Family Reunions on HAL - Any Advice?

[PirateShark]

Hi all,

 

We have a group of 6 so far (with probably between 6 and 10 more to go - total of 8 cabins max) which I know may not qualify as a "group". That will not deter us however :D

 

Have booked the Oosterdam for the occassion in 2010 in Alaska, RT from Seattle. We are currently looking for suggestions on how to arrange dining for that group at the same time in the MDR and the Pinnacle. The "must do" shore excursions, etc. If it helps, DH and I have booked an SC for the occassion so that there is ample balcony for the crew to "hang out" so if the Neptune Lounge can help, that would be a plus.

 

Thank you ahead of time for any insight and I'll check back in over the weekend!

[clogaltocruise]

You have already made some great choices. Alaska is an awesome destination for all ages. Your suite will definitely be the hub. You will have a wonderful location for gatherings before dinner, etc. You can request hor d'oeuvres from the Neptune Concierge before noon to be delivered anytime after 5:00 to your cabin. Also, being in a suite enables you to reserve fixed early or late seating at a table large enough (10) for your group. HAL tries to accomodate their suite guests requests.

 

We had 28 for our parents' 50th anniversary. It was a wonderful vacation with memories to last a very long time. I wish you the same. Enjoy the planning and the trip!

[ANSalberg]

Hi all,

 

We have a group of 6 so far (with probably between 6 and 10 more to go - total of 8 cabins max) which I know may not qualify as a "group". That will not deter us however :D

 

Have booked the Oosterdam for the occassion in 2010 in Alaska, RT from Seattle. We are currently looking for suggestions on how to arrange dining for that group at the same time in the MDR and the Pinnacle. The "must do" shore excursions, etc. If it helps, DH and I have booked an SC for the occassion so that there is ample balcony for the crew to "hang out" so if the Neptune Lounge can help, that would be a plus.

 

Thank you ahead of time for any insight and I'll check back in over the weekend!

 

We've taken our family on a cruise [ we are the older generation NOW] and we went as the middle generation 30 years ago with our teenagers/DH parents. So this is some emotional advice. Don't even TRY to control much of the cruise or daily activities. ENJOY the togetherness but realize it won't be a constant [nor should it be!] And have a MARVELOUS cruise!!!!!!

[lstrong]

We had 4 generations together for our parents' 50th Anniversary. Wonderful experience! I agree with above poster to not over organize. We had two large tables together in the dinning room. This was our designated daily time together. If we wanted to meet up for "happy hour" we had a designated lounge and/or room for that. Excursions were not all-inclusive due to age differences, etc. We did have t-shirts made up before the cruise with parents' picture, etc. printed which we all wore when boarding. The lime green color made it easy to find each other :) Cruising with family is wonderful.

[schwabby]

I'd have my travel agent set up a group. When you set up a group, you qualify for some shipboard amenities and, if you get 16 people, one gets their cabin fare free. If you don't get 16, you still get the group amenities and you get to fill out a group dining request and can have group services do a special dining time for the Pinnacle Grill. Cabins that have already been booked can be put into the group.

 

Good luck and have a great cruise.:o

[airlink diva]

You have already made some great choices. Alaska is an awesome destination for all ages. Your suite will definitely be the hub. You will have a wonderful location for gatherings before dinner, etc. You can request hor d'oeuvres from the Neptune Concierge before noon to be delivered anytime after 5:00 to your cabin. Also, being in a suite enables you to reserve fixed early or late seating at a table large enough (10) for your group. HAL tries to accomodate their suite guests requests.

 

We had 28 for our parents' 50th anniversary. It was a wonderful vacation with memories to last a very long time. I wish you the same. Enjoy the planning and the trip!

 

In 2004 my family had our family reunion on a cruise (not on HAL),but alot of the things that my mother and her sister did to make it a success can work regardless of what cruiseline.

The first thing that they did was get a good travel agent that handle alot of cruises with that line. She was hold cabins in a block, tie in dinner reservations, get a small conference room set aside for family meetings,etc. The end result was all those who wanted inside,outside and balcony cabins were either next door to each other or a few cabins down. The three families that wanted connecting cabins request was handled. She was really a big help on making things so smooth.

The next, set up a basic website for everyone to check for updates,info,votes,etc. This was helpful because we had people coming from all over the USA for the cruise. Suggestions for tours,hotels,changes and anything else was placed here. The family did one tour all together and everyone voted on this one. For the other ports, tours geared towards sightseeing, water sports,beach time were posted and links to book under our family name were placed. When a change in hotels happen, it was posted on the website.

