Considering doing and Embarkation Day Wedding.

[RiaTheOutlander]

Hello everyone!! I am new to this board in hopes of finding some answers! :)

 

My fiancé and I have been looking at cruise weddings for a long time, I think since we first got engaged because we both have large families, lol. We don't want everyone there but there are some we do want there that we know won't be able to cruise with us for a week. It's a lot to ask for.

 

We live in NJ so we can do the Embarkation Day Wedding right at Cape Liberty. It won't be until 2020 so we have a lot of time but I just needed to start doing some research before I make my final decision. I am not a planner and don't even wan't to plan my own wedding, is that terrible? I've seen a lot of pros and cons about it but not really any actual stories from people who have done it. Is there anyone here that would like to share with me their experiences, prices, and maybe some photos?! It would truly help us out. Thanks in advanced everyone! ❤️

[Junkhouse]

Congratulations. We didn't get married on the boat but our honey moon was a cruise the next day. Just remember if you choose to do this you are at the mercy of the ship to be there. It wasn't the ship's fault but our original flight was cancelled and we had to take an earlier flight.

[Ashland]

Check under Special Interest Cruising on this forum. There is a sub-forum for Honeymoon & Wedding Cruises...you should find all the info you need there.

[LilBlackDress]

You might find better information going to the Wedding and Honeymoon section.

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=31

 

When I got married on Indy, the weddings at that time were subcontracted through a 3rd party. My understanding is they are no longer using that company. Which is a good thing! A very good thing!!

 

From the outside looking in it was a beautiful day. None of our guests knew about all the headaches and problems that we faced starting from a week before the wedding and ending at the end of the reception...

 

Would I do it again or recommend it to a friend is 50/50, but I do know what I would do differently...

[RiaTheOutlander]

Thank you everyone!

[StuckInTraffic]

My wife and I got married on embarkation day out of Bayonne. It was definitely an enjoyable experience and a unique wedding but you need to have the right set of expectations.

 

Royal Romance was who we dealt with and they will not talk to you very much until about six to eight weeks away. I would have to look back to see when the communication picked up, but once it did their full attention was on you and the communication was frequent.

 

The wedding itself is pretty paint by numbers and a boilerplate contract. They give you a list of options to choose from for each part of the wedding and reception. There are different options depending on the number of guests. We were bringing our own priest to officiate and we wanted the wedding in the Viking Crown Lounge. Since we made that clear up front, it was accommodated and all necessary paperwork was taken care of. While it was paint by numbers, we were allowed to do all the reasonable things we asked for both in advance and on the ship.

 

 

There is a bit of work required on your end. We had to get driver's license or passport numbers for all of our guest whether they were sailing or not. I believe that was a US Customs thing and not Royal.

 

 

They had staff waiting for us at the pier and they did not leave our side until the end of the wedding. The ship staff could not be more helpful and it seemed like they were enjoying themselves as well. We personally brought an iPod with dedicated playlists for each event of the wedding/reception to make things go smooth. The food was a buffet and it was plentiful. The cake is a standard but you can use you own topper or ribbon to elevate it. A recommendation would be to pay extra to have waiters working the room taking drink orders in addition to the bar tenders. It was well worth the cost.

 

Even though on paper the time seems limited, we did not feel rushed and we pushed it right up until the very end. It was nice to have the wedding and the ceremony back to back as it kept the day moving. Even though we were in the Viking Crown Lounge, we had a few guests go off exploring the ship. Some may or may not have visited the Windjammer.

 

 

Bottom line is that it is all what you make of it. The main two things are you have to put a little work into tweaking the event to your liking and be willing to be patient for those months when Royal Romance does not want to talk with you that often.

 

 

If you have any questions,please feel free to ask .

[RiaTheOutlander]

My wife and I got married on embarkation day out of Bayonne. It was definitely an enjoyable experience and a unique wedding but you need to have the right set of expectations.

