Anybody have experience organizing a group? Please help!!

[Mrs. Chernabog]

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.)

 

Was it the private cocktail party? Was it really open bar?

[klfrodo]

Was it the private cocktail party? Was it really open bar?

 

The cocktail party is usually about 1 hour. Some munchies like peanuts, trail mix, etc,etc. Open bar for 1 hour? Yes but don't expect unlimited shots of Pedron or such. Your basic 1 hour of subtle drinking not 1 hour of free kegger or beerbong night at the frat house.

[Mrs. Chernabog]

The cocktail party is usually about 1 hour. Some munchies like peanuts, trail mix, etc,etc. Open bar for 1 hour? Yes but don't expect unlimited shots of Pedron or such. Your basic 1 hour of subtle drinking not 1 hour of free kegger or beerbong night at the frat house.

 

no keg stands? Darn!

 

I was trying to decide if either of these is a good use of points:

 

(copied from the Fun Points flyer....which confused me because I thought Fun Points are from the credit card?) Anyhow:

 

Shared party is one hour open bar with dry snacks shared among other groups booked into this promotional category on the same

sailing. Scheduling at Carnival’s discretion. Shared party may not be booked for groups of more than 50 staterooms.

 

Private party is one hour open bar with hot and cold hors d'oeuvres and is scheduled at Carnival’s discretion.

[COMBOY]

Yes...always best to work with a good TA that does groups/incentive travel or the Carnival group desk and ask what group incentive they can offer. Shop around. Everything is negotiable from OBC to freebies to discounts especially if you are booking a large group. I think working with someone you feel comfortable with and can trust is a safe bet. I don't think I would go with an on-line TA. You really need a hands on person. Stay out of the money and have your family/friends call and work directly with the TA or the CLL group desk. They know how to deal with people and get the money out of them plus there are so many other issues like air/ transfers/shorex/group dining to coordinate that I would end up a complete headache for you to deal with. Anyway, this is what they get paid for. The TA has all the details anyway and if something goes wrong they can't blame you. I would really insist that your group members have travel insurance. Too many thing can go wrong and having insurance can be a life savers. Just realize that you still are the front person of this group and you still have to oversee the TA and make sure he/she is doing their job. Even the best TA's can make mistakes so you have to keep on top all the details with the TA to ensure a smooth travel experience for all. Good Luck. Happy cruising.

[vacruizer]

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.

 

Same here - I tried to organize a group for friends and family. We had between 10 and 15 cabins that said they definitely wanted to go. The groups dept. themselves didn't really give me a great vibe, cost was more than ES which I then had to explain to all since they were questioning why the price was more than carnival.com was showing. I had 30 days to get everyone to book with a possible extension if I had a certain number of bookings by the 30 day mark. Those 10 or 15 cabins? When it came time to actually cough up the deposit, all but 3 bailed on us. It was already becoming a PITA and I hadn't even gotten to the point of trying to guide a bunch of mostly first time cruisers through the all the ins and outs of a cruise. I finally just cancelled the group booking, rebooked myself at the cheaper early saver rate and gave the few family members willing to commit the name of my PVP.

 

Also, the "free berth" is misleading. We were booked in a balcony but it looked like the majority of our group would be booking insides so they take what the majority books. Once the taxes/fees/non-commissionables plus an admin. fee from Carnival were deducted out I think I was due about $111 for each 8 rooms. Nowhere close to a free room.

 

I'd go with a good TA who has lots of experience with group bookings if I ever did it again. Let the TA handle hassling people for money, answering questions, making booking changes, etc.

[Mrs. Chernabog]

Anyone have any experience with using points for the private party?