Groups on your cruise - Should Princess tell you ahead of time?

[Liz54]

That would have been an interesting cruise. Having had the misfortune of being around so called christian groups, my experience has been similar to yours and I would have preferred the bear group hands down.

 

Many years ago when we first started cruising we encountered a good sized gay group. We did not realize they were aboard until one night we were walking by the lounge and their was a sign up for a private party. Being curious we were looking in the open door when a young man said they were having a performance and invited us to join them so we did. That is when we found out it was a gay/lesbian group and their performances were really funny. We enjoyed it so much so that they invited us to join them on future cruises. We never did but did think about it.

 

Our boys are grown now but when they were young we did not try to shield them from the real world. When they saw something that caused them alarm, we would talk about it. They needed to be made aware that not everyone is the same, did not live like we did, eat the same food or dress the same way.

 

Always travel with an open mind as you may actually learn something.

 

Great Post! I am a straight person with a family but worked for 15 years for an organization where virtually everyone else was gay. My best buddy (jokingly referred to as my work husband!) is not only Gay & a "bear" but a pretty serious Christian. As you can imagine my boys grew up with open minds too!

[J&KCruisers]

We also cruised with the Santa's a few years ago and thought it was a lot of fun! I would recommend although not all the Mrs Claus's looked like the picture.:D

 

We also went with what looked like an amish group which must have numbered in the 150 range.

 

Never a problem and both times it was pretty cool. It added a different dimension to the cruise and broke up the norm.

 

Everyone seemed to be there for the same reason, fun and relaxation!

 

Happy Cruising:D:D

[geoherb]

We've been fortunate not to have any large groups make much difference on our cruises. I remember the Cookie Lee jewelry sales women on our Star Princess cruise to Alaska because they were always impeccably dressed. There was a group of Italian pharmacists on one cruise. The ship had a few announcements in Italian for them. I also noticed they had their Patters printed in Italian.

 

On a HAL cruise, an organ company had a large contingent of folks. It did not matter much except that they took over the wedding chapel with three or four sample organs and it was closed to regular passengers the whole cruise--not that I wanted to use it. The group also made sure it's contestants were picked for the karaoke contest.

[KruzPrincess]

I've been on some cruises with groups and I've been on cruises where I've been part of a group. Last year, I went on an oldies music theme cruise. Each participant had to pay an extra $500+ for the entertainment. This year, I think it's an extra $600 per person. People who were on the cruise already could have bought the entertainment package once on the ship, but I'm sure that very few did once they heard how much it cost. There were a lot of events, but they were all scheduled for times when there weren't ship activities in that room. All the concerts were in the Princess theater, but the shows were at 3PM and 5PM. They never interfered with Princess shows. Yes, the group filled up the Princess Theater together, but if they chose to go to a production show they have a right to do that...they also paid for the cruise. They had some private get-togethers, but Princess planned their activities in other rooms. There was still trivia, fruit carving, etc. I never heard anyone complaining about this group.

 

A couple times I was awarded cruises from the company I worked for. We all went and had fun. The only room we took over was a room that wasn't already in use. I can't imagine we affected anyone else.

 

I've been on cruises that have other groups and they have never affected my cruise. If the aft pool is crowded I go somewhere else. If I don't like the feel of the crowd at the Wheelhouse, I go somewhere else. I never think or wonder if all these people could be the same group and are using up my space. They all paid for their cruise.

 

I've never been on a cruise with a group of people that I considered offensive. I guess that could happen, but time will tell.

[Thrak]

Simmer down here. You quote one poster, who may have made up that "privacy" law for all you know, and now you're off to the races with the most egregiously revolting examples you can think of, complete with a swipe against what I assume is a political outlook with which you vehemently disagree. Nobody's "rights" are being curtailed by permitting groups to sail on Princess or by not disclosing those groups. We don't have a right to be free of sailing with offensive fellow passengers; if we did, I can think of a whole lotta people who'd be walking the gangway long before we got to the outliers like pedophiles and white sheet wearers.

 

Sorry. Bad day at work and a tremendous headache. Shouldn't have posted. I doubt that most groups would be an issue unless they were rude or pushy.

[bananavan]

If it really matters to you why not do a google search for the particular cruise on which you will be sailing. Chances are the Travel agency advertisements will come up. I have done this in the past.

If I recall the Thanksgiving American Girl 25 th anniversary cruise was a difficult one for many on these boards.

