Travel information - Family Travel AssociationFamily Travel Association

‘Better Together – Fostering inclusion in family travel’

October 23 – 27, 2017 • Royal Caribbean International’s Majesty of the Seas • Port Canaveral, Florida

Where is the Summit?

The 2017 FTA Summit will be held aboard Royal Caribbean International‘s Majesty of the Seas, departing out of Port Canaveral, Florida.

The Majesty of the Seas is a Sovereign-class cruise ship owned by Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd (RCCL) and operated by Royal Caribbean International:

Launched – 1992
Length – 880′
Draft – 28′
Beam – 106′
Builders: STX Europe, Chantiers de l’Atlantique

Getting There

Summit Delegates should fly into Orlando International Airport (MCO) and then choose a bus transfer or take a car rental to the Port Canaveral Cruise Terminal, just a 45-minute drive away.

Miami International Airport (MIA) is a secondary option, although it is a three-hour and twenty-minute drive away from the Cruise Terminal. Other possible secondary airports are Daytona, Jacksonville, or West Palm Beach. No official Summit transfers will be available from these airports.

PLEASE NOTE: When booking flights into Orlando, your flight must arrive before noon on the date of embarkation (Oct. 23) per RCCL regulations! When booking your return flight out of Orlando, it’s strongly advised to plan for a departure flight that is leaves after 12 noon October 27.

Time Zone

Florida, Nassau and Cococay are all in the Eastern Standard Time Zone (the same as New York City).

Airport Transfers From Orlando

RCCL will offer arrival and departure transfers between MCO and Port Canaveral. Prices are:

One way transfer is $37.50 per person
Round trip transfer is $75.00 per person

Transfers can be booked via the Summit travel agency (see below).

Weather

Central Florida maintains a comfortable average annual temperature of 72 degrees Fahrenheit and a mostly dry climate from October to May. In October proper, you can generally expect highs of up to 85 with lows near 66 degrees Fahrenheit (29 and 19 Celsius respectively) in Orlando. In Nassau, expect highs of 86 (30) and lows of 72 (22).

Accommodations

Accommodations are booked separately from your Summit registration. Your Summit registration is for the conference itself, to cover the expenses for your networking events, the speakers, etc. That registration fee does not include your lodging, which is booked separately, via the method noted below. You can register for the Summit itself via our registration page.

Your accommodations will be stateroom cabins aboard the Majesty of the Seas, keeping you within an easy walk and/or elevator ride from Summit events. Prices for staterooms vary by their locations. Single cabins are available at 200% the noted rate (minus a few dollars for single taxes).

These rates for your accommodations and meals are for the entire cruise (not per night) and are SEPARATE from your actual Summit Registration.

Our discounted group block is now sold out, but cabins are still available at the current rates. Cabin space could sell out; so please confirm your cabin as soon as possible!

To book your cabin, contact the Summit cabin booking desk, provided by FTA Member The Family Traveler. (Note that due to RCCL policy, all cabin bookings have to be managed by one, single travel agency. The Family Traveler was offered this opportunity by the FTA because they were the very first travel agency to join our association.) Note:

In order to participate in the FTA Summit, your stateroom must be booked through our group
Payment for your stateroom will be paid in full at the time of booking
These prices are for your stateroom reservation on the Majesty – your FTA Summit registration is separate

Pre- and Post-Hotel Option

For those with long flights before or after the Summit (or those that just want to stay on and further enjoy Florida), the FTA has negotiated rates with the Courtyard by Marriott Cocoa Beach @ $139/night, single to quad. The room block deadline has passed now, however so contact the hotel directly to see if you may still be eligible for that rate.

Transfers to/from Courtyard by Marriott Cocoa Beach:

Transfers MCO Airport/Hotel/Cruise Port/Airport – $45.00 per person round trip. Must get from hotel a shuttle form, fill it out and submit it at least one week before arrival. Different airport pickup will be $25 additional per trip. $25 additional per trip for pick-ups before 7:00am and after 9:00pm.

For those driving to the hotel: transfers to the port are $10.00 per person round trip, $6.00 per person one-way Please confirm transportation needs at check-in.

Insurance (Optional)

Insurance is available through RCCL (which covers trip cancellation for covered reasons) or through Travel Guard (which covers trip cancellation for work reasons – except for NY residents). Children under age 18 are free with Travel Guard as well. The Family Traveler can assist you with finding the best option for your travel needs. For more details, check out RCCL’s insurance policy here.

Wifi (Optional)

When you book your stateroom, you can opt into RCCL’s ‘Surf and Stream’ wifi package. The cost for one device is $47.96 when purchased in advance and $71.96 when purchased on board. If you purchase this add-on, you’ll enjoy unlimited high-speed internet and be able to stream all your favorite shows and music while at sea. Share every moment of your Summit experience in real time and stay connected with video chat, texting and email!

Note that this package will allow you access to the wifi on one device at a time. You can use your same code for multiple devices, but can only use one at a time.

Roommates

FTA will assist single Summit delegates find roommates to share a cabin with, if they so choose. If you are interested in getting matched with a roommate, please email the FTA.

Bring the Family!

As you might imagine, the FTA loves families – and loves it even more when families travel together! Cruising is an excellent travel option for families as ships have something to do for everyone, be it little kids, tweens, teens, etc. – including the Adventure Ocean club for kids at no additional charge. So, can you bring your spouse/S.O. and/or kids? Absolutely!

Do please note however that the FTA won’t have any dedicated programming for non-Summit delegates. So they will be ‘on their own’. But, as noted, there is no end of activities for your partner and children.

Adding a third or four person to your stateroom is $395 for an inside cabin and $425 for an outside stateroom, in addition to the rates noted above.

Passports

The FTA strongly recommends that all Summit delegates, including US Citizens, travel with their passport during the Summit. If you are from outside the US, we strongly encourage you to check the visa requirements or contact your local embassy.

Attire

The daily attire at the FTA Summit is ‘Bahamian professional’; light attire such as nice, cool pants/skirts; comfortable, breathable footwear; collared shirts, etc. If you’d like to really dress up for the dinners, please do so, especially on the ‘formal night’. For that night, RCCL recommends, “Ladies: Cocktail dress or pantsuit. Gentlemen: Suit (black tie is optional).”

Delegates should dress appropriately for the active networking events, based on the activity, including sandals, swim suit if necessary, etc.

Cancellation Policy – FTA Summit Registration

Instead of cancelling, the FTA encourages delegates to transfer their registration to a co-worker or to next year’s FTA Summit. If you must cancel your FTA Summit registration, no refunds are given within 60 days before the event.

Note that this cancellation policy is solely for the registration for the FTA Summit. Cancellation of a stateroom reservation is entirely separate and per RCCL’s own cancellation policies.

Cancellation Policy – Royal Caribbean International

If you must cancel your stateroom on the Majesty, some fees do apply on a sliding scale. If you cancel between the following dates, you will be refunded your stateroom payment, minus the following fees: