Inviting Guests Aboard Before Sail Away

[MTJSR]

Don't rip my head off!!! But when I was a kid sailing on Sitmar's Fairsea we were able to have a bunch of friends join us for a bon voyage party onboard before sailing away. I trust this practice has long gone away but are there ever special occasions when this is allowed?

[chrysalis]

you are correct....long gone....

[Princess Bride]

If you are getting married onboard the ship before sail-away, they do allow your "non-sailing" guests to

board the ship for the ceremony and reception.

[LARGIN]

No more partying for guests on Princess ships... As remembering Sitmar.. One of the best !!!

 

If you are getting married onboard the ship before sail-away, they do allow your "non-sailing" guests to

board the ship for the ceremony and reception.

Interesting.. First time I heard that you can do this.. Thanks for the info.

[Coral]

The wedding (and letting non-cruising guests on the ship) is more common on other lines where the weddings have to take place before the ship leaves the dock on embarkation day. I believe Princess is the only line that allows weddings while at sea and most of the weddings take place on the cruise rather then before the cruise. I have heard about non-cruise passengers attending weddings on the other lines but haven't on Princess. They probably do, it just isn't as popular on Princess.

[Pam in CA]

Don't rip my head off!!! But when I was a kid sailing on Sitmar's Fairsea we were able to have a bunch of friends join us for a bon voyage party onboard before sailing away. I trust this practice has long gone away but are there ever special occasions when this is allowed?

I can remember going onboard the ship with my parents when they were taking a cruise and having to get off before sailing. This is no longer allowed. As a matter of fact, if you are docked next to another Princess ship, even though you are a passenger, you cannot be a guest on the other ship. That is something else that's gone the way of the do-do. This is for security reasons and I'm just as glad that no one who isn't a passenger or crew is allowed onboard.

[Sandy R]

Pam... you brought back fond memories for me. We went on our share of Stimar cruises but even when we weren't sailing or seeing someone off, a few of us would drive the 45 minutes down to San Pedro on a Saturday and spend a few hours aboard the Sitmar FairSea... have drinks, nuts and chips, a few dances and walk the outside decks. It was a great way to spend a few hours in the a late afternoon. In those days you paid as you drank... no electronic key cards. There wasn't much security, either. Can't remember if they checked off our names as we boarded... it sure was a different time.

 

Sandy

[Princess Bride]

I think the majority of Princess weddings do take place on a "sea day."

 

In fact, Princess is the only cruise line that can perform weddings while

the ship is actually sailing. And that is one of the neat things I love

about Princess weddings.

 

I'm pretty sure that the only reason a bride & groom would choose to

have an in-port wedding on a Princess ship is to accomodate their guests.

Many friends and/or family members are not able to attend at-sea nuptials

for various reasons; i.e., health conditions, financial shortcomings, lack of

vacation-time accrued at a new job, female guest could be in the third

trimester of a pregnancy....etc, etc.

 

I know all about this dilemma from first-hand experience. My fiance & I had to

weigh our options because many of our friends & family cannot afford to

cruise with us and will, therefore, miss our wedding.

 

It was a tough decision, but we decided that we wanted our wedding

"while at sea." Our immediate family (parents, brothers, sisters-in-law,

neice and nephew) is joining us for a week-long celebration on our

Princess Wedding cruise. In fact, we have a total of 18 booked in our

group. But extended family (aunts/uncles/cousins) friends, and co-workers

will be welcomed to watch our special moment via the webcam.

 

I know some will disagree with our choice. But, believe me, when planning

a wedding (large or small...... local or away) you are never going to make

EVERYBODY happy. So, after some deliberation, my fiance and I decided

to do what made US happy.

 

Afterall, that's why we chose a "destination" wedding. We wanted it to

be low-stress and low-maintenance. (and so far, so good):)

 

 

 

Here's some info about Princess weddings. I copy ~n~ pasted this from Princess.com:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

A Princess Wedding -- Nautical Nuptials Offer Romantic Start to a Life Together

 

"Tie the Knot" Program Makes Wedding Planning Easy, Complete with Industry's Only Ceremonies at Sea Performed by Ship's Captain

 

When Princess launched its seagoing weddings program in 1998, the line made maritime and marriage history -- and turned cruising lore into reality -- by having the captain perform the wedding ceremony. Until then, it had been a common misconception that any ship captain was empowered to join couples in matrimony, but in truth no such ceremony had been conducted in more than 100 years.

 

 

Grand Princess' launch, featuring the cruise industry's first ocean-going wedding chapel, changed myth to fact and today hundreds of couples are married each year by Princess captains in waters around the globe, including the Mediterranean, Caribbean, Alaska and numerous exotic destinations.

