Well, I called Royal Caribbean today...

[amybear912]

Actually... a thread with known group cruises may be a violation of Cruise Critics forum rules (see Roll calls; there is a post about advertising/promoting group cruises)...

 

I think that people get really excited about planning their cruises that quite frankly, the idea of large groups being onboard doesn't even come up for them... especially if they are new to cruising... then they have one cruise, get burned by a large group, and suddenly they end up here, learning tips and tricks to better enjoy their next cruise... that's a good thing... that's what Cruise Critic is for...

 

Groups on cruises is certainly not a new phenomenon... this has been going on for ages... and groups who cause problems is also not something new or unique to the recent Jewel cruise...

 

I think the difference is that back in the day, the ships were smaller... a group of the size from Pied Piper would have had no choice but to charter their own ship... But now, the ships are larger, carry more passengers... and therefore a large group can more easily blend in with the rest of the passengers... they can book a ship with not only a group but also additional passengers and quite frequently they cruise along without incident and none of us ever hears about it... we only hear about the ones that have problems and we always hear from those that were left out of the party...

[LAKaye]

.....and now that we know that a particular group is going to be on the Serenade of the Seas on November 29th of next year, what, if anything, should be done or said and by whom? I tiptoed over to the Meet & Mingle Roll Call Board to see if there was a thread started for that sailing....

 

.....sure enough, some expectant soul started that thread in June of this year---a year and a half before the sailing--looking forward to a wonderful trip. Many lovely people have joined in.

 

No way was I going to utter a peep to them! Is that right or wrong, good or bad? It is a sticky wicket, to be sure. :(

 

Leslie

[amybear912]

 

I would assume that large groups do not make up a significant percentage of revenue, yet they seem to have a significant negative impact on the non-group cruisers.

 

If they have a special department that handles group cruises, it must be a significant source of revenue and a market they are interested in grabbing... otherwise, those who work in those departments wouldn't have a job... I would venture to say that they have a sales goal to meet for their department alone...

[amybear912]

 

.....sure enough, some expectant soul started that thread in June of this year---a year and a half before the sailing--looking forward to a wonderful trip. Many lovely people have joined in.

 

No way was I going to utter a peep to them! Is that right or wrong, good or bad? It is a sticky wicket, to be sure. :(

 

Leslie

 

 

It's still early enough that people who are booked with that group may even join the Roll Call and reveal themselves... Who knows? Maybe the tour operator will issue a code of conduct or better prepare the group for next year's cruise... maybe the troublemakers won't book... maybe, just maybe, that sweet ship will sail next year without any incident at all... we can only hope...

[EchoSix]

 

No way was I going to utter a peep to them! Is that right or wrong, good or bad? It is a sticky wicket, to be sure. :(

 

Leslie

 

 

Would you tell your best friend that you knew her husband was cheating on her?

 

 

If someone does tell someone about ANY specific group, I'd think it'd be best to find a SECOND group that would be going along as well and warn of them BOTH.

 

Because you may come across as someone with a vendetta against a particular way of life.

 

 

I truly hate all this political correctness bullsh*t in the world today. I'm sorry to be such a grump about it, but I remember a day when you could speak your mind and not have to worry about lawyers breathing down your neck.

[LAKaye]

.....my fingers are crossed and my mouth is shut.

 

I posed the questions I did to illustrate that indeed it is a weird position to be in, be it just little old me or big old RCI, to have information that may either help or hinder.....

 

Leslie, who lives and works in NYC in the theater :O

[cruisin_bear]

These large groups book far in advance.

 

Cruise lines should pick cruise slots for large group sailings. Let the groups sail with each other, and fill the ship by selling remaining cabins with a mandatory disclaimer that there are large groups aboard that may dominate resources.

 

I would assume that large groups do not make up a significant percentage of revenue, yet they seem to have a significant negative impact on the non-group cruisers.

 

I think this is the most sensible thing I have seen in all of these group threads. I do think that the majority of groups (if they are big enough) should be booked on their own ship.

[Shanafan]

Echo........well done. I would bet there are many lurkers who would want to thank you but would prefer to stay out of such a touchy subject.

[EchoSix]

Thanks.

 

I'm just glad I'm not the only one who finds a concern about not being told about what I'm in store for, on the cruise I'm gonna' be on.

 

And from another thread that just popped up, obviously this is NOT a new threat... http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=653398

[Merion_Mom]

I think that I will apply for that new position at Royal Caribbean.

 

Group Booking Specialist in Charge of Pairing Groups to Fill the Ship.

 

Let's see...........Pied Piper group has 800? Well, I have 600 Amway salesmen. That makes 1400. Capacity is 2500. (it's the Serenade). Let's add a group of 400 Quinceañeros. We're up to 1800. 700 to go...............

