Large Charter caused dining problems

[Karen13]

Was there a specific reason that the large group all ate together? Was there a program or speaker in the MDR?

 

Yes, we were told each night they had a meeting with an 'inspirational speaker' in the show lounge. That is why they all arrived for dinner together, and took over the MDR from 8.00pm. (but in effect earlier than that as the tables had to be cleared by 8.00pm for them, hence why we were told we had to eat by 6.45. Obviously lots of people chose to eat as close to this time as possible, hence long waits for us)

 

No response from HAL as yet...

[sail7seas]

Self-satisfaction?

 

I notice your question mark. you aren't sure it would be very satisfying? :D

[joepeka]

Thank you for explaining , the other night a notso kind CC'er atually wrote may be Iwas hammered. Such athing to write Another ssugggested maybe I was on a new medication forf my injured hand. AWFUL,. Those people don't knnow me or anything about me. Whowould say such things? I imagine they think ttheyareso clever whtited.I have4 eifferent opinion about that. Anyone who is annoyedwwith my gibberish typing while my hand is healing. can put me on ignore and not ahve to see my posts.

You're most welcome. ;)

[sail7seas]

Self-satisfaction?

 

You're most welcome. ;)

 

 

 

You are a gentleman. :) Thank you.

[RocketMan275]

Thank you for explaining , the other night a notso kind CC'er atually wrote may be Iwas hammered. Such athing to write Another ssugggested maybe I was on a new medication forf my injured hand. AWFUL,. Those people don't knnow me or anything about me. Whowould say such things? I imagine they think ttheyareso clever whtited.I have4 eifferent opinion about that. Anyone who is annoyedwwith my gibberish typing while my hand is healing. can put me on ignore and not ahve to see my posts.

 

S7S,

 

Wasn't aware that you had an injured hand. If so, my extreme sympathy. In 2014, I severed the tendons in my right hand requiring surgery to have all four reattached. Incredibly painful. Long rehab. Complete recovery and I can touch type again. Best wishes.

[silvercruiser]

It looks like the 7-day cruises on Nieuw Amsterdam have a whole bunch of groups, mostly seem to be religious or political. I'm on the Oct. 23 one and, thanks to the information in this post, have learned that yes, there's a group on my cruise, The Storytellers, booked by Inspiration Cruises. I looked at their website and saw that their prices for my category were about $300 more than I paid, plus I have prepaid gratuities included, which is another $100 I'm ahead, also a $100 drink card.

Last winter on Emerald Princess there was a group of about 800 for an Oldies Music cruise. It really didn't impact the rest of us, but Emerald is a 3000 passenger ship and they seemed like a fun bunch of people. I'll just try to avoid the Oct. group as much as possible.

[Tampa Girl]

I notice your question mark. you aren't sure it would be very satisfying? :D

 

Oh, no. I would find it most satisfying!

[lindaler]

Thank you for explaining , the other night a notso kind CC'er atually wrote may be Iwas hammered. Such athing to write Another ssugggested maybe I was on a new medication forf my injured hand. AWFUL,. Those people don't knnow me or anything about me. Whowould say such things? I imagine they think ttheyareso clever whtited.I have4 eifferent opinion about that. Anyone who is annoyedwwith my gibberish typing while my hand is healing. can put me on ignore and not ahve to see my posts.

 

I always enjoy your posts, you have so much information to share. The majority of us do not mind how you type as long as you are here.

[Wakepatrol]

Has anyone heard of large groups being on the 15+ day TA cruises? We will be on the Oosterdam in November, and I don't see any charters or groups. It seems that that the large groups are usually on the 7-day and a few on the 10 - 12 day cruises.

 

There's a clown college graduation on that cruise almost 1,000 members. Nothing out of the ordinary, handshake buzzers, squirting bow ties etc.

[shipgeeks]

That said, I think that some of the anti-christian & anti-conservative comments were a bit over the top. (just my opinion, no need to flame me.)

 

I agree.

[TiogaCruiser]

Any large group on a cruise can make for a frustrating experience for the rest of the passengers. The larger the group, the more marginalized the rest of the pax will feel. I for one really appreciate the thread about groups & charters, and now book accordingly.

That said, I think that some of the anti-christian & anti-conservative comments were a bit over the top. (just my opinion, no need to flame me.)

 

Totally agree with you. I couldn't say it better.

[Sailorret]

:-) or Episcopalians.

[mamaofami]

Funny! Ocean City, NJ was founded as a camp meeting and didn't allow alcohol (at least they didn't 50 years ago). My mother reveled at the sight of all the liquor/beer bottles floating out from under the houses during storm surges.

 

Are you perhaps referring to Ocean Grove, New jersey. That city started as a camp meeting town in tents, They still have the tents in one area of the city, The city is very pretty with a beautiful beach, a nice shopping main street, and antique houses, but no liquor still.

 

Many restaurants in New Jersey don't have aor license and it's BYOB all over the state.

