On board wedding/booking with TA advantages-disadvantages

[2wheelin]

We were just invited to a wedding cruise. The wedding will take place at 1:00 on the ship before sailing. I have always booked directly with Carnival and want to know what questions I need to ask the TA selected by the couple. There will be priority boarding for wedding guests, but is that only if you book through the TA? In other words, do I have to use the TA?

Other things to ask:

Deposit refundable or not.

Different rules for group sales. 

Can we take advantage of price drops.

What else do I need to know before booking?

 

[1025cruise]

Priority boarding will be for everyone involved in the wedding (I think). However the guests do need to be registered. Can't really answer your other questions.

[Mm13]

Priority embark is for all wedding guests. If you book through ta you may be able to use your room before 1 (I would ask if that is something you are interested in). 

 

Maybe call the TA and ask them the pros and cons of booking with them VS booking on your own. 

[2wheelin]

55 minutes ago, Mm13 said:

Priority embark is for all wedding guests. If you book through ta you may be able to use your room before 1 (I would ask if that is something you are interested in). 

 

Maybe call the TA and ask them the pros and cons of booking with them VS booking on your own. 

I’ll be calling when they are open on Mon. Just wanted to get some idea from others here as to what I should be aware of and ask about (in case the TA forgets to mention it lol). Things like restrictions with group rates. Ease/difficulty of making changes.

[maryred]

All the couples or wedding witnesses that I've talked to had their weddings, bookings, and walk on/off guests lists were done directly with Carnival or whichever cruise line they booked with. Technically all on board weddings and select destination (in port of call) weddings have to go through the wedding planning department of the cruise line, and bookings as well as the walk on/off guest all had to be listed with them. Ship sanctioned embarkation day ceremonies are usually held at 11/11:30am with the wedding party and all their guests usually boarding before 10:30 am, with the optional 1-2 hour reception being held immediately after the 25-30 minute civil ceremony (or religious ceremony when the bride or groom provides a clerical  person). If no reception is planned then the walk on/off guests are escorted off immediately after the ceremony, for those that do the reception by 2pm all non-sailing wedding guests are escorted off the ship. 

This is not to say that the bride (or bride's family) did not make their arrangements though a 3rd person TA, as they can just as easily have access to the wedding planning department as they do for general or large group bookings as individual passengers do. It just seems odd that the bride would allow a 3rd party to act as an intermediary (middleman) for all their ceremony plans. But if the bride has simply book a cruise and is having a meeting lounge set aside, providing the officiant without involving the cruise line beyond the private event room then even the wedding party members are not eligible for priority boarding anyway, unless they have FttF, loyalty, or suite priority. In that case no priority boarding would be extended to the wedding guests, again unless they have purchased or earned priority boarding.

So my advice is to contact Carnival's wedding planning department at 1-800-933-4968 or the bride or groom (or their parents for more info) with those questions. As there seems to be much information either not given in the invitation or that you did not care to post. In general if the amount of friends and family sailing with the bride and groom will be booking 8 or more cabins they opt for the group booking, which offers group amenities which reduces the price to them of things like the reception or photo packages, but puts their sailing guests at the mercy of the terms and conditions of a group sailing.