vivalaparte

As for makeup when I got married in 2015 I was told that it is not guaranteed that there will be qualified people aboard. There is a good chance that there might be someone that will give it a stab, but results can not insured. The advice that I was given was to work a self sufficient option, meaning doing it yourself or having someone that is coming along with you. Once on board you can ask the salon if they have someone available and bring the products you know work.  My reality was I went to a few stores and got "make overs", and picked up the products I thought worked well along the way. Watched some tutorials on Youtube, (before everyone and their sister was doing them) and practiced.  About once a week I used to my makeup for the wedding and wear it to work. I worked in a small office, so once I let everyone know what I was doing they all (guys and girls) gave their two cents. Based the feed back I got I would change things, or watch another video to learn more.  Once I was happy with the look I had I focused on consistency and tried to reproduce it each week.  I took notes and photos of what I was doing each time so that I would have reference material. The final result certainly made an impression when my friends and family saw the finished product, since day to day I don't wear the stuff.

Hi Baybee,

 

You are right that there is not much information on here for the at sea bride. I am getting married on the Quantum on 3.14.15 (the ultimate pi day), but we do not get back home until 3-22, which I fear is not enough time be useful with information for you.

 

I have started working with Romance as well, and I have the additional unknowns of being the first bride/wedding for the Quantum, but apparently the captain is really excited. We are the guinea pigs and with no chapel on this ship our big question is where will the ceremony be held. Desirae, had made the original suggestion of the Via, but as pretty as it is, it is just a walk through area and more public than we wanted things to be. She is working on seeing what other areas will be appropriate and more private.

 

If anyone is interested in a reception idea that is not one of the restaurants, here is our game plan at the moment. This of course is based on final confirmation of the ceremony location and scheduling for the captain and Boleros.

 

We have 20 adults including ourselves and one 18 month old.

 

3:30 - 7:30 Photos begin with getting ready, first look, couple shots around ship, then family portraits, ceremony and into reception.

 

We are getting the CD with all the pictures. There was 1 hour included in our wedding package, a 2nd hour comes with CD package, we purchased 2 additional hours at $150 and hour to cover the amount of time we felt would be needed to capture most of our day.

 

5:00pm Ceremony - Location TBD

 

This will likely be short, simple and to the point for us. We are not religious and do not plan on having any sort of additional items like readings or little side things like a unity candle. When we purchased our package it came with soloist. We are waiting to find out which instrument it will be so that we can provide sheet music for the songs that we want. We are not into classic wedding music.

 

5:30-7:30pm Private Reception in Boleros

 

We ballroom dance and have a choreographed first dance that required a request of suitable dance floor.

We did not see the point in paying to feed people on a cruise ship, frankly if you are hungry go to the Windjammer, and leave me alone. However, we are having the premium cocktail reception for two hours, booze we can see paying for. We opted to have the DJ, we do not want to worry about who is playing DJ with an ipod, or what if the speakers we bring do not work well with the space. Then everyone can enjoy those couple of hours with out worry.

 

We are getting married on Pi(e) day, and we were able to request pie in lieu of the cake that is normally served with the wedding packages. With the number of guests we were able to select 4 different pies to be served.

 

7:30-8:30pm Chance to change and freshen up

 

We told our guests that dress for the ceremony and reception should be things like sun dresses/sandals for the women and khakis with a polo or button down for the guys. We originally were told that the ceremony would be in the late morning to early afternoon. As it stands now that has shifted to the late afternoon/early evening.

 

8:30-10:30pm Formal Dinner in the Grande Dining Room

 

The Quantum offers a free venue that is Formal every evening and we opted to have dinner the night of our wedding at this venue. Since we have told our guests the ceremony/reception was more casual, our guests will have a chance to change for dinner before hand.

 

From there, knowing the younger part of our group we will change out of the formal duds and into the party clothes to head to club to finish out the night.

 

We are not planning on paying for drinks at dinner or after words, our guests will get two hours to hit the premium stuff hard and that is it, any more than that is on them.

 

Hair and Makeup -

I did not request hair since I have curly hair and plan on wearing it natural. I do not have any bridal party members that will require hair either.

Makeup - I was told that they do not normally offer makeup service. Occasionally there is someone working in the spa that will offer it, but it is not guaranteed and you will not be able to find out until you are aboard the ship. I am not a makeup person and this was a scary idea to me. I have purchased a bunch of makeup and been practicing and trying different looks so that at the very least I can just take care of it myself.

