Going with a LARGE group, why do other cruisers have a problems?

[bryanjaync]

Thinking of joining a large group (~500) on a HAL cruise. Have read the boards that some cruisers really try to avoid cruises that have a large groups onboard. Simple question: Why ?

[FlorenceItaly]

experienced it personally, is sometimes the group takes up a particular dining time, uses public spaces for meetings, etc, thus closing them off to the other cruisers. And, depending on the group, may set the tone for a certain ambiance, perhaps.

 

Okay, spill it :). What group, and what ship, what date???? Inquiring minds want to know :).

 

Marie

[kryos]

Thinking of joining a large group (~500) on a HAL cruise. Have read the boards that some cruisers really try to avoid cruises that have a large groups onboard. Simple question: Why ?

500 would not be the kind of "large group" that most have problems with. It's when a group becomes the majority on a sailing that other cruisers have problems ... and for a very simple reason. Obviously if a ship carrying 1,500 passengers has 1,200 of them affiliated with, say, a Harley group ... everything taking place onboard that week is going to be geared to the Harley folks ... entertainment, special activities, events, etc. Basically those 300 who are not part of the Harley group are gonna be left out of a lot of things (private cocktail parties, deck events, etc.). The other events that they are welcome to partake in are all going to have the "flavor" of the Harley group ... geared specifically to their interests ... and that's gonna leave them pretty much out of the action onboard.

 

When any affinity group approaches the numbers where it is taking over the ship on any particular sailing, I think that group's sailing should be moved to a smaller ship as a charter. True, that's not fair to the folks from the smaller ship who just had their cruise cancelled, but it's far more fair that forcing several hundred people to become Harley enthusiasts for the week ... whether they like it or not.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[sail7seas]

If the group is large enough to be in the range of 50% or more of the total passengers, it is sometimes not a pleasant situation for other cruisers not a part of the group.

 

Sometimes that are locked out of the dining time of their choice. The group took all the tables.

 

Sometimes they lose use of a lounge. The group is having a private party.

 

Once we were on a cruise where the group took over the whole of aft pool on a beautiful day at sea. We had to leave the pool at about 1:00 or 2:00 in the afternoon. That was very wrong and most unpleasant.

Those are the sorts of things that can happen and why many of us do not wish to cruise on a ship that has a large group aboard if we are not part of the group.

 

[sail7seas]

500 would not be the kind of "large group" that most have problems with. It's when a group becomes the majority on a sailing that other cruisers have problems ... and for a very simple reason

 

IMO....that absolutely is a size group I would avoid. On an "S" class ship, that is approaching 50% of the passenger count......That is a significant enough size group to impact other non-group passengers.

 

[gizmo]

Here are a couple of reasons.

 

• They take over the lounges. Everyone knows everyone else.
  
• Lounges and other areas get blocked off for parties for the group only.
  
• They take over the dining room. People get bumped since the "group" wants the entire lower level.

[jhannah]

On our last Prinsendam cruise there was a group (no idea of size) that used the card room nearly every day. By and large it wasn't available until the evening. Many non-groupies onboard were very displeased. While a minor inconvenience, it shows how groups do displace other cruisers at certain times in certain venues.

[FlorenceItaly]

On our last Prinsendam cruise there was a group (no idea of size) that used the card room nearly every day. By and large it wasn't available until the evening. Many non-groupies onboard were very displeased. While a minor inconvenience, it shows how groups do displace other cruisers at certain times in certain venues.

 

If I were a card player this would have been upsetting to me.

 

Marie

[bryanjaync]

For clarification, this would be ~500 size group on a Westerdam/Zuiderdam size ship. I think that would be 500 out of 1800(?) passengers. Generally from what I am reading, that would not be as big of an issue.

[RevNeal]

I was once on a cruise where a large group of about 750 bridge players monopolized the card room, the hudson room, and the half-moon room for their card games. They took over the main show lounge for lectures, and on varying evenings the piano bar, the Ocean Bar, and the Explorer's Lounges for cocktail parties. Every day it was something different (and sometimes several somethings different) which barred everyone else from following whatever routines they enjoy. They even monopolized the dining room on every sea day for group luncheons, and even monopolized the first tenders ashore at two ports because their group had specially scheduled excursions. It was BAD.

[csg99]

For clarification, this would be ~500 size group on a Westerdam/Zuiderdam size ship. I think that would be 500 out of 1800(?) passengers. Generally from what I am reading, that would not be as big of an issue.

 

We've sailed twice with groups smaller than that onboard a Vista ship--they used the Queen's Lounge often, so there were very few movies shown. They also took over the Vista Lounge on more than one occasion. One group held their bible study around the aft pool in the afternoons, making it hard to find a place and some felt uncomfortable with the fully-clothed people reading bibles while they were in swimwear.

 

No more 7 day cruises for us.....

[K&RCurt]

We had a large group of St. Loius Cardinals fans on our Westerdam cruise. They took over the Queen's lounge for much of the cruise (Very few movies shown) and also took over the aft pool on one of the sea days. In addition as they felt it was "Their" cruise baseball jerseys and caps magically became "Formal Wear" on the two formal nights.

 

It made most of the other passengers uncomfortable to have that large of an affinity group aboard.

[herb]

If the "group" boarding the ship gives the other paying passengers the impression that this is THEIR ship for the week, and we should make way for them and genuflect when we see them, then by God I would most certainly have a problem with that group, whether that group is 50 or 500!

 

On the other hand, if the "group" goes about their business without interrupting the other paying passengers with their agenda, then by all means...

 

I just don't like the idea of barring me from any venue on a ship because "so and so" is on board. I could care less.

[ore-ee-gun]

Is there any way to find out if a particular sailing will have a large group onboard?

