find out about groups on board?

I saw a post about some person yelling about how their honeymoon was ruined due to a large group on board.

Normally I check my Roll Call thread before I book but other than that, how do you find out in advance if some large group is booked on your cruise? I can see where certain ideologies that don't mix would make it uncomfortable.

I saw a post about some person yelling about how their honeymoon was ruined due to a large group on board.

 

Normally I check my Roll Call thread before I book but other than that, how do you find out in advance if some large group is booked on your cruise? I can see where certain ideologies that don't mix would make it uncomfortable.

You can do an internet search with your cruise dates/ship and see if any hits come up to random groups (Travel Agencies, or other independent groups) linked to that particular cruise.

I know that the cruise lines themselves won't tell you what, if any, groups may be onboard a cruise you might be planning on taking.

Google your ship and sail date....that will sometimes bring up organized groups. However, there will be "groups" on every cruise, and 99% of the time, you'll never know who is in which group...and most of the "group" people don't know, either!!! For example, on our last cruise was a huge insurance group....some sort of "award" for the high performers. Few knew each other...it was simply a vacation for them! They had a conference room, but it did not affect any other passenger in any other way.

Most "offensive/controversial" groups do a full ship charter, so as not to offend anyone's sensibilities!

On the Holland America section of CC here, there is a person who keeps track of the ship's dry and wet docks, charters and groups sailing on the various ships. Dates are listed.

So for the most part, we are forewarned and know what to expect the majority of the time.

Google your ship and sail date....that will sometimes bring up organized groups. However, there will be "groups" on every cruise, and 99% of the time, you'll never know who is in which group...and most of the "group" people don't know, either!!! For example, on our last cruise was a huge insurance group....some sort of "award" for the high performers. Few knew each other...it was simply a vacation for them! They had a conference room, but it did not affect any other passenger in any other way.

 

Most "offensive/controversial" groups do a full ship charter, so as not to offend anyone's sensibilities!

Per Above .... Since almost always "controversial" groups are a full charter, it's not a problem.

Often, we have been on cruises with a large "group" who had some special functions but were otherwise normal cruisers who were enjoyable to meet. :)

LuLu

I have never had a cruise where a group on board had any effect on my cruise. There is always a group, a birthday party, a wedding, a quincinera (sp?) or company group. In 2012 we had a political group whose philosophy I do not agree with, but they were all friendly and had no impact on the cruise. I am sure they had cocktail parties, conferences, lectures etc. but I was not forced to attend.

Personally I would not worry about it.

We were on a cruise where the group made up more than 50% of the guests. It was awful for those of us not a part of the group. The Crows Nest was closed us every night of the cruise and we were turned away anytime we tried to enter to have a drink after dinner. One bright, sunny, beautiful sea day we were forced to leave the aft (outdoor) pool at about 12:30 P.M. so the group could have a private pool party.

Sometimes a large group will book all of one seating and anyone else who wanted that early or late dining is out of luck.

Cruise lines hide information about groups and even if directly asked, will not give a straight answer......... for obvious reasons..

People seem to be confusing "group" with "large group".

Nearly every cruise has a variety of groups of 10-50 people. Usually families, birthdays, companies or weddings. No big deal, hardly noticeable.

A "large group" would be 1 group with several hundred and up to over 50% of the ship. These groups are best avoided. Even if they are not offensive, they tend to take up areas of the ship and make it unaccessible to others.

There have been numerous complaints of groups such as these having private parties in the main theaters or pools so that normal shows or relaxation time is not permitted by those not in the group.

Sometimes you can figure it out and other times you can't.

Google searches are helpful but won't find all groups who may be on board such as companies that have award programs for their people.

Keith

I'm not talking about the family reunion cruises etc. I'm talking about Big Groups where they make up more than 50% of the passengers & the rest of us would be "left out."

I mean CC is a group of sorts & we do close down some public venue for an hour or two for our M&Gs.

I know you can't accidently stumble into the Lifestyle cruises because they do take over the whole charter.

It wouldn't matter if it was a group that I agreed with. The fact that I could not have free run of the whole ship might lessen my enjoyment.

There is no such thing as a partial charter......

A group either charters a whole ship for their own cruise or they are a large group on a cruise that includes others not a part of the group.

The small 20-50 person groups don't usually have any impact. When a group reaches 25-30% of the whole passenger mix, they often start to interfere with others full use and enjoyment.

There is no such thing as a partial charter......