[Boatdrill]

This mob (and I think mob is appropriate given how they are controlling other people) also has groups July 9,16,30, and August 6 next year.

 

Roy

 

Thanks for the info. Have been looking at 2017 dates and this is very helpful.

Edited July 9, 2016 by Boatdrill

[Boatdrill]

I've looked at the prices of a few group cruises. They're always top dollar. How much the cruise line gets and how much the group gets for its special events are unknown except between the organizers and the cruise line.

 

 

HAL must really wheel and deal with them, especially during high season cruises (summer in Alaska). The ship would sail full even without the group, so HAL has a lot of leverage. Some onboard venues come at a premium for exclusive use; if that Christian group booked the show lounge, they paid $$$$$. For example use of the Culinary Arts Center is charged at $500 for 2 hours (limit 125 pax), and that includes staff, demo session, recipes, invites, and clean up. That sounds inexpensive to me but the price reflects what the market will bear. Exclusive use of Pinnacle Grill, Tamarind, and Retreat Cabana area are all available too. Everything is for sale....except that the inconvenience to other pax can never be made right again. :(

 

From the HAL website:

"Holland America Line offers the convenience and value of inclusive pricing and the flexibility to accommodate groups ranging from 15 to 2,650 people. A charter or incentive group cruise offers unsurpassed value by packaging airport transfers, accommodations, entertainment, food and beverages, all in one package. Plus, the unique setting of a cruise ship is perfect for a conference or corporate gathering — it is accessible, secure and suited to business and relaxation with a wide range of on-property facilities, including meeting rooms, private dining rooms, specialty restaurants, culinary arts center, show lounges and casinos."

Edited July 9, 2016 by Boatdrill

[3rdGenCunarder]

Are you perhaps referring to Ocean Grove, New jersey. That city started as a camp meeting town in tents, They still have the tents in one area of the city, The city is very pretty with a beautiful beach, a nice shopping main street, and antique houses, but no liquor still.

 

Many restaurants in New Jersey don't have aor license and it's BYOB all over the state.

 

Yes, Ocean Grove is still "dry" and it isn't the only town in NJ where there are no "on premises" liquor licenses and all restaurants are BYO.

 

When I was a kid, people weren't allowed to drive in Ocean Grove on Sunday. Restaurants were open (as you say, no liquor). My parents liked a restaurant that was just a block or two over the line, so we would park in the next town (Asbury Park) and walk to the restaurant. Ironically, Asbury Park has lots of restaurants and bars, but there are parking meters on the streets. Now, people are parking in Ocean Grove (where it's free) and walking to Asbury Park to party.

[3rdGenCunarder]

It looks like the 7-day cruises on Nieuw Amsterdam have a whole bunch of groups, mostly seem to be religious or political. I'm on the Oct. 23 one and, thanks to the information in this post, have learned that yes, there's a group on my cruise, The Storytellers, booked by Inspiration Cruises. I looked at their website and saw that their prices for my category were about $300 more than I paid, plus I have prepaid gratuities included, which is another $100 I'm ahead, also a $100 drink card.

Last winter on Emerald Princess there was a group of about 800 for an Oldies Music cruise. It really didn't impact the rest of us, but Emerald is a 3000 passenger ship and they seemed like a fun bunch of people. I'll just try to avoid the Oct. group as much as possible.

 

Good luck with your cruise. Remember, not all groups are as in-your-face or as bigoted as the one reported by OP. We've been lucky not to have encountered any large groups, but we would probably be less bothered by the dining arrangements, as groups seem to take over late and we prefer to eat early. I wonder if late is what they really want or if HAL knows that early fixed fills first and they don't want to mess with that?

[RocketMan275]

Yes, Ocean Grove is still "dry" and it isn't the only town in NJ where there are no "on premises" liquor licenses and all restaurants are BYO.

 

When I was a kid, people weren't allowed to drive in Ocean Grove on Sunday. Restaurants were open (as you say, no liquor). My parents liked a restaurant that was just a block or two over the line, so we would park in the next town (Asbury Park) and walk to the restaurant. Ironically, Asbury Park has lots of restaurants and bars, but there are parking meters on the streets. Now, people are parking in Ocean Grove (where it's free) and walking to Asbury Park to party.

 

Never ran into the 'no driving on Sunday' but have seen many restrictions on merchants. Used to be on "necessities" could be sold on Sunday. The only things allowed were drug stores and convenience stores. They had lists of what could or could not be sold. You could buy shoe strings but not shoes. Only one drug store in a town of 200,000 could be open and that rotated through five or six stores.

 

When they started to allow beer/wine sales in grocery stores, those products had to be located on an aisle with only one entrance and there had to be a screen across the entrance. Any product removed from that area had to be in a paper bag. The idea was to avoid children from seeing beer and wine. That has all gone away now.

 

I can remember on New Years Eve that fell on a Sunday. There were only three communities in the entire state that allowed liquor sales on Sundays. In the others, the bars couldn't open until midnight.

