Planning a group cruise

[chazzeek]

I am in the process of planing a group cruise. not a huge group, just family and friends. we are hoping to do between 8 and 12 rooms. we are probably going to cruise on Carnival or Princess, due to past cruisers. what i am looking for is some advice or help on how to coordinate all of this. we will have people from all over the country, and many different budget levels. so we will be dealing with flights from different cities and probably different room categories.

 

if any one can point me to some helpful resources, or another post that already discusses this i would appreciate it. thanks.

[Keith1010]

Eight to Twelve Cabins is a considerable number.

 

I would get with a travel agent as this is a big booking. See if friends or family can recommend one who has done group bookings.

 

Keith

[Essiesmom]

Definitely use a travel agent. You do not want to be responsible for reminding people to pay, or schedule flights, choose cabins...EM

[paul929207]

Definitely find a good travel agent]

[cb at sea]

I have to agree....decide on the date and ship, and let a TA handle everyone's requests! You will go crazy if you try to do everything, and may very well end up with some unhappy "friends and family" should something not suit someone...and you can pretty much guarantee something will go wrong somewhere!

Let the TA handle it....that way, everyone is responsible for their own good time!

[chazzeek]

thank you for all the quick responses. I definitely plan on using a travel agent of some sort. all i have in town is AAA, which i haven't been too impressed with their knowledge in the past. when I requested information on the princess website i was contacted by a princess cruise consultant. would you not recomend using the company consultant for a group?

[cathi]

If you use the "company" consultant you will still be the go to person. Like everyone else has said I'd look for a TA. Try asking some of the group if they have a good TA that you could use. Doesn't have to be in your city if the group is coming from different parts of the country.

Having someone outside of the group to co-ordinate all of this for you would be a big relief for you.

[firefly333]

Or you can have everyone book on their own. Carnival now has early saver pricing which is less than group pricing. ... so the group leader can get a discount or free berth. I know there can be resentment about paying more so someone else can cruise for less (been there).. and they decide how to use the group amenity points. I would rather have had OBC, but we had a party with free drinks.

 

I wouldnt go again on a group cruise like this ..maybe a CC group cruise just to be with the folks, but generally Im not a fan of groups.

 

Yes, you can do early saver with groups ....but its more than regular ES pricing. ES rates Im sure have stopped many groups. Also if someone is military, they cant be counted toward the 8 cabins you need ... and folks always wind up cancelling. Many a group leader has found they are now at less than the 8 cabin required and lost some of the perks.

[marco]

I've orchestated many group cruises for between 15-40 people. Contact a TA, get rates for various categories, let people know. Have them contact agent to book. Have them book their own air. Folks could book with whomever they wish, but if you all want to dine together, it is easiest to have everyone book with the same agent, under one group #. Also, when you contact the agent and tell him/her the group will be approx, let's say, 20 pax, the agent will contact the group booking dept at the line and usually you'll get a little better rate and/or some perks that may not be offered to individual bookings.

[MCC retired]

Contact a TA , Cruise Specialist who does lots of groups & no agency fees.(interview him/her first).:cool:

They will do all the co-ordinating , $$ collection , question answering for you (and all for free!).:D

 

Past groups that I have done ,I have found , initial interest can quickly dwindle down when it comes time for Final payment.:eek: A good TA may help you fill in a cabin or two if you fall short of 8 (to earn your TC).:)