So many questions!!

[swalton85]

I have more questions for current and past cruise brides. Does the cruise line offer discounts for a group? I'm looking into carnival and so far we have 16 people that would be going. Should I work with a travel agent to make sure everyone gets booked properly? I'm going to send out invitations with all of the cruise info. for people to book their room after we book ours. Carnival sent me pictures of the bouquets they do, but I want a tropical one. Has anyone done a bouquet upgrade with Carnival? How much does it cost? Is the bouquet nice? How much do pictures cost from the photographer? Any info. would be great!!

[LilBlackDress]

I can't really offer any info on carnival since I got married on RCI. They all use the same subcontracted wedding planners but the packages are different for each cruise line.

 

When we got married the sailing guests used their own agents but we didn't have enough cabins for the group discount rate... so for that I am not sure you might want to talk to Carnival they should let you know your option with that.

 

I have read several brides have opted for a silk bouquet that they bought themselves. They got what they wanted for a lower price and silk these days can look very real. Then you can keep the silk one and toss the one they give you with your package.

 

Congrats and best wishes

[attorneybride2010]

I would definitely contact Carnival about a group booking. I went throught AAA but have heard other brides on here work directly with Carnival's group dept. I went through AAA just so people weren't calling me everyday, they were calling our TA instead! She was also able to coordinate payments, work with Carnival on "points" that you can use for freebies (ie. champagne for everyone, chocolates, a cocktail party).

 

For every 15 ppl booked, you get one free "berth", which is essentially a free cruise but you still pay taxes, port fees, etc. And as I mentioned, you get "points" that I believe (i think) are determined by the number of guests you have and the cruise you're taking. I'm getting married in about a month and a half and have 42 people cruising and 50 ppl attending the wedding and things have gone VERY smoothly, we have encountered very few problems.

 

Flowers: The flowers carnival provides arent wonderful and there are upgrades available. I didn't upgrade so I cant tell you about price. I remember reading on this board that someone did upgrade to a more tropical bouquet and they were somewhat disappointed. I would highly recommend going w fake flowers. I went through etsy and found a beautiful bouquet that looks real! Other brides have posted on here other companies they have gone through and have been very happy with as well.

 

I hope this helps! Happy planning!!

 

Erin

[kwilliams137]

For my wedding last year, i got a qoute from the group department for cabins, but then called my PVP and got a much better rate...i personally wanted the people who we going to cruise book on their own...i gave them all my PVP contact information and he took care of all of the people who ended up booking...i am happy that i took that route because as the wedding came closer some people who said they were gonna book the cruise ended up not because they did not have the funds...I used the bouquet that carnival provided for me but got silk flowers for my bridesmaids and the rest of my wedding party...i forget how much the upgrade would have been (maybe a current bride could tell you that)...the package that i ended up getting was $750 i think..i picked the second package and my photographer told me that if i would pick that one he would throw in the DVD and a few other goodies...We were actually only going to but the lowest one because alot of our guests took really good pictures of us...i am not saying that would happen to you, but i have seen that if you dont look to interested in buying the photos they will throw in somethings to get you to buy the next package up...

[hunniebee724]

We're using a TA to get the group perks. We're getting $100 on board credit and a bottle of wine in every room, and for every 16 people booked, one is free. I believe the amount of perks you get depends on the price and length of your cruise. Ours is an 8 day cruise.

 

I bought silk bouquets and paid less than $200 for my bouquet, 4 bridesmaids bouquets, corsages for my mom and future mother in law, and bouts for my fiance and 5 groomsmen. If you use the real flowers Carnival provides, you can't take them off the ship.

 

The picture packages range from $499 to $2999. The videographer starts at $495.

[swalton85]

hunniebee what TA are you using?

[undertaker1013]

Here's some info I was given for weddings that didn't pertain to me (we're doing a vow renewal, so don't need big wedding packages) if you have't already received it, I suggest printing it because it was so difficult to find doing a engine search:

http://www.carnival.com/cms/fun/weddings/pdf/Weddings08-09.pdf

 

as well, with photos, if you email me, I have a price list of packages saved (in a pile of papers that I can't remember where I hid it) on my hubby's flash drive, and can email to you later- there was four or five packages, but I'm choosing the $800 one which includes a disk and print multipes once home.

 

Brandee

mortuarygirlz@yahoo.com

[ars4216]

I was married last summer on Carnival Miracle out of NY. In terms of flower upgrades, it's all dependent on the vendor Carnival hires to do the flowers and stuff. I personally upgraded my white rose flowers to tangerine and watermelon roses. They were gorgeous; I absolutely loved my flowers!

 

I didn't have anyone sail with us. If you have any other questions, ask. =)