Planning a Group Cruise

[kharrison__15]

Hey :)

 

I enjoyed my cruise this past June so much that I really want to share the experience with a bunch of my friends! I'm likely going to be the planner of it all, and I was just wondering if anyone has advice as to whether or not I should use a travel agent.

 

On my last cruise, I did, and it was a small fee that I'm sure anyone in my group could afford. For me, it was nice to just have everything laid out and done for me. However, now I feel a little more comfortable with handling it on my own.

 

Would it just be easier to work out the options with the TA then pass that on to my friends and have them contact her from there on so I don't get caught in the middle of it?

 

Any extra pointers from experienced cruisers?

 

Thanks :)

 

kelly

[Molly BPOE]

You can talk directly to the group cruise dept at Carnival, they can give you options and you can set it up so that those in your group make all payments to Carnival (getting you out of the middle money wise) if you sell enough cabins you will get one (or two depending on the size of the group) free. And also if you sell enough cabins you each get so much in on board credit.

[firefly333]

I always wonder why someone thinks using a TA who charges a fee is a great idea.

 

If you need help, maybe just have everyone book on their own .. with NO FEE.

 

I personally got stuck in a group cruise that I paid too much for, and resented it. I would never do it again. But if your friends dont know they can book for free, and have never cruised ...??

 

There are so many TAs who would book your group for free (they make a commission btw) if you found one who charges extra RUN!!!

[pjtulsa]

I am currently in the middle of a group cruise for family & friends for a small wedding...

 

We are using my TA with NO additional charge who is great at watching for price drops and has helped with reserving a room on board that we can meet in with drinks & snacks one afternoon... You can get an hour of non-alcholic drinks for $5 pp or alcholic drinks for $12 pp plus the use of a private room.

 

The one thing that has become complicated with our group is that we did not go with "Group Rates" because they were more than the "Early Saver" rates... Well the ES rates went up quickly but were still less than the original Group Rates that we were given... but some of the people that didnt book right away were upset that they did not get the prices I gave them when we 1st started planning. We also dont get any group perks but those would not have offset the price difference so we are still ahead.

 

I am also doing group t-shirts through a local printer for less than $6 each because many of us dont know each other and it will be a fun way of finding the others in our group the 1st day.

[klfrodo]

Hey :)

 

 

Any extra pointers from experienced cruisers?

 

Thanks :)

 

kelly

 

Been there, done that, got the t-shirt, and burned it.

 

It's a heck of a lot of work, can be lots of fun, but in the long run, your friends will burn you.

 

Problems we had.

1. Group rates are generally higher. Group rates get you amenities. Your friends only see the higher price that what they can get on their own. They don't see the extra amenities. Therefore, your drama queen friend tells everyone YOU are ripping them off.

2. If you have 20 couples who say they will do this, plan on 8 - 10 who will actually follow thru. Then the rest will complain because they didn't get their deposits back and YOU ripped them off.

3. Some of those who go will require 100% of your time and will require that you schedule 100% of THEIR time. To include meals and excursions.

 

 

What works for us now?

 

Hey everybody (family and friends), we're going on a cruise. If you'd like to join us,, here are the dates, here are the ports, here's the name of the ship, here's the name of our TA. Please come, it will be fun.

 

That's it..

[Molly BPOE]

Been there, done that, got the t-shirt, and burned it.

 

It's a heck of a lot of work, can be lots of fun, but in the long run, your friends will burn you.

 

Problems we had.

1. Group rates are generally higher. Group rates get you amenities. Your friends only see the higher price that what they can get on their own. They don't see the extra amenities. Therefore, your drama queen friend tells everyone YOU are ripping them off.

2. If you have 20 couples who say they will do this, plan on 8 - 10 who will actually follow thru. Then the rest will complain because they didn't get their deposits back and YOU ripped them off.

3. Some of those who go will require 100% of your time and will require that you schedule 100% of THEIR time. To include meals and excursions.

 

 

What works for us now?

 

Hey everybody (family and friends), we're going on a cruise. If you'd like to join us,, here are the dates, here are the ports, here's the name of the ship, here's the name of our TA. Please come, it will be fun.

 

That's it..

Wow! Sounds like you ended up with a nightmare! Yikes.

[firefly333]

Been there, done that, got the t-shirt, and burned it.

 

It's a heck of a lot of work, can be lots of fun, but in the long run, your friends will burn you.

 

Problems we had.

1. Group rates are generally higher. Group rates get you amenities. Your friends only see the higher price that what they can get on their own. They don't see the extra amenities. Therefore, your drama queen friend tells everyone YOU are ripping them off.

2. If you have 20 couples who say they will do this, plan on 8 - 10 who will actually follow thru. Then the rest will complain because they didn't get their deposits back and YOU ripped them off.

3. Some of those who go will require 100% of your time and will require that you schedule 100% of THEIR time. To include meals and excursions.

 

 

What works for us now?

 

Hey everybody (family and friends), we're going on a cruise. If you'd like to join us,, here are the dates, here are the ports, here's the name of the ship, here's the name of our TA. Please come, it will be fun.

 

That's it..

 

Sound advice. Everything you said sure sounds familiar .. even though we did princess and no such as ES.

[big_duck]

You can talk directly to the group cruise dept at Carnival, they can give you options and you can set it up so that those in your group make all payments to Carnival (getting you out of the middle money wise) if you sell enough cabins you will get one (or two depending on the size of the group) free. And also if you sell enough cabins you each get so much in on board credit.

 

I'd agree with getting out from the middle. There are, however, no free cabins. If you book over 8 cabins, you will get a rebate eventually of the equivalent of one berth of the most booked book for the group.

[RoadTripFanatic]

Hey everybody (family and friends), we're going on a cruise. If you'd like to join us,, here are the dates, here are the ports, here's the name of the ship, here's the name of our TA. Please come, it will be fun.

 

That's it..

 

This is what I would do!! I was in charge of booking our family cruise. (4 families) I was thankful we didn't have any major issues when we did this. The nice thing is I got to pick where everyone's cabins where located!! Close enough to say hi but far enough away that it was good.

[Molly BPOE]

I'd agree with getting out from the middle. There are, however, no free cabins. If you book over 8 cabins, you will get a rebate eventually of the equivalent of one berth of the most booked book for the group.

You are absolutely right and I stand corrected.:o

[MamaParrotHead]

I organized a group of 50 people last winter, without a TA, and it couldn't have been easier.

 

I basically planned out *my* cruise, then invited people to come along. Informed them of my plans, gave them my PVP's number and they were responsible from there on out. I shared my research when it came to ports and excursion options and all, but everyone handled their own flights, hotels, excursions, cruise payments, etc.

 

That way we all got the best rate we were eligible for, I wasn't hassled with dealing with everyone and everyone did what they wanted, when they wanted.