mariner of the sea 11-208 cruise "hogs theme cruise"

[deewalt99]

:mad: I just found out about the "biker ralley" that will be going on onboard this trip, and i am very upset the cruise line did not let us with families know about this, i am NOT into "bikes" or "biker themes", and i live in a town that host a bikefest and belive me if they act like the ones that attend here, people with families beware!! how many others out there have families going on this cruise? i can not reschedule this trip as i will have to pay alot to do so, and can not afford to do that, my husband told me not to worry as he will make sure our trip is not ruined for our family. i think the cruise line should of let us know at the time of reservation about this going on. i would have not taken this trip at this time if i had know about it. just remember "HOGS" there will be families on board also.:mad: :mad:

[atv girl]

Deewalt99, I would`nt worry about the hogs, we were booked with them 3 yrs ago and yes we did`nt know either and we`re weekend bikers. I have to tell you there was 1 fight on the ship and it was`nt the bikers. they had all private functions so they were`nt around much, formal night was fun to see all the leather, really there just normal people in different clothes.Bikers do so much charity work we go on so many rides to raise money for the Troops for abused children homeless animals. Give them a chance, get past the long hair and you`ll prob meet the nicest people you have ever crusied with.

[Loyal2RCCL]

Not to mention that Captain Johnny on the Mariner rides a Harley and keeps one onboard. You'll regularly see him cruising off the ship to go on a ride around the islands. :D

 

If bikers are so upsetting to you, perhaps you should not have booked a ship where the Captain is also a biker dude...:eek:

[Jaxsonbrownie]

HeHeHe, that is right! Here is a picture of him...

 

[cb at sea]

It's not like they're going to be riding their Harleys on the ship! You porbably won't even know who is who!

[rucruzn2]

Deewalt99, I think you will find these "Hogs" or "Bikers" are also looking to have an enjoyable cruise. RCCL would not bring a bunch of "Hells Angels" on board to ruin the vacation of non riding families. You will find the vast majority of today's Harley owners are professional, educated people who do many chairty rides and events all in the name of helping others. Yes, some do look rough but if you look past this and give them a chance you will find very kind, good hearted people.

 

We had the pleasure of meeting Captain Johnny when we sailed the Mariner, he and my husband shared their passion for Harleys. There couldn't be a better ship to host this HOG event.

[katiel53]

It seems to me that there have been the HOGS cruises every year and that there really weren't problems caused by them. I can't imagine that RCI would allow them if they caused trouble.

 

I know of another group that caused a lot of trouble and I am sure they are banned by almost all, if not all cruise lines.

 

Go and enjoy your cruise. I'm sure if you have an open mind, you will have fun. I am not a biker, nor have I ever been, but I still think being on a cruise with them is not like being in Daytona for bike week.

 

Enjoy.

[dmbfiredancer03]

Don't worry about it too much - my first cruise on the Mariner a few years ago happened to be the Hogs of the High Seas cruise. I was paranoid because it was my first cruise, and I was a little concerned it was going to be overrun with bikers partying, etc. However, while you certainly noticed who was a part of them (clothes - the Harley t-shirts, etc) it didn't really affect my cruise at all. The only thing I noticed was they seemed to congregate in the Solarium (which there was a brief flashing incident while i was in the hot tub there) but that was it. It was definitely interesting to see the "leather formal night" they had!!

 

Plus, in Ocho Rios - we went to Margaritaville where they happened to be having an event and it was so much fun! Yes, there was a lot of drinking, etc going on, but it wasn't like you HAD to go there. They have their own calendar of events. If you want to take a look at them, go here: http://www.hogsonthehighseas.com

 

Hey - there are worse groups out there from what I understand (Bears?) so just relax and do your own thing and everything will be fine!:)

[Darkwolfe]

A couple of good laughs there guys. Keep up the funnies.

 

To the OP: It's been said, but it's worth repeating. This will not be your drunk, wrecking-the-bar, and trashing-the-town biker group. I'd bet money you'll find a collection of teachers, doctors, and everything else in the group. They'll be pretty laid back and more than likely, politer than most.

 

Consider this a great time to blow a bad image out of your mind. :D The old phrase, "Never judge a book by its cover" is very applicable here.

 

Have a great trip!

