How Will 3 Large Groups Booked On The Maasdam Affect Our Cruise Experience?

[many cruises]

I now know that there are 3 groups booked on the Maasdam on August 8, 2008 to Canada/New England:
-about 200 quilters
-about 200 from the Taste of Home Magazine
-a group from the Grand Lodge of Masons for their 275th anniversary Celebration

I have nothing against any of these groups, but I'm a little concerned as to how they will impact our cruise experience. If you have been on a cruise that has been chartered to large groups such as these, how has it affected your personal cruise experience? Are activities going to be geared to these groups? Will the entertainment change because of these groups? I'm concerned because we are cruising by ourselves & we've never been on a ship that has been chartered out to so many large groups. HAL wouldn't even tell us about any charter groups...I learned about these on cruise critic. Any advice or reassurance?

[mchell810]

I wouldn't worry too much about it. Last year on my Alaska cruise there was one large group (about half the passengers) and they were not a problem. At times, some of the smaller meeting room were used for meetings or performances, but it was never a problem. With three smaller groups I can't imagine that one would "take over" your cruise.

[Krazy Kruizers]

We have experienced some larger groups on various ships. Some of the groups will have requested use of the Crow's Nest for special events like cocktails before dinner.

Quilters -- we had some on our Westerdam cruise. The Hudson Room was set up with sewing machines. Some afternoons they had part of the Crow's Nest set off for them for "Meetings" - some of them did order drinks.

One time we were on a cruise and a group requested the show lounge nearly every morning and afternoon for their special movies. This meant that activities had to be moved to other places and were limited.

I would be concerned if I were you. 200 in one grou p -- 200 in another group -- No telling how many in the Grand Lodge of Masons -- that could be a big number.

The biggest problem will be the lounges when they have cocktail parties.

Canada/New England is a very port intensive cruise -- hopefully many of them will be off the ship doing excursions. But evenings could be another thing.

[sail7seas]

The big unknown is the size of the Mason group. If 200 or more, I'd be concerned.

A ship is chartered when one group takes over the whole ship and only people part of that group sail. Your cruise seems to have three large groups on board as well as non -affiliated guests, such as yourself.

If the Mason group is 200 or more, that will mean more than half the ship is comprised of groups. Maasdam carries about 1260 guests. Not necessarily really bad but possibly not great either for there to be these groups.

Sorry to be so honest. I didn't notice which week you are sailing???

[jlynnek]

The last cruise I was on there was a group, a crowd really, of poker players. It definitely negatively impacted my cruise experience. The Crow's Nest was closed the entire cruise! They set up their poker tables in there and covered with windows with brown paper. That was almost 1 1/2 years ago and that's the main reason I haven't cruised since. It made me very wary of large groups on board. Now I have nothing against playing poker, or those who play poker, but to take over a venue such as the Crow's Nest for an entire cruise was a little much. I was very disappointed.

[Krazy Kruizers]

OP is sailing Aug 8.

[Two if by Sea]

Rich's list only shows the 200 Quilters. Where did you learn about those other two groups?

[Krazy Kruizers]

Sometimes Googling the cruise will show other groups.

[sail7seas]

OP is sailing Aug 8.


Thanks. I'm guessing a typo for Aug. 8....it has to be Aug. 9.

[Krazy Kruizers]

The last cruise I was on there was a group, a crowd really, of poker players. It definitely negatively impacted my cruise experience. The Crow's Nest was closed the entire cruise! They set up their poker tables in there and covered with windows with brown paper. That was almost 1 1/2 years ago and that's the main reason I haven't cruised since. It made me very wary of large groups on board. Now I have nothing against playing poker, or those who play poker, but to take over a venue such as the Crow's Nest for an entire cruise was a little much. I was very disappointed.

I don't blame you for being upset. Hope your Eurodam cruise will be better.

[kittiecat]

Rich's list only shows the 200 Quilters. Where did you learn about those other two groups?

