Unhappy people on the Oosterdam 10/15/05

[wishonastar]

and this is one more reason to choose at least 10 day criuses whenever you can. The 10 days attract fewer children and fewer corporate or private large groups.

 

Now, I love children...I recognize the need for corporations and I belong to some large private groups. HOWEVER...I choose not to cruise with any of them! That's why we try to stay on 10 day - or longer - cruises!

 

By the way - thanks for the board, Trubey - your efficiency is tremendous and very appreciated!

[Cruiseoholics]

We learned a valuable lesson on this cruise and that is read the fine print. HAL has the right to cancel cruises and change seating times at their discretion. I began planning this cruisefor 4 couples 15 months ago for S Suite staterooms with confirmed 8:00 dinner reservations. Upon check-in at the terminal we were given our boarding cards with dinner times and tables. All were given 6:15 table of 12. Knowing that this must be an error, I told everyont not to worry, we would get it changed only to fine out that the 8:00 seating was cancelled and that the upper and lower dining rooms were being used by the 1000 Princess House group. We were told that there was not a thing that could be done., Perserverance prevailed and a few concessions were made, but we still had 6:15 seating for 4 of the seven night. If we were not suite guests I know things would have been different. Once my blood pressure returned to normal on the second day, our cruise got beter and better. The Oosterdam is incredible, food in the Pinnacle Grill was fabulous. Ate there 3 nights at 8:00. Staterooms beautiful, service great. We had cabin 7133, aft left. The stateroom-suite is smaller than others, but the deck was a huge wraparound. Great for parties. The only negative was the long walk to the Neptune lounge, quite a trek. Send Hubby or get room service in the morning. Next time I will do my homework and try to find out if a large group is booked before final payment is made. Made dining in the Lido a mob scene. :(

[K&RCurt]

Cruiseaholics:

 

Besides the dining time and mob in the Lido, were there any other intrusions on the rest of the passengers? Were lounges of pool areas "Off limits" to those not from the group? Was the late show exclusivly for the Princess House folks? Were shore excursions and or tendering affected?

 

Thanks for posting on your experience.

[RuthC]

Cruiseoholics, please tell us more. We've been waiting with baited breath for someone---anyone! everyone!---from your cruise to tell all.

Perhaps you would start a new thread so your thoughts don't get buried? We would all appreciate knowing, as already posted, how the large group impacted your cruise in the dining room and other areas. Did they take over the lounges so other passengers were left out? Or, even allowed in, but made to feel like second-class?

How did their presence affect your use of the pools and sunning decks? Did the dance bands play to them to the exclusion of others?

Did you get the quiet atmosphere you were expecting?

Have you seen the thread about what's happening to the dining times this week, too?

What are your thoughts?

[KalenaD]

Unfortunately, HAL, Princess and other lines have not, as yet, been interested in a Cruise Critic program similar to that in place at RCI and Celebrity.

 

My experience is that all the lines will be happy to provide space and a bartender for a no host (or hosted by someone other than the line) get together. Just contact guest services before the cruise or the Hotel Mgr. on embarkation day to make arrangements. But don't expect HAL to do anything more.

 

Suggestion. To be successful at attracting a good crowd, plan the roll call (or other) get togethers for the day after sailing. Many (most?) folks really aren't into interrupting the arrival, unpacking and settling in process, and many are likely to be exhausted from the just completed trip to the ship.

 

Walt, the person organizing our meet on the Westerdam was told by Hal

that they would charge us $16.10 PER PERSON, and they would only reserve a place on the last night of the cruise right at dinner time. We will be organizing our own meet.

[seadrifter]

Cruiseoholics, please follow Ruth's suggestion and start a thread about your cruise. We are all dying to ask questions. susana.

 

DH and I are booked on the Oosterdam in January and needless to say we are hoping that our chosen dinner seating will be honored and that we will not have to deal with endless large group problems. Would be very interested in hearing more of your experiences with these troubling situations. -g.

[LauraS]

Reminder:

 

Please keep this discussion related to the subject at hand...and refrain from personal attacks and/or discussing other members in an inappropriate way.

 

Thank you very much for your cooperation,

 

Laura

[Krazy Kruizers]

Please do start a new thread about your recent cruise on the Oosterdam.

You mentioned that you were glad you were in suite. Please explain (we always book suites).

You mentioned that you ate 3 nights at the Pinnacle. Did you pay for this or did HAL because you were in a suite and didn't get your assigned dining time.

You really need to talk about all this.

[cdkempton]

Cruiseoholics: So many questions......I hope you will be able to shed some light on all our queries. After a week of speculation it will be nice to hear some facts. ;)

[mrsraggy]

I was on the 10/15 Ooosterdam cruise. Not only did the Princess House group claim the entire late seating, they also commandeered the Lido deck for a private party for sail away from San Diego. The rest of us wandered around trying to find the sailaway party for the rest of the passengers. We never did find it. I grew so tired of seeing people in tiaras and miss america type banners that I debated swimming home. I think HAL should inform people when a group of that size is booked for a particular sailing. I had a good time, but my enthusiasm about HAL is dimmed.

