Review - 12-Day Mediterranean - Celebrity Silhouette - April 29, 2013 - Weddingmoon!

[CruisingGatorGirl]

HI! YES, I did read your review before we went, I thought it was wonderful! It's part of what made me want to write one too! :-) And I definitely felt similarities with your travel style too, even reading it before we left.

 

Congrats on your wedding! I think I remember you saying that you'd be going on a honeymoon cruise, right? Where did you cruise? It's hard to beat the Mediterranean, though, so I understand.

 

I'm so glad you took the time to comment! I appreciate it! I just hope my review can be half as good as yours was! :-)

 

 

Thank you for such kind words! You are doing a fantastic job, I am hooked, can't wait for more!

 

It is work doing these reports, from typing up to uploading pics, it takes a while. I have not started my honeymoon yet one for that reason. I feel I don't have the time to get started now and finish in a timely fashion!

 

p.s. I have not found a quick way to upload pics yet, that is the hardest/annoying part!

 

On our honeymoon cruise I almost decided to type up all my daily journal writing right into word so I wouldn't have to do the "hand write in journal then transcribe/type it up for online" process that is tedious. But when it comes down to it, I enjoy carrying my journal around in my bad and writing when it hits me :)

 

And yes, we did the ultimate Caribbean on the Equinox this winter :) Stay tuned for the report.. but it might be a while haha. I am still in school and working full time, but glad the wedding plans are over!

 

another p.s. I can't wait to get to your wedding part. I tried to convince my husband and parents to do what you did- get married while on a med cruise but they weren't buying it :( So I am excited to see yours! YAY! (don't get me wrong, I loved my wedding! But it was stressful at times and some issues with some "people" so I thought it would've been easier to get married while away!)

[RoonilWazlib]

 

It is work doing these reports, from typing up to uploading pics, it takes a while. I have not started my honeymoon yet one for that reason. I feel I don't have the time to get started now and finish in a timely fashion!

 

Oh, I agree! Yes, it takes a really long time! But it's almost like doing it again, reliving those memories. Makes it worth it.

 

 

p.s. I have not found a quick way to upload pics yet, that is the hardest/annoying part!

 

I have been using the photos right from my Facebook. Unfortunately, the wide ones are too wide, so I have to re-save them and re-upload them anyway. Definitely a pain.

 

another p.s. I can't wait to get to your wedding part. I tried to convince my husband and parents to do what you did- get married while on a med cruise but they weren't buying it :( So I am excited to see yours! YAY! (don't get me wrong, I loved my wedding! But it was stressful at times and some issues with some "people" so I thought it would've been easier to get married while away!)

 

I totally understand!! Yes, it was pretty relaxing, as far as weddings go. We really only had to worry about our paperwork, finding the location on time, and getting our clothes over there. We basically skipped everything else. There was no music, no flowers, no guests, no reception... But simple and perfect for us.

[RoonilWazlib]

Continuing on!

 

That evening was formal night. Since we’d be having a very formal day the next day, we decided to skip dressing up. We ate dinner at Bistro on Five, and we only saw one other diner while we were there.

 

 

I had the corn soup, and it was delicious! The Tuscan crepe was just okay.

 

 

Kevin enjoyed his cowboy crepe.

 

 

For dessert, we shared the Spanish (dulce de leche) and Italian (banana and Nutella) crepes. Both were very yummy.

 

 

[RoonilWazlib]

While we were waiting for our food, I took the opportunity to pull back the curtains and shoot a bit of the Amalfi Coast from the ship, to at least have SOMETHING to show we were there.

 

 

 

 

Then Kevin had an Amaretto Sour and I had a Grasshopper.

 

 

 

The rest of the evening we just hung out and rested up for our big day the next day!!

[LarissaRose]

 

Then Kevin had an Amaretto Sour and I had a Grasshopper.

 

 

 

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What is in a grasshopper?? that looks super good!

[RoonilWazlib]

What is in a grasshopper?? that looks super good!

 

I don't know much about alcoholic beverages, so I don't have a clue. Lol. But it is minty and not too strong! :-)

[gsb]

I don't know much about alcoholic beverages, so I don't have a clue. Lol. But it is minty and not too strong! :-)

 

Grasshopper-

3/4 oz each

green creme de menthe

white creme de cacao

light cream

 

Enjoy;)

[RoonilWazlib]

Day 3 Valletta (Wedding day!)

