Did not know it was High Seas Rally cruise

[skeylargondstand]

Our children "begged" us to go on a cruise and because of many factors the only time we can go is this Nov 3 - we are going on Royal Caribbean Freedom of the seas, Eastern Caribbean. I just found out today by accident that this is a High Seas Rally cruise. I don't have any issues with bikers in general, have many friends that are bikers, but just concerned that this will not be the cruising experience we were looking forward to. Last time we were on a cruise there was some kind of scrap-booking company there which had a lot less than 2000 participants and they were everywhere.

This is the most expensive family vacation we have ever taken and now we are less than 3 weeks away and we were so looking forward to it and now I'm not sure anymore. I can see how the cruise can be a lot more "entertaining", but that is not what I was looking forward to. I am actually thinking of calling RC and try to cancel the cruise. We still would loose the airfare (and it was a lot since we booked late).

Is anyone out there that can chime in on their experience if they were "regular civilians" on a HSR cruise, especially if you were with children (we have teenage girls) how was your experience. Were there children/teenagers and how that worked out?

 

Thank you for any input.

[boulders]

I feel your pain. I have no experience with this group. I would maybe try calling up RCI, explaining, and asking if you could be switched to Oasis/Allure or some other ship sailing out of Florida on those dates. Assuming you're flying into MCO for Freedom, rent a car at MCO and drive to the other port. Good luck.

[skeylargondstand]

And please don't just start saying anything about being "intolerant" or anything along those lines because it has nothing to do with it. I would like to have been informed of ANY such large group of people on the cruise. And, no, I did not think to check if there is a large group of any kind because I am not an experienced cruiser.

[boulders]

And please don't just start saying anything about being "intolerant" or anything along those lines because it has nothing to do with it. I would like to have been informed of ANY such large group of people on the cruise. And, no, I did not think to check if there is a large group of any kind because I am not an experienced cruiser.

 

I've been lucky not to have any large groups on any of my cruises. But from what I hear about lounges being closed, pools decks being closed for special events, whole floors of dining rooms being taken up, I wouldn't want to be on a cruise with a large group either. There have been discussions on the boards about whether the cruise lines should inform the booked passengers. The HAL board runs a thread to keep a list of groups booked on HAL cruises. If someone could do that for Royal Caribbean, it would be awesome. It's a big task though.

[1025cruise]

Unfortunately, none of the cruise lines will advertise when a large group is aboard.

Also, depending on your insurance, at this point you will be on the hook for the cruise fare as well.

[sail7seas]

Cruise lines are very closed mouthed about telling if they have a large group booked. Even if asked, they are not always forthright or they downplay it for all the reason you don't want to be on a ship with a large group..... any large group.

 

It definitely impacts the accessibility of some venues and the enjoyment of others who are not a part of the group.

 

Groups bring in a lot of money and cruise lines chase the money.

You can try to switch to a different ship but I wouldn't get my hopes up too high if I were you.

 

Good luck. Maybe you'll be pleasantly surprised.

Hope it works out well and you have a great family cruise.

[skeylargondstand]

boulders - on your suggestion I did call Royal Caribbean and they are willing to switch us to a different cruise but there is nothing available that day. There is a possibility the day before but the air fare change would cost us additional $2000 and we would have to take either inside cabin (we had balcony, can not do inside - claustrophobic) or pay additional $4000 for grand suite (the only additional available cabin) - that would be more than we spent on the cruise so far.

I am so unhappy with RC! We booked late but there were still other options available at that time. Now our only option is to go on the biker cruise we have booked, pay additional $6000 to go on different cruise (not likely) or don't go and loose the airfare and 50% cruise money.

[LHT28]

I would go with an open mind

It may not be as bad as you are envisioning

 

Just go & enjoy the cruise

[gerif]

I would go with an open mind

It may not be as bad as you are envisioning

 

Just go & enjoy the cruise

 

I agree. No sense setting yourself up to have a bad time before you even leave home.

[SadieN]

Google 'Rally Cruise 2013'

 

Their daily cruise schedule is on the website so you can readily avoid those areas.

[OVgirl]

You can get a VC category veranda for about $2800 for 4 people on Nieuw Amsterdam for that week. It is western Caribbean instead of eastern. Not sure how much money you would get back from RCL.

