Group Cruises-Help

[Diggerof4]

Well, I was picked to do a group cruise.  So, this newbie needs some help. First point to any forum that might help me with "group" cruises.  2. How far in advance should I do a group cruise.  3.  Are there any additional web sites that might have helped you or anyone else to assist them with group cruises. 

Carnival Vista out of Galveston, 20 people.   Any and all suggestions are welcomed !  

[Stick93]

Call carnival or a TA and see who can help you. 

[justacrusin]

We used my PVP and since everyone agreed on the dates and ship, I had each family call in and book their own rooms.  My PVP was then able to link our reservations together and I didn't have to pay the whole deposit.  This worked out well for us and our PVP was able to keep our rooms on the same deck and close together.

[klfrodo]

Get ahold of a local travel agent who specializes in cruises. Otherwise, you are set up to fail.

By going through the TA, that leaves you out of the money and other obstacles that will pop up.

 

Here's what happened to my wife.

She announced we were going on a cruise and everyone within earshot wanted to go.

She spoke with the cruiseline, had the dates all selected, had everyone put down their group deposit of $25.

She self taught herself html code and developed a website just for our group (this was 15- 20 years ago).

Had parties to discuss things.

Next thing you know, somebody spoke to somebody and "they" could have gotten a better deal.

"They" announced that "we" are screwing them over.

Price is too high, nobody said anything about airfare, etc. Why didn't you get us group airfare?

Time to pay the rest of the deposit, half the people dropped out. We haven't got the money, can you pay for us and we'll catch you later?

Time to pay off the cruise, half the remaining dropped out.

Now, we no longer had enough people to do a "group" cruise.

 

The rest of us went and had a great time, but never again.

 

Now,,, we just say hey, we're going on a cruise,, here are the dates,,, here is the name of our TA,,,, you're more than welcome to join us.

[keywest1]

If you decide to book yourself, be sure to call airlines and check for group booking rates.  I just booked direct flights on AA for eleven.  I was able to select the flights we wanted and this is a main cabin fare with changes allowed for at least $1000 savings round trip over the basic fare with no changes allowed.  We will be assigned a block of seats, but we can choose who sits where within that block.  It's worth checking into 🙂

[Cruiser_1977]

My advice....Pick the date, book your own room. Send a mass e-mail with your plans to your friends/family. Let them each make their own reservations then link them all.

[MommytoAsquared]

46 minutes ago, klfrodo said:

Get ahold of a local travel agent who specializes in cruises. Otherwise, you are set up to fail.

By going through the TA, that leaves you out of the money and other obstacles that will pop up.

 

Here's what happened to my wife.

She announced we were going on a cruise and everyone within earshot wanted to go.

She spoke with the cruiseline, had the dates all selected, had everyone put down their group deposit of $25.

She self taught herself html code and developed a website just for our group (this was 15- 20 years ago).

Had parties to discuss things.

Next thing you know, somebody spoke to somebody and "they" could have gotten a better deal.

"They" announced that "we" are screwing them over.

Price is too high, nobody said anything about airfare, etc. Why didn't you get us group airfare?

Time to pay the rest of the deposit, half the people dropped out. We haven't got the money, can you pay for us and we'll catch you later?

Time to pay off the cruise, half the remaining dropped out.

Now, we no longer had enough people to do a "group" cruise.

 

The rest of us went and had a great time, but never again.

 

Now,,, we just say hey, we're going on a cruise,, here are the dates,,, here is the name of our TA,,,, you're more than welcome to join us.

 

 

^^^This^^^

 

I would not be responsible for anybody else paying.  We have had similar situation, not on a cruise, but group sports tickets.  We put the tickets on our credit card, but when the event arrived, ppl started canceling and/or not paying.  Never again.

[Diggerof4]

1 hour ago, justacrusin said:

We used my PVP and since everyone agreed on the dates and ship, I had each family call in and book their own rooms.  My PVP was then able to link our reservations together and I didn't have to pay the whole deposit.  This worked out well for us and our PVP was able to keep our rooms on the same deck and close together.

PVP? what is a PVP?    I called Carnival they want each person to put down a $250 deposit.  I am not going to put down a deposit for each person ... not 20 people 😲...LOL.  Yep, I will be the first to put the deposit down, and then send a mass email to everyone else.  We have the date, ship and port to leave and ports to visit.  Most are saying it's to early.  Cruise  Feb 2021. I told them it's not to early to a deposit down and then pay as you go. 

[Diggerof4]

52 minutes ago, klfrodo said:

Get ahold of a local travel agent who specializes in cruises. Otherwise, you are set up to fail.

By going through the TA, that leaves you out of the money and other obstacles that will pop up.

 

Here's what happened to my wife.

She announced we were going on a cruise and everyone within earshot wanted to go.

She spoke with the cruiseline, had the dates all selected, had everyone put down their group deposit of $25.

She self taught herself html code and developed a website just for our group (this was 15- 20 years ago).