 

This day we slept in. We were scheduled to pull into port at 1pm. We didn’t have much on our schedule before that, so we took our morning at a leisurely pace.

 

We decided to take brunch at The Porch. When we got there, there was only one other table occupied. It was shaping up to be a beautiful day; it was breezy, still being at sea, but the temperature was very comfortable.

 

 

Our breakfast paninis were delicious! I had the Pomodoro Panini, and it was one of my very favorite meals on the trip!

 

 

Kevin had the Classic and the American. He always gets twice as much food as me, and always finishes it!

 

 

We finished up with fruit and pastries!

 

[RoonilWazlib]

After that, it was time for my hair appointment. It took me awhile to decide if I should get my hair professionally done or not. I’m not very good at doing hair (abysmal, actually), and knew I could use the help, but I was worried about the cost. In the end, I decided I’d forget about the money (I can’t remember how much it was now) and the photos of my hair would live on forever. So I did it.

 

My appointment was at 11:45am, and the captain had told us to be ready for sail-in at noon. So I gave my camera to Kevin, and he went out on the upper decks to shoot some photos. Luckily the salon on the ship has huge windows and we were on the proper side of Valletta, so I didn’t miss too much.

 

 

 

 

I gave the hairdresser some photos of the look I was going for (loose curls to soften my normally straight and mousy hair), but I think my hair just wasn’t long enough to pull it off. Also, the curls ended up being way too tight and it made the length several inches shorter again. It looked too “done” and I was going for more casual. So me being me, I acted like I liked it in front of the hairdresser, but as soon as I got back to the room, I got to work on fixing it. After brushing through it, the curls were still too tight, and worse yet, I’d made it poofy. So I went to Plan B and tied it back in a loose ponytail.

 

Kevin got dressed, I did my makeup, and I slipped into my dress that Kevin had not seen at all. When he saw me, he smiled and told me I picked well. He gets uncomfortable with expressing that kind of stuff, so from him, it was a very nice compliment.

[RoonilWazlib]

By that time it was about 2pm and time to leave the ship so we could see a bit of Valletta before our ceremony.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We just wandered slowly on a path leading to our ceremony spot, using a map we’d gotten from our wedding planner. We ended up getting there early, but our planner had said that if we were more than 5 minutes late, the officiant could leave. So I didn’t want to wander away again and risk that. We hung out near the entrance and watched some men setting stuff up in the courtyard. As soon as we saw the white linens and chair covers, we realized it was for us!

[RoonilWazlib]

We also took photos of each other.

 

 

 

 

 

My husband is a goof.

 

[RoonilWazlib]

First to arrive was the photographer, then the officiant and the planner’s employees, Vicky and Desiree, to serve as our witnesses. Once we were all assembled, we could start.

 

We had decided at the beginning that the only extra we wanted to pay for was the photographer. So there was no music and no flowers. But that’s never been important to us. They had Kevin stand at the table and asked me to walk in. I hadn’t been expecting that, and felt super awkward walking back to the entrance just so I could walk back in again. But Vicky and Desiree were sweet and hummed a wedding march for me.

 

Then was our ceremony. Nice and short; perfect! I was so glad not to be surrounded by people we knew. It felt like such a personal and intimate moment, and I was glad to be as alone as possible. Kevin must have felt pretty awkward too, because when he was allowed to kiss me, he just did a quick peck, and I made him redo it (very similar to our first kiss ever!)

 

 

After that, they gave us a bottle of champagne (which we decided to save and leave unopened) and brought out a little tray of hors d’oeuvres; Another thing that was unexpected! It was a nice touch, but they all had meat on them, so I didn’t have any. The officiant gave us some kind of marriage document (not official) that was written in Maltese. Totally neat, and we’ve since had it framed. And Vicky and Desiree gave us a wrapped gift! It turned out to be a small sculpture of two lovebirds made of blue Maltese glass! So sweet!

 

Next was our photo session. We’d booked only about an hour and a half with the photographer (total), but he was cool and stayed with us for two hours of shooting. We drove around Valletta shooting in a nice variety of places.

 

 

 

 

 

[RoonilWazlib]

By the end, my feet hurt so badly. The photographer was nice enough to drop us off right at the port! At that point we had about 20 minutes to make our dinner reservation at Tuscan Grille. We headed back to our room to change. Kevin was hot (absolutely no surprise), and I was feeling constricted with all the boning and undergarments.