I think I found them. OP and I have been in contact over on the roll call board. My entire extended family is being taken on this cruise by a relative to celebrate a major birthday. We are 11 people in 5 cabins, and this is a once in a lifetime thing, so I am also concerned.

I found the other two on Google.

The Masons:
http://www.massfreemasonry.org/index.tpl?SID=12123652404201372&ng_view=56&ng_id=92

Taste of Home:
http://www.countrytours.com/Tours_US/TH2/tdetail.asp?RefURL=&KeyCode=&tdate=&PMCode=&OrgURL=

[sail7seas]

You could call the number given in the notice you linked for the Grand Lodge of Masons group and ask how big the group is.

[many cruises]

I plan on calling that travel agent for the newest group of Masons tomorrow to see how many are in that group. The more I read here the more concerned I am getting. One question pops into my mind...Why does HAL book so many large groups on one cruise? HAL will not tell you that these groups are on the ship...it is not their policy to share that information. I'm afraid to do any further checking about additional groups...at the present time, it could be at least half the ship that is chartered out to these 3 groups. We have already paid our final payment, so canceling doesn't seem to be an option for us. Any suggestions?

[sail7seas]

My suggestion is:

Don't worry about it.
Go and Enjoy!

Maasdam is a fabulous ship with a great crew.
You'll have a wonderful time.

[vbmom87]

How do you find out if groups are booked on your cruise? I know our cruise seemed to fill a little faster than some of the others, so I was wondering if that could be a possibility...too late to change though...

[many cruises]

I was told by another passenger on our roll call. You can also Google your ship & sailing to check and see if any groups show up. Good luck!

[kittiecat]

I'm afraid to do any further checking about additional groups...

Many Cruises -- I think that's it. I had to get to about page 15 of Google hits to find the Masons, and then I went on to about page 30 without finding any more. (Yes, it was a boring day here.)

I will be interested to see what you find out from the Masons TA tomorrow -- please post and let us know, ok? I will tell you, between this and the dining SNAFU (described over on the roll call board), we are planning to first call our relative's TA and then go straight to Holland America to at least make sure they know that we are aware and concerned. It may be an exercise in futility, but at least we will have tried.

Beyond that, we will go and plan to have fun. We aren't big bar people, so as long as we can see a movie or two and spend time together, it will be ok. I'm still a little ticked about the Sydney shore excursions disappearing -- it now seems pretty clear the groups booked up the "good" ones, but we will deal.

Let's keep each other in the loop.

[NHCruisr]

We've been on HAL ships with various sized groups. Sometimes it has been a problem, sometimes not. On our last cruise (Westerdam) there was a large group which took over a large section of the dining room during the second, fixed seating. They negatively impacted the dining experience. They were loud and boisterous. They moved around from table to table. They insulted dining room staff. We changed our dining situation, but the experience makes us cautious about furture cruises. I guess it depends not only on the size of the group, but on the make up of the group. Also, some public areas may be taken over by groups. On the Canada/NE cruises, having the Crows Nest closed is a big deal since it's the premier enclosed viewing area on the ship.

[sail7seas]

Canada/New England cruises have six ports in seven days. Maasdam is not sailing the Saguenay Fjord this year so there isn't much time you would be sailing and viewing from Crows Nest.

[kittiecat]

Canada/New England cruises have six ports in seven days. Maasdam is not sailing the Saguenay Fjord this year so there isn't much time you would be sailing and viewing from Crows Nest.

There are actually 5 ports -- there's one at sea day. But now that you point out the Crows Nest potential issue, I'm again worried. The relative that is taking us all will probably not be going into port (mobility issues) so the loss of the common space to sit with family and watch the scenery might be a big problem.

[sail7seas]

Well, actually, Boston is counted as a port. Boston, Portland, Saint John, Halifax, Sydney, Bar Harbor. Six ports and as you say, a sea day for the seventh.

We have done versions of this cruiise repeatedly, summer after summer and are doing the Boston to Montreal to Boston, back-to-back this August. These are fabulous cruises on a wonderful ship. Look forward to having a great time with your family.