Had parties to discuss things.

Next thing you know, somebody spoke to somebody and "they" could have gotten a better deal.

"They" announced that "we" are screwing them over.

Price is too high, nobody said anything about airfare, etc. Why didn't you get us group airfare?

Time to pay the rest of the deposit, half the people dropped out. We haven't got the money, can you pay for us and we'll catch you later?

Time to pay off the cruise, half the remaining dropped out.

Now, we no longer had enough people to do a "group" cruise.

 

The rest of us went and had a great time, but never again.

 

Now,,, we just say hey, we're going on a cruise,, here are the dates,,, here is the name of our TA,,,, you're more than welcome to join us.

Thought of everything you said.  Great advice!!!  I upfront said, you will be responsible for your own flights, cruise payments including deposits, gave the information in case the price goes down what they can do also the cancellation policy.  How many people are needed to get perks.  I also told like anything else, prices do change. Explain the reasons why the may or may not be able to get a lower price, or possible OBC.  I told them I would get cabins lined up as a group, hotel as a group and transportation as a group, the rest is up to them. 

[Diggerof4]

40 minutes ago, keywest1 said:

If you decide to book yourself, be sure to call airlines and check for group booking rates.  I just booked direct flights on AA for eleven.  I was able to select the flights we wanted and this is a main cabin fare with changes allowed for at least $1000 savings round trip over the basic fare with no changes allowed.  We will be assigned a block of seats, but we can choose who sits where within that block.  It's worth checking into 🙂

OMG, I didn't even think that could be done !!!! THANK YOU   THANK YOU !!!

[Diggerof4]

1 minute ago, fyree39 said:

OK, someone needs to talk about Early Saver vs. another option that's actually refundable and doesn't have cancellation penalties. Don't fall into that trap!

Yep, when you do a group cruise, I think you are not elig for that... don't know. 

[Diggerof4]

Sending 🤗 virtual  hugs to all of you !  You made me fell so much better and gave some great advice.  Please keep it coming. 

[jimbo5544]

6 minutes ago, Diggerof4 said:

Yep, when you do a group cruise, I think you are not elig for that... don't know. 

Of course you can be.  Do yourself a favor and get a TA or use a PVP, if air is to be involved, my recommendation is to use a TA.  There are options, (not payment wise to consider) etc and the list goes on.  Group travel on Carnival (or most other cruise lines) can be fun and even have some perks for all traveling together.  Trying to blaze a trail yourself can be a nightmare.....

Edited September 9, 2019 by jimbo5544

[Diggerof4]

PVP = Personal Vacation Planners 

 

[keywest1]

37 minutes ago, Diggerof4 said:

OMG, I didn't even think that could be done !!!! THANK YOU   THANK YOU !!!

You are welcome 🙂  With AA, you get a contract that has to be signed and returned and deposit of $50 pp paid.  That deposit will be refunded when the flights are ticketed and won't be applied toward the ticket price.  They just want you to have skin in the game so that they aren't left hanging with blocks of seats reserved with no money.  

I would get the quote and let everyone know the price and the deadline for accepting the contract (about 10 days).  If at least ten agree, you can still get a group rate.  But I would have their money in hand before I booked anything for them or accepted the contract.  That's just me.  Our group is kids and grands and we are paying for everybody anyhow, so I didn't have to worry about prying money out of their grubby little hands 😜

 

[MCC retired]

A Good Cruise Specialist TA can do it all for you , for free.

Will explain all  questions you and the others may have , help select the group amenities,

 and above all handle collecting of payments ( everyone likes the cruise idea until it comes time for payment).

 

[CoolOne56]

As others mentioned, get a TA. This will make life soooo much easier.

 

Let your agent know you want airfare included.  You didn't say if you would be arriving the day before the cruise or not. An agent can with this also.

 

In order to get a group rate for air, everyone must leave from the same airport. You need at least 10 for group air.  If this is not possible, let everyone get their own air.

 

With a TA, the deposit can be as low as $50 (non-refundable).  The agent will let you know when the first deposit is needed and the last payment due by date. Agent will provide payment receipts.  Everyone should be responsible for their own payments - people tend to change their mind. 

 

Feb. 2021 is not too early, this gives people more time to pay.  Booking early gets the best cabin locations. 😉

 

You be the "go between" for your group and agent. Keep everyone up-to-date with the plan and requirements.

 

Any other questions, we are all here to help. 🙂

 

 

[Host Carolyn]

I was a TA and I have been a group leader. I would NEVER lead or plan a group without a good TA.  It takes you out of collecting and being responsible for money, trying to answer all the questions, etc. I would say the exact same thing if you had been on 20 cruises. Agents earn their money doing what the average person planning a group will tear their hair out over.  Get an agent ......please.......it's not easy to do this right

[CoolOne56]

I am the "go to" person for a group in the family. 😄  I always use a TA. My group may start out with 20+, but by the travel date - the group is 15 or less.