 

Our dinner at Tuscan Grille was good, but not very memorable. I wouldn’t pay to eat there again. I think Kevin enjoyed it more than I did, though; he said his steak was great.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At the end, they brought us a little chocolate cake that said “Happy Honeymoon” on it and sang us the Happy Birthday song, replacing it with Happy Honeymoon. That was fun. Since we were getting dessert there already, they offered to have the cake sent to our room. We remembered it a couple days later; it never got there. Oh well.

 

Overall, it was a great day. The perfect way to get married if you’re like us and untraditional and private.

 

End of Day 3.

[shoelover536]

Loving your report so far. that stinks about the camera battery mix up. I would have been devastated. That is one of the prettiest areas for pictures! we are going to some of the same ports in September! Can't wait.

 

You looked gorgeous in your wedding dress too. What a great memory you created for the two of you getting married in a little more "untraditional" way. Can't wait to read the rest. :D

[hipster1]

Kacie,

Great review! You looked gorgeous! We were like the 2 of you. We also eloped on a cruise 3 years ago. We also told the parents ahead of time. We got married on a secluded beach in St Thomas. It was the best decision. I am so glad you both did it your way:)

 

I can't wait to read more.

 

Ali

[Bailey & Sophie]

How romantic!!

BTW, did you ever get married in the US?

[gr82cu2]

We also took photos of each other.

 

 

 

 

 

My husband is a goof.

 

 

Come back! Don't leave us hanging :D Your hair and dress are just beautiful. Congratulations!

[RoonilWazlib]

Kacie,

Great review! You looked gorgeous! We were like the 2 of you. We also eloped on a cruise 3 years ago. We also told the parents ahead of time. We got married on a secluded beach in St Thomas. It was the best decision. I am so glad you both did it your way:)

 

I can't wait to read more.

 

Ali

 

Wasn't that just the best? I'm so glad we did it our way!! I bet yours was amazing as well!

[RoonilWazlib]

How romantic!!

BTW, did you ever get married in the US?

 

Nope, I asked when we were picking up our birth certificates ahead of time if we'd need to do anything when we got back, and they said as long as we had our marriage paperwork, we didn't have to.

[RoonilWazlib]

Come back! Don't leave us hanging :D Your hair and dress are just beautiful. Congratulations!

 

Thank you! :)

 

These reviews take so much longer than I ever thought they would! This last one took me all evening to write, find photos, re-size the photos, upload the photos, copy the text, and copy the photo links!! Haha, so I'm spreading them out for my own sanity. Lol. Glad to know you're enjoying it!!

[Bailey & Sophie]

Nope, I asked when we were picking up our birth certificates ahead of time if we'd need to do anything when we got back, and they said as long as we had our marriage paperwork, we didn't have to.

Kacie:

Hmmm, hubbie's brother got married in Italy. They had to get married in the US, too, because they were't Italian citizens and the Italian marriage wasn't recognized here!

[RoonilWazlib]

Kacie:

Hmmm, hubbie's brother got married in Italy. They had to get married in the US, too, because they were't Italian citizens and the Italian marriage wasn't recognized here!

 

It's been two years since I've been on Cruise Critic, but I thought I would still respond.

 

I think Italy is different. We looked into a few different countries we'd be stopping in to find the best one. We chose Malta because their official language is English, so we could get all the legal paperwork without paying for translation, and there was no residency requirement. Some countries require you to be there a certain number of days before you can have a legal wedding. Malta doesn't require that. We've been back for two years and no one has told us there was a problem, so we don't worry about it. Actually, it's weird, NO ONE has asked us for proof yet. I didn't change my name, so I didn't have to do anything with license or social security. But we got on each other's insurance, are each other's life insurance beneficiary, and have filed taxes as married, and nobody has asked to see paperwork. I carried it around in my purse for months before I realized no one needed it, I guess.

[bhughey]

Really enjoying the review!

Am I the only person who can't see the pics?

I've tried chrome, firefox and the cruise critic app?

[cruisecatmama]

I couldn't see the photos either...

[RoonilWazlib]

Really enjoying the review!

Am I the only person who can't see the pics?

I've tried chrome, firefox and the cruise critic app?

 

I'm not entirely sure what happened with the photos. I could see them two years ago when I started writing this, and now I can't anymore. I have no idea what happened. :-( I'd love to carry on working on this at some point, and I'd definitely make sure the photos work again before getting too much further, if I do that. Just gotta find my old notes and files.