 

As for your question about the non drinkers - I believe the charge will be based on your total head count regardless of their personal preference of imbibing. I am not sure if they charge a lower rate for children. You also have to pay for people that have already purchased an alcohol package. The charges are more about the staffing than what is actually being consumed.

 

Best of Luck to you,

 

Genevieve

 

PS Dining on the Quantum is a disaster to book and every person working at RC knows it. I eventually had to take a rotation of the 4 main free venues at 8:30 to have my entire group accommodated. Groups dept totally dropped the ball when I made the request in April, and it took me literally crying with the Resolution person a couple of weeks ago to finally get something taken care of. This thing lingered for so long that what I had originally requested could no longer be accommodated and I had to settle for the late dinner rotation.

 

My big thing for "things I wish I had known" would be that make sure all of your guests book directly with RC, if they go through a travel agent, it will make everything harder to take care of and you will be told over and over again that they can not help you with the people booked with a travel agent (and the travel agent will not release the booking because they lose the commission). And yes I asked/told people to book directly with RC, but they just did what ever the hell that wanted to save a few bucks here or there. What do they care about the grief and aggravation I go through every time I try and take care of something.... now that is how your rant, yet provide valuable information. :p

 

 

 

 

Hi Soulfish,

 

Thanks for all your info. It is relevant to me as I am a B2B doing an Out at Sea wedding on board Rhapsody in March!! RCL Out at Sea Wedding reviews and experiences are hard to come by. Our sail date is the 29th March, Wedding day 30th, approximately 60 guests (includes 8 kids from 3yrs - 16yrs of age). :)

 

We are wanting to buy-out Giovanni's Table and decided this when we did a 2night sampler cruise on board Rhapsody in October 2014, to check her out as we had never cruised on her before. We met with the on board events administration coordinator, and enquired about buying out Chops. Upon looking at the layout of Chops, Giovanni's was more suitable for what we were looking for (and also cheaper!). We were given a copy of the set menu while we were there too.

Also, when we were deciding on what ship & sailing to book for our wedding, we also looked at Radiance. Now, when we view both Radiance & Rhapsody, we were told we could have an open bar which would be more than likely subject to a minimum spend (which is expected), where we could put (as an example) $2k on the bar, and increase the limit should we need too.

 

I just spoke with my RR specialist 3nights ago, who I have spoken/emailed about wanting to buy out Giovanni's multiple times. And she asked me if I had booked it? I said no because my online reservation only allows a limited number of bookings. I thought that was silly of her to ask, because I have been told to communicate our requirements through her.

Also, she tells me that for there to be alcoholic drinks at our reception dinner, we need to purchase a cocktail hour of $20/person for the 1st hour, and $15/person for every hour after that. This includes us having to pay for non-drinkers?

We actually wanted to carry on the party and good times after Giovanni's closed (OMG you are so lucky they allowed you guys in there until 12:30am. Well done!). And asked to go to the Viking Crown Lounge and continue or set up another bar tab for open bar, up there. When I said we were wanting an open bar, she said we could have a bar person ASWELL as the cocktail hour(s) to allow those people not being attended to by waitstaff to go and order drinks at the bar. And one bar person would cost us $300 for the first hour, then $150 for every hour after that?!? :eek:

I will admit, I am located in Western Australia, the call was after 10pm here due to the time difference (and that was the only time that really suits me), and the phone connection wasn't that great. :confused: I asked her to send me a breakdown of what we had spoken about due to it being so late and the less than ideal phone connection, so I will see if my hearing was right.

 

How did you get the $2k minimum spend for your reception?

Also, what did the bridal party do for hair and make-up on board?

 

My apologies for the rant folks, but my questions are genuine. And I would like to mention a HUGE thanks those on this thread sharing their info. I'm pretty sure we willing be avoiding the DJ as we were considering this but not with that price tag. And we are definitely considering purchasing the CD of photos :D

So THANK YOU ALL!

Hi Baybee,

 

You are right that there are not much information on here for the at sea bride. I am getting married on the Quantum on 3.14.15 (the ultimate pi day), but we do not get back home until 3-22, which I fear is not enough time be useful with information for you.

