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Michael Given, MCC (CLIA)
Mary DeAngelis, ACC (CLIA)
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Group Cruising
by Chris Dikmen
What if you could go on a cruise and not pay a penny? Sounds too good to be true? Well, if you are willing and able to put together a group of people to go on a cruise, you just might be able to score a free cruise for yourself. Many cruise lines offer travel agents a free berth (space for one traveler sharing a stateroom) for every 10 or so berths sold as part of a group booking. The industry term for this free berth is a "TC" which stands for "Tour Conductor".
Cruise lines offer TC's to travel agents who pre-book a block of staterooms on a specific sailing. The TC ratio can vary depending on the sailing date and the cruise line. Typically, if you are booking a group, you will get the most attractive deal by booking far in advance (a year or more).
So you might ask yourself "How do I get 10 or more other people to take a cruise?" Here are just a few examples of groups that routinely take advantage of cruise line group programs:
- Family Reunions
- Sales Incentive Trips
- Military Veteran Reunions
- Religious Retreats
- Civic Organizations
- Professional Groups (medical, legal, etc.)
Become a Group Leader
To become a group leader, you need to work with a travel agent who is experienced in working with group cruises. You can use the Cruise Specialist Locator to search for travel agents who specialize in group cruises. Make sure your travel agent understands that you expect to be compensated with one or more TC's (free berths) for every X number of berths you sell. If your group is large enough, say more than 30, you may tell your agent that you only expect 2 TC's (one for you and a companion sharing a stateroom). The remaining TC's can be used to discount the staterooms of the remaining members of your group. Your travel agent will understand how this works.
Promote Your Group Cruise
Your agent will be able to help you promote the cruise to your group. He/she should also be able to obtain some assistance from the cruise line, depending on the size of the group. With very large groups, cruise lines may even print special mailers for marketing and promotion purposes.
Special Functions
Most cruise lines will offer some form of onboard services for groups. Larger ships will even have a group coordinator as part of their staff. Depending on the size of the group, you may be able to arrange private cocktail parties, ship tours, tours of the bridge, etc. Of course, these vary by cruise line. Make sure you ask your travel agent for details.
Meeting Facilities
If your group needs to conduct one or more meetings during the cruise, this should not be a problem. Have your travel agent make sure that the ship has any necessary audio/visual equipment and meeting space available.
Chris Dikmen is the President and Managing Editor of CruiseReport.com and is the author of The Perfect Cruise - How To Find, Plan and Enjoy The Perfect Cruise Vacation. If you have any questions or comments about this article you may write to Chris Dikmen at cdikmen@cruisereport.com.
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