Why worry in advance about something that might not happen.... private use of Crows Nest?

By the way, I saw your reference on your Roll Call about a (sadly) deceased friend who wrote cruise books. Are you referring to Pam Kane?

[Nancyquilts]

I can only speak for some quilters, but generally, even in a group, we are neither boisterous nor pushy (well, except for me). I would worry a lot more if there were only one large group booked. On some lines there are lots of bridge players who take over some public rooms, and on one HAL ship the Crow's Nest for the whole trip was taken over by people who were big spenders on the art auctions. I would go and enjoy your trip - it's bound to be a good one if you have a good attitude. If there is a problem, I would talk to the purser's office on board and see what could be done. Hope you have a great cruise! Nancy

[kittiecat]

I can only speak for some quilters, but generally, even in a group, we are neither boisterous nor pushy (well, except for me).

Thanks Nancy -- I'm not a quilter, but I do knit and weave and spin, so I'm not worried about the crafty people. I'm sure they just have visions of fat quarters dancing in their heads! I know how I get looking forward to knitting conventions.

I'm sure everything will be fine. But at the same time forewarned is not exactly forearmed in this case, but at least prepared. And I do want my extended family to have a great time.

It will be interesting to see how it works out!

[RuthC]

Let me submit an op-ed view. First off, this is not a charter. This is three separate groups, at least two of which are not large. This is also a port-intensive itinerary. Most of the daytimes you will be off the ship, and blissfully unaware of anyone else from the ship. The family member who won't be off the ship should find the Crow's Nest to be essentially empty.
At night the folks in two of the groups will be going their own way, just as your family will. Since you say you won't be spending lots of time in the lounges at night there's little chance they will interfere with you.

The only group which might be cohesive is the Masons. But they can't take over the entire ship at once.

I think you are getting worried over something that won't come to pass.

[barbon2]

This subject always interests me. We had a VERY large group on the Oosterdam (700 card players) that DID have a large effect on our cruise. They over ran the ship, large public venues were closed, they did not follow dress code and brought the entire atmosphere of the ship down to another level.
I would not be concerned about 3 separate groups, they will all have different activities at different times and will probably not over run the ship.
There are always groups on board, especially several smaller ones, but 700 in one group is almost 1/2 of the ship.
Barbara

[PathfinderEss]

We were on a cruise many years ago where a religious group took over the majority of the ship - it was great we had all the bars to ourselves. Saw very little of the people who were in meetings all day. So sometimes groups can be a benefit.
I don't think I would be too worried about these 3 groups, go on your cruise and enjoy yourselves.

[G'ma]

I now know that there are 3 groups booked on the Maasdam on August 8, 2008 to Canada/New England:
-about 200 quilters
-about 200 from the Taste of Home Magazine
-a group from the Grand Lodge of Masons for their 275th anniversary Celebration

I have nothing against any of these groups, but I'm a little concerned as to how they will impact our cruise experience. If you have been on a cruise that has been chartered to large groups such as these, how has it affected your personal cruise experience? Are activities going to be geared to these groups? Will the entertainment change because of these groups? I'm concerned because we are cruising by ourselves & we've never been on a ship that has been chartered out to so many large groups. HAL wouldn't even tell us about any charter groups...I learned about these on cruise critic. Any advice or reassurance?

Groups will only impact your cruise experience to the extent you permit them to.

Groups are the bread and butter of the cruise industry and they LOVE 'em.

You may find a certain lounge closed for an hour for a private cocktail party....or a pool area reserved for an hour...but beyond very minor things, you probably won't even notice.

[Boytjie]

Why does HAL book so many large groups on one cruise? [/COLOR]

I believe HAL wants to sail with as many cabins booked as possible. Whatever it takes.

[Mary Ellen]

I wouldn't expect the Crow's Nest to be closed in port. The groups that would do so, would have their members on shore then. The only exception to that would be a poker group. Our neighbors were on the same (or similar) cruise mentioned earlier. That poker group had the Crow's Nest 24/7. That vastly detracted from their cruise experience, I don't expect the other family members sailing with then to ever sail on HAL again due to this.

