Need help from dmwnc1959

[alexmom]

You attached photos of the Royal to your posts but neither my husband nor I can figure out how to do it.

 

I'm on the Royal March 30th in L103. I want to share this wonderful Capt Jack Sparrow view on sail aways from all 4 ports and post a jpg of the balcony for people on my roll call so they will want to come share it.

 

Can you talk me through it?

 

I'm also organizing the meet & greet. I've made signup sheets for a cabin crawl, slot pull, ping pong, card games, pub lunch and MUTS night (Gravity).

 

I found out what a slot pull is and what I need to do for it but can you talk me through a cabin crawl? I've done art crawls where you go from studio to studio with a map and the artists bio. I don't see how a map will be possible since signup will be at the M&G.

 

Do you have any tips to share on the M&G ? I've never been to one and now I'm "organizing" one (LOL). I'm printing name labels and working on some sort of pictorial stickers for people to let others know their interests on a ribbon hanging from their name tag. Too much ?

 

Thanks, Dave !

[dmwnc1959]

I guess the first question I have is this: what will you be taking your pictures with (point and shoot camera, iPhone, other?), and what sharing network will you be downloading them to (I use Flickr). This will help determine the steps for posting them on Cruise Critic, but as a warning I'm only familiar with Flickr.

 

The cabin crawl is easy enough. Have everyone interested in volunteering their cabins for 'show' sign up ahead of time. Have them email you the information that they may not be will to share publicly. You can use your own email address or establish a short-term email address on hotmail for this cruise only. That's what I did.

 

I've always recommended doing the Cabin Crawl on the same morning (day) as your M&G. For my past two Eastern Caribbean cruises I also recommended doing it before the M&G, that way you're not taking up anyone's valuable 'deck time' in the afternoon or trying to get eveyone together for a second time in that same week. It just seemed easier to do everything on that one day.

 

Now for the actual cabin crawl, I found it best to get a list of all the cabins being visited, and once you've determined an initial gathering place (topside at the Trident Grill for instance) work your way from the highest deck forward, and in a zigzag pattern, going down from front to back until you end up at the meeting place for your M&G, where you'll meet up with everyone else. Try to use only one or two of the same types of cabins, and try to keep them as centrally located as possible so that you're not running everyone ragged. Allow at least an hour for the Cabin Crawl, and try to coordinate the ending of the cabin crawl with the beginning of the M&G time.

 

This last cruise that I did on Royal Princes was the first time I had ever organized a M&G. Pretty much all I did was print out the nametags, have them all available on the tables as people entered, and once I greeted everyone pretty much let everyone mingle around. If you're wanting to invite ships officers or entertainment staff you can hand write out invitations and drop them off at the customer service desk on the very first day. If anyone wants to on your Roll Call you can also do a small gift exchange or have door prizes.

 

Here's the info I was given for the fax number of the coordinator for the M&G. You'll need to email her the total number of people that you're expecting. You can also request that a bartender be available for the one hour that you have that venue and people can buy their own drinks.

 

"To set up the actual meet and greet you can email your request not more than 90 days prior to sailing to: Stacey Anderson - (Royal, Dawn & Sun) sanderson@princesscruises.com 661-284-4333.

 

 

A sample email to Stacey might look like this:

 

Dear Stacey Anderson,

 

My name is xxxxx, and I would like to set up a Meet and Greet for our Cruise Critic group on the 12/1/2013 sailing on the Royal Princess as follows:

 

Preferred Venue: Club 6

Preferred Time: 10am

Estimated attendance: xxx

Requesting Dry Snacks & Cash bar

 

My booking number is 123456

 

Please let me know if you need any more info to set this meeting up. I look forward to hearing from you.

 

Thank you, Your Name

 

 

Princess will e-mail you back with alternatives to your request if there is a conflict of venue/date/time."

 

Hope this helps so far.

 

Anyone else with tips and advice please feel free to chime in. I'm working a 12hr shift and will be back around 7pm tonight when I get back on shift.

 

:D

Edited March 17, 2014 by dmwnc1959

[gnatz007]

I could never figure out how to post my pictures inline with flikr... whats the secret there?

[JF - retired RRT]

FYI: for any "future" M&G when you have a good lead time...set up a Google docs spreadsheet for sign-up. Post the link and let everyone on your roll call fill in their own info/preferences. Topics on the spreadsheet could include: the M&G, gift exchange, cabin crawl, slot pull or whatever.