 

I have started working with Romance as well, and I have the additional unknowns of being the first bride/wedding for the Quantum, but apparently the captain is really excited. We are the guinea pigs and with no chapel on this ship our big question is where will the ceremony be held. Desirae, had made the original suggestion of the Via, but as pretty as it is, it is just a walk through area and more public than we wanted things to be. She is working on seeing what other areas will be appropriate and more private.

 

If anyone is interested in a reception idea that is not one of the restaurant, here is our game plan at the moment. This of course is based on final confirmation of the ceremony location and scheduling for the captain and other areas.

 

We have 20 adults including ourselves and one 18 month old.

 

3:30pm Photos begin with getting ready, first look and family, etc.

5:00pm Ceremony - Location TBD

5:30-7:30pm Reception

We ballroom dance and have a choreographed first dance that required a request of suitable dance floor

7:30-8:30pm Chance to change or freshen up

8:30pm Formal Dinner in the Grande Dining Room

 

 

 

Hi Soulfish,

 

Thanks for all your info. It is relevant to me as I am a B2B doing an Out at Sea wedding on board Rhapsody in March!! RCL Out at Sea Wedding reviews and experiences are hard to come by. Our sail date is the 29th March, Wedding day 30th, approximately 60 guests (includes 8 kids from 3yrs - 16yrs of age). :)

 

We are wanting to buy-out Giovanni's Table and decided this when we did a 2night sampler cruise on board Rhapsody in October 2014, to check her out as we had never cruised on her before. We met with the on board events administration coordinator, and enquired about buying out Chops. Upon looking at the layout of Chops, Giovanni's was more suitable for what we were looking for (and also cheaper!). We were given a copy of the set menu while we were there too.

Also, when we were deciding on what ship & sailing to book for our wedding, we also looked at Radiance. Now, when we view both Radiance & Rhapsody, we were told we could have an open bar which would be more than likely subject to a minimum spend (which is expected), where we could put (as an example) $2k on the bar, and increase the limit should we need too.

 

I just spoke with my RR specialist 3nights ago, who I have spoken/emailed about wanting to buy out Giovanni's multiple times. And she asked me if I had booked it? I said no because my online reservation only allows a limited number of bookings. I thought that was silly of her to ask, because I have been told to communicate our requirements through her.

Also, she tells me that for there to be alcoholic drinks at our reception dinner, we need to purchase a cocktail hour of $20/person for the 1st hour, and $15/person for every hour after that. This includes us having to pay for non-drinkers?

We actually wanted to carry on the party and good times after Giovanni's closed (OMG you are so lucky they allowed you guys in there until 12:30am. Well done!). And asked to go to the Viking Crown Lounge and continue or set up another bar tab for open bar, up there. When I said we were wanting an open bar, she said we could have a bar person ASWELL as the cocktail hour(s) to allow those people not being attended to by waitstaff to go and order drinks at the bar. And one bar person would cost us $300 for the first hour, then $150 for every hour after that?!? :eek:

I will admit, I am located in Western Australia, the call was after 10pm here due to the time difference (and that was the only time that really suits me), and the phone connection wasn't that great. :confused: I asked her to send me a breakdown of what we had spoken about due to it being so late and the less than ideal phone connection, so I will see if my hearing was right.

 

How did you get the $2k minimum spend for your reception?

Also, what did the bridal party do for hair and make-up on board?

 

My apologies for the rant folks, but my questions are genuine. And I would like to mention a HUGE thanks those on this thread sharing their info. I'm pretty sure we willing be avoiding the DJ as we were considering this but not with that price tag. And we are definitely considering purchasing the CD of photos :D

So THANK YOU ALL!

[quote name=Also' date=' I am a retired teacher so I probably go a little overboard on planning stuff, but I put together a 10 page "Welcome Letter" with a schedule and everything. I also wrote out our entire wedding outline and script including our vows. I'd be happy to share with anybody who wants to see.

[/quote]

 

I would like to see what you included in your letter. I have been trying to decide the information and format for I will be preparing.

 

vivalaparte@yahoo.com

 

Thanks a bunch!

Hi there - thank you for sharing. I'm in a similar boat as you - getting married a month prior though! But we're doing the symbolic at sea as well. How has your process gone so far? Have you been able to discuss any plans yet?

