There are two things I started doing on our back-to-back cruise in 2022 that have become part of my cruise ritual. The first is being the Cruise Critic host for the roll call, Meet and Mingle event, and hosting an informal sailaway toast in the observation lounge. The second is near-live blogging, both on Cruise Critic and here on We Cruise NCL.
CC Host
As soon as I book, I check Cruise Critic and see if there is already a roll call thread [the one for this sailing] -- if there isn't, I start one. I set up a Google Form for folks to register if they'd like to attend the Meet & Mingle or any other organized activities. [this sailing]. I do a port-by-port spreadsheet with information many people like to know: Arrival/All Aboard time, sunrise/set, moon rise/set/phase, average high and low temperatures, and high and low tide times. [this sailing].
I also register the Facebook group and start building the group; or if one exists, I join it. For the past several years, the attendance by Cruise Critic folks at the meet and greet events has been dwindling, and the Facebook group attendees have increased. This trip seems to be breaking the pattern; we might actually have challenges with fitting folks in if everyone who has signed up actually shows. As a percentage, the CC folks tend to keep their signup commitment, while fewer of the Facebook folks follow through.
The bar in the Encore observation lounge, in Seattle Harbor before the sailaway party on our second leg of the 2022 back-to-back.
Who is this guy, and what did he do with my husband?
I remember that was Roxan's comment when I kicked off the sailaway toast that day. I've been a wallflower -- closer to a recluse -- most of my life. But these kinds of things have helped me get out of my shell, and I do find them truly enjoyable.
"Live" Blogging and Content Production
This trip, I am doing the live-ish blog thing on Cruise Critic [here]. That channel gets the high points, closer to a report of what went on, sometimes some observations and tips or tricks. This channel gets the more in-depth content -- the introspection, ah-ha moments, challenges, and solutions. It's where I can be me...sarcastic, not nearly as witty as I perceive myself, and not have to be concerned about how it might reflect.
But as this has become more a part of my cruise experience, I'm having to reign it in. I could very easily burn myself out during vacation trying to write, photograph, video, do unique content -- all the things. But this is vacation, and I cannot let showing and telling take precedence over doing.
I think I've planned a balance
Then I look at my equipment list:
- Main phone
- Tablet, keyboard, and mouse
- Laptop and mouse
- Backup phone (for catching specific things on a tripod on my balcony)
- Tripod
- Wireless mics
- Gimbal
- Backup batteries
- Extra memory cards
- A dedicated bag to put it all in
- A multi-page content plan
As the addict in me likes to say, why just do when you can overdo?
In my defense, I have 7-8 books downloaded on my Kindle and plan to read several of them sitting in Spinnaker...often my favorite place onboard to sit and read.
So... we'll see. My pattern before has been to do posting in bursts, and on an 11-day sailing I could see me saving all the mid-cruise stops for the at-sea day in the St. Lawrence. But I also write a point-shoot-and post item that works kind of like Twitter (before it became what it is today). So I can do on-the-go things like I did yesterday and not have to write a full-blown post about everything. I think that will help a lot with the balance. And I'm giving myself permission to save some of the larger-scale pieces, which need reflection time, for the train trip home and/or after I get home.
I'll report back when the trip is done, and we'll see how I did.... [yes, the hero image is AI-generated]