 

Today, Princess' "Tie the Knot" wedding program has grown to not only offer these exclusive at-sea ceremonies on all of its newest ships, but also include fleetwide harborside ceremonies in embarkation ports or weddings ashore in select ports of call. Together these options have created the cruise industry's most diverse and unique wedding program, offering the convenience of a wedding and honeymoon in one customizable package that makes this important event easy and hassle-free.

 

 

Get Married At Sea -- A Princess Exclusive

 

Imagine getting married on the ocean waves, with the ship's captain joining you as man and wife. Only on Princess is this dream a reality, with the line's unique "Tie the Knot At Sea" wedding program. Princess' newest and largest ships feature an onboard wedding chapel, decorated in flowers and candlelight for the special day. The line offers ceremonies complete with a number of special touches that bring together the talents of the ship's chefs, musicians and photographers.

 

Every "At Sea" wedding includes live music; champagne; bridal bouquet and groom's matching boutonniere; a photo package with album; a wedding cake; a souvenir wedding certificate and the services of Princess' onboard wedding coordinators to make sure the day runs smoothly. The happy couple can also customize their event with a variety of food and beverage, floral, photography and video choices. They can also choose to add pampering pre-ceremony spa treatments for the bride or take advantage of the ship's tuxedo rental program for the groom, among a host of other options. Reception options further allow the couple to create their perfect day.

 

Prices for At Sea weddings begin at $1,800 for the ceremony plus $400 for registration and license fees. Marriages are performed by the captain under the legal authority of the ship's Bermuda registry, and Princess' wedding program assists with all required paperwork.

 

 

Wedding Cam -- Have Family and Friends Join in Via Cyberspace

 

In another Princess exclusive, couples using the ship's wedding chapels can take advantage of the cruise industry's first live Wedding Cams to share their special day with family and friends at home. The Wedding Cam beams a live picture from the ship's wedding chapel, accessible from a special link on www.princess.com. Like Princess' pioneering Bridge Cams, the image refreshes once a minute, enabling viewers to follow the proceedings as they happen. The camera is used only when the couple chooses to do so, and makes arrangements prior to their ceremony.

 

 

In-Port Ceremonies -- Choose the Perfect Location

 

Princess' wedding program also offers the opportunity to schedule special pre-cruise "Tie the Knot Harborside" ceremonies aboard any of Princess' vessels, or to arrange a romantic "Tie the Knot Ashore" event in port during the cruise. As ship captains only have authority to marry couples in international waters, all in-port weddings are conducted by a non-denominational officiant. Harborside weddings offer couples the opportunity to choose to invite family and friends to join them just for the day, or to stay for the full cruise. Ashore weddings offer a variety of romantic backdrops, such as sparkling Caribbean beaches, the Alaskan wilderness, or historic European cities. Packages for both types of in-port wedding include music, a bouquet and matching boutonniere, a photographer, a wedding cake, champagne and the services of a professional wedding coordinator. Couples can personalize their ceremony with a variety of extra options depending on the port. Costs for both Harborside and Ashore weddings also vary by port.

Of course, once the ceremony and reception are finished, the honeymoon cruise is just beginning. The wide variety of Princess itineraries offers couples the opportunity to start their married life with the perfect vacation, whether it's lounging in a tropical paradise, visiting a cosmopolitan city or just spending time together on their own private balcony, watching the world go by.

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Oh, what a way for a self-admitted cruisaholic to begin a new phase of

her life with her wonderful husband.

 

My two greatest passions all in one place. (the love of my life *and* a cruise)

 

Does it get any better?

[KAJOKG]

9/11 changed guest policy. I agree with the policy wholeheartedly, and I am surprised that other cruise lines allow guests to board for a wedding while still in port. I am sometimes nervous when I see crew members' family board for a visit.

[Druke I]

Back in 12-84, American Hawaii's Constitution had been in drydock in San Francisco, getting her bottom scraped and repainted. We were aboard her for the repositioning back to Honolulu, via Los Angeles.

 

There were several Bon Voyage parties aboard. Appartently one person failed to make it ashore after the "all ashore" call.

 

He was taken off the ship in the next morning in Los Angeles, in handcuffs, and turned over to authorities there.

 

We had fairly rough seas on the crossing - "lips" put up on dining tables in futile attempt to keep plates on the tables.

 

One night we had a "man overboard" call, and the ship was turned and a search was begun while a headcount was taken of crew and passengers. All were accounted for - we were later told that the alarm was "good intent" - that someone had seen garbage floating by, and mistook it for a person. Back in those days, ships did dump garbage at sea.

