Possible Carnival Cruise wedding!

I am thinking about planning my 2014 wedding on one of the carnival cruise ships and am looking for any helpful tips or feedback. Is there any wedding packages or extras i should stay away from? How are the cruise photographers? if we have a group of 30-50 people will we get any extra perks for such a larger group?

I appreciate anything anyone has to share with me.

Thanks!!!
Karen!

I haven't had my cruise wedding yet. But I do know there are perks for booking as a group as opposed to having your guests book individually. For instance you can do a semi private cocktail party, or you will get a free berth( free trip for one person but you have to pay taxes and fees) But that depends on how many people book. You may want to call the Group department to see what perks are offered on the ship you choose. I hope this helps.

Originally Posted by Budgirl194 

 

I am thinking about planning my 2014 wedding on one of the carnival cruise ships and am looking for any helpful tips or feedback. Is there any wedding packages or extras i should stay away from? How are the cruise photographers? if we have a group of 30-50 people will we get any extra perks for such a larger group?

I appreciate anything anyone has to share with me.

Thanks!!!

Karen!

Hi Karen, 

I am currently planning our Wedding for Nov 2013 aboard the Carnival Magic. We love cruising so it was an easy choice for us to go on a cruise for the wedding. Our group will not be as large as yours will be more likely max 20 people, but I just booked the cruise yesterday on the Early Saver Plan and I put a hold on the wedding aboard the ship....they require the full amount of the weddings when you book it...and they only offer so many weddings per ship. It is also advantageous to be the first wedding to book on the ship because you get first choice on things like ceremony location(based on attendance) and length of reception (which range from 1hour to 1-1/2 hours, although I have heard of some brides that have booked first being able to get a 2 hour time slot) 

If you go onto Carnival's website they have a wedding section and you can download all the package information about what is offered on which itinerary etc. It does include the costs for the packages but there are also extras that you can add on.

http://www.carnival.com/cms/fun/weddings/weddings.aspx?icid=CC_Footer_68

They also offer both shipboard and destination weddings in port. The thing about an in port wedding is that you have to understand that Cruise ships do have to stray from their itinerary from time to time....which means they have to skip ports sometimes....even if your wedding is all set up to go on the beach you might have to sail past it. 

For this reason I chose to do a shipboard wedding on embarkation day and then enjoy the rest of our wedding cruise with our family and friends....The first week will be our 7 day caribbean cruise with family and friends and then everyone else will leave and we will stay on the ship for another 7 days to celebrate our honeymoon!

Here is what is included in our Deluxe Wedding Package:

DELUXE ROMANCE PACKAGE: For an unforgettable celebration, this package offers the ceremony with a one and a half-hour reception. Package includes: A dedicated Wedding Agent assisting you with every detail from selecting your package to "I- do". On the day of your wedding, Priority check-in for the bridal couple and their guests, a local Wedding Officiant, A Wedding Coordinator to work solely with you and your guests, Photographer (Wedding photos/packages available for purchase separately onboard) Photography service includes the ceremony, reception, with various portraits taken around the ship and studio, Ideal wedding location, Romantic wedding set up, Selection of Wedding Vows and Poems/Readings, Recorded ceremony music, 8-Rose Bridal Bouquet with matching Rose Boutonniere for the groom *(Flowers may vary based on some locations, where tropical arrangements will be substituted for roses. Additional flower options are available, as an upgrade). One and a half-hour Open bar with selection of hot and cold hors d' oeuvres, Ice Carving, Champagne Toast, (1-set) of etched "Our Wedding" champagne flutes, 2-Tiered Wedding Cake* with keepsake topper. Cake Server and Coffee/Tea service provided. A bottle of Sparkling Wine and Chocolate Covered strawberries for the bride and groom's stateroom. (Additional items available upon request, such as unity candle lighting ceremony, additional flowers, etc. Inquire with your Wedding Agent for more details) *2-Tiered Wedding Cake provided up to a maximum of 50 guests. Based on number of guests, a 3-Tier or 4-Tier Wedding Cake will be provided. This package will accommodate up to 20 guests, including the Bride and Groom. Additional guests may attend at the extra cost of $30.00 per person (Subject to applicable State Sales Tax). Package fees pertain to all attendees. Please refer to pages 9-18 for package pricing by port.

Anyways feel free to ask me any questions...I havent gotten married on the ship yet but I've done lots of cruising and ooodles of research!!!

Happy Planning

Oh about the photographers I forgot to mention...based on what other brides have said and 1 photo price list that I saw the packages range from $799 to $3000. I know it is high and I just about fell on my face when I read about that but I verified....now the cruise line photographers are all actually pretty good...have you been on a cruise before and had your picture taken like every 10 seconds??? It's one of those people that would be taking your wedding photographs. Some are really great and some are just good! You can't even get a disk of the photos for less than $800 I believe....now the cruise line will sort of make it difficult to bring your own photographer and do photos but I have read of brides doing this and not having any problems other than some dirty looks. I have definitely heard to pass on the videographer services because the videos are notoriously horrible. 

Also the week of your cruise you can also get the photographer to take some honeymooning shots of you and your FI which is nice...you can try and get this included in the photo package you buy for the wedding!

i am also planning my wedding aboard the Carnival Paradise and I am curious about the reception....DJ? food?

Hi all,

Congratulations on your upcoming weddings!

I support BDW in connecting Vendors (from photographers to florists to resorts and cruise lines) directly with the community. It's great to see how many Cruise weddings we have, and if you are stumped with any questions, please PM me and I will get in touch with their marketing team directly to see if I can find the answers.

BDW is growing our information and content on cruise weddings to help new and current brides, so be sure to post as much detail as possible regarding your adventure!

Happy planning,

Stephanie

HI Gaucho Steph-

Your post above caught my interest as I am learning towards a cruise/Key West wedding. 

Are there any recommendations that you could send my way? While I have an idea what I want - I am definitely open to recommendations/advice. Thanks! 

Anyone planning a shire side wedding and have more information about it? The info in the online wedding package is so vague.

What port are you thinking about?

I am thinking about Montego Bay. I want to have a shore side wedding and then get back on the ship for the 2 hour reception. I wanted to have a reception with DJ but the only location this is offered is in the nightclub, which I would rather not do so I am trying to figure out music options in other locations.