Reply To: Ideas for helping new cruisers acclimate?
I thought the Ambassador program was a good idea, but personally I felt like I couldn’t do it because I’m not on 100% of the time. I didn’t want someone to start something up with me when I wasn’t in the mood. It did help me seeing other peoples’ “hi” pins because then I could make more of an effort to say hello when I was feeling in the mood.
This was my 2nd JCCC and I recognize now why the opening cocktail party is so problematic for new cruisers. For veterans it’s like a big, fun reunion! But for new cruisers, the reunion atmosphere means no one goes out of their way to talk with them and at the same time it looks like everyone else is having a blast. It might help to use a section of the room as a designated “first timers” area then, so they can find people who are interested in meeting up.
(I know speed meeting is supposed to solve this problem, but there’s only so many people who want to go to something so explicit!)