Group cruise transfers to Port Everglades and PortMiami

The groups that sail together

Everyone at the ship at the same time.

A cruise is a popular way to bring people together, and getting everyone to the ship at the same time takes planning. Ace runs the ground side for groups such as these:

• Wedding partiesCeremony at sea or a honeymoon group trip
• Family reunionsGrandparents, cousins and small children
• Travel agency groupsAnd tour operator groups
• Company teamsOn a reward or meeting cruise
• Church groups
• Friends on the same ship

Matching the group and its luggage to a vehicle

Seats are half the question. Bags are the rest.

Seats are only half the question. Cruise luggage takes room, so Ace sizes the vehicle to both the headcount and the bags. A minibus seats 15 to 20 and a full size motorcoach up to 56. Smaller parties within the group can ride in a Sprinter van with a driver.

Take a group of 30 flying into FLL for a PortMiami sailing. Thirty people are too many for one minibus, so the group rides in a full size motorcoach, with the bags in the bays underneath. Dispatch still checks the bag count before it confirms the coach.

• VanSprinter van with a driverSmaller parties within the group
• 15 to 20Minibus
• 56Full size motorcoachTwo or more for bigger groups
• GPSGPS tracking, Wi-Fi and camerasOn every Ace vehicle

Get a quote for your tripor call (954) 250-6667, 24/7

One manifest for both legs

One passenger list runs both days.

Send one passenger list for the whole group: names, flights or hotel, and bag counts. The same list drives sailing day and return day, so nobody has to explain the group twice.

Guests rarely arrive on one flight. Ace can set one meeting time at the airport, run more than one pickup as flights land, or collect the group from two or three hotels the morning of the sailing. Each run is listed in the quote. On the return, the list tells dispatch who goes to FLL, who goes to MIA and who heads home.

• Names
• Flights or hotel
• Bag counts
• Return drop-offsWho goes to FLL, MIA or home

Private coach or shared seats

Most groups take the whole vehicle.

Most cruise groups book the whole vehicle. It leaves when the group is ready, goes straight to the terminal and carries nobody else. A few guests traveling on their own schedule can still book shared seats on the same day.

Wedding parties sometimes want the couple's families on one coach and the other guests on a second. Dispatch can split the list however the group leader wants.

• PrivateThe whole vehicleLeaves when the group is ready
• SharedShared seatsFor guests on their own schedule

Get a quote for your tripor call (954) 250-6667, 24/7

Port day logistics for a crowd

Tag the bags before the coach arrives.

Ask each guest to put the cruise line's luggage tags on their bags before the pickup. A tagged bag can go straight from the coach to the porters at the curb, which saves a crowd sorting suitcases on the sidewalk.

Remind guests to keep passports, IDs and boarding documents in their hands or carry-ons, not in a suitcase under the coach.

1. Tag every bagCruise line tags go on before the pickup.
2. Documents in handPassports, IDs and boarding papers stay out of the suitcases.
3. Head for your terminalYour boarding documents name it.
4. Count heads before leavingThe driver waits until the count matches.

Safety paperwork group leaders ask for

Anyone can look up Ace's carrier number.

Ace Tours Inc was incorporated in Florida in 1999. It is an active passenger carrier, USDOT 1310399, which anyone can look up on the federal FMCSA website. Ace carries $5,000,000 liability coverage, and a certificate of insurance can be sent to the group leader, the agency or the venue before the sailing. Ace is also a registered Florida Seller of Travel, ST37258.

• USDOT 1310399Active passenger carrier
• $5M liabilityCertificate of insurance on request
• ST37258Florida Seller of Travel