 

Royal Romance was who we dealt with and they will not talk to you very much until about six to eight weeks away. I would have to look back to see when the communication picked up, but once it did their full attention was on you and the communication was frequent.

 

The wedding itself is pretty paint by numbers and a boilerplate contract. They give you a list of options to choose from for each part of the wedding and reception. There are different options depending on the number of guests. We were bringing our own priest to officiate and we wanted the wedding in the Viking Crown Lounge. Since we made that clear up front, it was accommodated and all necessary paperwork was taken care of. While it was paint by numbers, we were allowed to do all the reasonable things we asked for both in advance and on the ship.

 

 

There is a bit of work required on your end. We had to get driver's license or passport numbers for all of our guest whether they were sailing or not. I believe that was a US Customs thing and not Royal.

 

 

They had staff waiting for us at the pier and they did not leave our side until the end of the wedding. The ship staff could not be more helpful and it seemed like they were enjoying themselves as well. We personally brought an iPod with dedicated playlists for each event of the wedding/reception to make things go smooth. The food was a buffet and it was plentiful. The cake is a standard but you can use you own topper or ribbon to elevate it. A recommendation would be to pay extra to have waiters working the room taking drink orders in addition to the bar tenders. It was well worth the cost.

 

Even though on paper the time seems limited, we did not feel rushed and we pushed it right up until the very end. It was nice to have the wedding and the ceremony back to back as it kept the day moving. Even though we were in the Viking Crown Lounge, we had a few guests go off exploring the ship. Some may or may not have visited the Windjammer.

 

 

Bottom line is that it is all what you make of it. The main two things are you have to put a little work into tweaking the event to your liking and be willing to be patient for those months when Royal Romance does not want to talk with you that often.

 

 

If you have any questions,please feel free to ask .

 

 

 

Wow!! Thank you for all the info!! Truly appreciate it!

[NotTheBatesMotel]

I was married onboard Freedom (docked in Port Canaveral) in 2010. The only complaint I have was dealing with their “planners” (‘Royal Romance”) was stressful, but it looks like they changed companies? I was very much a “go with the flow” kind of bride and found that a cruise wedding was a perfect fit. I didn’t want to stress about flowers and place settings and venues. The only thing I really cared about was selecting our own music which my husband recorded. That was no problem.

 

We had an amazing, carefree wedding and had a blast sailing with our families after (we did a separate short trip after as a honeymoon). It was like a weeklong party. They helped us board first, made sure there were no problems, had our stateroom ready so we could relax/get dressed before the ceremony and then ushered us up to the chapel. It was a really special week. I’m still happy with our decision because I would’ve been a ball of nerves the entire day if I went the traditional route.

[RiaTheOutlander]

I was married onboard Freedom (docked in Port Canaveral) in 2010. The only complaint I have was dealing with their “planners” (‘Royal Romance”) was stressful, but it looks like they changed companies? I was very much a “go with the flow” kind of bride and found that a cruise wedding was a perfect fit. I didn’t want to stress about flowers and place settings and venues. The only thing I really cared about was selecting our own music which my husband recorded. That was no problem.

 

We had an amazing, carefree wedding and had a blast sailing with our families after (we did a separate short trip after as a honeymoon). It was like a weeklong party. They helped us board first, made sure there were no problems, had our stateroom ready so we could relax/get dressed before the ceremony and then ushered us up to the chapel. It was a really special week. I’m still happy with our decision because I would’ve been a ball of nerves the entire day if I went the traditional route.

 

Thank you sooooo much,,,

[marieisland]

My husband And I got married Feb 2017 in port on Grand Cayman through NCL. NCL uses Royal Oceans for their event planning. I suggest do lots of research. I can tell you about my experience with that line/event planning.

 

Everything was pretty standard in terms of “pick option a or option b” but for us that was part of why we went this route for our wedding was for less stress. There are still ways to make it more personal but of course you pay for that.

