How to best plan a cruise for a group of friends???

[Chat Noir]

Ugh... disconnected and double post!

[crusingici]

My one regret is the lack of enough port time in Juneau this year to take a day trip by small boat to Tracy Arm and the Sawyer Glaciers.

 

Thank you again for info I was not aware of - I vaguely recall somewhere on this board someone mentioning that excursion in passing -- we actually saw a small boat by one of the HUGE ice bergs in Tracy Arm -- I took photos to have a perspective of the size of the berg -- and wondered about that boat -- where did it come from? So, perhaps it was from Juneau. That would be an awesome experience in Tracy Arm to be up close and personal with ice bergs! We would love that -- so that would be an option if we do not settle on a Tracy Arm itinerary - to check out Juneau port time for the excursion - but that would eliminate whale watching from Juneau - which is what we thought we would do next time - guess I can find another port to offer that......

 

Yes - I love the researching - sometimes I feel as if I have been there by the time I finish planning a trip - so when I actually do arrive I am more relaxed and not uptight about having to "do it all".

 

Great advice, friends!

[Bucky3]

This is a great thread! Wish I had come across this group cruise subject here two years ago when we began our planning for this year's cruise! Of course, back then I was not quite the Cruise Critic Addict that I am now! This site is such a great resource tool. Our group sailed on the Volendam May 17-24 from Vancouver this year. When we originally started planning (during the summer of 2004) our Alaska group cruise (we ended up with 8 couples), we thought about all meeting together in Seattle or Vancouver a day or more before the cruise and traveling to the ship as a group. Since all 8 couples came from different states - as far away as Florida! - that plan went out the window quickly! DH and I, as the designated planners, decided we didn't want any part of that complicated planning and decided our job was just to plan the cruise portion. Getting everyone on the same ship on the same date was our most important goal but their individual responsibility. We did provide information on Seattle/Vancouver and on various ways of transferring between these two cities so that they could each decide if they wanted to include sightseeing in either place before or after our cruise. We live in California so we drove to Vancouver. One couple took the train all the way from Illinois to Seattle, met the couple from Florida who had flown to Seattle, and the four of them rented a car and drove to Vancouver. One couple flew to Seattle, spent a few days there, flew to Vancouver and flew home from there. Another couple flew to Seattle and took Amtrak to Vancouver the day before the cruise. Others flew into Seattle, stayed a few days and then took Amtrak to Vancouver the morning of the cruise. Some used frequent flyer miles. I didn't hear any complaints, and I am certainly happy that we didn't get involved (other than providing information) in any couple's pre/post cruise plans!!

[Chat Noir]

...we actually saw a small boat by one of the HUGE ice bergs in Tracy Arm -- I took photos to have a perspective of the size of the berg -- and wondered about that boat -- where did it come from? So, perhaps it was from Juneau.

 

First photo is the boat we took last year into Tracy Arm. It's the Adventure Bound we booked through http://www.adventureboundalaska.com/ out of Juneau. The next boat w/ iceberg is AB's 'little sister'. A little smaller and traveling a bit slower, it leaves a few minutes before AB.

 

Simply a fabulous trip! We saw spectacular icebergs. Beautiful, beautiful blue. None we saw this year at Glacier Bay, College Fjord or Kenai Fjords even came close to the icebergs from the Sawyer Glaciers last year.

 

My son and niece standing on deck of the excursion boat, looking at a Tracy Arm iceberg, another unique iceberg, and N. Sawyer glacier calving.

 

The deckhand used a net to dip up a small iceberg and bring onboard. Our teens really enjoyed that! I know there is more than one operator out of Juneau offering TA/SG excursions, and some offer customized tours. We were happy with this tour, although the boat is older and the restroom is quite 'interesting'. We'll book with them again next time, too; we were very pleased with the trip. Weather was simply fabulous that day... We also saw and photographed humpback whales on the way back to Juneau. A fantastic (but l-o-n-g) day!

 

Click on an image to enlarge it.

[Chat Noir]

A couple of pictures I just had to add. The icebergs were soooo beautiful, and so unique!

 

 

Anyway, hope this answered some questions over who/what/when/where the small boat might have been.:)

[Bucky3]

W O W !! Those pictures are amazing. Thank you for sharing.

[crusingici]

Sim1966

Anyway, hope this answered some questions over who/what/when/where the small boat might have been

I should say it DID answer those questions!!!:) WOW! thank you! That is an excursion I am now dying to return for as I've said many times Tracy Arm was my very favorite spot of the entire trip -- and I'd rather see it up close and personal on that "mystery" boat than even from my wonderful balcony cabin as I did this past May -- just breath taking photos.

 

I have a slide show from Tracy Arm in my signature -- in it is the cutest ice bergs that look like a tug boat -- my hubby swore "someone" carved it! I see you have a nature's wonder carving too.....tracy Arm is absolutely breath taking.

 

I am just so excited to know about this possible trip -- the clencher now would be to find an intinerary with a port day in Juneau to take care of the 8-6 excursion!! That might be tricky - but I see YOU did it! I am very glad I got to do the 2 hr glacier trek in Juneau this trip but I for sure would love this boat trip next time!

 

Thank you again for such valuable info.

[Chat Noir]

Glad you both enjoyed seeing the pictures. The icebergs were simply breathtaking, and I wish I coulda packed just one home with me.

 

GiCi.. I have waited an hour to see your slide show and it's just not happenin'. I live in the middle of nowhere, then take a left... My internet connection is sssllllooooowwwwww! Hope to eventually get the 'data from the server' as I'm informed that's the problem.

 

Tracy Arm is one of my favorite places, and I'm anxious to see your pictures and how it looks from a cruiseship!

[crusingici]

sim1966 wrote:Tracy Arm is one of my favorite places, and I'm anxious to see your pictures and how it looks from a cruiseship!

 

Sim - I hope I have uploaded these correctly - I tried to resize just a few - the limit is 5 per post so I will try these and then a few more.....

[crusingici]

Maybe I had better stop with these since I am unsure of what I am doing here!! So sorry you could not get the slide show to work - it is by far a better representation of what we saw than these little thumbnails!

 

I tried that ice berg once again since it was too tiny in the first post - it is my favorite photo - I put it on a mug and also on my desk top - it is just so refreshing to look at that beautiful blue!

 

I am actively pursuing info on 'your' little boat or a similar excursion from Juneau.

 

It was a beautiful view from our balcony -- not as up close and personal as your view - but breath taking none-the-less!

[crusingici]

Sim - why do my photos show up as a link to click and yours show up as thumbnails in your post?

 

Not sure what I did wrong! :confused:

[Cabb]

Gici, I had the job of organizing for a group last year and it was a disaster! Did lots of research, and most people pulled out when they found out what it cost - they were used to Carribean prices. One guy decided we should all go to a lodge on Kenai and fish instead and started pushing that option. My advice is have a meeting early on with approximate prices for everything (cruise, land tours, excursions, tips, drinks, air fare) and see how many are still interested. Or just let them know they should expect something in the $3,000 -$5,000.00 pp range at a minumum, the high end being with a land tour. Since prices usually go up, tell them they need to decide well in advance. Pick somewhere in the 6-12 months area, say 9 months out, and make that the deadline for booking. In the end, everyone backed out and we made the trip by ourselves. It was OK; we enjoyed it and I hadn't really wasted my time. Just don't let yourself put in weeks of research until you're sure they'll go.

[crusingici]

Gracious, Cabb! I cannot believe you did not get nary a one to go with you!:(

 

I know we just returned (in May) and we have been telling them about what cost to expect for a round trip - no land trip (I doubt we do a one-way due to added cost) - Since we are not going till 2008 they have plenty of time to save -- and cost is definitley the factor here of who decides to go.

 

Most have never cruised before and the few who have are like your friends - to the Caribbean only.

 

We will be making our reservations as soon as I see the HAL itinerary come out for 2008 - which will probably be June, 07.......I will have other cruise lines already written up so we can just pop in HAL and decide.

 

Thank you for this heads up -- I will be sure to have them as committed as possible in the Spring of 07 - so it won't be such a shock when we get the final costs. I like your idea of the early meeting with aprox pricing .... so by April or May of next year I should have a pretty good idea of how many are 'serious' about going.

 

I am just so glad you ended up going on your cruise anyway - and had a good time!!! Your report has some very valid concerns for anyone planning a group trip. Thanks!

[Chat Noir]

GiCi... thank you for posting your pictures. I cut and pasted mine and they came up as the thumbnails, but yours came up just fine when I clicked. You have some awesome photos, too, and makes me just want to go back all the more!!! I love the 'tug-boat'... you named that one right!;)

 

I have to say, I probably had more 'awe' of the beauty of Alaska in Tracy Arm than anywhere else. Show those iceberg photos to friends and family, and you will surely have a big group to plan for! Thank you so much for sharing them here.:)