What has happened to Cruise Critic?

[Crew News]

My Dec 18, 2018 roll call for the Konigsdam had 97 sign-ups and I added 10 more before our Meet & Greet.

 

Roll call for northbound Alaska Jun 2 on the Westerdam has only three of us so far.

 

Perhaps Cruise Critic could use some internet promotion services.

[Turtles06]

58 minutes ago, 1025cruise said:

I think people have moved away from CC roll calls to other venues, where they can see each other's faces, sort of like a book.

 

Unfortunately, there's no privacy on that site.  It's not a great idea to be posting your travel schedule there. 

[Djptcp]

I've been on Cruise Critic for a number of years and I agree that there are many fewer people on roll calls anymore. We sail Carnival and Holland the most. I remember roll calls on both where we would have 50-60 people and our meet and greets were well attended. Not sure why there seems to be a lack of interest over the past year or so. Our Oosterdam roll call for this weekend's cruise only has 22 or so members, including some new people on HAL, and we are having a meet and greet on embarkation day. 

[terrydtx]

1 hour ago, grsnovi said:

It's pretty clear there are some VERY active HAL CC'ers here who share great insights. What isn't clear is how many new HAL cruisers end up here (and stay).

One of the 5 Roll Call Members on our July 21 cruise found CC and our Roll Call and this is their first cruise. They found CC when they were doing research on cruise lines and ships. I think out of the 5 of us on the Roll Call we have the most cruise history.

[terrydtx]

27 minutes ago, Turtles06 said:

 

Unfortunately, there's no privacy on that site.  It's not a great idea to be posting your travel schedule there. 

No but our names and contact information is not publicly displayed unless you post it yourself, so we do still have a degree of privacy.

[harryw]

I am currently on the Statendam and there was minimal activity for this 10 night sailing. When I proposed a day and time for a mingle, I got crickets.

[Turtles06]

51 minutes ago, terrydtx said:

No but our names and contact information is not publicly displayed unless you post it yourself, so we do still have a degree of privacy.

Not sure what you mean, since you have to join that site with a real name, which is displayed whenever you post on it.  [I was not talking about Cruise Critic.  I was replying to someone who was clearly talking about FB.]

Edited January 28, 2019 by Turtles06

[Ottawa traveller]

We have 113 signed up for the Meet and Greet on the Volendam 30 day sailing from San Diego to South America this Saturday.

[terrydtx]

35 minutes ago, Turtles06 said:

Not sure what you mean, since you have to join that site with a real name, which is displayed whenever you post on it.  [I was not talking about Cruise Critic.  I was replying to someone who was clearly talking about FB.]

I am sorry I thought you meant CC where we do have privacy. You are right about FB which is why I only post about trips after I return.

[Turtles06]

22 minutes ago, terrydtx said:

I am sorry I thought you meant CC where we do have privacy. You are right about FB which is why I only post about trips after I return.

Exactly, as tempting as it is to post photos along the way...

[terrydtx]

4 minutes ago, Turtles06 said:

Exactly, as tempting as it is to post photos along the way...

Another FB security issue is to make sure your settings for who can see your posts are ONLY your friends not friends of friends or worse yet Public where anyone can see them. One would hope that your friends do not rip you off while you are on vacation, LOL.

[ksmaxey]

2 hours ago, Djptcp said:

I've been on Cruise Critic for a number of years and I agree that there are many fewer people on roll calls anymore. We sail Carnival and Holland the most. I remember roll calls on both where we would have 50-60 people and our meet and greets were well attended. Not sure why there seems to be a lack of interest over the past year or so. Our Oosterdam roll call for this weekend's cruise only has 22 or so members, including some new people on HAL, and we are having a meet and greet on embarkation day. 

 

Our roll call for the Feb 17th Westerdam cruise has 67 coming to the meet and greet and more that are active in the roll call

[opa&oma]

We cruise Celebrity and HAL and Celebrity is and always has been much more active.