 

To the OP, if you go with a TA, make sure the cruise taxes, fess and gratuities are all included in the price. Once you get a price, expect the type of relies klfrodo  (above)  received - this happens. You will not be able to please everyone, don't take it personally.

[Susan in Maine]

Do not try this on your own! A TA specializing in cruises will be so much help and will think of things you never even considered!

 

I love a brick and mortar TA for this. There is nothing like having someone you can actually sit down and talk to!

[keywest1]

16 hours ago, CoolOne56 said:

 

In order to get a group rate for air, everyone must leave from the same airport. You need at least 10 for group air.  If this is not possible, let everyone get their own air.

 

Actually, at least with AA, you can still get what is referred to as "zone rate" when leaving from different airports.

 

[2wheelin]

My experience with group airfare with two different airlines is that you contract for X number of seats (10 or more) and they quote a price. The earlier you do this the better as they have a limited number of group seats to offer and the price usually increases over time. You make a per seat deposit and 90 days prior to flight, give the airline names etc and you can change the total number of seats downward if necessary. At the 30 day mark, you make final payment (not sure if they will do individual payments as we have always done as a group) and must utilize usually at least 90% of the contracted fares. Each airline differs slightly so a GOOD TA is valuable if you are also booking the cruise as a group. Interview carefully any TA you plan to use. Some actually charge for services or cancelations. Make sure they are well informed and easy to reach anytime.

[LandlockedCruiser01]

I've met people on group trips during my cruises, all solo.  On my Inspiration cruise, such a group even adopted me; they were so much fun!  And I must say: I was pretty jealous of those groups.  They seemed so cohesive, punctual, and organized, like a human equivalent of a well-made Swiss watch.  I admire how they banded together, picked out a cruise, figured out the financial arrangements, organized a way to get to the ship, and had a great time together, with no one getting left out in the cold.

 

My group of friends was never very cohesive: not in our teens, not in our 30's.  Don't get me wrong: we mutually respect each other and have each other's back.  But when it comes to organizing a trip together, it's like herding cats. <facepalm>  No one can agree on something everyone likes, people dawdle instead of making a decision, people get sidetracked or back out instead of following the plan, more than half the people are invariably late all the time, and one person (oftentimes me) gets lost in the shuffle when it come to picking activities.  And I don't have the charisma to get people to cut the crap and just get stuff done.  If I went a cruise with my friends, it'd be only a matter of time until we get left behind in one of the ports.

 

That's why I did all my cruises solo, since my first one in 2012.  I always had full control over all aspects my cruise, and I could come on time every time, without facepalming at other people's lateness.  And if something went wrong, it was on me.  That is, either my own fault or the cruise line's fault, rather another person's negligence that could have been prevented.  End result: 9 out of 10 people I met onboard complimented me for cruising solo.

Edited September 11, 2019 by LandlockedCruiser01

[Treyatl2006]

I did a group cruise last year and it wasn't that bad. Granted, I didnt have to deal with travel to the port. Everyone was responsible for their travel to the port. 

 

I will say in order to have a group you must at 8 or more cabins (not people but cabins). You can then use points to get your group free gifts like chocolate covered strawberries, champagne, ribs, shared cocktail parties, private cocktail parties, on board credits (OBC) and etc.  I got extra OBC for for everyone, bottle of champagne, and chocolate covered strawberries. I also delivered 24 bottle of water to each cabin in out group. 

 

You will also have to make dinner seating arrangements in the main dinning room.

 

I reserved the rooms for our group but everyone booked their own cabin. They also paid for their cabin. 

[Klark73]

I just finished organizing a cruise for a group of 18 leaving Mar 2020. It was actually not that difficult. We had a specific date already in mind. We just had to choose a port to leave from. We chose one close to home to eliminate the flight. I gave everyone a chart of different cabin types with the rates, added taxes, gratuities and port taxes. And gave them their total with the deposit amount. And gave a very fluid list of possible extra expenses, cheers packages, optional tips, etc. Everyone sent me their deposit via pay pal. I went in and reserved everyone's cabin under my cruise manager and attached each booking to the respective person. Then they were fully responsible for paying the remaining balances and making any changes they needed to make. I was able to get 7 cabins on one floor close together and 2 cabins on another floor directly under us, all near the elevator. All of our rooms are synced and we will be able to dine together or very close.

I actually like it this way, because I can quietly keep up with everyone and they still have control over their booking. As time nears for final payment, I can post something about it in our Facebook group to keep everyone on track. I don't know it all but I have found through 17 years of cruising neither do TA's or PVP's. If someone in my group has a question that I cant answer with proof, I will call my PVP personally because if I don't know the answer I want to know the answer too. But to be fair, I like doing things like this and I never liked anyone having that much control over my vacation so I would rather do it myself.

And as for any group discounts, we wouldn't have qualified because initially not enough people decided to go. We started with three couples and it just gradually blossomed from there. I don't regret doing it this way at all.