Would you like to take a cruise and pay only the Port Charges?
If your answer is yes - then there is a way and this is NOT a gimmick. Just ask any Travel Agent. All you have to do is convince enough friends to go with you! How many you ask? Enough for eight rooms - a minimum of sixteen people counting yourself. Get enough friends to fill sixteen rooms and your spouse or roommate can go free too! Now if you are loaded with friends and can convince enough people to go so you can fill twenty-four rooms, you can go without spending one red cent!
Before you get too excited though, read a short list of the things you'll need to do:
Cruise Group Leader Responsibilities Author: Leland R Garner
1. Get everyone to fill out a Guest Information form.
2. Get debarkation tags of the same color for everyone in your group before the last day of the cruise.
3. Arrange an official Group Photo with the ship's photo department for one of the formal nights preferably just before dinner. Contact everyone that day to remind and encourage them to get dressed a little early. Make these arrangements on the first day.
4. Make arrangements with the Head Waiter concerning who in your group is celebrating a special occasion and which day is best for the cake. Make these arrangements on the first day.
5. (On Royal Caribbean) As soon as the free Ice Performance tickets are available, ask for enough for your whole group and deliver them to each person's cabin. 6. Find out before you leave by asking which members of the group would like reservations at the Specialty Restaurant and get those reservations on the first day. Deliver those reservations to their rooms and remind them on the morning of.
7. If traveling by charter bus to the port, get the driver's cell phone number and the bus manifest in advance . Check for errors on the manifest. Also communicate to them concerning wheelchairs or electric scooters, etc. Another responsibility is to count and make sure everyone is on the bus, then stay with the driver until all luggage is loaded. At the end of the bus ride collect tips and give them all at once to the driver. Be sure to bring a DVD or VHS tape of a good movie to watch on the bus ride.
8. Find out in advance if the group wants to go on an excursion together. For those that do, make arrangements and collect the money no later than the morning of the excursion.
9. Fill out everyone's online information and make sure you verify the information for them or at least encourage them to do it and then verify that they did and that they printed out their passes.
10. Ask the Travel Agent to order extra luggage tags and include them with the documents.
11. Find out, well in advance, if anyone has a preference as to who sits with them at their dinner table and even if there's any individual they do not want to sit with. Find out also which dinner time the majority of the group prefers. With this information, make a list of your preferred dinner seating arrangement and insure the Travel Agent makes the request right after final payments are made. This will increase the chances that the cruise line will be able to fulfill your dinner seating arrangement.
12. If you intend to bring a laptop computer and pay for unlimited access, make a schedule for when and where members of your group can send emails home for free.
13. Make a card to be placed under everyone's cabin telephone with the cabin numbers of everyone in the group. Also put any information on the card that the group as a whole needs to have handy during the cruise.
14. As soon as you board, rent a DECT phone and call everyone in the group with the number.
15. Make little door signs for each member to put on their door as a way for them to show pride in their group.
16. Design and purchase, or make available for individuals to purchase, T-shirts for the group. Be sure T-shirt sizes were included on the Guest Information Forms.
17. Plan a "Pre-cruise Get Acquainted Party" or "Document Dance Party" two weeks before the cruise. For this you will naturally need a lot of help to make it a success. Usually a simple covered dish would be fine. This would be the proper time to hand out the documents for the cruise as well as T-shirts if they were ordered for the group. You can have travel related door prizes, a free excursion or even onboard credit for the winners. Make sure everyone is introduced and answer any questions they may have.
18. If the group is large enough and you have enough group points, arrange to have a party in one of the meeting rooms on the ship during the cruise. This would be a good time to celebrate any special occasions in addition to the celebrations in the dining room.
19. Plan an "After-Cruise Party" for everyone to exchange vacation photos about two or three weeks after the cruise. Show videos of the cruise and hand out information for next year’s cruise.
20. Tell everyone about the availability of Cruise Critic Forums and Meet And Mingle parties and help with instructions on how to take advantage of them.
21. Encourage everyone to sign up for the Crown And Anchor Club or similar organization and send them the form to mail in or sign them up in their behalf so they can take advantage of the available discounts.
22. Check to make sure everyone has a Passport and provide forms and assistance for those that don't.
23. If the group prefers, make arrangements for and collect advance payment of gratuities.
24. On the first day of the cruise, provide the Loyalty Ambassador or Crown And Anchor representative with a list of members, their membership numbers and cabin numbers to insure every member gets their proper perks.
25. Provide for everyone lanyards for their ID cards. Distribute them on the morning of the cruise.
26. If there are many church members in the group you can arrange for a devotion for them in the chapel.
27. Advise everyone concerning travel insurance and help them with the forms.
28. Check every week before the cruise to see if the cruise line has dropped their prices and if they have, negotiate a lower price for the group.