With the exception of the cruise air (the only complaint that everyone that purchased this had), the cruise was a big hit. We had from a six month baby to my grandmother and great aunt in their 80's on the cruise. On one of the sea days, they had a family meeting in a small conference room and on formal night a greet and photo session. The travel agent was able to assist my mother on having packages placed in each cabin (family t-shirts,mugs, cheese plates,etc).

The teens loved the club and lido (esp my male cousins, they were in heaven!!) and the stingray tour, my mother and her sisters loved that there was no cleaning,cooking and stress of having a houseful of people. They also loved the spa time and the shopping trip tour in one of the ports. My grandmother and her sister loved being pampered and doted upon by the crew (esp the dining staff! The waiter stated she reminded him of her his mother and called her momma). Everyone was happy and thought it was the best reunion.

 

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Now playing: Wayman Tisdale - Creative Juices

via FoxyTunes

 

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Now playing: Wayman Tisdale - Creative Juices

via FoxyTunes

[PirateShark]

Some absolutely wonderful food for thought! We're not a real organized group to begin with but do want to ensure we dine at the same time and it sounds like the NL will take good care of us. The only other activities to plan are sail away (done) and going to The Hanger in Juneau for a King Crab Leg Feed (and done). Other than that, it's meet at dinner and enjoy. And yes, the first thing we did was get one TA to organize the whole thing. We are already reserved in our SC and a couple of adjoining VA's - anyone else going may want to avoid the area :p We are laughing type loud but perfectly harmless...

[Mrs. Mac]

We did a Thanksgiving Cruise on the Oosterdam in 2007. It was fabulous, there were 24 of us ranging in age from 8 to 80. We had three tables all next to each other and each night the seating arrangement was a little different. The kids seemed to gravitate to their own table which they loved! We have done this 3 times now and we always have a great time.

 

We usually set up one excursion that everybody does, and then usually there are two or three different things going on in the other ports. In Cabo San Lucas we all went on a catamaran snorkel sail that worked for all ages. This summer in Alaska we all did a whale watching excursion together that also worked well for all ages.

 

You will have a great time and the Oosterdam works well for this type of cruise.

[lilrainy]

We just returned from an alaskan family cruise (14 of us ages 7-80) r/t seattle on the Westerdam, we had an aft sc cabin, a really nice balcony to share some of the scenery with the family on, especially since it was on deck five and completely covered. We did have hor d'oeuvres ordered from the neptune lounge once when sailing glacier bay and hot choclate for everyone. We did not use the neptune lounge much as it was a long way from the back of the ship. We had two tables next to each other at dinner and switched around a little. The best excursions we did together were in Juneau, whale watching and helicopter dog sledding, we were all on the glacier together, unforgetable. In Ketchikan we booked a small bus and went on a three hour tour together in the morning. Alaska is beautiful and it was so nice to share it with our family.Enjoy

loraine

[suse]

Hope you have a grand time! Just don't discuss politics.:) I always get in trouble with that one.

[PirateShark]

We will neither talk about politics or religion as our family has too much diversity to fall into that trap ;) I do like the idea of a glacier excursion - wonder if I can get one that is appropriate for all ages and physical limitations.

[scopewest]

I envy people who have huge families they can travel with, even if it can be a headache at times! What fun!

[JAMS1]

We gathered our grown daughters, their husbands and my parents for a family Cruise to Mexico 8 of us in total. Some days we went our own way, others we took excursions or just walked around the port cities together. Always coming together for an early dinner to share our day's experiences and then the evening show. It was a wonderful vacation. No one was the host, now dishes to wash a real vacation together.

 

You should get a good rate and some bonus benefits from your travel agent for the group booking. we did, on board credit, wine, photo's & goodies.

 

On our first cruise we met a family who has having a reunion on board, one of the mothers with 4 children said," it was her first real vacation, since she married, the children were entertained, she and her husband had time together, normally their vacations were "Just a change of sink."

[Nutrioso]

Remember that if your travel agent books you as a group, you earn points per cabin. You can use the points to get gratis Pinnacle Grill meals, canape plates in the cabins, group photos, etc. They have quite a list of things to choose from. Helps keep the group cohesive but not too organized. And everybody feels very special. ----Penny

[juliecat]

Remember that if your travel agent books you as a group, you earn points per cabin. You can use the points to get gratis Pinnacle Grill meals, canape plates in the cabins, group photos, etc. They have quite a list of things to choose from. Helps keep the group cohesive but not too organized. And everybody feels very special. ----Penny

 

How large of a group do you need to have to get the benes?

 

Cheers,

J