Hogs on the High Seas

[kymbakitty]

I may have taken a different approach.

 

It probably wouldn't have been too hard to locate a top tiered member of that group. My guess is that he/they would have been MORTIFIED if they knew a few idiots were acting out. I really don't think this type of behavior would be acceptable by the majority of the Hogs and a few jerks got together and used you for sport.

 

It is hard for me to believe that this sort of behavior is still practiced today. I mean geez louise....hasn't nearly every person out there had a family member/close friend/friend of a friend that was gay by now? Maybe I am nieve and gays are still stuck in the closet (I can see why if that sort of treatment was not stopped by staff. Heck, where we live, the residents wouldn't let that happen in a coffee shop. An 80 year old would slap one of them silly for doing that if she saw/heard it!), but that would simply not be accepted around here. Thank God.

 

Oh vey. I am so sorry that you had to experience such shameful behavior.

[beachchick]

Clott and coralc:

 

I have a serious question. If you had found out about such nasty behavior from your fellow riders, would you have said or done anything to stop it? I am not sure about the group's dynamics or interaction. I sure wouldn't lump all of you together, but I'd think that kind of behavior would anger the rest of you and that you might address it if you could. It gives you all a bad name and reputation, which I know is not deserved by most. Both my uncles used to ride and they were the nicest guys you could meet. (My dad also rode, but only a little one, so he doesn't count.)

 

ticktoneer:

 

I'm so sorry to hear about your experience. Truly, if there is a next time (I sincerely hope not!), you should not feel embarrassed to report the harrassers. The cruise lines have rules about passenger conduct and those passengers should not have been allowed to force you to basically spend the cruise in your cabin. No one should have to go through that kind of harrassment, ever.

 

beachchick

[Coralc]

Oh oops. I'm not a motorcycle rider, and have never been on a hogs on the high seas cruise. I am an acquaintance and friend of poster clott.

 

I think it is horrible what happened to tk. No one should be subjected to that. Is it worse on a biker cruise? I have no idea. In my opinion, the group should consider full ship charters. I don't think other passengers should have to deal unknowingly with that large of a group.

 

We are near San Francisco, beachchick and we are very gay friendly. I'm sorry if it was somehow construed that I was a supporting the bad element in what I am sure is probably a pretty friendly bunch overall. But you know....a biker cruise is probably not a group that I would choose to spend my vacation with. :)

 

Donating to charities is a personal matter. Their cause is not on my list, but that doesn't mean it is not a very worthwhile cause.

[Scotty&Niecey]

We have also been on the Explorer with the Hogs and they were no problem at all. The captain even rode with them. I'm sorry you had a bad time on your cruise. Hopefully this won't stop you from enjoying cruising again. They should be called pigs not hogs.

 

They shoudl be called HOGS (Harley Owner Group) not pigs.

[gadawg1979]

Clott and coralc:

 

I have a serious question. If you had found out about such nasty behavior from your fellow riders, would you have said or done anything to stop it? I am not sure about the group's dynamics or interaction. I sure wouldn't lump all of you together, but I'd think that kind of behavior would anger the rest of you and that you might address it if you could. It gives you all a bad name and reputation, which I know is not deserved by most. Both my uncles used to ride and they were the nicest guys you could meet. (My dad also rode, but only a little one, so he doesn't count.)

 

ticktoneer:

 

I'm so sorry to hear about your experience. Truly, if there is a next time (I sincerely hope not!), you should not feel embarrassed to report the harrassers. The cruise lines have rules about passenger conduct and those passengers should not have been allowed to force you to basically spend the cruise in your cabin. No one should have to go through that kind of harrassment, ever.

 

beachchick

 

I know both Clott and coralc personally and my partner and I have sailed with them and know them well. Both of them I assure you would put someone in their place in a heart beat. As an openly gay man I would have confronted the issue head on. I am not one to way a flag in someones face but also will not tolerate being treated poorly. I can 100% tell you I would have not retreated to hiding in my room

[edjny]

Due to the recent news in the UK press I thought some of you might be interested to read about my experience . . .

