How to Kill a Roll Call

[Jade13]

The worst is the personal information, including people describing their medical issues and doctors visits, TMI.

 

I actually don't agree with the quoting. I prefer people quote at least part of the conversation or question they are responding to, otherwise it gets confusing and we see others thinking someone is respondong to them when they are not. Plus, if not quoting what and to whom they are responding to, (and if it interests me such as regarding touring options), I find myself having to go back and try to figure out who or what is being referenced. One of the best examples is when someone says "Yes, I will join that tour" without quoting where, what or to whom they are responding to.

[north29]

We also have had good and bad experiences, mostly bad.

Thanks for starting this thread. However I doubt that it will chandelier any thing. Too bad there are not some moderators for the roll calls to keep them on the purpose.

[Ma Bell]

It seems as though everyone is annoyed by something. Just as each person is different so is each cruise and roll call. Most people mean well. It's simple, if you don't like it don't participate. Any new cruiser reading this thread would be afraid to make a peep.:eek:

[Jade13]

Add hijacking of the roll call by a self appointed organizer who then demands a sign up with real names and cabin numbers. .

 

I am not comfortable with that as well.

 

Of course if taking tours with others, we share this information outside of the roll call.

[Ma Bell]

We also have had good and bad experiences, mostly bad.

Thanks for starting this thread. However I doubt that it will chandelier any thing. Too bad there are not some moderators for the roll calls to keep them on the purpose.

 

Your purpose may not be the same as others', just skip over what doesn't interest you.

[Jade13]

Kill: A person who often starts or takes over the roll call and 'manages' everyone, making lists and planning excursions, then, suddenly cancels their cruise.

 

.

 

Or, those who want their personal lists to include others private excursions (including full names of the participants and tour company and contact person) that do not even involve them....

Edited July 8, 2014 by Jade13

[tserface]

I'm not bothered by any of this stuff. I figure a roll call is a great place to get to know people before the cruise and if there is someone who knows someone and wants to reconnect I don't see a problem with that. I also know from being online a long time that there will be some people who have more time to participate and who are more wordy or more organizational or... I've never seen any of this abused.

 

I'm not a fan of people selling stuff, but I'm so used to seeing adds popping up all over Cruise Critic that I don't let that bother me much either. To be fair, I've never seen it done on any of the roll calls I've participated in.

 

I find it easy enough to just read the posts I think might be interesting and skip the ones that look like personal conversations. I also feel welcome, most of the time, to interject on personal conversations if I have something to add. I figure if someone posts in public they are probably wanting public participation.

 

OK, I do know one thing that bugs me a little. Roll call police. The ones who say "roll calls are not for [insert here]" and try to restrict what happens. If you don't like what's happening you can ignore it.

 

Tom

[Artemis]

This is an interesting thread! I agree with a lot of the kills...and I also agree with the thought that our critique won't change anything! But I'll add my #1 pet peeve:

 

Kill: That early-booking poster who contributes a near-daily "Dear Diary," yielding a thread consisting of so many pages of inane drivel that reading through it on joining and trying to stay current while reserching and planning is an off-putting time suck for anyone who had hoped the Roll Call would actually serve as a valuable resource of helpful information and tips.

 

 

 

 

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[richsea]

It's pretty obvious from reading this thread that different aspects of roll call threads affect people in different ways, & everyone thinks that what THEY enjoy should be included, & THEY don't like should not be talked about.

Isn't it easy to just skip over what annoys you & read what you are interested in? In roll calls, participate in what you want, & just ignore what you don't. Aren't the roll call for ALL passengers who want to participate?

[LetsGetWet!]

With some very long signatures, having posted once, why is it necessary to keep adding your signature in a roll call?

I believe that the only option an individual has with their signature is to turn it on or off globally. There's no way I'm aware of to decide on a post-by-post basis whether to have it included or not.

 

On the other hand, there IS a way you can turn off ALL signatures in your forum display if you'd rather not see them.

 

Personally, I've tried hard to hit a happy medium with my signature - listing only the most recent previous cruise with the booked upcoming ones.

[wwcruisers]

The best example I can come up with for a GREAT roll-call was last February 15th's Century to the Caribbean -- Orator will remember this one :p. It was a truly unique roll-call -- lot of old-time CC'er's on it. Many were sentimental about Century, whose days already appeared to be numbered.

 

Two interesting dynamics were at work, there:

 

First, as word spread about the newly-offered (and unusual) Caribbean itineraries, Century filled up fast! Prices skyrocketed, and there was all sorts of angst about TA's, reservations, etc. :eek: At the same time, the roll-call thread grew to Trans-Atlantic proportions, in just a few weeks.

