Vow Renewal on a Princess Ship, Is it Worth it

[jwattle]

 

On 7/12/2019 at 7:37 AM, MissP22 said:

Obviously a few cruisers who will waste money on something such as that.

I don't think that it's a waste if my spouse and I consider it priceless; maybe your value is set differently..

Here is a pic from the vow renewal that I surprised my DH with; I had asked people on Cruise Critic about it on our Roll Call; we ended up with forty of them attending, and a party afterwards. It is a favorite cruise memory for us.

[Daniel A]

30 minutes ago, ssbeagle said:

 

Yes, it does depend on the Captain's schedule; however, they try to work with you on the date you want.  The best time is a sea day.  Our time was changed but it was still on the day we chose.  Everything was done so nicely.   It was even fancier than our original wedding. Worth every penny of the $200 or so we paid for it.

When I did it in April, there was a letter waiting in our stateroom on embarkation day requesting that I appear at the guest services desk at 5PM to "discuss the date and time of the ceremony."  I was asked my preferences and I got a call from a ship's officer later on confirming one of the dates and time I requested.  It was well worth it.

Coral Princess ROV.pdf

Edited July 14, 2019 by Daniel A

[MissP22]

1 hour ago, jwattle said:

 

I don't think that it's a waste if my spouse and I consider it priceless; maybe your value is set differently..

Here is a pic from the vow renewal that I surprised my DH with; I had asked people on Cruise Critic about it on our Roll Call; we ended up with forty of them attending, and a party afterwards. It is a favorite cruise memory for us.

Yes, there is something for everyone after all .

[Mom33]

We had a vow renewal on the Crown for our 40th Anniversary ten years ago. It was worth every penny.🤵👰. 

We just celebrated the 50th Anniversary with our 5 year old granddaughter and family on a cruise that catered to her  "magical" birthday wishes. We are so blessed. And the expense was also worth every penny.😁

[IrishLassie]

Well now I'm really confused!  I called Princess to see how we go about arranging the vow renewal for us & our friends together, and then she said "it is a group ceremony", which I see that in the small print on the description of the pkg.  So is it a "group" or can it be just us 4??  Princess was no help at all !  We want it to be just us 4, as it's very special to all of us, has a special meaning.  HELP

[shanecindy21403]

A lot of times the customer service people are no help at all. Most of the ones I talk to have very limited knowledge. I usually know more than they do. The renewal of vows ceremony is not a group event. It is a personalized service for you and your significant other and whomever else you would like to attend. They may offer a group renewal of vows but when you pay for one it isn't the same. The group one maybe a complimentary one they do in the Piazza. You will get a notice in your cabin the first day to contact a certain person and/or department to go about setting up your personal service.

[IrishLassie]

28 minutes ago, shanecindy21403 said:

A lot of times the customer service people are no help at all. Most of the ones I talk to have very limited knowledge. I usually know more than they do. The renewal of vows ceremony is not a group event. It is a personalized service for you and your significant other and whomever else you would like to attend. They may offer a group renewal of vows but when you pay for one it isn't the same. The group one maybe a complimentary one they do in the Piazza. You will get a notice in your cabin the first day to contact a certain person and/or department to go about setting up your personal service.

 

Thank you so much, this really helped.

[Daniel A]

17 minutes ago, IrishLassie said:

Well now I'm really confused!  I called Princess to see how we go about arranging the vow renewal for us & our friends together, and then she said "it is a group ceremony", which I see that in the small print on the description of the pkg.  So is it a "group" or can it be just us 4??  Princess was no help at all !  We want it to be just us 4, as it's very special to all of us, has a special meaning.  HELP

Because the ROV package includes photos, champagne, flowers and chocolates, Princess is probably not going to do 4 people for the price of 2.  This is just a guess on my part, but if each couple were to purchase the ROV package and when you meet with the ship's officer at the guest services desk, have all four of you present at the same time and let them know you want your ceremonies held at the same time, they will accommodate you.  If you only purchase one ROV package, they will most likely only want to do one couple.

