18 People, One Cruise, Zero Chaos: How We Took a Group Trip and Actually Had Fun
We know what you're thinking:
“Eighteen people? On one cruise? On purpose?”
Yeah, we thought we were nuts too. The group text alone had us questioning our life choices. But spoiler alert—we pulled it off, had the time of our lives, and now we’re pretty much group cruise evangelists.
Here’s how it went down, how we stayed sane, and why we’d do it all over again in a heartbeat.
🚢 The Pre-Cruise Chaos (Spoiler: It Was Worth It)
Let’s be clear: planning a group cruise is not for the faint of heart. You will become the unofficial travel agent, therapist, and t-shirt size collector. But once we locked in our sailing (a 7-night Royal Caribbean cruise with just the right mix of ports and sea days), it was game on.
We had:
3 generations
A toddler
Two first-timers
One over-packer
And one person who never downloaded the app (you know who you are)
The spreadsheets were real. But so were the belly laughs during the countdown Zoom call where someone accidentally booked a flight for the wrong month (don’t worry, we caught it).
Pre Cruise Chaos
📍 Where We Went (And Why It Worked)
We chose an itinerary that offered variety without burnout. There’s a fine line between “fun vacation” and “travel logistics bootcamp,” and Royal nailed the balance.
Here was the lineup:
Perfect Day at CocoCay – water park for the kids, beach club for the grown-ups, and a collective obsession with the floating bar.
St. Maarten – our “everyone picks their own adventure” day. Some went snorkeling, some shopped, some just posted up with rum punch and wifi.
San Juan – Old San Juan charmed us all. We wandered the cobblestone streets, found an incredible empanada place, and still made it back onboard with time to spare.
Pro tip: don’t force everyone into the same excursion. Let people break off into mini-crews based on vibe and energy levels.
⏰ Our Strategy: Group-ish, Not Glued Together
To keep things easy and drama-free, we set light expectations:
Dinner together 4 out of 7 nights
Group pics? Optional. Group drinks? Encouraged.
Pick your own adventure during the day
Some of the best moments weren’t even planned:
A spontaneous karaoke duet that brought down the house
A silent disco circle dance with three generations crushing it in sync
An impromptu card game tournament in the pub where we may have turned heads with our volume
The secret? Give everyone space to enjoy the cruise in their own way. You’ll find each other again—probably at the Windjammer.
💡 Why a Group Cruise Just Works
Here’s why this setup shines: no one has to “host.” You’re not stuck cooking meals or driving people to attractions. Everyone gets the vacation they want, and the ship takes care of the rest.
The extroverts lived at the pool bar.
The introverts found their cozy corners and observation decks.
The kids made friends in Adventure Ocean and ran the arcade like tiny tycoons.
It’s like a choose-your-own-vacation adventure—but you still get to see your people every day.
🧢 Of Course We Matched. You Know Us.
We showed up in Here for the Badge shirts, obviously. It made everything feel official.
We got compliments. We had strangers ask where to get them.
One couple said, “Wait, that’s a thing now?” And we said, “Oh it’s definitely a thing.”
And when we wear those shirts now? It’s not just cruise merch—it’s a memory in motion.
Cruise Deck
🥲 Final Thoughts from Deck 18
Cruising with 18 people sounds like a logistical nightmare. But it wasn’t. It was laughter, shared sunsets, epic meals, and soft serve ice cream with people you love.
It was a vacation that hit different—not just because of where we went, but who we went with.
Would we do it again? In a heartbeat.
Are we already planning a bigger one? Also yes.
Are we packing extra badge shirts for the next round? You already know.
🛍️ Got a crew ready to sail?
Grab your matching gear at Here for the Badge—designed for big groups, big memories, and badge fams who make it look easy.