large family reunion

[jswdlw]

Well mom wants a cruise with all her kids and grandkids. We are trying to find a economic way to cruise with 4 families with a total of 16 folks. What is the most economical way to cruise? No inside cabins. Would prefer all balany. Was wondering if it would be better to get one of the Suites.

[Crusin'Cousins]

We've had a few experiences with family reunion cruises. They are the best to allow for good family time, but allowing for variety to satisfy everyone in the family.

 

To address your question regarding the most economically friendly way to go... If you are really into saving, I would suggest that you select cabins allowing four per room. This of course may depend on the ages and sizes of the grandchildren, but that would be the most economical. A suite cabin is also nice to have for at least one of the cabins though, allowing for family gatherings, planning and other sorts of get-togethers.

 

For your shore excursions, you will find lots of saving opportunities by going outside the offerings provided by the ship. If there are common interests, I think you will be surprised how deep your discounts may be with a larger group.... the per person cost can be significantly less than the standard fees. Just check around and be flexible.

 

Selecting a cruise for a family reunion takes a lot of responsibility off of anyone individual to do the organizing/planning. A cruise provides lots of variety and fun for everyone. Good choice!

 

Enjoy!

[Hopes4]

Well mom wants a cruise with all her kids and grandkids. We are trying to find a economic way to cruise with 4 families with a total of 16 folks. What is the most economical way to cruise? No inside cabins. Would prefer all balany. Was wondering if it would be better to get one of the Suites.

 

A huge savings could be had if you can cruise when most people don't. The weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas are some of the cheapest.

 

As for suites, it can be cost efficient, it really depends on the sailing and how many people are sharing the room.

 

Good luck planning and have a blast.

[sdmike]

We typically cruise in a group. My family has 5, my brother has 4, then there are my parents, my mother-in-law, and often another couple. Our configuration varies depending on the ship. On our Epic trip with 11 of us we got 3 balcony rooms. My brother's family of 4 in one, my parents in another with one of my kids, and the remaining 4 from my family in another. Crowded, but cost effective.

 

This last Jewel cruise there were 14 of us. We got 4 mini-suites and two insides. My aunt and uncle had one mini, my brother's family of 4 had another, my parents another, and my wife and I the last. We also had two insides, one for my teen boys and the other for my MIL and daughter. My brother put one of his two kids in with my parents so we didn't have 4 in any room. It worked out great.

 

The thing to keep in mind is that generally the 3rd and 4th in a room is significantly cheaper than the first and second. You want to try to maximize the number of people in each room within reason. It also doesn't make sense to have a person in a room by themselves because they'll be paying for 2 anyway. That's why we put my daughter with my MIL. It only cost $30 more in that inside, and we saved an entire 3rd person fare in our mini.

 

Finally when we did something similar on the Vision of the Seas we found that putting all 5 of us in a suite was a better price than two rooms. I've never been able to make that math work on NCL though.

[Hikini]

One word of advice - I wouldn't recommend that any have a suite, unless all have a suite. The reason being, Cagney's is a dining privilege for suite guests but not for THEIR guests. Only those staying the suite will be able to share that privilege. It makes it hard when some have it and others don't.

 

Have fun!