HappyHappy1

We are getting married on the Carnival Miracle on November 22, 2014. We have chosen the "Time to Celebrate BIG" package which gives us an hour and a half reception. Carnival supplied me with a menu of hors D'oeuvres for the reception (Menu #1 below). Some of these items looked odd to me. Thanks to these boards, I found out that there is an alternate menu that Carnival offers (Menu #2 below) - Thanks to the Carnival Wedding secrets Thread.

The original menu (#1) at least has a description of what the items are. The Alternate menu does not provide any description. I have the option of Menu 1, Menu 2, or a mix of each. I have cruised Carnival enough in the past to know that we like many of the items on Carnivals dining menu, but some are a little odd to us. I know - taste is subjective.

So I am reaching out to all Carnival Cruise Brides and past wedding guests who have had these items hoping for some feedback as to what is a good choice and what we should pass on.

Here are the menu choices.

Menu #1

Cold Items

1. Roast Beef and Brie Cheese Canapé - Sliced Roast Beef roll with Brie Cheese on a base of Frisee lettuce topped with black olive stuffed with pepper diamonds.

2. Prosciutto and Melon Canapé - Cantaloupe melon ball wrapped with Italian Prosciutto on serrated honey dew boat

3. Stuffed Egg Canapé -Stuffed egg with Russian salad on endive cups based white bread toast, topped with black Spanish caviar and chive spears.

4. California Sushi Roll - Marinated crab meat, avocado wedges and cream cheese strips in sesame crusted Uramaki roll

5. Smoked Salmon and Cream Cheese Canapé - Smoked Salmon roses with chopped baby dill and chives on Frisse based Norlander bread

Hot Items

1. Chicken Brochette - White Chicken meat skewered with bell peppers and onions

2. Stuffed Mushrooms - Blue cheese stuffed mushroom crumb fried golden brown

3. Chicken Nuggets with Honey Mustard Sauce - Crisp fried white chicken meat with dipping sauce

4. Lamb Empanadas with Cilantro Salsa - Lamb in a crisp pastry dough with cilantro salsa

5. Spanakopita (Spinach & Feta Cheese in Filo Pastry) - Spinach & Feta Cheese flavored with Dill wrapped and baked in a crisp, flaky pastry.

6. Spring Rolls - Stir-fried vegetable wrapped in a crisp wonton skin, deep fried

Menu #2 (Alternate Choices)

Cold Items

1. Assorted Sushi with Condiments

2. Titi Shrimp Salad on Scallop Cracker

3. Chicken Apple Salad on Crackers

4. Grilled Zucchini Roll and Anchovy Roll

5. Chicken Galantine on Baguette

Hot Items

1. Spicy Chicken Drummettes

2. Bacon Wrapped Sweet Plantains

3. Chicken Balls on Fire

4. Broccoli and Cheese Nuggets

5. Batter-Fried Shrimp

6. Assorted Vegetarian Quiches

Items that I am most curious about are:

• The Stuffed Egg Canape (is this just a deviled egg on toast?)
  
• The Prosciutto & Melon Canape (Proscuitto on honey dew?)
  
• Stuffed Mushrooms (Is this the same as what is served in the dining room?)
  
• Chicken Balls on Fire (Is this just a fancy term for spicy chicken nuggets?)
  
• Chicken Galantine on Baguette? (What is Galantine?)
  

We appreciate everyone's feedback and suggestions on any or all the menu items.

If you have pictures of your wedding food, I'd love to see them.

Thanks.

We love St. Croix, actually one of our favorite ports. We were there in June 2013 on the RCCL Jewel OTS. Rainbow beach is beautiful and the beach bar was awesome! Also had a great time on the ATV tour thru the rainforest.

I would love to see Carnival pick this up as a regular port of call. We would schedule a CCL cruise stopping in STX! This would be a great replacement for Tortola!

You've all got mail.....

Thank you so much! This is absolutely fantastic.

I'd you are up for a three day cruise, the Ecstasy does a 3 day from Miami that leaves on Friday.

