Traveling with family and friends is always fun. Meeting to tour wineries in Temecula or taking a quick trip to Las Vegas can be planned on the fly, but if you want a truly amazing vacation, you must plan ahead. I specialize in group cruise bookings.
It's no secret that cruises are hands down the best way for a family or group of friends to travel together. On board the ship, everyone can enjoy a vacation their way but still get together for dinner, and you don't have those uncomfortable moments when the bill comes and your brother-in-law throws in $40 to cover his $60 share.
Being bombarded with travel promotions on a daily basis, a lot of people think they can put together a cruise group on the fly, but people can't drop everything to catch a flight to Fort Lauderdale for a Panama Canal cruise just because you always wanted to do that trip and an ad caught your eye. A group cruise requires advance planning.
Part of the planning is knowing when your friends and family can go. The lowest rates are always off-season. A Caribbean cruise in October will always be less than in July or over Christmas week. It's just supply and demand. You can, however, compromise. For example, you and your friends could meet in New Orleans to catch Royal Caribbean Voyager of the Seas cruising to the Western Caribbean ports of Jamaica, Grand Cayman and Cozumel on February 18, 2012 for just $549 per person. Why February 18, 2012, instead of a week later? Because many schools shut down for President's Week, so more potential passengers are likely to be able to go, but it is still modestly priced. Why New Orleans? Well maybe it is a shorter flight or within driving distance of your friends and family. It's whatever works for you.
You know your friends and family better than I do, so perhaps you know another date that will work better. Perhaps none of them are teachers or have kids in school, so you can go the first week in December when prices are even lower, or perhaps you want to cruise over New Year's Eve regardless of cost.
What is imperative is that you plan your trip early, about a year in advance or even earlier, if you want to have a likely chance of filling your group. One of the best times to start a group is when the cruise line releases its space for the next year on the itinerary you want.
Princess is well-known from its popular TV series as the Love Boat, but it's reputation has been built for a warm, welcoming attitude, great itineraries and knowledgeable experts onboard. This week Princess opens 2012-3 cruises for sale, so you'll never have a better chance to choose from the selection hotlinked to this sentence.
If you want to book a group cruise to Europe in 2012, this week is a great time to commit. In addition to Princess, Celebrity and Oceania will be opening Europe 2012 for sale this week.
Celebrity still lags behind Princess in recognition among the general public, but they are well known among cruise afficionados for gorgeous big ships and amazing meals. Now they've expanded onboard educational opportunities through partnerships with Rosetta Stone and Apple Computers.
Oceania (click here for hotlinked info), a line made up of small ships, sometimes scares potential clients with their prices, but their port intensive itineraries peppered with small ports that big ships simply can't fit in as well as extended time ashore including overnight stays in more prominent ports shouldn't be underestimated. And by the time you add it early booking discounts and free air, these introductory rates represent tremendous value.
If you don't know which cruise your friends would like, you're not alone, but you can't let that paralyze you. Pick the one you like, book a group with me, and then tell your friends about it. Don't worry about it being a big commitment. If no one else decides to join your group, I will take care of that, returning the inventory to the cruise line without further obligation, except, of course, your room and those of any friends who decide to join you. Even then, I charge no cancellation fees, and you would be subject to no cancellation fees by most cruise lines up until the final payment date, about two and a half months before the cruise embarks, even if you change your mind about going.
If you somehow manage to get eight double occupancy rooms filled by your friends to sail with your group, then you can earn a tour conductor credit, which can save you hundreds of dollars on your own vacation.
To make it easier for you to convince your friends to join you, we can set up special amenties for your friends and family that will stay with your bookings even if fewer than eight cabins book.
In other words, there is absolutely no risk but quite a bit to gain. Some people feel silly when their groups turn out to be just their own staterooms, but that's not a problem. I'm happy to see you try, and I will never make you feel like you failed. After all, it's not a failure at all. It's a victory to come up with a plan and see if anyone is interested.
So ask yourself, where in the world would you like to go?
No comments:
Post a Comment