 

The last sea day, still some 24 hrs out of Honolulu, we had a medical evacuation from the ship by USAF helicopter, using stokes litter. That chopper, a USMC chopper, and USAF C-130 tanker circled the ship for better than an hour while the evacuation was being conducted. Fascinating to watch, and the ship's band was playing martial music the whole time. The captain leaned on the ship's whistle (horn) in salute to the military's efforts.

 

All in all, it was a great cruise!

[Coral]

Thanks Princess Bride for the info. I hear about it all the time on RCCL and Carnival (inviting guests onboard) and rarely hear about it on Princess. I think most who want to do it on Princess, want to be at sea.

[johnmik1]

you are correct....long gone....

We had guests aboard ship last year.Since we were leaving port late,they stayed for dinner.We were to have guests aboard the next day for lunch but we missed that port due to weather.

[Princess Bride]

We had guests aboard ship last year.Since we were leaving port late,they stayed for dinner.

 

 

I'm VERY curious. How did you arrange for this?

[JLC@SD]

I can remember as a kid going aboard to "Bon Voyage" my grandparents to Hawaii. But this is a different world today.

 

Ships are much larger now, and processing 3,000 passengers aboard in a few hours is a big enough challenge for cruise lines, they could never deal with another 3,000 on and off non paying visitors.....:)

[KAJOKG]

We had guests aboard ship last year.Since we were leaving port late,they stayed for dinner.We were to have guests aboard the next day for lunch but we missed that port due to weather.

 

On Princess?

[JLC@SD]

My mother and sister sailed on the World from San Diego and we went to visit them aboard.

 

We had to bring passports, surrender them on boarding and got them returned upon leaving, to ensure we left the ship.

[bjboothman]

I know some will disagree with our choice. But, believe me, when planning

a wedding (large or small...... local or away) you are never going to make

EVERYBODY happy. So, after some deliberation, my fiance and I decided

to do what made US happy.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Oh, what a way for a self-admitted cruisaholic to begin a new phase of

her life with her wonderful husband.

 

My two greatest passions all in one place. (the love of my life *and* a cruise)

 

Does it get any better?

 

As long as it is not difficult or burdensome for your immediate family to join you (and there's nothing in your note to suggest they are not "onboard" - pardon the pun, with your plans), I think it's a fabulous idea. Wish I had done the same! Now that I'm the mom of grown children - I'd be devastated if they chose a destination wedding that I could not be part of, or had to make extreme financial sacrifices to attend.

 

I share your enthusiasm in combining the love of my life and a cruise. It doesn't get any better than that. Congrats on your upcoming wedding.

[johnmik1]

I'm VERY curious. How did you arrange for this?

It was on Princess and was a matter of who you know.

[KAJOKG]

We just received our documents for the Coral Panama Canal cruise, r/t Ft. Lauderdale. It clearly states on the docs: "Visitors Policy: For the well being of our passengers, visitors are not allowed on-board."

[Princess Bride]

It was on Princess and was a matter of who you know.

 

 

No, sorry. I don't know who.

 

Help, help. (I give)

 

??????????????????????????

 

How did you arrange for this?

[johnmik1]

No, sorry. I don't know who.

 

Help, help. (I give)

 

??????????????????????????

 

How did you arrange for this?

Because of many different reasons,we have met and become friends with quite a few ships officers.We keep in touch with them all year long and sometimes plan our cruises around their schedules.Needless to say,they are more than happy to accomodate any reasonable request.Please don't ask for names.

[Princess Bride]

Oh, okay. Now I understand. It makes sense.

Thanks for answering. I was just curious.

 

 

It's not what you know, but "who" you know.

[KAJOKG]

Oh, okay. Now I understand. It makes sense.

Thanks for answering. I was just curious.

 

 

It's not what you know, but "who" you know.

Well, in these days of necessary security cautions, I certainly hope that johnmik is dead wrong. I think that if it was found out that any crew member was sneaking in guests, they would be fired. I can't see them taking those chances.

[johnmik1]

Well, in these days of necessary security cautions, I certainly hope that johnmik is dead wrong. I think that if it was found out that any crew member was sneaking in guests, they would be fired. I can't see them taking those chances.

Dear KAJOKG,I think it would be a bit hard to dismiss the Captain!He doesn't have to sneak anyone on a ship because he is the Master.What would you suggest I am dead wrong about?

[Druke I]

I'm sure JohnMik is correct. It is a matter of who you know.

 

I was able to secure boarding passes for #2 daughter and her hubby after writing to the Captain of the ship (Golden Princess) post 9-11. As it turned out, they were not able to come, but the passes were made available!