Introducing the Sea Monkey Ambassador Program
Every year JoCo Cruise Crazy gets more popular, and it is great to see all the new Sea Monkeys! But as we get bigger, the feeling that we are all friends who know each other diminishes. A large proportion of Sea Monkeys describe themselves as shy or introverted, and every year a few people come away feeling like they missed out because they were too intimidated to start conversations or find dinner companions. The Sea Monkey Ambassador Program aims to change that.
Who are the Sea Monkey Ambassadors?
You are! If you want to be, that is. This is an unofficial, entirely voluntary assignment, open to anyone who wants to take on the mantle. You will receive a button and the following mandate:
Ambassadors are Sea Monkeys who make a conscious effort to talk to and include people they don't already know. Ambassadors will:
- ...go out of their way to meet new people. Suggestions include:
- Start conversations with unfamiliar people while in line
- Invite new friends to sit with you at dinner
- Look out for people who are sitting alone and ask if they want to join you
- ...be friendly and willing to explain if non-Sea Monkeys ask what we're about
- ...understand that every monkey needs alone time, and respect other people's boundaries if they don't want to be social.
But I hate approaching strangers!
Some people are never going to enjoy walking up to someone they don't know, and that is ok. Ambassador is not a role that suits everyone, so relax and enjoy your cruise!
I want to talk to people, but I'm no good at starting conversations!
If you don't know how to say hi, let a Hello button do it for you. The Ambassador program will also be supplying Hello buttons, which simply say "Hi". Wearing this button indicates that you want people to approach you for conversation. Of course, you don't NEED a button to be approachable, but some of us are shy and will hesitate to approach a stranger if we're not sure they want to be bothered. Make it easy for Ambassadors to find you with a Hello button!
Remember to bring your passport!
For JCCC3, Sea Monkey @kate designed a beautiful Sea Monkey Passport, with space to write contact information of new friends. The only downside was that only people who printed a copy before the cruise got to use them. This year, the Ambassador program is giving out an miniature version of the Passport to every Sea Monkey, free of charge. Use this booklet to keep track of your new friends, make dinner plans, and keep as a souvenir!
But isn't this what Sea Monkeys do anyway?
We pride ourselves on being friendly and welcoming, don't we? Why would we even need an Ambassador Program?
The truth of it is, if you have a ton of friends on the cruise, it's easy to go all week talking only to people you know, and still feel like you didn't spend enough time with them. And if you hardly know anyone it can be overwhelming to be surrounded by groups who already seem to be friends. It's not that Sea Monkeys don't talk to strangers or invite others to join in—many of us do! Putting it in writing just reminds us to be on the lookout for ways we can improve the cruise for others.
How do I participate?
1. Be an Ambassador
All it takes to be an Ambassador is to make a conscious effort to talk to people you don't know! If you want to feel official, Ambassador buttons will be available in the game room on the ship, along with a list of suggested tasks. There is no minimum time commitment.
2. Wear a Hello button
Whether or not you feel up to approaching strangers, be crystal clear that you're feeling approachable by wearing a Hello button! Hello buttons will also be available in the game room.
3. Use your passport
Keep your Sea Monkey Passport on hand (we hope to find a way to attach them to your badge) and share contact information with new friends so you can stay in touch. Consider making adhesive labels with your contact information so you don't have to write it out a thousand times. Include your cabin number if you want friends to be able to contact you on the ship!
4. Tell others about the Ambassadors
Not everyone reads the forums before the cruise, so some people will have no idea what all these buttons and passports are about. Spread the word!
5. Be a tour guide
This year we will be running unofficial social ship tours at the start of the cruise, to help people find popular Sea Monkey destinations and meet a few other Sea Monkeys on the way. Tour guides should be very comfortable with talking to strangers (you are probably enthusiastic about being an Ambassador!) It is highly recommended, though not required, that you attended JCCC3 and are familiar with the layout of the Independence of the Seas. Volunteer to be a tour guide here!
The fine print
The Sea Monkey Ambassador Program is by Sea Monkeys, for Sea Monkeys, and is not affiliated with Home Office, Jonathan Coulton, Paul and Storm, or any other entity. Questions, suggestions or complaints can be directed at @chicazul. Sea Monkey Ambassador logo by @jadegordon.
Comments
Full disclosure: the buttons are quite small (1" diameter) both because they're less expensive that way and because I personally don't like wearing large buttons! I still hope they will be sufficiently visible when worn on a lanyard or lapel. I for sure will be on the lookout for them, and will be sure to say hi!
I definitely dropped the ball on a few things (wrong paper stock for table cards, never got around to putting up signage) but I saw a lot of people wearing buttons and I hope people found some value even with the incomplete implementation.
If you have any ideas for improvement, please share!
I think new monkey optional seating would have helped us a great deal. As a group of three, (me, husband, 4 y/o) we ended up eating by ourselves the entire cruise. It was too intimidating for me to approach tables of people chatting away.
That said, every day got easier and I got more confident in starting conversations. I will definitely be an ambassador next year.
@squinner we had the same experience.
Would definitely be interested in helping next year.
In my experience the ribbons are not designed to be removable/reusable, which is one reason I shied away from them. (Many people told me they planned to remove the buttons when they didn't feel social.) Definitely worth reconsidering though!
So although I may have behaved in the Ambassador spirit, both during dinners and throughout the cruise, I don't know if I really contributed to the program as it was envisioned.
As an aside, I'm happy to donate to whatever incarnation this will have for JCCC5.
I did find I had an easier time talking to people at dances, speed meeting, game room, etc. Trying to make friends AT dinner was not really feasible, as people are just hunting for tables. I think a lot of people were a little stressed at that point - it sounds like for new people, it was a little like trying to make sure not to be picked last for a game in gym class. I tried to invite people to join us for dinner before it was actually time to eat, and that seemed to work better.
I think in at least one previous year, an official Home Office email has referenced the Facebook group and forums. I don't remember that happening this year, but it may have just slipped my mind since I've been in both places for so long.
I think maybe a newbie event at the sail away cocktail party would help people more.
And we just can't seem to solve the dinner table issues. I thought the green cards were a good idea but no one could see them. A "Join Us" sign on a stick seems to be the next step!
From my point of view, we have so many ideas for welcoming people and so many things that are already in place ... it seems like what we really need is wider adoption of the things we already have (which by nature needs some Home Office involvement) rather than adding more and more helpful things. They're all only going to be partially successful as long as the only people who know about them are the ones who are active on Facebook and the forums (who also already have a leg up on acclimation because of having been active on them).