[ellieanne]

I sometimes check in the roll calls for my cruises, but rarely post because most of them are all about getting people to join private tours. That's not my thing. I like meeting people, but don't like to feel like I am being recruited to make up numbers so someone else can get a better deal on a tour I don't really want to take in the first place.

 

Add to that, I have had to miss the Meet & Greets that were arranged on my last couple of cruises because of trans-Pacific airplane crud that lasted the first couple of days of the cruise, I've just decided not to join.

[Chickadee910]

Confused...we are signed up for our roll call..about 100 are signed up and our meet and greet scheduled...maybe you need to step up and handle the meet and greet...if no one else seems to be doing it...thankfully we have a lovely person hosting ours

[Nymich]

10 hours ago, G&G said:

As per BB King, "the thrill is gone"

LOL good one!

[ArtsyCraftsy]

10 hours ago, Jareds_mommytoo said:

I’m the only one going on our cruise in March out of San Diego, whole ship to myself 😂🤣😉

If you're talking about the March 9 cruise out of San Diego to Hawaii/Tahiti/Marquesas on the Eurodam, there's a VERY active Roll Call that's been humming along for over a year.  Over 100 folks so far, lots of activities planned, etc.  

 

If that's not the cruise you're talking about, then ... never mind. 😉  

 

Lana in Bellingham, WA

[Turtles06]

4 hours ago, ellieanne said:

I like meeting people, but don't like to feel like I am being recruited to make up numbers so someone else can get a better deal on a tour I don't really want to take in the first place.

 

People who are organizing private tours aren’t looking for folks to join them who are not interested in going.  It’s hard to imagine a more unpleasant day. 

[Jareds_mommytoo]

32 minutes ago, ArtsyCraftsy said:

If you're talking about the March 9 cruise out of San Diego to Hawaii/Tahiti/Marquesas on the Eurodam, there's a VERY active Roll Call that's been humming along for over a year.  Over 100 folks so far, lots of activities planned, etc.  

 

If that's not the cruise you're talking about, then ... never mind. 😉  

 

Lana in Bellingham, WA

Nope the Neuiw Amsterdam on the 24th 

[ithaca gal]

I think the change in format for CC has really turned off a lot of people.  I don't post very much because now checking it is more like an afterthought when I'm online.

 

[mcrcruiser]

13 hours ago, kazu said:

All of our roll calls are quite active for our different segments. 🙂  And have been in the past.

 

I think a lot depends on the people sailing, the itinerary, etc.

 

If you post with something to talk about that may attract  interest and give people something  to talk about - whether it be ports, research, activities on board, etc.

 

Keep in mind that the “find your roll call” tool is not working properly so people need to find them the old fashioned way 😉

The problem is that A April  18th  Royal Princess Roll Call is hidden from the cruise critic members searching to see it  .  Placing a new roll call up  for posting is unattainable   for the general public  .We had some one do it the old fashioned way & vt is a no go .  Sorry that Cruise Critic is having those issues with their web designer  .Perhaps they should  go back to the old web site until all of the bugs are out of this one,imo 

[ski ww]

I've never had a problem starting a roll call or finding one. I find that the short 7 - 14 day cruises not many people join the roll call or even attend the M&G.

[Krazy Kruizers]

I stopped joining the Roll Calls many years ago -- wasn't interested in slot pulls, cabin crawls, etc.

 

But when I have needed to help someone find their Roll Call, I go to the main section of the Roll Calls -- not those short cut ones that CC has set to try and attract people there.  A lot of new people know nothing about the Roll Calls thus they don't join them.

 

 

[terrydtx]

26 minutes ago, Krazy Kruizers said:

A lot of new people know nothing about the Roll Calls thus they don't join them.

I think you just nailed the problem, this new CC format for a newbie is not conducive to learning about or finding roll calls.  On our Alaska cruise RC, 3 of the 5 members so far are newbies to CC and they found out about RC's from CC friends or on Google.

[harryw]

I am currently on the Statendam and there was minimal activity for this 10 night sailing. When I proposed a day and time for a mingle, I got crickets.

    I miss the old website format. 

     Also, many CC members including myself are unhappy with the HAL website. Very difficult to navigate.