Large Group Disrupting Dining on Zaandam May 31, 2015

[oaktreerb]

How many people in the group?

 

However many cabins HAL alloted for sale. I have traveled with this group and they are typical cruisers and well traveled. MY first 14 day Amsterdam to Alaska was how I met some of them and I have been on the mailing list for several years. I have traveled with them once and had a wonderful time. Cruisers can do fixed or open seating. I think the dining issue is temporary and will resolve itself prior to sailing. It's just a TA filling cabins for the cruise line.

[PathfinderEss]

We had a large jazz group on one of our cruise in late 2013. They closed down the Crows Nest 11 out of the 12 nights and a few other venues during the day. Hal got lots of complains, guess they didn't mind paying out $500 a cabin for soothing down their ruffled customers. Don't know if it is quite worth all the trouble and bad fellings. I personally now try to avoid big groups on board.

[sail7seas]

However many cabins HAL alloted for sale. I have traveled with this group and they are typical cruisers and well traveled. MY first 14 day Amsterdam to Alaska was how I met some of them and I have been on the mailing list for several years. I have traveled with them once and had a wonderful time. Cruisers can do fixed or open seating. I think the dining issue is temporary and will resolve itself prior to sailing. It's just a TA filling cabins for the cruise line.

 

:rolleyes: Yes, of course, however many cabins HAL allotted for sale to the group.

 

About how many was it the time you met and traveled with them? Approximately? :)

 

[carri cruiser]

:rolleyes: Yes, of course, however many cabins HAL allotted for sale to the group.

 

About how many was it the time you met and traveled with them? Approximately? :)

 

 

I think I may be part of one of these kinds of group in June, however, it is as someone said just a TA that may or may not have a cocktail party at sometime, I don't have any clue to the dining times, but I'm, sure I can change to whichever dining time I want, actually I like open dining best!!

So they are not REALLY a group with anything in common except cruising at a good price!! The TA usually has many amenities include, but for the cruise I am booked on, there was no mention of any extras.... We have friends on the same cruise that are NOT part of this particular Travel "group"

I'm sure you will have a wonderful cruise!!

[Alberta Quilter]

The problem comes because some of us don't want Early Dining. We want Main Upper Traditional Dining and that has been denied people currently on Westerdam because there is a large group. May be fine for those that want to eat early and don't care what table but there are many who do not fit into that crowd.

 

 

But, in this case and with my upcoming cruise, the early dining was what the group booked, not the main dining time. And my thought about the OP being able to change once onboard is because some, like you, may prefer to eat later or, like Carri Cruiser, prefer open dining.

[Boytjie]

IFor example... a group that takes the whole crows nest during glacier bay...

 

Has that ever happened?

[Aquahound]

We have found that large groups can become disruptive in that they take over various venues (which close them to other cruisers) for multiple private functions.

 

 

But large groups tend to have parties and there have been times when we could not use the Crow's Nest due to large parties...

 

This is my biggest complaint about large groups. On my Alaska cruise on Zuiderdam, there was a large religious group that had private functions in the Crows Nest on several nights, and once while sailing into Juneau. It was very disappointing to have the lounge with the best views taken away from the majority of the passengers. Meanwhile, all the conference rooms were vacant. :rolleyes:

Edited January 21, 2015 by Aquahound

[Boytjie]

I think it would be dreadful to sail a charter group. That said... there is one charter I would like to do with... and wish HAL would do one... for Turner Classic Movie. That would be fun.

 

Stephen

 

Are you talking about a full ship charter or a group on a regular cruise? If a full ship charter, why do you think it would be dreadful? :confused:

[Krazy Kruizers]

This is my biggest complaint about large groups. On my Alaska cruise on Zuiderdam, there was a large religious group that had private functions in the Crows Nest on several nights, and once while sailing into Juneau. It was very disappointing to have the lounge with the best views taken away from the majority of the passengers. Meanwhile, all the conference rooms were vacant. :rolleyes:

 

 

The larger groups can't fit into the conference rooms on most ships.

Also some of these groups want to have a bar handy as they have probably pre-paid for their cocktail parties.

[Krazy Kruizers]

There is a very large group on Westerdam right now that has displaced diners from upper level. :(

 

[/b]

 

 

What group?

I didn't see any large group listed on the monthly Dry Docks, Charters and Groups list.

[igraf]

Please post as few descriptive words so that we can use Google to find the group ourselves.

 

igraf

 

 

 

I think I've found them. What I've dug up is package tours through an agency and they involve multiple sailings on Oosterdam and Zaandam combined with land options.

I can't post the link here but if you want me to send it to you privately just holler.

 

Carla

[mudscraper]

Is it the Agoraphobia Group?

[BeagleOne]

Clearly, this is NOT a charter. If it were a charter, the OP wouldn't have a problem---she wouldn't be able to book the cruise at all.

This is a group.

 

So I chose the wrong word. Big deal. Clearly, the point of my post, which was obvious despite my mistake, is valid.

