group cruising tips & creative ideas!!!!

[momma5]

My husband and I are surprising my mother in law for her birthday in September (on the Inspiration)by taking her and my father in law on their 1st cruise. He knows all the travel plans,she has no clue. We have invited other family members & friends to join us in the surprise and have about 8-10 people joining us so far. I am planning& organizing everything and was wondering what kind of advice you can give on group travel. We will have 3 of our children with us as well- none of them have cruised before.

We really want to make this extra special for my inlaws as neither of them have traveled much- this will actually be my father in laws first plane trip too!

 

So here's where I need the advice:

1. anyone have any creative ideas on how to present her "Gift" to her on her birthday? We will let her know about the trip on her birthday and will leave 6 days later! We aren't sure if we should tell her we are going to Clearwater (we are staying there 2 days before the cruise leaves) and make the cruise a true surprise once we are down there or if we should tell her about the cruise on her birthday?

2. What are some tips on traveling with a group? I want to be sure everyone has a great time and gets to do what they want on their vacation but I know my in laws haven't vacationed like this before and I want them to feel like they can do what they please while still enjoying the rest of the family.

 

Thanks for your help!!

[becky48417]

I would definitely tell her on her birthday, as there may be things she'd like to pack for a cruise (like formal wear) that she wouldn't necessarily take with her on a land vacation. You could have t-shirts made for everyone that have your names, the ship name, dates, etc... and wear them to her birthday party. Or you could not wear them and wrap her shirt up as her present.

[cathyoo]

Oh what a wonderful surprise.... I like the t shirt idea and think it would be neat if everyone put the shirts on at her birthday party.. I'm excited for her. Please let us know her reaction.

[bubbadog]

ya i agree tell her on her birthday so she can plan what she wants to take,and the excitement will carry thru the cruise:)))));) ,have a super nice cruise:p

[cruzinfamilyof4]

What if you did a "scavenger hunt" type thing to tell her about her cruise. Every year at Christmas my sister does a pickle gift for her kids - and she either 1. puts rhyming clues as hints throughout the house until they get to the end - which in your case could be a copy of the itinerary. 2. she runs ribbon throughout the house (start at one end and try and follow it to the other end) - which again could be a copy of the itinerary.

 

I think the shirt idea is cute too - but more expensive!

 

You could also decorate the house like some of the ports you may be visiting. i.e. make different "ports" for each port that you are going to. Also decorate with anything that has to do with cruising - have DOD, everyone wears "vacation" type clothes.

 

Have fun!

[skylock]

Get a picture of the ship, cut out a picture of her and put it on the ship with a birthday greeting of something like foy your birthday present this year we are joining you on an exciting trip to blank blank blank and we hope it is a birthday you will never forget.

 

The photo doctoring can be done on the computer.

 

Wrap it up and give it to her on her birthday. Half the excitement is looking forward to it.

[w8ing2cruz]

I would definately tell her on her birthday - maybe one of her presents could be a gift certificate for a manicure or pedi for the cruise if she is into that type of thing. For our group cruise this January I had can coolers made for the group.

[RJ7591]

There seems to always be a thread going with a topic similiar to this so I'd do a search and see what I could find. One suggestion that always seems to be included is giving some kind of beach bag or carry on bag with all the little extras she'll need for the cruise; sunsreen, travel size essentials, drink coupons from Carnival, disposable waterproof camera,etc. A lot depends on what type excursion you think she might take.

 

I agree I'd tell her on her b'day so she has a little time to plan. On our last CC Roll Call we had a guy who surprised his girlfriend the night before we left. He told her at 9:00 PM the night before an 8 day cruise! None of us on the Roll Call could believe he was really waiting that long. Of course they're only 21 years old so they're pretty flexible. He at least told her they were going to the beach so she had already bought some new clothes that she was able to take on the trip. I personally think he cut it a little close but she was on cloud nine! If I were you're mother in law I would want at least a few days to get prepared!

 

This is a great gift - she'll be soooo excited!!!

[sodsmom]

Get a picture of the ship, cut out a picture of her and put it on the ship with a birthday greeting of something like foy your birthday present this year we are joining you on an exciting trip to blank blank blank and we hope it is a birthday you will never forget.

Wrap it up and give it to her on her birthday. Half the excitement is looking forward to it.

We did something similar to this.

