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Cruise Ship Wedding

quinnykquinnyk member
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in Destination Weddings Discussions
Hi Knotties,

I have been planning a traditional wedding for months into years and just this week Ive changed my plans for a destination wedding, ON A CRUISE SHIP. Yes on a cruise ship. After weighing the pros and cons and the fact that I am coming from a well traveled family that always plans family vacations away from my home state, and with a wedding coming up the cost would be impossible to have a family vacation and a wedding all in the same year. So from advise from my mother and a joyful acceptance from my FH we will combine our family trip and our family-oriented wedding into one awesome event.

So I am very very excited in the planning right now and talking to my auntie about picking the cruise destination, the cruise line and just need some guidance on what to expect in this whole new process that I don't see brides even on here doing. For me its a affordable fun way to have a classic traditional fancy wedding and a grand honeymoon all at once.

Any advise or concerns? Thanks
One day, I will marry my best friend, and it will be "Pure Happiness"
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Re: Cruise Ship Wedding

  • TerriHuggTerriHugg member
    First Anniversary First Comment 5 Love Its First Answer
    Congrats! That's so exciting. I don't have any advice for you as I've never been on a cruise shop wedding. 

    I went on what was supoosed to be a cruise ship wedding but the couple called it off...

    The cruise wedding was supposed to be on Norwegian it was fun, but the food wasn't that geat. It wasn't the greatest cruise line in my opinion. It could be because it was an older ship.

    Do you know what line you want to try?

    Good luck and enjoy the process! 


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  • cevans11cevans11
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    We have  several brides on here who are doing cruise weddings, so I imagine they'll chime in with advice. 

    I haven't been on a cruise since I was 4, so I don't really have any advice, but welcome, and congrats! 
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  • PjsgalPjsgal
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    We did a last (somewhat) minute cancellation of our cruise ship wedding. (Personal reasons). Carnival was great to work with though!!! We are now getting married on the beach in port. We personally prefer carnival .... But it's a matter if taste and budget
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  • StevenHillStevenHill
    First Comment
    I'm interested to know the length of the cruise (how many days), and if this has/may cause any logistical/etiquette problems with a wedding.

    It seems like you planned well ahead with your family, and got them all to be on board (no pun intended) with the whole family vacation/wedding combination.

    I want to do something similar, but worried about family/friends that may not be into the whole vacation thing.

    My situation is that I'm planning a destination wedding on Roatan Island, Honduras. I am pretty sure I can get my immediate family to be all for it, but there are a few logistical problems that are making my rethink my destination decision:

    -- The island only has regular flights on Saturdays. So basically people have to commit to a whole week-long vacation, or pay a lot more money for charter planes/extra connections if they want to leave during the week.

    -- I found an estate with three villas that can sleep 24 people. If I can get 24 people join us on the vacation, then it's only about $330 per person for the whole 7 days! But I have to put down a large deposit before I know if everyone can go, and is it rude to insist everyone stay on the estate just so we can fill it?

    I was thinking about making my own post (still may do so), but I think this situation is quite relevant to cruise weddings becuase of the time/accom restraints.  Any thoughts?

    And congrats quinnyk! Have fun planning!
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  • quinnykquinnyk member
    First Comment
    In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-theme-boards_destination-weddings_cruise-ship-wedding-2?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20Theme%20BoardsForum:54Discussion:16d8d778-1437-4f88-8751-c5e44dec8f55Post:f35663dc-f094-4e91-b54e-1a0886574d6e">Re: Cruise Ship Wedding</a>:
    [QUOTE]Congrats! That's so exciting. I don't have any advice for you as I've never been on a cruise shop wedding.  I went on what was supoosed to be a cruise ship wedding but the couple called it off... The cruise wedding was supposed to be on Norwegian it was fun, but the food wasn't that geat. It wasn't the greatest cruise line in my opinion. It could be because it was an older ship. Do you know what line you want to try? Good luck and enjoy the process! 
    Posted by TerriHugg[/QUOTE]

    Going with Royal Caribbean, found the date. location and their packages fits what im looking for. Oh im getting excited just by the thought of it :)
    One day, I will marry my best friend, and it will be "Pure Happiness"
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  • quinnykquinnyk member
    First Comment
    In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-theme-boards_destination-weddings_cruise-ship-wedding-2?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20Theme%20BoardsForum:54Discussion:16d8d778-1437-4f88-8751-c5e44dec8f55Post:c541bb84-ecd8-42ca-968d-67aa0c686dc3">Re: Cruise Ship Wedding</a>:
    [QUOTE]We have  several brides on here who are doing cruise weddings, so I imagine they'll chime in with advice.  I haven't been on a cruise since I was 4, so I don't really have any advice, but welcome, and congrats! 
    Posted by cevans11[/QUOTE]


    Thank you for the welcome <img src="http://cdn.cl9.vanillaforums.com/downloaded/ver1.0/content/scripts/tinymce/plugins/emotions/images/smiley-laughing.gif" border="0" alt="Laughing" title="Laughing" />
    One day, I will marry my best friend, and it will be "Pure Happiness"
    Report Reply
  • quinnykquinnyk member
    First Comment
    In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-theme-boards_destination-weddings_cruise-ship-wedding-2?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20Theme%20BoardsForum:54Discussion:16d8d778-1437-4f88-8751-c5e44dec8f55Post:7b51bfb5-bc03-44ac-b4fc-8bf1670668cb">Re: Cruise Ship Wedding</a>:
    [QUOTE]We did a last (somewhat) minute cancellation of our cruise ship wedding. (Personal reasons). Carnival was great to work with though!!! We are now getting married on the beach in port. We personally prefer carnival .... But it's a matter if taste and budget
    Posted by Pjsgal[/QUOTE]

