Should I do a cruise ship wedding?

[sarah85]

Hi There,

 

I am being incredibly indecisive about what kind of wedding i want.

 

I love idea of a cruise wedding but its hard to find much information about them.

 

Can you get married onboard on a sea day?

 

Why are the reception times so short, can you pay more to increase this?

 

What is the best/most accommodating cruise line?

 

I am thinking for a August/sept 2013 wedding.

 

Thanks Everyone!

[JulieRose]

Hi There,

 

I am being incredibly indecisive about what kind of wedding i want.

 

I love idea of a cruise wedding but its hard to find much information about them.

 

Can you get married onboard on a sea day?

 

Yes. On Princess, P&O and Celebrity you can be married at sea.

 

Why are the reception times so short, can you pay more to increase this?

 

Generally, receptions are short so they can get your non-sailing guests off the ship before sail away. You would have to pay for extra time and it would be up to the ship if they would allow you to have extra time in the venue. Their bottom line is about their bottom line so if there's something that could be going on in your venue that will make them more money, they would be stupid to allow you to continue your private event.

 

What is the best/most accommodating cruise line?

 

That depends on what you're looking for. Carnival appeals to those looking for their fun atmosphere. Their lower cost and/or shorter voyages are a selling point for those who plan to have a lot of people sail with them. Although the fee to get on board is more reasonable than some other lines, the prices I've seen quoted on here for weddings/ receptions seem to be a bit higher than some other lines. Most of the brides you find on here are cruising with Carnival.

 

Princess appeals to people looking for an all around more elegant experience. While their ships are not quite as amusement park-ish as your disney or carnival, they are well known for their superior service and the look of the ship has more of an upscale, classy feel than carnivals whimsical, fun, loud approach. (It is important to consider what style you prefer. It will be in all your pictures.) You will pay more to get onboard but the standard wedding package seems to include more than carnival and add ons are priced lower as well. However, they are going through a transition with their wedding department which will be handled by a new company beginning April 1 so that could all change. The biggest advantage in going with princess is that you can be married by the captain while at sea.

 

While you may see a few, NCL, RCI and HAL don't seem to be very popular for weddings. I do not know why this is. Maybe one of them can tell you more about the packages they offer.

 

I don't think I have ever seen a disney or X bride on here. I know they do packages but the higher cost of cruising with disney and X could be a factor in why there seem to be so few disney and X brides.

 

 

I am thinking for a August/sept 2013 wedding.

 

Thanks Everyone!

 

That is plenty of time to plan. You want to get your cruise and wedding booked as soon as possible. It's never too early to tell those closest to you to start saving their money for the trip. Unlike a land wedding, it is not unusual to see cruise brides sending out STD cards more than 1 year in advance.

 

Good luck!

[sarah85]

Yes. On Princess, P&O and Celebrity you can be married at sea.

 

 

 

Generally, receptions are short so they can get your non-sailing guests off the ship before sail away. You would have to pay for extra time and it would be up to the ship if they would allow you to have extra time in the venue. Their bottom line is about their bottom line so if there's something that could be going on in your venue that will make them more money, they would be stupid to allow you to continue your private event.

 

 

 

That depends on what you're looking for. Carnival appeals to those looking for their fun atmosphere. Their lower cost and/or shorter voyages are a selling point for those who plan to have a lot of people sail with them. Although the fee to get on board is more reasonable than some other lines, the prices I've seen quoted on here for weddings/ receptions seem to be a bit higher than some other lines. Most of the brides you find on here are cruising with Carnival.

 

Princess appeals to people looking for an all around more elegant experience. While their ships are not quite as amusement park-ish as your disney or carnival, they are well known for their superior service and the look of the ship has more of an upscale, classy feel than carnivals whimsical, fun, loud approach. (It is important to consider what style you prefer. It will be in all your pictures.) You will pay more to get onboard but the standard wedding package seems to include more than carnival and add ons are priced lower as well. However, they are going through a transition with their wedding department which will be handled by a new company beginning April 1 so that could all change. The biggest advantage in going with princess is that you can be married by the captain while at sea.

 

While you may see a few, NCL, RCI and HAL don't seem to be very popular for weddings. I do not know why this is. Maybe one of them can tell you more about the packages they offer.

 

I don't think I have ever seen a disney or X bride on here. I know they do packages but the higher cost of cruising with disney and X could be a factor in why there seem to be so few disney and X brides.

 

 

 

 

That is plenty of time to plan. You want to get your cruise and wedding booked as soon as possible. It's never too early to tell those closest to you to start saving their money for the trip. Unlike a land wedding, it is not unusual to see cruise brides sending out STD cards more than 1 year in advance.

 

Good luck!

 

Wow thank you for the comprehensive response! I guess the next thing to do is contact the cruise lines.

 

I see your wedding is very soon, who are you going with? Congrats and best of luck on your big day!

[Carnival_Brides]

Can you get married onboard on a sea day? Yes, there are a few lines that will let you get married on a sea day. I'm not sure of the specifics though. I changed from having an embarkation wedding to a vow renewal though, so we are being "married" at sea in front of our friends and family. We'll have the legal signing of the paperwork a few weeks before the cruise.

 

Why are the reception times so short, can you pay more to increase this?

The reception times are so short because A) they have to get you non-sailing guests off about an hour before the ship leaves and B) Every sailing guest has to go to muster which now happens on nearly every cruiseline before the cruise leaves. You can attempt to pay to extend it, but Carnival refused to let me do it in Baltimore. If you're at sea, there tend to be more options in terms of extensions and other venues like the Steakhouses on Carnival ships.

 

What is the best/most accommodating cruise line?

I'm not sure of other lines. My family has only ever done (5-7 days) Carnival, so it's the only one I'm familiar with, but they tend to be flexible-ish when it suits them. Some things they will work with you on, other things they won't. Cruise weddings are a lot of fun, but be prepared to hand over a lot of control. You don't really get to decorate and some things you may have to pick-and-chose.

Make sure whatever line you pick is one that you and your guests will enjoy. Carnival does tend to cater to a younger crowd and families because of the cost. We take longer cruises during the off season, so we tend to not get weekend and party cruisers.

 

I am thinking for a August/sept 2013 wedding.

If you're inviting friends and family to join you, make sure to figure out what dates might work for you and your FI and then run it by the "dealbreaker" people (parents, siblings, VIPs) to see if those dates work with them. We planned a very long engagement in order to make sure our dealbreakers had the vacation days to attend.

 

Thanks Everyone!

[JulieRose]

I'm nothing if not through. I've been researching cruising in general very thoroughly this year so although I've never cruised these lines, I have a good idea of who does what.

 

Next you need to contact the wedding department of whichever line you choose. They can tell you what dates are available. Then you book your cruise, then you call the wedding department back and book the wedding.

 

Yes, just 4 weeks to go! We're sailing with a very small group of just my parents, my maternal grandparents and my FH's brother and sister-in-law. We've also invited our CC roll call to the ceremony so we will have about 8 more joining us on the ship. We're not doing a reception but will have a family only dinner at the crown grill after the wedding. I've just inquired if we can have the cake served directly after the ceremony since we didn't have the numbers to book a reception. (The minimum is 12 on princess) I really hope they can so that our CC guests can also enjoy a slice of the cake that will be WAY too big for just 8 of us anyway.