 

 

Zarika,

 

Honestly I have not done anything with Royal Romance in about a year. I got all my initial questions and concerns out when I first started. I am pretty sure my Q & A with Royal Romance is somewhere on this thread or the "What I wish I had known" thread here. When you get the same answer to almost every question of "we just do not know yet" with regards to ship, time and place because it has not been built. So many issues are also dependent on the number of guests so without a firm headcount I realized I needed to let it go for awhile. I plan on sending out my invitations in October so that I can have my head count just as the ship is beginning to sail.

 

 

Are you having your ceremony on the Quantum as well?

I noticed that this thread has been quiet for a little while... anyone still here? anyone new?

Hi Ladies,

 

I am getting married on the Allure in 3 weeks time.... we board the ship on 27th April and have been told that we are getting married on Friday 2nd May at 3pm... we are getting married at sea by the Captain... we are both just so looking forward to THE most relaxed wedding ever...

Ive had my final fittings for my dress... its just perfect and I cant wait to wear it for longer than the timings of my fittings!!

My fiancé is going to get so much attention aswell as we are both from Scotland and he is wearing a kilt... cant wait to see him in it!!

 

Not long to go now!!

 

Ill answer any questions that I can on how I arranged our wedding onboard as I know I asked 10,000 questions on this board when we first booked our wedding.

 

Speak to you all soon

Joanne

x

 

I would be most interested in hearing about the details you have of being married at sea. We will be on the Quantum in March doing the same thing. It is relatively new so there are not very many reports on it yet.

[quote name='FLcruisebride']I am looking to book my wedding this week on either the Allure or the Oasis. I live in Fort Myers and am within driving distance to 4 ports so I have a lot of options on dates and itineraries as well as the ship. Any suggestions as to which ship I should pick? Also, I really need to see pictures of the venues to help make my decision. I searched the internet for hours yesterday and didn't come up with much. I am SO nervous about not knowing the venue until 30 days out. We will have 4 kids and 12 adults total, all sailing with us. ... We will be legally married 11/12/13 (coming up) but are waiting to have the real wedding on board....I read a few comments that the bride and groom have to see each other before the ceremony? 😔 What's the reasoning for that? ... Also, if we skip a reception will be there any time for cake and champagne and a first dance after the ceremony? ... Sorry I have so many questions, total newbie here!! I appreciate any help!!!

Email pics please: [EMAIL="kristinwilke1@aol.com"]kristinwilke1@aol.com[/EMAIL][/quote]

Hi Hun,

Welcome to the initial nerves we all started here with, it is daunting to not have more control, more information :confused:. It is time to let some of the A type personality go and embrace taking care of the details that you can ;). I can not get answers because my ship has not even been built yet... so you can imagine the unknowns that come with that.

Remember that which ever sailing and Romance package you choose you will have to pay for the ceremony in full at the time your date/ship are accepted by the Romance Dept. Being that you will be legally married already you will be able to select a less expensive symbolic ceremony, but be careful some of them come with a required time of legal marriage.
You will need to decide if you want to be married while at sea, in port at departure or at an itinerary port. The prices have a large range and so to the possibilities of what you want out of your ceremony/reception.

If you have not looked at already....
[URL]http://www.royalcaribbean.com/content/en_US/pdf/New_Royal_Romance_brochure.pdf[/URL]

I was were you are a few months ago in selecting which cruise. You listed your confirmed guest count which included 4 children. My suggestion is start by having a very honest conversation with those families and your guests that may be the most price sensitive. If you would be offended/hurt or upset if any one did not come due to financial concerns that should be top factor for you. When starting to look I had this conversation with my BF/nearly sister and she was saying " Pick whatever you want, we will figure it out" But now that it is decided and booked she comes up with a million excuses about how she will likely not come. Most of her and her husband's complaint comes with the additional cost of wanting to bring their small son with them on the trip. When a family goes from the cost of 2 to 3 or 4, you may need to watch how quickly that cost rises. We know all to well, not only are we paying for ourselves but two important family members that would not be able to make it other wise.

You mention that you were interested in one of the Oasis class ships, that is a good place to start in narrowing the field.

If you are looking to start from scratch I would recommend first with the port of departure. If most of your guests can avoid flying and drive to the pier you will lower the over all cost and lose the objection over flying. We live in TX but knew we would leave out of either NJ or MD since the bulk of our guest list is from the east coast.

