I am coordinating a Meet and Greet with some of my fellow passengers who are members of Cruise Critic . For those of you who are new to cruising, Cruise Critic is an online community of cruise travelers who share their experiences and can offer great advice. Anyway, I have hosted Meet & Greet events on NCL for fellow passengers and they are always well-received. Not to brag or anything, but one of my three God-given talents just happens to be bringing people together and creating a fun event, so the Meet and Greet concept is something that I'm really cut out for. (Oh, you're wondering what the other two are? Well, one is spelling and the other is..... sorry! If I told you I'd have to kill you!!!)
The event planning for both of my recent previous Meet & Greets on NCL were handled seamlessly with the NCL staff at Corporate and onboard. Basically, an e-mail to the event coordinator on my particular ship letting him/her know that I wanted to set up a Meet & Greet was all that was needed. In return I get an e-mail letting me know that the date/time/location I have requested is okay -- or they offer a different location or time if my request conflicts with another event. When I arrive onboard, there is a letter from NCL confirming my event information. NCL handles everything else. In fact, at the one I conducted in February, many of the ships' departments were represented by their department heads (i.e. hotel director, excursions manager, food & beverage manager, etc.) and each of these individuals gave a brief introduction of themselves and an overview of their departments' processes. It was a top-notch exhibition. For the first Meet & Greet I did on NCL, approximately 4-5 officers or staff attended, and while they didn't give speeches, they were on hand to answer questions of the M & G guests. In addition, both times the ship provided a sign outside the designated area indicating that a Meet & Greet was "being held here" and they provided refreshments (non-alcoholic) and pastries or cookies. I'm writing all of this down for you so you have some background into my mindset. Also, keep in mind that NCL is a MAINSTREAM cruise line with rockbottom fares -- nothing at all like Regent with its elegant and refined atmosphere, clientele and matching prices.
Okay, so let's fast-forward to my upcoming Mariner voyage. My last time out on the Mariner, there were only 6 cruise critic members that I was able to "hook up" with so the idea of a formal Meet and Greet obviously wasn't going to happen (although I did end up meeting everyone eventually and actually spent quite a bit of time with a couple of them......hey Ralph & Tony!) But this time, wow, we have got a boatload (pun intended) of CC'ers setting sail on January 11 so naturally I am coordinating a Meet & Greet so we can put some faces to our screen names. After amassing a group of approximately 30 potential guests, I contacted Regent to advise them of my plans and to find out the e-mail address of my ship's event coordinator. Silly me, I thought it would be as easy to do this as NCL makes it, but here's what happened.....
FIRST EMPLOYEE: Representative had never heard of Cruise Critic -- okay, that's understandable -- immediately switched me over to someone else
SECOND EMPLOYEE: Seemed to grasp the idea of a Cruise Critic Meet & Greet but had never heard of anyone ever doing one and did not know if there was an event coordinator on the Mariner, suggested I call a different number
THIRD EMPLOYEE: at the "other number", offered to sell me a cocktail package at $16.50 per person and when I explained that it sounded lovely but 1) we could all very well go pick up our drinks for free before entering the room and 2) I spent all of my money on my cruise tickets and didn't have $500+ left to unnecessarily pay for cocktails for a bunch of strangers, she was totally flummoxed
FOURTH EMPLOYEE: day 2 of phone calls because I was starting to get irate during my initial calls, and didn't want to come across as harsh in the unlikely event I actually got to talk to someone who could help me. Employee #4 actually had heard of cruise critic (hooray!) and stated that the request had to come from my travel agent. "Do you understand that my travel agent did not book cabins for all 30 of us?" "Well, then their travel agents would have to set it up." "But I don't KNOW any of these people!!!" "Is there a manager or supervisor available I can talk to?"
FIFTH EMPLOYEE (possibly a Manager, but I have my doubts): "This has to go through your travel agent"
Let me break here to assure you, kind reader, that:
1. I was speaking English during all phone calls as were the Regent employees
2. I am very well spoken
3. I was not inebriated or otherwise verbally incapacitated
The point I was trying to get across to all of these employees:
1. I was trying to do them a favor by requesting an out of the way location of their choice for our gathering, rather than having 30 passengers suddenly storm in to some inconvenient area
2. I was giving them the OPTION of having some staff there to promote the Regent brand
3. I was NOT asking for any other assistance -- I WILL DO announcements, I WILL DO invitations, YOU DON'T HAVE TO DO ANYTHING
So basically, I just gave up and called my TA, apologized for making additional work for him and sure enough, the next day he got an e-mail from Kristen at Regent who said she would "look into it but couldn't confirm anything until December."
Meanwhile, I had this really cool idea for the Meet and Greet which I'm now going to have to tweak because not having the final confirmation until December will not give me enough time for my original plan. I can't say what it is because I suspect that some of my fellow roll callers might pop in to read this so the rest of you will have to wait until January 13th or later for pictures!!!!