[swedish weave]

I was on a cruise with several hundred people who had won their cruises in drawings at all of the Terrible Herbst Casinos. They all wore the same color shirts with the logos on them.

 

Did it bother me or ruin my cruise ? NO -- I enjoyed talking to them, and it saved me money because it was hard to find anything open in the casino.

[Sailingpeace]

I agree that 10% really doesn't affect the cruise much.

We've had 2 experiences with large groups which clarified this to me.

Years ago we were on the (then) Tahitian Princess for B2Bs. The second cruise (when we were comfortable and familiar with the normal operations of things) was unexpectedly (for us) taken over by a group of French people who seemed to have booked with one agent. I think they had booked almost half of the ship.

She took over half of the Purser's desk, announcements were made in French, rooms were blocked off, seats everywhere (pool and shows) were held, etc. It was awful! Even the crew that we had become friendly with on the first cruise noticed it. :(

 

Then last year we were on a cruise that had a group of Star Wars aficionados .

I found out about it on our Roll Call before the cruise and almost cancelled.

It turned out that there were about 300 (or so) of them on a 3000 passenger ship and other than the costumes I sometimes saw, there was no effect at all on the cruise.

I think when the group gets up to a third of the ship and is large enough to affect the experience of people not in the group it would be wonderful to be notified but I don't expect that will ever happen.:rolleyes:

 

I would not be happy with a group leaving only half of the ship to other passengers. Not getting in a room because you did not get there first is one thing. Not beeing able to get in because you are not in the right group would not be ok. I am curious about the french announcements. Do you just mention them to make the pointaboit how many french speaking people were on the ship or because it bothered you ?

[NorthBay49]

We were on the Royal (Nov 3rd) with the very large group (450 bears). This is not the first time we have travelled when large groups were on board (Ruby Oct/Nov 2012), but have found that they usually take over the aft pool area, leaving 3 other pools. The problem with large groups on the Royal is the lack of pools (only 2). We were in the Sanctuary for the week, so saw the situation first hand. The Retreat area became a bear area from 10:00am onward on sea days and later in the day when in port. I would believe that most people left due to the behaviour of some of the members in this group.

Do I think Princess should advise passengers when large groups are on board? Yes.

[e71465]

This happened to me too a few years ago. By the way you described things I think the same group may have been on my cruise and could have been the same group that was on the 11/3 Royal cruise.

 

We were on the Crown in 2008! Those kind of groups need to be on a ship without other passengers!!

[jnc411]

Just on a ship a month ago with a fairly large group, the problems were in the dining rooms , they were anytime dining , and they took over whole sections of the dining rooms , and anyone who was not in there group that happen to be seated near them , well it was uncomfortable, they table hopped, etc. Also in the buffet area in the mornings and afternoons they would tie up entire sections of the seating, would seat one or two people there and then just tell anyone else the seats were taken, and the staff could do nothing about it. I have been on other cruises with pretty large groups and had no problems , but this group , well not exactly a comfortable experience. But we said nothing , as nothing really could be done to change it . So from now on , I am going to do my reseach prior to booking and do my best to keep checking , and hopefully not be on a ship with a large group in the future.

Cori

[Pushka]

I think they can get away without being accused of discrimination.

 

It is not discrimination to state that the a large group of pokie players, guitar players etc is onboard. Providing information is not discrimination. Discrimination has to impact negatively on someone - no one is being impacted on negatively in the stated group.

 

If a group is so large that they will take away a venue, dining room, a show, then I cannot see why the cruise lines can get away with NOT telling other passengers because those venues etc are stated on their website as being available for every passenger.

Edited November 13, 2013 by Pushka

[Ethel5]

We were on the Crown in 2008! Those kind of groups need to be on a ship without other passengers!!

 

You must be referring to the ladies on the Quacker Factory cruises!

[spingal]

FYI...I just checked the Bears cruise schedule. They will be on the 11/16/14 Emerald Princess sailing out of Houston.

[more cruises]

A few years ago my BIL and SIL went on a HAL cruise. I read on CC that there was a swingers group on board. Now we are left to wonder if they were part of the group or not. :eek::rolleyes::D

[Wehwalt]

I think they can get away without being accused of discrimination.

 

It is not discrimination to state that the a large group of pokie players, guitar players etc is onboard. Providing information is not discrimination. Discrimination has to impact negatively on someone - no one is being impacted on negatively in the stated group.

 

If a group is so large that they will take away a venue, dining room, a show, then I cannot see why the cruise lines can get away with NOT telling other passengers because those venues etc are stated on their website as being available for every passenger.