The Explorer's Lounge is also a nice 'common area' place for the family to gather. There are sometimes private cocktail parties there too, so it could be closed to an hour or so at a time.

We had a good number of 'spinners' (wool) on one of our Alaskan cruises (probably no more than 200). They did have a good part of the Crow's Nest partitioned off for the entire cruise and their spinning wheels were set up in there. It did make for competition for the now more limited space during the scenic viewing.

Good luck

[sail7seas]

There were some posts on the Roll Call for that cruise commenting about some of the tours being closed very early on. The chances are strong one of the groups bought up all the space. If they are buying tours in such numbers, they won't be closing off Crows Nest if the groups are off the ship touring.

With six ports in seven days, that is a non-issue during the day IMO

What happens at night could be a different story.

[hammybee]

I will be interested to see what you find out from the Masons TA tomorrow -- please post and let us know, ok? I will tell you, between this and the dining SNAFU (described over on the roll call board), we are planning to first call our relative's TA and then go straight to Holland America to at least make sure they know that we are aware and concerned. It may be an exercise in futility, but at least we will have tried.

Beyond that, we will go and plan to have fun.

It's unclear from your posts if you have cruised before.

There is no dining snafu on your cruise other then you may not get what you want, which happens on all mass market cruise lines, regardless of the type of dining offered. It all depends upon how many other people want what you want, when you want it. People have been griping about not getting their desired dining time for about as long as cruise ships have had more than one " dine now or forget about eating" seating.

Likewise with the group thing. There have been, are and will be groups of all sizes, onboard every cruise ship. In the overwhelming majority of cases, non group passengers will be unaware of groups, beyond a host table tucked in an out of the way public area.

Those who purchase anything in volume, anywhere. usually get perks that are otherwise not available to individuals. It is one of the benefits of booking with a group. Heck if your own group had only 3 more cabins, you would be considered an " official group".

If you look closely at the web site for any cruise line, you will notice that they all covet group sales. Every travel agency covets group sales. CC has a special area that promotes the concept of group sales. This is most certainly not something new or unique to HAL.

Cruising is a unique vacation because when you cruise, you are sharing your vacation with 1000- 4000+ other people ( dependent upon the size of the ship) and when you do, it often requires some compromise, especially when one is not sailing in a deluxe suite and/or when there are more than two passengers in a cabin. I have been there, done that and will do it again.

We each have a choice to focus on what we cannot control or go with the flow and have a good time.

[hammybee]

I believe HAL wants to sail with as many cabins booked as possible. Whatever it takes.

I believe EVERY cruise line wants to sail with as many cabins booked, as possible. Whatever it takes. So does every airline ( seat) and hotel ( room) and movie theatre ( seat) and restuarant ( seat) and sports stadium ( seat) and......:)

[hammybee]

Rich's list only shows the 200 Quilters. Where did you learn about those other two groups?

If no one emails Rich with their findings, Rich has no way of knowing and therefore the list is not going to show the group. Rich's list is no way shows every group onboard, every sailing.

Rich is a poster, just like the rest of us only he voluntarily maintains a page to consoldate reports of groups sales. This page contains more information than is available to any travel agency. If you want to know more about a group, all one has to do is call the agent representing the group. They always have a handle on potential size, especially closer to the sail date.

[usha]

Nancyquilts, how do we know for sure that your group isn't a bunch of HAL-raisers?;)

[Boytjie]

I believe EVERY cruise line wants to sail with as many cabins booked, as possible. Whatever it takes. So does every airline ( seat) and hotel ( room) and movie theatre ( seat) and restuarant ( seat) and sports stadium ( seat) and......:)

Correct! And the customers want most of these to be as empty as possible. :D

[usha]

We've been on several cruises with large groups. 2 of those large groups seemed to have a mob mentality, and took over the ship, disregarding common courtesy in general, let alone the dress codes or the smoking policies. As a result, I'd really prefer NOT to cruise when a large group is on our sailing. I just googled our Westerdam cruise, and guess what? There are 2 LARGE GROUPS on the first leg of our sailing.:(

[sail7seas]

Which groups?

