Large charter group on ship

[WhiskeyTangoFoxtrot]

Just as an FYI- We saw Bowser on our Alaska sailing a few years back. VERY talented and very entertaining. Highly suggest if you have the opportunity to see him entertain, do so.

Erika

 

Bowser?? As in, Sha Na Na Bowser?

[venicia]

This thread is a good place to start https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1802904

 

absolutely, this is it! NEVER, NEVER, NEVER AGAIN and I don't care how much you pay for your cruise. There is NO excuse for the rude obnoxious demanding unmannerly actions we observed. Stay as far away from this group booking as you can and maybe they will learn some manners.......or not be allowed to ruin others vacation

[WisconsinFan]

Bowser?? As in, Sha Na Na Bowser?

 

Yes, go back a page or two. There is a 50's and 60's rock n roll cruise to Alaska that will be occurring during geomancer's cruise.

 

 

geomancer, I doubt they will take up the My Time dinning totally. We were pulled off the waitlist for early MDR shortly after final payment. You might find that to be the case as well....people drop off. If that doesn't happen I would work either with your TA if you have one or on your own about My Time. We have never used it, so I am not sure if you can declare prior or not.

[rukkian]

It's a private event. The people who are part of the charter pay a significantly higher price than everyone else for that entertainment. They're (most likely) not going to allow us peasants into the venues.

 

I actually like "Rock and Roll" music, but the 50's is certainly before my time be a few decades. I'm sure if I heard some of the songs played I'd recognize them, but by name ... well, I'm certainly no music buff.

 

My only potential issue I see with this partial charter is if it's so large they're taking the entire early seating (including "My Time" seats) it's going to have a pretty big negative effect. We'll obviously make due with the Windjammer (because as I said, we are not waiting that late) but it will stink to basically have no choice (without opening our wallets) on where to eat. We'd probably end up caving into room service for variety since it's per order not per person charge.

 

Unfortunately, there is probably no way to know until we're already there...

 

Couldn't you just switch to my time?

[cruznstyle]

I'm booked on Adventure for Feb 24 departure with a group of runner's, 350 is a guess. My first time booking a cruise with a specific group. We will get off the ship as soon as possible and have our 5K etc. Our hosts have some things off the ship for us to do but as to reserving specific space on the ship for events i haven't seen any in the plan. They have arranged for 6 pm dining in the restaurant.

[hapster85]

We just discovered that a large charter group is on the ship we have booked. We were never informed of this by RCL.

 

Just curious why you would have expected to have been informed of the charter?

[kayehall]

Just curious why you would have expected to have been informed of the charter?

 

 

I think it would be a courtesy. Last 5 or 6 cruises have been on Celebrity. Feb 2017 was the last straw. I don't need to see what I saw ever. And people on a family vacation, don't need to subject their children to this behavior. We have gone back to RCCL for our next cruise. If this is the clientele that Celebrity wants to attract, then ADIOS.

[hapster85]

I think it would be a courtesy. Last 5 or 6 cruises have been on Celebrity. Feb 2017 was the last straw. I don't need to see what I saw ever. And people on a family vacation, don't need to subject their children to this behavior. We have gone back to RCCL for our next cruise. If this is the clientele that Celebrity wants to attract, then ADIOS.

People getting out of hand could happen on pretty much any cruise though, don't you think? That would seem more symptomatic of unlimited alcohol than chartering. But like I said, I was just curious. It's not something I would expect to be informed of, unless there was a direct impact to me, such as my cabin being changed. Or worse, being cancelled altogether.

[Cruisegirl6]

The apostolic at sea is a religious group, a singles ministry cruise with around 700 members.

[CMurph]

The apostolic at sea is a religious group, a singles ministry cruise with around 700 members.

 

I think you are partially correct. This cruise appears to be for the entire family, not just singles. The latest I read was 800+ would be on board.

[CP3o]

I have found that this website gives you at least a partial/potential list of planned group cruises.

 

http://themecruisefinder.com/CruiseAds/

 

Did I miss something but I could not find an easy way to find out if group on your sailing. Looked like I'd have to click on 25 or so different themes and scan for my cruise.

[SamTimeDining]

Did I miss something but I could not find an easy way to find out if group on your sailing. Looked like I'd have to click on 25 or so different themes and scan for my cruise.

 

 

 

Just Google search the date of your cruise and the ship name.

 

 

 

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[Amanda31]

I found by Facebook search there is a group on our October cruise.

[CruisinWithFamily]

We just discovered that a large charter group is on the ship we have booked. We were never informed of this by RCL. Would most of the venues be taken over by this group and even the dining halls? Would the shows be reserved for this group and others would have to fight for seats? Would service be less to the non-charter guests? We have never encountered a large group charter before so are concerned our cruise experience would be much lessoned. Thank you for any comments or experience on this.

 

If this is the Independence sailing Feb 24 I am on this ship and Part of the charter group. It is the Legends of Pittsburgh Cruise. This is the fourth year they have done it, have been on three. We are a group of Steelers fans that sail with some of the players. They are good at not interfering with the normal activities. We have private events that go on through out and some that happen on deck which anyone can attend. You will not miss us. We will be the ones in Steelers gear.

