Too short?

[benfica88]

Hi, my fiancee and I were thinking of doing a cruise wedding. However, we are worried about reception times.

Most cruise lines seem to only have 1.5hr reception's on ports.

Is there any cruise line out there that has a longer reception time?

Thanks

[pittmann]

My daughter was married in April on board the Ruby Princess. She was married by the captain on a sea day. We had a 2 hour reception with an open bar and then dinner at the steak house resturant. After dinner we found a bar and continued partying. I know there are so many options out there it is hard to decide. Princess did a wonderful job and my daughter didn't worry about a thing. We had 25 guests, most new to cruising and they all said it was one of the nicest wedding they had been to. Good luck and congratulations

[benfica88]

Thank you for your response. This helps.

Anyone know about embarkation day? That would actually be ideal for us as we could more of our friends on boards.

[ricew001]

my understanding is that since 9/11 only ticketed passengers can come aboard. but someone else here probably can give you more thorough info.

[pinkdiamonddolly]

Not sure about all the cruise lines, but Carnival allows non-sailing guests on Embarkation day weddings.

[New2cruisen]

Hi, my fiancee and I were thinking of doing a cruise wedding. However, we are worried about reception times.

Most cruise lines seem to only have 1.5hr reception's on ports.

Is there any cruise line out there that has a longer reception time?

Thanks

 

I believe Carnival has a 2hr reception package as well as 1hr and 1.5hr packages. The longer the reception, the more expensive the package. I had a 1hr reception because when I booked, another wedding party booked the 2hr prior to my deposit. They put me on a wait list to move my reception to the 1.5hr or 2hr one if either of the other groups canceled, however they didn't so I ended up with the 1hr reception. I would have liked it longer but was happy to be able to book my wedding on the ship I wanted. It all turned out well.

[Lipz]

We are booked with NCL on the Norwegian Jewel and will be getting married next month. The cocktail reception with open bar and hot & cold hors d'oeuvres is 1 hour, however for additional fees you can extend it to 2 hours which we did. The sit down lunch reception is automatically 2 hours, however you will be in one of their dining rooms which has no space for dancing. This is why we choose the cocktail reception instead. Lastly, we are also able to do an embarkment day wedding where both cruising and non-cruising guest can attend.

I have a copy of their brochure and if you'd like me to email it to you feel free to contact me at det1969@aol.com. Happy wedding planning!

[6rugrats]

my understanding is that since 9/11 only ticketed passengers can come aboard. but someone else here probably can give you more thorough info.

This is not true.

[lovepea]

my understanding is that since 9/11 only ticketed passengers can come aboard. but someone else here probably can give you more thorough info.

 

For weddings on embarkation day, they do allow you to have up to a certain number of non-sailing guests come on for your wedding and reception. Each cruiseline has a set number they allow you to have for your wedding (generally around 50-75 non-sailing).

 

I have booked a 90 minute reception, which I feel like could never be long enough to have fun with my family and friends, that's why we are extending the celebration for several days before the cruise for non-sailing friends and family, and then 14 day cruise with other family!

[dcdiva]

We were married in port on the first day of the cruise -- so everyone had to sail with us. We were able to extend the reception to two hours (for a fee, of course), but it really didn't matter. Since everyone was sailing with us, we sort of had a 6-day reception :D