All the organizing is done for you and all you have to do is bring the name tags (and ask Princess for a room).;)

[Pam in CA]

FYI, I organized our M&G on the Sapphire a couple of weeks ago (not by choice) and bought nice invitations at Staples. When I boarded, I used the first day's Patter to write an invitation to everyone on the list of officers. We got a really good turn-out with the Maitre d', Hotel Manager, and several others. The Hotel Manager was waving the invitation as she came in. It seemed to make a difference.

[alexmom]

I guess the first question I have is this: what will you be taking your pictures with (point and shoot camera, iPhone, other?), and what sharing network will you be downloading them to (I use Flickr). This will help determine the steps for posting them on Cruise Critic, but as a warning I'm only familiar with Flickr.

 

The cabin crawl is easy enough. Have everyone interested in volunteering their cabins for 'show' sign up ahead of time. Have them email you the information that they may not be will to share publicly. You can use your own email address or establish a short-term email address on hotmail for this cruise only. That's what I did.

 

I've always recommended doing the Cabin Crawl on the same morning (day) as your M&G. For my past two Eastern Caribbean cruises I also recommended doing it before the M&G, that way you're not taking up anyone's valuable 'deck time' in the afternoon or trying to get eveyone together for a second time in that same week. It just seemed easier to do everything on that one day.

 

Now for the actual cabin crawl, I found it best to get a list of all the cabins being visited, and once you've determined an initial gathering place (topside at the Trident Grill for instance) work your way from the highest deck forward, and in a zigzag pattern, going down from front to back until you end up at the meeting place for your M&G, where you'll meet up with everyone else. Try to use only one or two of the same types of cabins, and try to keep them as centrally located as possible so that you're not running everyone ragged. Allow at least an hour for the Cabin Crawl, and try to coordinate the ending of the cabin crawl with the beginning of the M&G time.

 

This last cruise that I did on Royal Princes was the first time I had ever organized a M&G. Pretty much all I did was print out the nametags, have them all available on the tables as people entered, and once I greeted everyone pretty much let everyone mingle around. If you're wanting to invite ships officers or entertainment staff you can hand write out invitations and drop them off at the customer service desk on the very first day. If anyone wants to on your Roll Call you can also do a small gift exchange or have door prizes.

 

Here's the info I was given for the fax number of the coordinator for the M&G. You'll need to email her the total number of people that you're expecting. You can also request that a bartender be available for the one hour that you have that venue and people can buy their own drinks.

 

"To set up the actual meet and greet you can email your request not more than 90 days prior to sailing to: Stacey Anderson - (Royal, Dawn & Sun) sanderson@princesscruises.com 661-284-4333.

 

 

A sample email to Stacey might look like this:

 

Dear Stacey Anderson,

 

My name is xxxxx, and I would like to set up a Meet and Greet for our Cruise Critic group on the 12/1/2013 sailing on the Royal Princess as follows:

 

Preferred Venue: Club 6

Preferred Time: 10am

Estimated attendance: xxx

Requesting Dry Snacks & Cash bar

 

My booking number is 123456

 

Please let me know if you need any more info to set this meeting up. I look forward to hearing from you.

 

Thank you, Your Name

 

 

Princess will e-mail you back with alternatives to your request if there is a conflict of venue/date/time."

 

Hope this helps so far.

 

Anyone else with tips and advice please feel free to chime in. I'm working a 12hr shift and will be back around 7pm tonight when I get back on shift.

 

:D

 

WOW, thanks for being so FAST !! The photo I want to include in my post is one from one of yours! It's an aerial shot of the Princess from the front and gives an amazing view of the Marina and Lido balconies right above the bridge.

 

I've been so blessed to get that amazing balcony for less than $25 more than we were paying for a sideways inside. I want to share the experience with the people on my roll call by having them come to our balcony for sail aways from all 4 ports. It will be like "I'm king of the world" from Titanic or like being at the wheel of the Black Pearl. I want to share the drama and the view, and I think the photo I pulled is perfect. I have it as a jpg and can't figure out how to include it in my roll call post. My husband couldn't either and he makes his living using a computer ! Me, not so much.

 

I already contacted Stacy and set up a time but I only told her 35 people (I fudged the number) and as of this morning we're at 37. It was a very quiet roll call for a long time but now everyone is coming forward and I couldn't be happier!

 

I really appreciate the info on the slot pull (I've never even been in a casino or bought a lottery ticket or scratch off but slots are on my bucket list!) Do I need to arrange the slot pull with Princess before we board or can I do it after boarding? I'd have to fudge a number for players. I only had 17 signed up for M&G when I called Stacy 2 weeks ago and now I have 37 !