 

I think they should, too, but absent government regulation (from Bermuda?) they are not going to. All they would gain from it is cancelled trips, and complaints from passengers that of course they booked their airfare 11 months in advance and someone has to pay the fees.

 

That being said, I mostly go on the small ships. I do not see this impacting them. A 500 passenger group on a 670 passenger ship probably would not leave enough space for me, so I am not worried about it. It probably could not be done inconspicuously.

Edited November 13, 2013 by Wehwalt

[Host Jazzbeau]

I think they should, too, but absent government regulation (from Bermuda?) they are not going to. All they would gain from it is cancelled trips, and complaints from passengers that of course they booked their airfare 11 months in advance and someone has to pay the fees.

 

That being said, I mostly go on the small ships. I do not see this impacting them. A 500 passenger group on a 670 passenger ship probably would not leave enough space for me, so I am not worried about it. It probably could not be done inconspicuously.

 

Even on the smaller Princess ships I would think you are less likely to get large groups, since they probably prefer the bells and whistles of the newest ships [and hopefully Princess is smart enough to realize they would have less of an impact on the largest ships].

[Times Prince]

I think they can get away without being accused of discrimination.

 

It is not discrimination to state that the a large group of pokie players, guitar players etc is onboard. Providing information is not discrimination. Discrimination has to impact negatively on someone - no one is being impacted on negatively in the stated group.

 

If a group is so large that they will take away a venue, dining room, a show, then I cannot see why the cruise lines can get away with NOT telling other passengers because those venues etc are stated on their website as being available for every passenger.

On a Caribbean Princess cruise out of San Juan, several venues including the Princess Theater had shows that catered to the Spanish speaking. Is that what you mean about not being available? Should we have been warned about this or should we have enjoyed the experience of living around another culture?

 

Looking at the other posts I see the main repeated objection is to a group called "the bears". Objecting because of their sexual orientation is discriminatory. Objecting to openly lewd behavior (if that is what is being said) is another thing, as that applies to everyone, and consequences can be assessed case by case.

Edited November 13, 2013 by Times Prince

[Pushka]

On a Caribbean Princess cruise out of San Juan, several venues including the Princess Theater had shows that catered to the Spanish speaking. Is that what you mean about not being available? Should we have been warned about this or should we have enjoyed the experience of living around another culture?

 

Looking at the other posts I see the main repeated objection is to a group called "the bears". Objecting because of their sexual orientation is discriminatory. Objecting to openly lewd behavior (if that is what is being said) is another thing, as that applies to everyone, and consequences can be assessed case by case.

 

There's a difference between offering shows in a different language but everyone welcome to attend, versus being specifically excluded from venues. There is no comparison in this situation.

 

Bears - not a familiar term to me in Australia to be honest.

 

But anyone should respect those around them and not indulge in lewd behaviour whatever their sexual orientation is.

[chamima]

I would not be happy with a group leaving only half of the ship to other passengers. Not getting in a room because you did not get there first is one thing. Not beeing able to get in because you are not in the right group would not be ok. I am curious about the french announcements. Do you just mention them to make the pointaboit how many french speaking people were on the ship or because it bothered you ?

 

 

I only noticed the announcements being in French because, as I said, it was the second half of a B2B and on the first cruise they were just in English. I could care less about the announcements, it was the taking over of the ship that was uncomfortable.

It was a small ship (650 passengers) and there were about 300-400 of them.

The atmosphere was that it was THEIR cruise and we were unwelcome intruders.

 

Also, I told this story because so often people say there is prejudice against the group and that's the reason for the complaints but these were just people from France who individually probably were nice people.

I had no preconceived notions and just concluded that any people in large groups tend to think, in a small space, that anyone NOT in their group is an intruder.

Edited November 13, 2013 by chamima

[msmarvel]

Even on the smaller Princess ships I would think you are less likely to get large groups, since they probably prefer the bells and whistles of the newest ships [and hopefully Princess is smart enough to realize they would have less of an impact on the largest ships].

 

I agree. The Irish cruise I did in February on the Epic had been on the NCL Pearl the previous year(s). I was talking with a friend who was one of the musicians, and he was hoping it would go back to the Pearl since he wasn't crazy about the Epic either. The announcement went out, it's the Epic again.

 

Just looking at this website that books music cruises ( sixthman. com) Kid Rock is on the Pearl March 3rd, 2104, Alabama, Live Loud, and a bunch of others seem to all be on the Pearl in Feb and March 2014. So if you are looking at that ship, just be aware that they may take over some venues and you won't be allowed in if you are a just doing a "regular" cruise.