 

What ever you decide, make the best of it and enjoy your cruise.

[VMax1700]

Wow, that is disappointing news!

My initial reaction was to say - hey, bikers aren't all bad (note my forum handle), but then I googled and came up with the program for your cruise

http://origin.library.constantcontact.com/download/get/file/1101286408981-503/2013+W+C++pocket+event+schedule+single+page.pdf

 

and also the description of the rally events -

http://origin.library.constantcontact.com/download/get/file/1101286408981-503/2013+W+C++pocket+event+schedule+single+page.pdf

 

They are at 8 pm dinner each night. formal night is leather night!!! a belly smacker contest? que?

The competitions are a bit uggh, but the rally is raising money for charities and they will have dialysis patients with them on the ship.

 

Why not go and if it is a disaster then follow the example of this english family and get a FULL credit for another cruise?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2254382/Royal-Caribbean-How-2-500-hairy-bikers-ruined-familys-4-000-cruise.html

Edited October 16, 2013 by VMax1700
just cannot manage to get those links to work :(

[OVgirl]

Google 'Rally Cruise 2013'

 

Their daily cruise schedule is on the website so you can readily avoid those areas.

 

Very enlightening information.:(

[cruiseco]

This group has the purpose of RIDING motorcycles in exotic locations. It's not just a get-together. Because of this, I can't imagine there would be more than 100 or so participants. Even riding double that's 50 or more bikes to be transported on the ship or rented locally.

 

I'd bet that there's at least a couple of groups larger than this one on that sailing or any other replacement sailing you might be considering.

[cherylandtk]

Given your limited options, I would say go on the cruise. That would be better than losing your money and/or sitting at home. The group is aware that they need to be considerate of other passengers on the cruise. Keep in mind, their average age is 57 and many of their onboard activities are fundraisers for kidney dialysis patients (some of whom will also be onboard). Yes, Belly Flop and Beard contests, but for a good cause.

 

Check out their videos of the 2012 cruise. They really don't look all that much different than any other cruise pax in a Caribbean port. Hearty Partiers for sure, but not all that much different.

 

Join 'em or avoid 'em, but make it your own cruise.

Edited October 16, 2013 by cherylandtk

[SadieN]

Very enlightening information.:(

 

Could be worse. One cruise we had a group for a very popular ethnic singer. The group was one-third of the ship. The regular shows were either cancelled or reduced to only one showing.

 

As far as their dress on Formal night. As long as nothing is as revealing as the chainmail dress there should be nothing to worry about. I know that their leathers cost way more than my whole cruise wardrobe combined.

[Scrapnana]

Are you eating first sitting? If so, you won't have dinner with them.

[skeylargondstand]

I don't in general have any problem with any one group. We live in a very diverse area and my children go to extremely diverse school and they love the diversity but I asked them after we looked at old photos/videos and they do not think they would be comfortable on the cruise. This is also a week known as "jersey" week (kids have off from school at least few days) and they were looking forward to meeting and hanging out with other kids - not sure how many kids there might be on this cruise.

Yes, we have first sitting and we can try to avoid times and areas that we might not enjoy (belly flop actually might be fun, we always do it at our local pool) but after paying a lot of money I should not have to be careful when and where I go on the ship.

cruisco - this is not a bike riding cruise, they do a fundraisers for dialysis patients and there will be around 2000 of them.

VMax1700 - thank you for the links, I did see the schedule and read the article. I am not that much of a prude and if I did decide to go I would not try to get money back and they probably would not give it ot me anyway since I already complained. :)

I am considering few options now:

- go on a cruise anyway and hope for the best and try to enjoy the additional entertainment

- go to Florida as to not loose airline tickets and just do something else that week there and reschedule the cruise for different time

 

Problem with re-scheduling is that my husband might have to start chemo any day now and we were really looking to this possibly last fun and relaxing vacation for a long time. We are living day to day waiting for "the other shoe to drop". The doctor gave us a go-ahead this time and even told us not to come see him to get any testing done so we can enjoy our vacation. We already had to cancel cruise once because of my husband's health so this is especially upsetting.

[OCruisers]

Just go for it and enjoy your cruise.

 

Most of these "bikers" are normal people with normal jobs who just like to "ride".

