Can royal genie set up a cocktail party for 30?

[dleahy4444]

My son is getting married on the Oasis of the Seas. We are thinking about splurging on a Star class suite if we can hold a cocktail party in the suite rather than hosting a rehearsal dinner in a specialty restaurant ( which is problematic logistically). Can the genie arrange a cocktail party that size? I’d want to know if that’s possible before booking the suite? Anyway I could find out in advance? 

[John&LaLa]

4 minutes ago, dleahy4444 said:

My son is getting married on the Oasis of the Seas. We are thinking about splurging on a Star class suite if we can hold a cocktail party in the suite rather than hosting a rehearsal dinner in a specialty restaurant ( which is problematic logistically). Can the genie arrange a cocktail party that size? I’d want to know if that’s possible before booking the suite? Anyway I could find out in advance? 

 

Sure, but it won't be cheap

[ATSEAMYLIFE]

We did a sail away party on our Oasis OS balcony for 15 a few years ago.  I emailed the concierge a month or two in advance to setup food and a bar.  He gave me the email for the catering manager who set it up.  It was great everybody in our group loved it.  This was before genies became a thing.  As I recall they gave me a menu list at different levels of food and liquor types.  It was all priced per person with a minimum number.  I know we were under the minimum so had to pay for "phantom" family.  It was just like picking menus for a wedding reception.  Different tiers cost different amounts.  We had two bartenders for 3-4 hours and a server came in periodically to make sure we had enough food, plates, glasses, etc.    

  

[dleahy4444]

23 minutes ago, John&LaLa said:

 

Sure, but it won't be cheap

Which won’t be cheap? I know the suite won’t. Do you mean the cocktail party? 

[molly361]

4 minutes ago, dleahy4444 said:

Which won’t be cheap? I know the suite won’t. Do you mean the cocktail party? 

I would say both 

[dleahy4444]

2 minutes ago, ATSEAMYLIFE said:

We did a sail away party on our Oasis OS balcony for 15 a few years ago.  I emailed the concierge a month or two in advance to setup food and a bar.  He gave me the email for the catering manager who set it up.  It was great everybody in our group loved it.  This was before genies became a thing.  As I recall they gave me a menu list at different levels of food and liquor types.  It was all priced per person with a minimum number.  I know we were under the minimum so had to pay for "phantom" family.  It was just like picking menus for a wedding reception.  Different tiers cost different amounts.  We had two bartenders for 3-4 hours and a server came in periodically to make sure we had enough food, plates, glasses, etc.    

  

Thank you for this information. I thought you can only do it in Star class? Were you in an owner’s suite which is Sky class? I don’t care which class my suite is in, as long as we can do the cocktail party. Right now I’d have to “buy out” an entire specialty restaurant for a sit down dinner, even though it’s only 30 people at a cost over 10k. The other option is not to reserve the whole restaurant, but then our group split in 2 and be seated 30 minutes apart. I was thinking of a cocktail party in our suite as a third option.  May I ask how big was your group and the range of cost options? Thanks so much

[Guest phd1003]

I heard of this happening on some reviews. I think it can be done on a port day when there are less crowds and they can spare bartenders. There most likely is a fee for the set up and bartenders but if everyone has drink packages then there should be minimal cost for booze. I'm going by what I read, but they said as long as the drinks served can coincide with the number of drink packages then it will be ok. The review said that thee was a few drinks that they had to cover out of pocket...But I don't know this for sure so take it with a grain of salt. I found my info on the internet

[dleahy4444]

6 minutes ago, molly361 said:

I would say both 

That’s what I suspect 😞

[John&LaLa]

1 hour ago, dleahy4444 said:

That’s what I suspect 😞

 

Weddings are expensive 

[John&LaLa]

1 hour ago, dleahy4444 said:

Which won’t be cheap? I know the suite won’t. Do you mean the cocktail party? 

 

Yes, cocktail party. STAR Class is a given

[time4u2go]

1 hour ago, molly361 said:

I would say both 

Agreed. Both won't be cheap. 

[rockmom]

Agree that it won't be cheap. And 30 people is a lot of people milling about in a suite--you'd need one of the very large ones.  IF a cocktail party is something you can live with compared to doing a sit down dinner, was there a venue on the ship they could use for that?  Because whether in a suite or not, you'll be paying for all the appetizers and for whatever drinks aren't covered by drink packages.  I've been a corporate event planner for several decades and sometimes it's hard for people to envision just what 30 people milling about looks like with regard to space.  

[dleahy4444]

38 minutes ago, John&LaLa said:

 

Weddings are expensive 

Sure are!

[dleahy4444]

14 minutes ago, rockmom said:

Agree that it won't be cheap. And 30 people is a lot of people milling about in a suite--you'd need one of the very large ones.  IF a cocktail party is something you can live with compared to doing a sit down dinner, was there a venue on the ship they could use for that?  Because whether in a suite or not, you'll be paying for all the appetizers and for whatever drinks aren't covered by drink packages.  I've been a corporate event planner for several decades and sometimes it's hard for people to envision just what 30 people milling about looks like with regard to space.  

Well I could buy out a specialty restaurant for dinner for 11k which I think is crazy for 30 people.  There was no mention of a cocktail hour alternative 

[Sunshine3601]

Do you have a TA booking the cabins for the group?   Maybe they can get in touch with catering to get you an idea of pricing options.