Once your wedding is booked, Carnival allows the couple and two guests to do a ship inspection tour on embarkation day. They will allow you to see the different venues and wedding set-ups for weddings that day and possibly have lunch on the ship (that is not guaranteed). It really is a helpful and clarifying experience if you have concerns or questions. We figured out doing the tour that an embarkation wedding was not for us and changed our plans.

 

Sometimes Carnival will grant a second tour, but it is very rare.

Thank you for the information. I need to call my planner and schedule my tour.

That is a great topic!

- signature drinks

- 2nd tour around the ship

 

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What is the 2nd Tour around the ship? Do they offer a tour prior to the cruise for the Bride? Or is this a ships tour while sailing?

I love this thread! We are getting married on November 22nd on the Miracle.

Dana,

Would you mind sending me the template as well? I truly appreciate your assistance. DMFJ@ymail.com

We went to the Alchemy bar three nights on the Liberty. The bartender/chemist was fantastic. Drinks were strong but had great taste

Carnival put one of those on each of their ships after the Triumph incident last year.

That is what we thought...but it was still funny to see "Rental Power" strapped to the ship.

We were on the December 9, 2013 sailing of the Carnival Victory. While walking around and taking photos before setting sail, we noticed a huge generator pack on the back of the ship. At first we thought it may be a delivery for Grand Turk or Half Moon Cay. Nope - the additional power supply stayed on the ship. At least we knew we had back-up power! LOL! Gotta Love Carnival! :D

Does anyone else have a Strange Carnival Picture? We love to see them,

We were on the December 9, 2013 sailing of the Carnival Victory. While the ship definitely needs some TLC as she is getting worn down, she is a great ship and we had a wonderful time. The restaurant and bar crew was one of the best we have ever had.

The only disappointment for us was the condition of our stateroom. We were in 9249. One of the beds had a really noticeable sag in the mattress and our shower was missing many tiles on the floor and lower portion of the shower wall. It looked like the shower was dirty. It was clean, just really old and stained. Carpets were stained as well. Our room steward was also not personable (not a big deal). Our four friends sailed with us and were in the rooms on both sides of us (9245 & 9253). Their carpets were stained and their showers/bathrooms were worn, but not as bad as ours.

The location of our stateroom was awesome. We usually choose a room on the Lido - location, location, location. The rooms were quiet and the balconies were fantastic. Balcony on 9249 connects with 9253.

Carnival pushed back her dry-dock to March/April 2015.

We would definitely cruise the Victory again, loved her itinerary and most of the crew. We just wouldn't have high expectations for the stateroom condition until she gets her drydock repairs.

Which ships have the new menus? We are going on the Miracle in November and I am hoping that the new menu/format is not on the miracle

Thanks in advance for your responses .

Dawn

Mona and I will be getting married on the Carnival Miracle out of Long Beach, CA in November. Our Carnival wedding planner (Lucy) and Licensing specialist (Denise) have been very helpful thus far. I receive calls from them every 3 or 4 weeks just to check-in and see if we have any questions.

Anyone else on this cruise?

Mona and I will be getting married on this cruise and were wondering if any other LGBT else will be sailing with us...

Woo hoo! Great to see that Carnival forward thinking.

Wow....what a relief. We are big Carnival fans..as we like the party atmosphere.

What is going on with Carnival? They have pulled most of their ships out of locations which perform same sex marriages - Baltimore, Boston, and now NYC. They still have two ships in Long Beach though. I would hope that they are leaving for financial business reasons - not to avoid same sex marriages. We had hoped for Baltimore or NYC for our wedding... I guess its time to consider other lines...:(

Partner and I will be getting married on Jan. 19 Aboard the Carnival Pride while in the port of Baltimore. Between RCI and Carnival in Baltimore, RCI's website said they were not doing same sex marriages at this time. Carnival has much better wedding package prices anyway and reviews of their weddings have been glowing. The package ceremonies are designed for str8 weddings but have been accommodating in customizing it for us. 37 guests, 12 of which will sail with us. Fingers crossed, all will go well!

