arms.

 

To answer the original question...it all depends on the Hotel Director. I have received free dinners in the past and have also not received anything for organizing meet and greets.

 

They have a motive for their behavior and we are both using it right now.

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On NCL Star, they certainly did do special things for the CC group. We had our M&G at Sail Away up in the Biergarten, and the Activities Director on-board was there to greet us. She had us sign a sheet with our names and cabin #s.

 

When I was planning the M&G by email, I was informed if we wanted refreshments, cakes, cookies, etc. it would cost $4.00 pp. We declined. They wanted us to wait until an at sea day but our cruise would have been 3/4 over by that time, so I insisted on 5:00 on Sail Away day. I was informed the crew would be too busy to attend. I said that's okay, the M&G is more for cruisers to meet than officers.

 

We used a Mardi Gras theme and those that wanted to wore masks. I had 65 on the Roll Call, but only 50 showed up to the M&G. Once Anne met with us, she and about 10 other crew members showed up for pictures and chatting. Then out come the servers with coffee cake, pound cake, coffee, tea, and punch. I had made ribbon confetti, we had a great festive sail away.

 

Then as a result of that M&G, some of us were invited to a Bridge Tour, and some of us were invited to dine with the Captain. I was the organizer of the M&G, and I was one of the one's invited to participate in the Bridge Tour and dinner with the Captain (and it just happened to be my birthday). I have no idea if we would have received these perks had we not been CC, but I doubt it. I've been on 7 cruises and this was the first time for these events for me.

 

We also did a gift exchange (small gift from your local area), a slot pull, a cabin crawl with poker draw and a speciality dinner at Cagney's to celebrate 4 birthdays. We had such a great time! With CC activities, our cruise (high winds, rain, rough seas) would have been a disaster, CC & NCL saved the day!

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I don't organize the meet and greets for any type of perks, I do it because I have the time and I enjoy doing the organizing and meeting new people. I've organized 15+ Meet and Greets in the past on NCL, and have quite a few more in the works.

 

NCL does as much, if not more, than other cruise lines as far as the Meet and Greets go. They provide the meeting space, send down some of the top officers to chat, and most of the time provide coffee/juice and snacks.

 

The way I see it, the officers on the ship don't mind doing this and getting the opportunity to meet with the cruisers and get some feedback....and to also encourge the group to let them know of any issues on the ship and handle them on the ship instead of coming back to the internet and posting about the problems and not giving them a chance to correct the issue on the ship.

 

 

Margaret:)

Hi, Margaret! No logo present like RCI did on my last cruise? When we're on the BREAKAWAY, that could be quite a sizable M&G!

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I think it depends on the hotel director and how full the ship is (in particular the suites). I co-organized one in Nov. 2010 on the Pearl. We were quite suprised to be taken from the check-in desk over to VIP check-in. Truthfully I had no idea what was ging on (it was not explained to us why) so I just assumed that we were getting early boarding. Once on-board, we were give the whole VIP shpiel by Carlos Zarate the concierge (Lunch and breakfast at Cagneys, VIP debarkation, etc, etc) . Stupid me went up to him and said, Excuse me sir, I think there has been a mistake, we are not VIPs. He said, Maam, you are our very special guests this week. Do not question it, just enjoy!

It took me a few hours to put 2+2 together and realized that it was because of the M&G (it came to together when I saw the other organizer in Cagneys with us!)

We also got Champagne from the Captain, invited to a special cocktail party that was hosted in the 3 bedroom Garden Villa (wow!), got canapes each night, and VIP debarkation and tendering.

 

I do not think this is the norm at all, but perhaps because we were sailing under capacity (I think the hotel director said we were at 93%).

 

Basically, I would not expect anything but it certainly was a nice surpise!

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Organizing a M & G can be a busy job.

I have had some great organizers of our M & G on NCL cruises.

 

Just curious if NCL (or any other cruise line) provides any perks to those that take on this responsibility (e.g. free dinner at a specialty restaurant or a free spa treatment)?

 

Nope - so don't volunteer unless you actually WANT do do this.

 

You might get something "extra" but you are more likely not to.

We got an invite to the "Officers" dinner but so did other people who attended the M&G - nothing special for me as organizer.

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I was the official organizer on the last three of our Sun voyages, and our one cruise on Star. With the exception of lots of thanks from my fellow cruisers, which wasn't even necessary - I mean all I had to do was send one email and respond to two, I didn't get any perks. I will say that either because of the M&Gs or because of my generally hard to forget presence (six foot seven, more poundage than I care to admit) I did enjoy regular greetings from Pedro the cruise director on each of our Sun trips. If you are only thinking about doing it for some perks, I woudn't....if you want to do it to get to know your fellow cruisers better, then go for it.

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Eleanor,

 

If I'm not being too nosy, what does "no more cruises 4 me" mean? (aside from the obvious). Burned out? :confused:

:)

 

 

In a way, my last cruise on the Star scared the tar out of us. We had bottles and glasses and papers flying all around the cabin. Broken glass all over our beds and the floor, so we couldn't even walk to the bathroom. We weren't tossed out of bed, but it was definitely rocking and rolling. We went on a bridge tour a day later and the 2nd in command, said he was worried whether the ship would hold together, so he slowed her way down until the winds abated.