[rockmom]

1 minute ago, dleahy4444 said:

Well I could buy out a specialty restaurant for dinner for 11k which I think is crazy for 30 people.  There was no mention of a cocktail hour alternative 

So, I'm not sure I've seen posts where you said if you are working with one of their wedding planners, but I assume so?  They do have packages for receptions and the pricing is on the pdf brochure.  If you're working with one of the planners, I would hope they'd give you options on rooms that may be able to accommodate a cocktail party.  But land or sea--these things are not cheap by any means  

 

https://www.royalcaribbean.com/content/dam/royal/resources/pdf/royal-weddings-brochure.pdf   

[Broken07]

We have done Star several times. If you are hosting a party of this size, there is going to require a separate fee. This is considered a private event. Even to do a smaller party and to have a bartender in suite there is a fee. It won’t be nearly as much as renting the restaurant. But it has to go through food and beverage.  We did something similar were quoted prices starting at $500. Another Star guest on our sailing hosted a wedding on their balcony with food and the such. As a Star guest you are basically paying for the staffing. But you can inquire about cost before hand with your genie after first contact. 

[ATSEAMYLIFE]

2 hours ago, dleahy4444 said:

Thank you for this information. I thought you can only do it in Star class? Were you in an owner’s suite which is Sky class? I don’t care which class my suite is in, as long as we can do the cocktail party. Right now I’d have to “buy out” an entire specialty restaurant for a sit down dinner, even though it’s only 30 people at a cost over 10k. The other option is not to reserve the whole restaurant, but then our group split in 2 and be seated 30 minutes apart. I was thinking of a cocktail party in our suite as a third option.  May I ask how big was your group and the range of cost options? Thanks so much

 We had 15 in our group.  We had an OS and my brother had a CLS.  My OS was the only option for that many people.  I don't recall the individual costs but total package with really good hot food and a nice bar set up cost us around $2000, which my brother and I split.  As I recall we bought the middle price food package and same for the bar setup.  They served us for about 3-4 hours and then left all the leftover food and can/bottles of beer and soda.  They moved around some furniture to set up the buffet and bar.  I'm not sure you could do this for 30 in an OS and no way I would do it in a CLS.  Keep in mind this was probably eight years ago.  There was no "sky" or "star" class back then.   Maybe an OS with an adjoining cabin and open the divider would certainly work.     

Edited January 22, 2023 by ATSEAMYLIFE

[jenncren]

This is not an answer to the question you are asking, but as someone who was married on a cruise I can tell you there are many places for parties of 30 to meet and celebrate on a cruise together without having to have a separate dinner or place reserved. And since a cruise  is a non-traditional choice for a wedding, maybe it would be easier to look into a non-traditional get-together from the groom’s family? For instance, maybe look into a private excursion for the group or a private boat rental at one of the ports?

[dleahy4444]

5 hours ago, Sunshine3601 said:

Do you have a TA booking the cabins for the group?   Maybe they can get in touch with catering to get you an idea of pricing options.

The bride and groom have a wedding planner through RCCL that booked the room and offered them a package for the ceremony and the wedding reception. However the planner does not get involved with a rehearsal dinner or cocktail hour. They told my son I’d have to go through Oasis Events planner who is who told me that I’d have to rent out a restaurant or have two separate seatings. 

[dleahy4444]

5 hours ago, rockmom said:

So, I'm not sure I've seen posts where you said if you are working with one of their wedding planners, but I assume so?  They do have packages for receptions and the pricing is on the pdf brochure.  If you're working with one of the planners, I would hope they'd give you options on rooms that may be able to accommodate a cocktail party.  But land or sea--these things are not cheap by any means  

 

https://www.royalcaribbean.com/content/dam/royal/resources/pdf/royal-weddings-brochure.pdf   

Thank you for your reply. They are working with the ship’s wedding planner but when they asked about me hosting a rehearsal dinner, they were told that I would have to arrange that separately as they only plan the wedding reception, not the rehearsal dinner

[dleahy4444]

5 hours ago, ATSEAMYLIFE said:

 We had 15 in our group.  We had an OS and my brother had a CLS.  My OS was the only option for that many people.  I don't recall the individual costs but total package with really good hot food and a nice bar set up cost us around $2000, which my brother and I split.  As I recall we bought the middle price food package and same for the bar setup.  They served us for about 3-4 hours and then left all the leftover food and can/bottles of beer and soda.  They moved around some furniture to set up the buffet and bar.  I'm not sure you could do this for 30 in an OS and no way I would do it in a CLS.  Keep in mind this was probably eight years ago.  There was no "sky" or "star" class back then.   Maybe an OS with an adjoining cabin and open the divider would certainly work.     

Thank you for sharing your experience. From the responses to posted to my initial question, I’m thinking that a cocktail party for 30 in a suite is probably not easily manageable. 

[dleahy4444]

3 hours ago, jenncren said:

This is not an answer to the question you are asking, but as someone who was married on a cruise I can tell you there are many places for parties of 30 to meet and celebrate on a cruise together without having to have a separate dinner or place reserved. And since a cruise  is a non-traditional choice for a wedding, maybe it would be easier to look into a non-traditional get-together from the groom’s family? For instance, maybe look into a private excursion for the group or a private boat rental at one of the ports?

I’m sure that during the length of the cruise we will be meeting at the various bars/ music hall/ clubs. But as the parents of the groom I wanted to try to host the traditional “ rehearsal dinner” the night before the ceremony. I love your idea of a private excursion but there is only one port day before the ceremony (Orlando) and the bride and groom have bachelor/ bachelorette plans in Port that day. 

[ATSEAMYLIFE]

13 hours ago, dleahy4444 said:

Thank you for sharing your experience. From the responses to posted to my initial question, I’m thinking that a cocktail party for 30 in a suite is probably not easily manageable. 

I think with that many unless you had adjoining cabins with an OS it would be tight.  The OS balcony is very large, but not that large.  

[newcruzer2]

It seems rc could be more accommodating...  example Park Cafe is closed after 6pm, rent that out with bar set up and food