[herb]

I don't think there's any easy way of finding out. If it were made public domain, I have a feeling only the group would be on that particular cruise.

[Old As Dirt Mom]

Is there any way to find out if a particular sailing will have a large group onboard?

 

For Holland America sailings, try www.geocities.com/cruise_trubey/

[Cruiseoften]

Thinking of joining a large group (~500) on a HAL cruise. Have read the boards that some cruisers really try to avoid cruises that have a large groups onboard. Simple question: Why ?

 

 

:D As you are considering joing this 'large group', would you be so good as to give us some details please? Is it Marketing, Medical, Insurance, Musical, Film????????

[herb]

My wife are I are considering changing our reservations to the 2/3/07 Maasdam. That's a NUDE cruise :eek:

[michmike]

sailed on Zaandam a couple of yrs ago with a large Dixieland Jazz group. Roughly half the passengers. You simply couldn't get away from them or the music. They were playing in the lido during bfast, around the pool during lunch and in the lounges during the course of the day. Nice folks overall, but by the end of the week you didn't care to hear Dixieland again for QUITE a while.

 

Not sure what the answer is as I can understand HAL not being willing to disclose this info and risk cancellations. I guess part of the solution is to go 10 days or longer and you'll likely miss many of the groups

[ReneeWI]

We were just on a Zuiderdam cruise that had a group of 750. Here's why I found it annoying. Frankly, the group brought onboard people who are not the "typical" HAL passengers. The level of class was much lower than what I expected (this was our first HAL cruise). There were several incidents of behaviour I would have expected on Carnival. There were even two episodes of domestic violence which resulted in people being kicked off the ship.

 

Aside from that, the group wore name tags all the time, dressed alike, carried the same tote bags, etc. The rest of us were clearly outsiders. I'm not expecting passengers to be overly friendly to me, but there was definitely a feeling that since we didn't have the nametags, there was no point in being spoken to by members of the group. They were cold to the rest of us.

 

The group did take over the pool one day, had the whole second dinner seating, and had hospitality tables in public areas.

 

I really hope to never said with such a big group again.

[Krazy Kruizers]

We have been on a couple of ships when there were large groups - 500 or more. Didn't like it all. They had to have certain dining times - they had to have certain tables - blocks of them.

 

Too many times some of the lounges would be closed down before dinner to acmmondate THEIR cocktail parties. When you went to an empty lounge to get a cocktail, you soon found out why the lounge was empty - maybe only 1 server to take drink orders - the others were working the parties.

[tickleddpink]

I certainly wouldn't want to be on a big group cruise and not be a part of the big group. But this thread got me going down memory lane.

 

My first cruise was a belly dancing cruise on Carnival - LA to Ensenada with one whole day at sea going in circles around Catalina Island. There might have been 200 of us so we didn't take over the ship, but we certainly created a stir. I was a newbie to belly dance at the time and had no idea how creatively bellydancers dressed at events! We did take over the lounge for classes, but I don't think we were too much of a distraction ;) to the others passengers. Plus the show that was put on by the teachers and professionals was at 1 am AFTER all the other entertainment. Didn't get much sleep that weekend!

 

The second time I did the same cruise, I could spot a fellow bellydancer from "miles" away.

 

On the other hand, my late father always wanted to take a cruise with other bridge players, but never was able to do it because of Parkinson's. Still, he dreamed of the LA to Hawaii cruise with all those sea days and nothing to do but play bridge!

[Lanson5]

:eek: :eek:

My wife are I are considering changing our reservations to the 2/3/07 Maasdam. That's a NUDE cruise :eek:

 

 

Considering HAL's demographics Herb, that might not be a real good idea:rolleyes: :o

[RuthC]

There are groups, and then there are groups. They are not always the same thing.

If the members of the "group" all know each other as if this is some sort of reunion, then they tend to keep together and the rest of the passengers are closed out. There's no mix and mingle as is normal on a cruise.

I don't know which "most" Rita is referring to, but I'm not one of them. I would have a problem with 500 of this "group".

If the "group" is simply strangers put together to get favorable rates then the dynamic is as usual. I have no problem with that.

[cruzingqueen]

We were just on a Zuiderdam cruise that had a group of 750. Here's why I found it annoying. Frankly, the group brought onboard people who are not the "typical" HAL passengers. The level of class was much lower than what I expected (this was our first HAL cruise). There were several incidents of behaviour I would have expected on Carnival. There were even two episodes of domestic violence which resulted in people being kicked off the ship.

 

Aside from that, the group wore name tags all the time, dressed alike, carried the same tote bags, etc. The rest of us were clearly outsiders. I'm not expecting passengers to be overly friendly to me, but there was definitely a feeling that since we didn't have the nametags, there was no point in being spoken to by members of the group. They were cold to the rest of us.

 

The group did take over the pool one day, had the whole second dinner seating, and had hospitality tables in public areas.

 

I really hope to never said with such a big group again.

 

I was on this same cruise with Renee and would like to add 2 things that were very annoying. Several days I went up to the observation deck away from the pools just to relax, read, etc. It is always much quieter on this deck on the Zuiderdam....well, it was until the basket people showed up and started having trivia for prizes for their group. Didn't matter that everyone was up there taking catnaps...they were yelling questions and throwing bean bags or something as part of their games. Anyway, so much for a relaxing afternoon. Then I was able to change my dinner time after being WL. I went back to my original time after I realized I had been moved to one of the tables with all the basket people...all they wanted to talk about was trying to recruit me to their home party sales team. I decided it might be better to have the late late dinner.

 

Has Hunky Dory really left the Zuiderdam? I think I read somewhere else he is now on the Volendam?