Meet & Mingle - Ups & Downs?

[Peregrina651]

Time to bounce this one back to page one. Let's hear about your M&M! When was it? Where was it? How many people attended? And anything else you want to share about it.

 

Anyone still having trouble with getting their sail dates onto the sign up?

[CharTrav]

I am probably the first one back from the first Viking Ocean EBTA from San Juan to Barcelona.

The mix and mingle was held on the second day in the upstairs part of the explorer lounge. Invitation was a note card in a nice envelope on the door portion for notes.

Viking had wine, champagne and soda plus several different types of passed items on a tray. the ships officers were there and introduced themselves.

 

A very nice event.

 

 

Good to hear they used the lounge rather than the very close confines of the chefs table which made it very hard to Mingle. With that big table in the middle.

 

 

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[marylovestotravel]

My gut says that you aren't the only one this has happened to and I wander what can be changed to make sure that we all see the invitation when it is delivered.

 

Would putting the note card into an envelope help? Would leaving it at the door instead of on the desk with other papers make a difference?

 

I'm glad to hear that some of the problems with making sure the invitations are visible have been resolved, but I'm wondering if Viking would be interested in working with the roll call in announcing the event and promoting the time and venue. I've done this in the past with Oceania - they will not organize a M&M, so someone on the roll call will do this, deciding the date, location and time. And we promote it. We do try to co-ordinate with the ship to make sure the venue is not already booked. We usually use a large public venue (Horizons) on the 1st sea day or at sail away. The ones I have been to have been lots of fun. People are very social, yes, I bring name tags and pens! They have been very well attended and we buy our own drinks but Oceania supplies the nuts. The Oceania community has been around a little longer, and hopefully the Viking community will grow and flourish over time - especially if Viking is willing to support it. (Drinks, hor d'oeuvres, and the crew! what else could we ask for?)

 

Mia

[marylovestotravel]

 

Probably the best organized M & M's I've attended were on Celebrity and also the largest attended. I remember when we cruised with Celebrity out of Singapore there were 112 fellow passengers that came to the M & M. Celebrity usually has the ship CD act as host, introduces other staff members, gives passengers a chance to ask the staff questions, and has everyone attending introduce themselves and serves beverages and cookies/cakes. If a M & M's are not organized, it's a waste of time and no one sticks around.

 

In my experience with Oceania, the roll call organizes the M&M (with name tags). We do try to co-ordinate with the ship and in my experience it is well attended, and even with people who are not on the roll call, (but welcome nevertheless) coming. Even without support from Oceania (no greeting, drinks, hor d'oeuvres, crew), we have a jolly time, meeting new people and people we have connected with online and finding the people we have set up independent tours with. I'm hoping it will only get better on Viking (greetings, drinks, hor d' oeuvres, handsome/beautiful crew to mingle with).

 

Mia

[deec]

Our M&M on the SKY was great. It was in the Wintergarden. Well attended by senior officers too! Name tags would have been a great idea! Nice passed appetizers and wine, champagne cocktail & soda. Do not remember if there was beer.

[Fpacifico]

On the star, they placed the invitation outside the door, problem was that we had dinner reservation 15 minutes before the get together. So I couldn't cancel the dinner reservations. Sad

[philw1776]

On the star, they placed the invitation outside the door, problem was that we had dinner reservation 15 minutes before the get together. So I couldn't cancel the dinner reservations. Sad

 

Similarly on Sea it was 6PM and we had specialty reservations 30 minutes on. Some folks missed it entirely coming back from tours too. Enjoyed our brief meeting with management. Great way to get over the top service for the cruise as they remember you. Never got to meet our fellow cruisers.

[Peregrina651]

Similarly on Sea it was 6PM and we had specialty reservations 30 minutes on. Some folks missed it entirely coming back from tours too. Enjoyed our brief meeting with management. Great way to get over the top service for the cruise as they remember you. Never got to meet our fellow cruisers.

 

(y)Note to self: avoid 6 pm dinner reservations for the first few days of the cruise; it may interfere with the M&M.

[stretchcruz]

I was on the same cruise on the Sky as Dee and I would estimate we had well over 50 people there, probably more.. Very well attended, but we should have brought name tags. We kind of searched for each other....the Captain was there, the Cruise director, Restaurant Manager, Sanitation Engineer (our friend was very interested in that, that's how I know), the Future Cruise Consultant, and many many more officers. We had cocktails and hors d'oevures. I know that when the futrue cruise consultant walked in he raised his eyebrows as he looked around...there were a lot of folks there!

[CharTrav]

I was on the same cruise on the Sky as Dee and I would estimate we had well over 50 people there, probably more.. Very well attended, but we should have brought name tags. We kind of searched for each other....the Captain was there, the Cruise director, Restaurant Manager, Sanitation Engineer (our friend was very interested in that, that's how I know), the Future Cruise Consultant, and many many more officers. We had cocktails and hors d'oevures. I know that when the futrue cruise consultant walked in he raised his eyebrows as he looked around...there were a lot of folks there!

 

 

 

Hmmmm. Maybe I'll bring a pack of name tags and a few marker pens with me that folks can use as they enter. Looking ahead to our Panama/Central America cruise on the Sky January 2018. Whaddya think? [emoji16]

 

 

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[stretchcruz]

I think a great idea! We had booked private tours with some folks and had to keep moving from group to group...I'm looking for so and so..have you seen him? It was great to have the officers there but name tags would be good...

[marylovestotravel]

 

I was on the same cruise on the Sky as Dee and I would estimate we had well over 50 people there, probably more.. Very well attended, but we should have brought name tags. We kind of searched for each other....the Captain was there, the Cruise director, Restaurant Manager, Sanitation Engineer (our friend was very interested in that, that's how I know), the Future Cruise Consultant, and many many more officers. We had cocktails and hors d'oevures. I know that when the futrue cruise consultant walked in he raised his eyebrows as he looked around...there were a lot of folks there!

 

Wow! What cruise was that? It sounded like a very active roll call.

 

 

Mia

[H2Otstr]

Hmmmm. Maybe I'll bring a pack of name tags and a few marker pens with me that folks can use as they enter. Looking ahead to our Panama/Central America cruise on the Sky January 2018. Whaddya think? [emoji16]

 

 

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We were on the maiden voyage of the Sky and had maybe 10 or 12 people at our M&M. I bought name tags at Office Depot and brought them for our get together.