I would also look at shorter over longer cruises if most of your guest list has not cruised before. It may or may not be something they enjoy, or have problems with motion sickness, and being miserable for a week or more is not fun, even on a cruise ship. This will you keep the cost down, also you and your guests will need to use less vacation time. This is why I highly considered a 5 day out to Bermuda and back that left out of MD.

In the end for us which ship and the date became the most important factors, and we decided on the Quantum (which will leave out of NJ) and Pi day 3.14.15. We were engaged in May and asked to select a date at least a year out so that people could save and have vacation time to take. Our selected cruise worked out well since we wanted to be married while at sea and our ceremony it is the first full sea day in our itinerary. Dates and ships can be a very personal choice. I would recommend selecting a date at least 6 months out to leave time for planning and saving of funds for yourself and guests. We are still more than 16 months out and it seems torturous but on the plus side we have 17 guests booked and ready to go already.

If you have more questions or just need to vent all the girls and boys on this thread are here to help. :)

Thank you...our cake topper is custom made from a vendor on Etsy. We should have it soon so I post a picture when we get it.

 

LOVE your site! "There are no take-backs" had me laughing out loud!

 

I am originally from Ocean County (Point Pleaseant Beach) too.

 

I have joked with him that I would say that if and when he ever asked, so I had to remember to say it in the moment :p

Just received approval to allow us to have our wedding cake made by The Cake Boss and delivered to the ship. It helps that Buddy Valastro has a shop located on the ship too. We have some decorating ideas and have ordered a custom cake topper of us and our 4 dogs.

 

My other half is going to be in NJ in a few weeks so he will have the consultation with them. This means that I miss tasting the samples!

 

I hope your cake works out wonderfully and I would love to see a picture of it once the day comes along with your cake topper. I am planning on making a custom flamingo topper for our pi(e).

 

I enjoyed checking out your website just to see how your take was on a cruise wedding and your ship of choice looks great too. Turn about is fair play and if you would like to equally as "nosey" our website is kennedystuff.com/wedding

Haha, I do not know about people thinking it is free... but everyone certainly comments on how cheap and easy it all is going to be! Granted we could do things to modify our costs, do a renewal and get married on land before hand instead of at sea, select a less exciting sailing, not be treating certain people in our family (come on booking 16 cabins :P), but in the end I am sure it will be worth it.

Matt,

Not a problem, we are all on the same boat (figuratively anyway). You are trying to get married on a sailing that does not exist yet, I am on a boat that has not even been built. I know for myself there was a lot of worry and questions in the beginning, hence that long email to the Romance Dept. I have been engaged for 4 months and still have another year and half to go. I have let the daily "have to get something done", "must look at wedding crap" out of my system. With getting married on the ship there is really only so much to be done so early, and you have to give into that a bit. Once you select your sailing and are able to book your date you will be much better about everything. I have had interactions with both Desirae and Keana from the Romance Dept. Desirae is the one that I had my initial contact with and the long email exchange, she was on top of things and always took care of me when I needed something. Desirae was the one I signed my paperwork with as well. When Royal wanted to be paid I was contacted by Keana. Keana and I spoke several times (I was waiting on a particular credit card to be delivered) while she was seeking payment. When I finally did pay I asked for a copy of the information I found in this thread, the selection sheet. Keana said she would send it, but she did not. I emailed Keana about it a couple weeks later and again ignored. As much as Keana said she was now my rep and that it did not matter who I spoke to, I will not be working with her any further. When she wanted something she called every other day, I want something and get ignored. I have let it go for now since I am so far out, in a few months I will back to it all I am sure. BTW, Group booking is a separate dept you need to contact before hand, through the regular 800 number, getting the cabins set up is the first big step. They do not want to know anything else until they know a firm and deposit paid for amount of people.

 

I will live vicariously on this thread. I always wanted a fancy wedding cake, but we chose Pi(e) day, 3.14.15, as our wedding date and I promised he could have apple already!

You do not get to select what time your wedding will be. Depending on the schedule of events for that day on the ship, your event will be placed a time that works for them. Generally they are somewhere from late morning to early afternoon. If the date you select also happens to be formal night (read most guests taking pictures) the event will need to end in time for the photographer to be able to work one of the stations for the earlier seating of dinner. Also the location of your event will be determined by both the size of your party and the spaces that are available on the ship. We are getting married on 3.14.15, and really wanted the ceremony at 9:26 am, but were told that would likely not be able to happen. We can still request the time once we are closer to the date (and actual ship being built), but it is not something that is at all guaranteed.

 

Our ship will be leaving out of NJ. We now live in TX but both grew up in NJ, and we selected our cruise with that in mind so that most people would not need to fly. I know that California is a large state, but you may want to see if there is a drivable port if most of your guests are in a similar area.

I also feel your pain being so far out with your date and not knowing what some things may cost. When trying to get estimates for things such as flights, I am using the same weekday as my date will fall on in 2014. For example the ships leaves on the March 13th 2015, but I will look at March 12th 2014.

 

We sent out our save the dates a couple of weeks ago, and I have gotten a underwhelming response. We made our own website and have asked people to email us with what cabin category they would be interested in and who would be staying in the cabin. Out of 62 save the dates, I have officially heard from one person. We did ask to hear from people by the end of Sept, so now that the holiday is over it will be interesting to see what actually happens. With some of the unofficial feedback I have gotten is to expensive and wanting to wait until later to book. I am on the thread for my wedding cruise, and it seems to be a less popular sailing, which hopefully means my late bookers will actually still be able to get a cabin this time next year when we send out the actual invites.

 

You need to speak with someone from the group booking staff about getting any discounts, it works backwards from they way you might think it would.

 

The way it works

Tell Group Booking, how many of each cabin type you would like

(means you will need to find this out from your guests)

A hold is placed on those cabins for 30 days for your guests to call in and leave a deposit

The deposit is $500 for each cabin, not per person

 

If people book on their own, they can not be added to the group for the discount. It would make life easier to let people book when they want , how they want , and near the end say these people are in my group... but it does not work that way.

 

I was planning on doing one 30 day booking this Oct and another one in Fall of '14 when I send out the actual invites. Which RCCI will do, but the booking in '14 will be subject to the cost then, not what a cabin currently costs. As a general tip, most cruises are their lowest price on the one year mark out from the cruise leaving.

 

We personally decided against having a formal bridal party. We did not want to put any additional responsibilities or expenses on our close friends. I do not know if you have asked your BM/MOH yet, but I would be clear on explaining your plans for the wedding so they have a realistic idea of the costs they will likely be incurring before agreeing to be a part of the wedding party. If you have the financial ability to would be nice gesture to pay for some part of their expense (possible as the gift) the airfare, or the cabin deposit.

 

While I am on the subject of money. Getting married at sea will start at $4795.... but wait you say... the brochure says $3995 for the Romance at sea. That is true, but there are $800 in licensing fees. The total amount will also be due when your date and Royal Romance at Sea Agreement is approved, in full, and they will not hold your date until they are paid. They will hound you and call until you do pay them. Also you must have your cabin booked (deposit only) for the cruise before you can book your wedding on that sailing. They had to start a wedding list for the QoS for us, so it took a little longer for the wedding department to get back to us.

 

We will be getting married on the first full day of our sailing. We plan on letting people know where we will likely be on the ship for the remaining of the cruise if they want to join us. We may try and book something for the group to do depending on the size and mix of people. As with all things, money talks if there is something you really want for your group.

 

I had million questions too... here is a response to an email I sent my Wedding Rep with about 40 of them

 

Here is my list of questions regarding some of the things that have been running through my head. *I will understand if it takes you a little while to answer, a quality answer is worth more than a quick one at this point.

 

What are the items or issues that will we be choosing 45 days out?

 

You will choose any enhancements that you would like to add to your package. *These can include: reception options, additional florals, wedding cake, and entertainment. *You will also be providing basic information such as ceremony song selection and processional order.

 

How early can we get aboard the ship? *We have done back to back cruises before, and I know how nice, quiet and empty the ship can be before people start getting back on it.

 

General boarding usually begins at approximately 12:00PM, after the ship clears customs.

 

When would we be meeting with the on board coordinator? *What are the decisions that will need to made with that person?

 

When you board the ship, you will receive a welcome letter in your stateroom from the Cruise Program Administrator. *This will be your onboard liaison for communication and information regarding your wedding. *She will discuss the details once again with you and confirm the date, time and location of your ceremony.

 

What can be personalized? Items such as food, music, flowers, etc.

 

You may wish to provide your own music for the ceremony. *For now, the food menus for the reception remain as is in the brochure. *We are slightly limited to flowers since they are coming from the onboard floral cart, which is why ivory roses are part of the package. *You may choose to bring your own silk florals if you would like.

