Unhappy people on the Oosterdam 10/15/05

[Krazy Kruizers]

I checked your list this morning. It was a big help. So far there aren't any major groups listed for any of our future cruises.

Thanks so much for taking the time and making the list.

[Cruiseoften]

Thank you very much Trubey, this is most helpful.

 

We've frequently seen small (30 - 60) groups on board - no problems, but we'll go out of our way to avoid real large affairs.

:)

[RevNeal]

Hmmmm ... you list the 11/06/05 sailing of the Westerdam as having a "Zen" group onboard, but when I checked the site you linked it doesn't look like it's an actual group cruise, only one of several cruises that this Zen-Buddist-friendly travel agency is promoting.

 

And ... hey ... you left out the Cruise Critics group cruises!!!! ;)

[trubey]

Greg, I decided that in this project, there is no way I'm going to spend my time learning about each group I come across regarding size and membership dynamics. I figure that it is already taking me a lot of time just to do these searches, updates, and uploads. Anyone considering taking a listed cruise and then do the research.

 

Please, anyone who does any additional research on any of these items, just tell me exactly what you found and I'll include it on the page. Oh, and an e-mail is best. I did find some posts here on other threads and almost missed them.

 

As far as our cc group cruises, if you haven't heard about them yet . . . But, honestly, good idea, and I'll put them in next time.

 

I did do a quick check of Ziqqy's list and didn't see any cc'ers on the next Princess House cruise.

susana.

[kryos]

Our very 1st cruise was on the NCL Sky and that had 500 people from AmerisLife on board (I was told they were insurance agents). It made our cruise experience horrible.

I sure hope you raised holy you know what with NCL corporate when you returned home. You got an "abbreviated" cruise experience because of this group, then you should have gotten the "abbreviated" price to go along with it. Personally, if I had billed the cruise to my credit card, I'd be talking to them about reversing payment. Let NCL come after me!

 

That really stinks and cruise lines should never permit non-group members to be denied any of the privileges they have a right to expect when they pay for a cruise. These are not just special things provided for the group members (private cocktail parties in ONE lounge, private shore excursions for the group, etc.) ... these perks they received were ones that were actually taken away from non-group members in order to let them have them. I would have never permitted the whole group to get $200 gift certificates to the spa. If they wanted to give the group something, fine ... give them $200 shipboard credits and let them decide how to spend the money. NCL should have known that if all these people had these certificates, the spa was gonna be hopping that cruise just to take care of the group members. Everyone else would have been screwed. Not fair.

 

Sorry you had such a lousy experience and I sure don't blame you for never sailing NCL again. Believe me, if any cruise line shafted me like that, they wouldn't forget me for a long time ... especially when their collections department was getting blown off because I disputed my payment charge for the cruise.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[kryos]

Sorry, another double post. Man, these boards are wierd. :(

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[Nasmas]

Never mind, I misread. And I dont' know how to delete the entire thing.

[trubey]

Can anyone remind me, were there any cc regular posters on this cruise? Just wondering when we are going to have a report of the real events. susana.

[LAFFNVEGAS]

I just checked out their Roll Call, I do not recognize a single handle. I do not think any have ever posted over on this board:( They also did not have a very big group.

[chimera]

My eyes are slowly uncrossing...... I went back thru 25 pages of the HAL roll call board and found only one thread on this cruise. It was, if I remember correctly, on page 3 and only had four responses.

[uncialman]

Greetings Trubey:

 

Just wanted to alert you to a few errors that you have made on your group list. Well, then again, maybe you can look for them yourself! :o)

[serendipity1499]

Also want to add our Thanks for your List..The work you did on it is phenomenal!

 

No Groups booked on our Prinsendam Cruise next year, but have bookmarked your list for future cruises..

 

Again Thank you!

 

Happy cruising all..

 

Betty

 

P.S. Two weeks from today & we're hopefully off to Santiago..As soon as we get rid of "Wilma" (& if we still have a home) will start packing..

[Two@Sea]

THANK YOU Trubey for all your hard work for our benefit! Minor errors or small oversights don't matter... your effort does!!! Thanks again.

[jhannah]

Yes ... this is great info to have. Our two booked cruises look clear at this point.

[Cruiseoften]

Hopefully we'll now hear from people who were on this cruise - just how disruptive was the dinner time change?

[RuthC]

Can anyone remind me, were there any cc regular posters on this cruise? Just wondering when we are going to have a report of the real events. susana.

I checked ziggy7"s list of cruisers and didn't find any familiar names there, either.

Don't give up hope, though. Since there are some CC'ers who sailed, and it's likely there are negative comments, it's very possible that someone might come over here to tell all.

We have a few regulars from this board on this week's cruise.

[OCruisers]

We are pretty much "go with the flow" type of folks ... BUT this would have made us REALLY MAD!!!!

 

Hate to hear when something like this happens .... :(

 

OCruisers :mad:

[sail7seas]

None of us are concerned with small, insignifcant groups. A group of fifty or one hundred is not noticeable in any meaningful way.