[Lando C.]

If this is the Independence sailing Feb 24 I am on this ship and Part of the charter group. It is the Legends of Pittsburgh Cruise. This is the fourth year they have done it, have been on three. We are a group of Steelers fans that sail with some of the players. They are good at not interfering with the normal activities. We have private events that go on through out and some that happen on deck which anyone can attend. You will not miss us. We will be the ones in Steelers gear.

its not, the OP is referring to Indy sailing on Feb 5th 2018

[Pellaz]

its not, the OP is referring to Indy sailing on Feb 5th 2018

 

Uh-oh.

 

There will probably be a few issues during that sailing, at least initially. Not caused by a partial charter on the 5th, but by the full-ship charter on the 1st. I'll be exiting the ship when the OP is boarding.

 

There will be a large crane on the dock offloading stage construction gear in the morning. I'd expect that the "main" pool deck and the deck above will be closed off for safety until they are finished hauling supplies up and over the side of the ship. It's a ticklish operation involving the largest open-air stage structure at sea, so it may take a large part of the morning.

 

Also, the two main pools will likely not be open until later on the first day, as they are drained and decked over for the pool-deck stage and audience area. Even then, they might not be able to refill the pools until the ship clears the 12-mile limit.

 

Some venues will have to be switched back to their normal configurations. The top floor of the MDR is one example; during the charter it serves as the merchandise area for 60 performing bands.

 

The ship's crew will probably be...tired. The charter on Feb. 1st is already at full upper/lower berth capacity and it's one of the biggest-drinking cruises in the world even without drink packages being offered. But, the crew says we're a lot less demanding and less "entitled" than a normal cruise's passengers, and we're much more diverse (only 20% of the pax will be from the US, 80% will be from the rest of the world). Just expect that the bartenders and service staff might be a little more worn out than usual. :)

[lovetotravel06]

Uh-oh.

 

There will probably be a few issues during that sailing, at least initially. Not caused by a partial charter on the 5th, but by the full-ship charter on the 1st. I'll be exiting the ship when the OP is boarding.

 

There will be a large crane on the dock offloading stage construction gear in the morning. I'd expect that the "main" pool deck and the deck above will be closed off for safety until they are finished hauling supplies up and over the side of the ship. It's a ticklish operation involving the largest open-air stage structure at sea, so it may take a large part of the morning.

 

Also, the two main pools will likely not be open until later on the first day, as they are drained and decked over for the pool-deck stage and audience area. Even then, they might not be able to refill the pools until the ship clears the 12-mile limit.

 

Some venues will have to be switched back to their normal configurations. The top floor of the MDR is one example; during the charter it serves as the merchandise area for 60 performing bands.

 

The ship's crew will probably be...tired. The charter on Feb. 1st is already at full upper/lower berth capacity and it's one of the biggest-drinking cruises in the world even without drink packages being offered. But, the crew says we're a lot less demanding and less "entitled" than a normal cruise's passengers, and we're much more diverse (only 20% of the pax will be from the US, 80% will be from the rest of the world). Just expect that the bartenders and service staff might be a little more worn out than usual. :)

 

Uh-oh indeed!

 

That sounds like that could get pretty interesting all the way around. The 2-1-18 70,000 Tons of Metal cruise "The worlds biggest heavy metal cruise" with 60 bands and equipment, set ups, configurations, etc.? That would be a BIG undertaking getting all that off and setting up the ship for the 2-5 cruise quickly.

 

I read somewhere the 2-5 cruise (following the metal cruise) will have a group of 1000ish (Apostolics at Sea). Maybe the staff (bartenders, etc) will get rested up a little after the "70,000 tons" cruise! ;)

 

It amazes me how they can do all the things that need done with such a short turn around time between cruises. Will certainly be even more turn around work to do on this one!

[volk904]

We were on a Princess Cruise a few years ago that had about 600 - from a group called the bears. They had one of the clubs booked every night and several other areas for them from time to time. The wife’s of our group love the rear pool area but on day one it became clear this group was making it their home. We adapted and moved on. In some ways other parts of the ship were less crowded.

 

 

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[Moz]

Uh-oh.

 

There will probably be a few issues during that sailing, at least initially. Not caused by a partial charter on the 5th, but by the full-ship charter on the 1st. I'll be exiting the ship when the OP is boarding.

 

There will be a large crane on the dock offloading stage construction gear in the morning. I'd expect that the "main" pool deck and the deck above will be closed off for safety until they are finished hauling supplies up and over the side of the ship. It's a ticklish operation involving the largest open-air stage structure at sea, so it may take a large part of the morning.

 

Also, the two main pools will likely not be open until later on the first day, as they are drained and decked over for the pool-deck stage and audience area. Even then, they might not be able to refill the pools until the ship clears the 12-mile limit.

 

Some venues will have to be switched back to their normal configurations. The top floor of the MDR is one example; during the charter it serves as the merchandise area for 60 performing bands.