[FrancescaH]

:mad: I just found out about the "biker ralley" that will be going on onboard this trip, and i am very upset the cruise line did not let us with families know about this, i am NOT into "bikes" or "biker themes", and i live in a town that host a bikefest and belive me if they act like the ones that attend here, people with families beware!! how many others out there have families going on this cruise? i can not reschedule this trip as i will have to pay alot to do so, and can not afford to do that, my husband told me not to worry as he will make sure our trip is not ruined for our family. i think the cruise line should of let us know at the time of reservation about this going on. i would have not taken this trip at this time if i had know about it. just remember "HOGS" there will be families on board also.:mad: :mad:

 

I do know where you are coming from. I also booked that first week on the Mariner a couple of years ago because I thought it would be fun to celebrate my son's 2nd birthday on board. I realized about 8 weeks out that it was a HOGS cruise. While I know that this group is by no means the worst group you could contend with on board, it wasn't what I had in mind for my son's birthday cruise and I was concerned over how oriented activities were towards the group after looking at the HOGS site so I calmly called RCI and explained to them my concerns and they allowed me to switch to a few weeks later with no penalty. Have you talked to anyone at RCI about your concerns?

[Hi_Cees]

I confess I am one of those "HOG" ppl going on that cruise. Like everyone else going on a cruise I am going to have some fun and RELAX from my hectic life. This is also a charity event for us as we are trying to raise funds for dialysis.

 

My understanding is a LOT of the party activities our group are scheduled for are private and for our group only...so hopefully we won't scar anyone so they need on board therapy.

 

I truly hope you and your family have a wonderful vacation and I don't think anyone in our group would intentionally try to ruin your trip. I did see someone on another board recommend it is always wise to contact a cruise line to ask if there are any large groups on the ship prior to booking.... personally I never would have thought to ask.

 

 

Best wishes for a wonderful cruise !!!

 

:)

[cruisegirl1]

Any ship that has a large group could be upsetting for other passengers.

 

Perhaps if you substituted the HOGS for some other group others have found objectionable, you would not be so hard on the OP.

 

I would not want a sailing with any very large group.

 

To the OP - please have a good time.

M

[bplazo]

Maybe the HOGS are going to be concerned that their cruise will be ruined with groups of large families with small children!!!

 

I wouldnt worry too much about it. From previous posts that I have read they are a fun group to around.

[HeathernRichardOcala]

We were on the Mariner with the HOGS last year. We found out about two weeks before we left that there would be a biker group on board. Keep in mind that my DH and I go on vacation to relax and take it easy (we are not real party people). We were alittle concerned about this group. :rolleyes:

 

We decieded that nothing.. not even the HOGS were going to ruin our vacation...because your vacation is what you make it. If you let other people ruin it, then your vacation will be ruin. It doesn't matter if they are bikers or any other group for that matter.

 

We had a great time. We met lots of very nice people from the HOGS group and most of them were well behaved. They are a great group..

 

Don't stress. Enjoy your vacation :cool: :cool:

[SliderNc]

If the world would only stop stereotyping...

 

Enjoy your cruise and make the most out of it. I think you'll be quite surprised that the people from the Hogs of the High Seas are pretty much normal people, just like you and me, enjoying a vacation and sharing an interest.

 

BTW, I ride a Harley as well...

[cccer]

We almost booked a cruise for next July that turns out is a Nickelodeon cruise. I'm glad I found out, I would rather cruise with the HOGs then all those little kids. At least when I stumble into someone they will be able to hold me up, rather than trip over a stoller.

[AllieInMD]

Amen to that! We both have our licenses and between SO and I we own three bikes - one of which is a Harley Road King. Most organizations or groups raise money and donate to charity around Christmas and Thanksgiving - bikers are the only ones I know that do it year round - and no matter the weather. And it's usually to benefit 1) sick or underprivileged kids or 2) families of cops killed in the line of duty

 

If the world would only stop stereotyping...

 

Enjoy your cruise and make the most out of it. I think you'll be quite surprised that these people from the Hogs of the High Seas are pretty much normal people, just like you and me, enjoying a vacation and sharing an interest.

 

BTW, I ride a Harley as well...

[beachchick]

Any ship that has a large group could be upsetting for other passengers.

 

Perhaps if you substituted the HOGS for some other group others have found objectionable, you would not be so hard on the OP.

 

I would not want a sailing with any very large group.

 

To the OP - please have a good time.

