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I am in the mist of planning our family “reunion” cruise for next year, and figured I might as well share my planning process. These tips will help to ensure a good time on your next multi-generational family vacation. I’ve planned family and group travels before (usually no more than 10 people), and the foundational planning is the same. These tips, although specific to our upcoming family cruise can be used for other group planning adventures as well.
Send Out Feelers
Get an idea and hint to the family that you are planning a family trip, and see what responses you get. Do this by sending a group text or making a few calls. At first, just do this with a couple of people who you know will likely attend to get feedback and go from there.
Research the Cruise Lines
I’ve only been on two cruise lines. Royal Caribbean and Carnival. I plan to explore other cruise lines in the near future, but based on my family’s preferences, I decided to book with Royal Caribbean. Choosing a cruise line can be dependent on many things such as budget, duration, promotions, and the type of vibe you are looking for.
Select the Departure Port
Make sure to choose a cruise port that is most convenient for most of the members to fly into. Every cruise I’ve been on so far, has left out of a city in Florida. Just make sure whichever port you choose makes sense for your family.
Set a Budget
If no one can afford the cruise, people will not participate, so you have to be realistic here. Consider the cost of the cruise, flights, and any other expenses such as shore excursions and dining or drink packages.
Choose a Date
Let the family know which cruise line you decided on and the best dates available base on your budget. Make sure you choose a date that doesn’t conflict with any special events or holidays. Be mindful of school schedules. I literally had to hit up all the parents in my family and ask about dates for school break.
Get the Group Hype!
This is my favorite part of planning! I like put together an invite or save-the-date flyer or something to hype the group up and let them know that a time will be had! I used Paperless Post to create a digital flyer for our family cruise. I just like the interface and RSVP tracking features on Paperless Post, but there are several online invite sites you can use to create a theme to get your family excited to cruise.
Create a Shared Document
I use Google Sheets. This is useful for communicating all of the details. Use this to track payments, travel documents, and any other important information that is needed for the cruise.
Collect Payment
With cruise lines, you usually pay a deposit and then you can either pay in full or make monthly payments. For our family cruise, we booked far enough in advance that is makes sense to make payments until the final payment is due. As the family trip planner, you can either have members send money to you or have everyone make their own payments. I found it easier for everyone to send me the payments for easier tracking since I booked all of our rooms together.
Book Your Rooms
There are several options when booking staterooms on cruise ships such as inside cabin, ocean view, balcony and various suites. I booked the cabins for everyone to ensure we were on the same deck and near each other. Some of us even have connecting rooms, which is convenient if you have smaller children.
Coordinate Travel Arrangements
Make sure everyone knows which airport to fly into, and if possible have as many people as possible arrive at the same time. This will make it easier and more efficient when arranging ground transportation.
Plan Shore Excursions
Look at the cruise line website and also look up reviews about the cruise stops to determine which activities are best for your family. Take into consideration the ages and interests of your family when deciding which excursions to do.
Final Prep
After everyone has paid, and most of the plans have been set, there are still some final things to do. Make sure you send out a packing list to the family to ensure everyone brings the right clothes or specific items needed for the trip. Make sure everyone’s contact info is updated, double check all the reservations and documents, and ensure you’ve answered everyone’s questions.
Get Ready to Have Fun!
If you have done all the planning with ensuring everyone is SET to have fun, then you surely deserve to have fun as well. Just make sure the family has some way to communicate and establish a meeting point once on board the ship.
Planning a Group Cruise May Be Doing Too Much
Planning a group trip can be a lot of work, so it should be something you really like doing. Otherwise there are travel agents who are willing and waiting to help plan. If you are planning a group trip and it’s your first time cruising or you have a large group, it may be best to let the professionals handle all of the logistics. But if you want to take on the planner role, or you know the ins and outs of cruising, I say go for it. Just don’t forget to ask about group rates and specials.
Also, note that travel agents are good at negotiating prices and finding deals, so take this into consideration as well. I must say, after booking our rooms, I called back to get a cheaper rate because I saw they were having a sale. This took some time out of my day, but I felt it was worth it. I’m excited about our family cruise and hope to share more cruise tips soon!
Check out other family travel posts on the blog!
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