 

Speaking only for myself (having been subjected to a huge group which we were not a part of) is a group which would equal thirty to forty percent or more of the total number of passengers.

 

Once again, Susana.....many thanks.

[uncialman]

None of us are concerned with small, insignifcant groups. A group of fifty or one hundred is not noticeable in any meaningful way.

 

Speaking only for myself (having been subjected to a huge group which we were not a part of) is a group which would equal thirty to forty percent or more of the total number of passengers.

 

Once again, Susana.....many thanks.

 

Sail7Seas:

 

I was referring only to substantial groups of over 200 to half ship charters...

[Southbound]

Susana,

Many thanks for taking the time to prepare this list. It's certain to be very beneficial to those of us who are making future HAL cruise plans.

We are booked on the 10/29/06 CC Westerdam sailing and doing a b2b. Out of curiosity, I checked the 11/5 slot and found the "God of Israel" group sponsored by the Messianic Jewish Israel Fund will be on that cruise. Now I'm wondering how to ascertain the approx size of that group and whether or not to switch our b2b to the week prior to the CC date.

Does anyone know how I can obtain this info?

[Iggipolka]

Out of curiosity, I checked the 11/5 slot and found the "God of Israel" group sponsored by the Messianic Jewish Israel Fund will be on that cruise. Now I'm wondering how to ascertain the approx size of that group and whether or not to switch our b2b to the week prior to the CC date.

 

What I did, to find out how many Nation Magazine Cruisers are on my upcoming cruise, was to pretend to be interested in booking the cruise as part of that group. I called the group's TA (usually listed on the website) and asked how many people are in the group and if "we" would have certain rooms blocked off for "our" use as well as other details about the group.

I got lots of information that helped a great deal.

[kryos]

Now I'm wondering how to ascertain the approx size of that group and whether or not to switch our b2b to the week prior to the CC date.

I wouldn't rush to switch at this early juncture. The CC group cruise is about a year away. We could wind up with an even more disruptive group on the sailing of the week before the CC cruise ... or even on the sailing of the CC group cruise itself. For my money, I'm gonna wait until a bit closer to sail date (but before the cancellation penalty phase goes into effect) before I start switching weeks.

 

Man, I'm only sorry we didn't book something longer than seven days for our group cruise. That would have eliminated the need for b2b's (I'm doing the same b2b schedule as you are), and would have greatly reduced the chance of having a large group screw things up for us. :(

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[kryos]

You will never be able to list *all* of the groups that will be sailing

Very true. The major cruises that will never be found on the net will be the "incentive" cruises that many companies offer to their salespeople. And, sadly, those are the groups that are often the largest, and the most disruptive on a sailing. And, you'll never find them by searching the net since they are not available for booking by the general public. Basically, you get on the ship and only then find out that there are 800 salespeople from a major car dealership onboard with you that week, and they mostly tend to be loud, boistrous, "party hearty" types.

 

That's my nightmare cruise as those type of groups tend to take over a ship. These are the people I fear most sailing with. Give me the religious or "special interest" group anyday over these folks.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[Betsy's Mom]

:) You are better than Mr Holmes! Thank you for your list! I particularly wish to miss any of the above persons cruises! But would love to meet you!

B.

[Host Walt]

Unfortunately, the reason why HAL does not automatically help CC Psgrs is because they are not an official Corporate sponsor of CC...RCL is the ONLY OFFICIAL CRUISE LINE SPONSOR for Cruise Critic.This info. was posted on CC by Laura..You might want to check out the thread which explains how to set up meet & greet get togethers on board.. However on some HAL ships the on-board Crew will help you set up a CC meet & greet...On the Amsterdam it was an un-official meet & greet out by the AFT pool....On the Westerdam Hal gave us a room (no charge) for our meet & greet..And the Hotel Mgr. did set up a luncheon for us..

 

I'm having the same problem with another Cruise Line now..The person I'm dealing with in headquarters has no idea what Cruise Critic is (even after I explained it to her).:( .Since we also have a very small group she finally advised us to meet in the Main Lobby..There is a group orientation meeting in the only area available on that ship..The same Cruise Line I'm dealing with now has Crews on their larger ships who always are anxious to meet the roll call members of CC..They even help CC members to set up their get-togethers..In addition the Hotel Mgr, Purser & others always attend these meetings..

 

Therefore, our roll call members will meet on our first sea day in the Lobby & then we will go for coffee, or just find a quiet area to converse..

 

I think it all depends on the Crew & their awareness of this board.;) .

 

Happy cruising all..:)

Unfortunately, HAL, Princess and other lines have not, as yet, been interested in a Cruise Critic program similar to that in place at RCI and Celebrity.

 

My experience is that all the lines will be happy to provide space and a bartender for a no host (or hosted by someone other than the line) get together. Just contact guest services before the cruise or the Hotel Mgr. on embarkation day to make arrangements. But don't expect HAL to do anything more.

 

Suggestion. To be successful at attracting a good crowd, plan the roll call (or other) get togethers for the day after sailing. Many (most?) folks really aren't into interrupting the arrival, unpacking and settling in process, and many are likely to be exhausted from the just completed trip to the ship.