 

A group either charters a whole ship for their own cruise or they are a large group on a cruise that includes others not a part of the group.

 

The small 20-50 person groups don't usually have any impact. When a group reaches 25-30% of the whole passenger mix, they often start to interfere with others full use and enjoyment.

I think in such situations the cruise lines should give something back to complaining customers - a discount or OBC on a future cruise perhaps. Have you ever heard of a cruise line doing this?

A large group would have an impact if they are taking over major venues such as the pool area or an entire dining room (so that passengers who want traditional dining or flexible dining can't get their choice). Now if there's a group that have the potential of offensive behavior, wouldn't you think it would behoove the cruise line to discuss this with the organizers if they are to coexist with others for a week or so?

There is no such thing as a partial charter......

 

A group either charters a whole ship for their own cruise or they are a large group on a cruise that includes others not a part of the group.

 

The small 20-50 person groups don't usually have any impact. When a group reaches 25-30% of the whole passenger mix, they often start to interfere with others full use and enjoyment.

Last year, we booked a cruise on the NCL Pearl that was a partial charter. The group intended to charter the entire ship, but it didn't sell well enough, so they opened up a portion of the cabins for others at a very attractive price.

It was a very pleasant cruise. Some of the venues were not open to those who were not part of the group, but all the regularly scheduled activities were available to us. We were also able to enjoy the performances in the pool area that were put on by the group.

It was Blue Grass music, and many times a small group would gather at one of the bars and start playing. It was a special treat for us, and the amateurs were as good as some of the professionals.

I would not hesitate to do another cruise like that one if it became available.

I have never had a cruise where a group on board had any effect on my cruise. There is always a group, a birthday party, a wedding, a quincinera (sp?) or company group. In 2012 we had a political group whose philosophy I do not agree with, but they were all friendly and had no impact on the cruise. I am sure they had cocktail parties, conferences, lectures etc. but I was not forced to attend.

 

Personally I would not worry about it.

There is no such thing as a partial charter......

 

A group either charters a whole ship for their own cruise or they are a large group on a cruise that includes others not a part of the group.

 

The small 20-50 person groups don't usually have any impact. When a group reaches 25-30% of the whole passenger mix, they often start to interfere with others full use and enjoyment.

A group that is less than 10% of capacity can be extremely disruptive when they have total disregard for other passengers as well as the crew. Mid-January was, and perhaps still is, an extended holiday for certain non-public schools in the NYC area. For a couple of years, a number of families took the longer cruises out of Manhatten during this break. Not a pleasent experience for the others on these cruises . . .

Last year, we booked a cruise on the NCL Pearl that was a partial charter. The group intended to charter the entire ship, but it didn't sell well enough, so they opened up a portion of the cabins for others at a very attractive price.

 

It was a very pleasant cruise. Some of the venues were not open to those who were not part of the group, but all the regularly scheduled activities were available to us. We were also able to enjoy the performances in the pool area that were put on by the group.

 

It was Blue Grass music, and many times a small group would gather at one of the bars and start playing. It was a special treat for us, and the amateurs were as good as some of the professionals.

 

I would not hesitate to do another cruise like that one if it became available.

It would be a special treat for an 'unknowing' guest who booked their cruise without knowing there was a large group aboard to find a style of music they enjoyed would be played all over the ship.

What about the guest who really dislikes that Blue Grass music and is subjected to that 'noise' their whole cruise? That would be no special treat for them.

I don't grasp the term 'partial charter'. It is either chartered or not. Some cruise lines have a rule when a group reaches a certain number of bookings, they must charter the whole ship. It's either a charter or not. To book a charter, you must be part of the group and make your reservation through their booking agency. You cannot go as an individual not a part of the group.

Cruise lines make a great deal of money from charters and large groups on ships. All decisions about venues and availability will come down on the side of the group and those not a part of the group........ well, so sad, so sorry but you aren't using that lounge at that time as the group has reserved it.

I can see where certain ideologies that don't mix would make it uncomfortable.

Sometimes it can be more than that. I'm a pretty tolerant person, but I book so far in advance and my choice of ships is high in that priority. I have read, but not personally experienced large important features of a ship being closed only to those large groups. That would be my biggest annoyance.

We have a large Celtic music group on our NCL Dawn cruise in February found it like it was said earlier by searching our cruise date on google. My wife called NCL and spoke with a customer service supervisor after she pointed them to the web page they acknowledged the group but said quote “ they will probably take up one venue on the night of their ball that is all”. Yea we see that as not possible but will see when we get on the ship. Just guessing but my bet is they park them in the spinnaker lounge and we don’t see it all week.