 

We were on a cruise once with a smaller group of them (maybe 60) and they turned out to be very nice. They were especially good in helping those using wheelchairs and walkers get an elevator when it was crowded.

They liked to have their own fun but were always polite and considerate to others. :)

 

LuLu

~~~~

[VMax1700]

Problem with re-scheduling is that my husband might have to start chemo any day now

 

In that case go! You might enjoy it so much that when his chemo is over he might buy a Harley :D

[mlmc424]

Given all of your circumstances and the knowledge that this might be your last family vacation for some time, I would definitely go with an open mind and have fun! We have cruised with bikers and had a blast. And the fact that they are supporting a charity is a plus in my book. You may find out that your fears were totally unfounded. :)

[kitty9]

My friends were on this biker cruise in 2011 and said it was pretty bad---they didnt know this group was on board and there were more than a few hundred. They held some highly questionable activities that you certainly would not want your children to see. Yes, some were in private areas, but the group walked around the ship in some not too savory outfits. Plus their pool games were downright nasty.

 

You could still go and try and avoid this group, or see if you could get a refund on your fare and go to Fla to a nice resort.

[PeterPan]

We sailed with this group several years ago. We didn't even realize they were a group until about day 3. We encountered no problems, and the members we met were all nice people. I wouldn't worry about it anymore. You may notice them a few times, but pretty easy to avoid their activities. It's a big ship"

[luddite]

It does suck that you just found out about the group being on your cruise. Cancelling the trip because of them is a harsh decision.

It is important to bear in mind that aren't so much dangerous, rather they are mostly just noisy and annoying.

[julesbeara]

I found these rules on the website for the High Seas Rally Cruise. They look very straight forward and strict. I'd go on the cruise as it looks like a zero tolerance policy is in place.

 

My Dad is s biker. He may look tough on the outside, but he is a normal guy & teddy bear on the inside that happens to love Harley Davidsons. Also, I recently cared for & lost my Mom to a battle with cancer. We took her on a cruise in June and the memories are now priceless.

 

2013 Western Caribbean Dress Code and Behavior Rules

Please keep in mind: Although we will be overwhelmingly the most visible group on this ship, there will be other passengers and maybe a very few children aboard this ship that are not part of the rally and have spent their hard earned money on their vacation as well. Although most non-rally passengers are happy to be part of the motorcycle experience, we must respect those that prefer not to be and there is that first day of “bikers everywhere shock” that their travel agent did not mention. Usually after the 2nd day they come to realize their fears were for nothing but there are always a handful of “suits” that will complain, regardless. With the addition of our (2) on ship parties it can make the general public a bit nervous so no matter how you’re dressed for the party, be especially nice to the non-biker passengers. It’ll “freak them out” and in about 2 days they’ll be jealous and you’ll be amazed at how friendly they can be once they realize they just may survive a week with us onboard and go home to tell all their sheltered friends about it. Yeh, they live boring lives but ON THE SHIP bikers are under a microscope and believe me we hear every complaint no matter how ridiculous and security cameras are in every public area.

We would like to note that we have already negotiated the most relaxed ON-SHIP dress code. That being typical motorcycle rally attire. Keep in mind the average temperature during this event is 85 degrees, humidity is usually high and water temperature is also in the 80’s. Inside the ship is very cool AC. We don’t discriminate against any clubs or logos but feel it’s not necessary for this event. If you do wear your COLORS as long as there are NO nudity and NO profanity on your clothing, although we feel you’ll be much more comfortable in light clothing, t-shirts, etc. If you have any doubt about your group logo being questionable, please ask us BEFORE wearing it on the ship.

Clothing requirements are very relaxed at our ON-SHORE party locations. Some may even think clothing is temporarily optional…but DO NOT try this on the ship. Remember anyone with a phone/camera can have your picture on the internet almost immediately and sooner or later those pictures return to us. There are also on-shore private beach excursions that are clothing optional so we don’t want to hear of or see any on-ship nudity or flashing. Should we see any ON-SHIP nudity (flashing, etc.) even in pictures, we’ll remember you…not in a good way, and the ship does have security cameras in practically all public gathering areas and if there is a problem, we will view the film. This is not like a regular rally; we can deny you a cabin on future High Seas Rallies or ban you indefinitely AND now the cruiseline has also adopted the same practice of banning from all sailings with their cruise line. We know it’s mostly harmless fun but we just can’t risk a bad working relationship with the cruiseline and since we are bikers, not college kids, it’s always worse when we (bikers) do something wrong.