 

Our first ever cruise was on the beautiful Mariner of the Seas and half of the ship had been chartered to Hogs on the High Seas. It was the WORST experience of my life. While I'm sure there are many very nice 'hogs' we got bullied and abused for a full 7 days for being gay. I can't tell you the names we were called at least once every hour if we were out and about. All from the hogs cliques. Neither of us 'looks' gay nor are camp or effeminate. I used to think - how do they know ???? We also had an incident where I went to the pool bar and 4 hogs started shouting at the bar staff to wash the glasses well so they don't catch fag disease !! There was another incident where my partner got in the solarium pool and all but one person got out. We ended up staying in our cabin nearly 24/7 for the last 3 days. We even ate room service rather than Windjammer or MDR. While disembarking and chatting to people in line we did find out a small contingent of hogs had decided to use us for 'fun' that week and due to the 'pack mentality' others followed and after a couple of days a decent sized group were looking out for us to 'make good sport'. Thankfully when we got back onboard (as it was B2B) we had an amazing, fantastic 2nd week.

 

After seeing a lot of these characters at 'biker rallies', this does not really surprise me. Many of them I have encountered really are pigs. Some are quite nice until they start hitting the booze. After that I avoid any contact. I guess there is a valid reason they call themselves "Hogs". :mad:

[Royals Carol]

Due to the recent news in the UK press I thought some of you might be interested to read about my experience . . .

 

Our first ever cruise was on the beautiful Mariner of the Seas and half of the ship had been chartered to Hogs on the High Seas. It was the WORST experience of my life. While I'm sure there are many very nice 'hogs' we got bullied and abused for a full 7 days for being gay. I can't tell you the names we were called at least once every hour if we were out and about. All from the hogs cliques. Neither of us 'looks' gay nor are camp or effeminate. I used to think - how do they know ???? We also had an incident where I went to the pool bar and 4 hogs started shouting at the bar staff to wash the glasses well so they don't catch fag disease !! There was another incident where my partner got in the solarium pool and all but one person got out. We ended up staying in our cabin nearly 24/7 for the last 3 days. We even ate room service rather than Windjammer or MDR. While disembarking and chatting to people in line we did find out a small contingent of hogs had decided to use us for 'fun' that week and due to the 'pack mentality' others followed and after a couple of days a decent sized group were looking out for us to 'make good sport'. Thankfully when we got back onboard (as it was B2B) we had an amazing, fantastic 2nd week.

 

That is a horrible way to start a vacation. Shame on those people! I am not gay but my husband and I have some wonderful friends who are gay. Some people are just narrow minded.. I am so sorry you and your partner had to go through this..sad.. Thankfully, you had a great second week..

[Winnigirl]

I think you should have reported the abuse immediately to senior staff & I think you should still write to Royal & ask for some cruise compensation.

 

The women in the other bikers on board thread wasn't treated like you were & got a free cruise!

 

I think any cruise line should have to advise on booking if a large group of any kind will be onboard, so people can choose to cruise then or not.

 

I enjoy the niceties that come with the cruising experience & having a bunch of people onboard, that you can't get away from, that loudly enjoy the other end of the spectrum of behaviour would certainly detract from my cruise experience.:eek:

 

No way I would book a cruise with bikers on board.

 

I know many bikers may be nice enough people at heart, but they also have a reputation for a reason. Just because people are nice enough when sober, doesn't mean you would want to have them dominating every area of the ship, as what may be considered fun by them could well be offensive to others.

 

It would be the same issue with any large group, like having fundamentalist religious groups praying out loud at every turn, the graduating classes of 20 high schools getting smashed & being obnoxious fools on every deck, or groups of football fans having impromptu games around your deck chair.

 

The ships public areas should remain relatively neutral so all types of people can enjoy the space IMO & this can't happen when you let large groups of any one persuasion dominate the passenger demographic.