Showing posts with label Meet and Greet. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Meet and Greet. Show all posts
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Thursday, March 11, 2010
IT WAS THE BEST OF TIMES, IT WAS THE WORST OF TIMES
I've got nothing on Charles Dickens so this isn't a Tale of Two Cities but a Tale of Two Cruise Lines!
Many prospective Regent cruisers (myself included just a couple of years ago) ask things like "Is Regent for me?" or "What makes Regent different?" or even more common, "Is it worth the money?"
After my first Regent cruise last year, I would have immediately answered the 1st and 3rd questions in the affirmative but been hard pressed to adequately convey a response to the middle one. In fact, I believe I discuss a "feeling" in my previous blog without putting it into exact words. Now, however, I can safely answer that middle question with authority.
Earlier this month, Mike and I treated our daughter Sara, her husband Donnie and our absolutely perfect grandson Richie to a cruise. Nice we are, but not nice enough to fork over $$$$$ for all 5 of us to cruise Regent! Instead, we decided to take a cruise on NCL out of New York City to Florida and the Bahamas. NCL is typical of the mass market cruise lines we have cruised with in the past so we pretty much knew what to expect. In all fairness to the line, I will say that I have found their staff to be more gracious and friendly than other mass market lines. This cruise was no exception. The pleasant staff, unfortunately, did not make up for everything else.
Before my last Regent cruise, members of both Cruise Critic and Luxury Cruise Talk warned me that once I had cruised Regent, I'd never want to cruise mass market again. I sort of believed them; especially after our great Regent cruise where all of my expectations were met and/or exceeded. But I'm a pretty easy-going gal, very down to earth and the type of person who has a great time no matter what so I didn't think I'd have any real issues "stepping back down" to mass market cruising. Wow! Was I ever mistaken!
What follows is a list of differences that I won't miss when I get back on the Mariner again in January:
Boarding the ship ~ after swiping your key card for the first time on Mariner, you are genteely escorted to the pool deck for a bite to eat and offered a cocktail by an employee who is ready to answer any questions you may have and wants you to feel immediately welcomed aboard. My experience on the Norwegian Gem was not even close to that (even though as a Casino VIP I did have a personal escort onto the ship). After swiping your key card, you are herded into the main atrium and accosted by numerous staff members, all of whom apparently are there to sell you the day's special cocktail. Interestingly enough, they don't actually TELL you it's for sale until after you have accepted a glass and then they ask for your Key Card. I felt sorry for all of the newbie cruisers who didn't know they were going to be billed $15 for what they probably thought was a welcome aboard complimentary drink.
The Pool Grill ~ like every cruise line I've ever been on, there is always a grill or small buffet right around the swimming pool where you can grab a quick bite to eat. The Norwegian Gem grill offered hamburgers, hot dogs, chicken, french fries, salad and condiments the first day, and the second, the third, the fourth...... in fact, every day and every night that it was open, the menu never varied. The only thing that changed was the amount of people on line in front of you. On the Mariner, you can find traditional grill fare like burgers and hot dogs but you won't find them sitting under a heat lamp. Those items are cooked to order and then delivered to you at the table you have selected. And the menu doesn't stop there; every day there is a DIFFERENT theme for the pool grill such as Mexican or Seafood or Italian which is available in addition to the traditional items. And you don't have to stand around like an elementary school student in the lunch line waiting for someone to load up your tray!
The Buffet ~ on the Mariner you will find a traditional buffet available during the day. What you won't find here, that you can find on NCL: hordes of fellow passengers pushing their way around you, trying to get at a sliver of bacon or a soupcon of pudding as if they haven't eaten in hours; lack of sufficient seating in the buffet area and even more importantly, lack of consideration for fellow passengers ~ nobody will ask you to join them at their table even if there are clearly additional seats available and none of the ship staff will assist you in finding a seat; this is especially thrilling when you are trying to balance a plate, bowl and beverage and, again, doing so without any assistance from staff. Just try doing that on a Regent ship.... you have to INSIST that you don't need help from the staff because they are all over themselves trying to help you carry plates and find tables!
The Port Visits ~ oh, the joy we experienced having a half hour wait in line to get off the ship and an even longer wait IN THE RAIN to get back on at every port. I am not sure I am going to know what to do with the extra time in port when the Mariner stops and I can practically breeze through the efficient checkpoints coming & going. And let's not forget that Regent provides things like umbrellas for its passengers in the event of rain and bottles of icy cold water are provided COMPLIMENTARY. The Gem had a lovely woman at the top of the gangplank selling flimsy plastic trashbags (I mean rain ponchos) but somehow it just wasn't the same!
I could go on and on.....really....on and on and on! Of course there are the obvious differences that everyone talks about like how you don't have to sign for things every time you turn around (drinks, gourmet food, towels, etc.).
