Questions about getting a "group" cruise started.

[crazycruzer68]

We are in the planning stages of a fall cruise. We were wondering how many people we would have to have before Carnival will consider it a "group" cruise. We are not an organization, just a large group of friends. Any advantages to doing this?

[ljslight]

You will need to have 8 rooms. We book a group cruise and they give you $900 every 8 rooms booked (balcony cabins). I was going to share that between the rooms but we only got 7 rooms book. However we still got $75.00 onboard credit per room and 2 upgrades.

You get points and can choose what you want to do with them. I chose the upgrade and onboard credits.

If you have enough rooms it is so worth it!

[patseacruiser]

Generally on most cruises 8 cabins make a group. I strongly suggest you see a travel agent because if you don't you will end up being the group organizer for all and any questions and complaints will go through you and you'll get to hear all that they didn't like. Sometimes if your group fills up you can have perks from a free cabin up to $100 or more on board credit. It all depends on what itinerary, what kind of cabins you all pick, how many actually end up traveling. There are a lot of different perks and what you end up being eligible for.

[serene56]

group perks depends on the sailing. Not all are the same.

 

If you get 8 cabins booked double occupancy (3rd and 4th passenger in a cabin do not count) you get perks-- OBC maybe a free shared cocktail party. maybe choc strawberries in the cabin or a bottle of wine.

 

one free berth in the cabin that has the most bookings. - so if you have 8 cabins. 3 are inside 2 are oceanviews and 2 are balconies and one is a suite- you get rebated the price for one person for an inside cabin for cruise fare only.

 

You can take the cruise fare and divide it by the 8 cabins-

 

You can also buy a party where you get one hour of open bar for 11.44 per person

 

I agree with the agent-- use an agent to set up the group and allow the agent to do the collecting of the money and answer any question.

[firefly333]

I would also compare prices to just booking on your own as Carnival does very little these days for groups. The prices for groups arent always better than booking on your own. Do be aware if you want the Early Saver low rates, that if you book them thru a group, you get no perks often with them.

[kicia]

There are two ES booking codes. One has no amenities for groups and the other one does. Obviously the one with no amenities is cheaper. Booking ES for groups is cheaper than the regular group rate by a few dollars but is still more expensive than booking ES for individuals. You do get one free berth for 8 cabins with double occupancy. You still get to keep the amenities if you have only five cabins.

[masterboater]

I have planned or co-planned four group cruises among my friends. We book around a year before sailing and the "group" rates tend to be close to the early saver rates found online. The group rates we have received are fully refundable up until the final payment date, whereas the early saver rates (I believe) are not. If you are concerned that the rates are higher, just get a quote from Carnival's Group Vacation Planning department and compare it to the same sailing online.

 

A group to Carnival is 5 cabins. With 5 cabins, you will get a certain amount of amenity points to use for things such as a group cocktail party, onboard credit, photo coupon for each cabin, or whatever you chose. If you Google "carnival group fun points", you should be able to find the list of redemption options. The number of points your group gets depends on the sailing. In addition to the "Fun Points" your group will also receive a guaranteed dining time and your cabins will already be linked to ensure you will be dining together.

 

For every 8 cabins booked into your group, you receive one berth "free" in the lowest cabin category your group booked (however, you must cover the taxes and fees which can be $100 to $150 depending on the sailing). The credit savings from the "free" berth can be taken by the planner, or distributed evenly among the group or, as my group likes to do, used to get a friend onboard who is having a particularly tough year financially.

 

I have never used a TA which means that I take a lot of the organizing on myself. I enjoy all the planning stuff and prefer dealing with Carnival myself, rather than through a 3rd party. I always have booked through Carnival's Group Vacation Planning department. You can call this department with any questions, concerns, issues, and in my experience they've always been very helpful. If you do not enjoy planning or don't have the time to manage all the little questions and issues your group will have (it can be daunting sometimes), I suggest getting a TA who can do the work for you.

 

Good luck and feel free to hit me up with any other questions.