When we first decided to have a group cruise, we asked ourselves, why. There are many reasons to have a group cruise. Some are theme cruises where everyone has a common interest – I have clients that have been on Precious Moments cruises. Some have real celebrities onboard which is supposed to be the draw – maybe sports figures, musicians or authors. For both of these types of groups the destination is not as important as the activities offered onboard. For us, we decided that the destination was the most important aspect of the group. Many of our clients have on cruises to the Bahamas or Caribbean so they wanted something different.
Sometimes it’s hard to check out something new with so much uncertainty. On my first cruise, I wasn’t sure if I would like cruising so we selected Disney Cruise line because I knew I would like Disney, even if I didn’t like cruising. 29 cruises later, we are preparing for another first on Oasis of the Seas next month. We have taken time to get to know other cruisers on our sailings in advance so even new destinations were a little less intimidating.
One of the most popular cruise destinations is Alaska and it’s no surprise why. I am not a fan of the cold and snow. Never have been, even though I’ve lived in Wisconsin all of my life. I went on the first Disney Cruise to Alaska for a couple reasons. First, I really wanted to be on the first Alaska cruise with the repositioning up from LA. Of course the second reason is that I had a lot of clients looking at Alaska or booked and I wanted to get to know the itinerary better for them.
When we left Juneau, I told my husband that I could move up to Alaska. Yes, the girl who curses the first and every snowfall of the season was volunteering to move up North! Wouldn’t you with this scenery?
I quickly selected Alaska as my favorite cruise itinerary and gave up the notion of moving there.
So many folks have told us they want to go to Alaska so we decided we needed to have a group trip up there. We selected Celebrity Cruises because I find their service to be equal to Disney Cruise Line’s service and the food was great as well. I found with Alaska we were so busy watching the world go by that the entertainment really did not matter. Additionally, we wanted a cruise that would allow us a few extra days on one end to tour Alaska itself and Disney does not offer that.
On August 1, 2014, we will embark on the Celebrity Millennium for a 7 night sailing from Vancouver, British Columbia to Seward, Alaska. We will be looking into optional post cruise activities as well for those that want to stay on and see Denali or maybe Mount McKinley. Some may choose to go to Fairbanks as well then fly home from there while others will fly home from Anchorage.
This cruise will start in Vancouver and sail through the Inside Passage to Ketchikan, followed by stops at Icy Strait Point, Juneau and Skagway before cruising to the Hubbard Glacier and finally arrive in Seward. From Seward, we will have options for the train or bus to Anchorage where some will choose to head home and others will continue on to explore Alaska.
Group space is available on this date, which is currently pricing lower than opening pricing. Here is the pricing for the group space we have held:
Category 11 – Inside – $869 per person
Category 08 – Ocean View – $1149 per person
Category 2C – Balcony – $1674 per person
Not included are taxes of $157.45 per person. Other categories are available for group pricing, subject to availability at the time we book it. Deposits are $500 per cabin. We can hold space for you without a deposit, but you won’t be guaranteed a room number until the deposit is received. We only have a select number of rooms in the group so I recommend reserving yours as soon as possible to get the best choice of cabins.
Regardless of how you book, we are part of a group, however, being in the group rooms will get you some extra bonuses in addition to our onboard credit offer. If you want to book a room that is not in the group space, we can bring you into the group once you have paid the full deposit of $500, subject to availability. In addition to the room types held, there are concierge class, Aqua class and several suites available. Your deposit amount, regardless of whether you are in the group space or not, is fully refundable up until May 18, 2014.
Previous Celebrity cruisers may be entitled to an additional discount based on the date of booking. Be sure to let me know if you have cruised with Celebrity before (or if you are Platinum or above with Royal Caribbean). Contact Tracy at Tracy@travelonadream.com for more information or your quote today.
We can’t add interline rates (if available) to our group but you are more than welcome to join us!
So you have discounts for airline employees? Just asking because we do look at interline and asu. My husband is a pilot for Southwest Airlines.
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