 

I think the 'group' disclaimer in the package description is to let you know if there are so many couples purchasing ROV packages that it would take up an inordinate amount of the Captains time, Princess reserves the right to make your ROV ceremony a group ceremony.  I'm thinking that if there are 200 couples purchasing ROV packages and they want it done on Valentine's Day, you are not going to get a private ceremony.  I think your best bet is for each couple to purchase the ROV package and once onboard ask for the ceremonies to be combined.  I can't see them turning down that request.

[Anubi]

We just did a private Renewal on the Grand in April.  It was lovely, amazing and very memorable and we are both so glad we did it.

 

My only complaint has nothing to do with the actual ceremony but with the cost of the pictures and video.  We had expected to purchase some pictures but when we went to review the pictures and video the cost was $4,000.00 USD, approx. $5,300.00 CDN.  Yes you read that right, $4,000.00.  They did drop the price to $1,200.00 but that was still out of the ballpark for us.  We managed to negotiate down quite a bit further and got some lovely pictures but we could not get them to drop the price of the video below $700.00.

Edited July 15, 2019 by Anubi

[USCcruisecrazy]

I can't speak for the Vow Renewal itself, but I would imagine you could do it the same as the regular Wedding.  Our Son and DIL were married on board and it was a beautiful ceremony.  It was done on the first Formal Night at 2:00 in the afternoon.  Princess did an awesome job on the flowers, the music, the documentation and even had a nice room for the reception.  I highly recommend it!!

[Daniel A]

19 minutes ago, Anubi said:

We just did a private Renewal on the Grand in April.  It was lovely, amazing and very memorable and we are both so glad we did it.

 

My only complaint has nothing to do with the actual ceremony but with the cost of the pictures and video.  We had expected to purchase some pictures but when we went to review the pictures and video the cost was $4,000.00 USD, approx. $5,300.00 CDN.  Yes you read that right, $4,000.00.  They did drop the price to $1,200.00 but that was still out of the ballpark for us.  We managed to negotiate down quite a bit further and got some lovely pictures but we could not get them to drop the price of the video below $700.00.

DW & I only took the photos that came with the package.  You're right!  It seemed like an attempted robbery on the high seas...

[voljeep]

On ‎7‎/‎14‎/‎2019 at 12:44 PM, Bob and Linda said:

was worried she wouldn't have the right clothes along.

this

[MissP22]

3 hours ago, Anubi said:

We just did a private Renewal on the Grand in April.  It was lovely, amazing and very memorable and we are both so glad we did it.

 

My only complaint has nothing to do with the actual ceremony but with the cost of the pictures and video.  We had expected to purchase some pictures but when we went to review the pictures and video the cost was $4,000.00 USD, approx. $5,300.00 CDN.  Yes you read that right, $4,000.00.  They did drop the price to $1,200.00 but that was still out of the ballpark for us.  We managed to negotiate down quite a bit further and got some lovely pictures but we could not get them to drop the price of the video below $700.00.

It didn't cost nearly that much for me to get married the first time. 🤩LOL

[Daniel A]

1 hour ago, MissP22 said:

It didn't cost nearly that much for me to get married the first time. 🤩LOL

It costs a lot more to undo it.  Much cheaper to do the ROV.

[tlovesdis]

My parents did the vow renewal last July on the Grand.  My sister and I paid for it and it was the best $225 we ever spent!  The ceremony and flowers were beautiful.  We had a private ceremony, I think because we had about 40 people attending, but right before their renewal three brides and grooms exited the chapel, so I assume they had a group ceremony.

 

The photographer was great.  He got so many great pictures.  My parents ended up buying a ton and they never said how much they paid, but did say it was a pretty penny!

 

 

[IrishLassie]

46 minutes ago, tlovesdis said:

My parents did the vow renewal last July on the Grand.  My sister and I paid for it and it was the best $225 we ever spent!  The ceremony and flowers were beautiful.  We had a private ceremony, I think because we had about 40 people attending, but right before their renewal three brides and grooms exited the chapel, so I assume they had a group ceremony.

