Info for sailing and non sailing guest

Hello all,

 

I was wondering if you all gave special info to the non sailing guest to expect on wedding day? We will get married aboard the Destiny on embarkation day and wanted to give non sailing guest alittle info on what to expect. Does anyone have a copy of letter given to their NS guest? If you have examples of letters given to sailing guest that will also be appreciated. Thanks

Tricy99, I'm putting together information for my guests as well (I decided to actually send them out AFTER people book rather than with the invitations). I used the information Carnival emailed to me after booking, it has boarding procedures, immigration procedures, etc. If you can't find it or you just want to make your life easier, email me at [email protected] and I'll send you what I have!

Hi!!

 

We are getting married in March 2010 on a Harborside Wedding aboard the Caribbean Princess. I am wondering if I should send some additional information along with my invitation? I will be mailing them this weekend, and I still have doubts if I should include special instructions.

 

If I should, I don't know the proper way to include it! A little card like the RSVP insert? A piece of paper with the Princess logo? I don't know!

 

Please help!

I just mailed out my invites yesterday. I worked on them all last week. I haven’t had a chance to post a thread on this forum with pics and templates of my invite but I will soon.

I used the pocketfold invite with inserts. I’m having a combo of non-sailing and sailing guests since I am getting married on embarkation day in Miami. So, I included a “Non-Sailing Guest†info card in the non-sailing guest invites and a “Sailing Guests†info card in their invites. See pic below of the my sailing guest invite.



Below is the wording I used (they were two-sided inserts). If I were you, I would either include an insert in your invites with the information or put the information on your wedding website (also include something in your invite that directs them to the website for more info; like a business card or slip of paper with the wedding website). In my case, most of my guests don’t even bother to look at my website, so I wanted to make sure they got all of the necessary info printed out in front of them. Hope this helps!

Sailing Guests Insert Wording
We must submit a complete guest list to the Carnival Wedding Department with the name & booking number of each sailing guest attending our wedding by a given deadline [Not completely true, I needed the booking numbers to provide to my travel agent so he could link our booking numbers; Carnival only requires the names of the sailing guests]. Therefore, you MUST RETURN your completed Response Card by March 1st, 2010. Please be considerate of this deadline. We WILL NOT be able to add you to the guest list after the deadline that Carnival has given us.

If you booked your cruise through our travel agent, remember, final payment for your cruise is due by February 9, 2010. Travel agent contact info: XXXXXXXXXXX.

If you have not yet applied for a passport, now would be a good time to do so. Although a passport is not required for this type of cruise (closed-loop cruise), we STRONGLY RECOMMEND that you cruise with a passport. If there is an emergency & you need to travel home mid-cruise, you will need a passport for land & air travel back into the U.S. Please ensure that your passport is valid for at least six months beyond completion of the cruise.

If you decide to cruise without a passport, you will need to bring proof of citizenship such as an original or certified copy of a birth certificate, a certificate of naturalization, a passport card, an enhanced driver’s license (EDL) as well as a government-issued photo ID. Children are also required to bring proof of citizenship, & if 16 & over, a photo ID is also required. For more information, visit Welcome to Travel.State.Gov.

Please ensure that all cruise documents have been completed prior to arrival at the cruise terminal to expedite check-in & have proper boarding documents available. Only one carry-on bag will be permitted for sailing guests (bag not to exceed 24â€w x 16â€h). All other bags must be checked. Time permitting, sailing guests may have an opportunity to drop their carry-on bag(s) off in their stateroom prior to attending the wedding; however, the cabin may not be completely ready for use. Only the bride & groom’s cabin is guaranteed to be ready. Checked luggage is not delivered to the cabin until after the ship has sailed. Please be sure to pack all the necessary items you will need until then in your carry-on.

We’ve selected the Early Dining option (around 5:30pm) in the Main Dining Room. We have asked our travel agent to link our sailing guests’ cruise booking numbers with ours so that we may all be seated together in the Main Dining Room.

Non-Sailing Guest Insert Wording
You are considered a non-sailing guest if you are attending the wedding ceremony/reception only & are not cruising with us. A unique feature of a cruise ship wedding is the special requirements that guests must follow due to government & cruise line regulations. We hope that these requirements do not inconvenience you in any way.

All non-sailing guests are required to provide photo ID such as a driver’s license, state ID, or passport in order to board the ship. Children under the age of sixteen must bring an original or certified copy of their birth certificate.

We must submit a complete guest list to the Carnival Wedding Department with the full legal name, date of birth, and identification information of each non-sailing guest attending our wedding by a given deadline. It is very important that your completed Response Card be returned to us by March 1, 2010 to ensure that you are included on the guest list. Please be considerate of this deadline. We WILL NOT be able to add you to the guest list after the deadline that Carnival has given us.

When you check in at the cruise terminal, the Wedding Guest Check-In Staff will verify that the information on the guest list matches the ID you provide during check-in. You will then be given a visitor’s pass to wear while on the ship. Carnival will hold on to your ID (and child’s birth certificate) while you are on the ship; it will be returned to you when you leave the ship.

If the identification (photo ID or child’s birth certificate) that you provide to Carnival at the time of check-in does not match the information they have on the guest list, you may be denied boarding. So, please make sure that the information you provide on your Response Card is complete & accurate and that your identification card does not expire on or before 4/25/2010.

If you have changed your mind & would like to cruise with us, please contact us at XXXXXXXXXXXXX; we will need to provide additional information to you. Please understand that rates originally offered may no longer be available; reservations had to be made by December 23, 2009 to receive the group rates. You have the choice of booking your cruise through Carnival, your own travel agent, or our travel agent (our travel agent’s contact info is on our wedding website).

On the back of my Wedding Details insert, I included some Wedding Day Guidelines, this is what it said:

• All guests should arrive at the cruise terminal by 10:15am to begin the check-in process and should be completely dressed & ready for the wedding.
  
• Our wedding group will be able to priority board before all other cruising passengers as soon as the ship clears U.S. Customs, which can take thirty minutes to an hour.
  
• Guests who do not arrive by the time the group boards will have to make their own way onto the ship through general boarding. Those who arrive late run the risk of missing the wedding ceremony & reception. Please be on time.
  
• There will be no food or beverage options until we board the ship so please plan accordingly. EAT A BIG BREAKFAST.
  
• Once we are allowed to board the ship, the wedding party will prepare for the ceremony while wedding guests will have a chance to explore the ship.
  
• Carnival has asked us to inform our guests that any gifts brought onboard will be subject to duty fees in accordance with U.S. Customs regulations. If you plan to give a gift, please consider delivery to our home address prior to the wedding.
  
• The reception is expected to last approximately one hour. Appetizers, wedding cake, & beverages (including open bar) will be provided.
  
• Non-sailing guests will be asked to leave the ship after the reception (around 3:30pm).
  
• THE ENCLOSED RESPONSE CARD MUST BE RETURNED BY MARCH 1ST, 2010. Please be considerate of this deadline.

Your invitations are gorgeous!!

Thank you. They were a lot of work :-)

Wow You did such a great job on your invites. Thanks for posting this useful info. We are getting married on embarkation day in Miami as well and we too have sailing and non sailing guest.

Thanks. I try to make sure I can share as much info as possible, since I have gotten so much useful info from this site. In fact, a lot of the wording I used in my invitiation inserts was "borrowed" from other posts.

Thanks so much shortnsweet! That is very useful information. Thanks for posting it. I will review it and translate it. I will post the spanish version here if you guys want after I'm done.

 

Thanks again for such useful info!

 

Your invitations look great! Thanks so much for the information!