 

The ship's crew will probably be...tired. The charter on Feb. 1st is already at full upper/lower berth capacity and it's one of the biggest-drinking cruises in the world even without drink packages being offered. But, the crew says we're a lot less demanding and less "entitled" than a normal cruise's passengers, and we're much more diverse (only 20% of the pax will be from the US, 80% will be from the rest of the world). Just expect that the bartenders and service staff might be a little more worn out than usual. :)

 

I'm really concerned about the removal of all their equipment for the Feb 5 cruise and shut off many venues for those arriving on the 5th. Does anyone have anymore know how on this and will this cruise be compromised more than having a large new group come on, Thank you.

[depwife]

Thank you for all the responses. Yes to one respondent that it is the Independence in February. I have no problem with the specific group but don't wanted to be slightly either with seating or dining. I do want to be able to enjoy what I booked for, Thank you.

 

I am pretty sure we are on the same cruise (Feb 5). I was surprised to learn of the huge group (700+). Hoping we don't encounter any issues.

[CMurph]

I am pretty sure we are on the same cruise (Feb 5). I was surprised to learn of the huge group (700+). Hoping we don't encounter any issues.

 

We are on this cruise also. I know this group is having their own entertainment & activities all week and I'm curious how it will impact the regular scheduled activities for other passengers. I have been told they welcome anyone to attend their events, but it wouldn't be my cup of tea. I'm not particularly concerned, I fully intend to enjoy the cruise as always. But I am curious how it will turn out.

[Corby114]

Fifteen years ago the New Jersey State PBA had a full charter scheduled on Royal Caribbean’s Enchantment Of The Seas seven day sailing to the Eastern Caribbean. Approximately sixty days prior to the ships sailing the PBA realized that they weren’t going to have a full charter. They released approximately 40% of the cabins back to Royal Caribbean. Regular passengers got great rates for that sailing, providing there weren’t upset sharing the ship with police officers from the State Of New Jersey.

[NewSalt]

This is a (potential) problem that will arise on my Alaska cruise this August. There is a charter, called "Rockin' the Glaciers" that will be on the ship (Explorer of the Seas). It's apparently a Rock and Roll themed charter, where you have to buy into it through AAA. From what I've found, the entertainment isn't anyone I recognize, but maybe I'm not old enough ;) I can not find much information about it at all though.

 

I've no idea how large it will be. Hopefully not that large. My major concern is I booked this last July (I think) and was wait listed for early seating in the MDR .... There is no way in HELL me and my family are going to wait until 8:30 PM to eat dinner each night. That's 11:30 PM for us East coast folks, worse if they adjust ship time to match local time in Alaska. So if this charter is indeed taking over the entire early seating it will absolutely have a rather large negative impact on our cruise. I know it seems like the majority of people around here do specialty restaurants, but we don't, so reducing our included food options to the Windjammer only would sting.

 

We're hoping for the best though.

 

We did MTD for the first time on our Alaska cruise because we didn’t want to be tied to a specific time so we had a little more freedom in choosing activities. Other than one evening when we had a 30-minute wait, we always walked right in at 5:30 without any wait. I’d guess it was quicker than waiting on the normal line for traditional dining.

[Pellaz]

I'm really concerned about the removal of all their equipment for the Feb 5 cruise and shut off many venues for those arriving on the 5th. Does anyone have anymore know how on this and will this cruise be compromised more than having a large new group come on, Thank you.

 

They will try to have the Indy alongside the dock as early as possible on the 5th to start using the crane, so hopefully it won't impinge too much on your first day. We'll be returning from Grand Turk and will have an entire sea-day in between GT and Port Everglades.

They will have Deck 11 and 12 (pool deck and the deck above) midships closed off on the side facing the dock during the offloading operation for safety; possibly both sides of Deck 11 midships.

They'll also have to reattach some of the pool railings and such, but that shouldn't take too long.

The three hot tubs by the main pools remain open during the charter so they should be good to go (after some refilling due to splashing-out, no doubt) for your cruise.

The Solarium pool and the cantilevered hot tubs also remain open, so they should also be good to go for y'all.

 

Enjoy your cruise! I like the Indy and this will be my third time aboard. Someday maybe I'll see the two main pools actually full of water. :D

[Moz]

They will try to have the Indy alongside the dock as early as possible on the 5th to start using the crane, so hopefully it won't impinge too much on your first day. We'll be returning from Grand Turk and will have an entire sea-day in between GT and Port Everglades.

They will have Deck 11 and 12 (pool deck and the deck above) midships closed off on the side facing the dock during the offloading operation for safety; possibly both sides of Deck 11 midships.

They'll also have to reattach some of the pool railings and such, but that shouldn't take too long.

The three hot tubs by the main pools remain open during the charter so they should be good to go (after some refilling due to splashing-out, no doubt) for your cruise.

The Solarium pool and the cantilevered hot tubs also remain open, so they should also be good to go for y'all.

 

Enjoy your cruise! I like the Indy and this will be my third time aboard. Someday maybe I'll see the two main pools actually full of water. :D

Thanks so much for your response. Any information on the cruise on the 5th seems quite vague so any information would be appreciated concerning dining arrangements etc. Thank you.