Weddings

[Patgo]

Looking for any information pro and con regarding having a wedding on a NCL ship.

 

Trying to do a inexpensive small wedding.

 

All help would be appreciated.

 

Thank you

[cmh]

Looking for any information pro and con regarding having a wedding on a NCL ship.

 

Trying to do a inexpensive small wedding.

 

All help would be appreciated.

 

Thank you

 

My daughter got married on the NCL Sun, and I would not recommend it. She had a reception on the Hornblower a couple of months later and wished she had done the entire ceremony on the Hornblower. You are very restricted when getting married onboard. You cannot bring flowers, and NCL chooses who will marry you and who the photographer will be. There is no flexability. I was helping pass out the cake to guests after it was cut, and I asked the person cutting it what his job was on the ship. He delivered room service. You get the bottom of the barrel as far as employees who will work your wedding and reception. My daughter was married in San Francisco before the ship sailed to Mexico, so things may be different depending on the port you are sailing from.

[bonvoyagie]

I was under the impression that there are lots of possible problems with getting married on the ship - here is a site that talks about the pros and cons of this.

 

http://www.ehow.com/how_7199_married-cruise.html

 

BTW NCL has what they call a group activities manager onboard the ship - they handle the meet and greets for CC and other things that involve groups - I would think a wedding would count.

[rockabutzer]

Be prepared to pay a minimum of $550.00. :eek:

[Patgo]

Thanks for the info. My son is talking about doing this and I am the research person as I am addicted to cruising. I did not think it would be as easy as they think it would be.

[cruiser12]

Hi, my son chose to get married in Bermuda--- we cruised ---- everything was taken care of -- by NCL -- and Bermuda --- He was married at Nine Beaches Resort ---- on their private beach --- there were 37 guests ---

A few days before we had a coctail party --- (on the ship) where fun gifts were given out by me to all the guests --- I had great things made up --- by vista print ---

The ceremony took place at 10:30 in the morning --- when we returnedd to the ship -- we changed from our wedding cloths --- enjoyed the rest of the day --- the evening we got dressed up again --- reception dinner in Cagneys --- the guest got to choose from any steak to lobster --- plus ----

 

It was the best --- 7 days and 7 nights of party ---- no 4 hours and out for us ----

if you would like more info -- and I do have lots more -- let me know ---

Everything has a price ---- big or small ---

Would do it again in a minute -----

[jdvmd]

You might want to post this on Cruise Critic's weddings forum. Lots of good information there from people who have booked through NCL.

[gma_pat]

Here is the website for the NCL wedding planners https://www.theweddingexperience.com/nclweddingaisle

 

You can get the info on pricing etc.

 

We opted to do in on our own in Tampa prior to embarking as we thought that the prices were high, for what you get.

[Sauer-kraut]

I attended a wedding last year that was done on Nassau (I was really worried we might not port there because it was hurricane season). Anyways, with all the stress the mother of the bride went through and not really being in charge of anything *I* would suggest a different kind of wedding.

 

Have it AT THE PORT area before sailing. There are companies in Miami and other port cities that will do weddings on the beach. That way those who cannot afford to cruise but would love to attend the ceremony can still participate. Then when its time to board those that have the cruise booked can get on, and the others will go back to the hotel.

 

Whatever you decide, I hope you won't experience a lot of stress and have a peaceful experience.

[Patgo]

Cruiser 12

 

I like your ideas. We are thinking of doing the Boston to Bermuda cruise.

 

So NCL did everything did that include the wedding in Bermuda or does someone else do that. If so who do you contact.

 

We were thinking of doing the dinner on the ship the night of the wedding also in the specialty restaurant.

 

The kids have bought a house and really don't have money for the big wedding thing and they think this is a good solution.

 

I am glad that you had a good experience any info would be greatly appreciated

 

Thank you so much.

[chrisc71]

We did our wedding on Royal so I cannot comment on NCL. But we enjoyed our wedding. It was what we wanted. A small gathering with family and a few close friends.

[Hopes4]

Patgo - I know you didn't ask our opinions, but I'd like to offer mine anyway.

You say the couple has bought a house and wants to keep their costs down. Have they considered everyone else's finances and who they really want at their wedding?

My brother was considering a destination wedding. He was of the opinion that everyone vacations anyway so if he gives them enough notice, they can vacation with him. He was a little surprised to find out it wasn't so easy. His only sister and brother in law (us) vacationed once every 3-4 years....without our kids. 5 people living on one salary has its constraints. While I might have attended his wedding, there was no way I could afford the whole family. His 80 something grandparents would not have flown there either. Some close cousins either weren't willing or couldn't afford to go either. Once he realized that a lot of the people that meant the most to him would not be there, plans changed.

