"Theme Cruises" - When you aren't part of it...

[lesters]

We have found out that our upcoming cruise is a theme cruise for Magic the Gathering...I am not here to knock them at all just curious if you have ever been on one of these group or theme cruises and not been a part of the group.

 

Did you notice that the whole cruise was geared towards them? Were other regular events quieter??

 

The reason I ask is our roll call is even the quietest roll call I have ever been on... so it is starting to have me a bit worried what the actual cruise is going to be like. I'm sure it will be fine maybe some benefits - I'm thinking the casino and shows might be less crowded that sort of thing.

 

We find out for ourselves in 13 days!!!! Can't wait I'm sure it will be awesome no matter what!

[golfadj]

Some years ago we were on a cruise with about 500 or perhaps more of some southern rock group enthusiasts.

 

They took over the back lounge and we definitely thought there was less entertainment available to us because of it.

 

Didnt ruin our cruise but sure didnt help it at all.

[okgirl]

Many years ago we were on a cruise with a TA group of about 600. They definitely took over many venues and prevented us from being able to enjoy many areas.

[lesters]

Bahhh thats what I was worried about.

 

If we hadn't found out about in the roll call we would not have known in advance.

 

I guess knowing its a possibility that the group can impede some activities helps rather than being surprised by it when you board.

 

Thanks!

[riffatsea]

It really depends on the theme and the group.

We were on a cruise that turned out to be with a group of New Orleans dance enthusiasts. They brought their own band on board which gave dance lessons to everyone! It was just a fabulous addition to the cruise for us!

[junglecat]

Did you say you found out in the roll call? Otherwise, how would you even know/find out?

[golfadj]

Did you say you found out in the roll call? Otherwise, how would you even know/find out?

 

There is a website that somehow will give out info on this but dont remember the name or even the link.

[lesters]

Did you say you found out in the roll call? Otherwise, how would you even know/find out?

 

It was mentioned on the Roll Call - if it wasnt on here we wouldnt have known at all.

 

Not sure how a MTG cruise works LOL not really our thing - not a real rowdy crew from what I can guess :p

[kcwingwalker]

We sailed once with a "_____ Family and Friends" group that numbered about 1,500. All in all a very nice and friendly group. But they really did take over the ship. Many were amateur musicians and they played wherever and whenever they wished, sometimes it was good but not always.

 

One MDR was always reserved for the group so dining options were more limited. Go into a bar and you might find yourselves being the only ones who were not part of the group.

 

This experience did not ruin our cruise, in fact we had more than a few laughs and said more than once "Do you remember?"

 

If I had the opportunity ahead of time to know that I would be sailing with a large group again, I would change my plans.

[golfadj]

We sailed once with a "_____ Family and Friends" group that numbered about 1,500. All in all a very nice and friendly group. But they really did take over the ship. Many were amateur musicians and they played wherever and whenever they wished, sometimes it was good but not always.

 

One MDR was always reserved for the group so dining options were more limited. Go into a bar and you might find yourselves being the only ones who were not part of the group.

 

This experience did not ruin our cruise, in fact we had more than a few laughs and said more than once "Do you remember?"

 

If I had the opportunity ahead of time to know that I would be sailing with a large group again, I would change my plans.

 

We would also change our plans if a large group was taking over the ship.

[jsmac3]

We sailed on the Pride in 2007 with about 600 Sammy Hagar fans who partied hard.

 

Downside - there were two or three private concerts that began at 1am. We were on the Upper Deck forward so it sounded as though a guitar player was in our room.

 

Upside - they stayed up late and slept late so the lido and pool area wasn't crowded before 1pm.

[tree.critter]

This is going way back for me but my first cruise was a group cruise on the Mardis Gras, the passenger count for the Mardis Gras was roughly 1000 people, our group had 250-300 I would estimate and I remember thinking that I was sad for the people that were not a part of our group. Our group was very noticeable everywhere and the CD did spend a bit of extra time catering to our group. We took over the guest talent show..... it was beyond bizarre to be honest. It was a first for the majority of us and I confess it was so much fun that there has been a yearly group cruise for our industry ever since. There's not nearly as many participants now and I find myself avoiding anything to do with group cruises as much as possible nowadays. I have been lucky finding group cruises scheduled by just googling ship name, group cruise and date.

[Spincognito]

We once sailed on a ship that included a very large group of Germans, non english speaking Germans. Made for the longest muster drill of all time (45 minutes, when they still made you wear the lifevest) as every word was repeated in German. Announcements throughout the sailing were in both languages as well. It was a bit annoying and hard to ignore but they all looked like they were having a blast!

