Wedding Cruises, Does the "Guest" really PAY???

[mrsjanko]

BRIDAL,

 

Hey chic... How are you. Gee, I didn't know all you old O were up this late. I've seen JC, mellow and now you.. what a treat.

 

How's Felix doing and JD, does anyone know???

 

Gish to you! ;)

[abridalmaven]

Ah gish, you know this is the shank of the evening for me, I am just getting started! Besides I have a new job (real estate), so posting daytime is a rarity.

 

JD is away and Felix pops in very rarely, maybe moving to Fla gave him oldtimers disease.:rolleyes: hehehe. And as you may have noticed on our O board membership has grown:D Hope you pop in more!

Barb

[njoyndride]

Yes ma'am you got it right on both counts it was RCCL and you can book with your favorite TA and you are still part of the wedding party! There wasn't anything on our docs or checklists at security that indicated we were different than anyone else. They just wanted us there early to get us out of the way and "herd the cats" so to speak before the big crowds. Those in the party that arrived later and hadn't gone through security with us merely stated they were with the wedding and they showed them where we were.

[mrsjanko]

Thank you njoyn!!!

 

Bigg help!!!

 

Did you also book group airfare???

[dc-snoopy]

We saw three scenarios on the 2/6 sailing of the Jewel.

 

One couple got married in port in Ft Lauderdale. Extra guests were allowed to board the ship that morning. The wedding time was variable since it depended on when the ship was cleared with the out-going pax. The wedding was scheduled for something like 13:00 and it worked out okay although many of the sailing guests could not get into their cabins before the wedding. The wedding couple essentially had to come ready for the wedding since they were not assured that changing space and prep space would be ready for the bridal couple. The guests were allowed to board as has been mentioned above (either as a group at the beginning or stragglers were guided on to the wedding). All non-sailing wedding guests had to be off the ship by 15:30 as the crew had to be ready for muster drill at 16:30.

 

dc-diva chose to get married on Day 2 in Key West. Once out of the origination port, you could not have any non-sailing guests at the wedding. The minister was the only one who boarded the ship at Key West and she departed after the ceremony. All the guests could book separately and dc-diva just asked everyone to ensure that RCI or their TA linked the reservation to dc-diva's reservation so ensure that everyone could sit together at dinner.

 

One other couple got married in port in Grand Cayman. They debarked on tender as a group (prearranged much like a shore excursion with a group tender) and they reserved a restaurant a couple of miles north of Georgetown. They were married out on the seaside grounds of the restaurant with the beautiful ocean in view. Then they went in to the restaurant for the reception. We happened to bump into most of the wedding party on the return tender and they said the only thing wrong was that it was very *WARM* for the wedding. The bride and group were in traditional wedding gown and tux. The groomsmen were in khakis, white linen Caribbean shirts with red and white mixed boutonnieres and sandals. Didn't get to see the bridesmaids, but rumor had it they were in flowered sundresses.

 

In our case, we gave a shipboard credit to dc-diva and her DH2B through the Gifts & Gear department and they received a card in their cabin letting them know that the gift had been added to their Seapasses. Well, I know that DH2B was a frequent visitor to the Casino and I don't think our wedding gift went too far, but I know that it did help make a minor dent in their final Seapass balance.

[mrsjanko]

Very helpful, Thank you kindly!!!

 

Beth

[njoyndride]

No airfare, I let the group TA handle those that wanted cruise air separately.

 

FYI-Just from the brides (family) point of view, it is different planning a wedding knowing that the cost of a cruise or even just getting to the point of embarkation excludes many that you would love to join you that day. We were very tuned into the fact that it was costing those that came alot of money and my daughter wasn't expecting gifts, their presence was so appreciated. Some not all did give a gift and were very courteous not to bring something huge to pack home. They received quite a bit of cash which made the resulting honeymoon really fun for the newlyweds and not so expensive for the grateful parents ;) .

[Croozer101]

A cruise wedding is as much of a wedding as any other. You should SEND a gift

to the brides home either before or after the wedding. Do not take it on board . They have enough to deal with , without worrying how they are going to carry gifts off the ship. Even at a traditional wedding you should send the gift to the brides home ahead of the wedding.