 

Thanks to the calm guidance of Lois R, who started the thread, it turned out to be one of the best roll-call threads I've ever seen. People volunteered to do various things, like keeping lists and charts (no easy task, with that many participants). But nobody tried to "take over", or insist that the participants do anything they didn't want to do.

 

Lots of information on ports and shore excursions was exchanged -- as well as the usual topics of pre-cruise transportation and hotels. It was a port-intensive cruise, so no time for cabin crawls, slot pulls, etc. But, both our official connections party, and our unofficial sail-away get-together were well attended. And, yes, the thread did contain some chat about some non-cruise related topics -- it WAS football season, after all! ;)

 

Sadly, we ultimately ended up with so many posts that the thread had to be locked (due to its size), right after we returned from the cruise. :( But for me, that one will always be the "Gold Standard" for roll-calls!

Edited July 8, 2014 by wwcruisers

[Orator]

The best example I can come up with for a GREAT roll-call was last February 15th's Century to the Caribbean -- Orator will remember this one :p. It was a truly unique roll-call -- lot of old-time CC'er's on it. Many were sentimental about Century, whose days already appeared to be numbered.

 

Two interesting dynamics were at work, there:

 

First, as word spread about the newly-offered (and unusual) Caribbean itineraries, Century filled up fast! Prices skyrocketed, and there was all sorts of angst about TA's, reservations, etc. :eek: At the same time, the roll-call thread grew to Trans-Atlantic proportions, in just a few weeks.

 

Thanks to the calm guidance of Lois R, who started the thread, it turned out to be one of the best roll-call threads I've ever seen. People volunteered to do various things, like keeping lists and charts (no easy task, with that many participants). But nobody tried to "take over", or insist that the participants do anything they didn't want to do.

 

Lots of information on ports and shore excursions was exchanged -- as well as the usual topics of pre-cruise transportation and hotels. It was a port-intensive cruise, so no time for cabin crawls, slot pulls, etc. But, both our official connections party, and our unofficial sail-away get-together were well attended. And, yes, the thread did contain some chat about some non-cruise related topics -- it WAS football season, after all! ;)

 

Sadly, we ultimately ended up with so many posts that the thread had to be locked (due to its size), right after we returned from the cruise. :( But for me, that one will always be the "Gold Standard" for roll-calls!

 

That's the one I was referencing. The cruise was even better. In the end it's all about the people you meet along the way.

[DiamondSuiteCruiser]

Kill: groups of people that have cruised together in the past that totally dominate the roll call and ignore those outside the "clique"

 

THUMBS UP - LIKE!

This happen a lot. Those that know each other from past cruises take over the roll call and make everyone else feel alienated, then I lose interest and don't even want to try and befriend anyone.

[Bryce1962]

Gripe from a newbie... DH, DW, OP, TA, and many more. It took me a while to understand the codes that are used, it's like a secret society. We are not texting and limited for space. What's wrong with writing "my husband" or "my wife".

 

Also what does "OP" stand for... Please. 😃

 

 

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[simon stingray]

Also what does "OP" stand for... Please.

 

 

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Original poster.

[Bryce1962]

Thank you😄

 

 

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[ORV]

I believe that the only option an individual has with their signature is to turn it on or off globally. There's no way I'm aware of to decide on a post-by-post basis whether to have it included or not.

 

Actually you can, as I get ready to post this if you go to the line below Submit Reply and uncheck, Show Your Signature, then it won't show on that specific post.

Edited July 8, 2014 by ORV

[bbappel]

Orator: The function of a Roll Call to me is to help people to enhance their cruising experience by introducing fellow cruisers and providing useful information. A roll call is good to the extent that it does that, bad to the extent it doesn't. ...

 

Orator: Thanks for starting this; I almost didn’t read it because it seemed it would be negative. To answer one question, though, most people don’t share full names on the Roll Call – I don’t – so it is unlikely someone would be able to find me if I didn’t give them my cabin number. Most of us have shared our cabin numbers off line so that we can get together onboard ship if we wish.

I’m probably being sensitive because I am a roll call “organizer” of private roll call information – not instead of the open roll call, but to augment it. I do this to share the information I am gathering for the trip, but don’t want out in the world of google, but still want to share (you do know that every post can be found by google, right?).

