I was skeptical early on that one could get a free cruise doing arts and crafts but decided to give it a try.I was fortunate to get samples of my crafts included in the gift bag Daniel put together for attendees at his cocktail party during a major convention of cruise lines in Miami (abrilliant idea!). Daniel followed up with those who expressed interest and several months later got me booked on RC’s April 26th sailing out of Los Angeles (a 7 day cruise to the Mexican Riviera) and one that I had requested.
Per her instructions, I sent the Enrichment Specialist with
RC samples of the crafts I proposed teaching early in 2009.
She sent her approval and let me know what other information
I needed to provide (exactly what Daniel instructed for all
RC speakers shortly thereafter). I received my contract via
email exactly one week before we sailed. She indicated in
her message that they no longer use booking numbers and that
I should just bring the contract with me.
At the L.A. Cruise Terminal a porter immediately approached
us and requested our paperwork. I explained the situation
and he took off with my contract. Shortly thereafter he
returned and showed us our stateroom number, which he had
written on the contract, and took our bags. We headed for
the registration area and were frequently asked for our
"Sail Away" sheet --- but it always worked to just explain
who we were, show the contract, and keep moving on through
the process. Once through Security we were directed to the
regular line. It took me a while to spot the Pier Supervisor
desk and by that time we decided just to stay in line since
we were early and it was short. Once at the desk we
explained things again and the person helping us went to the
Pier Supervisor, returned with our paperwork and gave us our
"Sea Pass" cards and boarding number... we were official!
Here I am going on board --- I made a point of wearing some of my origami earrings hoping they might catch someone’s attention and give me a lead-in to promote my classes.
Daniel had warned that RC does very little to promote their enrichment events, and he was definitely right about that!
You get a very brief one-liner in the Daily Planner so it is up to you to make your short titles sell and to find other
ways to get your "blurbs" in front of people. Knowing that
folks tend to get excited about my classes if they see the
actual crafts, I created special cards twice the size of a
regular business card which I then folded in half. On the
front I extended an invitation to my classes using my
"umbrella" headline ("Easy, Entertaining Origami You Can
Use") and providing some small photos of my most appealing
samples. Inside I listed the class topics with my catchy
blurbs, and left space so that I could fill in the class
place and time once they were scheduled. On the back I
provided more pictures. We did everything we could to
maximize the number of people we met and chatted with,
including having dinner at larger tables, joining existing
groups at events like "Name That Tune" or "Trivia", etc. We
handed the cards out whenever we were able to introduce the
topic in conversation... if people showed interest. Those
we spoke to were often intrigued (crafters got very
excited!) and grateful to receive the card.
When we first got to our stateroom there was indeed a letter from our contact, Julia, an "Activities Administrator". She welcomed us on behalf of the Activities Manager and the Cruise Director, and said she would call me once the ship had set sail. She also said that my classes were scheduled and she listed them in the letter. I was startled to see that not only did I have classes as expected on the three sea days, but I also had a fourth class scheduled for the morning we arrived in Cabo San Lucas. I had submitted a fourth class as backup in case of a change in the ship’s schedule, and I was very happy that I had put an equal amount of work and preparation into that class as into the others.
`We had an inside stateroom which was surprisingly roomy and quite brilliantly designed to maximize living and storage space. As first-time cruisers we were a bit overwhelmed both by the ship itself and by the number of things going on, not to mention trying to learn our way around 15 decks.
The multi-story main Promenade was lined with shops, cafes and bars, and used for events and parades. It was hard to imagine that anyone would find my little craft class the very first day out! All the classes were to be held in the martini bar on the 14th deck in an area called the "Royal Crown," encircled by windows with a terrific wraparound view of pools and decks and the ocean. It was a very popular
place, making it both a great spot and a challenging place to hold classes!
Julia and I connected by phone after dinner and confirmed
the schedule and what I needed for the classes (basically
just space for people to work on --- the most challenging
commodity of all). I had decided to forego PowerPoint slides
and instead spent my time creating thorough, original
instructions. The first class was scheduled for 2 pm the
first day out; we arrived around 1:30 and started trying to
carve out some space. I was lucky that my husband got
totally into the whole project and was there to help out
every step of the way. While he tried to snag unoccupied
chairs and tables, I set one table on the small stage area
and arranged on it samples not only of that day’s crafts but
of the others we would be doing in subsequent classes. That
was a great attention-getter and people (in the class and
onlookers) would often get intrigued by a particular project
and ask when we would be doing that --- a perfect
opportunity to hand out cards! I kept plenty on hand and
made sure they were easily accessible during the class.
Julia met us about 15 minutes before the class was to start;
we chatted and she remarked on my samples and seemed pleased
with them. I showed her my cards when she asked about a
particular craft and she was happy to take one with her.
Shortly after she left, four brave souls showed up for the
class! They were a small but enthusiastic group of crafters
and we had a great time. I had scheduled one of my most
popular items for the first class and was a little
disappointed to have such a small group (though impressed
anyone found us at all!). However, they loved the project
and made a point of spreading the word and bringing others
to subsequent classes, so that turned out to be a very good
thing. I had brought plain papers for learning and
practicing during the class, and nicer origami and scrapbook
papers for people to use to make their finished product once
they had learned the technique. It meant carrying extra
supplies but people loved it -- they had a great time
choosing papers and working with them there if time allowed,
or taking them after class. It was great fun when someone
would approach me on the ship and tell me very excitedly
that they had completed a project on their own with their
instructions and special papers.