[JerseyGuys]

There is no such law. That was made up. Privacy "laws", (and what we are really talking about is civil liability, not criminal law), exist to protect individual rights. A "group" has no expectation of privacy that can be violated by the mere mention of its anticipated presence. If the town of Skokie announces that the KKK intends to march in the Memorial Day parade, the KKK has no cause of action resulting from that announcement. Likewise, the "Chumley Bears of America" cannot sue Princess if Princess emails its passengers to tell them that the Bears will be back on board in early November, nor can Princess be arrested for publishing that fact.

 

But what could happen is that the CBoA might take their business elsewhere out of a sense that Princess is embarrasing them by "warning" others that they will be on board; and passengers who are not in that group might cancel because they might fear that the group will overrun the ship, might display behavior of which they do not approve, or both. One thing is for certain. Princess would not increase its bookings by announcing that a particular group will be on board (with the possible exception of the Swedish Bikini Team or a Chippendale's convention.;))

 

And on the issue of groups overrunning the ship, (or certain parts of it), one has to be careful here. It was mentioned above that a group was large enough to fill the Retreat and the Sanctuary, as well as the Theater. That may be true mathematically, but unless those venues are pre-reserved and held back for the group's use only, the fact that there are 500 group members (and their "group photo" posted on line shows more like 200) does not alter your odds of getting seats or lounge chairs at any of these venues. You may indeed see a difference in the pools because certain groups tend to hang out in the pools and hot tubs more than the general passenger population. And if the ship allows a big group to book a traditional dining seating, the size of the group could put a large dent in the availability of that seating. And, as mentioned several times, groups can and do reserve certain venues for their exclusive use. All these things can be impactful. But overrunning first-come-first-served venues seems a bit overstated. Perhaps you have to be more vigilant in securing your spots around the pools, the Retreat, the Sanctuary or the Theater. But the group in and of itself cannot squeeze you out of any of those places unless they arrive en masse, and earlier than you. Remember that if a group of 500 were not occupying their cabins, 500 other people would have been, and you would have been in competition for first-come-first-served venues with those people same as the group. The only difference is that you wouldn't notice as much because the general population of 500 passengers may not have shared certain characteristics as the group of 500 which make them stand out. 300 Santas sitting around the Retreat would look different than 300 other folks sitting around the Retreat. But it is still 300 people no matter how you count it.

 

Well said and thank you. I am gay but was not traveling with the bear group. You are exactly correct , as I do on every cruise my partner and I get up by 730 and get out choice of pool side seats. This year we selected to sit in the retreat area. We were frequently not the first to arrive. There were non bear guest and bear guest all there at that early hour. The bears quite frankly got up earlier and occupied the seats first. They were not chair hogs they were mostly in their seats by 9am and stayed there (along with myself all day long). Other guest would stroll out at 11am or after lunch and give disapproving looks. If they had arrived earlier, just like the main pool they would have been able to secure a seat in the retreat area.

 

As far as the bears taking over a dining room, the bears had late traditional dining in a single dining room. The shear size of the group may have necessitated taking the single dining room. I was in the Concerto dining room late traditional (not the same rooms as the bears). And the concerto dining room late seating was more than half empty. So it was those people who sign up for late traditional seating and never show up that prevented other passengers from using the Concerto dining room.

 

As far as public displays of affection, yes there were some, but I saw nothing that I have not seen straight couples doing in board. Extreme public displays of affection are not appropriate by any passangers. The fact is I think many people are simply uncomfortable seeing two men kiss or hold hands.

Edited November 13, 2013 by JerseyGuys
Spelling

[kruisey]

The reason they don't tell us is that legally they can't. It's discrimination. I've been on cruises with large groups and they don't begin to affect the ship until about 500 in number.

 

Surely its discrimination if areas of the ship are for a group only?

Its a two way street.

[RNGALNG]

Surely its discrimination if areas of the ship are for a group only?

Its a two way street.

 

Exactly! I agree! Why should we not get to use a bar area, the theater, a pool? We too paid to cruise and use the facilities onboard.

 

If and when I cruise, the groups had not be messing with my trivia games! After all, I am there for the high rolling prizes one gets when they play and win! :D:o;)

[bhopal21]

The fact is I think many people are simply uncomfortable seeing two men kiss or hold hands.

 

BINGO!;)

 

Mike:)