Practical Tips for Group Cruises

By guest blogger Jacquelin Carnegie

Before You Go

Before you book a cruise (for a family reunion or with friends), plan to spend some time talking with your travel agent about the likes and dislikes of the group. Don't be afraid to ask a lot of questions. Some things to consider:

• How much time can the group spend away from the office and from home?
• Where would we like to go? What cruises and destinations best match our interests?
• How does the cost of a cruise compare to other options?
• What is there to do on board and at the ports you'll be visiting?
• If you take the kids, which cruise lines offer the most appropriate activities for your children's ages?

For more information, contact: Cruise Lines International Association.

Smart Facts

1. How long is a cruise? You can go on a voyage for three months or three days. Most people take a cruise for a week or 10 to 14-days.
2. Where to go? Some of the most popular cruise destinations are the Caribbean, Alaska, Mexico, the Panama Canal, Canada/New England, Europe and the Mediterranean. But, with over 1,800 ports-of-call around the world, there are plenty of choices.
3. Themes to consider: The cruise industry has cruise lines, individual cruises and more with specialty cruises to suit nearly every interest: photography, gay/lesbian cruises, nude cruises, family cruises (think Disney Cruise Line), and more.
4. What to wear? Pack as you would for any resort. Cruise vacations are casual by day, whether you're on the ship or ashore. In the evening, attire is a bit dressier. But, it's really up to you. At the "Captain's Gala," you'll probably want to wear something formal; for other occasions "suit" yourself. As you cruise from port to port, you won't have to worry about packing and unpacking. The hassles of an ordinary vacation are practically eliminated.
5. Staying in touch: Today, most cruise ships are equipped with telephones with long distance capability, fax machines, e mail access, computers, in-cabin data lines for laptops, even laptop rentals.

Jacquelin Carnegie is a contributing travel editor to Accent magazine. For the past 15 years, she has covered international travel destinations for both consumer and business publications.

From Group Trip Advisor: Cruises often have multiple components to the travel itinerary (multiple people flying in from different cities to meet at the outbound cruise port). You can coordinate pre-trip details (including shared expenses, flights to port, RSVP of who's going) using TripHub's group travel planning tools.