I bought memory type boxes and the little boats you get for kids for in the bathtub. Pasted a carnival funnel on it. Then painted our ship name and itinerary on the ship. Nestled the ship in tissue with some shells. Decorated the box with fish and shell stickers then wrapped it. With the boat was a copy of the itinerary and a card saying they were invited to join us on our cruise.

Was great fun to watch them open up the boxes!:)

[dkb363]

With a group cruise, and lots of people who have never been on one, try to get ahold of the capers for the ship so people can have an idea of the different activities available. It's great to do things together - it's also great to get a break from each other. The kids generally have no problem - they manage to disappear on the ship immediately, only to be seen when food is available. Also, look at the shore excursions in advance in case different things appeal to different people. Have fun!!

[SmooCruise]

I would definately tell her on her birthday - maybe one of her presents could be a gift certificate for a manicure or pedi for the cruise if she is into that type of thing. For our group cruise this January I had can coolers made for the group.

 

where did you have those done at??? That's a cool idea!

[fllady61]

I did this. I went to www.vistaprint.com and got magnets for the cabin doors. Make sure you make them up and down because they will only stick on frame of the door.

 

Put your Cruise date, ship, and if you have a name for your group, put that on there as well. this gives each cabin a souvioner.

 

Make up a T-shirt design and have everyone make their own T-shirts with the same info on it.

 

These are just a few ideas.

 

Set up a meet and Greet place on Lido deck so as the group starts to arrive you can gather and chat. then get together one more time on the last day of the cruise for final pictures and get together.

 

Also.... have everyone send you a photo with names of who is going. Make you a roster to email everyone about a week before the cruise. this way, everyone has a copy and knows what everyone looks like. You can watch for them in the terminal, and once you get on board. Try to get the cabin numbers as well. Then the day before your final meet and greet, deliver an invitation to each cabin. (make them up ahead of time, or you will be hand writing them like I did).

 

 

Hope you can utilize these ideas. They worked great for us. If you get really close to some of them, exchange cell phone numbers so you can call them once on board.

 

Something you might consider also is make business cards with your name and address, phone, email, etc on it so when it comes to exchanging information, you can just whip out one of them and had it to your fellow cruisers be them from your group or just someone you meet and want to share info with.

[cathyoo]

There seems to always be a thread going with a topic similiar to this so I'd do a search and see what I could find.

 

Does the search work for you? Isn't hasn't worked for me in quite a while.

[w8ing2cruz]

I ordered them from beerkoozies dot com - needed to order a minimum of 12 but we all love them. If I can figure it out I'll post a picture.

[RJ7591]

Does the search work for you? Isn't hasn't worked for me in quite a while.

 

Yes - I just tried it and it worked. I have heard others say they were having problems though.

[momma5]

Thanks for all your great ideas! It's a lot to think about. After some talk, my husband and I agreed that we will tell her on her birthday, she's not the type to get her hair and nails done or dress up for that matter. I will take her on a shopping trip the day after her b-day to get her ready for the trip.

I love the idea about the meet and greet on the Lido deck! Is that something I can set up with Carnival or can I just let the group know where and when to meet up?

 

Thanks again for your help! We are so excited!

[RJ7591]

Thanks for all your great ideas! It's a lot to think about. After some talk, my husband and I agreed that we will tell her on her birthday, she's not the type to get her hair and nails done or dress up for that matter. I will take her on a shopping trip the day after her b-day to get her ready for the trip.

I love the idea about the meet and greet on the Lido deck! Is that something I can set up with Carnival or can I just let the group know where and when to meet up?

 

Thanks again for your help! We are so excited!

 

I've been involved in Meet & Greets on our last two cruises. Both were just held at a set time in a set place. The last one worked out great and was held at the Aft Pool Bar just after the Muster Drill. After that we set up a few more just to get together again. By doing this everyone just ordered what they wanted from the bar and there was no set amount that anyone had to pay.

 

As I understand it - If you have a group of 20 or more you can have a private lounge for something like $12.50 per person that is an open bar and "dry snacks" (I think that means bar mix - pretzels, peanuts etc) for one hour. This one you go thru Carnival and set up ahead of time.

 

I'd say the number of people, what type people and if you want to include children or not would determine which of these type M&G's is best for your group.

[fllady61]

we had nearly 25 or so in our group. We had a wonderful first day meeting, and an even better last day meeting. There we vowed to all get together at another time for a reunion cruise.