 

I will hand write invites to officers and staff. I hope they come. More than half of the people signed up for the M&G are either new cruisers or new to Princess. It would definitely be a win for Princess to have a representative there!

 

One of the reasons we have such a keen interest in a cabin crawl is because so many of us are totally unfamiliar with Princess, including their different cabin types. I think I would like to do it after the M&G, maybe even a day after. I'm concerned with "taking over" their vacation time when what I'm trying to do is facilitate the social interaction of a bunch of strangers so people feel included and comfortable, not pushed. The one thing I heard over and over again was that those who had cruised at least once before had trouble connecting with others and spent their time by themselves. Unless you bring other couples or family with you, this is what people on our roll call reported. They still love cruising but, if at all possible, I would like this cruise to be different for them.

 

I chose the time for the M&G to end at 11:30 so maybe people could go do lunch together. I'm working on a sticker system for the name tags that will highlight a persons interests to make the process of getting to know about a shipmate a little easier and quicker.

 

Thank you so much, Dave for sharing your knowledge and also your encouragement. You are such a positive person !

[alexmom]

I could never figure out how to post my pictures inline with flikr... whats the secret there?

 

Honestly, I don't know flikr from a hole in the ground, but I'll bet Dave does !!

[alexmom]

FYI: for any "future" M&G when you have a good lead time...set up a Google docs spreadsheet for sign-up. Post the link and let everyone on your roll call fill in their own info/preferences. Topics on the spreadsheet could include: the M&G, gift exchange, cabin crawl, slot pull or whatever.

All the organizing is done for you and all you have to do is bring the name tags (and ask Princess for a room).;)

 

Yup, I just took notes on whatever people posted on the roll call with a pen and notepad. I'm so 15th century. My techie geek husband just shakes his head and rolls his eyes !! It isn't that I refuse to learn or am afraid of technology, I just do whatever is fastest for me at the moment ! And frankly, after writing information I can more easily recall the information, which is why I will remember names, who has an anniversary and where they're from. He will not. (Luddite 1, Geek 0) and of course I'm jk about the luddite and the zero !

 

By the way, does the RR in the retired RRT stand for railroad?? We love railroads and travel Amtrak when we can !

[ar1950]

WOW, thanks for being so FAST !! The photo I want to include in my post is one from one of yours! It's an aerial shot of the Princess from the front and gives an amazing view of the Marina and Lido balconies right above the bridge.

 

 

Just find the picture on Dave's thread, right click and choose "copy image" then in the composition window for your new post right click and click on "paste". That is what I did for the picture below. Hope that helps. :cool:

 

[dmwnc1959]

Hi Axelmom,

 

I'm still working on the 'posting pictures' part from Flickr and will have that to you by time the sun comes up. ;)

 

I've never organized or participated in a Slot Pull, so hopefully someone can chime in and give you details.

 

Sounds like you have a GREAT cabin, and I look forward to your pictures!!!

 

As for the M&G, ours was scheduled for the first full sea day, which is the day after Princess Cays. After it was over several of us headed over to the Pub Lunch and got a large table for 12. It was a lot of fun.

 

Now, if your wanting to post a picture already on Cruise Critic, what you can do if you are using a computer with a mouse is 'Right Click' on that image and then select 'Copy image URL'. Once that's done go to the thread you're wanting to post it on and type in this code exactly as it's written:

 

 

with no spaces or gaps between the codes and the URL. Don't forget to mention where the picture came from or give credit to the owner of the picture.

 

If you're using something like an iPhone or tablet just find the post the image you are wanting to copy is in, hit the QUOTE function and when the next window pops up, cut and paste the entire IMG code along with the picture URL. To cut and paste it, when the IMG/URL shows in the 'quote window' highlight it with your mouse, Right Click with your mouse, and select COPY. Then go to the thread you are wanting to post it in and Right Click your mouse again, then select PASTE.

 

Hope this isn't too confusing!

 

More later...

 

;)

Edited March 17, 2014 by dmwnc1959

[dmwnc1959]

Just find the picture on Dave's thread, right click and choose "copy image" then in the composition window for your new post right click and click on "paste". That is what I did for the picture below. Hope that helps. :cool:

 

 

That sounds like an easier way that I've been doing it!!!

[alexmom]

FYI, I organized our M&G on the Sapphire a couple of weeks ago (not by choice) and bought nice invitations at Staples. When I boarded, I used the first day's Patter to write an invitation to everyone on the list of officers. We got a really good turn-out with the Maitre d', Hotel Manager, and several others. The Hotel Manager was waving the invitation as she came in. It seemed to make a difference.