 

I found Royal Oceans to be fairly responsive. My experience was We had lots of correspondence with them right away, then backed off until closer to the time. When we got on the ship we met with an event planner within the first couple of days and she went over where our guests were to meet and times, etc. she escorted myself and my maid of honor off the ship and waited with us until our transportation arrived (She was not allowed to leave the port).

 

 

We had a legal ceremony so they had a subcontracted local planner that helped with the majority of that aspect (be aware if you do an legal island ceremony there are often time requirements to be on the island and additional paper/documentation needed. That’s one of the reasons we went with Grand Cayman). The local planner is who arranged for chairs, music, officant, flowers, etc on the island.

 

 

Everything went without any issues and we had the wedding If our dreams! Congrats and good luck!

[cstar87]

My wife and I got married on embarkation day out of Bayonne. It was definitely an enjoyable experience and a unique wedding but you need to have the right set of expectations.

 

 

 

Royal Romance was who we dealt with and they will not talk to you very much until about six to eight weeks away. I would have to look back to see when the communication picked up, but once it did their full attention was on you and the communication was frequent.

 

 

 

The wedding itself is pretty paint by numbers and a boilerplate contract. They give you a list of options to choose from for each part of the wedding and reception. There are different options depending on the number of guests. We were bringing our own priest to officiate and we wanted the wedding in the Viking Crown Lounge. Since we made that clear up front, it was accommodated and all necessary paperwork was taken care of. While it was paint by numbers, we were allowed to do all the reasonable things we asked for both in advance and on the ship.

 

 

 

 

 

There is a bit of work required on your end. We had to get driver's license or passport numbers for all of our guest whether they were sailing or not. I believe that was a US Customs thing and not Royal.

 

 

 

 

 

They had staff waiting for us at the pier and they did not leave our side until the end of the wedding. The ship staff could not be more helpful and it seemed like they were enjoying themselves as well. We personally brought an iPod with dedicated playlists for each event of the wedding/reception to make things go smooth. The food was a buffet and it was plentiful. The cake is a standard but you can use you own topper or ribbon to elevate it. A recommendation would be to pay extra to have waiters working the room taking drink orders in addition to the bar tenders. It was well worth the cost.

 

 

 

Even though on paper the time seems limited, we did not feel rushed and we pushed it right up until the very end. It was nice to have the wedding and the ceremony back to back as it kept the day moving. Even though we were in the Viking Crown Lounge, we had a few guests go off exploring the ship. Some may or may not have visited the Windjammer.

 

 

 

 

 

Bottom line is that it is all what you make of it. The main two things are you have to put a little work into tweaking the event to your liking and be willing to be patient for those months when Royal Romance does not want to talk with you that often.

 

 

 

 

 

If you have any questions,please feel free to ask .

 

 

 

I have a question. My embarkation day wedding is in June. How did you do pictures? If the ceremony and reception is back to back did you have any formal family/wedding party pictures taken? I don’t want to take too much time from the ceremony, but I would like to have some nice group photos.

 

 

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[StuckInTraffic]

The photographer took pictures during the ceremony. When the ceremony was over, the buffet was opened so while everybody ate we took the formal/family photos. Since everyone was hungry, we feel that we did not miss much reception time.

 

Once our guests left, we took some photos on our own around the ship and with those who were cruising with us. Our guests left shortly before the muster drill so we were all still dressed from the wedding so we got plenty of "wedding" pictures throughout the ship.

[cstar87]

Ok thanks. Yeah I’m hoping we can get the family/formal pictures done super quick!

 

 

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[NavyCop]

We didn’t do an embarkation day wedding, but we did get married on Oasis last June. There are some answers on the forum here and also a group for Royal Caribbean brides on the site with the blue ‘f’ with tons of information available.

[cstar87]

We didn’t do an embarkation day wedding, but we did get married on Oasis last June. There are some answers on the forum here and also a group for Royal Caribbean brides on the site with the blue ‘f’ with tons of information available.

 

 

 

Ohhh thank you!!!!

 

 

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