Question if I book through a private wedding planner

[fegan01970]

I still have not made a decision on if we will book through TWE or through a private wedding coordinator. There are pro's and con's of both. My one question is, and I am asking this after seeing many, many, many posts regarding not booking through the cruise line. Do people really feel as if when they haven't booked through TWE, they don't get the same perks or are missing out on things they could have otherwise gotten if they had booked through TWE? Special treatment, etc....

 

I ask because it has been said often in some postings, but what exactly would I miss out on??? I don't want to miss out :rolleyes:

 

Thanks in advance!

Colleen

[sas80]

I still have not made a decision on if we will book through TWE or through a private wedding coordinator. There are pro's and con's of both. My one question is, and I am asking this after seeing many, many, many posts regarding not booking through the cruise line. Do people really feel as if when they haven't booked through TWE, they don't get the same perks or are missing out on things they could have otherwise gotten if they had booked through TWE? Special treatment, etc....

 

I ask because it has been said often in some postings, but what exactly would I miss out on??? I don't want to miss out :rolleyes:

 

Thanks in advance!

Colleen

 

I have never read anywhere on these boards that booking thru TWE/RR gets anyone special perks. Even the posters who dont have any issues with them what-so-ever have never posted that they recieved anything other than exactly what they paid for from RR/TWE.

 

I can comment that I cannot recall a poster who chose to use an outside vendor for their wedding ever coming back and posting the same type of negative things that people say about RR/TWE.

 

You should contact RR/TWE and ask questions. You may get a feel for how your experience might be with them once you establish contact.

 

Congrats.

[fegan01970]

Thanks! I appreciate your response. I have read in a couple of postings how people found it difficult to book a reception on the cruise if they did not go through the cruise line, itself. And also one regarding photographers. I have read so many postings, I couldn't put my fingers on the exact ones.

 

I just thought I would ask and see if anyone felt had they gone through TWE, some things could have been easier. It is always good to ask these things.

 

I have been in contact to date with TWE and I know it is a volatile subject, but so far, my experience has been incredibly good...shocking, I know.

[sas80]

Thanks! I appreciate your response. I have read in a couple of postings how people found it difficult to book a reception on the cruise if they did not go through the cruise line, itself. And also one regarding photographers. I have read so many postings, I couldn't put my fingers on the exact ones.

 

I just thought I would ask and see if anyone felt had they gone through TWE, some things could have been easier. It is always good to ask these things.

 

I have been in contact to date with TWE and I know it is a volatile subject, but so far, my experience has been incredibly good...shocking, I know.

 

You can always book a cocktail party as a reception (appetizers and drinks for one hour is about $17 per person thru RCCL) And you can order a "birthday" cake for the party.

 

You could also make reservations for everyone at a specialty restauraunt (about $20 a head, I think) and order a cake for that occasion as well.

 

If you ask RR/TWE about doing this on your own they are going to tell you it cant be done because they dont make any money if you do it this way...

 

But, if you call the cruiseline of choice and spoeak to them about it directly, or ask your TA to call and get information, it can be done.

[monlyba]

i think i know what you mean, and i've thought about it myself as well. i've pretty much decided i'm going to use a local vendor, but i was lamenting the fact that it might be hard to get anything "extra" or "special" on the ship since i'm not using their services.... for instance in another thread when i asked if anyone thought there was a chance we could arrange to get off the ship earlier than everyone else on port day since we'd be getting married on the island. some said probably not, a couple people said they thought it would be possible if i just asked. so i think if you have a list of little things you'd like to have that normally TWE would arrange, it wouldn't hurt to ask either your TA, someone at the cruise company, or even at the desk when you first get on the ship. good luck, let us know what you work out so we know what we have a chance at. ;)

[Tara818]

There are two things I am missing out on since I had to cancel thru the cruise line and go with a private company

1. non-sailing guests cannot board the ship unless you use TWE, so I had to have my reception off the ship

2. cant make my hair appointment in advance anymore, only TWE can do that. Hopefully there will be an opening or Ill just wear my hair down.

 

The pros of the private wedding coordinator Im using-

1. "extras & options" for less money than the cruise line... better flowers, cakes, champange..etc.