 

hhmmmmm.....here's a group of 600 spring breakers from Texas universities!

 

Well, do I get the job?

[sakapfet]

 

I truly hate all this political correctness bullsh*t in the world today. I'm sorry to be such a grump about it, but I remember a day when you could speak your mind and not have to worry about lawyers breathing down your neck.

 

Not only lawyers, we have the current government listening to every word we say, monitoring our e-mails and who knows what else. Political correctness and fascism are ruining this country.

[suziehmkr]

I would hope that as the groups get large enough, the groups would take it upon themselves to consider a charter. The company that I used to "work for" does a cruise every year as their incentive trip (up until next year - which is a land resort) - and several years ago, they realized two things.... the group was getting quite big AND they were inconveniencing others. Not because the group was roudy, but because they took up the dining areas in blocks & several venues for events. They now CHOOSE to charter ships. If the ship doesn't fill, they will do several things with the cabins.... upgrade everyone as far as they can, based on achievement, donate cabins to charity fundraisers, offer the cabins up for sale to friends & family of the achievers and/or offer the cabins for sail to the general public with FULL disclosure that access to some venues will be limited.

 

In a perfect world, large groups would also consider these options. But alas - this is not a perfect world. :rolleyes:

[ChoosinCruisin]

with FULL disclosure that access to some venues will be limited.

 

QUOTE]

 

 

In a perfect system, I would appreciate knowing which venues would be utilized for private group functions. The group itself is a detail I don't particularly feel the need to possess, but if the Solarium/disco/private restaurant etc. is being closed to the public, THAT is the detail I would like prior to sailing.

[amybear912]

with FULL disclosure that access to some venues will be limited.

 

QUOTE]

 

 

In a perfect system, I would appreciate knowing which venues would be utilized for private group functions. The group itself is a detail I don't particularly feel the need to possess, but if the Solarium/disco/private restaurant etc. is being closed to the public, THAT is the detail I would like prior to sailing.

 

 

If this were to happen (Solarium, disco being closed)... it's not like it would be closed to you for an entire day or the entire cruise... It would most likely only be for a few hours of one day... And I am sure it would be posted on the Community Board near Guest Relations... in some cases, it may even be posted in the Cruise Compass...

 

I'm sorry... but some of you act like venues are closed off to you for the entire cruise... the reality is you would only be inconvenienced for a few hours of one day... the ship is large enough that you can certainly find something else to do for those few hours and visit the venue another time...

 

Venues are frequently closed for a short time due to the following reasons:

 

*Group meetings - a group that is booked may want to hold a meeting... you should assume this will happen since their brochure clearly indicates that they have meeting space available for groups.

 

*Friends of Bill W or Dorothy or whatever meetings - these are usually posted on the Community Board near Guest Relations.

 

*Sometimes a specialty restaurant may be closed to you due to an event... we have booked Portofinos one night for our next cruise as we are cruising with a wedding and that is where the reception will be...

 

*You may not be able to use the pool for a few hours one day while there are games being played...

 

*The theater is frequently closed during the day for meetings, rehearsals, or any old reason that they want...

[Spudhunter]

If this were to happen (Solarium, disco being closed)... it's not like it would be closed to you for an entire day or the entire cruise... It would most likely only be for a few hours of one day... And I am sure it would be posted on the Community Board near Guest Relations... in some cases, it may even be posted in the Cruise Compass...

 

That's not necessarily true. If you aren't already familiar with the infamous "Bear Voyage" of 2006, the Solarium was indeed off limits for an extended period of time. You can refresh your memory (or read about it for the first time) here: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=432740

 

The "Bear Voyage" caused a much bigger brouhaha than this group cruise, yet no changes to alert passengers of group bookings have been made since. I doubt any changes will be made in the future, either.

[PhoenixCruiser]

 

If this were to happen (Solarium, disco being closed)... it's not like it would be closed to you for an entire day or the entire cruise... It would most likely only be for a few hours of one day... And I am sure it would be posted on the Community Board near Guest Relations... in some cases, it may even be posted in the Cruise Compass...

 

I'm sorry... but some of you act like venues are closed off to you for the entire cruise... the reality is you would only be inconvenienced for a few hours of one day... the ship is large enough that you can certainly find something else to do for those few hours and visit the venue another time...

 

 

Amy, several lounges WERE in fact closed the entire week for the group that took over our cruise, it does happen :eek:

 

###

[cruise_lover]

It sounds like the lady who was on the other end of the phone had nothing more to do than sit around and give her personal opinion about large groups. I wonder how many people were kept on hold while she finished, what seems to me, to be a lengthy conservation.

