Anybody have experience organizing a group? Please help!!

[aring75]

Okay...I'm asking this here on the Carnival board, because most likely, I will be organizing a (rather large) family cruise next year on some (as yet unnamed) Carnival ship. Now. I am not a stupid person. Nor do I often do things to inflict pain and general unpleasantness upon myself. So I do NOT plan to do this all by myself.

 

So lovely Carnival cruisers I have come to ask for your help and advice. I realize the CC boards do not allow for specifics when it comes to certain areas of advice (i.e. travel agents, websites, so-on-and-so-forth), but I really need some help when it comes to where to start and what to expect.

 

For instance, I'm thinking we would be best served finding a travel agent to represent us as a group...yes? Could we reasonably expect this person to get us a discount because we are travelling as a group? Could we look for incentives such as OBC or pre-paid grats? What is a reasonable request?

 

Just so you know the logistics...

We are looking to do a 7-day caribbean cruise out of FL.

We will probably have anywhere in the vicinity of min. 10 to max. 15 cabins (I'm not sure of the # of berths).

 

Please give me some advice if you can. Am I best served going locally? Is an on-line service safe? Do they give the best deals? Can Carnival compete if I book directly through the cruiseline? Is that the safest bet?

 

Also, for the # of cabins I am booking, can I ask for OBC or some other kind of discount or incentive? Is that normally done?

 

I really, REALLY appreciate any help or advice you can provide. DH and I have done many cruises, but have never sailed Carnival. This just seemed like the best idea for a multi-family cruise. I'd really like it to work out for everyone!! Thanks so much for everything!

[marym933]

Your rates will be the same if you go through a TA or Carnival. Carnival pretty much fixes the price that everyone has to abide by. The only thing that might be different are perks that the TA will give you, like coupon books, etc. There is a link on the Carnival website for group cruising. Fill out the form. Someone from the group department will call you.

[travelntreats]

Not necessarily true regarding the pricing booking thru a TA or direct with the cruiseline. The TA "can" rebate some of their commission earned to offer lower fares, as well as provide some possible perks to earn your business. Don't forget to ask the TA you work with about "Ammenity Points" you may earn on the sailing you select.

[falkcor]

if you're coordinating between a lot of different parties / families, you might consider a TA, as you suspected, just in order to coordinate payments / etc.

 

you might not want to have to be in the position to nag people for their final payments, making changes to their own accounts, etc? if so, then a TA would be helpful in this regard.

 

if you go the TA route, personally i would not be inclined to book with one of the online agents - i would probably pick somebody local, if you have a trusted TA. that said, i'd look for a TA with GROUP booking experience.

 

you can get some benefits for group bookings. for instance, if you get a minimum of 8 cabins booked, you can get one free berth (1PP), which will be reimbursed at a later date (and more free berths, will be granted on a pro-rated basis). also, depending upon the size of the group, you can get 'amenity points' toward the likes of wine, choc strawberries, or OBC depending upon what is available for when you are looking to book. the TA or carnival groups department could help with this.

 

all that said, it is possible to book through carnival direct / the carnival groups department, but it doesn't seem like you're exactly angling to be in charge of all of this and the minutia... but if not through a TA that will take charge (for the whole group), i would work with carnival directly, myself...

 

the carnival groups department will offer 'group rates', which are typically on-par, if not just a bit more than early saver individual fares... TA's can also offer group rates. TAs may also discount some of their commission, to give you a lower rate up front... but that's all a personal choice... i would caution though, that if you go with a TA, make sure that you book with one you trust / have an established relationship or feel comfotable with. i can only imagine coordinating a group cruise with a bad TA to be a NIGHTMARE!

 

good luck :D

[fototaker]

I would suggest, that you call carnival directly and get to know one of the Personal planners and stick with that person, it is to your benefit to have a working relationship if for no other reason than the next time you cruise! I have now used the same guy for my last cruise, ( valor 5-31 to 6-6-2009) and my upcoming freedom. I have to tell you that we booked 5 months out on the valor, and had several rate drops, which we took for upgrades. We ended up with connecting balcony cabins for 635pp. I am now a little to far out catch drops, but imagine the closer to cruise date the more opportunity for a good upsell! :) Also note if you are planning a large group, i think that there is a program that gives you a discount for booking the large group. You will want to ask your planner about that!

