Questions about cruise ship weddings

[bridetwobee]

Hi,

 

My mom's pushing for a cruise ship wedding, but I've got some reservations, and I'm not finding answers to my questions about it. Some help would be appreciated.

 

Is it possible to do an in port, beach wedding, and stay late enough on the beach to get sunset photos? If you do the wedding earlier, what do you do with the rest of your day How accommodating are cruise ships with allergies (I have celiac disease, and I can't eat gluten - I desperately don't want to be sick for my wedding). How are the cruise ship wedding co-ordinators to work with?

 

Thanks in advance!

[Cattie]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bridetwobee Hi, My mom's pushing for a cruise ship wedding, but I've got some reservations, and I'm not finding answers to my questions about it. Some help would be appreciated. Is it possible to do an in port, beach wedding, and stay late enough on the beach to get sunset photos? If you do the wedding earlier, what do you do with the rest of your day How accommodating are cruise ships with allergies (I have celiac disease, and I can't eat gluten - I desperately don't want to be sick for my wedding). How are the cruise ship wedding co-ordinators to work with? Thanks in advance!

It is totally possible to do your wedding on shore. We are actually getting married in Bermuda at a resort while docked there on our cruise.

We dock at 9am, however we're don't have the taxi's picking everyone up until 5pm, then the ceremony at 6pm. I wanted to be able to get sunset pics also, and giving myself time to get ready and such is a big reason we decided on 6pm.

What you have to take into consideration with wanting sunset pics is picking a cruise that doesn't leave until night, OR something that stays over night in the port like what we are doing in Bermuda.

I am using my own planner in Bermuda. All of the cruise lines go through the same company for there weddings, it's just called something different through each cruise line. There has been girls that have had great luck with them, however if you want any real say of what resort/beach you use and various other items, make sure you have your own planner not through the cruise line. I've also heard alot of horror stories going through the cruise lines planners.

As for your diet needs. Here is the FAQ question from Royal Caribbean, which is who we sail through.

What type of special meals does Royal Caribbean offer? - Royal Caribbean International

Hope this helps!! Feel free to post any other questions. There aren't many cruise brides, but there is a few of us!!

[TA Dina]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bridetwobee Hi, My mom's pushing for a cruise ship wedding, but I've got some reservations, and I'm not finding answers to my questions about it. Some help would be appreciated. Is it possible to do an in port, beach wedding, and stay late enough on the beach to get sunset photos? If you do the wedding earlier, what do you do with the rest of your day How accommodating are cruise ships with allergies (I have celiac disease, and I can't eat gluten - I desperately don't want to be sick for my wedding). How are the cruise ship wedding co-ordinators to work with? Thanks in advance!

As far as the timing of the wedding you would really have to look at specific itineraries to see which one might suit what you're looking for. Like Cattie mentioned the Bermuda cruises stay overnight. There are some that visit St Maarten and San Juan that dock in the afternoon and don't depart until late in the evening. But there are many that will dock early a.m. and then leave at 4-5pm. So if you want sunset pics, you have to narrow down your sailings to those specific itins.

As far as accomodating guests onboard with food allergies etc, the cruise lines are excellent. Once a request is made they will make sure the information is shared with the dining rooms so all of your meals meet your specific requirements. Obviously it gets a little difficult in the buffet areas, but there is so much of a selection, I'm sure you would still be able to find something somewhere to enjoy.

The cruise line WC have a reputation of being hit or miss. Some girls have good luck, some not so good. When you book your cruise with a BDW TA we have specific reps at TWE that our brides deal with so that alleviates alot of the headaches for them as the planning goes along.

[Jenn79]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bridetwobee Hi, My mom's pushing for a cruise ship wedding, but I've got some reservations, and I'm not finding answers to my questions about it. Some help would be appreciated. Is it possible to do an in port, beach wedding, and stay late enough on the beach to get sunset photos? If you do the wedding earlier, what do you do with the rest of your day How accommodating are cruise ships with allergies (I have celiac disease, and I can't eat gluten - I desperately don't want to be sick for my wedding). How are the cruise ship wedding co-ordinators to work with? Thanks in advance!