 

This is an excellent post!

[Navigat8]

I was really sorry to hear of this experience. We were unfortunate enough to be on the Hogs cruise on the Freedom last year. Yes, I agree that they do some wonderful work but we should have been told by RCI and given the option to change ship or date.

 

The vast majority of bikers were lovely people but there were others who were downright obnoxious. We did complain several times to Guest Services but it didn't change anything.

 

On return, we had several conversations with UK Customer Relations who assure us that in future the bikers would need th charter the whole ship. This has clearly not happened as the bikers website is advertising next years cruise on Freedom for Nov 2014 and it is still available to reserve for others on the RCI website.

 

It is awful that the OP had to endure such diabolical treatment whilst on a cruise. I hope RCI will finally take note and make these cruise whole charters only.:(

[ldubs]

As a Harley rider and fellow cruiser you can't put everybody in the same group.

 

We have done Hogs on the High Seas before and trust me everyone was not like you described. A little background for anyone who doesn't know about this group. It was started by a husband and wife that wanted kidney dialysis patients to be able to go on cruises as this is impossible because of their treatments.

 

We paid more for our rooms than you did because the extra money went to the patients. We had games and raffles every day to raise money. Any chance there was to donate we did. As a matter of fact there were plenty of people that was not with the hogs that donated as well. Our cruise raised over 100,000 for these patients.

 

They also pay for these patients to cruise. Unless you deal with this on a daily basis you don't realize how this works. They can't just come on a cruise. All the equipment for their treatments is brought onboard as well people to take care of them. Everything is paid for them as this is a once in a lifetime event for them. They are allowed to speak at the nightly get together and their stories are heartbreaking. It's unbelievable to see your HARLEY riders sitting in the theater crying after listening to a blind man sing because he had no other way to thank everyone for his cruise.

 

I'm sure there were some rude people in this group as there always are anywhere you go but don't put all of us in this group. They do a lot of good for a lot of people.

 

I guess royal Caribbean doesn't have a problem with them. That cruise sells out very quickly as well as all of the hotels here in cape canaveral and a lot of people like to cruise when they know that this group is cruising.

 

I'm not trying to say that this didnt happen to you. I just wanted everyone to know what they are all about.

 

Maybe not everyone in the group acts like an idiot, but if what you say is true, other members would have stopped this nonsense. Too bad that good intentions are ruined by this crap.

[noobcruiser]

Due to the recent news in the UK press I thought some of you might be interested to read about my experience . . .

 

Our first ever cruise was on the beautiful Mariner of the Seas and half of the ship had been chartered to Hogs on the High Seas. It was the WORST experience of my life. While I'm sure there are many very nice 'hogs' we got bullied and abused for a full 7 days for being gay. I can't tell you the names we were called at least once every hour if we were out and about. All from the hogs cliques. Neither of us 'looks' gay nor are camp or effeminate. I used to think - how do they know ???? We also had an incident where I went to the pool bar and 4 hogs started shouting at the bar staff to wash the glasses well so they don't catch fag disease !! There was another incident where my partner got in the solarium pool and all but one person got out. We ended up staying in our cabin nearly 24/7 for the last 3 days. We even ate room service rather than Windjammer or MDR. While disembarking and chatting to people in line we did find out a small contingent of hogs had decided to use us for 'fun' that week and due to the 'pack mentality' others followed and after a couple of days a decent sized group were looking out for us to 'make good sport'. Thankfully when we got back onboard (as it was B2B) we had an amazing, fantastic 2nd week.

 

You should definitely continue to pursue this.

 

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/content/en_US/pdf/Guest_Conduct_Policy.pdf

 

Their conduct was in direct conflict of RCCL guest conduct policies. I would have pursued this all the way to the captain while on board, getting both pictures and videos of the conduct. Bullies are bullies regardless of age or gender.

 

The devil is in the details: get proof, keep notes of all meetings with ship staff (including names, dates, times, position).

