Looking for ideas for our Meet&Greet !

[mugtech]

Fun idea :D We enjoyed the raffle on our Roll Call. Some pax brought something to raffle off and others didn't. No matter, it was fun to watch..., we brought Maple Syrup, just a small bottle in the shape of a Maple Leaf, and it was the 1st thing chosen by a little guy who's Dad had the first ticket. The little guy was thrilled, and so were Mom and Dad. (so were we, made someone very happy)

 

It's all fun, great way to make friends.

 

Enjoy your cruise.

 

On the Spirit about half were Canadians and most brought Maple Syrup for the gift exchange, and we did that one at a time with each person explaining the gift and where they were from. Made some good friends.

[AlaskaAtLast]

On the Spirit about half were Canadians and most brought Maple Syrup for the gift exchange, and we did that one at a time with each person explaining the gift and where they were from. Made some good friends.

 

Considering all the complaints I've seen on CC regarding the pancake syrup on the ships, I'd say those were the perfect thing to bring. I'm sure the recipients enjoyed their pancakes and waffles on the cruise even more.

[nanagirl]

Sometimes when invited, the Captain and/or other officers & staff members do attend and will speak briefly. This is NOT the proper time to voice any complaints about the ship. It's a social gathering. :)

LuLu

 

Do you have to actually invite them or do they make an appearance anyway?

[Bars7816]

We seemed to get a lot of special treatment on our last cruise, like two captain's receptions in H20 with complimentary drinks, and chocolate strawberries brought to our cabin. We all decided it was due to our meet & greet, which included the hotel director and other officers.:)

[Educators2]

I organized my first Meet and Greet last January. I encouraged everyone to introduce themselves and say something about themselves, their interests, etc. It was a great way to put names to screen names. I didn't make everyone speak-we had over 70 people- but it was very successful. I used information from the Roll Call, birthdays, hometowns, etc. to bring people into the discussion. We also had a cabin crawl and one of the cruisers organized a slot pull. For our next cruise, I am also doing the Meet and Greet in December on the Jade. One member suggested a magnet exchange and we are doing that.

Susan

[marelind]

I've done a Bingo type ice breaker twice. It is a Bingo board with a different statement in each square, i.e., "First time on NCL", "Is left-handed", "Has been to [a port on this cruise]", "First time on [this ship]". The center "Free" square is "Currently aboard the Norwegian [ship name]" which everyone is. The idea is to find someone who fits the information on the square, ask their name and username and that person signs the square. I brought 3-4 small gifts like a mini flashlight or some post-it notes and a pen, things useful on the cruise, as prizes for the first 3-4 who get 5 in a row.

 

The first time it was a small group, and it was a great ice breaker; people got up and really tried to meet and talk to each other. The second time was a larger group and there were some very competitive people who just wanted to win and get the prizes. It was a little crazy. :cool:

[pizzalady1]

Do you have to actually invite them or do they make an appearance anyway?

 

They automatically come--as many as possible. Sometimes the Captain pops in to glad-hand and leaves pretty quickly.

[GORDONCHICK]

They automatically come--as many as possible. Sometimes the Captain pops in to glad-hand and leaves pretty quickly.

 

Actually, they only come when someone coordinates it with NCL. NCL will choose the venue (which can change if your group gets very large) date and time, set up refreshments, supply name tags and a sign in sheet as well as cards with contact info for all of the officers, and then many officers attend. Sometimes even the captain - depends on the captain. Some are very outgoing and love this kind of stuff.

 

I've found that when the officers come, there's usually not a lot of time left for much of anything else. I consider a slot pull and cabin crawl separate from the M&G. Sometimes different people even handle those. I know pub crawls are also popular, but again, separately from the M&G.

[mitsugirly]

I have done "almost" all of the meet & greets for our roll calls and they only give you 1 hour for it. I find that by the time everyone "checks in", gets some drinks and cookies and gets seated, the officers come in and talk and then your time is up. It seems like we have been rushed off directly afterwards because they only have a limited time frame reserved for the area for us and there's other people coming in after that. :(

 

Of course doing the slot pulls and cabin crawls are pretty much on your own time away from the meeting area (slot pulls with assistance from the staff of course). But I don't see how others have managed to find the time to do announcements, gift exchanges, games and so on. :confused:

[medicalma'am]

The best one I have attended we had a gift exchange. Everyone stayed for an hour afterwards and visited. We were in Le Bistro and no one chased us out. It was great and I think I talked to everyone there! I don't like it when folks leave so soon.

[mitsugirly]

The best one I have attended we had a gift exchange. Everyone stayed for an hour afterwards and visited. We were in Le Bistro and no one chased us out. It was great and I think I talked to everyone there! I don't like it when folks leave so soon.

 

 

I hate when people make a dash for the exit as soon as it's over with as well. At least (we) all stuck around after the M&G for some awesome pictures. I did feel like they wanted us to leave though. We need to do some planning for our next maybe?

[AAAAmerican]

Dear nanagirl,

 

As on the Liners as well ships too when the Roll Call Leader(s) provide an invitation to the Master, Officers, Staff, and/or crew it is so much nicer and reflects the sincerity / desire of them attending. They as anyone will remember that too.

 

Nothing is ever wrong with doing something proper and well..;)

 

 

 

Do you have to actually invite them or do they make an appearance anyway?

[JRnPJ]

On our first cruise the person in charge instructed us to make heart shaped name tags for each of us. Our cruise was over Valentines Day. The name tag needed to include your screen name and your real name. Some were really cute. They also had some regular "Hello my name is" tags available for those who didn't make one. I thought it was very helpful.

 

Happy cruising!

[AnitaVacation]

Especially enjoy the cabin crawl. Always fun to see the different cabin categories.

 

A group slot pull is fun, too. Who knows -- you may win your cruise fare back! One can always dream.:)

 

IF you are going to do a SLOT PULL.....I highly recommend that you DO NOT tell the casino ahead of time....

 

yes, they do offer some small trinkets...tote bags, etc.....but the machine will suck and you will not win.....

 

I was super disappointed in the last slot pull (that I organized)...we had about 20 people....we did the 'wheel of fortune' machine like everyone suggested...and I had arranged it with the casino before hand....and once our group was assembled, the casino manager walked us over to a machine...motioned to one of the crew who came over and (right in front of us) opened the machine, fiddled around with stuff and closed it...and we didn't win a dime!

 

If I ever organize another slot pull....I will NOT tell the casino....just do it!! :mad:

[trish99]

I've been able to participate in 2 great M&Gs that actually took place on our last B2B cruise. Week 1 was a much smaller group, but that allowed us to do a more intimate setting and spent quite a bit of time at the meeting talking. A poker cabin crawl was organized for later in the week on a sea day and was great. We were fortunate enough to have someone staying in the Garden Villa in the group, and she was so gracious to extend an invitation to finish the tour their with a small party. Week 2 was a much larger group, about 70 in attendance. Like someone mentioned earlier, I feel like we got a little more special attention during week 2. All in all, both were great and I highly encourage everyone to participate.