I have to agree with everything posted by both Cattie and TA Dina. I was married in Bermuda two years ago, and we traveled via cruiseship as well. We ended up using the cruiseline's wedding company, but in hindsight, I would have gone with an onsite coordinator like Cattie. The cruise company basically works like a middle man since they contract out to island vendors anyway. Our wedding turned out wonderfully, but only because the on site vendors contacted us rather than try to get information from the cruise company.

In regards to the cruiseline itself, and the allergy issue, they are AMAZING. One of our guests has a gluten allergy, and they were great with helping her out with the menus. They even brought out gluten free bread to the table with dinner. We sailed with NCL, but I'm assuming it would be the same for any cruiseline.

All in all, I am so glad we did a cruise. I love cruising, and it really was the most cost effective way for everyone to get to the wedding (Bermuda is fairly expensive). There's also something for everyone on board a cruise ship, so there's no worry that people aren't finding someting to do.

That said, it is your wedding, and while your mom may think it's a great idea, and we all tell you that it's a great idea, at the end of the day, it has to be something you want to do.

Good luck with whatever you choose!

[Prettyhazardous]

I would agree with everything everyone else said. I am getting married in St Thomas (by way of the Carnival Freedom) while I can't do the sunset pics if I had decided to get married is San Juan I could because we are there from like 4pm to midnight. So you just have to find the right itinerary.

I also chose to work with a WC on the island for one reason... I need to be in the know from day one!!! I just am not too comfy not knowing any of the specifics of the wedding until ab 2 weeks before we depart. I know everything ab my Nov 09 wedding now. I couldn't live with the suspense (and without being able to keep everything as organized as possible).

Good Luck and Happy Planning.

[*HOLLY*]

In regards to allergies most cruise ships worth with you. I will be sailing with Princess and my mom has the same disease. They have a menu for any type of allergy you may have. In regards to a WC I went with one on the Island because I know I have one person always to talk to and also to answer my questions. I dont have to wait for an email or a phone call! Remember its your day so if you dont want a cruise wedding than dont. Do what you guys want and what will make YOU happy Best of luck and happy planning!

[bridetwobee]

Thanks everybody. We're in contact with a travel agent right now...I'm sure there will be more questions down the road.

[InspiredBride]

I am doing a wedding on the ship (Carnival Inspiration) while still in port. That way we can have guests attending who are not cruising. About 30 guests will stay on and cruise with us. I personally LOVE the idea of doing a cruise wedding because it is so much less stressful than doing it any other way. The cruise takes care of everything so I only have to do the fun stuff (like my DIY projects). Let me know if you have any specific questions about doing the ship wedding...

[Gina]

Hi guys. This is my first time on the "Cruise Wedding" portion of the forum. I'll make my story short. I am a basket- case. I have been engaged since Feb 2009. Since that time I have done site visits at resorts in Jamaica,Mexico and Punta Cana. Surprisely, I never considered a cruise wedding before considering that my fiance and I have cruised several times over the years. Strangely enough as much as I've cruised in the past I am lost with planning a cruise WEDDING. I noticed that a few of you went thru WC on the island. I didnt think to do that- sounds like the right thing to do. How did you go about arranging that without going through the ship's WC?

[Banana11]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gina Hi guys. This is my first time on the "Cruise Wedding" portion of the forum. I'll make my story short. I am a basket- case. I have been engaged since Feb 2009. Since that time I have done site visits at resorts in Jamaica,Mexico and Punta Cana. Surprisely, I never considered a cruise wedding before considering that my fiance and I have cruised several times over the years. Strangely enough as much as I've cruised in the past I am lost with planning a cruise WEDDING. I noticed that a few of you went thru WC on the island. I didnt think to do that- sounds like the right thing to do. How did you go about arranging that without going through the ship's WC?

If you plan to get married while in port simply contact different resorts or local wedding planners to see what is available. I had difficulty finding a place to host our wedding as we weren't staying for more than a few hours. I would highly recommend doing it this way versus using the ship's planning service. You'll save a lot of money and have way more control over planning your wedding. Just make sure whoever you book with offers a cancellation refund should your ship unexpectedly miss the port due to weather, etc.