Cruise Weddings

RP66 · December 2011

Hi everyone! I'm new here as I just got engaged and am starting the planning process. One of the options we are considering is this....my family is planning an Alaskan cruise next year (May or June) and we are thinking of getting married on the cruise. I've done some research on the cruise lines and what they do and do not offer but my question is this-----Has anyone planned a cruise wedding? If so, what were the pros and cons of the process? What do you wish you had known beforehand?

Thanks so much!
Rebecca

jtoly · December 2011

Congrats! I don't really have any info on cruise weddings but wanted to welcome you to the board! Would the wedding be in Alaska or on your way there? Either way, I've heard so many great things about Alaska! Good luck!

niknik15 · December 2011

I'm planning a cruise wedding! It's not done yet so I can't give you all the specifics about what I wish I would have known beforehand, but the cruisecritic wedding message boards have been very helpful. You should look there for reviews. I'm totally jealous you are getting married in Alaska. It's so beautiful! It would make for some awesome trash (rock) the dress pictures.

Tanq&Tonic · December 2011

One thing to consider about cruise weddings is guest travel. Unlike a typical destination where people can fly in & fly out as they please, cruises generally keep you captive for a set number of days. It sounds like your key family memebers will already be there, so maybe this isn't a problem for you, but for our wedding, some people were on island for 30 hours, and others for 2 weeks, and I know a number of folks would not have been able to come at all if they had to stay 3+ days.

Congrats and welcome!

JCWhitey · December 2011

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-theme-boards_destination-weddings_cruise-weddings-3?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20Theme%20BoardsForum:54Discussion:29508a84-ad7f-49f5-823d-68a71d38be41Post:afc196e6-3dbf-4fac-bec8-45ddf6adaeea">Re: Cruise Weddings</a>:
[QUOTE]One thing to consider about cruise weddings is guest travel. Unlike a typical destination where people can fly in & fly out as they please, cruises generally keep you captive for a set number of days. It sounds like your key family memebers will already be there, so maybe this isn't a problem for you, but for our wedding, some people were on island for 30 hours, and others for 2 weeks, and I know a number of folks would not have been able to come at all if they had to stay 3+ days. Congrats and welcome!
Posted by Tanq&Tonic[/QUOTE]<div>
</div><div>This isn't really true. With cruise weddings you have three basic options for weddings: Embarkation day cruises (on the ship the day the cruise leaves), onboard weddings (on the ship during the cruise at some port), or port weddings (at one of the cruise ports).</div><div>
</div><div>Embarkation weddings are usually designed so your guests can choose to sail or not to sail. They will all board the boat for the wedding, but the non-sailing guests will leave the boat before it sets sail. If your cruise leaves from Seattle, for instance, your guests just have to fly to Seattle and stay there. After that, they can choose to sail or just to go home or tour Seattle for a bit. They are not forced to sail. Because of this, a lot of embarkation brides choose Saturday weddings since it's more convinient for people.</div><div>
</div><div>Onboard weddings are only available through a few cruiselines (I know Princess is one, not sure about other lines!) and are done on the boat either while in a port or a Day At Sea. These DO require all guests to sail and will bind them to the timeline of the cruise (which is 6-7 days usually for Alaska cruises). </div><div>
</div><div>Port weddings are risky but do allow your guests to fly to the port without having to sail. But obviously then they'd have to fly to Alaska and the risky part is that cruise ships can sometimes miss ports if the weather doesn't allow for safe docking. So you may have guests fly to the port, only to have the ship miss the port and your wedding would then be canceled (unless you have a Plan B). Because of this, I'd only recommend a port wedding if you are flexible and OK with possibly missing it and having to change your plans last minute (and also miss your original wedding date!).</div><div>
</div><div>Two months from today (!!!) FI and I are planning on a port wedding in Grand Cayman. But since Grand Cayman is skipped 20% of the time by the ship we will be on we are not telling guests that they can just fly to Grand Cayman. We are basically making everyone cruise. BUT, for us, this was ideal. Like you, my family was already planning this cruise (it was my parent's Christmas gift to the whole family) and all of the "important people" will be able to come. We do have a Plan B in case GC is skipped. We found a wedding coordinator who will refund all but $75 of our deposit if the wedding is missed so we really won't be out any money, and we'll just wait until the next day and do a ceremony in Jamaica or Haiti (the other two ports on this cruise). </div><div>
</div><div>I will be sad, but not heart broken or distraught if we skip GC. I don't have my heart set on February 28th being my wedding date or Grand Cayman being on my marriage license or whatever. But if this is something that is important to you I HIGHLY recommend going for an Embarkation or onboard wedding! They are more expensive (for us it would have been an additional $2000 to go either of these routes) but you can pretty much ensure you will get the date and location you have your heart set on!</div><div>
</div><div>So... yeah! We're pretty much done with the planning for our Royal Caribbean cruise so if you have any questions please ask and I'll answer as best I can!

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