2. more personal attention, when you call you get the same person, and that person will be there for your wedding.

[sas80]

There are two things I am missing out on since I had to cancel thru the cruise line and go with a private company

1. non-sailing guests cannot board the ship unless you use TWE, so I had to have my reception off the ship

2. cant make my hair appointment in advance anymore, only TWE can do that. Hopefully there will be an opening or Ill just wear my hair down.

 

The pros of the private wedding coordinator Im using-

1. "extras & options" for less money than the cruise line... better flowers, cakes, champange..etc.

2. more personal attention, when you call you get the same person, and that person will be there for your wedding.

 

Call Princess customer service. Tell them that you were recently on a cruise on the <insert ship that you are going to be sailing on> (and are not part of any repeat cruisers club (so they cant track you))

 

Tell them that you purchased a hair product on board and that the fabulous hair dresser mentioned that the cruise line contracted out the salon services to the company she works for.

 

Anyways, tell them that you purchased a hair product, and absolutely love it, and wanted to see if you could contact the company to purchase more of it. (You have already googled for it and cant seem to find it anywhere on the internet....!)

 

If things work out you will be given contact info for the salon contractor aboard that ship. Even if you get just the company name, you can still use the internet to track them down.

 

If you get that information then contact the company, explain your situation, and ask if you can pre book salon appts. Dont forget to offer your credit card as a deposit.

 

Good luck & (if you do it) let me know how it goes!

[ShedQueen77]

There are two things I am missing out on since I had to cancel thru the cruise line and go with a private company

1. non-sailing guests cannot board the ship unless you use TWE, so I had to have my reception off the ship

2. cant make my hair appointment in advance anymore, only TWE can do that. Hopefully there will be an opening or Ill just wear my hair down.

 

The pros of the private wedding coordinator Im using-

1. "extras & options" for less money than the cruise line... better flowers, cakes, champange..etc.

2. more personal attention, when you call you get the same person, and that person will be there for your wedding.

 

Tara, once again, stated that very nicely! :) To be honest, I feel like my private coordinator has given me more "perks" than the cruiseline could dream of for the type of wedding we're doing. For less than the basic cruiseline package, we received as "extras":

 

1. Lunch on the island

2. A two hour limo tour of the island

3. Better flowers and cake

4. A steel drum player for the ceremony and toast

5. 40 5X7 photos (including CD) in an album and the videography (photos and video costs aren't even included in the packages through Carnival, it costs a lot extra. Video is $695 and the photos....well trust me, from what I've read there is no set price and some have paid along the lines of $1000+ for the same amount of photos)

5. The feeling that my coordinator (Lisa at Weddings..Beyond Your Imagination in Barbados) truly cares about our wedding. She is just fantastic and I wouldn't trade her for the world!

 

The only "regret" that I have is that we won't have any professional pictures on the ship of us all dressed up for our wedding. However, I'm sure I can find SOMEONE out there who would be willing to snap a few on our camera for us.

 

Disclaimer: This is just my opinion, facts about pricing aside.

[fegan01970]

What about concerns about not hitting the island. It isn't a concern of mine, because we are planning on getting married in Aruba. But just sort of want someone to reaffirm for me :) My fiance thinks is this a big CON for a private planner.

 

Oh, and I totally WANT your opinions...so, please...don't be shy!

[Tara818]

I dont think a cruise lines would skip Aruba.. from my experience anyway :) There really would be no reason too. Ive been on 4 cruises and the only island we ever skipped was Venezuela due to some political nonsense. The main industry in Aruba right now is tourism, I would bet they aren't turning that ship away! I would check out other sections of the board and ask around and see. I had the concern about that too, but no one here ever experienced a cruise line not stopping at St. Thomas.

[sunrise2008]

Hi

 

From my experience so far (we are booked through a private coordinator in Aruba), we just have trouble booking our dinner at Portofino. I think TWE could have helped if we would have booked with them but I am not sure. We are not able to get a dinner booked for our group at the time that we want. (they said no later than 6Pm which is out of the question because we will get married on the beach late afternoon) but from other threads I saw that they do group dinners later... We might have to book it when we board the ship.. but I wish we could do it in advance.. I am not sure too if they will let us put decorations on the tables? Would anyone know?

 

I did not know that you could not book hair appointment in advance if you do not go through TWE.. too bad

 

Perhaps we can hear from previous brides who used TWE what perks they got through the cruiseline. I am very curious to know!

[flhokie]

I dont think a cruise lines would skip Aruba.. from my experience anyway :) There really would be no reason too. Ive been on 4 cruises and the only island we ever skipped was Venezuela due to some political nonsense. The main industry in Aruba right now is tourism, I would bet they aren't turning that ship away! I would check out other sections of the board and ask around and see. I had the concern about that too, but no one here ever experienced a cruise line not stopping at St. Thomas.

 

Aruba is politically stable and tends not to be impacted as much by hurricanes. The cruiseline will always make every attempt to make a port, but sometimes things other than weather & security issues cause a ship to miss a port. Mechanical problems and passenger illness/injury can also cause a ship to miss a port. It's not common, but it does happen sometimes. The

[ShedQueen77]

What about concerns about not hitting the island. It isn't a concern of mine, because we are planning on getting married in Aruba. But just sort of want someone to reaffirm for me :) My fiance thinks is this a big CON for a private planner.

 

Oh, and I totally WANT your opinions...so, please...don't be shy!

 

Hopefully this will help! :) Aruba and Barbados are one of the few Caribbean islands that are outside of the hurricane belt. We chose Barbados for this reason. Even though we're not traveling during hurricane seasons, it made me feel better! Here's a link and a paragraph from an article I read while researching locations.

 

The temperate weather of the Caribbean is one of the region's major enticements. With idyllic temperatures and steady breezes year-round, a vacation here is almost always paradise. However, much of the Caribbean does lie inside the Atlantic hurricane belt, which engenders concern among many potential visitors. The risk of hurricanes is a possibility during a particular season, but improved technology now provides plenty of advance notice, which makes hurricanes almost entirely avoidable. If you're staying more than a week or two, check the weather forecast before departing to learn of any storm warnings during your visit. Even if a hurricane does come through the region, most islands rarely get a direct or damaging hit. More often than not, the heavy precipitation of the storm outskirts is the worst that most islands receive. If you'd like to eliminate the risk altogether or if you're only able to visit during the hurricane season, consider a more southerly island such as Barbados or Aruba. Both of these islands lie outside the hurricane belt and are at virtually no risk of hurricane exposure.

From: http://caribbean-guide.info/why.not.go/

The only places in the Caribbean that are not in the hurricane belt are the islands of Trinidad and Tobago, Bonaire, Curacao, Aruba, Panama, and the islands off of Venezuela. (Barbados is right off of Venezuela so it is included)

 

From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_belt

[wdngcruz]

I chose to go through a wedding planner in Cozumel rather than Royal Romance. I heard though, maybe read it on a thread somewhere, that your room attendant will do special things for you just knowing that it is your wedding cruise. Hopefully, we will get a great room attendant. Also, we are planning to have our reception on the island through the wedding planner rather than on the ship. It would be about $25/head for the buffet. My fiance and I discussed the fact that because we will not have a large band or music, instead a 3 man mariachi band, that once we board the ship that evening we will slip a dj at one of the restaurants/bar/club some cash to play some songs for us.

[Jeano222]

wdngcruz: How is your wedding in Cozumel possible without the mandatory 3 day waiting period? Are you going by ship or is it a land vacation?

[sas80]

wdngcruz: How is your wedding in Cozumel possible without the mandatory 3 day waiting period? Are you going by ship or is it a land vacation?

 

What 3 day waiting period?

 

We were contemplating getting married in Cabo (also Mexico) and the only thing that was required was running to the court house and doing a blood test.

 

No 3 day waiting period neccesary......:confused:

[wdngcruz]

We are going on Grandeur of the Seas through RC. There are a lot of fees involved and a lot of paperwork to fill out the day your arrive in the port. Also blood tests.

[Jeano222]

Ok, I must have misundertood the requirements, it says that there are different requirements for couples on cruise ships, the cruise ship wedding planner will give you the legal requirements. It doesn't say whether cruise ship couples are still required to have 4 witnesses, but your wedding planner should be able to tell you that.