 

I hope im bringing up a point that wont apply to your son and that everything works out how they want it to and everyone they want to share this special moment with can attend.

 

Good luck. And congrats.

[chars]

I also can't comment on an NCL wedding because I got married on a Carnival cruise. I love NCL but chose carnival because they have short 4 day cruises, which was perfect for a wedding. Since I live in NY and most of my family/ friends are from ny too, it was perfect. You are allowed to have sailing and non-sailing guests. So we ended up having 50 guests come on and sail with us after the wedding, and another 40 come on for the wedding/reception and then leave the ship before sailing. My husband and I wouldn't change a thing about our wedding, and guests are still raving about how much fun they had.

Regarding costs to guests, it is up to them if they want to sail, but if they live near the ship they can be a non-sailing guest. The four day cruise was only about $299 for an inside, which often is close to what I pay for a hotel night for 1 night when I attend weddings. (which is for no food and entertainment)

Look at the cruise lines website, they often have pretty informative wedding information.

[CPT Trips]

Hi, my son chose to get married in Bermuda--- we cruised ---- everything was taken care of -- by NCL -- and Bermuda --- He was married at Nine Beaches Resort ---- on their private beach --- there were 37 guests ---

A few days before we had a coctail party --- (on the ship) where fun gifts were given out by me to all the guests --- I had great things made up --- by vista print ---

The ceremony took place at 10:30 in the morning --- when we returnedd to the ship -- we changed from our wedding cloths --- enjoyed the rest of the day --- the evening we got dressed up again --- reception dinner in Cagneys --- the guest got to choose from any steak to lobster --- plus ----

 

It was the best --- 7 days and 7 nights of party ---- no 4 hours and out for us ----

if you would like more info -- and I do have lots more -- let me know ---

Everything has a price ---- big or small ---

Would do it again in a minute -----

 

One word of warning for island weddings. Ships don't always arrive at the island scheduled. A Bermuda wedding license willl do you no good in Canada.

 

Iknow it's heresy here . . . DD got married at sea on a cruise to Bermuda . . . on "X"

[Patgo]

I told my son that they have to be careful because if you do miss the island you plan on being married on you are out of luck.

 

We are thinking maybe in the port of Boston before the ship sails if possible and then whoever can and wants to go on the cruise will be able to. I realize that everyone that you would invite to a wedding at home will not be able to come but that is part of the reason for doing the ships wedding. No big price for 4 hours with people some of which the bride and groom do not know well.

 

Still food for thought right now just gathering information to make a informed decision.

 

Has anyone gotten married in the Port of Boston????Would love impressions if you have.

[chrisc71]

We did a wedding at the port in NY before we sailed. It worked out well.

[Patgo]

Did you actually get married on the ship?

[gymbomb]

I told my son that they have to be careful because if you do miss the island you plan on being married on you are out of luck.

 

We are thinking maybe in the port of Boston before the ship sails if possible and then whoever can and wants to go on the cruise will be able to. I realize that everyone that you would invite to a wedding at home will not be able to come but that is part of the reason for doing the ships wedding. No big price for 4 hours with people some of which the bride and groom do not know well.

 

Still food for thought right now just gathering information to make a informed decision.

 

Has anyone gotten married in the Port of Boston????Would love impressions if you have.

 

 

I got married in port in Boston last month. I posted a review which is linked in my signature. The first post of that thread includes a link to photos. Let me know if you have any questions, would be happy to help as much as possible.

[Msvegas23]

I got married last April while cruising on NCL...However, I did NOT go through the cruise line for a number of reasons, including the fact that there is limited flexibility and it is a total rip off for what you get/don't get.

 

I did not want to get married on the ship, but in port at the beach. NCL was going to charge $5000 just for the bride and groom to be transported to the beach, an officiant, a bouquet and boutonniere, a small cake for the bride and groom, and sparkling wine for a toast. This fee did not include transportation for guests, any sort of decoration or chairs for the guests, or any sort of party on board the ship afterward....If you want to add that, it costs extra for DJ, appetizers that sounded skimpy, and you pay per person (I forget the exact amount). Anyway, it was going to end up costing so much and not meet my desires.

 

My first recommendation would be to consider what you want, and if a destination/cruise wedding is right for you. For me it was really what I wanted, so here is what I did and what my circumstances were, followed by what I would do if I knew what I know now/had ideal circumstances:

 

My husband and I wanted an intimate wedding with immediate family and close friends. My family lives in NY while his lives in WA (3000 miles apart). We had discussed a cruise as a great way to bring everyone together and have more fun and less stress before we were engaged. By the time we got engaged, his family (much larger than mine) had already booked a family cruise and were open to us having the wedding then. My family is much smaller, so once I convinced them to book, we were free to plan.