 

The photographer was great.  He got so many great pictures.  My parents ended up buying a ton and they never said how much they paid, but did say it was a pretty penny!

 

 

Did you just pay for it with a Credit Card?  I don't want to use our onboard credit for it, so wasn't sure if I can pay now with a Cr.Cd. 

[tlovesdis]

20 minutes ago, IrishLassie said:

Did you just pay for it with a Credit Card?  I don't want to use our onboard credit for it, so wasn't sure if I can pay now with a Cr.Cd. 

Yes I paid for it a few months ahead of time on my credit card!

[Michigan Escapees]

Thanks for posting this.  The answers are helpful!  We've signed up for a vow renewal on our January cruise on the Sky.  Hubby picked the day we're in Costa Maya because he doesn't care about getting off the ship there.  I hope that day works and they don't switch it to a sea day.  Or, if they do, they let us know well before we sail (not the day we get on the ship).  Our two DDs and I want to get hair and makeup done for the ceremony.  I'm already anxious about whether we'll be able to get the times we need, together, for hair & makeup, lol.

So good to hear from everyone here that it's worth the $$.

[Daniel A]

9 hours ago, Stampin' Cruiser said:

Thanks for posting this.  The answers are helpful!  We've signed up for a vow renewal on our January cruise on the Sky.  Hubby picked the day we're in Costa Maya because he doesn't care about getting off the ship there.  I hope that day works and they don't switch it to a sea day.  Or, if they do, they let us know well before we sail (not the day we get on the ship).  Our two DDs and I want to get hair and makeup done for the ceremony.  I'm already anxious about whether we'll be able to get the times we need, together, for hair & makeup, lol.

So good to hear from everyone here that it's worth the $$.

The ROV ceremony will be scheduled for when time is available in the Captain's schedule.  They will do their best to accommodate your request but running the ship is the Captain's first priority.  I would make my plans based on not getting confirmation of the date and time of the ceremony until sometime on embarkation day.  The way it worked for us 3 months ago was that there was an envelope waiting for us in our cabin on embarkation day asking us to meet at the customer service desk at 5PM to discuss arrangements with a ship's officer.  Later that day, I got a telephone call in my cabin from that officer confirming the date and time of the ceremony.  I'm  betting that you will not know for sure until after the ship has sailed.  That said, bring up your concerns about getting hair and makeup appointments when you meet with the ship's officer to discuss arrangements for the ceremony.  The ship's officer may be able to help you with getting the appointments you need before the ceremony.  Good Luck and enjoy your cruise!

[Lido deck main]

On 7/11/2019 at 7:00 AM, IrishLassie said:

Has anyone done a vow renewal on the ship & is it worth the money?  I've heard it's done with a group, is that correct?

Hi, 

We cruise on both HAL and Princess, we did our vow renewal in April 2019 for our 30th anniversary.  I wasn’t even thinking about until I came across a thread ( in the HAL boards) and read how everyone who had done it really thought it was meaningful and worthwhile.  So I decided what the heck give it a try.  Well to sum up, loved it, my husband loved it, we were just us two and we have wonderful memories.  Below, I hope that I have put the link for the HAL board conversation on this topic.  Every person has their own value set, some people may prefer to do other things and not see value in this, however if you are thinking of doing it, then go for it. 

 

 

[Thrak]

On 7/14/2019 at 9:44 AM, Bob and Linda said:

I surprised my wife with a vow renewal last September on the Regal Princess on the Canada/New England cruise. I wasn't going to tell her at first but changed my mind after watching a couple of youtube videos and was worried she wouldn't have the right clothes along.

 

 

When I got married my wife embroidered a peasant shirt she made for me. I also wore brand new Levi 501s. She wore a dress she made herself. I could manage to take new Levis on a cruise but they would have to be in a much larger size. The shrink-to-fit Levis I wore for the wedding were 32 waist 36 inseam. Wow. I can only imagine what size they were after washing and "shrinking to fit". 🙄

[pjrockman]

Here is my post from an earlier Vow Renewal Thread and hopefully the attachment of the Photo Package Price Sheet from the Royal Princess in January 2016.  I concur that the Private Renewal Package with the Captain was one of the best highlights of any of our cruises and well worth it to us, including the pics and video.

