Carnival not providing CC meet and greet party

[cruisewithwife]

I was on a cruise about 5 years ago where someone from our roll call put together a meet and greet. He contacted Carnival to reserve a room, the Piano Bar and have finger foods and drinks available. We each paid $20 and had unlimited food and drinks for 2 hours. This was just after sail away. We had about 30 or so attend.

 

Now that sounds like a good deal

[satxdiver]

I don't get it, why should Carnival set up a Meet & Greet for ANY group let alone Cruise Critic? Can't one just set up your own M&G as has been done in the past?

 

What's next? Should Carnival have a Facebook M&G?

 

People who read and post regularly on CC are frequent cruisers and post information good or bad read by many. It is very advantageous for the cruise line to hold a M&G with their ship officers to spread good will among their most frequent pax and is a free way to advertise their product while getting a feel for what their most valued customers have to say. Many cruise lines realize this free opportunity to neighbor with their clientele and spread good will at no cost to them. This is only good business sense for CCL.

[bunnyette]

Agree that they are setting them up at ridiculous times!

 

30min before early seating on elegant night is NOT a good time!

 

I was ignored when I tried to tell them that!

 

 

 

And I was on a cruise where it was in the middle of a port day...

 

 

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[Pellaz]

I was on a cruise about 5 years ago where someone from our roll call put together a meet and greet. He contacted Carnival to reserve a room, the Piano Bar and have finger foods and drinks available. We each paid $20 and had unlimited food and drinks for 2 hours. This was just after sail away. We had about 30 or so attend.

 

Yes, this was during the times when Carnival would allow any group to book a venue for a meet'n'greet including open bar (!), once a certain minimum (20? 25?) was met.

The price back then was $10/person/hour and our CruiseCritic roll call on Liberty got between 40 and 50 sign-ups for one, and we had it for two hours. It became so big we were moved from the piano bar to the Victoria Lounge. It was great fun and some of our group got a little tipsy...but at $10/hour for an open bar it was a great deal.

Less than a year later, Carnival raised the price of it by at least double, and those meet'n'greets declined.

So has Carnival.

[S.S.Oceanlover]

Agree that they are setting them up at ridiculous times!

 

30min before early seating on elegant night is NOT a good time!

 

I was ignored when I tried to tell them that!

 

 

 

Does this scenario sound familiar?

 

Bill

 

 

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[ItsAllAboutTheSass]

The last meet and greet I went to was 6 years ago... so you're telling me they don't tell you ahead of time when and where to meet, you're just supposed to find it in the Fun Times now? No wonder no one shows up!

 

That one you went to wasn't arranged as a relationship between CCL and CC. Someone on the roll call set that up, so you had to know ahead of time. I would assume that one wasn't in the fun times at all.

[Thorncroft]

Does this scenario sound familiar?

 

Bill

 

 

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Yes. It's Carnival's model of setting things up for failure, and then discontinuing the event due to lack of interest. It's a brilliant strategy for cost cutting and they can shift the blame off of themselves.

[LauraS]

Hello Everyone!

 

Thank you for sharing your feedback here about the Meet & Mingle parties on board Carnival ships. I'm going to share all of this with the nice folks at Carnival. I can assure you that they want to make these parties a success.

 

As info we are collecting all the information necessary for each ship to be able to send a direct invitation to your stateroom, and we are sending the information in the requested timeframe as well.

 

The ship's themselves determine the day, time and place for the parties. This makes sense, as there are many other groups on board vying for the same space. Still, you are all correct: it makes sense to hold these at a time where it doesn't interefere with another MAJOR event on board (like, elegent dinner :) ).

 

So, I'll pass this information on, and we'll work together with Carnival to come up with some solutions.

 

Thanks again,

 

Laura

[Je Souhaite]

Just off Magic. No notice of the CC meet and greet. GS said not enough signed up. This is untrue as we had over 35. She offered to allow me to speak to events coordinator. I said how would you know how to notify anyone as it was the last sea day already. I guess if they had the list they could have sent a message to the cabin phone or something but that would have about 3 people show up I suppose.

 

Same thing happened in January on Pride. I think the sour puss of a CD didn't feel like doing it as we had well over the required number.

 

If they aren't going to provide this stop offering it. And if you do sign up, please attend. It's embarrassing when staff goes all out and only 6 people of 38 show up.