 

:(

[peaches from georgia]

I was on the 10/15 Ooosterdam cruise. Not only did the Princess House group claim the entire late seating, they also commandeered the Lido deck for a private party for sail away from San Diego. The rest of us wandered around trying to find the sailaway party for the rest of the passengers. We never did find it.

:(

Mrsraggy, I hope you will be sharing more about this cruise and your experiences with this large group. It sounds from the little we know that HAL just turned the ship over to Princess House and did nothing for its other pax except to accept their $$$. I am truly disgusted and assure you it would be my last cruise with HAL if this happened to us.

[mrsraggy]

Dear Peaches,

 

I will elaborate on my experience later today. I have to go to the gym to work off some of that ice cream!

 

One evening, though, was so bad I'll tell you now. We were in the piano bar, enjoying the sing-a-long and a few cocktails when a group from Princess House came, dragged chairs from the other tables together and proceeded to have a raucous debate about who won what sales award etc.. They were so loud and had absolutely no regard for the rest of the Pax in the bar. The piano bar host (Kory) said nothing to them. We finally left. A large number from the PH group were loud, sometimes vulgar in the public areas. I was in the elevator with some of them and they were using some of the foulest language I've heard in a long time.

 

More later!:)

[jhannah]

Mrsraggy, that sounds terrible. Talk about feeling like a second-class citizen. That's very disappointing! :(

[Krazy Kruizers]

I can't wait to read all about your cruise.

[mrsraggy]

I arrived at the ship's terminal building at about 12:30, expecting the usual check-in routine. There were circus performers, clowns, and costumed folks on stilts wandering about. That was my first clue that something unusual was afoot! Check-in went smoothly, except for this absolutely obnoxious australian gentleman from Princess House (hereforth referred to as PH) who was greeting everyone with a PH namebadge at the top of his lungs.

 

Onboard, there was the usual rush for the Lido. The PH folks were camped at the tables, instead of eating and surrendering the tables to those who were waiting for a seat. Granted, non-PH pax may have been camping, too, but I noticed the former as they all wore badges.

 

Thankfully, at 1:30, I escaped to the solitude of my cabin. I lucked out in that I was at the end of a hallway and not in the middle of a block of rooms reserved for PH. I think most of the mid-ship cabins were blocked, as were many of the suites. I spoke to a couple who had a suite on deck 7, and they said it was party party party for most of the day and much of the night. I felt sorry for them.

 

I requested 6:15 seating, so I wasn't disappointed but many pax who were confirmed for late and main seating were bumped because of the PH group. I went to the desk to borrow movies and there was quite a mob of disappointed pax whose dining times had been changed.

 

I met some really nice people from PH, but they seemed to be in the minority. Most of them were very loud and had little regard for others. They seemed to think that since they were in the majority, they could behave any way they pleased. I think they did their company a disservice by making a poor impression on the non PH pax. I'll certainly never host a PH party!

 

The sail away was a private party for PH, and the festivities for non -PH passengers were largely ignored. They had many meetings in the common rooms, as well as the Vista lounge. There were private parties in the Crow's Nest, rendering it unusable by non-PH pax. The Lido pool area was so loud, it was really unpleasant to be there. Children were screaming and jumping in the pool. (not sure if they were PH juniors or other)

 

Blissfully, the hours during which the PH people had dinner were peaceful and lovely. We made the most of the public areas between 8:30pm and 10:00pm. After which, all hell broke loose again.

 

I appreciate that these folks worked hard to earn their trip. But it would have been nice if they had recognized that the cruise was not a charter, and there were other pax trying to make the most of their vacations.

 

I had a good time with some really lovely people that I met. There was a group of about 200 from the Ranch Bernardo Foundation who were absolutely gracious and inobtrusive. PH might take some lessons from them!

 

Anyway, there were some highlights. The food was superb, my cabin was comfy, and the crew was doing their best to make everyone happy, as usual.

 

I'll be certain not to sail with PH again! As for HAL, I'm still a loyal fan.

 

happy sails,

 

mrsraggy

[peaches from georgia]

 

I'll be certain not to sail with PH again! As for HAL, I'm still a loyal fan.

 

mrsraggy

\

Unfortunately, you may very well sail with PH again. You have no more guarantee of that not happening than you had this time. HAL will NOT tell you if there are going to be large groups on your cruise and until enough people lose their loyalty and let HAL know about it the situation will never change. It's one thing for HAL to book groups; it's another altogether to turn the public rooms and events over to them. :mad:

[kryos]

I was on the 10/15 Ooosterdam cruise. Not only did the Princess House group claim the entire late seating, they also commandeered the Lido deck for a private party for sail away from San Diego. The rest of us wandered around trying to find the sailaway party for the rest of the passengers. We never did find it. I grew so tired of seeing people in tiaras and miss america type banners that I debated swimming home. I think HAL should inform people when a group of that size is booked for a particular sailing. I had a good time, but my enthusiasm about HAL is dimmed.

What a lousy thing HAL did to you. I sure hope they offered some sort of compensation ... such as some shipboard credit and a voucher for a great discount on a future cruise?