M

 

I agree if it means that the HOG cruisers will have preferrential treatment. Are all those private functions at the expense of the rest of the pax onboard not being allowed to use public facilities for a good portion of the cruise? Has the group co-opted an entire dinner seating? Will the entertainment be tailored to their group? If the answer to these is yes, then that is a negative effect for everyone else onboard. If the answer to all these questions is no, then it's entirely possible that the other pax will barely be aware of the group or, if they are, they will not find anything to complain about (except those who feel the need to complain no matter what happens). (Regarding the "private functions": I do not mean if, for example, the group has a lounge booked for one evening or something like that. I mean when the group is given exclusive access for extended times to areas that are for all, such as the Solarium or even the main pool area. There have been times when a very large group has been allowed private access to the full pool deck. Even if that's just one day, it's wrong to allow one group to monopolize it.)

 

I feel this way about any large group booked on a ship. If the group's cruise affects the other pax onboard, then IMO it's unfair to the other pax, who paid to have access to the entire ship and to not have their enjoyment pre-empted by a group being given special treatment.

 

beachchick

[CruiseQueenie]

Good Morning:

You have nothing to worry about. As others have stated, they will cause you no trouble. We have been on several of the hog cruises without knowing it and the only time you see them all together is when they are heading out on their bikes - which is awesome to watch!!!

You will have more problems with "problem children" running around, knocking each other into other passengers, hitting every floor button on the elevators and ringing doorbells!!!!!

Enjoy your cruise!

[panz]

What Date Is The Hog Cruise It Sounds Fun

[Jaxsonbrownie]

What Date Is The Hog Cruise It Sounds Fun

 

Here is a link to another thread discussing, it does sound like alot of fun! It is on Nov, 2, 2008 on the Mariner.:

 

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=845563

[temple1]

I have to agree with the OP. It looks like the folks on the boards who live in communities with annual bike events are not overly excited about sharing their vacations with them.

 

I also would be concerned about going on a cruise with a large group that could be tieing up many of the facilities on board. That group could be the AMA, Catholic Charities or any special group of large numbers.

 

Good luck with your vacation.

[HOHSgunny]

I am one of those bikers booked on the hogs cruise, in order for us to be part of the HOGS group we have paid 15% (on average) over the FULL prime price for our state rooms. I mention this only to point out what someone else had said - that a lot of the ones on this cruise are lawyers, doctors, business owners, etc. for myself I am a retired Marine who currently works for the U.S. Department of State in Iraq.

I personally did not want to go on a cruise but my wife has mentioned for the last 18 years how much she wanted to so when I read out this cruise and checked the website I knew this was the cruise for my DW and myself.

I do not own a tux and could not see buying one to wear once or twice on a cruise (could wear my Dress Blues but they are really not something you would want to wear for a long period of time sitting) so the chance to wear leather appeals to me.

and no we do not have our harleys on board the ship - there are couple that will be displayed that are prizes. but no personal bikes (except for the ships captain who has a harley road king) so you will not see anyone riding down the hallways. I also doubt if you will see any more passengers drunk then on a "normal" cruise.

Who knows you might enjoy the distraction we provide.

[Darkwolfe]

Thank you for your service Gunny.

[shipshape sam]

Deewalt99, I would`nt worry about the hogs, we were booked with them 3 yrs ago and yes we did`nt know either and we`re weekend bikers. I have to tell you there was 1 fight on the ship and it was`nt the bikers. they had all private functions so they were`nt around much, formal night was fun to see all the leather, really there just normal people in different clothes.Bikers do so much charity work we go on so many rides to raise money for the Troops for abused children homeless animals. Give them a chance, get past the long hair and you`ll prob meet the nicest people you have ever crusied with.

 

I would second Deewalt99. We were on the Mariner of the Seas with the HOGS and most of them are in their 40's/50's at least on that cruise. We had a great time interacting with individuals who booked through the group sponsoring the cruise. Cabins next to us were HOGS and the cabin below us was a HOG.

 

We did see the Captain wearing leather also and on Formal night, it is leather night. Saw the Captain with his Harley also. I think it was on Labadee. The wait staff wears T-shirts and dew rags as part of the motif. Also, again on our sailing, the HOGS took the whole bottom floor of the dining room.

 

We were surprised once we got onboard, but soon had no fear of problems.

 

There are 'meet' meetings whereby sponsors have tables/displays and are raffling off stuff and this is done in a lower floor/business/conf area. We actually noticed that many of these events were during shows so there was actually less attendance for some of the shows. The only time I saw where there was was a section being used by the HOGS was on the pool deck once for a HOGS belly flop contest. It had been won by a women the year before and I think she came in second the year we were on.

 

You can never know, but a cruise even without a large group can have problems with individual/couples/small groups. I certainly would sail again with the HOGS.