Thread: Benefit of "group cruising"

I've been on a few cruises, a few with just me and my family and a couple as a part of a group. I was wondering what perks does the leader of the group receive? On the cruise I just took in February, the group leader gave me $100.00 for booking with her. I am about to plan a cruise for next Easter and I know I'm going to have a lot of cabins. (Carnival Triumph) Advise would be greatly appreciated!

Originally Posted by packard89

I've been on a few cruises, a few with just me and my family and a couple as a part of a group. I was wondering what perks does the leader of the group receive? On the cruise I just took in February, the group leader gave me $100.00 for booking with her. I am about to plan a cruise for next Easter and I know I'm going to have a lot of cabins. (Carnival Triumph) Advise would be greatly appreciated!

First, you need to define "a lot".

As for group benefits, they vary by cruise line and by sailing date, as well as by how far ahead you book the group. Some sailings will offer groups a discount on the base rates, others will not. Most cruise lines assign some number of "amenity points" to each sailing, and the TA can use those points for many things. Those range from further discounting the fares, on board credits, gifts, and more. The number of points varies based on how hard a sell the cruise line thinks they will have. The easier the sell, the less the points.

Most cruise lines offer what is known as Tour Conductor (TC) credits on a 1 for 15 basis. What this means is that for every 15 full fare passengers, you get 1 passenger free. Note that this is only the base cruise fare that is free. It does not include the "Non-Commissioned Fare" which use to be called Port Charges, but now includes other fees too (though the cruise lines do not itemize this further). It also does not include the taxes. So the free passenger still has to pay those two fees. It is for these credits that I ask you to define "a lot". The 1 for 15 ratio means a minimum of 8 cabins to get a TC.

For many groups, the value of the TC is spread among the group to reflect a lower overall price. For others, the group leader keeps it. For some groups, the TA keeps the value as extra commission because of the work involved in handling the group. Some cruise lines have lower ratio's for TCs and even the bigger cruise lines will sometimes offer lower ratios for select sailings.

If you are the group leader, you should work with your TA to find out what group prices are available, how many amenity points, what they will be used for, and how TCs will be supplied. Since you mentioned an Easter Cruise, be aware that Holiday sailings of any kind tend to have less benefits, as those cruises tend to sell very well. The cruise line doesn't need to do as much to sell out the ship as for say a Caribbean cruise in mid-September (peak hurricane season).

Steve, thanks for your detailed response.

I hope Kirsten will be back with some more info and you will be able to delve deeper into the "mystery" (to us laymen) of group cruising.

I am a group leader here on CLF and when we have enough credits for a free berth or cabin, we have not taken the free berth or cabin, we use it to get the group extras, for example a free meal in a specialty restaurant for the group. I think all TA's and group leaders do diiferent things. As a group leader here I get zip, only included in what the group gets.

Originally Posted by sue miller

I am a group leader here on CLF and when we have enough credits for a free berth or cabin, we have not taken the free berth or cabin, we use it to get the group extras, for example a free meal in a specialty restaurant for the group. I think all TA's and group leaders do diiferent things. As a group leader here I get zip, only included in what the group gets.

Yes, that is because you give it back to the group!!! LOL....

As a group leader you really need to discuss with the TA your options. Some agents will not give you the "free fare" if you meet the requirements. I do, for the cabins the group leader brings in.... I also will promote the group ....

Good luck with your plans.

Dolores

Originally Posted by djgifford

Yes, that is because you give it back to the group!!! LOL....

That's what I meant by,

For many groups, the value of the TC is spread among the group to reflect a lower overall price.

Originally Posted by djgifford

Yes, that is because you give it back to the group!!! LOL....

As a group leader you really need to discuss with the TA your options. Some agents will not give you the "free fare" if you meet the requirements. I do, for the cabins the group leader brings in.... I also will promote the group ....

Good luck with your plans.

Dolores

I do nothing until we discuss it, I feel we do this together, I do love the totes tho

Originally Posted by thevacationstop

That's what I meant by,

Yes I took it that way. the group comes first Your explanation was on the money

Steve described it very nicely.

The best thing is to work with your agent and have them describe all the things that are available to your group.

Sometimes the cruise line will offer group specials to lower the 1 for 15 Tour Credit (TC), depending on the time of year and what's available. Other times, the cruise line is not allowing any groups, which means you can still book the cabins but won't get any group amenities. Or it's possible that they have already sold their allocated group space.

As was stated, the 1 for 15 TC is not really a 'free cruise', as is often misunderstood. And it's based on the major number of cabins sold. For example; if you purchased 4 inside cabins, 6 oceanview cabins, and 5 balcony cabins, the TC would be based on the basic cruise fare for the oceanview cabin (not counting non-commissionables and taxes). This TC can be used towards the payment of the cruise for the group leader or used to decrease the cost of everyone's cruise - your choice, not the agent's.

Each cruise line offers different options for groups, so it's best to check each of them out to determine which one works best for you.

Best advice is to plan as early as possible to insure you get the best pricing and amenities for your group. There are alot of things to consider and it's best to work with someone who has alot of experience with groups as they can often be extremely challenging, especially to those not use to handling groups.

And there are also those who book group space that you can book into and still get all the advantages of a group without actually having a group yourself. For example; (and I'm not trying to toot our horn - just giving an example) but Cruise Planners pre-books over 30,000 cabins annually into group space. Should you book one of those cabins, you get all the group amenities even though you are only booking one cabin. So, sometimes it can benefit you to check around and see who has group space already booked. This can be especially important if all the group space has been sold and you can't get any group amenities because it's too late.

Pete

Kristen, For you to have your own self-promoting group, you need a minimum of eight cabins. The groups that I work with determine the use of the points for there cruise and they are able to use the "free berths" as they see fit for that group. If you have the eight cabins, it is to your advantage to book a group reservation.

If you have any other questions, don't hesitate to post in this thread, any of the agents on this board will be more than happy to answer your questions.

Vickie