[klfrodo]

As a person who has organized a group, let me give you some of my hard earned experience:

 

1. Just like a party you may plan at your house, if you want 25 people to show, you must invite 50. Same with a group cruise. A "Group" is considered a minimum of 8 cabins double occupancy. You WILL have some commit and then at the last minute cancel out on you. You go below 8 cabins and you lose all the "group" amenites.

 

2. "Group" pricing is a completely different animal from anything else. For example: Group Rate is $499 per person. Early Saver Rate is $479 per person. Later down the road Early Saver drops to $459 per person. "Group Rates" will not lower and you will not be eligble for rate reduction. Group Rates are different.

 

3. Group rate cabins are "Usually" based on double occupancy only. Uncle Bob and Aunt Lilly want to bring their kids and have a 3 person cabin? They cannot usually book as part of the "Group". Their booking can be "Linked" to the group so all can eat dinner together, but they will not count as part of the group.

 

4. Organizing can be fun but it is a LOT of work. You will also have that 1 PIA person who feels they're getting ripped off or could have done a much better job. Be prepared

 

5. The following announcement to the entire group is a must. WE DO NOT NEED TO BE TOGETHER 24/7. If people want to venture out on their own,,,fantastic. We'll share stories at dinner.

 

6. Make sure everyone knows about trip insurance.

 

7. Get a local TA to handle all the finances for you.

[Browezilla]

As others have said, I would not go direct with Carnival. Some agents will discount to you (don't know how they do it, but I know they do). Some will give you a group rate and/or 1 free berth for each 8 cabins booked.

 

If you are looking for a lot of help, go with a full service TA that is local. You may pay more, but it will be less hassle to you. If all you need is a booking service, several online TAs will setup up a web page for each party in your group to sign up. Note, if you don't hit the minimal number of rooms, the rate may change. I would just get the group pricing/reservation set up, then "get out of the way", i.e. don't be the intermediary for everyone. Let them deal with the TA directly. There's a risk you may misrepresent something, and you probably don't want the extra time commitment.

 

For families of 4 or more, check both the 4 in one cabin and 2 cabins prices. I've actually been on cruises where it was cheaper to book 2 cabins for 4 people than to put 4 in a cabin.

 

#1: be aware of the various way to book Carnival Cruises, Early Super Saver (no changes allowed), etc. If I were you, I wouldn't get into that loop with your party, but just let everyone know they need to understand the different ways Carnival books. The cheapest rate will have more restrictions than the fully refundable rate.

 

Another thing I've done is set up a Yahoo! Group to disseminate information.

 

 

Group cruises are the most fun I've found. Have a great time!

[tampabrat22]

We have done a few group cruises, our smallest group was 14 passengers and our largest was almost 50. On the first one I worked with an agent but on the next two I did it by myself. It was a lot of work and if I was a new cruiser I would say go with an agent.

 

It's not hard to lead a group, but there is a lot of time involved. You will be answering a lot of questions & looking up info for all your guests, helping them with cabin selections, payments, maybe even excursion advice. You will be able to request the seating arrangement for dinner and choose what perks the group recieves. Each cruise is given a point value and those points are redeemable for perks. You can choose perks like onboard credit or things like champagne, fruit baskets, photo frames etc. Those type of things are given in place of discounts, but if you use an agent you may be able to get discounts like the previous poster mentioned. Plus there is the added bonus you will recieve as the group leader, depending on the sailing and how many berths you have, there should be some sort of $$ earned, you can use it to reduce your rate or it can reduce everyones rate if you want to share it with the group.

 

Like I said it's not hard, and it would depend on you how much time you would want to invest in it. Our group needed hotel & car rentals for one cruise, so I did the leg work for that too, I sent monthly emails with updates and info and even made a newsletter that had all of our groups info like directions to the hotel & port, cabin #'s, in depth descriptions of each port of call, and times and locations of things the group would be doing together. But those are things I enjoyed doing and I didnt mind investing so much time.

 

I would try to find an agency that is easy to communicate with, I used an out of state agent and it was fine, but she was always quick to answer emails or call me back. I hope this makes sense and helps a bit, this is just how things went for me and I dont know the exact terms for most of this but I wanted to tall you my experience because it turned out great! Good luck and have a great cruise!

