Group booking -how it works?

[SailnSki123]

Hi,

With a group booking does everyone in the group need to be ready to book at the same time? Or can guests join the group as we go?

I am soon ready to book the cruise and wedding, but my guests wont be ready to book yet as I haven't even told them about it yet. How does group booking work?

Any help is appreciated. Thanks!

[LilBlackDress]

I can't answer specifically how it works, but no you do not have to book at the same time. If you are going through a TA it can be helpful if all parties use the same TA but again not necessary.

I would really ask a TA for all the info - all the perks etc.

[Host Caroline]

A reputable travel agent can give you all details re group perks, minimum cabins... this is your best, definitive source as "groups" policy varies among cruise lines and things can change (not after you book, but just the cruise line policy in general)...

[Lipz]

We booked our cabin last month and just booked our kids (21 & 14) cabin this past Friday. We are using a TA and have recommended that everyone use the same person to help keep us more organized but we also told our guest that if they book any where cheaper than go for it. I've heard two stories about this though.... I've heard you can give your guest your group booking # so that if they book with someone else they can still be considered part of our group....and I've also heard that they can only be part of our group if they book with our TA as well.

As it stands now no one has booked but us either way.

We are going with NCL and to be considered a group we have to have 8 cabins booked with 2 persons per cabin. So basically 16 people make a group. They use a points system and we are told this will be a 4 point cruise if we get the 16 people. These points can then be used for OBC for guest, gifts, a cocktail party, etc...Also, if we get the 16 people we get one free birth,which means we can have someone come that will just have to pay the taxes & port charges.

These are things I've heard via the TA & on CC. However, as we get closer I'll confirm things since I am not sure we will even have the 16 people. So far we only have 4.

[bmoore09]

I started my group booking about 2 weeks ago. All I had to do was put the deposit down on my room and told them how many cabins to hold for us at that price.
They were actually able to hold 11 cabins for me for 30 days, which I found awesome. This gave us ample time to contact everyone and give them our group booking number and for them to think about coming. And they said even if we don't get all 11 filled everyone's price would be honored. So far we have 8 with 2 weeks to go. I've already upped the room hold once and may have to do it again. I was even told that extending the deadline can be done.
I assume I was able to get the hold for 30 days since our wedding isn't until May 2011. Make sure you call the group bookings phone # though. I made the mistake of calling the regular booking number, and while the agent was nice he insisted he could only hold a few rooms for a mere 48 hours. I hung up with him, called Groups booking and they accommodated me.
What we did was called the wedding dept and put a 48 hour hold on the package we wanted for our cruise. We then called the groups booking phone number, booked our rooms and got our group booking number. Then we called the Weddings department back and gave them the booking number and paid for the wedding in full.
I've been told 2 weeks is more standard for a timeframe for holding rooms. But if your wedding is further away you can get away with longer. Some agents told me one thing, and others told me another. Make sure you mention you want the longest hold possible. This was important to us so that our family had more time to decide to come.
Hope this helps! Feel free to PM me with any questions. (Oh, btw, this is for Carnival) :-)

[chloe31]

We opened a group booking as soon as our cruise was available. Which was the end of March. We will not be getting married until Nov of 2011 which is over a year away! They were able to give us a block of rooms which they held for 30 days, and we were able to extend it an extra 30 days. But past that they would not hold the rooms with out us putting down a deposit on each room.
What we have told our guests now is that they can still book through the group booking which they will get the perks and automatically link to our dinner and wedding party. But if it is easier for them to book online that they could do that to.
So basically here is what Carnival has told me in.... they will hold rooms for a max of 60days with no deposit as long as your sailing is far enough off. Once your group booking has expired your guests can still book through the group, but it will be at the published rate. If your guests look online and see a rate they like such as early saver be sure to have them ask for that rate by name when calling.
If you have any other questions please let me know. I have been dealing with the Carnival Group department alot and would be happy to telll you what I;ve learned.

[JerseyNess]

We're using our TA. She secured us a black of rooms and gave us a list of different cabins and pricing. The price includes taxes, fees, $100 on board credit and a bottle of wine. She has a best price guarantee and if anone finds a better price, she will honor it.

We've directed everyone to her for booking. People can book when ever they want. We have a set amount of rooms, and they dont "expire." When the rooms run out, they run out.

I would suggest you find a TA in your area that you can sit and talk with and use them for all your travel for you & your guests. Good Luck!

[SailnSki123]

Thanks everyone! This has been super helpful. Unfortunately when I called group bookings, they told me they had no more group space available for my April cruise. Anyone else run into this?

[Host Caroline]

April is a prime cruising month with spring breaks and possibly Easter (not sure when that is in '11)... usually for a group that time of year you need to call groups 10-18 months out... depending on ship, cruise line etc; very unusual to find group space this close in for that time frame.

[Lipz]

Originally Posted by Host Caroline

April is a prime cruising month with spring breaks and possibly Easter (not sure when that is in '11)... usually for a group that time of year you need to call groups 10-18 months out... depending on ship, cruise line etc; very unusual to find group space this close in for that time frame.

Do you a think a TA would be able to get a group booked for her?

[Host Caroline]

Frankly I doubt it.. you could book the people as individuals or possibly if it was a ship that wasn't selling well, they'd open a group but the holding of cabins for reduced deposits etc. would not apply this close in.. I have not been TA for 10 yrs so not as 'up' on stuff as I once was.