Family Reunion Cruise

[crawford]

Working on a family reunion cruise in 2023, up to 50 in attendance ranging in age from 1 year to 80.

Any insights on why I should choose Royal Caribbean (i.e. cost, perks, etc.)

Experiences with reunion cruises would be greatly appreciated!

[broadwaybaby123]

Royal Caribbean appeals to a wide variety of ages, whereas some other cruise lines appeal to a very specific age group.  Plus there are several perks included, including activities that can suit anyone's needs and abilities.

[Markanddonna]

We had a blast on the Anthem. I'm over seventy and did the Ripcord by Ifly, the Northstar, danced every night, played games, etc  My husband did the dodgem cars. Fun! More options like this than many other ships. 

 

Make sure you all have an agreement on expectations. Most of the day should be free from group expectations. 

Edited June 1, 2022 by Markanddonna

[Gretchendz]

What @broadwaybaby123 said.  Also, if your group is that large, I suggest you work with a travel advisor who does cruise groups.  They can set up a special webpage for family members to get all the info, provide information on their needs, and facilitate payments, etc. for you.  Also, I assume you know that, depending on how many cruise cabins are booked, you will be eligible for extra perks and/or savings (although this is not exclusive to RCCL--most lines do this.). Depending on what you want and size of group, you can probably have a special party or reception, for example.

 

I think cruises are great choices for family reunions--there's something for everyone.

[cynt]

I have a group cruise with Royal scheduled in the fall. We started the process directly with Royal group cruises in July 2021. We are a small group of 17 and 10 cabins.  That's the main reason I decided to do it directly with Royal. It's a small group and I can handle it.

 

If I had a group as large as yours I would definitely take advantage of a TA group cruise specialist who could meet and exceed my expectations. 

 

Food for thought.

As the group leader BE FLEXIBLE.  Life happens. We've had 3 people and 2 cabins cancel. As of today we still have one person on the fence and another person that has been sick and we don't know if he'll be able to cruise. 

 

Know and understand the group cruise policy and procedures. 

 

It is hard work organizing and maintaining a group cruise. You have to be on your game. Which is why if my group was as large as yours, I would use a TA that specializes in group cruises.

 

To your group, YOU ARE THE EXPERT. Learn as much as you can and defer to the website for specifics like covid protocol, documentation,  etc. You do not want to be responsible for someone not bringing the correct documents. 

 

Zoom calls with your group is a must. Review all the Royal emails and contracts on the zoom calls. Plus all the other cruise stuff as well i.e. gratuities,  transportation, taxis, pre and post hotel, excursions, etc. Make an itinerary for the cruise.

 

Let everyone do what they want to do on the ship and for excursions. Only must do together for us is a special dinner at a specialty restaurant and a family picture that evening. We are stressing to everyone this is your vacation do what you want to do. 

 

We selected Symphony because of the many neighborhoods and fun things to do for everyone. Plus 4 ports on a 7 day cruise is a bonus. They have numerous free eating places so no one should go hungry. The ship is large enough that we might not see you until debarkation.

 

Happy cruise shopping. I hope it all works out for you. 

[crawford]

23 hours ago, cynt said:

I have a group cruise with Royal scheduled in the fall. We started the process directly with Royal group cruises in July 2021. We are a small group of 17 and 10 cabins.  That's the main reason I decided to do it directly with Royal. It's a small group and I can handle it.

 

If I had a group as large as yours I would definitely take advantage of a TA group cruise specialist who could meet and exceed my expectations. 

 

Food for thought.

As the group leader BE FLEXIBLE.  Life happens. We've had 3 people and 2 cabins cancel. As of today we still have one person on the fence and another person that has been sick and we don't know if he'll be able to cruise. 

 

Know and understand the group cruise policy and procedures. 

 

It is hard work organizing and maintaining a group cruise. You have to be on your game. Which is why if my group was as large as yours, I would use a TA that specializes in group cruises.

 

To your group, YOU ARE THE EXPERT. Learn as much as you can and defer to the website for specifics like covid protocol, documentation,  etc. You do not want to be responsible for someone not bringing the correct documents. 

 

Zoom calls with your group is a must. Review all the Royal emails and contracts on the zoom calls. Plus all the other cruise stuff as well i.e. gratuities,  transportation, taxis, pre and post hotel, excursions, etc. Make an itinerary for the cruise.

 

Let everyone do what they want to do on the ship and for excursions. Only must do together for us is a special dinner at a specialty restaurant and a family picture that evening. We are stressing to everyone this is your vacation do what you want to do. 

 

We selected Symphony because of the many neighborhoods and fun things to do for everyone. Plus 4 ports on a 7 day cruise is a bonus. They have numerous free eating places so no one should go hungry. The ship is large enough that we might not see you until debarkation.

 

Happy cruise shopping. I hope it all works out for you. 

Some great insights here. Thank you! Zoom calls are a great idea, as we're in multiple states.

[trey420]

Just got off a family cruise. I was pretty much the lead on this we didn't zoom but everyone was in a group conversation via text.  I think the text is good as everyone can go back and review instead of asking the questions again you can also send links to info people are looking for.  I chose royal for the extra activities like slides and rock wall, family is mostly young adults not kids.  I also liked the itinerary they had for that cruise. 

Edited June 2, 2022 by trey420