Expert: John Crandall - 6/1/2009

Question
QUESTION: Hi John, I am a seasoned cruiser with almost a dozen under my belt. I have been given the task to arrange for a family cruise this Dec 2009. I must take into account many things. School aged children, length of travel to main airport, age of travelers(toddler to senior) work restrictions (can't go at the end/beginning of month), length of trip (5days)& destinations.  My question is have I undertaken an impossible task? Is there a "perfect" cruise for all to be found on-line or should I be efficient and trusting of a professional/local travel agency?  I've always used an on-line approach and have been extremely happy with the results but now I have more than just myself & husband to think about and answer to.

ANSWER: Hi Julie...First, lets start with the number of people in your group followed by their ages. Then, tell me what port of embarkation your closest to with, or without flying. The great thing about cruising, which I'm sure you know, is that there is many cruise lines and itineraries that suit everyone's needs, wants and desires. Provide me with the information I mentioned above and we can reduce or eliminate certain cruise lines and itineraries and ports of embarkation. Thanks.

John

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Parents 2: ages 75 & 77 average health
Siblings & family ages: 56,55,52,43,35,20,18,14,12,6,3, 1yr at time of cruise.
Parents prefer freestyle due to previous enjoyment and consideration of family meals together.
Majority live within 2 hours of Minneapoils/St. Paul (MSP)airport. Giving us the entire southern region of ports equal distance apart. A warm destination w/ 2 ports of call.

Answer
Hi Julie...Please forgive me for the very late reply. I'm sure by now you probably figured it all out on your own but I would like to provide you with a little advice. The fact that you chose a cruise in lieu of an island resort is the first thing you did right...LOL Planning an island resort vacation for that many people would be a nightmare...LOL

So, with so many variables to consider in addition to other concerns you kindly listed you should be leaning towards a more family oriented cruise line. Ports of call would be your choice depending on the itinerary you choose as well. Carnival cruise line is a great start. First I would review their fleet, followed by their itineraries. They have some great 5 day cruises to the Western Caribbean from Ports of call in Florida (Miami, Ft. Lauderdale)

Secondly, I would choose a time for dining in lieu of open dining. With a regular seating time for dinner you have everyone at your table every night. Open dining can get a little crazy depending what time people want to eat. If you want to guarantee that the whole family dines together then get early or late seating preference and provide the cruise line with everyone's booking number per cabin so that the cruise line can cross reference them all together and place all of you at the same dining table. Its a lot to tackle Julie but as a seasoned cruiser, I'm sure you are up to the challenge. Best of luck and...

BonVoyage!!!

John