Large groups onboard

[msumom2001]

We were on the Ruby for a b2b - the first week January 10-17, second week Jan 17-24, (when the rock n roll group was sailing). Our first week was so enjoyable - we were able to use all venues. But the second week was very disappointing. Club Fusion was closed for private functions each nite, and when my husband & I tried to go to the sky walkers lounge for drinks after dinner a few times, they were also closed. So, in effect, we were not able to enjoy our second week as much as the first.

 

On future cruises, I'll be sure to do my research. We won't sail if there is a large group sailing that might "take over" the venues that we enjoy.

 

 

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[Beermam42]

Disney does with gay pride week. Been there several times and looked at web site to see what parks they were going to that day. Same thing happened on Emerald Princess on first full seven day cruise out Houston this year well doucment on Roll Call. It would be my last cruise for me. I know DCL does not book groups and no special treatment.

Edited February 2, 2015 by Beermam42

[Iowa Traveler]

The Rock & Rollers were a friendly, fun loving bunch. Those who participated in the Roll Call were aware the Rock & Rollers were on the cruise. I was told the group filled the Princess Theater -- so I can see why they wouldn't want a larger group. Most of the participants eagerly signed up for next year's cruise. The suite/elite lounge was in Skywalker's that week. I attributed the change in entertainment opportunities due to the change in cruise directors.

[Colo Cruiser]

We had a group of over 800 on the Emerald several years ago.

They took over Skywalkers/Terrace pool/Club Confusion.

It was pretty disruptive. :(

[SoCal Cruiser78]

We had a group of over 800 on the Emerald several years ago.

They took over Skywalkers/Terrace pool/Club Confusion.

It was pretty disruptive. :(

 

We had that happen once on Celebrity, and it really diminished the value of the cruise. Public spaces such as the Crow's Nest, with some of the best views onboard, were often closed to those not part of the group.

 

I don't see why a cruise line can't announce ahead of time that a large group will be onboard a given cruise. They don't have to announce the name or type of group, just that one exists. I don't see how that can possibly be a violation of privacy or discriminatory.

 

I suspect the cruise lines are simply afraid of losing revenue, as others have said :(.

[jrzebird]

I also feel for the OP. DW and I were on the Royal Jan 18-28 and unbeknown to us there was a "Seniors Tour" on board. Apparently what was meant by "seniors" was “mobility impaired” as there were motorized scooters and wheel chairs everywhere, by far the most I have seen on any cruise. While I can understand the needs of these folks and their desire to cruise, the scooters and chairs made it very difficult to get around. The elevators and hallways were always a challenge and the entrance to the MDR was like navigating a maze. People had to get up from their loungers and move them on the pool decks to allow scooters to go by. Like the OP I wish Princess would advise customers when such large groups will be on board. They have every right to cruise of course, but others should be allowed to decide for themselves whether to join such a group or not.

 

What a terrible shame and outrageous ordeal that able bodied human beings should have to get up and move their loungers to allow another human being who must use a scooter to pass.

[crochetcruise]

What a terrible shame and outrageous ordeal that able bodied human beings should have to get up and move their loungers to allow another human being who must use a scooter to pass.

 

Personal opinion here-As a Disabled Person using a Rollator for mobility, it's old-fashioned, apparent, "Shut the Disabled away in homes away from the General Public," attitude that REALLY irritates me. It's hard enough at times to just get yourself around, without having some "apparently Judgemental" person complaining about the small inconvenience to them of needing to move aside to allow another person adequate space for their needs to pass them safely.

 

Yes, I was taught to be polite to my elders and the Disabled! I acknowledge everyone has a right to their own opinion, and I personally have grumbled about just settling down at a hotel for my lunch, and having to get up and move my Rollator because someone wants to get into the area behind me instead of walking around the far side of their table! They got rude, the bartender pointed out I was trying to keep the aisles as free as possible, she quite deliberately chose that seat for minimal disruption of traffic flow, you're just plain lazy!" They had a kid who started being noisy-a quick request from the bartender to, "Keep the noise down please young man, other people are trying to eat their meal in peace and quiet." The kid quietened down, did forget a couple of times, but was very well-behaved apart from excited noise.

 

Crochetcruise :cool:

[Corfe Mixture]

We had that happen once on Celebrity, and it really diminished the value of the cruise. Public spaces such as the Crow's Nest, with some of the best views onboard, were often closed to those not part of the group.

 

I don't see why a cruise line can't announce ahead of time that a large group will be onboard a given cruise. They don't have to announce the name or type of group, just that one exists. I don't see how that can possibly be a violation of privacy or discriminatory.

 

I suspect the cruise lines are simply afraid of losing revenue, as others have said :(.

 

I haven't read the Terms & Conditions in detail, nor am I familiar with US law, but here in the UK we have a wealth of consumer protection law and our contracts are made with the Princess office in Southampton (indeed one of the declared reason Princess say we can't book through US TAs is because there are differences in consumer law and UK citizens must book at UK prices to protect their rights).