 

I'll tell you something ... if I ever found myself sailing with a group that was allowed to completely take over the ship and all the public areas ... it would be the last time I'd be sailing that cruise line.

 

I've said it before. There is nothing wrong with groups. Of course, groups mean big bucks to the cruise line, and travel agents too love them. But it is one thing to give a group certain "perks," but it is another to make the other passengers give up entitlements in order for the group to have those perks. Also, you should never have had to put up with vulgar language and absolute rudeness from any passenger. HAL should have pulled the group leader aside and told him to "talk to your people ... vulgar language on public decks will not be tolerated."

 

You have just as much right to enjoy Sailaway festivities, and the ammenities of the lounges and bars at night that the PH folks do. If HAL wants to give those folks a lounge for their festivities at night, that's fine ... as long as there are plenty of other places for the other passengers to enjoy their evening. If they want to give them a section of the Lido deck for a Sailaway party, fine ... as long as there is plenty of opportunity for other passengers to enjoy the sailaway festivities.

 

HAL screwed you ... and they owe you and all of the other passengers on that sailing who were not part of PH bigtime. What they did sucks ... in plain English.

 

Hope you all consider getting together and "encouraging" the cruise line (via threats of legal action, if necessary) to make good to you all. After all, there were ammenities you paid for ... with your hard-earned money ... that HAL denied you in favor of the PH group.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[kryos]

and this is one more reason to choose at least 10 day criuses whenever you can. The 10 days attract fewer children and fewer corporate or private large groups.

I was perusing Trubey's list last night while at work ... (thank you so much, Trubey!) ... and was a bit shocked to see that there are actually a number of ten-day cruises that have groups booked onboard. I couldn't believe it.

 

What do we have to do ... schedule a 30 or 60 day cruise to avoid these folks? :)

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[Randyk47]

Rita - Thanks for that bit of information. :( Just when I was thinking..."Wow, I'm so glad we're on a 10-day cruise!"....and you come up with that analysis. :rolleyes: :)

[richcrow]

You can rest assured that I will be ckecking Susan's web site and the Princess House web site when I book my next cruise. No other group could possibly be as gross as PH.

 

Richard

[RevNeal]

Now that we can find out which cruises PH has their events, it should be possible to avoid them.

 

Frankly, mrsraggy, I would write to HAL HQ and detail everything you've outlined. I would also send a copy to PH, and inform them that their people are their worst advertising. It might do ZERO good, but it might help you to feel as though you've been able give feedback.

[RetRanger]

So sorry that the PH people had such a negative impact on your HAL cruise. We are leaving for a 10 day HAL cruise on the Ryndam in a little over 12 days. This will be our first HAL cruise and it would be my last if I had an experience like yours. If you would like to let PH know about the inappropiate behavior of their employees I have done a little research for you. You can write to PH at: Princess House, Inc., 470 Myles Standish Blvd., Taunton, MA 02780. Their CEO is Jim Northrup, CFO is Dan Murphy and the VP of Sales is Lynn Branham. I also found an email address for their Marketing Director Robin Ehrenzweig rehrenzweig@princesshouse.com. I would not be suprised if their marketing director was on the cruise ship with this group. They are actively promoting their next group cruise on their website; the Zaandam, May 19-26,2006. It is also listed on Trubey's list.

 

Before I retired I worked at the Reference Desk of a city library. I helped many patrons find information and addresses of companies and their CEO's. Everything I found today was online through Yahoo Finance and Hoover's Online as well as the PH website. It is more effective to write a letter than to email. It was a little harder to find out information on PH as they are a private company and not openly traded. Of course HAL holds the greater responsibility for keeping these large groups secret and then allowing them to impact the cruise experience of other paying customers. But as "mrsraggy" pointed out there was another smaller group on the ship that were absolutely gracious and inobtrusive.

 

RetRangers wife

 

"A library card can be the most valuable card in your wallet"

[Bramcruiser]

Its disgusting that a majority of the Princess House group acted the way they did. I just wished some little old lady washed their mouth out with soap.

 

If the PH people think they worked hard for this "escape" just think how all the other non-PH people saved up to have a vacation ruined.

 

mrsraggy, I sincerely hope that you and all those other passengers filled out those comment cards in the negative. I just hope this was the cruise from hell for the crew as well as for the non-PH passengers.

[MBeamTX]

mrsraggy, I sincerely hope that you and all those other passengers filled out those comment cards in the negative. I just hope this was the cruise from hell for the crew as well as for the non-PH passengers.

 

Why would you hope it was "the cruise from hell" for the crew? They had no control over the group booking and they didn't determine the contract amenities for the PH passengers. They just had to deal with a large, rowdy group and all of the unhappy non-group passengers - not an enviable position for them to be in, I'm sure.

[cruisecrasy]

Why would you hope it was "the cruise from hell" for the crew? They had no control over the group booking and they didn't determine the contract amenities for the PH passengers. They just had to deal with a large, rowdy group and all of the unhappy non-group passengers - not an enviable position for them to be in, I'm sure.

 

it is possible that if the pax AND the crew were unhappy - enough complaints wld be made and perhaps, just perhaps HAL wld behave better in the future hmmm maybe??