Gather all your favorite people. It’s time for a group cruise!
Group cruises are popular for birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, bridal showers, a destination wedding, retirement celebrations and similar special events to mark important milestones. They’re also often used for corporate events and business incentives. Sometimes, they’re used for religious retreats, class reunions or friend reunions.
The options are vast, and, in short, if you’re traveling with more than just a few other people, a group cruise delivers the range of facilities, group space and onboard amenities you need, to keep everyone happy. Here’s what you need to know.
In This Article:
What Are Group Cruises?
A group cruise is a cruise that’s purchased and then experienced as a group — it’s that simple.
While, yes, if you and a few other people wanted to all go on vacation together, you could just book the same cruise, separately, and then join up once you’re all aboard, booking a group cruise, in particular, comes with benefits.
But what makes a group cruise an “official” group cruise? Booking it as one with the cruise line directly, through the line’s group specialists.
Do note that cruise lines will have minimum booking requirements that you’ll have to meet in order for your trip to qualify as a group cruise. For example, if you want to book a group cruise with Carnival, you’ll need to book a minimum of eight staterooms, with at least 16 guests. If you want to book a group cruise with Princess Cruises, you’ll need to book a minimum of five staterooms.
If you can meet these minimum booking requirements, you’ll reap the wealth of benefits that make booking a group cruise an attractive option for any group of people who want to travel together.
Why You Should Consider Booking a Group Cruise
The perks of booking a group cruise are myriad, but, first and foremost, there are the group discounts and extra perks.
Booking a group cruise through the cruise line’s dedicated group bookings department will often (but not always) result in lower cruise fares for everyone traveling. Depending on the size of your group, you might also be able to book special private shore excursions, as is the case with Carnival.
Groups are often given extra free amenities, too, such as onboard credits, free fine dining or welcome drinks. Sometimes, children in the group may be allowed to sail for free.
Other than the cost savings, when you book with a cruise line’s group department, they’ll be able to further help you plan out group activities, every step of the way.
For example, if you’re traveling for a corporate retreat, they’ll be able to help you reserve meeting space and private dining spaces for team activities.
Or, if you’re traveling as part of a high school reunion, they’ll be able to hook you up with a private party space, for a group celebration, or organize group activities, like cocktail hours or fun scavenger hunts. All in all, it makes planning a group trip itinerary that much easier.
Worth Reading: How to Find Your Way Around a Cruise Ship
Beyond all this, of course, there’s the simple fact that the cruise experience is so versatile, it’s a good option for groups with lots of opinionated people who might not be able to agree on a trip otherwise.
At family reunions, the parents with young kids can hang out at the waterpark or take advantage of kids programs, while the child-free couples head to the spa, and the grandparents go to the casino. Then, everyone can meet back up for group meals and nightlife.
What Can You Do During a Group Cruise?
You don’t have to spend every single moment together on a group cruise (you don’t even have to dine together!) and, as mentioned, that’s one of the benefits. Everyone can go their separate ways as they like.
However, when it is time to come together, you can enjoy spaces set aside for your group’s size, so there’s no wishful hoping that your party of 16, for example, can all find seating together at the theater or in the main dining room.
Essentially, you can do whatever it is you’d normally like to do on the cruise, together, as a group, but then you can also plan special, just-for-the-group activities as well.
Think shore excursions, private parties and similar experiences, and then more structured private events, such as meetings (if you’re on a business trip) or special ceremonies, as might be the case for a vow renewal or cruise ship wedding.
Average Group Cruise Rates
Group cruises often require a deposit, and then you can pay for the group cruise over an extended amount of time, via a payment plan. Some cruise lines will ask you to pay all together, as one, but others allow each party to pay on their own.
So how much can you expect to pay?
Unfortunately, cruise lines don’t advertise their group cruise deals online or anywhere else. You’ll have to contact the individual cruise line for those rates. However, it’s safe to assume — especially if you book early enough — that these exclusive rates will be in line with the base fares that the cruise line might charge for that particular cruise. Expect the lowest available fare.
How to Book a Group Cruise
As alluded above, booking an official group cruise requires more than just telling all your fellow travelers to book a certain cruise for certain dates. You’ll need to go through the cruise line’s dedicated group bookings department. This will ensure you get that discounted group rate, as well as help planning all of your group activities.
Getting the process started may differ slightly according to cruise line. You might need to call a group bookings line, like Carnival requests, or you might need to fill out a group travel request form, as is the case with Royal Caribbean. There are also sites like Royal Caribbean Incentives, which is a dedicated booking site for groups and events.
Sometimes, you can bypass the group bookings department, if you’re working through a travel agent.
Whichever cruise line you go with, before you reach out to the group booking department to begin booking your group cruise, ensure you have some basic information handy.
Know exactly what cruise you want to sail on, or at least have an idea of where you’d like to sail from and during what timeframe, and be sure of how many staterooms you’ll need. If you already know everyone who will be cruising, have each person’s first name and last name at the ready.
There should also be a designated point person to work with the cruise line, who can keep all of the details straight and organized. This person may be known by a specific title, depending on the cruise line, such as group leader or tour conductor, and they can get extra perks as well, for their work organizing the cruise.
Often, if enough cabins are booked, the cruise organizer will get their cabin for free, or they’ll get a cabin category upgrade.
Tips for Planning Group Cruises
Convinced that a group cruise is right for your crew? Here are a few things to keep in mind, as you go about the process.
Pick the Right Group Leader
Your group leader — or the individual in the group who’s in charge of organizing the cruise and acting as the go-between between the cruise line and the passengers — needs to be someone who is not only organized, but also someone who can make tough decisions and who won’t be a push-over.
They need to manage the cruise line and get the best deal possible, and as many perks as possible, but they also need to be able to manage the passengers, and make the travel decisions that are best for everyone, not just one or two people.
Do Consider Using a Travel Agent
While you can book your group cruise directly with the cruise line and the group leader will enjoy special perks for doing so, consider the benefits of using a travel agent.
Read Also: What is the Best Way to Book a Cruise?
Travel agents can often score deals and perks that are completely off-limits to normal travelers, and they can then pass those savings and extra amenities on to you. Plus, they can make this process even more convenient and easy.
Book as Early as Possible
Just as is the case any time you’re doing anything with a group — planning a party, making a restaurant reservation, etc. — the earlier you can book, the more likely your group will be accommodated.
So, book your cruise as early as possible, to ensure that you get the cabins you need and want, as well as the itinerary and price you want.
Approach the Experience with Flexibility
If you end up as the group leader, be sure to approach the group cruise experience with flexibility and an easy-going attitude. When coordinating large groups of people, especially when traveling, things are bound to not go to plan — and that’s okay. So long as someone’s not left at port, just about anything is surmountable.
The best you can do is communicate, communicate, communicate and ensure that everything is as organized as possible — and then kick back and have a great time.