[Eriksgarden]

I am sorry the OP was harrassed like that. My partner and I have NEVER been treated badly in public, but especially never from bikers. Virtually every biker I've ever met has been down-to-earth, respectful, and just great people. The jerks on that cruise were jerks; not real bikers.

[Silvery Seas Cruiser]

What I find hard to imagine is that these rude, thoughtless bullies actually believed that every single person in their HOGS on the High Seas were straight.

 

Surely in a group that size, at least some of the members are gay. Why would these knuckleheads abuse people outside their own group when there just had to be members of their own group who were also gay?

 

I would be willing to bet that when the OP and his companion weren't around, these abusers were out looking for other victims to abuse. That is just the way they roll.

 

I'm really glad your next portion of the cruise was much better.

[drummerdavebmth]

I think you should have reported the abuse immediately to senior staff & I think you should still write to Royal & ask for some cruise compensation.

 

The women in the other bikers on board thread wasn't treated like you were & got a free cruise!

 

I think any cruise line should have to advise on booking if a large group of any kind will be onboard, so people can choose to cruise then or not.

 

I enjoy the niceties that come with the cruising experience & having a bunch of people onboard, that you can't get away from, that loudly enjoy the other end of the spectrum of behaviour would certainly detract from my cruise experience.:eek:

 

No way I would book a cruise with bikers on board.

 

I know many bikers may be nice enough people at heart, but they also have a reputation for a reason. Just because people are nice enough when sober, doesn't mean you would want to have them dominating every area of the ship, as what may be considered fun by them could well be offensive to others.

 

It would be the same issue with any large group, like having fundamentalist religious groups praying out loud at every turn, the graduating classes of 20 high schools getting smashed & being obnoxious fools on every deck, or groups of football fans having impromptu games around your deck chair.

 

The ships public areas should remain relatively neutral so all types of people can enjoy the space IMO & this can't happen when you let large groups of any one persuasion dominate the passenger demographic.

 

Very well said!!

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[ticktoneer]

This thread was one from last year which I thought was dead and buried !!! Ha ha ha

 

Thanks for your kind words everyone. We've just had an amazing cruise on Liberty of the Seas.

 

Happy Cruising !!

[Silvery Seas Cruiser]

This thread was one from last year which I thought was dead and buried !!! Ha ha ha

 

Thanks for your kind words everyone. We've just had an amazing cruise on Liberty of the Seas.

 

Happy Cruising !!

 

Wow! I didn't realize this was a much oder thread. Anyway, we too really enjoy Liberty of the Seas. I'm glad you liked it too.

[beachchick]

Oh oops. I'm not a motorcycle rider, and have never been on a hogs on the high seas cruise. I am an acquaintance and friend of poster clott.

 

I think it is horrible what happened to tk. No one should be subjected to that. Is it worse on a biker cruise? I have no idea. In my opinion, the group should consider full ship charters. I don't think other passengers should have to deal unknowingly with that large of a group.

 

We are near San Francisco, beachchick and we are very gay friendly. I'm sorry if it was somehow construed that I was a supporting the bad element in what I am sure is probably a pretty friendly bunch overall. But you know....a biker cruise is probably not a group that I would choose to spend my vacation with. :)

 

Donating to charities is a personal matter. Their cause is not on my list, but that doesn't mean it is not a very worthwhile cause.

 

Sorry, I just saw this. No, I did not think you were supporting the bad element in any way. I was just curious as to how other bikers would address such horrid behavior from others in their group.

 

I know both Clott and coralc personally and my partner and I have sailed with them and know them well. Both of them I assure you would put someone in their place in a heart beat. As an openly gay man I would have confronted the issue head on. I am not one to way a flag in someones face but also will not tolerate being treated poorly. I can 100% tell you I would have not retreated to hiding in my room

 

Excellent! I'm not a big fan of confrontation, but this kind of behavior is inexcusable in every way and a direct violation of the cruise contract (and civilized conduct).

 

beachchick