Jump to content

Family Reunion Cruise


TRacanoUK
 Share

Recommended Posts

Yes...let a travel agent handle the details! Pick a sail date and ship, inform everyone who to contact, and let an outsider work with each of your family members. If you do it yourself, bad feelings are going to happen, guaranteed.

 

Let each person book the cabin type and location that THEY want...let them be "in charge" of their own good time! First, it means more when you do it yourself, and secondly, if something goes wrong (and something will...it always does), they can't blame YOU!

 

I would perhaps plan some "family time", where the whole group could get together, but that's as far as I'd take it! I would simply invite them to contact the TA, and then enjoy their company on the ship!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Definitely pick a travel agent to handle the details. I think if you are from New Jersey- a great choice would be the Celebrity Summit to Bermuda, which sails out of Bayonne New Jersey. I think this one would appeal to a wide demographic because it caters to young and old. If your family is mostly from the East Coast- it's really accessible without airfare. The ship is docked for two days and two nights in Bermuda, which is an island with much to offer. I've done this one and loved it. Highly recommend.

Edited by rebeccalouiseagain
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Definitely use a TA.

Put together a list of choices date/ship and take a vote.

Do NOT have a row of contiguous balconies with the dividers opened :rolleyes:

Get together for dinner in the main dining room. Have fun separately or in small groups the rest of the time.

 

 

Sailing with groups has its fun points and its challenges.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

As others have said, use a travel agent. Ask them to create a group on the sailing you all choose. Depending on the cruise line, sailing and group size you can possibly get some extra benefits too. This also takes a lot of the pressure off of you so you can enjoy your vacation too.

 

Possibly have the agent arrange for the group to be seated together in the dining room if you want. You can arrange informal get togethers and if you want a special event/reception your travel agent can assist you in planning this with the cruise line.

 

We sailed with 50+ family & friends for our wedding and it was fantastic! We had a couple of get togethers (besides the wedding) and sat together in the dining room. Other than that everyone was free to do as little or as much as they wanted, either alone or with others from the group. By the end of the week everyone was requesting we do it again.

 

If you have a lot of family from the northeast, I'd recommend Royal Caribbean out of NJ (or Baltimore in the summer), especially if there are a lot of younger kids. Celebrity would be good as well. Norwegian sails from NY too. A travel agent can give you some suggestions based on your group.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This started as a reunion cruise.....now my daughter is getting married this year and it is a convenient opportunity to have all the family on this side of the country attend!

 

We are traveling on Carnival and have our Personal Vacation Planner (PVP) as the cruise point of contact. We listed her contact information on the Wedding Website and on the invitations: "Mark the Date".

 

Anyone interested in cruising with us can make their own reservations with the PVP and RSVP on the website their intention to travel with us. On the other hand we are allowed up to 50 non-traveling/cruising guests who can come on board for the wedding and reception!

 

As far as planning is concerned I think the cruise lines are accustomed to this and have lots of things well thought out and in place.

 

Have a great trip!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The only thing I would add is look at the price point so that as many family members as possible can make the trip. It is a delicate balance but, as many have stated, if you can cruise from a port that cuts out airfare for the majority of folks, it will be more affordable overall.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks All for the feedback! It's started out as a 50th bday cruise for my brother (bachelor) with just mine and my sisters families which wouldn't be a big deal, but then some cousins decided to jump on the bandwagon! My husband is starting to call it 'My Big Fat Family Vacation'!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...
Thanks All for the feedback! It's started out as a 50th bday cruise for my brother (bachelor) with just mine and my sisters families which wouldn't be a big deal, but then some cousins decided to jump on the bandwagon! My husband is starting to call it 'My Big Fat Family Vacation'!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

LOL - Same thing with my family. Last year it started as a vision for my sister's 40th birthday to have her whole family on a cruise with her. After a bit of research and democratic voting we booked the NCL Jewel out of New Orleans and are leaving next month. (21 days to be exact)

 

As others posted recommended I had everyone book directly with a TA so they could manage their room, payments, etc. Also just send them reminder e-mails to make monthly payments. Since we are all flying from the east coast we did let each other know our flights mostly so we could fly together and share transportation where schedules allowed.

 

For the cruise itself there are four ports. I booked two ports as group tours (mainly because it worked out cheaper and we all wanted to do the same stuff) and for the other two ports each family member/unit is on their own. We agreed the days at sea and the days we do not have tours together we would eat dinner as a group. The days we do tours together or are all together (ex. embarkation) everyone is responsible for figuring out dinner. The only non-negotiable dinner is formal night out. Everyone has to get dressed up so we can have a picture together.

 

Because of the size of our group (15 of us) I am responsible for getting us dinner reservations at the MDR as soon as we board.

 

Finally I provided an overall summary with tips about the boat and cruising (ex. bring post-its so we can leave notes for each other on our doors) from researching on Cruise Critic and a packing list as for some of them it is their first time cruising.

 

Happy Cruising and Good Luck!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
 Share

  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...