[firefly333]

2. "Group" pricing is a completely different animal from anything else. For example: Group Rate is $499 per person. Early Saver Rate is $479 per person. Later down the road Early Saver drops to $459 per person. "Group Rates" will not lower and you will not be eligble for rate reduction. Group Rates are different.

 

3. Group rate cabins are "Usually" based on double occupancy only. Uncle Bob and Aunt Lilly want to bring their kids and have a 3 person cabin? They cannot usually book as part of the "Group". Their booking can be "Linked" to the group so all can eat dinner together, but they will not count as part of the group.

 

Lots of good points here. 1As, which some have port holes and some are larger than insides, cannot be booked as part of the group. Carnival doesnt include them in their groups that they allow per the CC TA, who I assume knew? We personally like 1As on Conquest class ships (not on Fantasy class), so Id be that PIA person that probably didnt want to book with the group.

 

OP also note if your group rate goes down after final payment and its not a ES rate (some say you can get a ES rate, but its higher than the one posted) ... you will not get price drops, only upgrades .. possibly on the upgrades.

 

I was told, again by the CC group TA, that military rates cannot be included, at least by her. So, some others also might want to book on their own. If the rate is cheaper to book on their own, they might not want the rate you came up with.

 

Dont expect everyone, other than newbies, to go along with the rates you come up with, some will be more experienced and know they can do better on their own. I paid at least $300 pp more than I needed to booking my first cruise with a group .. lesson learned.

[slopitch22]

I organized my first group last winter for a Spring 2011 cruise with Carnival. I worked through the Carnival Group Department and setting it up was a breeze. After that the work begins with getting everyone to commit and pay their deposits. I started by with 12 cabins and ended up with 20.

It's like buying a car, you have to deal a little with the agent. The ES rate was $529pp for a 6A cabin, they offered a group rate of $569 for a 6B which was $20 more than the website. Make sure your comparing apples with apples. I also asked for 6 points which we used for $100 OBC and 2 bottles of wine in the dinnig room for each cabin:D. I told them a travel agent online was offering a reduced deposit and I wanted the same, they did it. I also go a free berth for every 8 cabins booked, which we applied to our cabins, total was $800.

I asked for the deposit to be $50pp for the first 3 months, then the entire $250 was due. The balance of the cruise is due 75 days before cruise date. Everyone booked themselves through the group department with the phone number and booking code I provided. No problems.

This was a little bit of work, but actual fun getting everyone onboard. We ended up with friends of friends that we don't even know, it was great. We probaly won't even know who they are on the cruise.

Just call the Carnival Group Department, setup a group with more cabins than you think you need, they will "take back" the extras if you don't sell them by the end of the time you have (we had 90 days to sell them at that price), ask for the six bonus points, free berth per 8 cabins and the reduced deposit. We had no problem with 3 or 4 people per cabin.

Have fun.

[bobbyleduck]

I booked a cruise for a smaller group (four couples on a B2B cruise), but I highly recommend that you do your homework, shop around, and then go with the agency that will give you the combination of service and savings that your group deserves.

 

Once I decided what cruises we wanted, and checked prices, I shopped my cruise to three local TAs, three Online TAs and an Online service that provided quotes from a number of independent agents, and checked directly with Carnival.

 

By the time I was finished, I went with the agency that was willing to beat all of the others. The final cost was more than $2,000 less than the lowest advertised price, and we're getting $1,000 in OBC as well.

 

Good luck, but remember: If you're willing to do your homework, you can get a much better deal by shopping around.

 

Happy cruising to all!

 

Bob

 

P.S. Because of the size of your group, you'll be in line for some even larger group discounts.

[firefly333]

free berth per 8 cabins and the reduced deposit.

 

.... and do be aware that the free berth will not be the total cost of one per's cabin, it will probably be the most booked type cabin, say its inside, minus the noncommisionable amount (port charges), so about $150ish less than the inside rate.

[raytownlady]

.... and do be aware that the free berth will not be the total cost of one per's cabin, it will probably be the most booked type cabin, say its inside, minus the noncommisionable amount (port charges), so about $150ish less than the inside rate.

 

Are there any special "rules" on how the free berth $$ is used? Can it be applied to the group leader's cruise fare? Or can it be used to purchase additional amenity points.

 

Our group is currently getting 5 points however I would like to add another amenity that would require an additional point.

 

I have also read on previous threads that the free berth rebate is not received until after you return from the cruise.

 

Any anwsers are greatly appreciated.

