Why would I go to a Meet&Mingle?

[ryano]

I went last year on Allure and met some fun people. This year I have been the cheerleader for our med roll call and am hoping it's the first day so people show up. Like you said you can always leave if it's not your thing.

 

Not to hijack your thread but I have been thinking of cruising solo as I will soon be an empty nester. How do you do it? Hunt for deals or just pay the full supplement? Any thoughts on getting started would be appreciated.

 

And it sounds like you will have a great time. Happy Cruising!

 

If you are a C&A member you will get an email about the Tuesday sales on Monday usually and alot of those sales have great single supplements :)

[SamFritz]

I met "The Amazing Aquahound":p at a meet and mingle! That's plenty of reason to keep going back!

[newlifeca]

The meet and mingle as an "event" was pretty hum drum for us. But if you're active on the discussion boards and make friends on the roll call, it's can be fun to put names with a face. At our last meet and mingle, people were collaborating on shore excursions and did some of the port trips together

[mn_isla_girl]

Not to hijack your thread but I have been thinking of cruising solo as I will soon be an empty nester. How do you do it? Hunt for deals or just pay the full supplement? Any thoughts on getting started would be appreciated.

 

I travel by myself often, mostly Caribbean and Central America. You start to get a comfort level, and it can be pretty thrilling! I'm going to Costa Rica for fourteen days in July, but this will be my first solo cruise. I've cruised before so I know it'll be fine.

I just get used to paying double occupancy I guess. Hotels are the same, you pay for 2 even if you are only 1. Cruising is still very affordable even for solo's, book early and of course I book a cheap room. I'm paying about the same for a weeklong cruise + flight to Puerto Rico + 1 night pre-cruise hotel as I paid a few months ago for an all-inclusive in Dominican Republic for a week. I'm always shopping, looking, comparing prices for me it's fun. When my kids see me with the laptop they comment 'mom is doing her travel porn again', Ha ha.

[mn_isla_girl]

I met "The Amazing Aquahound":p at a meet and mingle!

 

Alright I'll bite, what or who the heck is 'The Amzing Aquahound'?

[hazeleyez3]

Stopped going to M&M's a long time ago. While some are ok we found that many roll calls develop into cliques and the M&M's are the same way. Not the way I want to spend my time.

 

 

We went to one, and that was enough for us.

 

It was the experience that Puffinater talks about. There were multiple cliques, so trying to strike up a conversation with people was not that easy.

[BillOh]

Trying to figure out if it's for me or not. Free hors d'oeuvres just isn't enough to convince me. :confused:

The roll-call thread for my sailing shows ALL couples, I'm cruising solo, will I be out of place?

 

I've been to 4 of these and a couple of un-official ones for 4-5 day cruises. They vary greatly based on the people in them. My Freedom group was great and it really added to the cruise in many ways, including friends we keep in touch with today. My last Allure group was just ok. I have a guess from your post, your less than enamored with this group, so let your instincts guide you, or show up and bolt if needed.

[BillOh]

If your roll call has an informal gathering planned for embarkation day at a bar, those are much better IMO.

 

 

Good point and that might be a good indication how the M&M might go.

[BillOh]

Oh yeah... I remember that name from over there. :) Haven't been back to the Carnival forums ever since I discovered CC.

 

I agree completely, you'll have a good time meeting others on the cruise and should go even if they are all couples.

 

 

Even worse, there might be a lot of Ohians.

[BillOh]

Not to hijack your thread but I have been thinking of cruising solo as I will soon be an empty nester. How do you do it? Hunt for deals or just pay the full supplement? Any thoughts on getting started would be appreciated.

 

And it sounds like you will have a great time. Happy Cruising!

 

One of the rumors about sunshine class, FWIW is a few single cabin spaces.

[powellzk]

When my kids see me with the laptop they comment 'mom is doing her travel porn again', Ha ha.

 

 

That is too funny:D:D thanks for the info.

 

If you are a C&A member you will get an email about the Tuesday sales on Monday usually and alot of those sales have great single supplements :)

 

That's good to know Ryan, thanks.

[ryano]

Alright I'll bite, what or who the heck is 'The Amzing Aquahound'?

 

A longtime poster here and an all around great guy :)

 

Read this amazing story and thread

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=3906

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1209894&page=19

[SamFritz]

Alright I'll bite, what or who the heck is 'The Amzing Aquahound'?

