Why aren't more people active in HAL Roll Calls?

[OlsSalt]

We have a good VOV Roll Call going on right now that started a year and half ago before our August 2017 departure - almost 2000 posts and a large meet and greet list. The cabin crawl has been well-received because members are curious about seeing the range of other cabins as well as various locations around the ship.

 

It is a nice mix of port information, general location and history background, travel tips for this unique cruise -particularly weather and packing tips, personal background info, new passengers with lots of good questions and others who have already done this trip before offering seasoned balance about what to expect..

 

One thing stands out particularly, this includes a very well traveled and loyal cruise passenger group -with many, many, many days on HAL ships. All of which is going to make this an even more special adventure. So I would rank this roll call with an A+. It is friendly and engaging. And the two who are over-seeing its coordination get five stars for their efforts. Diana and Karen.

 

Probably the most intriguing Roll Calll tip was learning from one of the members that the Maasdam leaves from Boston the very same day we get back from the VOV. This led to several of us deciding the best way to get back home to the West Coast was to add 18 more days on the Maasdam via the Panama instead of cramming ourselves into a return flight. So we became the 38+18 cruisers. May the journey continue ......

 

BTW: No one has talked about a "slot pull" and I have no idea what that is.

[sail7seas]

Cruise line of the newlyweds and nearly deads (their words, not mine, lol). Newlyweds probably like to be left alone to do "newlywed things" and the nearly deads are just hoping to keep breathing through the end of the cruise.:)

 

 

Who is the ' their in 'their words?

 

If the young 'uns are really lucky, they m ight live to grow old. Not everyone does. There is only one alternative.

[3redheads]

Excellent points about gathering information about ports etc. especially if you've never visited an area. Our Roll Call for Europe last year was very active and we shared lots of information. You don't have to meet the people in real life, but there are times when you gain useful information. Isn't that why we post on here? A Roll Call is just a more focused place to gather info about ports, hotels, transportation, the ship etc.

[Lizzie68]

I've been involved in extremely active roll calls, and others that have very little activity. There is no rhyme or reason.

I have never, ever, been asked for my cabin number and if I were, I wouldn't give it. Nor any personal details.

I have noticed that some of the most experienced cruisers, 5* and Presidents Club - especially those on the World or Grand Cruises - tend to only post on roll calls and seldom on the HAL forum.

Some roll calls have led to life-long friendships, and groups that choose to cruise together again and again.

Planning excursions is a great benefit on a roll call, but is not the main reason for joining.

I've been to M&Gs that had 100+ people, and others where a small group of us just decided to meet for a chat, because of a "dead" roll call.

Sometimes, a CC member will start a roll call and then not post again, or cancels that cruise without saying anything. Then the roll call goes kind of flat when that happens.

Overall, I do think roll calls are great, but some better and more active than others.

[cadien]

I've been looking into a roll call on behalf of my parents, who will be on a HAL cruise this fall. If you do a general internet search, HAL directs people to roll call groups somewhere else.

[packercruising]

There was a time when we used to join the Roll Calls.

But we are among those that do not like cabin crawls, slot pulls, exchanging gifts, etc. Thus we don't join them anymore.

 

We don't care for any of those things either, but I like the roll calls. OP is right, overall there seems to be a lot less action on the roll calls than other lines.

 

I hope you and Joe are doing well!

[OlsSalt]

We don't care for any of those things either, but I like the roll calls. OP is right, overall there seems to be a lot less action on the roll calls than other lines.

 

I hope you and Joe are doing well!

 

Don't forget the HAL website is also running passenger message groups now too, not just CC.

[drowelf]

There was a time when we used to join the Roll Calls.

But we are among those that do not like cabin crawls, slot pulls, exchanging gifts, etc. Thus we don't join them anymore.

 

Wow, Been on multiple Roll Calls over the years and I have never seen any of those activities discussed (as yet).

 

We tend to do a 12+ night cruises about every 12 - 18 month,s and have found the Roll Calls invaluable in organizing private excursions for small groups. The only 'on-ship' activity that get discussed is a M&G on the first sea day so that we all can meet our group and get any final excursion details ironed out.

 

I wonder if we've just been lucky so far.

[Becoming]

I've been really surprised by the minimal participation on the HAL roll calls and I leave soon for Alaska. I'm used to Royal Caribbean where the cruise line and Cruise Critic set up the Meet and Mingle. My first roll call with Royal had 10,000 posts prior to the cruise and that roll call went on for several years after the cruise. We normally have about 100 people at the Meet and Mingles for Royal.

 

I did find a Facebook group for my HAL cruise but I'm not posting there with strangers. I prefer Cruise Critic where you have a screen name and it's more protected.

 

It's my first Holland cruise so I'm not sure what to expect but I know the ship will take me to Alaska!

 

Patti

[kazu]

A lot of our roll calls have been quite active. And some have been very active. ;)

 

I like a roll call that has a mix of discussing the ports and a chance to "know" your fellow cruisers.

 

I have organized a number of Meet & Greets and, I do ask people to email me their cabin numbers IF they want to receive reminders. The cabin numbers are kept in confidence and NOT published on the roll call. Nor are last names, actual cities, etc.

 

Since we often have a number of days at sea, we have done some cabin crawls, wine tastings, slot pulls, PG lunches, etc. Here's the thing with these - they are NOT obligatory. They are for the people interested. There are no hard feelings if some don't want to do it. They are simply optional activities for those who choose to participate.

 

I avoid the gift exchanges at the Meet and Greet as I do think people feel obligated to exchange gifts whether they want to or not.

 

So, don't avoid roll calls because of fear of slot pulls or cabin crawls or whatever other activity is thought up. No one HAS to do anything.

 

And, rather than re-invent the wheel, you get all kinds of great ideas and input on ports, hotels, transportation, potential tours, etc. After all, planning is part of the fun ;)

 

We have met great people and made life long friends thanks to roll calls. :)

Edited June 21, 2017 by kazu

[Lady Chew]

deleted

[styles27]

We had a fairly active Roll Call for our Alaska cruise in May but only 2 of us kept our word and showed up at the agreed upon time and place of our informal meet and greet.

 

I don't understand adults who join the roll call, participate in the conversation, agree to meet and then just don't show up. [emoji57]

 

I'm not interested in pub crawls or slot pulls (not even sure what that is but I guess it has to do with the casino) but it's nice to put a face to a name when you've been conversing with other members here for months and even years.

 

I'm happy that I've met some CC members and I hope to meet more of you on future cruises.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[Lizzie68]

A lot of our roll calls have been quite active. And some have been very active. ;)

 

I like a roll call that has a mix of discussing the ports and a chance to "know" your fellow cruisers.

 

I have organized a number of Meet & Greets and, I do ask people to email me their cabin numbers IF they want to receive reminders. The cabin numbers are kept in confidence and NOT published on the roll call. Nor are last names, actual cities, etc.

 

Since we often have a number of days at sea, we have done some cabin crawls, wine tastings, slot pulls, PG lunches, etc. Here's the thing with these - they are NOT obligatory. They are for the people interested. There are no hard feelings if some don't want to do it. They are simply optional activities for those who choose to participate.

 

I avoid the gift exchanges at the Meet and Greet as I do think people feel obligated to exchange gifts whether they want to or not.

 

So, don't avoid roll calls because of fear of slot pulls or cabin crawls or whatever other activity is thought up. No one HAS to do anything.

 

And, rather than re-invent the wheel, you get all kinds of great ideas and input on ports, hotels, transportation, potential tours, etc. After all, planning is part of the fun ;)

 

We have met great people and made life long friends thanks to roll calls. :)

 

Our 2015 roll call which you maintained was likely one of the best I have participated in, and no one has to do anything they don't want to but the input from other roll call members is often invaluable and adds to the enjoyment of the cruise. And definitely the subsequent "Live from...." thread in which roll call members posted as well, still stands as the best ever. Anyone who wants to re-live it, or read it for the first time it's here http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2193855

[Sequim88]

Some will try to say that HAL is no different than other cruiselines in that some roll calls are more active and others are less so. But in the past I actually did a comparison of several lines -- looking at similar sized passenger load on similar itineraries and same time of year -- HAL definitely has fewer posts. Of course there are exceptions but most of the time they are pretty quiet.

 

When I did this exact same thing after our Roll Call for the cruise last week was pretty dead I found exactly the same thing when comparing to RCCL. Ship to Ship for same itinerary was night and day different. The RCCL regulars have a culture of supporting Roll Calls.

 

I will grant that for cruises with a lot of sea days organizing on-board events like cabin crawls, slot pulls, bar hops, etc... (which we do like) are important but on recent HAL cruise we noticed a distinct lack of even ship sponsored events that other lines (like RCCL) have in abundance. But Alaska cruises are so different with all the scenery and ports that I was not missing them at all last week. They did try to do some thing on sea days but it seemed the majority of the passengers would not have been looking for that sort of thing in the first place - which also diminishes the need for the Roll Calls.

 

Don't forget the HAL website is also running passenger message groups now too, not just CC.

 

I've never seen this. Apparently it is not very easy to find. Then again, now that I know it exists I'll probably find it right away.

[RedneckBob]

I don't know if it is just me but I have gotten turned off with these Roll Calls. Every time I suggest things to do in ports, it like crickets chirping on responses. Instead their continues to be CC people talking about their health issues, work problems, etc. etc., etc. but nothing to do about cruising. I get tried of it. Maybe y'all do to.

[Lizzie68]

Don't forget the HAL website is also running passenger message groups now too, not just CC.

