Is there any way to find out if a convention is coming on board with you?

[Emmie]

Hi, everyone! Is there any way to find out if a convention, family reunion, or other huge group is going to be on your cruise? I REFUSE to be scared off my cruise by a convention, but I would like to know in advance if there will be one on board!

Just wondering,
Emmie

[sail7seas]

UNFORTUNATELY, HAL will not answer when asked that question. We have discussed it here on this board (within the last month) and it seems that no one has a reliable, absolute way of getting that info. I think it most unfair and deceptive for HAL to not honestly answer that legitimate question.

[jhannah]

Here's one of the threads (http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=140313) that discussed this.

[Emmie]

I had missed that original thread, Jim, thank you for pointing me towards it. Goodness, what a shame to be bumped like that.

I do know that two of my friends were bumped from cruises (not HAL) in the past year or so due to charters coming up. I also know that I have heard of folks being distressed by large groups "taking over" the ship. Personally, I don't mind the idea of large groups. That could happen anywhere you are on vacation. We have often gone camping and suddenly found ourselves "surrounded" by Cub Scouts, Girl Scouts, family reunions...and once all three in one campground on the same weekend:eek: ! I do agree, it would be really nice to know ahead of time.

Thanks,
Emmie

[viennacruiser]

Being surrounded by Girl Scoouts is never a bad thing:eek: ..they sing songs, bring along thin mints:D and leave a place cleaner than they found it:cool: ..other big groups may be a different story

[sail7seas]

I had missed that original thread, Jim, thank you for pointing me towards it. Goodness, what a shame to be bumped like that.

I do know that two of my friends were bumped from cruises (not HAL) in the past year or so due to charters coming up. I also know that I have heard of folks being distressed by large groups "taking over" the ship. Personally, I don't mind the idea of large groups. That could happen anywhere you are on vacation. We have often gone camping and suddenly found ourselves "surrounded" by Cub Scouts, Girl Scouts, family reunions...and once all three in one campground on the same weekend:eek: ! I do agree, it would be really nice to know ahead of time.

Thanks,
Emmie



What happened to us on one cruise was intolerable. I have mentioned this before but your post brought it to my mind again.

"Personally I don't mind the idea of large groups."

I felt the same way until we were aboard with a group that comprised about 70-75% of the total pax count. We were thrown out of aft pool on sea days as they ran a private party there.
Out of ten days, we were permitted in Crownest two evenings only. They had private parties there every night. Most pax who were not a part of the group did not get their dining seat of choice.....the group had total priority for everything. The rest of us were in the way. We paid for use of the whole ship but we certainly were denied use of much of it, much of the time. We did not get any 'low price special'. We paid the full, high Suite rate we always had paid.

This is the reason I feel so strongly that HAL should be obliged (or morally, ethically impelled) to truthfully answer if asked about any very large group. If they are not asked, I do not think they need to offer the info. But I feel if asked, they should be responding truthfully.