Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) and its members have a remarkably simple solution, within the reach and budget of every extended family: a family reunion cruise vacation.

Shipboard multigenerational group vacations, including family reunions, represent one of the fastest growing segments of the cruise industry for many reasons, not the least of which is the extraordinary ease of planning. Almost 90 percent of cruise vacations are sold by travel agents who do all the work – from talking with any or all members of the group to assess their needs and expectations, to recommending a cruise that matches those requirements and working with the cruise line to obtain the best price and make all the arrangements. Once onboard most cruise ships that cater to groups, the family has access to around-the-clock services and assistance of group and event coordinators who ensure that needs are met and activities run smoothly.

The top reason why cruises and family reunions are the perfect match – and very easy to plan – is that on a cruise, all family members can do whatever they want, when they want, individually or with others. There are babysitters for the youngest travelers, supervised activities for toddlers and young children, clubs and dances for teens, and a broad range of activities for adults and seniors. Depending on the ship, recreational activities may include climbing walls or ice skating rinks, spa and fitness programs, dance lessons, cooking classes, wine tastings or other learning opportunities. Multiple choices of dining experiences and venues – from poolside snacks to the most elegant haute cuisine – ensures that all guests enjoy themselves in the style and ambience they prefer. Daily entertainment, from movies to spectacular Broadway style musicals, guarantees that every taste and interest is accommodated. And, in each port – there may be as many as six different destinations visited during a seven-day cruise – a wide variety of shore excursions, including golf on some of the world’s best courses, means land excursions of interest to everyone.

The choices of things to do and ways to enjoy the cruise mean that every member of the group can plan his or her own vacation. Individuals may choose to pursue their own interests, families or pairings of families may choose to share experiences, or the entire reunion group may choose to share meals or nightly entertainment. The possibilities are limitless, and, most important, no one in the group is stuck with planning for everyone, pleading for consensus or risking hurt feelings.

But, there’s more:

With pricing that includes accommodations, meals, entertainment, use of most of the ship’s recreational facilities, and travel from destination to destination, any cruise represents excellent value for money spent. Cruise lines also make special offers to groups. Depending on the company, these include reduced fares for groups as small as eight guests and free berths for every 10 to 15 paying passengers.

Family groups may have the option to ensure even greater value by purchasing everything in advance, from cruise fares to shore excursions, drink packages, spa packages, even pre-paid gratuities.

Further savings can be realized through reduced fares for third and fourth passengers in each stateroom and some cruise lines offer “kids sail free” programs.

CLIA member cruise lines offer vacations as short as a weekend, making it possible to find an itinerary that meets every family reunion’s needs.

Family reunions may have opportunities to take advantage of accommodation upgrades, private events and special shipboard credits and complimentary amenities ranging from free family photos to “Fountain Soda Cards” to special family meals.

Some cruise lines offer personalized shore excursions: customized programs that fit the needs and wishes of a family reunion group.

From voyages down the great rivers of Europe or along the coast of New England and Canada to the tropical beaches of the Caribbean, the charm of the Mediterranean and the glaciers of Alaska, the diversity of cruise experiences offered by CLIA member lines means that there is a family-friendly cruise vacation for every interest and budget.

“There really is no better way to bring families together for a reunion than on a cruise, and certainly no easier vacation to plan. We urge families to use a professional travel agent to help pick the voyage that best suits their budgets, interests and expectations. The result will be lasting happy memories for everyone,” said Terry Dale, president and CEO of CLIA.

Families Give Top Marks to Cruising

New Survey by CLIA and Cruise Critic Points to Value, Price and Uniqueness of Cruise Experience as Advantages over Land-based Vacations

Families take cruises and they cruise often because the price is right, the value for money spent is outstanding and the cruise experience offers unique advantages over comparably priced land-based vacations. Those are the conclusions to be drawn from a just released online survey of more than 1,000 households by Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) and Cruise Critic, the top online resource on cruise information.

“Experts tell us that family vacations are one of the fastest growing segments of the travel industry and this certainly is true for cruises. It’s not just the amazing new generation of ships and shipboard activities and facilities for young travelers,” said Terry Dale, president and CEO of CLIA. "Most important, families are choosing to cruise because of price and, even more important, value. They recognize that a cruise vacation offers advantages and features that are simply not found on any other type of vacation.”

Among the key findings:
Families take a lot of cruises. Almost half (46 percent) of respondents have taken two to four cruises with children under the age of 18; 15.2 percent have taken five to seven cruises, and 4.8 percent have taken more than ten.

Outstanding value. Over 83 percent of families said cruise vacations are very good or extremely good value.

The price is right. Among all family cruisers, 73.4 percent said that their last cruise was the same price or less than a resort vacation, with almost 50 percent saying that the cruise was slightly or much less costly.

Multiple advantages over resort vacations. Family cruisers listed many key advantages to taking a cruise over a family resort stay, including: the opportunity to visit multiple destinations (62.8 percent); the all-inclusive nature of a cruise vacation – accommodations, meals, entertainment and shipboard activities included in one price – (57.7 percent); onboard kids programs and facilities (30.2 percent); the variety of onboard amenities (28.0 percent); and onboard entertainment (20.3 percent).

Destination rules. 36.6 percent of families said that the destination or itinerary was the primary deciding factor in choosing a family cruise. Almost 30 percent were most motivated by price.

Planning is easy. Almost 70 percent of respondents said that planning a cruise was easier than planning a resort vacation.

Cruising is relaxing, hassle-free and provides for quality family time. The survey found that 44.3 percent of families spend about half their time together on a cruise, while 42.7 percent said they spend all or most of their cruise vacation together as a family.

Over 30 percent of respondents said quality shared family time was the best thing about a cruise while over 20 percent cited the hassle-free “don’t need to plan anything” quality of a cruise as the most enjoyable feature of a vacation at sea. The opportunity to see multiple destinations, kids’ enjoyment of the cruise experience, the quality of shipboard service and amenities, and kids’ facilities and services were other leading reasons to choose a family cruise.

Cruising can be a great choice for a multi-generational vacation. Over 60 percent of respondents say they sometimes or always travel as an extended family (with grandparents and/or grandchildren.)

Almost 76 percent of families reported that their kids took advantage of kids-only activities, facilities and/or entertainment onboard ship.

It is important to note that over 60 percent of those responding to the survey use a travel agent at least on occasion to plan a cruise vacation, with almost 40 percent saying they use agents most of the time or always. CLIA has almost 16,000 travel agent members and one of the best training and certification programs in the travel industry. In order to be certified, agents must demonstrate that they have the knowledge, expertise and personal experience necessary to thoroughly understand the cruise industry and be able to match their clients, including families, with the perfect cruise.

For more information about family cruises please visit www.cruising.org