Thread: Booking a Group

I am in charge of planning a family reunion cruise. Am I better off booking it as a group or having everyone book themselves. Are there any real benifits to booking as a group with Royal Caribbean?

Originally Posted by MaryKLady

I am in charge of planning a family reunion cruise. Am I better off booking it as a group or having everyone book themselves. Are there any real benifits to booking as a group with Royal Caribbean?

You betMaryK.. depending on the date of the sailing and the number of cabins .. it could be to your advantage to do so..

Originally Posted by MaryKLady

I am in charge of planning a family reunion cruise. Am I better off booking it as a group or having everyone book themselves. Are there any real benifits to booking as a group with Royal Caribbean?

If you book as a group, there may be amenity points available to your group. At the very least, you would be able to get the tour conductors, if you have 16 or more passengers.

If you are unfamiliar with the workings of a group, I would suggest you contact a travel agent that has experience dealing with cruise groups. You will not pay any more using a travel agent than you would going directly through the cruise line, but the headaches you could save are immeasurable.

Good lulck !!

We specialize in groups and have booked many many groups ranging in size from 20 to 360, so trust me when I say it's always better to book it as a group than to have everyone book their own cabins individually.

And always book through an agent and not through the cruise line; they will take better care of you and make sure you get everything they can for your group.

And while often the prices for groups with RCCL are not discounted, they do offer amenities to make group bookings a better experience and depending on the ship and sail date, the Group Amenity Points (GAP) can be used to adjust the pricing, provide onboard credit, or other options.

Cruising was made for family reunions! It's always great working with the families. Couple of suggestions; plan on a get-together one night before dinner. Your agent can get your a complimentary room, such as a conference room, along with free audio/video equipment so everyone can bring their pictures, dvd's, etc. and share them with the family. Makes for a wonderful evening, especially if you combine it with a cocktail party.

Also, plan at least one special family shore excursion at one of the ports. You can book an independent group tour that will be just for your family. It's a great way to spend some time together. And do not book this through the cruise line; you'll save money if you work with your agent to book an independent tour.

There are lots of ways to have fun and lots of things to do to make it a very memorable cruise for the entire family. But as was suggested, find a reputable agent who specializes in cruises and in groups.

Pete