[firefly333]

Are there any special "rules" on how the free berth $$ is used? Can it be applied to the group leader's cruise fare? Or can it be used to purchase additional amenity points.

 

Our group is currently getting 5 points however I would like to add another amenity that would require an additional point.

 

I have also read on previous threads that the free berth rebate is not received until after you return from the cruise.

 

Any anwsers are greatly appreciated.

 

i dont know about purchasing more amenity points. I have hear of spreading the amount around among the cabins, so its like extra OBC. (my group leader kept all the money and decided without any input that we would spend amenity points on a cocktail party instead of OBC.)

[AZVoodoo]

My wife organized a group of 18 people through Carnival group reservations.

It came with a lot of perks. These came in the form of points. These points could be used for "Bon Voyage Party" with free alcohol, Strawberry's & Champagne, Bath Robes etc. The group rep will send you a list of available things. If memory serves me right you also get 1 free person for every 8 cabins booked. We turned this into a fare discount for all, instead.

 

My wife does not work so she had a lot of time to handle this. I believe a TA that does a lot of cruises is already acting like a group leader and gets the group discounts. The biggest issue was making sure each person paid their deposits at the right time. As a group leader you are NOT responsible for any payments other than your own. The others just need to mention to the Carnival rep that they are part of your group number.

 

Call Carnival and ask for Group Bookings it is definitely worth the call.

 

For those interested - we sailed on the Elation and were able to get 2 tables of 9 for dinner.

[aring75]

Wow! So much great information already. Thank you SO much. I'm taking notes.

[Tbay-eh]

I will leave the advice up to those who can really help. My only advice is to DON'T DO IT - I have done it twice and got realllly burnt twice. If you proceed just make sure you get ALL the money up front. And if they back out let them find replacements etc. I know that I will get flamed for not answering your question but I have just been there done it got burned and never again - and this was FAMILY not friends. Sorry - I had read this post earlier and didn't get around to answering until now and see that everyone will be responsible for own deposits etc. so you will not be out of pocket.

[firefly333]

I will leave the advice up to those who can really help. My only advice is to DON'T DO IT - I have done it twice and got realllly burnt twice. If you proceed just make sure you get ALL the money up front. And if they back out let them find replacements etc. I know that I will get flamed for not answering your question but I have just been there done it got burned and never again - and this was FAMILY not friends. Sorry - I had read this post earlier and didn't get around to answering until now and see that everyone will be responsible for own deposits etc. so you will not be out of pocket.

 

I agree. Groups left a bad taste in my mouth too. Your family can book for pretty much the same amount .... but book on their own. Groups USED to be a much better deal, before the days of early saver rates, now I think you should let them book on their own.

 

If they book on their own, you can still tie their bookings together and eat together.

 

Tbay-er, I was trying above to point out all the negatives.

[gazingm42]

I have been in charge of 3 different large groups in the past. Here what I

have learned from them.

 

You need 5 cabins committed to get the group and its perks.

 

You can now have some in the group on ES and some non-ES.

 

Find a good TA you can trust. Let her do the work and have

the family members contact her to book in the group. Keeps

you out of the loop on payments, canceling etc.

 

Your TA "can" give perks for groups via CCL. Ask your TA what

she can do, etc.

 

As someone pointed out if you think you have 100 family members, count

on 50 or less by the time you sail. As there some that will never pay

or cancel.

[klfrodo]

I will leave the advice up to those who can really help. My only advice is to DON'T DO IT - I have done it twice and got realllly burnt twice. If you proceed just make sure you get ALL the money up front. And if they back out let them find replacements etc. I know that I will get flamed for not answering your question but I have just been there done it got burned and never again - and this was FAMILY not friends. Sorry - I had read this post earlier and didn't get around to answering until now and see that everyone will be responsible for own deposits etc. so you will not be out of pocket.

 

I agree with you. By organizing something like this, you're setting yourself up to be burned. Did it once and NEVER again. I guess it CAN be fun but usually turns out to be a great big headache. Dealing with a bunch of 3 year olds is not as difficult as trying to deal with 20 so called adults who are friends and/or family.

 

My recommendation if I were to do something like this in the future:

 

"Hey friends and family. We are going on a cruise. Everyone is welcome if they choose. Here is the name of the ship, here is the sailing date, here is the name of my TA if you choose to use my TA. Hope to see you all there." and let it at that for now. Later on, maybe a small get together to see if there are any excursion we all might want to enjoy together. Then about a month prior, get all the booking numbers "Linked" for dinner. Then enjoy.