[hattack]

Depends on the size of the group (the smaller lessens the impact) the type of theme group and the size of your ship...

 

The theme group may all eat together at one time which could impact your dinner time selection depending on the size of the ship, certain smaller public rooms may be reserved thruout the day and evening for private activities, (which means less congestion at the pool, spa etc), ...the theme group could be librarians, in service training professionals or 60's Oldies Cruise fans

 

Cruise Directors work very closely with the theme group leaders to try to make it work for all guests so I would suggest having an open mind going into your cruise

[welldone60]

Depends on how large the group is. If it's 300 or so, it probably will not affect you. By looking at a website for MTG it's about trading cards. They will probably have a few private gatherings in one of the lounges. We were on a cruise with a group of Wizard's and they did not affect our cruise at all.

 

 

http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Summoner/

[MikeM]

We avoid medium to large theme cruises. Annoying and disruptive is the best description for the ones we were unable to avoid especially when taking over the pools, hot tubs for the entire cruise and being loud, demanding and a nuisance in the MDR.

[Earthworm Jim]

We would also change our plans if a large group was taking over the ship.

 

I thought the same thing, so I was worried when I found out a group on a "Bear" cruise (an alternative lifestyle group) were on our cruise in the past. But it turned out not to be bad at all, and I wouldn't worry about it in the future.

 

They did take over the rear pool area, but that just meant the other pools were less busy. And they did take over one of the dining rooms for one seating too. But it wasn't a big deal. There were only about 600 of them though, not a super big group, so maybe that's why it didn't bother us. They were generally pretty nice guys too.

[ibcnusoon]

On our NCL Breakaway cruise last month, it was also a "Wicked Fan Cruise" but they never bothered anyone and I never noticed any venues closed for any private function. I did see people once in the lobby with "Wicked" T-shirts so I know they were on the cruise, luckily NCL didn't let them being there in-mass affect the rest of us.

[Stateroom_Sailor]

We have a special engagement for a Country Music label on our next cruise, and I'm fine with that. You just want to make sure that you are cruising with people you can click with, or find interesting. It might be a little weird cruising with swingers and scientologists, unless you are a swinger or into Scientology then it's a plus.

 

I would avoid a Magic the Gathering Cruise. There will be a fair share of socially awkward people feeding off each other and being loudmouths, others may be rude and narcissistic, and then there's those who may or may not decide to take a shower during the cruise.

 

I'm not saying all of them, or even a majority, and know people who play this game that are fine. None the less, if you've ever gone by a MTG group, you'll know what I mean ;)

[Salt Wind]

I think a lot of that "Magic the Gathering" artwork is cool, but I wouldn't worry too much about your cruisemates. They seem like pretty docile folks. :eek:

 

[Carnival_Brides]

My first cruise on the Pride had a themed group--I think it was Jimmy and the Parrots. Their group was great, the music was (you could hear it in the halls) was pretty good, and no one hardly noticed them.

 

Honestly, I think it depends on the "theme" and it's followers. My brother and his father-in-law play Magic and I can't imagine them being an insanely rowdy group.

[LarAndShar]

Here is a site that has many "Themed" cruises listed for 2014

 

themecruisefinder(dot) com/CruiseAds/

 

hope this helps

[asalligo]

If you had to pick a group to sail with, you may have drawn the best lot. I work for a software company and this game is played daily in our break room. They are not a rowdy bunch to say the least.

 

I would be concerned about any large group that will be on my cruise though, I do not want my normal activities curtailed in any way.

[Rudyard]

I think a lot of that "Magic the Gathering" artwork is cool, but I wouldn't worry too much about your cruisemates. They seem like pretty docile folks. :eek:

 

 

I agree. I played MTG regularly about twenty years ago and drifted away from it when my regular gaming partners all took jobs that took them out of the area. I attend a couple of Sci-Fi / Gaming conventions each year and the gaming rooms are usually the quietest area.

[asalligo]

Great site!

 

I found this on the Pride. Looks like my date is safe though.

 

Sobriety Cruise - Gratitude at SeaDescriptionA seven night cruise to the Bahamas out of Baltimore, MD aboard Carnival Pride. Three stops including Port Canaveral, Florida and Freeport and Nassau in The Bahamas highlight the cruise with opportunities for activities ashore including golf, touring, snorkel, and swimming in the ocean.

 

Plenty of AA and Al-Anon meetings onboard – a great opportunity for fellowship and to benefit a wonderful institution –The Men’s Home in Alexandria, Virginia, founded in 1952, which has helped thousands of men in recovery.

Edited December 30, 2013 by asalligo