 

FYI - I'm on the Voyager of the Seas the week of January 13, 2008 and our group, at last count has over 600 passengers. Come join us you might find that we are a fun, nondestructive group of people to hang around with. Just call us the Cajun Invasion.

[Sunny AZ Girl]

I have been on cruises with groups onboard before. I have run into venues closed for short periods of time, but I have never been offended by any one group or felt inconvenienced. However, I for one would not have wanted to be on that JOS sailing. I would have appreciated having the opportunity to make my own decision as to whether or not I cancelled - a lot better than feeling compelled to leave the ship once it sailed! I can fully understand why several families left after hearing about the openly inappropriate behaviors on that ship. It had to be a hard and expensive decision that they should not have had to make, especially on a cruise line that advertises itself to be family friendly.

 

I know that RCI has policies regarding behavior for anyone on the ship. I cannot understand why it was allowed?:confused: I am not discussing closed venues here - I am concerned about some of the openly sexual behavior I saw posted about what was going on in public areas around the ship. Those should be enforced for everyone, regardless of sexual orientation, whether they are in a group or not. However, a large group of any kind often takes on a "group mentality" and tends to forget - or just not to care - that they are still in a public facility and act in ways they may not act in normal circumstances.

 

If the cruise lines cannot let us know about large group sailings can we let each other know? We are a fairly large community here with many combined resources. If someone finds out about a large group on a ship, would CC let us post it on the general boards or on a Roll Call? That way each individual or family could make their own decision as to whether that group would conflict with their own families' values & beliefs - or whether or not closed venues would interfere with their enjoyment of their hard earned vacation dollars.

 

I do hope that RCI takes this experience and reevaluates their large group policies.

[willysgrandma]

The real issue here is it seems is that the ship did nothing to control the group. If people were disruptive, they should have been put off the ship.

 

Everyone who was angry about the sailing should be bombarding RCCL with letters about what happened.

[crusinmama06]

I have a question for anyone who might know....there is a Carnival Wiki that lists many of the groups traveling on Carnival ships.

http://unofficialcarnivalwiki.com/wiki/Group_Cruises

 

So I guess no one has started one for RCCL? How would one start something like this? Might be a good idea. :)

[Roboat]

This idea of combining groups could work great!

With a little innovative pairing they could convert the ice-skating rink into an octagon and put on X-treme Cage Fighting every night, and allow gambling!

 

Sunday:

National Cattlemen's Association

PETA

 

Monday:

Greenpeace

Exxon

 

Tuesday:

National Basketball Association

Little People of America

 

Wednesday:

National Timber Association

Spotted Owl League

 

Thursday:

Cruise Critics

International Cruiseline Owners Association

 

Friday:

Good decent people

Supporters of Hillary

(oops that was a typo ;-))

Saturday:

Policeman's Benevolent Association

NORML (late dining requested and.. dude, late dining requested.)

These would sell out faster than the Ice shows!

[cruise_lover]

DATE: January 13, 2008

SHIP: Voyager of the Seas

GROUP TYPE: Listeners of KTDY 99.9 FM Radio (Lafayette, LA)

APPROX. NUMBER: 600-800 (yes that many)

TIME USING AREAS: Never more than 2 hours each night. Usually 1 hour or 1hr. 30 minutes.

DEMURE: Good clean fun.

OTHER FACTS: Our group has had people joining us from Texas, Louisiana, Nevada, Arizonia, Maryland, etc.

[amybear912]

Amy, several lounges WERE in fact closed the entire week for the group that took over our cruise, it does happen :eek:

 

###

In this particular case... which I am sure is a rareity... you were simply limited to other venues... in the eyes of the cruiseline, that is... an inconvenience, to be sure...

[Jimmers]

I know that RCI has policies regarding behavior for anyone on the ship.

 

Do you know what any of these policies are or where I can find them? I looked on their site and couldn't find any mention of "behavior" policies or codes of conduct. Perhaps they are listed somewhere in our cruise contracts.

 

Jimmers:)

[EchoSix]

This idea of combining groups could work great!

With a little innovative pairing they could convert the ice-skating rink into an octagon and put on X-treme Cage Fighting every night, and allow gambling!

 

Sunday:

National Cattlemen's Association

PETA

 

Monday:

Greenpeace

Exxon

 

Tuesday:

National Basketball Association

Little People of America

 

Wednesday:

National Timber Association

Spotted Owl League

 

Thursday:

Cruise Critics

International Cruiseline Owners Association

 

Friday:

Good decent people

Supporters of Hillary

(oops that was a typo ;-))

 

Saturday:

Policeman's Benevolent Association

NORML (late dining requested and.. dude, late dining requested.)

 

These would sell out faster than the Ice shows!

 

 

 

:D :D HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAA!!! :D :D

 

Very clever!