 

FYI, Carnival will no longer have cruises from Balt. as of this Oct., 2014

 

Bob

We wanted to get married on the Pride in Baltimore in November 2014...But when I called I was told that the ship is not coming back to Baltimore after the drydock...so we are considering other options, i.e. California.

Has anyone gotten married out of California? We are considering getting married on the Carnival Miracle sailing from Long Beach. We would prefer an east coast wedding (family, friends, and ports), but since we are considering a winter wedding, I'd rather not cruise out of NYC in December...Brrrrrrr....

I would think port options would be Cape Liberty NJ, NYC, Baltimore, Boston, WA, HI & CA. Also Vancouver.

This would be a lot easier if Florida would just get with the times and allow us to marry there! So many more options out of FL.

We did the southern caribbean itinerary this summer and had a blast. Our favorite tour, which I highly recommend, was the Segway of Antigua tour. The tour was two hours on the segway plus beach time. We went to several beaches, a fort, and along several trails. The views were magnificent. Our guides took lots of photos and created a photo video which they emailed to us after the tour. They also supplied fresh fruit refreshments and drinks at the fort. Afterwards, we went to Millers Beach, which is located right next to the segway office. There is a bar on the beach with very reasonable prices and the water is gorgeous.

Prior to our tour, I contacted Juliette Miller (owner) for more information. In my email I mentioned that it was my partner and I along with four teenagers. My nephew is 6'8" tall so I emailed her to see if he was too large and had mentioned that he was joining the armed forces. Juliette quickly replied and offered my nephew to ride for free since he was going to serve his country.

We did not hide our relationship and they were very open to having us on the tour. Juliette and her girls were very nice and took lots of photos of our family, and a few of Mona and I together.

This company does not discriminate and are very forward thinking. You will have a great time on this tour and will not feel uncomfortable. The cost was $65 pp. Prior to going on the tour, they show you a video and give you a riding lesson. I am such a clutz...and even I did it with no problem. Here are a few photos from my camera (which is horrible). If I can figure out how to get the photos from the video, I will share them as well.

We have cruised Carnival, NCL, & RCCL with our sons. We have never been uncomfortable. Occasionally people will take a "double take", but noone has been rude or ignorant.

Have a great vacation.

I was on the Sensation last summer. She is an older ship, but still a great ship. On our cruise there was a lot of activity at the friends of dorothy gatherings. Maybe because it was a short 4 night cruise with a much more lively crowd.

This is something I think my wife and I were concerned about. We live in the South and are used to getting funny looks and being denied service. We're normal looking girls, one slightly more masculine than the other but we still get snotty people from time to time.

 

We're going on our first Carnival cruise in two weeks. I'm feeling encouraged!

We have never had a problem with Carnival. The photographers are usually very open minded and friendly. All of Carnival's employees have been wonderful.

We live in Texas...so I understand the fear of the southern mentality. Some people down here are about 40 years behind the times. We have three teenage sons between us and are very open with our relationship and who we are. We are your typical adult couple/family...we are not into heavy PDA, but we will hold hands occasionally when walking by the lake or I will give her a quick kiss goodbye. The more we hide who we are, the longer it will take people to understand that we are regular people in a regular relationship. We don't throw our sexuality in peoples faces...but we don't hide who we are.

Out and Proud!

Sadly most people don't get that... They don't want to pay for quality service, they expect it at any price.... We now live in a "entitled" society where everyone thinks they're entitled to everything.

We can afford to pay for the more expensive lines...but enjoy the more lively atmosphere of Carnival and the relaxed style of NCL. We are down to earth people who don't like to get dressed up when on vacation. We tried RCCL and felt it was really stuffy...the cruise staff and the passengers. Yes...We only took one RCCL cruise, but there is only one chance to make a first impression and RCCL made us realize that this was not our style. We like the outgoing fun of Carnival.

There are so many lines that each cater to different styles and desires. If people like the more upscale, get dressed up style...there are lines that provide that. We enjoy the fun....

Our favorite waitstaff were Je Marjo, Sandrew, & Rolando. We had them on the Liberty last summer. Their service was very fast and they were really friendly. Je showed my sons magic tricks were very entertaining. Je said they were going to the Glory in the winter 2013.