Edited January 21, 2015 by BeagleOne

[oaktreerb]

:rolleyes: Yes, of course, however many cabins HAL allotted for sale to the group.

 

About how many was it the time you met and traveled with them? Approximately? :)

 

 

I really don't know as we never met as a group except for one cocktail party that used one side of the pool area one evening. They include lots of Mariners and stockholders. we chose open dining but switched to fixed when another couple switched to open. Early dining we took up maybe five or six tables which would have been maybe 50 people. This TA puts together lots of cruise packages for several lines and makes travel easy for his clients.

[Hlitner]

What group?

I didn't see any large group listed on the monthly Dry Docks, Charters and Groups list.

 

The info there is far from complete when it comes to groups.

Edited January 21, 2015 by Hlitner

[kazu]

The info there is far from complete when it comes to groups.

 

Of course it is - the OP of that thread (which is helpful to many) is a volunteer and obtains the information from other Cruise Critic members that report on that thread.

 

If no one knows or shares the information, it's not going to be on that thread.

[sail7seas]

But, in this case and with my upcoming cruise, the early dining was what the group booked, not the main dining time. And my thought about the OP being able to change once onboard is because some, like you, may prefer to eat later or, like Carri Cruiser, prefer open dining.

 

My friends who are currently aboard were not able to have a table on the upper level, Main Traditional dining even though they were confirmed and had priority dining request attached to their cabin. They worked out arrangements that are suitable to them and they are enjoying but they were denied their request because of the group.

 

[Alberta Quilter]

I just received an email from the TA, they had 192 spots open for each date: May 31, Jun 28 & Jul 26. They had such a good response that they've also booked Jul 23 and Aug 23. All dates are for the Zaandam. Still nothing is said, in the emails, about dining time.

[sail7seas]

Thanks for sharing this info with us.

Hope it's a great cruise. :)

[Susie51]

It has happened before a group is large enough to take over a whole seating on one level. Not to be totally negative but it is unpleasant for those not a part of the group to sail with such a large group. Please get your expectation to a place where you can accept there could be some downsides and be prepared to roll with it. You want to have a good time on your cruise and if you can think of the fun and enjoyable things to your cruise, the rest may not bother you.

 

It happened to us once and we didn't like it.

 

Good advice. It happened to us once and we tried not to let it spoil the cruise for us. Some times a favorite lounge would be closed, so we would look for another one.

[Mary Ellen]

I just received an email from the TA, they had 192 spots open for each date: May 31, Jun 28 & Jul 26. They had such a good response that they've also booked Jul 23 and Aug 23. All dates are for the Zaandam. Still nothing is said, in the emails, about dining time.

This info confirmed that I know exactly which group you are mentioning. I'm extremely familiar with this both this group and the travel agency with which the group is associated. I've never known them to have everyone at the same sitting. On Disney they do have people on the same rotations as DCL has six (three early, three late). Even then, there are group members on both early and late seating. When the groups are escorted (not all are), those with fixed seating are seated together with tables in the same area. The person in charge of these groups, 'A', has the escorts stop by those tables (both seatings) to go over any information needed for the next day. Having the tables close together and everyone at the table part of the group makes things easier.

 

As to how much of a 'disruption' these particular groups would be, the group is basically just folks who have booked through the same travel agency. No big deal. The escorted groups will have a cocktail party one evening, but that is all as far as group activities on board. Escorted groups usually have group shore excursions available, but again nothing to disrupt the average passenger at all.

[whyyz]

 

I'm guessing this funny video is not so closely related to the group? (BC Talking Animals)

[Boatdrill]

But large groups tend to have parties and there have been times when we could not use the Crow's Nest due to large parties and 2013 we could not use the Silk Den for after dinner drinks very often because of parties.[/size][/font]

 

Hmmmm...I've been told that Silk Den isn't available to be booked for private parties. :confused:

Edited January 23, 2015 by Boatdrill

[Hflors]

Did I miss the name of this group? If they take over the whole dining room for a sitting that group would be too large for me.

 

A couple of years ago my sis and I were on a cruise in the Caribbean and (un-known to us) there was a large group onboard. The Lido Pool area was closed down to the rest of the passengers for an entire afternoon on a sea day so this group could have some function there! NO way would I go on a cruise with another large group!

[Alberta Quilter]

Did I miss the name of this group? If they take over the whole dining room for a sitting that group would be too large for me.

 

A couple of years ago my sis and I were on a cruise in the Caribbean and (un-known to us) there was a large group onboard. The Lido Pool area was closed down to the rest of the passengers for an entire afternoon on a sea day so this group could have some function there! NO way would I go on a cruise with another large group!

 

We can't provide the name of the group because it is with a travel agent and it's not allowed here on CC. But this is not the same as the group that you have encountered. This is just a bunch of people all booking through one TA. I have cruised at the same time as one of his groups and there was no impact whatsoever. They don't need to meet onboard and they, typically, don't take over any public areas. Why they would book an entire dining time is a mystery to me since many would prefer another time.