 

With this in mind, given one can read about all the facilities of the ship on the web page, unless there is something hidden in the Terms and Conditions, denying a UK client access to a published general amenity, especially a pool, which the client could have reasonably expected to have access too - simply because another client had paid to have exclusive access to that amenity, could result in a liability to compensate the client for the loss use of that amenity, with the level of compensation being variable depending on the importance of that amenity to the client.

 

As I say, I have not read the Terms and Conditions with respect to the obligation to provide advertised amenities.

Edited February 2, 2015 by Corfe Mixture

[MayasWay]

Just off the Ruby (1/24-1/31 sailing), and we also had two groups. One larger, I believe in the 600 range ( an Estonian cultural group) and another singles group (240 over 40). We noticed a shift in the evening entertainment but usually found something to do. (As far as entertainment, we were more disappointed in the MUTS selection of so many single genre movies (science fiction), and one night included a movie we had seen on Princess MUTS on an October '14 cruise 😞. )

 

Admittedly there are some positive, and some negative aspects to groups. For example, during a sunset sail away one evening, singers from the Estonian group came out onto the balcony and sang several beautifully harmonized songs together. The first 3 or 4 seemed to be greatly appreciated and even applauded by those on their balconies, listening was a real treat. However, the singing continued far longer and while it was 'background' since most was in a foreign language, the length of their 'performance' was obtrusive to those of us seeking the peace and serenity of the sunset - a favorite part of the day for us.

 

We had heard about the singles group before leaving and after paying our final $'s, we hadn't heard about the other. I believe it changed dynamics for us with 2 larger groups aboard. We could have chosen a different week to sail, and would have had we known about it. I know that's why it's not disclosed, but we paid our fare, too.

[Boytjie]

I wonder at what point really large groups are told that they must charter the entire ship? I would not be happy with the larger common area venues such as the Princess Theater and the Vista (or Club Fusion) being regularly closed off to all but those in a large group.

 

On our Regal cruise in January, a Holland America ship that was berthed next to us in St. Thomas Crown Bay was a full ship charter for a theme cruise, and I think the Regal has a full ship charter coming up.

 

Just curious...

 

I don't think it quite works that way: a group cruise becomes so big that they will force/encourage them to charter the whole ship.

 

There is a lot of planning involved in chartering a ship and a contract has to be drawn up between the charter and the cruise line. Since a charter pays a fixed price for the whole ship, they need enough time to sell all the cabins (or as many as possible) or take a financial hit. Add to that what to do with those already booked on the cruise and not part of the group? So usually charters are contracted about a year out and that already causes problems since people book cruises that far in advance. The cruise line then has to accommodate those bumped due to the charter and it usually means incentives that cost them money (and surely is considered in the price negotiated with the charter).

 

Most groups on cruises are relatively small and others often don't even know about them but large groups may affect those not in the group. A group of say 800 would not have too many options to charter a ship that size.

[Boytjie]

We joined a themed cruise (Bluegrass music) on the Norwegian Pearl and it was very enjoyable. The group originally chartered the entire ship, but it didn't sell out, so they released a portion of the cabins to general public.

 

None of the venues were restricted during normal operating hours, and all the restricted group events were held at times the venues were not normally open.

 

Some sessions were held in the pool area and we were allowed to enjoy them. At other times, small groups would join at one of the bars and play their instruments. Some were as good or better than the professionals.

 

All in all it was a good experience that I would do again.

 

Did you book this cruise through the cruise line or through the charter group?

[jak378]

What a terrible shame and outrageous ordeal that able bodied human beings should have to get up and move their loungers to allow another human being who must use a scooter to pass.

 

Sorry, but moving lounge chairs around is something more than a minor inconvenience.

[jrzebird]

Apparently you didn't get the sarcasm. At least those in the lounge chairs have the ability to be polite and make room for someone in a wheelchair.

[swedish weave]

Did you book this cruise through the cruise line or through the charter group?

 

 

Booked through the cruise line after the charter group released the cabins.

[Boytjie]

Booked through the cruise line after the charter group released the cabins.

 

Interesting, haven't heard of that happening before. The charters are usually on the line when the contract is signed since they pay upfront; they must have renegotiated.

[swedish weave]

Interesting, haven't heard of that happening before. The charters are usually on the line when the contract is signed since they pay upfront; they must have renegotiated.

 

NCL's situation is rather unique in that they have purchased the charter company and it is handled "in house".

[kendon]

So true....would you book a cruise knowing there were going to be 800 Bears on board or even 800 of any type of group? Doubtful.

It's still not right to an unsuspecting passenger that they keep it a secret.

 

We were on one of the Bear cruises...I hated it. From now on, I check the roll calls in advance of booking since Princess won't tell you.

