GROUP TRAVEL

[BENTLEYOFTRAVEL]

Anyone have any pointers for putting together a Carnival cruise for 20 or more people for July 2008???

[vacationbound]

Hey Bentley. Welcome to cruise-chat. You will find a lot of great people and information on this site. Where are you planning on going on your cruise? How many people in your group have cruised before or is this everyone's first time? There are many more questions that could be asked so I would suggest if you haven't done so already is to contact a Carnival PVP. They can help you organize your group and give you some pointers. Become familiar with this website because it can be very useful. Once again welcome and good luck on your planning.

[LHP]

If you are booking more than 8 cabins (regardless of the number of passengers) the PVP MAY refer you to their "group booking" agent.

As best as I can remember, they base their definition of "group" on the number of cabins and I believe 8 is the minimum for a "group".

[LHP]

Originally posted by BENTLEYOFTRAVEL:
Anyone have any pointers for putting together a Carnival cruise for 20 or more people for July 2008???

I am also going to make one more suggestion. If you are dealing with less than 8 cabins...save yourself a lot of headaches and have everyone handle their own booking.

Speaking from years of experience...people change their minds..they back out...they go nuts...things happen.

If everyone handles their own bookings, they can still LINK the cabins so that you can dine together. They can get cabins close to one another, if they are available.

But if you book all the cabins and make the deposit and then try to start collecting money...things happen. I have seen it to many times.

Just a suggestion...

[Dwayne]

Good tip from LHP! If it is more than 8 cabins the Group Dept. at CCL will handle the booking if you book directly with them.

As LHP noted, it can be a problem getting all the deposits and final payments in on time. Not to discourage you in any way, just a dose of reality about this.

They do offer special pricing, amenities and perks for group bookings. You can trade the points for the various perks. I would suggest to seek out a reputable Cruise Specialist and let them handle it.

Best wishes,

Dwayne

[Cruise Fanatic]

I would suggest using a local travel agent to set up your group. 8 cabins is the minimum requirement for a group, but if your group falls below the 8 they will still honor the group price. A local travel agent may have space already on a particular sailing that meets your needs. They may offer special amenities also.

[travelgal]

Cruise Fanatic is right on....contact a travel agent. I am an agent and appreciate that you realize that we can help clients. An agent can help you get the best rates, amenities, and take care of all the little things that can arise with a group.

[cheerfulkim]

I booked a group cruise for the Carnival Triumph for July of 2008. We did it through our AAA travel agent. It was very easy. We had her reserve the 8 rooms, and then everyone sent her the deposits. She is taking care of everything. More family has since joined and we're up to 11 rooms. With every 8 rooms booked, one person cruises free. I picked the cruise and am organizing excursions, etc. but our agent takes care of all of the money. I can't imagine doing it any other way!

[Dwayne]

Hi cheerfulkim, and Welcome to Cruise-Chat!

I agree! It doesn't cost anymore to use a Travel Agent, and it saves alot of frustration.

Welcome aboard,

Dwayne

[TrvlPro]

There are many great T/A's who specialize in group bookings. At large agencies they have Group Dept's that do nothing but group bookings and coordinate not only the dining but often other personalized activities for your group. I have never worked groups and transfer people who call about them even if they're long time clients to the folks at my agency that can provide the right expertise in that area. A group booking requires a different set of training and skills to handle it well and pull off making the experience problem free and enjoyable for all.

Cheers, Neil