 

Aquahound (AKA Paul) is a frequent poster here on CruiseCritic. He and his much better looking wife, Tina, make a delightful pair. Though we've only cruised with them once, we've stayed in contact through Facebook and CC. He is a very knowledgable and experienced cruiser who lives in Key West and invites all Royal Caribbean Cruisers to stop by his house when their ship calls there.:D

[mn_isla_girl]

and invites all Royal Caribbean Cruisers to stop by his house when their ship calls there.:D

 

Oh how sweet.....or creepy??? Well no wonder he's a legend...:)

[BillOh]

Oh how sweet.....or creepy??? Well no wonder he's a legend...:)

 

Probably sweet. If you ask any questions in the Keywest forum, you get great, helpful answers, and I didn't even know his wife was good looking!

[printingchick]

And if you get a little "I Attended a Meet & Mingle" refrigerator magnet, don't throw it in your bag next to your Sea Pass card. It de-activates the magnetic strip and you have to get a new card!! Yup...learned the hard way!!

[vickiw0318]

DH isn't a Cruise Critic. Although I register him, he rarely goes. One hint - if you do go, don't plop into a chair and sit there. I've seen that at several M&Ms. Get up and go round and introduce yourself.

[BillOh]

DH isn't a Cruise Critic. Although I register him, he rarely goes. One hint - if you do go, don't plop into a chair and sit there. I've seen that at several M&Ms. Get up and go round and introduce yourself.

 

Yea seek out people you recognize either from talking with them on a forum for 400 days or from their face in their avatar ;)

[johneeo]

Here is another reason to go: You could meet someone like me.:D

 

And here is a reason you might NOT want to go: You could meet someone like me.:eek:

[BrianAlt]

Here is another reason to go: You could meet someone like me.:D

 

And here is a reason you might NOT want to go: You could meet someone like me.:eek:

 

Exactly!

[Daghis]

One hint - if you do go, don't plop into a chair and sit there. I've seen that at several M&Ms. Get up and go round and introduce yourself.

I must admit that's what I tend to do. I tend to be a bit more active on the forum; in person, I'm less social. I'll gladly talk to people who come over to me, but I'm not as good as going up to others whom I don't know and initiating a conversation.

 

Still, I definitely look forward to the Meet & Mingle on each cruise and usually drag others with me. :)

[constantcruiser]

Puffinater, your comment about roll calls becoming cliques interested me. For the first time in MANY roll calls, that's exactly what has happened to our current one for Celebrity Eclipse. It's for a 14-night cruise, and someone actually started the roll call almost 2 1/2 years before the sail date! It quickly became very active and now has nearly 100 pages of posts although the cruise is still 9 months away. However, of those 100 pages, I'd guess that 75 are just personal comments between folks who have sailed together multiple times. Any posts from "outsiders" are generally ignored. Needless to say, I rarely read the roll call anymore and have no plans to attend the sailaway party or M&M.

 

I'm guess I'm glad to hear this has happened to others...I was beginning to think it was something I said!

[Puffinater]

Puffinater, your comment about roll calls becoming cliques interested me. For the first time in MANY roll calls, that's exactly what has happened to our current one for Celebrity Eclipse. It's for a 14-night cruise, and someone actually started the roll call almost 2 1/2 years before the sail date! It quickly became very active and now has nearly 100 pages of posts although the cruise is still 9 months away. However, of those 100 pages, I'd guess that 75 are just personal comments between folks who have sailed together multiple times. Any posts from "outsiders" are generally ignored. Needless to say, I rarely read the roll call anymore and have no plans to attend the sailaway party or M&M.

 

I'm guess I'm glad to hear this has happened to others...I was beginning to think it was something I said!

 

I would say it happens more often than most want to admit. I do read some of the rolls for the cruises we go on but rarely participate. One thing I was happy to see is CC not allowing roll call posting about groups doing on their group stuff on facebook.

[mn_isla_girl]

Here is another reason to go: You could meet someone like me.:D

 

And here is a reason you might NOT want to go: You could meet someone like me.:eek:

 

Ha ha, that's cute.

[sunshine002]

I have been to two M & M one was a 7 day cruise and the other was a TA.

 

Each one had its own character, the first one was a small group with an assist cruise director there.

 

On the TA there was a very large group (seemed like several hundred), it was held in a large lounge which was still now large enough. It was hard to meet others due to the crowd. But they did have some great morning cocktails :) as you walked in as well has some danish.