 

You should have set it up yourself. There are SO MANY social media sites that everyone has access to. I talk to other cruisers who say this place dried up 5 to 8 years ago, and have never been back. Reading John Heald's page, it's seems even they have dismissed this site. It seems to always be thrown under the bus. So I have little faith in a partnership.

 

Moreso, this issue goes back almost a year ago, and neither side seems to want to address it.

[maldenmusic]

A few years ago the posters on a Roll Call set up a meet and greet. We agreed on a time and place and about 25 showed. It was very informal but we met another mom/daughter that live not too far from us and we've kept in touch over the past 5 years.

[luv2trvlnow]

I am not even sure the information is being completely shared between here and Carnival. For instance on my upcoming Conquest cruise we have met the minimum and several of us have not received an email confirming that the M & M is going to take place. If we don't get an email maybe our information is not being sent to Carnival. I have sent a email to LauraS about this, but have not heard anything about why we have not received a confirmation when at least one person on our roll call has received the confirmation.

[golf43]

We were on the Magic a few weeks ago. March 25 sailing. We had the M&G the 2nd day which was a sea day in the afternoon. A lot of people attended and it was fun. Was able to meet people I had been chatting with for months about the cruise.

[Vonchillis]

Was on the Vista in January and there was a M&M on the first sea day at like 11 am. The problem was that only a few people got the notice in their mail box outside their room. The woman that set the room up from CCL said they sent the message to those that signed up groups of people. Which I know is not correct. Only 8 showed if over 40 that signed up. I've been to a couple M&M on previous cruises that didn't have many show up. May not do this again in the future.

 

 

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[crusinpsychRN]

We were on the Magic a few weeks ago. March 25 sailing. We had the M&G the 2nd day which was a sea day in the afternoon. A lot of people attended and it was fun. Was able to meet people I had been chatting with for months about the cruise.

 

Carnival m&g or your roll call?

[Pellaz]

We were on the Magic a few weeks ago. March 25 sailing. We had the M&G the 2nd day which was a sea day in the afternoon. A lot of people attended and it was fun. Was able to meet people I had been chatting with for months about the cruise.

 

Carnival m&g or your roll call?

 

I'd bet a quarter it was their own planned meet'n'greet, not the "official" one.

 

While attendance at "our own" self-planned meet'n'greets has declined somewhat over the years, they still seem to be a much better bet than attempting to plan one through Cruise Critic and CCL. You and your roll-call get to pick a good time to hold it, like embark day after muster or an early sea day if you have one, you can choose a casual venue, like one of the bars or an area on Lido Deck, etc.

 

I could wax loquacious about how CC's policy regarding linking to That Big Social Site really hinders the entire process of cruise fellowship and planning meet'n'greets, in exchange for.....something...exclusion? --but I digress.

[crusinpsychRN]

You should have set it up yourself. There are SO MANY social media sites that everyone has access to. I talk to other cruisers who say this place dried up 5 to 8 years ago, and have never been back. Reading John Heald's page, it's seems even they have dismissed this site. It seems to always be thrown under the bus. So I have little faith in a partnership.

 

Moreso, this issue goes back almost a year ago, and neither side seems to want to address it.

 

We did have our own. If Carnival is pairing with CC then they should offer what they say they offer. Several posters on this thread are mixing up the two events. Our fb/CC group also had a slot pull.

 

Thanks Laura. On Pride I got the distinct feeling the CD didn't feel like doing it so it didn't happen. Someone said it was about his eyesight which is poor--can't imagine what that had to do with anything????

[sparks1093]

We did have our own. If Carnival is pairing with CC then they should offer what they say they offer. Several posters on this thread are mixing up the two events. Our fb/CC group also had a slot pull.

 

Thanks Laura. On Pride I got the distinct feeling the CD didn't feel like doing it so it didn't happen. Someone said it was about his eyesight which is poor--can't imagine what that had to do with anything????

 

He couldn't see himself doing a CC meet and greet?;)

[Cyber Kat]

I have noticed that the RCs here have gotten smaller and smaller. For my cruise it seems like most people in the RC are also on the other site that shall not be named. I'm not sure if I will do the CC M&G if we get enough people. I did sign up though so even if I don't go, there maybe something for the others.

 

I've noticed that as well. Any group I've belonged to, just picked a place and time on embarkation day, and it's worked out fine. I would check out a CC M&G if there was one, but from what I've heard they wait until half way through the cruise, which kind of defeats the purpose of actually meeting the people you have been chatting with.