As African Americans, family reunions are everything. It allows us to fellowship and share our family history. Family Reunion Cruises are definitely a way to do this. It is a unique take on a traditional black family reunion. Family Reunion Cruises ensure you will have great all you can eat food and drink, fun filled family activities, and the ability to see and share multiple destinations together as a family. Let’s not forget, you can still have the traditional meet and greet party and banquet. As you can see, Family Reunion Cruises are a win/win.
Now is the time to start planning your Family Reunion Cruise for 2025-26. When sitting down with the planning committee or at your next family reunion, here are 5 things you need to discuss to get your Family Reunion Cruise 2025-26 off the ground:
Cruise Length
How long do you and your family desire to be on cruise? Cruises can range from 2-3 nights up to 14 days or more. Everyone will need to weigh in due to everyone’s availability will differ to how time they can take off work. It is best to start planning early in order to get everyone on the same page. Short cruises are usually easier to plan for, especially for large Family Reunions.
Embarkation Point
Embarkation is the port that the cruise departs from. Your family needs to concern which port will be the easiest to depart from. Do you want to be able to drive or charter a bus to the port? Will your family be able to fly to the port? You will need to discuss and factor in which port is the most accessible to the majority of the family. Let them vote to pick the best Port of Embarkation.
Cruise Ships & Intineraries
Everyone vacations differently which means that selecting the correct cruise ship and itinerary is a must . Some people like the beach and relaxation and others prefer to be busy on tours and adventures. Your family will need to come together to decide which cruise encompasses the itinerary to fit most of the family’s vacation style. You will need to decide how much beach time vs cultural experience your family will like to experience once on shore. You will also have to decide what style of cruise you want to experience and the vibe on the cruise ship;i.e. lots of activities for adults and children, the dining experiences, a vibrant ship vs a relaxing/ quiet ship. That’s the beauty of cruising: it’s flexible to share different experiences within the same vacation. Many families love cruising to the Caribbean, Mexico, The Bahamas, Bermuda, and Hawaii because of its balance of stunning, relaxing beaches and immersive cultural experiences.
Cabin Types & Sizes
When selecting a cruise ship for your Family Reunion Cruise, you definitely have to consider the type of rooms and their size that are available for your families. You want to be able to have room size to comfortably accommodate your various family unit sizes. There are a variety of cabin categories from ocean view, balcony, to family suites. Every cabin has a full private bathroom. Your families can decide which room type and size best suits their needs.
Shore Excursions
The beauty of selecting shore excursions on a cruise is that you can elect to do a group excursion or individual family excursions. If your family reunion cruise has more than one destination, you can choose one destination for your family group excursion and the other destinations can be individual family day excursions. When planning these excursions survey the family on what kind of activities are fun and enjoyable to them and select those activities. You can please everyone and some may opt out and that is okay. Also carve out some time at your farewell Family Reunion Banquet to share each other’s experience. Journeys are meant to shared.
Planning a Family Reunion Cruise doesn’t have to be stressful. Amazing Journey Cultural Group Tours will work closely with you and your family to help you make all these decisions to create a memorable Family Reunion experience. You will be embarking on on your Family Reunion Cruise in no time.
So what are you waiting for?
Start planning your next Family Reunion Cruise today!