 

Can we provide our own prerecorded music? If so in what format would it need to be?

 

Yes, you may. *As of today, prerecorded music is in CD format.

 

We are frequent cruisers, so I know the general rules fairly well. Are there any wedding type guidelines on things we are allowed/not allowed to bring aboard?

 

Royal Romance follows the general guidelines of the ship in regards to what can or cannot be brought onboard.

 

What can be decorated in the space that will be used for the ceremony/reception? How can those things be decorated?

 

The venues onboard our ships are all decorated extremely beautifully. *The ship does not provide "wedding decorations" per say. *There are options like purchasing additional floral decorations, ice sculptures, etc. *

 

What is the typical seating and set up for the ceremony and reception?

 

It will be the seating provided in whichever venue onboard your ceremony and reception take place. *Of course, we will have more detailed information once the Quantum of the Seas sets sail.

 

Is it possible to arrange for private party with a DJ/music either the day of the wedding or some other time during the cruise? *

 

This would take place immediately following the ceremony. *You could do a two hour reception with food, beverages, and a DJ service. *

 

Can we coordinate events for our group later in the week? *If so what type of events?

 

Yes, of course you can. *That would not be planned through the Royal Romance department. *I would suggest dining in a specialty restaurant, going to the shows at night, and definitely taking a trip on the North Star!

 

Can we reserve private time for our group on thing like the sky diving or bumper cars?

 

I am unsure. *Again, we will have more information after the ship sets sail.

 

For our invitations is there a general guideline or way to phrase them that will indicate things like location and time? *

 

Unfortunately, we cannot provide you with a location and/or time at this point. *The exact location and time are dependent upon the size of your party and the itinerary of the ship. *We are still coordinating with the Quantum of the Seas as to which venues will be available and appropriate for wedding ceremonies and receptions.

 

Do guests need to link to our reservation? *What information will they need to be counted as part of our event?

 

Since all of your guests are sailing, all you will need to provide Royal Romance with is the total number of guests, including you and your fiance. *This will occur closer to the sail date.

 

Do we get any gratis or discounted items or events based on our guest amount?

 

Royal Romance does not have a discount program for large groups.

 

We are currently gold members but will be Emerald in November and maybe even Diamond with our planned cruises before the wedding. *One of the benefits of the program at those levels is Discounts on Balcony and Suite staterooms. *Can the amount for our reserved cabin be adjusted once the membership level has been reached?

 

I am unsure. *You will want to be in touch with reservations or the Crown & Anchor department in regards to your request.

 

Can you suggest a time line for us in sending out invitations and requesting back RSVP's?

 

That is to your discretion. *However, I can suggest to do the initial invitation early as planning an entire cruise may take longer for some of your guests.

 

Can you give me a general time line for the events of the ceremony to build a program?

 

It will be a standard non-denominational ceremony. *You may choose to say your own vows or do one of the special ceremonies. *You may also choose a reception. *This can all be taken in to account while creating your program.

 

Can I expect to have reception events like garter/bouquet toss, first dance, pie cutting?

 

Yes, you may choose to do these.

 

One of the things I would most like to get a grasp on it what can I expect? What is the normal set up, layout, time line of your wedding at sea? I would like to get a reasonable idea of what to expect.

 

The set up and layout may depend in which venue your ceremony will take place. *Also, generally speaking, our ceremonies and receptions are complete by 3:00PM. *Again, this will be determined in part by the itinerary of the ship. *We will have more detailed information closer to your sail date.

 

For the tables in the main dining room can I arrange who will be sitting together from our guests?

 

We do not use the main dining room as a reception venue. *For dinner seating in the dining room, please contact the groups department.

 

I would like to prepare welcome bags for my guests. Can the welcome bags something that can be placed inside of cabins? or is there are more appropriate/convenient time and place to distribute them?

 

Yes, at a fee of $2.00 per welcome bag, we can have them placed in to the rooms on embarkation day at turn-down.

Thank you ladies for posting through your planning process and including a recap of you event. I am getting married on the Quantum on 3.14.15 at sea. I have been looking for some real life feed back on the process and not just horror stories or complaints. I would be interested in seeing anyone else who is also getting married on RCCL to post and in particular those getting married while at sea. I know that this is new option and there seems to be little feedback on how well this is going for RCCL.