Cruisin with ALOT of family?

[CruisinCandy10]

I know there are alot of you out there that do family reunion or family cruises. How has your experience been vacationing with alot of people?How do you all get together, manage to eat together, go ashore together, etc. To me it would be a big hassle. With a chance of people getting mad. I know with MY family there would be a big YaWoo the entire time.

Just wanted to get some thoughts!!!

P.S. Hubby and I many years ago took our first cruise with another couple. It was O.K. but we have not done it since. Like to go and do what and when we want.

Candy

[Glama]

We usually always cruise with a ton of family and friends. We've sorta got it "down" by now. We choose one precruise hotel and get a group rate, tell everyone they can book there or do their own thing. We choose the same main dining time, and tell the TA that we booked with to seat us all in the same general area. We also book private excursions just for ourselves. If people want to spend the day with the group and do the excursion, great, if not, you're on your own. Have one or two of you act as the group leader, plan the excursions, pick the hotel, etc... most everyone will thank you for doing all the work for them, and if they don't like what you pick they are free to do their own thing. On the ship, the ONLY time we really see each other is at dinner, or, if we happen to run into our friends in the casino or one of the lounges. The private shore excursions are nice, because they are just for us, and a great way to spend the day with the people who we booked with. :) The best advice I can give you is that YOU NEED A LEADER, and to write out your plans well in advance and email them to everyone so they don't feel left out. Have a blast, cruising with friends and family is great!! (then again, hubby and I just booked a cruise in July for the two of us only, time for a romantic getaway!).

[Timmys_mom]

In order to pull this off, the first rule has to be:

1. There are no "mandatory" or "organized" group activities. If more than one person or family would like to do the same activity, great. If not, great.

 

With large groups like that it is impossible to please everyone all the time and the group leader will end up having the worst vacation of his/her life. The best way to handle activites and dinner times is to give people the information and let them decide what to do.

 

Even if you found something that everyone wanted to do, Family A would say it is too expensive, Family B wants a later departure time and Family C heard from a friend of a friend that a different tour operator was better.

[Stircrzy]

I've put together and participated in family group cruises for the past 3 years. Everybody looks forward to the annual event!

 

Our group has only been 12 to 20 people, but we've managed to do it without anyone getting angry about anything. We do our own thing during the day, meet in the dining room in the evening, and do what we want (sometimes all of us, sometimes a few of us) after dinner.

 

I plan an excursion for each port, and people can participate or not. They decide before the cruise...I tell them what the cost will be, and collect their money for the excursion.

 

It's been a fun way to have extended family time!

 

(edited after reading Shelly's post...)

I was the only one who had cruised the first time I invited the family along. They were all happy to let me handle the trip...and have been happy to allow me to continue to be the "cruise director". YMMV!

[Glama]

I agree, people are happy to have one person kind of take charge of things, especially if it's their first cruise ever! Like I said, if they don't like the hotel we pick, or the excursions, they are free to do their own thing with no hard feelings. However, most everyone takes the group excursion and are thrilled that we prearranged everything.