Group cruise

[Sandra1616]

 

Hi

I am considering taking 8 to 12 people on a southern Caribbean cruise at the end of this 2020 year.

I would like to pay for everything in the price of a cruise. I have these questions: 

1.  Is there a way not to be held legally responsible or fined in case someone whose cruise I paid for says or does something wrong or stupid?  I believe this to be highly unlikely. 

2. Is there a way to choose a group of cabins in a spot where they will be all happy, and sleep well without noises disturbing their sleep?

3. How easy is it to make group reservations for shore excursions, entertainment, classes and dining?

4. Is Celebrity open to discounts for a group?

5. Is there any group cruise planning resources online for celebrity cruisers?

Sandra

 

•  

[kenevenpar]

for this question, you may be better calling Celebrity directly (or your travel agent if using one)  I can't recall how many cabins are a group.

[Northern Aurora]

Sandra:  Given the number of folks in your potential group and the logistics of a group booking please consider using a travel agent experienced with cruising.  If you do not currently use a travel agent, please ask friends for a recommendation.  On Cruise Critic we are prohibited from recommending agents.

[Jim_Iain]

Celebrity does have a group cruise department.     Very easy to find by just googling -

 

https://www.celebritycruises.com/groups-and-events

 

I don't remember the details but I believe for each 6 cabins you receive on person free carriage.

[Host Kat]

Perhaps you can find some good tips in the following Cruise Critic articles:

Finding a Cruise Travel Agent

How to Plan a Group Cruise

Planning a Family Reunion Cruise

Planning a Group Shore Excursion for Your Cruise

 

 

 

[royalcruz]

Call Celebrity groups dept and find out the minimum number of staterooms required to get a free berth. I think it's either 8 rooms or 10 rooms. I don't think you are there yet,  but you could be if you get a few more people to join you.

 

Look at deck plans and choose rooms that have staterooms above and below. Those should be quiet. There is also a spreadsheet on the Celebrity boards on CC that has passengers' experience with room noise. 

 

Make sure that all of your passengers' booking numbers are cross- referenced shi that you are assigned the same table if you do traditional dining.  If you pre-book excursions or specialty dining,  you will have the opportunity to add people from different rooms to the bookings if you pay for everyone.

Edited February 13, 2020 by royalcruz

[bEwAbG]

The website linked above says eight staterooms is a group

[DrKoob]

21 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

Celebrity does have a group cruise department.     Very easy to find by just googling -

 

https://www.celebritycruises.com/groups-and-events

 

I don't remember the details but I believe for each 6 cabins you receive on person free carriage.

 

For every eight cabins you get one "free" berth (half a stateroom). Free means that you don't pay for anything other than taxes and port fees.

[DrKoob]

See if you can find a brick and mortar travel agent near where you live. Ask if they have group experience. They can do so much for you. Besides the "Tour Conductor" free berth for every eight going, you get GAP points as well that you can spend on a reception, a bottle of wine, a specialty dinner, etc. Or you can just give the cruisers OBC with those. 

 

But again, find a brick and mortar TA. They don't charge anything and they can deal with X for you so you don't have to. I have done groups and it can take hours on the phone. 

 

Jim

[Bo1953]

23 hours ago, Sandra1616 said:

 

Hi

I am considering taking 8 to 12 people on a southern Caribbean cruise at the end of this 2020 year.

I would like to pay for everything in the price of a cruise. I have these questions: 

1.  Is there a way not to be held legally responsible or fined in case someone whose cruise I paid for says or does something wrong or stupid?  I believe this to be highly unlikely. 

2. Is there a way to choose a group of cabins in a spot where they will be all happy, and sleep well without noises disturbing their sleep?

3. How easy is it to make group reservations for shore excursions, entertainment, classes and dining?

4. Is Celebrity open to discounts for a group?

5. Is there any group cruise planning resources online for celebrity cruisers?

Sandra

 

•  
•  

I recently did a group of 13 this past Thanksgiving on The Edge.. Not sure the reason you want to pay for everything yourself, let each person pay themselves to the resource used to make the reservations. You are off the hook, as we started with 22 and dropped down to 13.

 

The way I structured it was, got the best fare for the group in the cabin category I selected in advance. Each person or individuals sharing a cabin can go to deck plans and decide which cabin they want within that category and they are responsible for paying for their fares.

 

The only 'group' thing aboard I did was four (4) MDR reservations and one (1) Specialty Dining reservations and let everyone decide either on the ship or in advance where else they may want to eat on the other nights.

 

As for tours, tricky to be sure. I provided a list of tours at each port and let everyone decide which tours they may want to do, if enough people wanted to do a tour, then I would try to do a private tour guide, otherwise let them decide. We had different people at different ports decide that they did not want to get off the ship and that was fine...

 

There are certain parameters for 'Group Discounts' I recommend that you contact your TA or X to inquire on this.