Our second class was scheduled for the next morning at 9,
just as we pulled into Cabo San Lucas. Julia met us
beforehand and said that if no one showed up we should feel
free to leave early. The martini bar was busy with excited
people all anxious to see the view and watch as we entered
the port. To my pleasure and surprise 7 people showed up for
class. We were doing a craft that had several stages to it,
so anyone who didn’t want to complete all the steps right
then could still enjoy the satisfaction of having completed
a project. Several people were happy to be able to learn
the techniques and take their instructions and additional
papers to work on later, and not stress about getting
finished in time to get to the tender to go ashore.
We had a great day of kayaking and beach fun in Cabo. Back
on board at the end of the day, before the Captain even made
the announcement, I had a message from Julia indicating that
the ship had had a change in itinerary and that I would need
to switch my Friday class to the following day, Wednesday.
The Swine Flu scare had caused the cancellation of all
further ports in Mexico, and we would now be at sea the next
two days headed for San Francisco! This was an ironic turn
of events since we live very close to SF but we took it in
stride, as did the rest of the ship. I was even glad to get
to demonstrate my flexibility and total willingness to help
out wherever. Wednesday’s class was held at 12:30 and with
the change in itinerary, high winds blowing across the
decks, and more time for the word to spread, our attendance
jumped to 25 very enthusiastic folks. We were doing a
simple, fun and colorful craft and it was a very big hit.
Many were disappointed that they had not been to earlier
classes since they could see the samples of what they had
missed. We got through the basics of that day’s craft
fairly quickly, so I gave folks the option of continuing to
work on it there or to spend remaining class time reviewing
one of the previous crafts. A lot of them jumped at that
chance! It was a fun class and people were very
appreciative. Many were anxious to have another class the
following day and I did talk with Julia later and offered to
do that. However, one of their staff members was scheduled
to do a craft class called "Ribbons to Roses" and she told
me to just take the day off and enjoy...
Friday cold and rainy day in San Francisco. I made a point
of visiting my favorite little chocolate shop where I bought
truffles to put in a hand-crafted gift bag for Julia at the
end of the cruise (very much appreciated!).
My final class was scheduled for Saturday at 2 pm. People
were now hungry for onboard activities and we ended up with
a crowd of about 45. There was a heavy fog outside so the
bar was not quite as crowded with people there for the view.
It took some doing to find chairs and table space for so
many people, but it was a fun problem to have. Jeff was an
invaluable assistant, arranging and rearranging furniture
and helping people who got stuck working on the craft. I was
doing my gift bag class -- one that is very popular but also
a little more complex than the others. The class ran fairly
smoothly (Julia stopped in part way through it and gave me a
big thumbs-up and commented on the "good crowd") but I could
definitely have used a microphone with that many people (and
the blender running frequently at the bar). I also made a
newbie mistake (I’ve given lots of workshops before but
never one with so many people and limited working space) and
allowed myself to get so caught up in the class logistics
that I totally forgot to pass around my e-mail sign-up
sheet. Too bad that was my biggest class I won’t make that
mistake if I get to do it again!
People seemed very happy with the class and many stayed for
quite a while afterwards to work with the extra papers and
embellishments I had brought along. I’m hoping they
mentioned their enthusiasm on the survey at the end of the
cruise, as I also forgot to ask this group to do that!
In the future I would
* Request a microphone and a flip chart and have my name,
the class topic and my e-mail in big letters on the front
of the flip chart;
* Carefully consider the level of difficulty of each class
project and keep it simple;
* Test any project I think may be too difficult and adjust
accordingly. I made a last-minute substitution in one class
topic and I am very grateful I did!
* Set a timer/reminder on my watch so I am aware when we
reach the last 10-15 minutes of the class and don’t forget
to cover critical topics while everyone is there;
* Have something to sell! I had intended to make kits
available in the ship store but ran out of time to get them
completed and approved. With the additional sea day and
inclement weather I think they could have been quite
popular, as would a book & dvd set.
* Explore additional ways to promote classes and communicate
their quality (fliers available in the Guest
Relations/Activities area? a short, pre-prepared video that
might play on ship tv? Of course, if larger audiences were
attracted there would also be a need for more space.)
* Always be totally prepared to do that backup class and
possibly have an extra in my back pocket to offer in the
event of schedule changes, inclement weather and restless
guests...
* Always submit my class topics in the order I want to do
them, in case they’re already scheduled when I get on board
and it may not be possible to change the first day’s class
topic.
HAPPY CRUISING!
Nancy Jenks
Note from Daniel: Thanks Nancy for your very helpful and thorough post! Excellent suggestions! Now if you are reading this and haven't signed up for all the fun you can check out my program "Speak on Cruise Ships: 8 Easy Steps to a Lifetime of FREE Luxury Cruises" and get started pronto at http://www.speakerscruisefree.com/cruise-free.html
