I've planned many group cruises throughout the eighties and early nineties. Therefore I'm already familiar with the basic pricing strategies and goals of the cruise lines in group offerings. I would like to hear about any new perks that may be available or strategies in negotiating with the cruise line. We are a group of approximately eighty passengers and are favoring Royal Oasis sailing in July or August of 2020.
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Contributor Level:
Second Mate
Planning a Group Cruise in 2020
5 Answers
Contributor Level:
First Mate
Quite the planning in store for such a large group.
Contributor Level:
Second Mate
Thanks so much for this info.
Originally posted by:
CruiseQueenNH
Get in touch with Vacations To Go, they can offer you free perks that you may not find on website and you will work with the same agent throughout the entire process. For instance, I just got off the Adventure Of The Seas, which my family and I booked through Vacations To Go. We were able to get an upgraded Ocean View outside cabin over the bough of the ship for an extra $40. And they gave us $25 worth of onboard credit as a surprise waiting for us in our cabin on Bon Voyage day.
We are working with them for our next cruise on Norwegian Encore. Through them, we managed to book my niece as a 4th person for free and get three free dinner upgrades (hello "Margaritaville"! 
).
So basically it works like this:
1.) You call them and say "Hi, I would like to book a cruise in this time frame, leaving from this port, and going to these places". They will then ask you how many people you're travelling with and what your price range is.
2.) Next they will send you all the ships that meet your criteria. Tell them any ships you are interested in, and they can look into perks, and even put a hold on a few cabins for you.
3.) Once you tell them which ship you want, they will ask if you want any perks. Take advantage of any ones you can.
4.) Then leave the rest to them, they will send you all the documents, etc. that you will need.
Our TA does all our travel bookings weather it's a weekend away or a group golfing or even the ladies trips.
We have never had a trouble or issues. She did our group trip to Hawaii to use up time share time, she booked a Luau, golf, spas and dinners, as well as cars and a whole bunch of baby equipment for the little one. The only thing that happened is we got hit with a hurricane and that screwed up a few things. She had no control over mother nature.
Contributor Level:
Cruise Director
Get in touch with Vacations To Go, they can offer you free perks that you may not find on website and you will work with the same agent throughout the entire process. For instance, I just got off the Adventure Of The Seas, which my family and I booked through Vacations To Go. We were able to get an upgraded Ocean View outside cabin over the bough of the ship for an extra $40. And they gave us $25 worth of onboard credit as a surprise waiting for us in our cabin on Bon Voyage day.
We are working with them for our next cruise on Norwegian Encore. Through them, we managed to book my niece as a 4th person for free and get three free dinner upgrades (hello "Margaritaville"! ).
So basically it works like this:
1.) You call them and say "Hi, I would like to book a cruise in this time frame, leaving from this port, and going to these places". They will then ask you how many people you're travelling with and what your price range is.
2.) Next they will send you all the ships that meet your criteria. Tell them any ships you are interested in, and they can look into perks, and even put a hold on a few cabins for you.
3.) Once you tell them which ship you want, they will ask if you want any perks. Take advantage of any ones you can.
4.) Then leave the rest to them, they will send you all the documents, etc. that you will need.
Well, for such a big group, get started now. Also, if you are not a Travel agent, get a real good agent, one familiar with groups. The logistics needed for such an adventure sometimes is best left to the professionals. Have fun, where are you planning to go?