Family Reunion Cruises - Something Everyone Can Live With -

Home
>
Cruising & Sailing
>
Family Reunion Cruises - Something Everyone Can Live With

Family Reunion Cruises - Something Everyone Can Live With

The mere thought of getting together for a family reunion can strike terror into even the most stalwart of human beings. Don't get me wrong. We love our families -- but usually we prefer to do that loving from afar -- often several states afar! Even so, there is something inexplicably appealing about getting together with our relatives every once in a while for a reunion.

When that urge strikes (and believe me, it will strike), you've got to be prepared with a plan of action. If you mention the idea of a "family reunion" to your family members without a plan, you'll most likely end up with mayhem on your hands. The next thing you know you'll have relatives camping out on every square inch of your floor, piling your sink sky high with dirty dishes, and making executive decisions with your remote control. In addition, you'll become far too acquainted with the health problems and bodily functions of some of your senior relatives (Who knew that toenail fungus was so prevalent?).

So, what's the plan of action? You've got to head off those pesky relatives at the pass and make sure they never plan that family reunion at your house. What's the alternative? You've got to plan your family reunion on a cruise ship!

Cruise ships are the perfect setting for a family reunion. This is neutral territory, so people don't feel they are imposing on others. It levels the playing field and takes away the control that can sometimes come into play when reunions are held on a family member's "turf." Plus, the best part is the cruise line does all the work -- the cleaning, the cooking, and the entertaining. All your family members have to do is relax and enjoy their time together. Plus, lest we forget to mention one of the most important factors -- the variety of activities onboard the ship and at the various ports of call is a perfect fit for groups who want to do some of their activities together and some separately. In other words, you're not trapped in "family reunion" bedlam the entire time. You can take a breather at one of the many bars or lounges onboard your ship, catch a current movie in the ship's theater, put on your dancin' shoes for the disco, try your luck at the casino, or simply hide out in your stateroom and order complimentary room service.

If your family group has children, traditional reunions can be horrible experiences for kids! You know what I'm talking about -- the endless "remember when" discussions they overhear about things they're too young to understand, the frequent rebukes for running through the house making too much noise, and the obligatory playing with the dreadful cousins. Yikes! What kid would look forward to that? But, tell a kid they're going on a cruise ship with a miniature golf course, a pool, a sports court, an ice rink, and a really cool kid's activity program, and they won't grumble about having to endure a few hours of interaction with the relatives.

Most cruise lines offer attractive rates for groups -- and some offer special packages specifically for family reunions. With their all-inclusive approach (meals and entertainment are included) and hassle-free planning, booking your family reunion aboard a cruise ship is the only way to go.

Because there are so many cruise ships in the water these days, it can take a huge amount of research to determine which ship and itinerary would be the best match for your family's reunion. So, before you plunk down the dough for a family reunion cruise, make sure you've consulted with an experienced travel agent -- preferably one who specializes in group cruises. The service is complimentary (agents receive their commission from the cruise line) and you'll save yourself a lot of time and hassle.

Tracey Amino is the CEO of Sapphire Cruises, originators of the Home Cruise Party for family reunions and groups. Be sure to visit her site at: Sapphire Cruises

In The News:

table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/disney-cruise-line-sets-sail/story.aspx%3Fguid%3D%257B6CB3796E-D56E-4625-B403-FC9A35EF5507%257D%26dist%3Dhpprcid=1254875402ei=6tHrSKHNDKXg6gPOmOz8CAusg=AFQjCNE0z2wuSDuE62_4rTR_oLePurZ_mQDisney bCruise/b Line Sets bSail/b for Russia, Northern Europe and b.../b/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fMarketWatchnbsp;-/font nobrOct 6, 2008/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1For the summer of 2010, the Disney Wonder will shift to four- and five-night bcruises sailing/b to Nassau, Key West and Disney#39;s private island, Castaway Cay. b.../b/font/div/font/td/tr/table

table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.venturacountystar.com/news/2008/oct/05/mississippi-paddle-wheeler-cruises-are-sailing/cid=0ei=6tHrSKHNDKXg6gPOmOz8CAusg=AFQjCNF2Epabiwz1oJSTkjGq4EuLZds03AMississippi paddle-wheeler bcruises/b are bsailing/b into nostalgia/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fVentura County Star,nbsp;CAnbsp;-/font nobrOct 5, 2008/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1I can#39;t think of a more pleasant way to see this beautiful country of ours than to board a paddle-wheel steamboat and bcruise/b down the Mississippi River. b.../b/font/div/font/td/tr/table