 

”

“Hope this attachment works. It is the pricelist that was given to us when they showed us the video and the photo montage. The top portion shows that the original renewal package includes an 8 x 10 and choice of frame. Package 2 got us the additional two 8 x 10, the about 150 4 x 6 proofs and the DVD musical montage put together by the photographer of all our pics set to music. That was $279.99.

 

Ours wasn't negotiable. It just followed the (hopefully) attached price list. The only difference between package 2 and 3 is $120 additional for the thumb drive of all of the proofs.

 

As you can see on the bottom, the video of the ceremony which included all of the picture spots as well was $200.

 

If the attachment doesn't come through, be patient, I will continue to try to attach either a pic or the pdf.”

 

Anyway, if the attachment works, you can see that the new reported prices in this Thread are so much higher from the attached Price Sheet, that it seems something is out of whack.  Maybe the Platinum Studio follows you around now?  All in all, we paid $225+-  for Vow Renewal Package, $279 for Picture Package #2 and $200 for the Video.  Total, including Renewal and what came with the Renewal Package = $725.

 

Hope this helps.  Good Luck and Safe Journeys.  Paul

 

1323068191_PrincessRenewalPics.pdf

[Anubi]

8 hours ago, pjrockman said:

Here is my post from an earlier Vow Renewal Thread and hopefully the attachment of the Photo Package Price Sheet from the Royal Princess in January 2016.  I concur that the Private Renewal Package with the Captain was one of the best highlights of any of our cruises and well worth it to us, including the pics and video.

 

”

“Hope this attachment works. It is the pricelist that was given to us when they showed us the video and the photo montage. The top portion shows that the original renewal package includes an 8 x 10 and choice of frame. Package 2 got us the additional two 8 x 10, the about 150 4 x 6 proofs and the DVD musical montage put together by the photographer of all our pics set to music. That was $279.99.

 

Ours wasn't negotiable. It just followed the (hopefully) attached price list. The only difference between package 2 and 3 is $120 additional for the thumb drive of all of the proofs.

 

As you can see on the bottom, the video of the ceremony which included all of the picture spots as well was $200.

 

If the attachment doesn't come through, be patient, I will continue to try to attach either a pic or the pdf.”

 

Anyway, if the attachment works, you can see that the new reported prices in this Thread are so much higher from the attached Price Sheet, that it seems something is out of whack.  Maybe the Platinum Studio follows you around now?  All in all, we paid $225+-  for Vow Renewal Package, $279 for Picture Package #2 and $200 for the Video.  Total, including Renewal and what came with the Renewal Package = $725.

 

Hope this helps.  Good Luck and Safe Journeys.  Paul

 

1323068191_PrincessRenewalPics.pdf 415.65 kB · 3 downloads

We were never given this. 😞  And yes you were right about it being tied into the Platinum Studio.  Believe me, if that video had been $200 we would have bought it on the spot.  Thanks for posting.  

[Lynniepoo]

On 7/19/2019 at 2:55 PM, Thrak said:

 

When I got married my wife embroidered a peasant shirt she made for me. I also wore brand new Levi 501s. She wore a dress she made herself. I could manage to take new Levis on a cruise but they would have to be in a much larger size. The shrink-to-fit Levis I wore for the wedding were 32 waist 36 inseam. Wow. I can only imagine what size they were after washing and "shrinking to fit". 🙄

LOL.  Maybe you can sew a patch of your old jeans on your new ones for the vow renewal!  😊  If it makes you feel better, I think I could probably get one leg into my wedding dress, but that's about it.  Darn detergent keeps shrinking all my clothes. 

[jovisoul]

We did the vow renewal for our 25th Anniversary on the Emerald in 2010. It was worth every penny. We were not able to pick the date, but to our surprise it ended up being on the exact day of our Anniversary. It was a private ceremony with the Captain and our friends who were on the cruise with us.