Edited July 9, 2016 by RocketMan275

[Old As Dirt Mom]

HAL must really wheel and deal with them, especially during high season cruises (summer in Alaska). The ship would sail full even without the group, so HAL has a lot of leverage. Some onboard venues come at a premium for exclusive use; if that Christian group booked the show lounge, they paid $$$$$. For example use of the Culinary Arts Center is charged at $500 for 2 hours (limit 125 pax), and that includes staff, demo session, recipes, invites, and clean up. That sounds inexpensive to me but the price reflects what the market will bear. Exclusive use of Pinnacle Grill, Tamarind, and Retreat Cabana area are all available too. Everything is for sale....except that the inconvenience to other pax can never be made right again. :(

 

From the HAL website:

"Holland America Line offers the convenience and value of inclusive pricing and the flexibility to accommodate groups ranging from 15 to 2,650 people. A charter or incentive group cruise offers unsurpassed value by packaging airport transfers, accommodations, entertainment, food and beverages, all in one package. Plus, the unique setting of a cruise ship is perfect for a conference or corporate gathering — it is accessible, secure and suited to business and relaxation with a wide range of on-property facilities, including meeting rooms, private dining rooms, specialty restaurants, culinary arts center, show lounges and casinos."

 

Thanks, Boatdrill. I quoted your whole post and highlighted the HAL website info, because it emphasizes for me that the $$$$$ really ARE the bottom line. Therefore, I don't expect Karen13 (the OP) to get much of a satisfactory answer, nor do I expect things to change. The people with the biggest financial clout get what they want. So, it makes it all the more imperative that we do our research before we book. I am very grateful for CJCruzer's hard work in preparing and posting the group/charter/dry dock thread, which she updates periodically throughout the year. It must be remembered that she does this on a volunteer basis:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2354486&highlight=charters

Edited July 9, 2016 by middle-aged mom

[Tampa Girl]

There's a clown college graduation on that cruise almost 1,000 members. Nothing out of the ordinary, handshake buzzers, squirting bow ties etc.

 

You are joking, right? Right???

[Old As Dirt Mom]

You are joking, right? Right???

 

Yes, he's joking:D

[donaldsc]

Any large group on a cruise can make for a frustrating experience for the rest of the passengers. The larger the group, the more marginalized the rest of the pax will feel. I for one really appreciate the thread about groups & charters, and now book accordingly.

That said, I think that some of the anti-christian & anti-conservative comments were a bit over the top. (just my opinion, no need to flame me.)

 

I have no problems with christian or conservative group or any other religious or political group. Actually I do but that is for another site. What I do have a problem with is when then try to impose their ideas or life restrictions on me and especially if I have paid good money to enjoy all the opportunities that a cruise normally provides.

 

DON

[Karen13]

Thanks, Boatdrill. I quoted your whole post and highlighted the HAL website info, because it emphasizes for me that the $$$$$ really ARE the bottom line. Therefore, I don't expect Karen13 (the OP) to get much of a satisfactory answer, nor do I expect things to change. The people with the biggest financial clout get what they want. So, it makes it all the more imperative that we do our research before we book. I am very grateful for CJCruzer's hard work in preparing and posting the group/charter/dry dock thread, which she updates periodically throughout the year. It must be remembered that she does this on a volunteer basis:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2354486&highlight=charters[/quote

 

Youre right. Here is my reply on behalf of the the HAL President:

*

Thank you for contacting Mr. Orlando Ashford regarding your ms Nieuw Amsterdam sailing. Mr. Ashford has reviewed your concerns and asked me to express his regret for the disappointment you and Mr. Doyle encountered.

*

It is disappointing to hear that you feel your cruise experience was negatively impacted by the presence of a large group. Although we have groups of varying sizes on every sailing, we do try to balance their needs with the needs of our individual travelers to ensure that everyone aboard receives the same attentive service and access to shipboard amenities. We apologize for any inconvenience you encountered with this aspect of your sailing and will keep this feedback in mind as we continue to look for ways to improve the shipboard experience for all of our guests.

*

Thank you once more for contacting Mr. Ashford with your concerns. The feedback of our guests is vital to our continued growth and we hope we will have another opportunity to welcome you and Mr. Doyle on board in the very near future.

*

Kind regards,

 

*

*

Lisa Keys

Special Advisor

Office of the President

 

Disappointing to say the least.

*

*

[RuthC]

Thank you for letting us know what the reply said. I can't call it a "response" as they don't really seem to be saying anything productive.

 

May I ask if there was an offer of on-board credit on a future cruise---something to salve the wound?

[Karen13]

No Ruth, that was it. Even though we knew some smaller groups were given compensation in the form of drinks vouchers onboard for their inconvenience. We overheard one of their group leaders saying they had threatened fo take their business to another cruise line in future if they were ever treated this way again.

Individual passengers like ourselves were just told 'sorry, nothing we can do'.