 

I Am sure that others who have more experience with this who will chime in for sure.

 

Will be more than happy to answer any questions you may have, further.

 

Good luck and bon voyage

[Northern Aurora]

4 hours ago, DrKoob said:

.......

 

But again, find a brick and mortar TA. They don't charge anything and they can deal with X for you so you don't have to. I have done groups and it can take hours on the phone. 

 

Jim

 

 

I also hope our OP either has a TA they trust and have worked with in the past, or can find one.  Given the OP's questions on this and other threads she started I wonder she has cruised before.  Given this group size a travel agent can help her sort through which cruise line is the best fit for her group's interests, which stateroom category and so forth.

[Sandra1616]

Thanks for your replies. I have never cruised before.   Replies strongly encouraged using a tour guide.  Do they really do that much?  I want to enjoy the cruise and my companions and know more about the.places I visit.  Thanks, Sandra

[Northern Aurora]

56 minutes ago, Sandra1616 said:

Thanks for your replies. I have never cruised before.   Replies strongly encouraged using a tour guide.  Do they really do that much?  I want to enjoy the cruise and my companions and know more about the.places I visit.  Thanks, Sandra

 

 

Sandra:  Once you decide on an itinerary you will then decide whether you need or would find a tour guide at that port helpful.  But a travel agent (on Cruise Critic we often use the abbreviation TA to mean a travel agent) will be of great help when selecting the cruise line and booking the actual rooms.  According to your first post in this thread you are contemplating purchasing a cruise for 8 to 12 people.  This is a very generous gift and I want everyone to have a great time. 

[chemmo]

3 hours ago, Sandra1616 said:

Thanks for your replies. I have never cruised before.   Replies strongly encouraged using a tour guide.  Do they really do that much?  I want to enjoy the cruise and my companions and know more about the.places I visit.  Thanks, Sandra

 

Sandra, if you have never cruised before have you checked the differences between different cruise lines? Some are definitely livelier and others are more laid back...Some offer a wider variety of entertainment and activities and other cruise lines are more focused on rest and relaxation...

 

I would say that Celebrity is more of a rest and relaxation line and Royal Caribbean offers more of an action and adventure cruise...

 

It could be an idea to find out if Celebrity is the best cruise line for your group before going any further.  My apologies if you have already done this but ensuring you all have a great time is helped if you choose the right ship to start with!

[Sandra1616]

Is there a way to find out how the cruise lines are different without reading all the reviews but get a good barometer for the feel of the lines?

Sandra

[chemmo]

12 minutes ago, Sandra1616 said:

Is there a way to find out how the cruise lines are different without reading all the reviews but get a good barometer for the feel of the lines?

Sandra

 

If you start a new post titled ‘Will Celebrity suit my group?’ Or something similar then describe your group you may get some useful answers...It could be useful to post on two different boards like Celebrity and Royal...

 

In describing your group you could include general age range (example 30-50), activities your group may like (dancing, karaoke, lying by the pool....)...If you like or don’t like poolside games and activities,  late night entertainment and lots of shows or if your preferred evening entertainment is a nice relaxing meal...

 

We are not familiar with all cruise lines but from our perspective we find Celebrity is great for a relaxing cruise with great food, some nice live music and a stylish feel. Whilst there are some daytime activities going on many guests are happy simply relaxing poolside. 

 

In contrast we find Royal Caribbean has better entertainment, a livelier feel both during the day and in the evening...a bit more of a party cruise. In addition to rock climbing walls, skating rinks and other activities there are ongoing announcements about events and activities going on throughout the ship....

 

If your group are more for action and activity then RC could be a better choice...If they would enjoy a more laid back cruise then Celebrity could be a better fit.

 

Please be aware the above is simply my opinion...others may disagree...

[Bo1953]

3 hours ago, Sandra1616 said:

Is there a way to find out how the cruise lines are different without reading all the reviews but get a good barometer for the feel of the lines?

Sandra

You might want to look at advertizing and some (recent) youtube videos.

 

These will provide some ideas as to what a cruise lines can offer.

 

bon voyage

[WrittenOnYourHeart]

3 hours ago, Sandra1616 said:

Is there a way to find out how the cruise lines are different without reading all the reviews but get a good barometer for the feel of the lines?

Sandra

 

That is where a travel agent would definitely come in handy! A good one will get your information about your group, its interests, desires for a vacation, trip style, etc. and be able to make the best recommendation for your group.

[mafig]

Also, do any of your group smoke?  Celebrity's smoking policy is pretty strict.  Each cruise line has a slightly different policy, although none (that I know of) allow smoking in cabins.

 

[Sandra1616]

Thanks for your replies they were informative and mouth watering.  I will look at some cruise lines adver- tisements.  I appreciate people not smoking when I am eating and not dying of second hand smoke. Is there a way to show I have the answers to my post?  Thanks again, Sandra