But it's the little things that are just done automatically that you don't really think about until they're not there.....those are the reasons why people who try luxury cruising don't go back to mass market!
Many prospective Regent cruisers (myself included just a couple of years ago) ask things like "Is Regent for me?" or "What makes Regent different?" or even more common, "Is it worth the money?"
After my first Regent cruise last year, I would have immediately answered the 1st and 3rd questions in the affirmative but been hard pressed to adequately convey a response to the middle one. In fact, I believe I discuss a "feeling" in my previous blog without putting it into exact words. Now, however, I can safely answer that middle question with authority.
Earlier this month, Mike and I treated our daughter Sara, her husband Donnie and our absolutely perfect grandson Richie to a cruise. Nice we are, but not nice enough to fork over $$$$$ for all 5 of us to cruise Regent! Instead, we decided to take a cruise on NCL out of New York City to Florida and the Bahamas. NCL is typical of the mass market cruise lines we have cruised with in the past so we pretty much knew what to expect. In all fairness to the line, I will say that I have found their staff to be more gracious and friendly than other mass market lines. This cruise was no exception. The pleasant staff, unfortunately, did not make up for everything else.
Before my last Regent cruise, members of both Cruise Critic and Luxury Cruise Talk warned me that once I had cruised Regent, I'd never want to cruise mass market again. I sort of believed them; especially after our great Regent cruise where all of my expectations were met and/or exceeded. But I'm a pretty easy-going gal, very down to earth and the type of person who has a great time no matter what so I didn't think I'd have any real issues "stepping back down" to mass market cruising. Wow! Was I ever mistaken!
What follows is a list of differences that I won't miss when I get back on the Mariner again in January:
Boarding the ship ~ after swiping your key card for the first time on Mariner, you are genteely escorted to the pool deck for a bite to eat and offered a cocktail by an employee who is ready to answer any questions you may have and wants you to feel immediately welcomed aboard. My experience on the Norwegian Gem was not even close to that (even though as a Casino VIP I did have a personal escort onto the ship). After swiping your key card, you are herded into the main atrium and accosted by numerous staff members, all of whom apparently are there to sell you the day's special cocktail. Interestingly enough, they don't actually TELL you it's for sale until after you have accepted a glass and then they ask for your Key Card. I felt sorry for all of the newbie cruisers who didn't know they were going to be billed $15 for what they probably thought was a welcome aboard complimentary drink.
The Pool Grill ~ like every cruise line I've ever been on, there is always a grill or small buffet right around the swimming pool where you can grab a quick bite to eat. The Norwegian Gem grill offered hamburgers, hot dogs, chicken, french fries, salad and condiments the first day, and the second, the third, the fourth...... in fact, every day and every night that it was open, the menu never varied. The only thing that changed was the amount of people on line in front of you. On the Mariner, you can find traditional grill fare like burgers and hot dogs but you won't find them sitting under a heat lamp. Those items are cooked to order and then delivered to you at the table you have selected. And the menu doesn't stop there; every day there is a DIFFERENT theme for the pool grill such as Mexican or Seafood or Italian which is available in addition to the traditional items. And you don't have to stand around like an elementary school student in the lunch line waiting for someone to load up your tray!
The Buffet ~ on the Mariner you will find a traditional buffet available during the day. What you won't find here, that you can find on NCL: hordes of fellow passengers pushing their way around you, trying to get at a sliver of bacon or a soupcon of pudding as if they haven't eaten in hours; lack of sufficient seating in the buffet area and even more importantly, lack of consideration for fellow passengers ~ nobody will ask you to join them at their table even if there are clearly additional seats available and none of the ship staff will assist you in finding a seat; this is especially thrilling when you are trying to balance a plate, bowl and beverage and, again, doing so without any assistance from staff. Just try doing that on a Regent ship.... you have to INSIST that you don't need help from the staff because they are all over themselves trying to help you carry plates and find tables!
The Port Visits ~ oh, the joy we experienced having a half hour wait in line to get off the ship and an even longer wait IN THE RAIN to get back on at every port. I am not sure I am going to know what to do with the extra time in port when the Mariner stops and I can practically breeze through the efficient checkpoints coming & going. And let's not forget that Regent provides things like umbrellas for its passengers in the event of rain and bottles of icy cold water are provided COMPLIMENTARY. The Gem had a lovely woman at the top of the gangplank selling flimsy plastic trashbags (I mean rain ponchos) but somehow it just wasn't the same!
I could go on and on.....really....on and on and on! Of course there are the obvious differences that everyone talks about like how you don't have to sign for things every time you turn around (drinks, gourmet food, towels, etc.).
But it's the little things that are just done automatically that you don't really think about until they're not there.....those are the reasons why people who try luxury cruising don't go back to mass market!
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