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Booking a group of 20 people


Scriv
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Has anyone had experience please of booking a group of about 20 adults on a P&O ship?

 

 

Don't jump back in horror please, we are all over 60 and very well behaved. It is a school reunion.

 

First find someone that can handle the bookings for you . A professional travel person is better than someone in the group doing it. This third party individual will take all the info and deal with P&O for you.

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I usually book with P&O direct, with a P&O Personal Cruise Specialist, so I was planning on starting there..

 

Have the specialist refer you to the group booking department. Usually separate from the Personal Cruise Specialist. This group is setup to book and handle large groups of 8 cabins or more.

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Previous poster has good point. Personal details, financial etc.you do not want to get involved with. However I feel you need a group leader to co-ordinate and maybe an inner circle of people who are willing to put time in to work out what is required and have an idea of organising things.

 

Is there agreement on which specific cruise you are going on. It has got to be at the right cost to include the maximum number. Length needs to be long enough to make it worthwhile. There are often quite longer cruises from Southampton which are good value on a cost per day basis.

 

To/from ship do you envisage a big bus to take people who would like to share cost and feel included in group door to door. There are a few companies that do this type of hire to Epsom Derby etc. on pretty good vehicles.

 

I have been on holidays in big groups in the past. The downside is not everybody wants to do the same thing at the same time very often or over long periods. A good leader or a few lead persons can help with satellite groups doing different activities to try and keep it cohesive while people do different things. Having said that you might end up with more than one shore excursion between you.

 

I think you need to agree times when almost all if not all the group do the big evening thing together. This again helps with being a group and everyone feeling part of the group.

 

Dining is a big issue. I went on a cruise on Princess and they had a group of 23 people from Long Island on the same table! They split up in the day but the table was a hilarious riot. I was next to it on a table for two. The main guy was just like Bilko and pretty loud his wife kept apologising to me but I thought it amusing me being a people watcher. Dining needs thinking through. If everyone wants a first sitting you can at least sit near and likely be on a similar evening entertainment schedule even if half want to do casino and half theatre. Quite often things settle naturally into an approximate routine enjoyed by all and you do not need to work at including all etc. as a host.

 

It's not just a booking thing in my opinion I think you need an holistic approach.

 

Regards John

Edited by john watson
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Has anyone had experience please of booking a group of about 20 adults on a P&O ship?

 

 

Don't jump back in horror please, we are all over 60 and very well behaved. It is a school reunion.

 

https://ask.pocruises.com/help/PO/before-you-sail/group_bookings

 

I think the info you require is here including the contact tele number.

I would go for a set dining maybe ,so that they could

a--put you on the same seating

b--even if you are not on the same table, the tables can be arranged next to each other.

c--not sure on planning joint things to do during the day working well. If there is something you all want to do, then book it.

Having done holidays where it was attempted, did not work too well, as people like different things. If you do different when you meet up for pre dinner drinks/dinner you will have lots to talk about.

d--arrange for a professional group photo with you all in your finest to be taken.

e--the above contact should be able to tell you if they want all financial stuff to be done by one person.

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Scriv...are you being totally truthful here...I understood that you, like myself were intending to grow old disgracefully....?:D:D:D

 

 

Sounds like a fab idea if it works. Personally, I would book through a good cruise specialist as I think you will get a better deal......? When and on which ship are you thinking of going?

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Thank you so much for all this, everyone. There are a whole host of points to consider there.

 

To explain a little.... we have been meeting up all over the country as a school reunion group every 1-2 years for about 12 years now, staying in a hotel for a weekend. We usually do our own thing in the day time , but meet up for dinner on the Saturday evening.

 

It is our turn to host next year and whilst investigating local hotels around Winchester, I had this idea of maybe a weekend cruise instead - next autumn.

 

We have just floated the idea to the reunion's committee to see what their reaction is. It may not be feasible for a number of reasons, but is just an idea at the moment.

 

You have all raised some very interesting points though, one being the dining arrangements.... we often have a little room or alcove which may not be possible on a ship. In the main dining room, I would worry about overwhelming others or being a nuisance. Whereas we are a very well behaved group, we may seem a bit noisy and I would hate to upset fellow diners or cruisers.

 

Thank you so much. I now have a lot to ponder!

 

 

Scriv

Edited by Scriv
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