 

My introduction to this concept was on the Equinox when we were traveling without friends. It turned out to be quite helpful. Stacy had requested photos, cabin numbers, and kept track of everyone’s tours. Although we had booked ship excursions exclusively, it was quite interesting to see what others planned; the photos helped me recognize people so we felt like we “knew” them ahead of time; and they organized a pre-trip get-together. For our next cruise, Silhouette Adriatic, I decided to try my hand at it since it uses expertise I already had. That Roll Call was very supportive, and along with the roll call itself on Cruise Critic and all the commentary, there were also e-mail conversations going on. Because of the Roll Call, I have remained friends with several people on the trip.

Our next cruise, this time to the Caribbean, I did the same, and the roll call was still busy and allowed people to organize private tours and share information - not the level of the Adriatic cruise, but still good.

 

We organize shipboard activities that are totally voluntary and optional, but are nice for those who aren’t traveling with friends. Or for those of us who are particularly group-centric.

Currently, I’m doing another private roll call on the Summit (none of the critical posters here have introduced themselves on the Roll Call – that doesn’t mean they aren’t there; I was glad that Maxsales wasn’t negative). I hope no one on our roll call feels pressured.

 

Jade13: Or, those who want their personal lists to include others private excursions (including full names of the participants and tour company and contact person) that do not even involve them....

I organize this information in private roll call files as a tool for others to use. Not because I want the info - and I stress that it is confidential, not to be shared outside the roll call. As I mentioned before, I don't share my name in a public forum (though most can guess - I wasn't thinking ahead). I’d rather organize the private tours off line in the Private Roll Call because I’ve noticed people posting that they want to participate in one, only to find it has been filled for weeks.

This is something I do simply because I have always liked to make it easier for people to socialize and I don’t need (nor do I want) to be in the middle, just facilitate it.

 

tserface: I'm not bothered by any of this stuff. I figure a roll call is a great place to get to know people before the cruise and if there is someone who knows someone and wants to reconnect I don't see a problem with that. ... OK, I do know one thing that bugs me a little. Roll call police. The ones who say "roll calls are not for [insert here]" and try to restrict what happens. If you don't like what's happening you can ignore it.

 

Tom

Thank you!

 

Let’s Get Wet: I believe that the only option an individual has with their signature is to turn it on or off globally. There's no way I'm aware of to decide on a post-by-post basis whether to have it included or not.

Yes, you can turn off the signature for individual posts. It is down in Additional Options. I've turned it off for this posting but I do list all my cruises because if I'm on a cruise, I always look to see if someone posting has shared a cruise with me. And I have some signature quotes that are meaningful to me and help to introduce me to others.

 

Beth - upcoming cruise, Summit to Canada & New England

[Turtles06]

Actually you can, as I get ready to post this if you go to the line below Submit Reply and uncheck, Show Your Signature, then it won't show on that specific post.

 

Thanks, always happy to learn something new! (And it worked! :) )

[maxsales]

We also have had good and bad experiences, mostly bad.

Thanks for starting this thread. However I doubt that it will chandelier any thing. Too bad there are not some moderators for the roll calls to keep them on the purpose.

 

And what and whose purpose would that be?

[maxsales]

I'm not bothered by any of this stuff. I figure a roll call is a great place to get to know people before the cruise and if there is someone who knows someone and wants to reconnect I don't see a problem with that. I also know from being online a long time that there will be some people who have more time to participate and who are more wordy or more organizational or... I've never seen any of this abused.

 

I'm not a fan of people selling stuff, but I'm so used to seeing adds popping up all over Cruise Critic that I don't let that bother me much either. To be fair, I've never seen it done on any of the roll calls I've participated in.

 

I find it easy enough to just read the posts I think might be interesting and skip the ones that look like personal conversations. I also feel welcome, most of the time, to interject on personal conversations if I have something to add. I figure if someone posts in public they are probably wanting public participation.

 

OK, I do know one thing that bugs me a little. Roll call police. The ones who say "roll calls are not for [insert here]" and try to restrict what happens. If you don't like what's happening you can ignore it.

 

Tom

 

 

Nicely stated Tom.

[Orator]

 

Orator: Thanks for starting this; I almost didn’t read it because it seemed it would be negative. To answer one question, though, most people don’t share full names on the Roll Call – I don’t – so it is unlikely someone would be able to find me if I didn’t give them my cabin number. Most of us have shared our cabin numbers off line so that we can get together onboard ship if we wish.

I’m probably being sensitive because I am a roll call “organizer” of private roll call information – not instead of the open roll call, but to augment it. I do this to share the information I am gathering for the trip, but don’t want out in the world of google, but still want to share (you do know that every post can be found by google, right?).

