What It Costs

The Trip Cost

If your group is smaller or your budget doesn't reach the minimum, skip ahead to what we offer at that level; it's covered further down this page.

Custom trips start at $20,000 for a group of four, including the cruise, land, flights, transfers, and activities. That figure is the floor at the smallest group size we plan a full custom itinerary for. As the group grows, so does the total, since more cabins, more hotel rooms, and more activity slots go into the plan. A group of eight or ten lands at a different number than a group of four, and we won't know your real range until we know your headcount, your destinations, and how much land time you want on either side of the cruise. That's what the first call is for.

The number increases for reasons beyond headcount too. We don't set a minimum hotel category, we'll build a trip around a well-kept 3-star property just as easily as a 5-star one. Choose a suite over a standard cabin, or upgrade hotels throughout, and the total reflects that choice, not a rule we impose.

One more thing worth knowing before that first call: travel dates matter. Cruise and hotel pricing moves with the calendar, and a group traveling over a school break or a major holiday will typically cost more than the same itinerary during a quieter week.

The Planning Fee

Building a group trip means researching and booking a cruise, coordinating hotels across multiple stops, arranging transfers, identifying and booking excursions for the whole group, and estimating flights and travel insurance before proposing anything. That work is billed as a non-refundable flat planning fee: $250 for the first household, $100 for each additional household after that. A household is defined by the home address of the traveler, not family relationship. This fee applies to custom itineraries, whereas a straightforward cruise-and-transfer option below the minimum floor doesn't carry a fee.

• A full proposal built around your group's budget and headcount: cruise, hotels, transfers, and excursions.

• Flight and travel insurance estimates are included from the start.

• Once the itinerary is approved, we handle the booking and payment schedule for each vendor (the cruise line, hotels, and excursion operators) using a credit card authorization to charge your card directly. This way, your payment goes straight to the vendor instead of through us, and you're not tracking separate deadlines yourself.

Our work happens under the American Society of Travel Advisors’ (ASTA) code of ethics, which we're bound to as members. Two parts matter directly to you: full disclosure of costs and fees before you pay anything, and a requirement that no relationship with a supplier outweighs your interests. It's not a marketing claim, it's a professional standard we committed to by joining ASTA.

Trips Below $20,000

When you want something simpler, we offer a straightforward cruise with a hotel stay in your port of departure or arrival, plus transfers to and from the ship. There's no planning fee at this level. What's not included: extended land stays before or after the cruise, transfers between cities, and the excursion research we do for custom itineraries. We can recommend a few excursions and book them for you directly. If you'd rather compare more options yourself, we'll point you to the excursion partners we trust so you can browse and book on your own.