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Balloons and streamers in your high school gym? Tasteless dinner in an expensive hotel ballroom? What did your last high school reunion look like?
I attended only one of my high school reunions, in 1994 in Houston, Texas. I attended two schools abroad – one in Aberdeen, Scotland, and one in Caracas, Venezuela. Attendance at those schools consisted of the children of expats working for multi-national companies, the military or diplomatic corps. American and international schools abroad comprise a high ratio of Americans. Most of my fellow classmates have ended up stateside.
Facebook now connects many of us. Last year one of our classmates (thank you Sylvia) posted a Facebook poll to gauge interest in a reunion. We had a list of cities and times of the year to pick from. The winner was Miami in the summer months. But then one of our brilliant classmates (thank you Willie) suggested we consider a cruise instead. Once we really started looking at our options, there was no doubt in our minds that a cruise was perfect for us.
Our group booked a Bahamas cruise on Royal Caribbean leaving from Miami on a Friday and returning early on Monday. I think it’s fair to say this reunion was a huge success. Based on our experience, here are the top 5 reasons why you should seriously consider a cruise for your next reunion:
Someone else Handles the Logistics!
Forget locating a hotel and booking a block of rooms. Forget looking around for a restaurant, ballroom, or caterer. Forget having to make endless decisions via committee.
When you book a reunion cruise with a cruise company, there is already a plan. Booking through a travel agent or the cruise company as a group ensures that everyone sits together for dinner by connecting all reservations. Depending on the size of your group, cruise lines will host a special reception for your group.
The cruise company decides the itinerary and provides options for activities. Just pack your bag and show up!
Everything is Included in your Reunion Cruise!
Do you really want to collect deposits for rooms or dinner? Or a band?
The beauty of a cruise is that lodging, food, and entertainment are included. Yes, cruises can be expensive, but if your classmates have scattered across the country, airfare and lodging expenses add up regardless of what kind of trip you plan. With a cruise, there are no unexpected expenses, and you can pretty much leave your wallet in the room safe for the duration of the trip. Plus, did I mention that all the planning is done for you?
There is something to Do for Every Interest Group!
A reunion cruise allows a family with teenagers seeking adventure to have as much fun as the single adult who came to party. And if you want to rest in the sun and read a book, there are ample opportunities to relax.
Cruise ships have activities planned throughout the day. Someone can go play bingo while another learns how to make those cute towel animals. You can nap any time or try something yummy to eat (or drink) at any time.
You’ll get to Spend More Time Together on your Reunion Cruise!
The one complaint I’ve heard consistently about reunions is the inability to spend quality time with your friends from 20 years ago. If you’re limited to one night in a crowded or loud high school gym or hotel ballroom, you can’t catch up very well.
A cruise allows you to spend a few days together. Whether you’re lounging by the pool, laying on a beach, or participating in a lively adult game of Quest, you’ll get to reconnect and rediscover old friendships or even form new ones. See what we did in Nassau.
Children are Included in your Reunion Cruise!
And if you’re in my age group (late ’40s), you’ll find that your classmates are all over the place when it comes to having children. Some of us have grown children who are on their own or in college. Others have teenagers. A few have elementary school age children and there are even a few babies in the mix. Some of your classmates may be single. Some may simply be looking for a brief respite from family life!
How do you plan an event for several days where people feel comfortable bringing their kids without having to worry about babysitters or activities for them? A cruise is perfect! Younger kids can attend the youth camps. Some cruises even plan excursions with the teenagers.
Our group found that the kids bonded over dinner (we designated a “kids” table) such that by the end of our trip, they hung out in the hot tubs watching the movie on the main deck. They found every chocolate fountain! They had a sense of freedom, and the parents were comfortable knowing their kids were safe and could only roam so far.
Finally, is planning a reunion cruise worth the effort?