[caribill]

There is a lot of planning involved in chartering a ship and a contract has to be drawn up between the charter and the cruise line. Since a charter pays a fixed price for the whole ship, they need enough time to sell all the cabins (or as many as possible) or take a financial hit.

 

To get an idea of charter costs, here is a link to what Royal Caribbean charges

http://www.royalcaribbeanincentives.com/resource-center.aspx/frequently-asked-questions-(faqs)/full-ship-charter-faqs

[Boytjie]

NCL's situation is rather unique in that they have purchased the charter company and it is handled "in house".

 

Ah! So it is more like a theme cruise then. :)

[Colo Cruiser]

Ah! So it is more like a theme cruise then. :)

 

Yes, cut out the middle man. :p

[stoneharborlady]

We were on a B2b2B on the Royal Princess November 2013 with 800 Bears. Because they cruised on our middle leg, I can say without a doubt, they impacted the cruise. We were moved from our table for two in the Tradional DR to Anytime dining because the Bears had the entire DR for the evening. No women servers were allowed, so wait staff was changed on the ship.

 

The Retreat pool was completely taken over. I found out the week before that they would be on the ship, so I booked the Sanctuary for the week. The PDA's were really hard to deal with. I am not at all prudish but just walking through the area you saw things you never want to see again.

 

Individually and in couples the guys were great. Very fun to talk to and share a drink. But they did impact the cruise. So many passengers complained all week long. Princess only refused one request I know of. They wanted to pose, as a group, shirtless on the Atruim stairs. They were sent to the sun deck instead.

 

Cheers, Denise

 

We had a group of Bears on our last cruise. I worried because I was taking four young grandchildren, but I worried for nothing. The group was respectful and fun, with no flaunting of PDA that I ever saw. Actually the only time I was truly aware of the group was at the beach in St. Martin. I do think the big difference was in numbers. On our trip, the group numbered 300. A very large group cannot help impact the cruise, by sheer numbers, and 800 is alot of people. I dont think it fair to all cruisers, if they are shut out of venues. I do think that should be told up front, so you can decide if you want to look for another cruise instead.

[swedish weave]

Ah! So it is more like a theme cruise then. :)

 

Whatever you want to call it, but NCL does a lot of these on the Pearl, and most are a charter of the complete ship.

 

The middleman is still there, but is a subsidary of NCL.

 

"quote"

In the summer of 2011, we were approached by Norwegian Cruise Line to become a part of their family via an acquisition. After months of discussions and negotiations, we agreed to become a Norwegian owned subsidiary in February of 2012.

Edited February 2, 2015 by swedish weave

[bluesea321]

Sorry, but moving lounge chairs around is something more than a minor inconvenience.

 

Apparently you didn't get the sarcasm. At least those in the lounge chairs have the ability to be polite and make room for someone in a wheelchair.

 

Here are two perspectives for consideration. When I go to a Symphony Concert in Houston I often encounter people on wheelchairs or scooters. Jones Hall holds 2,900 seats of which 28 are wheelchair accessible. Helping a fellow concert goer by getting out of the way or holding a door or elevator is not a problem with such numbers, it actually is a pleasure which in no way detracts from my concert going experience.

 

On a crowded ship like the Royal, having hundreds of scooters and wheelchairs is far more of an issue, especially around the pools and dining rooms. I saw signs on various cabin doors that said “Seniors Tour” and I suspect that there was a large group of mobility impaired folks onboard. I am not suggesting that anything be done about it, anyone has the right to cruise just as I do. I do wish that there was some way of knowing when any large group is onboard so I can make a decision to join the cruise or not. The link provided earlier helps but up to a point, no mention of any Seniors Tours there. Knowing when a group is on board is likely pie in the sky, I think…

[4boysnana]

Sorry, but moving lounge chairs around is something more than a minor inconvenience.

 

You should try the inconvenience of bringing a walker , cane and scooter along with your luggage when you travel. Also you should try the inconvenience of very limited tours and wondering if you can manage the tenders to visit a port. You have no idea of the challenges that disabled people face. I am sorry that you might have to move a chair or lounger and maybe wait for a elevator. I am more sad of your lack of compassion.

If you are able to go anywhere freely I hope you enjoy every moment but you might give a thought to those who struggle every day and constantly worry about access and falling.

 

4boysnana

[waltd]

You should try the inconvenience of bringing a walker , cane and scooter along with your luggage when you travel. Also you should try the inconvenience of very limited tours and wondering if you can manage the tenders to visit a port. You have no idea of the challenges that disabled people face. I am sorry that you might have to move a chair or lounger and maybe wait for a elevator. I am more sad of your lack of compassion.

If you are able to go anywhere freely I hope you enjoy every moment but you might give a thought to those who struggle every day and constantly worry about access and falling.

 

4boysnana

 

Did you really bother to read her post. I suggest you look up the word sarcasm.