12 Steps for a Successful Family Reunion Cruise
Planning a family reunion cruise is not the same as planning your average cruise vacation. For your reunion cruise to take place without a hitch, it requires much thought and advance planning. Whether you've had a family reunion at sea before or just now considering a reunion cruise for the first time, here are 12 steps to get you started to ensure a successful reunion cruise:
1. Determine a realistic and ideal per person budget range and length of cruise. Keep in mind that land-based reunions may vary greatly from a reunion cruise since cruises will typically include more travel, food, entertainment, and activities. Most family reunion cruises range from 3-7 nights and occur in June, July, or August where the cruise price is higher due to a high demand.
Hot Tip: Depending on the size of your reunion, planning should begin at least 18-24 months prior to the sail date in order to secure the ideal ship, itinerary, sail date, and choice of room assignments. Even if the cruise itineraries for your ideal sail date aren't released yet, it's never too early to start planning.
2. Contact Cruise Planners so we can help determine which cruise line and ship will best fit the needs of your reunion. Each cruise line is different as are the ships within the a cruise lines fleet. We can also discuss special requests you may want included in the cruise package such as custom t-shirts, goodie bags, etc. We can be reached at 877-846-SHIP (U.S./Canada) or 713-491-4989 (Houston area).
Hot tip: Ships desginated for 3-5 night sailings are typically older, smaller ships so many not have as many venues and amenities onboard. Newer ships are typically reserved for 7 night sailings.
3. Choose an ideal itinerary, but be flexible with the sail dates, if possible. Each ship and sail date has Group Amenity Points assigned to it by the specific cruise line. Your group will receive the most value when able to sail on a date offering the most amenity points.
Hot Tip: Newer ships tend to attract the most takers and the most Group Amenity Points are offered in May, June, September, October, and early November.
4. Discuss Decisions With Us to Lock In Ship and Sail Date. By now, you should have a general but realistic idea of how large your family reunion cruise will be as well as your preferred itinerary, ship, and travel month. We will then discuss the process and we will contact the preferred cruise line to obtain an official quote. After you receive the proposal and have checked with your initial family reunion participants or planning committee, we will lock in the dates, rates, and amenities. Full steam ahead!
5. Promote your Family Reunion Cruise. Once you have your reunion planning started, we can create a special flyer for your group listing the details of the cruise including prices and itinerary that may be emailed, mailed, or posted on your family reunion website. We also offer an easy online registration for reunion participants.
6. Advise Family Reunion Participants to Make Initial Deposits. Once group space is reserved on your preferred ship/sail date, a full deposit is required for every participant in order to assign rooms. The amount and deposit due date will be based on the cruise line and length of cruise and usually ranges from $150/person for a short cruise to $250/person for a 7 day cruise. Encourage your family members to make their deposit as soon as they have decided to participate.
Hot tip: Cruise lines reserve the right to recall unsold group space at any time, so it’s best that your family not wait until the deposit due date to make payment. Otherwise, the total cruise rate will not be guaranteed.
7. Encourage Your Members to Purchase Trip Insurance. Cancellation penalties begin at the final payment due date in most cases. We recommend all reunion participants purchase third party trip insurance to safeguard their cruise investment. Third party insurance offers more comprehensive coverage than the cruise line insurance. The price is usually less expensive than cruise line insurance, but is based on the travelers age and total trip cost. Cruise Planners preferred trip insurance provider is Access America which is one of the largest third party travel protection companies in the world.
Hot Tip: Since this is a family reunion, we cannot stress the importance of including trip insurance as part of the overall cruise package. This way, if something happens to one person in the family that may require everyone to cancel, the entire groups’ investment is safeguarded.
8. Plan some fun! We can help with special group activities during the cruise or make arrangements for group shore excursions. Another great idea is to have a pre-cruise reception or party prior to the cruise to get everyone excited on their adventure together.
9. Final Payment. The final balance, pre-paid gratuities, and optional trip insurance will be due approximately 75-90 days prior to sail date, depending on cruise line and length of cruise. ‘Extras’ such as airfare, transfers to/from airport/pier, and pre/post hotel packages can be arranged as well.
10. Keep in touch! The larger the reunion, the more challenging it will be for us to talk to everyone in your family. As the coordinator, it will ultimately be your responsibility to keep your family up to date with any important information. But, please know that you’re not alone! We'll be working with you every step of the way. Of course, we don’t expect you to know the answer to every question you’ll receive from your group participants. So, depending on the size and nature of your family reunion participants, you may want to consider a group website or monthly e-newsletter to make sure everyone in your group is receiving up-to-date information.
Hot Tip: The success of your family reunion cruise will rely heavily on the partnership and open communication that we build together.
11. Get Rewarded as the Family Reunion Coordinator! With our Group Leader Program, you can earn perks such as a free cruise/rebate for your personal cruise fare.
12. Bon Voyage and Have Fun! By the time you board the ship, you’ve worked hard for your family reunion cruise to come together. Finally, it’s time to kick back, relax, and enjoy your reunion cruise!