 

My introduction to this concept was on the Equinox when we were traveling without friends. It turned out to be quite helpful. Stacy had requested photos, cabin numbers, and kept track of everyone’s tours. Although we had booked ship excursions exclusively, it was quite interesting to see what others planned; the photos helped me recognize people so we felt like we “knew” them ahead of time; and they organized a pre-trip get-together. For our next cruise, Silhouette Adriatic, I decided to try my hand at it since it uses expertise I already had. That Roll Call was very supportive, and along with the roll call itself on Cruise Critic and all the commentary, there were also e-mail conversations going on. Because of the Roll Call, I have remained friends with several people on the trip.

Our next cruise, this time to the Caribbean, I did the same, and the roll call was still busy and allowed people to organize private tours and share information - not the level of the Adriatic cruise, but still good.

 

We organize shipboard activities that are totally voluntary and optional, but are nice for those who aren’t traveling with friends. Or for those of us who are particularly group-centric.

Currently, I’m doing another private roll call on the Summit (none of the critical posters here have introduced themselves on the Roll Call – that doesn’t mean they aren’t there; I was glad that Maxsales wasn’t negative). I hope no one on our roll call feels pressured.

 

I organize this information in private roll call files as a tool for others to use. Not because I want the info - and I stress that it is confidential, not to be shared outside the roll call. As I mentioned before, I don't share my name in a public forum (though most can guess - I wasn't thinking ahead). I’d rather organize the private tours off line in the Private Roll Call because I’ve noticed people posting that they want to participate in one, only to find it has been filled for weeks.

This is something I do simply because I have always liked to make it easier for people to socialize and I don’t need (nor do I want) to be in the middle, just facilitate it.

 

Thank you!

 

Yes, you can turn off the signature for individual posts. It is down in Additional Options. I've turned it off for this posting but I do list all my cruises because if I'm on a cruise, I always look to see if someone posting has shared a cruise with me. And I have some signature quotes that are meaningful to me and help to introduce me to others.

 

Beth - upcoming cruise, Summit to Canada & New England

 

I believe that we need to thank those who take time to organize events that will help enhance the cruise experience by providing extra options to their fellow cruisers. A number have established sites beyond Cruise Critic to bring information together in a useable format. Even to print nametags takes effort and I most appreciate their service. IMHO some people may take it a bit too far by making "their" project the focus of the entire roll call.

This can happen when one is offering tours for 50 people or more in every port and we constantly see messages telling us how many places are left. people post what they want to post so long as it within the rules. people may choose to read or not read as they wish. Hopefully, some read the comments on this thread and become more aware that what they post and how often they post can influence how people react. Don't believe I've cruised with you, but thank you for your efforts to provide a better cruise experience for all.

[Onessa]

A little personal "chit-chat" is not a turn off. Since these are people with whom I will be neighbors with for a week or two, having some personal background can be useful. It can also help me decide whether an excursion being planned may be one in which I may be interested. But I do make a concerted attempt to keep any of my part in these sub-conversations brief and meaningful.

 

What bothers me is those rollcalls where anyone is left to feel unwelcome. If someone indicates that "he and his partner" are going to be on the cruise and the partner is evidently of the same sex as he is -- I have seen the folks who are normally quick to reply with a "welcome", silenced. Worse I've seen outright hostility - when a rollcall poster asked if any other kids would be on board - the poster received an earful (eyeful?) from one member who made it clear that he did not believe children should be allowed on-board. Those kinds of hostility toward other members can damper a roll call.

[bbappel]

Don't believe I've cruised with you, but thank you for your efforts to provide a better cruise experience for all.

 

I don't think so either, but I've left on my signature this time. You may have cruised with friends of ours. Seems like I may have seen your name on their roll call (yeah, I checked in once and a while to see how it was going).

 

Beth

[tserface]

I turn them all off. If I am curious and want to see one I can always go look at it by clicking on the user link.

 

I'm not super interested in how many cruises someone has booked.

 

The one thing I miss is a lot of people put their name in their sig then don't put it in the posts so turning them off means I don't see real names on occasion, just something like IAmTheBestCruiser as the user name. Not a big deal. Like I said, if I want to know I can click on the link.

 

Tom

 

I believe that the only option an individual has with their signature is to turn it on or off globally. There's no way I'm aware of to decide on a post-by-post basis whether to have it included or not.

 

On the other hand, there IS a way you can turn off ALL signatures in your forum display if you'd rather not see them.

 

Personally, I've tried hard to hit a happy medium with my signature - listing only the most recent previous cruise with the booked upcoming ones.