 

Add to that my last airplane ride from Maui to LAX was 2 hours of pure hell with the worst air turbulence I've ever experienced. People were screaming, crying, puking and praying. Myself included.

 

I have sworn off air travel and cruises for the time being. I will drive myself wherever I want to go, and know that at least I have a little control over what happens. I realize if it's my time to go, it's my time to go, but I'm not going to pay for the privilege of having the wits scared out of me, that's not an enjoyable vacation.

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It is not that I want to do this. That being said, I think that it is probably a " very busy" job and responsibility for someone who takes this on. I was just curious to see if a person was rewarded in some small way by the cruise ship for organizing such a nice event onboard and they should be given a small gift from the group besides just a "thank you."

 

I have two cruises coming up and no one has stepped forward to take on the leadership. Hopefully someone will.

 

On some of my cruises, different people took on different responsibilities and it did not all fall on one person. Different folks organized slot pulls, cabin crawls, gift exchanges, private excursions in the ports and it certainly added to the overall cruise experience and getting to know others on the roll call.

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I organized our M&G on the Star, and as others mentioned we did not have any perks or special offers. The group was offered a bridge tour, which was absolutely fantastic. I didn't expect any perks for organizing the M&G as we were sailing at a high peak time. It was nice that all the CC'ers recognized my family and would say hi whenever we met...I wouldn't have remembered everyone since I was sick the whole time :o

I would offer to do it again without hesitation. It isn't that much work, count up the number of people on the roll call, make a few emails to NCL, bring some name tags and off you go!

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Absolutley up to the Hotel Director. I've done 3 and the first more than I ever possible (more than I could list) second champagne, VIP tender tickets, plate of chocolates at night, 3rd Thank you and plate of chocolates at night.

 

That first one on the Jewel was really special, just because of all the little unexpected gifts and treats.

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Have been the organizer for a few M&G inclusive of slot pulls and cabin crawls and received no perks. However, it is true that you are greeted all week long by name but so are all of the other CC members that attend. Being invited for bridge tour/captain dinner has been extended to many CC members regardless of their being the actuall organizer or attendee, in my past experiences.

 

The last M&G I was organizing one of the CC members asked if she could do it because she was hoping there would be some special perks that come along with it and felt that since I was already in a suite that perhaps I would not mind turning it over so I did. There was no pot of gold at the end of her rainbow though.

 

I always volunteer to be the organizer as it is something I enjoy doing, but if you want to do it simply to receive something in return I would caution you against it.

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It was an honor to do it. Hosted my first CC M&G. Already in a suite. No biggie. Brought a gift for each attendee and had several door prizes as well. I am a "giver" so I loved it.

 

And the staff was very nice. We also had several chats with CD Pedro... Nice guy!

Edited by DMH15
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I agree with other posters. It is worth doing to meet others on board, but don't do it for any possible perks.

 

It is very easy to keep a list of attendees and send an email to NCL and buy name tags and pens. I did this for our Hawaii cruise in December and was thrilled with the great turn out we had - both cruise critic cruisers and NCL officers. The on ship coordinator handled the free beverages - which included mai tais - and cookies and put us in a nice venue.

 

The officers did a nice job talking with guests and didn't seem put out or obliged at all. But I do think it is in their best interest to be visible. The coordinator did make a list of cruisers and cabin numbers and contacted many I believe.

 

I didn't receive any special tours, champagne or flowers, but that was ok, I was on vacation on a port intensive cruise. I don't know that I'll volunteer again, but I will definitely attend a meet and greet if NCL agrees to set one up.

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Absolutely agree that it all depends upon the Hotel Director. The first M&G we coordinated was aboard Jewel when Armando Da Silva was the HD. This was a big M&G, with over a hundred in attendance, and we put a lot of work into it. We never expected anything in return--we just wanted to make sure our group had a great time. However, Armando said we were VIPs, invited us to dinner with the Captain and a cocktail party in the GVs. He also provided concierge service. He checked with us every day to see how the group was doing and if we needed anything. Both he and the captain mentioned how seriously NCL viewed CC and how much they valued our input. The entire ship's staff, including the captain, was at our M&G, which lasted well over an hour.

 

We also hosted a M&G aboard Jewel. We were already in a suite, so I don't know if we would have been offered any additional perks. Again, we didn't do it for the perks. I just hate being part of pathetic roll call. Nevertheless, HD John O'Hara bent over backwards to accommodate our roll call. The entire ship's staff was at this M&G, too, and we had nearly a hundred in attendance. The captain even gave us a bridge tour. Mr. O'Hara stopped by everyday, just to ask how the group was doing and if there was anything he could be doing better.

 

If you're volunteering with the expectation of receiving extra perks, you're doing it for the wrong reason. It's just a nice bennie if you do get some.

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