[usha]

Which groups?
One large group is MediCruise University @ Sea.

The other group is the 6th Annual Cruise Event for the Mature Gay Male and His Admirer. DH & I happened to be booked on Century back in 2005, not realizing that it was the same week that they were having the 2nd annual cruise event. There were 500 in that group, almost 1/3 of the ship. There were WAY too many speedos, way too much smoking in non-smoking sections, and we both really got tired of my husband being excessively checked-out by other men. That group was in everybody's face.:(

[Nancyquilts]

Nancyquilts, how do we know for sure that your group isn't a bunch of HAL-raisers?;)
:D :D :D
Actually, I'm surprised to see a large group of quilters on such a port-intensive cruise. They generally only meet on sea days, but maybe they're checking out all the quilt shops in the various ports. One always needs more fabric! Nancy

[sail7seas]

They will LOVE Sydney. Right at the dock, there is a huge area in the terminal where crafters of all sorts display their items for sale. Some very beautiful items and definitely quilts are included.

[many cruises]

It appears that the 3rd group (Masons) on the 8/9/08, Maasdam Cruise will have about 30 passengers. So, about 230 passengers will be from 3 different groups on board the ship. Hopefully, HAL will not close the public rooms for these groups for any length of time in the evenings. We are in a port almost every day, so we're not concerned about the daytime activities as much as the evening ones.

[CowPrincess]

Where does one find the list the "Rich" (???) maintains? I just inadvertently found a Westerdam Caribbean cruise that has a group advertising they'll be on board.

[hammybee]

Where does one find the list the "Rich" (???) maintains? I just inadvertently found a Westerdam Caribbean cruise that has a group advertising they'll be on board.
http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=563764

[sail7seas]

It appears that the 3rd group (Masons) on the 8/9/08, Maasdam Cruise will have about 30 passengers. So, about 230 passengers will be from 3 different groups on board the ship. Hopefully, HAL will not close the public rooms for these groups for any length of time in the evenings. We are in a port almost every day, so we're not concerned about the daytime activities as much as the evening ones.


You should not experience much if any inconvience. It is likely you'll hardly notice they are there.

[hammybee]

It appears that the 3rd group (Masons) on the 8/9/08, Maasdam Cruise will have about 30 passengers. So, about 230 passengers will be from 3 different groups on board the ship. Hopefully, HAL will not close the public rooms for these groups for any length of time in the evenings. We are in a port almost every day, so we're not concerned about the daytime activities as much as the evening ones.

230 passengers will not make a dent.

[richwmn]

If no one emails Rich with their findings, Rich has no way of knowing and therefore the list is not going to show the group. Rich's list is no way shows every group onboard, every sailing.

Rich is a poster, just like the rest of us only he voluntarily maintains a page to consoldate reports of groups sales. This page contains more information than is available to any travel agency. If you want to know more about a group, all one has to do is call the agent representing the group. They always have a handle on potential size, especially closer to the sail date.

Thanks for the kind words again Hammybee. It is a lot easier if I get an email about groups, but I also tend to notice thread titles with "group" in them. Sometimes when I have time, i try to do some searches myself, but always appreciate when someone else finds a group or two and lets me know. The two groups mentioned here have been added.

Rich

[gillianrose]

On some lines there are lots of bridge players who take over some public rooms, and on one HAL ship the Crow's Nest for the whole trip was taken over by people who were big spenders on the art auctions. I would go and enjoy your trip - it's bound to be a good one if you have a good attitude. If there is a problem, I would talk to the purser's office on board and see what could be done. Hope you have a great cruise! Nancy

I think that when large groups take over major rooms such as the Crow's Nest it is always a problem for people not part of the group. That room is a large part of the reason people enjoy HAL ships. It is the prime viewing room onboard and is especially important for someone who has mobility problems, as was mentioned.