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Does RCCL Allow/Arrange Parties While Ship is in Port

transam84

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transam84

transam84

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We are sailing on Explorer of the Seas June 10, 2010 for my DS college graduation. It sails from Bayonne and since we live in NJ the port is not that far from our home. Many of my DS friends will be going on the cruise and some relatives, but I would like to have a graduation party on the ship for both those coming along and others not. This is much easier than having 2 parties.

 

Anyone know RCCL policies regarding parties while the ship is in port? I know people that had a wedding on Voyager when it was in NJ, but I don't see anything about smaller parties, for example 40-50 people. I'd appreciate any input.

 

Laura

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MikeDaDog

MikeDaDog

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They will NOT allow a non-passenger to even board the ship nowadays, let alone attend a party. The security issues of "guaranteeing" the non-passengers have left the ship before sailing would be tremendous.

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uksimonusa

uksimonusa

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They will NOT allow a non-passenger to even board the ship nowadays, let alone attend a party. The security issues of "guaranteeing" the non-passengers have left the ship before sailing would be tremendous.

 

Not true at all, I have a friend who works onboard and we very often go to spend the day with him when in port, RCI need 48hrs notice, and you are issued a visitor pass when you board, they keep your id and you retreive it when you leave

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Pat'sSeaHag

Pat'sSeaHag

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When our son was married onboard the Mariner last November, we had 20 'non-sailing' guests. They gave picture ID, received a badge and just had to be off the ship by 3:30. Sailing was at 5:00. We had to arrange everything (wedding and reception) through 'Royal Romance'. They are an outside contractor that has a deal with RCCL. I think all they do is weddings and vow renewal, but it wouldn't hurt to call and ask. We were very happy with the results and wouldn't hesitate to recommend them. Our event was in Port Canaveral. Hope this helps.

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transam84

transam84

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Wow, thanks for the additional input. Sounds like there hope for having some non sailing guests join us for the graduation party before we sail. Will definitely call and find out what is allowed. Well, maybe I'll just have 2 parties anyway, LOL:cool:. Too many parties can't be a bad thing. Thanks everyone. I'll let you know how it works out for future reference.

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smoosh21

smoosh21

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They will NOT allow a non-passenger to even board the ship nowadays, let alone attend a party. The security issues of "guaranteeing" the non-passengers have left the ship before sailing would be tremendous.

 

Not entirely true. They still allow wedding parties to take place before the ship sails. But, the non-passenger guests are prohibited from leaving the party areas. I have been on a few cruises where a wedding was taking place.

On Carnival, the wedding party actually boarded before any passengers. They did want them on and off the ship as quickly as possible. I doubt that the non sailing guests would want to go through the hassle for a graduation party, even if the ship would allow it.

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My2Kitties

My2Kitties

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Call RCCL and ask them...I was on the Majesty in Feb and they made an announcement for all non-sailing parties to please leave the ship at that time so there were people on in Miami...but I never saw that in other ports so it may be something that changes from port to port...

 

good luck and have a wonderful time no matter what!

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madforcruising

madforcruising

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Call RCCL and ask them...I was on the Majesty in Feb and they made an announcement for all non-sailing parties to please leave the ship at that time so there were people on in Miami...but I never saw that in other ports so it may be something that changes from port to port...

 

good luck and have a wonderful time no matter what!

 

 

This announcement I´ve heard on every single cruise I´ve taken, but it really doesn´t mean much. There will always be people onboard not sailing, like port agents, customs, immigrations, contractors, port officials..........

 

To the OP, only RCCL will have the final answer on this, but it might not be worth the hassle and expenses but then it might for you. Call and ask.

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melsdt

melsdt

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They will NOT allow a non-passenger to even board the ship nowadays, let alone attend a party. The security issues of "guaranteeing" the non-passengers have left the ship before sailing would be tremendous.

 

I'm confused they do allow non-passengers on for weddings, so why wouldn't they allow it for a graduation party??

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transam84

transam84

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Hi All, Thanks for all your responses. My TA has been working with Royal Caribbean for a while now trying to get a final answer to my question. Here is her reply:

"After September 11, no one is allowed to board a vessel unless they are passengers.

Sorry to say that RCI wont allow a party on board. I have checked with higher and higher echelon

to no avail.

Sorry about this"

I am a bit surprised by this because my Mom's friend had her daughters wedding on Voyager when it was in Bayonne a couple of years ago. ??? Oh well. I guess it's back to 2 parties!

Thanks again everyone. Laura

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Pat'sSeaHag

Pat'sSeaHag

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I was really surprised at that response from RCCL to your TA. As I said, in November of 2008 we had 20 guests that were not passengers. We did all have to arrive at the pier in a group to be checked in and were the first to board the ship. We were onboard at 11:30 and until the wedding started at 1:00, everyone went wherever they wanted. Some of them went to the Prominade Cafe for a snack and some went directly to a bar. At the Solarium Bar they were even allowed to use a credit card to pay for drinks until about noon. We were allowed early access to our stateroom to drop off carry-ons and took several family members with us to see the room. Immediately following the reception non-sailors were on their own to get off the ship. Since security had kept their picture ID in exchange for the badge, they would have known if anyone had not gotten off.

 

Since this was a destination wedding, all 34 of us had stayed at the same hotel the night before and took a shuttle to the pier in the morning. I would think the logistics in your case may be a bit more complicated to pull off! I guess all in all my vote would be for two parties. There really is no such thing as too much celebrating!!

 

Congratulations to the Grad!

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madforcruising

madforcruising

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Hi All, Thanks for all your responses. My TA has been working with Royal Caribbean for a while now trying to get a final answer to my question. Here is her reply:

"After September 11, no one is allowed to board a vessel unless they are passengers.

Sorry to say that RCI wont allow a party on board. I have checked with higher and higher echelon

to no avail.

Sorry about this"

 

I am a bit surprised by this because my Mom's friend had her daughters wedding on Voyager when it was in Bayonne a couple of years ago. ??? Oh well. I guess it's back to 2 parties!

 

Thanks again everyone. Laura

 

 

While I don´t know for sure I think that the issue could be "having a party onboard with non-sailing guest" opposed to "having a weeding organized by an RCCL contractor like Royal weddings with non-sailing guests onboard".

 

I could see them allowing non sailng guests for those weddings organized by a contractor, but not opening the door to everybody wanting to invite people to a pre-sailaway party.

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transam84

transam84

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While I don´t know for sure I think that the issue could be "having a party onboard with non-sailing guest" opposed to "having a weeding organized by an RCCL contractor like Royal weddings with non-sailing guests onboard".

 

I could see them allowing non sailng guests for those weddings organized by a contractor, but not opening the door to everybody wanting to invite people to a pre-sailaway party.

 

Actually I was expecting that Royal would organize the party, I wasn't planning an ad hoc sail away party. It would be an organized event with an invitation list, band, buffet, etc just like a little wedding. Maybe my TA did not present it like that. Or, maybe I should contact a party planner that does weddings on ships and see what they say. I'm not counting on anything but I think I may pursue this a little further. Not opposed to 2 parties but just exploring options

 

Thanks, Laura

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