table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd width=80 align=center valign=topfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifa href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/03/AR2008100301512.htmlcid=1253881246ei=6tHrSKHNDKXg6gPOmOz8CAusg=AFQjCNGfcYeEbFb7l6_9vhHagWKhb7uc8Aimg src=http://news.google.com/news?imgefp=n1RIdHrcGEcJimgurl=media3.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/photo/2008/10/03/PH2008100301514.jpg width=53 height=80 alt= border=1brfont size=-2Washington Post/font/a/font/tdtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.ajc.com/travel/content/travel/cruises/stories/2008/10/05/kid_cruise_travel.htmlcid=1253881246ei=6tHrSKHNDKXg6gPOmOz8CAusg=AFQjCNH-R6GxEELKw0w986mpPinLSfUKzAKid-friendly bcruise/b can be a trip of a lifetime/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fAtlanta Journal Constitution,nbsp; USAnbsp;-/font nobrOct 3, 2008/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1By LYNN and CELE SELDON Not all bcruises/b are created equal when it comes to welcoming kids like they’re members of the family. When bsailing/b the high seas b.../b/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/travel/story.html%3Fid%3D5fd1f2d3-fda1-4e7a-9036-6dd5ac0bdcf6cid=1253881246ei=6tHrSKHNDKXg6gPOmOz8CAusg=AFQjCNH5LfrvsgQg4Ge_ExFJB_6QoN8wkgTips for a smooth family vacation at sea/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrCalgary Herald/nobr/font/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/news/story.html%3Fid%3D3e5b1dc0-9426-445b-996d-baa94be06f96cid=1253881246ei=6tHrSKHNDKXg6gPOmOz8CAusg=AFQjCNFOvNtlTzHA_69FAMLx6G7Ldc4DlQLines tout new distractions - on and off their ships/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrThe Gazette (Montreal)/nobr/font/fontbrfont class=p size=-1a class=p href=http://news.google.com/news?sourceid=navclientie=ISO-8859-1rls=GGLG,GGLG:2005-22,GGLG:enncl=1253881246hl=ennobrall 20 news articles/nobr/a/font/div/font/td/tr/table

table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.ajc.com/travel/content/travel/cruises/stories/2008/10/03/go_great_lakes_cruise_ships.htmlcid=0ei=6tHrSKHNDKXg6gPOmOz8CAusg=AFQjCNHjp3zm9N9uLiFqRXBh54eeEXS_rwGreat Lakes adds more small bcruise/b ships/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fAtlanta Journal Constitution,nbsp; USAnbsp;-/font nobrOct 3, 2008/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1The ship will bsail/b one 10-night and one 11-night bcruise/b between Toronto and Chicago in June and July. Ports of call include Windsor, Ontario; b.../b/font/div/font/td/tr/table

table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.bymnews.com/news/newsDetails.php%3Fid%3D43860cid=1255216428ei=6tHrSKHNDKXg6gPOmOz8CAusg=AFQjCNGS0udkiAaPN7cSSmGC7x6b3g2BGQRC 44 Cup: Russell Coutts guides Larry Ellison to a win over b.../b/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fBYM News (press release),nbsp;Spainnbsp;-/font nobr2 hours ago/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1Following many practice days with perfect bsailing/b conditions, the RC 44’s involved in the Friuli Venezia Giulia RC 44 Cup spent most of the afternoon b.../b/font/div/font/td/tr/table

table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/holland-america-line-announces-new/story.aspx%3Fguid%3D%257B45CC6F64-B23C-465A-8C5C-8E67DC0ED7F8%257D%26dist%3Dhpprcid=1252724155ei=6tHrSKHNDKXg6gPOmOz8CAusg=AFQjCNHvLZKfBH-VjSj1HlnH2YZtXmW2-QHolland America Line Announces New, Six-Day Scandinavia bCruises/b b.../b/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fMarketWatchnbsp;-/font nobrSep 30, 2008/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1The second bsailing/b, departing Rotterdam July 24, explores the coast of Norway with calls at Flam, Bergen and Stavanger. Two days of scenic bcruising/b in b.../b/font/div/font/td/tr/table

cruising sailing - Google News

Family Reunion Cruises - Something Everyone Can Live With

Cruising & Sailing