A cruise wedding can be beautiful and as traditional as any other and maybe even more romantic.

[ducklite]

I look at it this way--the cost of attending a cruise wedding is no more than that of attending one on the other side of the country once you factor in air fare, rental cars, hotel, etc. If I were going to a wedding in California (other side of the country for me) I'd still bring a gift--and it wouldn't be a "token" gift either! I can't imagine giving a wedding gift under $50--norm is more like $150--or more for a close friend or relative.

 

I agree with the previous poster, the cruise is a gift to yourself, not the bride and groom. You should be honored that they think enough of you to invite you. If you don't want to go, don't, but even then, if you are invited to a wedding, it's proper to send a gift.

 

Mrs. Pete, that's a funny story. I know someone who did a similar thing, and it backfired on them as well.

 

Anne

[Croozer101]

Hard Cold Cash is always welcome and appreciated no matter where you live. Thats one gift you can bring with you on board.

[colette5479]

I used to work with a girl who was married on a cruise ship. She got into that deal with sneaky intentions, and it backfired:

 

Her plan was simple and greedy. It was a second marriage for both parties; they were both in their 30s and had had the big traditional wedding before. She wanted to be married on the cruise ship with just her immediate family and close friends, but she hoped to receive nice gifts from a large number of people. So she sent out invitations to EVERYONE, assuming they'd send a gift and their regrets (because it costs time and money to cruise).

 

Her fatal mistake: She booked a 3 or 4 day cruise on a low-end cruise line whose name will not be spoken here, and she chose a port that's only about three hours from our hometown. It was the first part of June, which is perfect vacation time. All this meant that many people who'd never really thought about cruising before said, "Hey, this is ___'s wedding, and it's not too expensive -- let's go!"

 

So suddenly she had something like 150 people booking the cruise to see her suddenly-large wedding. The problem? She'd budgeted for her own cabin, and she'd budgeted the wedding dinner/cake/etc. for a small group -- perhaps something like 25 people. I remember specifically that the wedding dinner cost $80 per person, and it was not included in the cost of the cruise -- it was her (the bride's) responsibility. She'd come in to work crying, "I received another two response cards yeserday."

 

She ended up taking a part-time job to pay the extra cost of the larger reception. The real clinker: Lots of people didn't bring gifts or they brought only token gifts because "their presence" was the present!

 

LMAO!! Sounds like she had it coming to her:)

[Merion_Mom]

Beth: If you are more into the "meaningful" gift instead of the "expensive" gift, I received a couple of REALLY nice keepsake versions of our wedding invitation. There are lots of things that you can do: get a shadow box frame from the craft store, add dried flowers, create a collage/decoupage sort of thing, then seal it in the box frame. Makes a GREAT memento.

 

OR: needlepoint a large picture frame, for their wedding portrait. You can get a custom design with tropical things to remind them of their wedding cruise, and embroider in their names and date.

 

Just a couple of "crafty" ideas that will probably be appreciated FAR more than another blender or clock! ;)

 

Carol

[mariapd719]

Beth smuggle on a cheap bottle of wine and buy a 8 x 10 frame from somewhere cheap at home like a Christmas Tree Shop. Then buy one of the 8 x 10 photos they look nice in and give it to her at dinner one night. You can get some White Zin or even Pink Champagne for like $10 and a frame for $5 -$10 and the pic is $20 onboard - so it'll only cost you between 35 and 40 dollars tops for a present and its something they will use! They ll probaby think you spent alot on the frame and the wine thinking you got them onboard too...NOT :D

 

 

 

BTW where have ya been ....we miss ya around here

[newmexicoNita]

A couple of things here: Our granddaughter is getting married on the Zenith in December. It's a 5 night cruise and rates are starting way below $500 but that's not the issue I guess. Every line is different but Celebrity has informed my daughter we can have up to 10 guests who are not cruising attend the ceremony. They will be allowed on the ship at the same time as all the other guests who are cruising. As for better rates for a group; no, this is not the case. Usually there is a cocktail reception thrown in or something like that: yes, maybe a photo album or a canvas bag, whatever. The lunchean and reception reception mentioned, I am sure is not part of the price, but something the bride is paying for separately. That's just my guess. There is lots of good info on the wedding thread. NMnita