How to organize a group cruise

[hoogie]

How would one go about organizing or finding an existing group cruise. I'm interested in promoting one in our neghborhood for next april school vacation. Anyone who has done this, is it a real hassle or can you just let carnival handle it all?

Thanks,

Hoog

I would strongly suggest going to a travel agent. YOu get the people to go, and they will take care of all the paperwork and payments. You should reap the benefits of the earned credits such as the comp cabin based on how many you have cruising with you. http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif

"Sea ya"
~~~Cat~~~

[Host Randy]

As a former TA, I would agree...It's a lot of work to do your own and do it right.....BUT.....if you want to promote it on Cruise Critic among our nearly 100,000 members then click this link below to find out how.

How to plan a CC Group Cruise (http://www.cruisecritic.com/interests/groupleader.cfm)

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[almitra]

OP, I have considered doing this for our church....I still may..... http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_razz.gif


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[L2J]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by hoogie:
How would one go about organizing or finding an existing group cruise. I'm interested in promoting one in our neghborhood for next april school vacation.

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Will you please let me know what ship and sail date you choose. Thanks.

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Until the Valor Vampires


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NCL Sky 2/02

[SUSANITA]

There are alot of things to consider when planning a group cruise. You should start by finding out what is MOST important to the people that you are cruising with. For some, it's price. For others it's embarkation port. For some, the deciding factor is ports of call. Some can only cruise during certain times of the year, others may have family obligations during the time you want to sail. It would be a good idea to get everyone together and ask their opinion, this way, you may have a better turn out. However, all you may get from that is 27 different opinions!! http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif Be prepared to make an executive decision regarding ship/date/itinerary. You could make this decision in advance, and just "present" it to them as the cruise you ARE planning.

Once you have decided which cruise you want to take (it may be a good idea to have several dates in mind, pricing and also cruise "perks" can very greatly from one week to the next), then you should contact your TA for pricing. Group cruises are handled very differently than individually booked cruises. You can call around for rates, but I've found that when planning a group it's ESPECIALLY important that you have a good relationship with your TA. Price is NOT the most important thing. This person will become your new "best friend" for awhile, make sure it's someone you trust and can work with! You'll find that the people in your group change their minds frequently about cabin location, category, adding people to their cabin, etc..., and you'll need a patient, experienced TA.
A TA that has experience booking groups is important as well.

You'll be offered some ammenities for your group (free cocktail party, shipboard credit, champagne and chocolates in your cabin, etc...), and you also have the opportunity to "earn" one free berth for every 8 berths booked. Or, you can sometimes "trade" this for more group ammenities, or for an added discount for the entire group. Know your options!!! Remember to ask about change fees, cancellation fees, shipping fees for documents, etc..., try to find a TA that doesn't charge these extra fees. One thing with a group cruise is that occasionally several people will jump on the band wagon and book, then find that they actually can't go. You don't want them to be charged cancellation fees. Be sure to negotiate all this stuff upfront with your TA, you don't want to negotiate a rate for 20 cruisers, and end up with 250 cruisers and wish you had negotiated better. http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif

Some TA's will allow people to begin holding their cabins with a minimum deposit of $25-$50 per person for a double occupancy cabin. This is a great way to get people interested in the cruise! Some TA's will only do this for a couple of months, some will hold your cabins with a $25 deposit until close to final payment time!! ASK!!! Have your cruisers call the TA directly to book their cabin, you don't want to be responsible for doing that.

Then the fun starts!! You can plan all kinds of great events for your group! Get the cruisers involved, some people love to jump right in and choose a responsibility on the cruise (for example, door decorating contest judges, private excursion planner, logo designer, etc...). I planned a group of 250 people, if I didn't have help, I could not have done it. You may also need to find a hotel for the people that are flying in a day or two early. It's FUN to kick off the cruise together at a meet and greet party at the hotel!! Plan several events for your group, but don't go overboard, it can be alot of work, and people will want to relax on their vacation as well! Some fun events to think about would be a "themed" party, scavenger hunt, door decorating contest, etc...

Set up a private chat site for your group, and hold weekly scheduled chat times. Set up a private website to post cruise information. It's a great way to keep everyone updated, and a great way to get to know each other! Monthly newsletters are very popular too, and you can include info on the hotels, private excursions, parties, etc...

You'll probably find that most of the people will want to keep cruising with the group, so be prepared to be a GL for a long time!!! http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif I love group cruising, it really enhances the whole cruising experience, if done properly.

Being a Group leader involves alot more than just choosing a date and booking the cruise. Sure, that might be sufficient to just get it started, but to have a FUN, successful group cruise takes a TON of work, and sometimes $$$ out of your own pocket. If you aren't up for the work, then you may want to reconsider. http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif

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[jimmy627]

AMEN!

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[Brneyznfl]

Great post Sue!

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Next Cruise! Miracle 2/13/05

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[hoogie]

Thanks everyone for the insight.

doulasue- very informative, thank you.

Lots to consider now.

hoog