 

I've searched and searched HAL's website, with no luck. Can you post the link?

 

Or are you confusing it with the RollCall section on HAL's facebook page?

[sammiedawg]

I pick and choose whether to join the roll call. Sharing private tours is my primary purpose and we've met some of the loveliest people. I have zero interest in fraternity type events or getting involved with anyone trying to hyper organize "events".

[roses313]

We just cancelled a cruise on another cruise line which was for April 2018. As of this date there are already almost 2000 posts and it has been running since early 2016. I never formally joined the roll call, but checked in every once in awhile. In my opinion the focus was no longer the cruise/destination etc, but rather the personal lives of the cruisers and their extended families. Not for me. The Roll Calls on that particular cruise line always insist on Cabin #, and are heavy into slot pulls, cabin crawls etc.

 

HAL roll calls, thank goodness are far more voyage focused. Over the years I have benefited from very useful and helpful information about the destinations, the ship etc. Yes, we have met some of the roll call participants at informal M&G and have had delightful conversations with them. On some cruises, I have not joined the roll call, but would check in from time to time to see how the discussion was going, and if I wanted to join in I would.

[draftxhorselover]

excuuuuuuuse my ignorance.. what's a cabin crawl????? Why would I want to do anything like that?? ? As to meeting up with folks, joining to save $$ on an excursion which requires 8 people and you are just a couple, etc. that sounds like the real reason I would (and have joined my roll call).. less than 90 days to go!!!

[kazu]

excuuuuuuuse my ignorance.. what's a cabin crawl????? Why would I want to do anything like that?? ? As to meeting up with folks, joining to save $$ on an excursion which requires 8 people and you are just a couple, etc. that sounds like the real reason I would (and have joined my roll call).. less than 90 days to go!!!

 

 

 

a cabin crawl is simply the opportunity to see cabins in different categories. Pictures on the cruise line website don't always tell the whole story and some cabins are different than others.

 

I have no idea where the name "cabin crawl" came from but that's what it is called. You don't "crawl" to the cabin.

 

Glad you got your private tours arranged! Have fun!

[Hlitner]

Cruise line of the newlyweds and nearly deads (their words, not mine, lol). Newlyweds probably like to be left alone to do "newlywed things" and the nearly deads are just hoping to keep breathing through the end of the cruise.:)

 

ROFL...as a senior we might resemble that remark. We once got a tour of the crew areas (done by an Officer friend) on the Prinsendam and walked by the small morgue. We then stopped in the next door Florist shop which was freezing (to keep the flowers fresh). The Officer then remarked that the Florist shop was also used as the backup morgue....in case the real morgue was full! ARGH!

 

Hank

[slidergirl]

a cabin crawl is simply the opportunity to see cabins in different categories. Pictures on the cruise line website don't always tell the whole story and some cabins are different than others.

 

I have no idea where the name "cabin crawl" came from but that's what it is called. You don't "crawl" to the cabin.

 

Glad you got your private tours arranged! Have fun!

 

"cabin crawl" probably got it's name from the activity known as a "pub crawl." You go to different pubs/bars in one evening, stay for a couple of minutes ad have a drink. At the end of the night, you've seen all different types of bars and are thoroughly drunk... (not that I've ever done a pub crawl). Popular with college kids, vacations to ski towns, vacations to Ireland, vacations to Tokyo... anywhere where you've got kids just over the legal drinking age and lots of bars in a small geographic area ;)

[kazu]

Our 2015 roll call which you maintained was likely one of the best I have participated in, and no one has to do anything they don't want to but the input from other roll call members is often invaluable and adds to the enjoyment of the cruise. And definitely the subsequent "Live from...." thread in which roll call members posted as well, still stands as the best ever. Anyone who wants to re-live it, or read it for the first time it's here http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2193855

 

The Sail a Way Gang was a great group :) We did have fun, didn't we? on the roll call and on the cruise :)

[OlsSalt]

I've searched and searched HAL's website, with no luck. Can you post the link?

 

Or are you confusing it with the RollCall section on HAL's facebook page?

 

Probably, I never found it either. Only read about it being offered and was never able to connect either.

[sail7seas]

Our 2015 roll call which you maintained was likely one of the best I have participated in, and no one has to do anything they don't want to but the input from other roll call members is often invaluable and adds to the enjoyment of the cruise. And definitely the subsequent "Live from...." thread in which roll call members posted as well, still stands as the best ever. Anyone who wants to re-live it, or read it for the first time it's here http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2193855

If one has no plan to go toa M & G, be the fill in person or couple to make enough guests sharing the cost for others to get a good price on theirroll call arranged tours or do a slot pull or cabin crawl, than why both er getting into thereoll call at all./? Makes no sense. Sure, nothing is ob ligatgor y but why get on the foll call itt if none of what they are p;lanning or talking about interests you?

Edited June 22, 2017 by sail7seas