Thread: Family Reunion Cruise experiences, etc.

Am considering cruise on Rccl out of Ft. Lauderdale Thanksgiving week 2008 5 days or Christmas week 2008 out of Miami for 4 days. There are going to be 21-25 of us, mostly adults. Am also considering NCl Christmas week 2008 for 5 days as alternative, just concerned about freestyle dining with a party that large. Have to travel during peak season due to half the family being teachers! Any input would be greatly appreciated!

I have done family cruises with groups that large. We didn't have the freestyle eating though. However, at lunch or breakfast we didn't have a problem being seated all together. You need to have the whole group together when they are ready to seat you.

Did you cruise off season?

There have been three family cruises and they are Jan - March time frame.

We've done many family reunion cruises ranging from a group of 13 who get together every year, to 25-50, and even one that had 85 - all with same last name! What a hoot that was. In fact, one of the groups had 32 people from all over the world - India, Australia, England, Germany, and all over the States, some as far away as California. And, if you can believe this, they all came together for a 3-night cruise!

We've done many groups, one as large as 365, but these weren't family reunions, just groups with a common link.

When putting together groups, especially family reunions, the best advice I can offer is for you to make a decision as to where you're going and when, and then let everyone know what the plan is. Because if you try to please everyone, it'll cause you a huge nightmare. If you're planning that far away, which is the best way to do it when going for the holidays, people who want to go will make arrangements.

As for which cruise line to go with, RCCL does groups very well - most of the groups we've done have been on RCCL. NCL is good, but you have to make special arrangements ahead of time for dinner because of their 'anytime dining'.

Usually, most groups do not plan to eat breakfast and lunch together, preferring instead to do their own thing or just do it with a few others since everyone has different needs and timetables.

But you should also plan for some get-together time, like reserving a conference room. You can do this without any special arrangements or add beverages or food.

Special shore excursions just for your group can be reserved, which is another great way for the group to do something together, if you'd like.

There are many many things you can do, but the key is early planning and electing one person to make the decisons.

After putting together alot of these, I can tell you that there is nothing more fun than a family reunion on board a ship! You don't have to worry about where you're going to stay, where you're going to eat, who's going to drive, if the restaurant is able to handle a big group, etc, etc. Doing it on a ship, in my opinion, is the only way to go.

Pete

Great points Pete.
I'd like to add just one thing, you should have just one person
to coordinate with. If you try to please everyone in the group,
you will most certainly create a monster.

Reggie

Great reminder, Reggie!

That's probably the most important thing about groups - elect one person to be the leader and let them make all the decisions. Saves everyone alot of time and trouble.

Some agents will only talk to the group leader and refuse to talk to anyone in the group. I'm just the opposite; I let everyone in the group know my phone number and email address so they can contact me directly with any questions or problems. This way there is no third party involved and things don't get miscommunicated. I'll also require an email address for everyone, so when asked a good question, I can respond to everyone at the same time and that way I don't get the same question asked many times.

With larger groups, I actually set up a website just for them so everyone can see what's going on, who's going, what cabin everyone is in, the itinerary, and any announcements. Makes it much easier and keeps everyone in the loop.

Pete

I think when choosing the TA you use for a large group you should consider a couple of things. Like Pete has said he communicates with each person. I think that is important. This way each person can set what cabin they want. They can also decide what seating they want. And if they want airfare and insurance they can take care of those options.

Another thing that is important is to give the group leader all the options available as benefits for the group. Then have the group leader take that to the group to decide what benefits best suit the group and then that group leader can take that back to the TA. This way as far as benifits such as chocolates to each cabin are related as a whole. The group leader would also be able to advise the TA of any of the group that has special needs. Or any special occasions that need to be celebrated.