[firefly333]

I agree with you. By organizing something like this, you're setting yourself up to be burned. Did it once and NEVER again. I guess it CAN be fun but usually turns out to be a great big headache. Dealing with a bunch of 3 year olds is not as difficult as trying to deal with 20 so called adults who are friends and/or family..

 

It can also break up friendships and leave people upset with you. Its going to be hard to make everyone pleased with your decisions on what amenities they want. You choose drinking party and the non drinkers wouldnt be happy etc.

 

Expect some to be upset with you after the cruise for a very long time.

 

My old bridge partner paid for all the cabins ... only way I know of for this to work ..she must have been rich from oil royalties to pay for about 75 people to cruise every year ... only way I know of for everyone to not complain about how the group money is spent.

[raytownlady]

I have been in charge of 3 different large groups in the past. Here what I

have learned from them.

 

You need 5 cabins committed to get the group and its perks.

 

You can now have some in the group on ES and some non-ES.

 

Find a good TA you can trust. Let her do the work and have

the family members contact her to book in the group. Keeps

you out of the loop on payments, canceling etc.

 

Your TA "can" give perks for groups via CCL. Ask your TA what

she can do, etc.

 

As someone pointed out if you think you have 100 family members, count

on 50 or less by the time you sail. As there some that will never pay

or cancel.

 

This is pretty much how we're handling our family cruise. As others have posted, I've been burned before by family so using the TA as the primary point of contact is a great idea. If they don't pay; they don't go.

[GrandBistro]

I've organized two groups for Carnival cruises; one for business and one for pleasure. I worked with a known and trusted TA both times, because I did not want to be involved in money issues. Here is how it worked for me:

 

I sent an email to my TA, telling her what cruise and approximately how mnay cabins. She put a hold on cabins and locked in a price. On the business trip, she also arranged for a meeting space. I gave her name and contact info to everyone and they all worked with her directly for cabin selection, payments and insurance. On one cruise, the prices went down and she got us OBC. She worked with me about how to use amenity points based on what my group would like.

 

I then was the group organizer- email updates about packing or planned activities or reminders to complete their cruise documents on time.

 

This worked very well for me. I was able to organize and plan, which I enjoy, but didn't have to ever talk to anyone about money. I also created new clients for my TA, which is good for her business and good for her always going above and beyond for me.

 

Good luck with your group. Whatever you do, I'm sure you'll have a great time.

[imdawn]

I agree with you. By organizing something like this, you're setting yourself up to be burned. Did it once and NEVER again. I guess it CAN be fun but usually turns out to be a great big headache. Dealing with a bunch of 3 year olds is not as difficult as trying to deal with 20 so called adults who are friends and/or family.

 

My recommendation if I were to do something like this in the future:

 

"Hey friends and family. We are going on a cruise. Everyone is welcome if they choose. Here is the name of the ship, here is the sailing date, here is the name of my TA if you choose to use my TA. Hope to see you all there." and let it at that for now. Later on, maybe a small get together to see if there are any excursion we all might want to enjoy together. Then about a month prior, get all the booking numbers "Linked" for dinner. Then enjoy.[/quote]

 

I have been trying to get some relatives and friends organized to go on a cruise for March 2011 (or around there anyway) I haven't been getting much of a response and when I do get a response it is 20 questions as though I am supposed to know exactly how much airfare, the cruise, their sign & sail acct, etc would cost...I have no idea lol. Basically I think I am going to take your route as you previously mentioned from now on when discussing the cruise..."We are going-hope you can join..if you do we can be "linked" for dinner and possibly some excursions (which I DON'T KNOW THE EXACT COST OF lol)" love it why didn't I think of this before?!

[Tbay-eh]

I am so glad so many people jumped in and said that there are negatives to something like this. The best advice is just to say "hey, we are going on a cruise May 11, 2011 on the Liberty if you would like to join us our TA is Joe Blow, he is holding X number of cabins, you snooze you lose, he can answer all the money questions. Then set up an excursion evening party and tell what excursions are available and which ones you are booking and again they have the option of joining you or not. Oh ya, and don't forget to link for dining or NOT if that is what you want. All the best