 

In our circumstance, my mother in law did not book as a group booking for whatever reason, or because it didn't occur to her at all to do so, but by the time it had become our wedding cruise, it was too late to change this. So even though we had 38 people booked on the cruise, we did not get any group benefits even just for being a group, regardless of the wedding. Once I found out the information I wrote above, I pretty much dismissed the idea of planning through NCL's wedding department. Instead, I found a wedding planner in Cabo San Lucas, who was amazing and so helpful when it came to coordinating with cruise passengers!

 

I used Sunset Weddings, and my planner's name is Claudia - She is amazing! I was able to pay only for what I needed and wanted: so for example, my brother in law was our officiant so I did not need to pay for an officiant that I did not need. Also, she knew the best venues and vendors in the area! I got to choose to be as thrifty or spendy as I wanted to make the day work for us and it was fabulous! We got to choose everything from the transportation to the photographer and musicians!

 

Once I had that part figured out, I needed to figure out how I would deal with the ship portion. We decided to have our bachelor/bachelorette party combined on the cruise and my MOH planned a really fun scavenger hunt that was great for the whole group to bond! I also booked my hair appointment at the salon first thing when I got onboard. We planned to have dinner all together on the ship, and it was a big challenge to book dining for our group in advance. It would have worked out that they had us wait in the Spinnaker Lounge until the tables became available, and then called us up as that happened, but we lucked out. My brother had upgraded to a penthouse and utilized his concierge to help us book a private room in one of the main dining rooms! The only catch was that dinner was early at 5:30, so we had less time for photos after our ceremony/mini-reception at port. BUT, it was really nice to have that room.

 

We had our flowers with us when we went back on board and no one questioned us. They were in my bridal bag. My bridesmaids used their bouquets to make centerpieces, and I made favors (decks of cards withe our names and wedding date and flip flops in our wedding colors), which I put out on the tables. I had a small table set up with my laptop, which played a slideshow and had a guestbook for people to sign. I also brought 6 magnum bottles of wine from Costco, and paid $15 per bottle corkage, which was well worth it! We tipped the concierge as well. That night, whoever had the energy went to Spinnaker Lounge with the hope of dancing the night away. Unfortunately, it was karaoke night, and it is such a huge venue, that it seems silly to have karaoke there, but alas they did. We sang some songs for fun and I called all the single ladies on the ship to catch my bouquet (which was a bigger turnout than had I done it just with my group - two single ladies lol).

 

All in all, I felt like our wedding was awesome; especially because of all the time we had together on the cruise before and after - the ceremony was beautiful and everyone was impressed by the location and set up. It was better than I had even imagined! My dream wedding cake was tres leches, which is a traditional Mexican cake, and my planner knew the perfect place to order from - It was the BEST!!! I got an amazing price, because the wedding was on a Monday Afternoon as well!

 

IF I were starting the planning from scratch and not having the wedding while on a prebooked cruise, I would obviously start out as a group, which I would classify as a family cruise, not as a wedding. Then I would choose the cruise based on the location that I want to have the wedding and the best itinerary/ship/etc (I lucked out with the location). I would speak with wedding planners in the area and make sure they are responsive/reliable/work well withe cruise passengers (many that I tried the contact never even returned my calls). I would plan any group event that NCL is willing to host for your family on the same night as the wedding (usually these include open bar/DJ-though this may coast extra). And personally, had I known about the White Hot Party, I would have had the dance party on that night :) Good excuse to get to where your wedding dress again! Not much I would change otherwise!

 

I hope this helps as it is late and I am exhausted, but please let me know if you have any more questions...I am happy to help any way I can!

[chrisc71]

Did you actually get married on the ship?

 

Yes we got married on the ship before sailing. Again it was with Royal so I cannot give an opinion on NCL. It was also about 10 years ago. I will tell you that the cost was less than we would have spent in my area, NYC, for a similar buffet style wedding.. I know some balk at the high cost of weddings on the ship but the cost was reasonable for us.

[Patgo]

MSVEGAS23 Wow what great remarks and so detailed. I don't know what our plans will end up being but your remarks are going to be a huge help.

 

Thanks for all the time it took you to write this.

 

There are great people here on cruise critic and that is why I am asking for help here.

 

Smary consumers and just plain nice people

 

 

Thank you.

[Msvegas23]

You are most welcome! As you plan and think further into wedding details, feel free to contact me! I would be happy to help...Cheers to a stress free wedding! :)