50th B-Day Cruise from CA

pj1111 · #1 (**permalink**) November 8th, 2005, 06:22 PM

Hi -
My sister and I are hoping to plan my mom's 50th b-day party on a cruise with all of our family. The birthday is in Sept 06. We want to leave from California, most likely L.A. for a 4-7 day cruise depending on cost. Are there any companies that assist planning for a big group or have any sort of special programs if you are trying to plan a birthday or something?? Any help is appreciated...we have no idea what we are getting ourselves into....

Donna · #2 (**permalink**) November 8th, 2005, 07:19 PM

Hi PJ,
Your best bet would be to contact a good cruise travel agent that can help with group cruises, they can usually offer discounts depending on how many cabins you will need. In some cases, they can add some perks, including ship board credits, etc.

Fern · #3 (**permalink**) November 8th, 2005, 07:20 PM

Hi pj1111,

Welcome to these boards!

My suggestion would be for you to find a Travel Agent who is a Certified Cruise Planner. If you know people who have cruised, ask them for recommendations. If not, call around to the companies in your area that have been around for a while and ask if they have a Cruise Planner.

The TA's are paid a commission from the cruise lines, so it shouldn't cost you anything (some do charge a small service fee of $25.00 or less).

They know all about planning for groups and a good TA will make everything almost "painless" for you! (BTW, I'm not a TA, I just have a great one!)

Most of the cruise lines will decorate your Mom's cabin door for her birthday and you can also purchase a birthday "package".

Have fun planning,

LisaK · #4 (**permalink**) November 9th, 2005, 10:08 AM

i totally agree with others, when it comes to dealing with a group -find yourself a good local TA and hook-up with an experienced cruise TA within the agency. Your TA will handle all the details about planning the birthday bash.
You want to find an agency that is ASTA certified.

The Cruise Guy · #5 (**permalink**) November 10th, 2005, 01:05 AM

Yup. just like they all said!

Thomas · #6 (**permalink**) November 12th, 2005, 05:56 AM

I agree with the others too. Get a Travel Agent.

I booked a family reunion cruise a couple of years ago and my hair is just now starting to come back on my head. It was horrendous trying to accomodate so many different people........... "can't we go another week, Little Johnny has a soccer tournament that week", "We have to have a balcony room because Millie is claustrophobic", "I think we can save money by booking on our own", "We want early dining because Buffy and Puffy get cranky if they don't eat by 5:30 p.m., "we want late dining to avoid all the kids"............etc.

Regards,
Thomas

pj1111 · #7 (**permalink**) November 25th, 2005, 04:50 PM

Hey, just wanted to say thank you to all of you who posted, I really appreciate it. I guess my next task is to find an agent.....and try to keep it a surprise from my nosy MOM!! I will start calling around and meeting agents asap, it is going to take a special person to deal with me, my extended family, and all of our friends. Most of them hae neer been out of the country!!