Cruising with a group of families

[G_Girl]

Hi,

I joined this forum quite some time ago but never posted. My husband and I have both cruised before kids, but we've been thinking about doing a cruise now with our kids.

 

Recently we've been talking to some friends of ours about cruising together with all our kids. We are all parents of twins and some of us (like me) have more than just our twins.

 

I've been reading some here and on the cruise sites and we are thinking we might cruise Carnival with a 4 day cruise to the Caribbean. We need to keep costs low and have a cruise line that will be good for kids, so Carnival seemed like a good fit. Does that seem like a reasonable choice?

 

I'm also trying to figure out how to book/coordinate this. There are potentially 8 families with between 2-4 kids each. Ages range from 6-12 at the time we would cruise. We're looking at February of 11. I'm guessing with the intricacies of coordinating this we would need to use a travel agent, but we all live all over the country (literally from Baltimore to Seattle and points in between), so not sure how to make that happen. Has anybody done something like this who could give me some advice? Thank you for any help!!

[6rugrats]

Save your sanity and find a good TA. They would then be responsible for booking, answering questions, etc. Doesn't matter that your group is not in one location. It can all be done by phone or email.

[G_Girl]

Thanks. The more I've tried to look into it the more confused I get. :o

 

It looks like the best option for those of us with more than 4 in the family would be trying to get connecting cabins. I did find that Carnival did have some options for putting 5 in a single stateroom, but it seems like that would be so cramped that it would be miserable. Its tempting because it keeps the cost so low, but not sure it would be worth it.

 

Do you think we are planning far enough ahead to be able to get our rooms close together?

[cb at sea]

Pick the date and ship and let a TA handle all of the arrangements for everyone! And don't worry if the rooms aren't "side by side"...a little "down" time for each family is a good thing! It's not far to visit back and forth when you want to!

 

Let each family decide what type of room/s they need and want....I wouldn't put more than 2 adults in a room (kids don't care...pack them in there!) and connecting cabins are avail. for those with smaller kids...keeps them close, but in their own space!

 

Discuss the details BEFORE you cruise....things like doing your own thing and meeting at dinner....not everyone is going to want to do the same things at the same time, so make sure everyone knows that going in! There's nothing more frustrating than having to wait on slowpokes, or being rushed by those who want to go faster!

[Asil65]

We had a big family reunion on a ship with 5 families. Definitely use a TA. With a large booking you usually get one cabin free. Everyone contacts the Ta directly. It will save your sanity if you do it this way. We all had a great time. Most of us were on one floor. Booked our kids across the hall with their cousin. Everyone did theior own thing during the day and we met up for dinner. We booked a 5 day to Bermuda on Royal Caribbean. I think you would have fun on a Carnival ship too and save a bit of money.

[G_Girl]

Great! Thanks for the advice.

[ourfamilylovescruising]

I would use a TA if you get 8 or more cabins you should get one bearth free. and i have put 3 kids in a cabin with my husband depending on how old your kids are in is not that bad you really are not in your room that much. so save the money where you can. every time we cruise we have any where from 6 to 14 cabins it really is the best family vacation to share with a big group every one can do their own thing and then you meet up for dinner to talk about your day. relax and have a great time!!

[RoadTripFanatic]

Save your sanity and find a good TA. They would then be responsible for booking, answering questions, etc. Doesn't matter that your group is not in one location. It can all be done by phone or email.

 

I agree completely!!! I've done this one but it was with 4 families and it was "Family." I was done by the time FIL finished deciding exactly what he wanted to do. (He paid for the vacation for their 50th anniversary.) FIL had no internet and lives 2 hrs away so we spent plenty of time on the phone. I would go via a travel agent in a heartbeat in that situation.

[Cruisin' Chick]

I agree with the others. One person should be in charge of contacting a good TA (one with cruiseline experience). Avoid nameless online companies, just in case you have problems.

 

If possible, see if everyone can look on Carnival.com and pick out the categories (prices) and type of cabins desired. Don't worry about trying to get the same location as everyone will have different wishes. As stated, don't try to do everything together. The kids in the same age group will be together in Camp Carnival.

[griffy116]

We have been doing the same family cruises, for several years. The first year, we were clueless as to exactly what we needed. A good travel agent and not only help you find the best cabins but can clue you in on ways to save. It will save your sanity in the long run to have someone coordinate all the different categories, cabins and credit cards for deposits, final payments, etc. Sometimes, you will also get some "perks" from the TA. Have a great time! Wish it were us :(