The following rules are only a precautionary measure. Although we don’t expect incidents, we cannot allow .01% of our passengers to cause a problem or bad PR for the rally. Therefore, I would like to outline our discipline policies in ADDITION to Royal Caribbean’s Guest Vacation Policy. I repeat, we have had no incidents in any of our past 15 rallies and don’t expect any this year, however a 3 person film crew and a half dozen motorcycle magazine editors covering the event mixed with a little or a lot of umbrella drinks CAN change some people’s personalities. Imagine that! Characters we like; obnoxious, ignorant personalities we don’t need.

Penalties (for on-ship):

 1st OFFENSE “Warning” For exposing yourself (flashing or mooning) repetitive foul language, disorderly conduct, or wearing clothing sporting foul language or nudity ABOARD the Cruise ship. You’ll also have to meet with myself and ship security. First and last time we’ll be in your corner. P.S. the cruise line can put you off the ship on the first offense and ban you from all future RCCL cruises. Just because I’m there at the meeting doesn’t mean I can help or want to help.

 2nd OFFENSE: “Dumb-ass award” You’re High Seas Rally. I.D. will be removed from your Seapass card and armband returned. Any won prizes will be revoked and don’t bother to register for the following year’s rally cruises. If the infraction is serious enough you will be denied registration for ALL future High Seas Rally events plus we make you walk the plank. No, walking the plank won’t get you back on a future rally either. Although it would draw a crowd! This will be your last High Seas Rally. Ship security has the option of leaving you and your luggage at the next port. Take your camera; it will make a great picture as we wave good-bye to you from the ship.

***Due to recent publicized drinking incidents aboard cruiselines involving young adults under the age of 21, Royal Caribbean has banned ALL underage drinking aboard ship. In the past, underage passengers brought alcohol onboard in soda bottles, water bottles, mouthwash bottles, etc. If alcohol is found during boarding, security has the option of storing it for you until you finish your cruise or disposing of it. It is also grounds for disembarkation. In other words, they can put your butt off the ship or denied boarding with no refund! If you’re under 21, you can still buy and consume alcohol on shore but DO NOT bring any back on the ship and don’t ask your friends to sneak it on for you. Perfect example of it only takes a couple to ruin it for everybody. So if you’re under 21…drink on shore and don’t ask your older buddy to buy it for you or smuggle it back on the ship! Got that??!!! Our average passenger age is 57, so that was probably a waste of ink. If you are over 21 and you do buy alcohol on shore and bring it back to the ship, they will store it for you and put it in your cabin on the last day. Much of the ships revenue is made off alcohol so they can’t let you buy it on shore and loose that revenue by letting you drink it on ship. It’s just like every professional sport or racing event.

These above policies are in direct relation with and in addition to standard cruise line discipline policies.

There is no place aboard ship or shore for repetitive foul language or disorderly conduct. Please do not take it upon yourself to point out any incidents. The ship staff and local Island authorities are very capable. THESE RALLY POLICIES ARE STATED AS A PRECAUTION ONLY!!! We’re all grown-ups here. We’re in a friendly but foreign country so use your head. We have never had an incident but as the rally size increases we want to maintain our same high quality FUN standards. Please, keep your friends from embarrassing other rally participants. Our specific High Seas Rally cruises have the distinction of being the best behaved, least problem charter to ever sail with Royal Caribbean. The port security officer said, we were less trouble and better behaved than Disney cruises. Of course they don’t go to our onshore party locations but we’re behaved there too!

Your behavior is especially important the night of the H.S.R. ON SHIP PARTIES. FREE drinks for an hour and costumes are a scary combination for the rest of the ship. When the party is over and you wonder back into the ships public areas..be on your best behavior. Don’t let us down. We’ll be watching. Our parties are well known for trouble free FUN and we can do that even when we look EXTRA scary to the rest of the ship. Now, with that out of the way, LETS HAVE SOME MIDDLE-AGE GROWN-UP SEMI-RESPONSIBLE FUN!!!