While researching whether a cruise made for a good idea for a reunion, I inevitably found negative stories. Like any other trip, doing some research and making sure the cruise line is reputable and the ship is appropriate are key. Based on our experience, a cruise reunion is a great option for groups that are looking for a destination-based event. This is especially true for groups that have scattered since graduation. Finally, a cruise makes sense for more classmates if you wait until people are better off financially – like more than a ten year reunion.
What really worked for our group was getting people to convince their friends to join them. We talked it up as an opportunity to catch up with friends they hadn’t seen in 30 years. While spending time together, we were able to introduce our families to each other.
If you’re part of a reunion organizing committee, I highly recommend considering doing a reunion cruise as an option. Feel free to contact me if you’ve got questions on how to do this! Please leave a comment if you’ve got other great reunion ideas.
Check out this post for the Top Five Ways To Avoid Spending Extra On A Cruise.
Happy travels!
Annick, The Common Traveler
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Raised as a third culture kid living in South America and Europe, Annick caught the travel bug early. Now that the children are gone, but still saving for retirement, she enjoys traveling in an affordable way and wants to share those ideas.
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What a great idea of having reunion or family get-together at cruise. As sometimes people have different tastes and preferences, so cruise is better to host them as there are wide range of activities suiting to all tastes and preferences. They even have entertainment and dance shows to keep us occupy in evenings and for teenagers they have many adventurous stuff. Wow in your party, kids too enjoyed and had their favorite chocolate fountain, hot tubs and movies. For my next party on cruise, I would definitely seeking ideas from you.
It fell into place so easily and there was little planning. It was perfect!
This is such a cool idea! I wouldn’t have thought about doing a cruise as a reunion. I also like the idea that you have more then just one evening to catch up. After so many years you have so much to talk about! And the fact that everything is taken care of is a huge plus! Thanks for the tip who knows I will be doing this one day 😉
Great for families who haven’t seen each other in a while too!
I’ve never thought of a cruise before, but you raise some good points. It’s true that everything’s included, meaning there’s not much to organise! And it’s great that kids are included too. Will consider this if I ever have a reunion.
It is perfect.
Haven’t even been to my first reunion yet, but a cruise sounds like so much fun for having one. Plenty of entertainment and booze! LOL. And I love the idea of something for everyone and a space you could get away when you needed a break from it all. Excellent idea!
There’s a reason we called it the “drunk package” very quickly!
I really like the idea of doing a reunion trip on cruise, it is much better then getting together for a dinner. This gives the freedom to children and spouses to be on their own when you are busy catching up with friends.
All inclusive makes things much more easier because you don’t need to worry about organizing things.
Such an fantastic idea.
It was perfect!
I’ve never been on a cruise OR to a reunion (left school only a few years ago, and a 3-year reunion would be pretty crappy haha) but this is such a fab idea for if/when I ever do! I love that everything is included, as I imagine organising a reunion elsewhere would be pretty stressful having to hire caterers, accommodation etc. Definitely something to keep in mind for the future!
So easy! I’d suggest waiting until at least the 10 year reunion.
I’ve never been on a cruise, but organizing such reunion sounds so cool! Love this idea!
Cruise reunion sounds fun and you got me thinking it to be a great idea! The pros are fantastic and its nice to be at a place where the effort is only spend in having fun and bonding. So when someone else is managing it all and there is something for everyone, including kids, its a perfect situation! We once had our office get together on a cruise and this post reminded me of that. Next time we are planning a reunion, of school, college or colleagues, would love to explore this idea!
What a great idea for an office trip!
This sounds like a great idea for a reunion. You’re right one night in a hotel restaurant, it is difficult to find time to catch up with everyone. A cruise sounds perfect!
It’s brilliant and I wish we’d thought of it earlier!
Nice post!! I love your fantastic ideas, and I like this cruise.
Any reason for a cruise is a good reason! 🙂 I haven’t been on one since 2012. Time to plan another! 🙂
Let’s see if I can keep up with my once a year trend I started last year.
What a fantastic idea! I’ll be sharing this post with me classmates for our next reunion
You’ll have so much fun!
Love this idea, what fun. Thank you. I love cruises 🚢
Me too!