Moral of this story is front line customer services probably won’t even know if there is a group and probably won’t know how to respond if you ask. Seems they will play it down if at all possible. There is no substitute for doing online research and making your own judgment call.

Now with a screen name like hillbilly you know I am Scots Irish and love Celtic music along with pretty dancing ladies that have very curly hair so looking for ideas how to sneak in without paying their rate.;)

Google your ship and sail date....that will sometimes bring up organized groups. However, there will be "groups" on every cruise, and 99% of the time, you'll never know who is in which group...and most of the "group" people don't know, either!!! For example, on our last cruise was a huge insurance group....some sort of "award" for the high performers. Few knew each other...it was simply a vacation for them! They had a conference room, but it did not affect any other passenger in any other way.

 

Most "offensive/controversial" groups do a full ship charter, so as not to offend anyone's sensibilities!

What exactly is an offensive group?

What exactly is an offensive group?

I can't speak for CB at Sea but I know for a fact that Lifestyle cruises (swingers & people who prefer to sun worship naked) charter the whole ship so you don't accidentally happen to have your kids' interacting with hundreds of naked people.

While those choices are not offensive to many, they are shocking to some & could be a very bad surprise for someone not expecting such behaviors. I'd classify them more as controversial.

I was asking more about the thing like the Blue Grass festival or the Irish Festival, or even the Bear group that the person who motivated my Q was complaining about. For example, in the above, I like Irish Music & would feel left out of a big group was on my cruise but I couldn't go to some of the events. In contrast, let's say an organization like the American Bar Association decided to have a group cruise. I doubt many people would be thrilled to be surrounded by lawyers all day. lol (I'm picking on the ABA because while I love all my lawyer friends, it is one of the last few groups that can be publicly picked on without causing too much of a stir. Besides it's not like they can't defend themselves if they are unhappy. Just think of my example as another lawyer joke. Really I'm not trying to bash).

It seems though that the answer to my Q is you have to do your own research.

Expect there is less risk of large groups on the luxury lines, yes? E.g., Regent, Silverseas, et alia.

Last year, we booked a cruise on the NCL Pearl that was a partial charter. The group intended to charter the entire ship, but it didn't sell well enough, so they opened up a portion of the cabins for others at a very attractive price.

 

 

 

It was a very pleasant cruise. Some of the venues were not open to those who were not part of the group, but all the regularly scheduled activities were available to us. We were also able to enjoy the performances in the pool area that were put on by the group.

 

 

 

It was Blue Grass music, and many times a small group would gather at one of the bars and start playing. It was a special treat for us, and the amateurs were as good as some of the professionals.

 

 

 

I would not hesitate to do another cruise like that one if it became available.

Sent from my iPad using Forums

I can't speak for CB at Sea but I know for a fact that Lifestyle cruises (swingers & people who prefer to sun worship naked) charter the whole ship so you don't accidentally happen to have your kids' interacting with hundreds of naked people.

 

While those choices are not offensive to many, they are shocking to some & could be a very bad surprise for someone not expecting such behaviors. I'd classify them more as controversial.

 

I was asking more about the thing like the Blue Grass festival or the Irish Festival, or even the Bear group that the person who motivated my Q was complaining about. For example, in the above, I like Irish Music & would feel left out of a big group was on my cruise but I couldn't go to some of the events. In contrast, let's say an organization like the American Bar Association decided to have a group cruise. I doubt many people would be thrilled to be surrounded by lawyers all day. lol (I'm picking on the ABA because while I love all my lawyer friends, it is one of the last few groups that can be publicly picked on without causing too much of a stir. Besides it's not like they can't defend themselves if they are unhappy. Just think of my example as another lawyer joke. Really I'm not trying to bash).

 

It seems though that the answer to my Q is you have to do your own research.

 

Jaws at Sea?

Longer cruises also have few large groups. We have been on 32 Princess cruises. One was 8 days and most were 15 or longer. We have never been aware of a large group (except the clowns from Cruise Critic :) ).

Expect there is less risk of large groups on the luxury lines, yes? E.g., Regent, Silverseas, et alia.

I would expect that to be the case.

They are too deluxe to be agreeable to most any large group sailing their ships.

Perhaps a group of former Nobel Prize Winners or maybe Royals. :D (kidding of course..)