 

Thank you for this tip ! I was wondering who to call for the list of officers but this works better. Our M&G isn't until our first sea day so sending the invites the first day will give plenty of time.

 

I really hope someone shows up from Princess. I was telling Dave that more than half of our role call is either new to cruising, new to Princess, or both !

 

Thank you so much for responding. I actually look forward to reading your posts on other threads ! I still can't get over the shawl you crocheted !!

[ar1950]

That sounds like an easier way that I've been doing it!!!

 

Being the lazy type I always look for the simplest method. As long as you leave the original image where it is the image someone else (like me) posted will be in the new posting. :cool:

[dmwnc1959]

Being the lazy type I always look for the simplest method. As long as you leave the original image where it is the image someone else (like me) posted will be in the new posting. :cool:

 

I've always been told I do things the hard way! Must be from all those years in the Navy! lol :D

[dmwnc1959]

Posting pictures from Flickr:

 

Using a laptop -

Once you've downloaded your pictures to Flickr select the image you are wanting to post by double clicking on it. It will now open in a 'black box' with several small icons in the lower right corner of the black box. At this point you have two options on how to transfer the image.

 

Option 1:

Look for the icon in the lower right-hand corner of the black box that looks like a 'box with an arrow coming out of it' and click on it. A new dialog box will pop up. Select the Tab that says 'Grab the HTML/BB Code'. In the 'sizes' drop down list select a size around '800x600' and the option 'BB Code'. Now, in the top dialog box just above the 'drop down sizes', right click in the dialog box and copy the entire code. That is what you will paste in the post on Cruise Critic. There's an additional hint about Option 1, but only after Option 2 is described.

 

Option 2:

After you've double clicked on the image you want to post and the black box pops up with your picture, look for the icon in the lower right-hand corner of the black box that looks like 'three dots'. Select it then select 'View all sizes'. Select the size you are wanting to post (800x600 is a nice size) and click on it. See if this is about the correct size you are wanting. Now, right click on the image itself and select 'Copy image URL'. Go back to the post you are wanting the image to be seen in and type in with no spaces or gaps, and then check to see if it posted correctly by choosing Preview Post.

 

If you are using an iPhone the steps are pretty much all the same, just that you're dealing with a much smaller screen, but it can still be done. That's the way I did all of the LIVE thread pictures, using the above Option 1.

 

One thing I did different was that when you do use Option 1, it will also post a link back to Flickr for that image as well a link to your Flickr Profile Page. This can be eliminated by 'erasing' the second half of the text you've cut and paste from the dialog box. To do this, look at the entire text that you've copied, then working backwards erase everything from the final word in the text (Flickr) all the way back to when you see [/img][/url] but don't erase that part, as shown in the highlighted part here:

 

Erase the highlighted part shown

 

 

I hope this is not too confusing, and if anyone knows an easier way to post pictures from Flickr please let me know!

 

:D

Edited March 18, 2014 by dmwnc1959

[alexmom]

We finally got the photo attached but we did it your way, Dave. The easy way just didn't work. It just pasted the line of letters and stuff but no picture. Al thinks it might have something to do with our having an Apple computer.

 

Thank you again for your help ! Now that people know what a slot pull involves, I have 2 more sign ups this morning !

 

You're the best, Dave !

[caribill]

The photo I want to include in my post is an aerial shot of the Princess from the front and gives an amazing view of the Marina and Lido balconies right above the bridge.

 

 

I'd like to see that photo. Can you point to where it is on one of Dave's threads?

[ar1950]

I'd like to see that photo. Can you point to where it is on one of Dave's threads?

 

Check it out on her roll call:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1830733&page=16

 

Or here it is:

 

[caribill]

Check it out on her roll call:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1830733&page=16

 

Or here it is:

 

 

Thanks

[dmwnc1959]

We finally got the photo attached....

 

Glad it worked out!!! Looking forward to all of your pictures! :D

[Julia’s Journey’s]

FYI, I organized our M&G on the Sapphire a couple of weeks ago (not by choice) and bought nice invitations at Staples. When I boarded, I used the first day's Patter to write an invitation to everyone on the list of officers. We got a really good turn-out with the Maitre d', Hotel Manager, and several others. The Hotel Manager was waving the invitation as she came in. It seemed to make a difference.

 

 

Princess emailed the list of officers to us and I did invites before I left home personalized and after lunch in the MDR we dropped them at the PD and

all the staff showed except the CD.

The captain stayed till the end of the M&G chatting. Personalized invites makes a big difference ;)

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk - Oy, excuse the auto correct ;)