    Actually Carnival was my second choice. I am and was looking at the fact that I need a ship that not only the adults would enjoy but the kids, my fiance has a teenage son and I have a preschool age girl so something to keep them occupied is a must. And I liked Carnval but to me it didnt seem flexable or cost effiencent in the choices. I think Ill have about 50 people which is a large group for most cruises and prefer buffet style dining for the recepetion. But I am wondering what kind of wedding was you planning prior to the change since I havent still made the plans in stone yet.
    One day, I will marry my best friend, and it will be "Pure Happiness"
    Report Reply
  • quinnykquinnyk member
    First Comment
    In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-theme-boards_destination-weddings_cruise-ship-wedding-2?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20Theme%20BoardsForum:54Discussion:16d8d778-1437-4f88-8751-c5e44dec8f55Post:28d0834d-5d4b-48b3-8a8b-8740b1c9402b">Re: Cruise Ship Wedding</a>:
    [QUOTE]I'm interested to know the length of the cruise (how many days), and if this has/may cause any logistical/etiquette problems with a wedding. It seems like you planned well ahead with your family, and got them all to be on board (no pun intended) with the whole family vacation/wedding combination. I want to do something similar, but worried about family/friends that may not be into the whole vacation thing. My situation is that I'm planning a destination wedding on Roatan Island, Honduras. I am pretty sure I can get my immediate family to be all for it, but there are a few logistical problems that are making my rethink my destination decision: -- The island only has regular flights on Saturdays. So basically people have to commit to a whole week-long vacation, or pay a lot more money for charter planes/extra connections if they want to leave during the week. -- I found an estate with three villas that can sleep 24 people. If I can get 24 people join us on the vacation, then it's only about $330 per person for the whole 7 days! But I have to put down a large deposit before I know if everyone can go, and is it rude to insist everyone stay on the estate just so we can fill it? I was thinking about making my own post (still may do so), but I think this situation is quite relevant to cruise weddings becuase of the time/accom restraints.  Any thoughts? And congrats quinnyk! Have fun planning!
    Posted by StevenHill[/QUOTE]


    Wow i have to say your plans are one of a dream, congrats.

    Well for mine im planning a 7 day cruise one stop to Bermuda from New jersey. Now I am from Philly and majority of my guest are from philly or nearby so for us traveling isnt a problem. But for my fiance side, they are mainly for the South and West which requires air travel for them. Luckly the port of departure is by a big airport which also will be a cost-effective place for them to shop for air flights. I am requiring that the out of town do fly in a day eariler to make sure they dont get stuck somewhere and miss the whole thing esp if they will be cruising with us. But luckly with Royal Caribbean whom I am looking to travel with allows me to have up to 75 non sailing guests so if my guest cant afford everything, they can still join in the wedding fun like everyone else. I say still post your concerns because I have a feel there are more brides and grooms needing help with accomating and working with people that may or may not want to travel for a wedding/honeymoon event. And Good luck on your plans, sounds exciting to me.
    One day, I will marry my best friend, and it will be "Pure Happiness"
    Report Reply
  • StevenHillStevenHill
    First Comment
    In Response to <a href="http://destination.weddings.com/main.aspx/wedding-theme-boards_destination-weddings_cruise-ship-wedding-2?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20Theme%20BoardsForum:54Discussion:16d8d778-1437-4f88-8751-c5e44dec8f55Post:27dcf481-8524-475f-8163-96f6b993ed12">Re: Cruise Ship Wedding</a>:
    [QUOTE]In Response to Re: Cruise Ship Wedding : Wow i have to say your plans are one of a dream, congrats. Well for mine im planning a 7 day cruise one stop to Bermuda from New jersey. Now I am from Philly and majority of my guest are from philly or nearby so for us traveling isnt a problem. But for my fiance side, they are mainly for the South and West which requires air travel for them. Luckly the port of departure is by a big airport which also will be a cost-effective place for them to shop for air flights. I am requiring that the out of town do fly in a day eariler to make sure they dont get stuck somewhere and miss the whole thing esp if they will be cruising with us. But luckly with Royal Caribbean whom I am looking to travel with allows me to have up to 75 non sailing guests so if my guest cant afford everything, they can still join in the wedding fun like everyone else. I say still post your concerns because I have a feel there are more brides and grooms needing help with accomating and working with people that may or may not want to travel for a wedding/honeymoon event. And Good luck on your plans, sounds exciting to me.
    Posted by quinnyk[/QUOTE]<div>
    </div><div>Thanks for the info!

    </div>
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  • Aweir28Aweir28
    First Comment
    As for Roatan, you could always take a cruise there. And then you'd have sort of a honeymoon and wedding in one :) I've taken a cruise to Roatan, it's awesome

    Regarding the cruise ship wedding - most ships won't have a "ton" of personalized options for wedding planning. Most are pretty cookie cutter. I checked into organizing it with Carnival before I decided to get married on the beach in Key West off our cruise ship. And it seemed pretty pricey for really basic and kind of "cheesy" options.  My Mom was a cruise agent for years so she kind of confirmed that fact for me and told me if I wanted something a little more elegant and more bang for my buck that I should consider just doing it on the beach. Depending on how many people are in your group, you can book a group cruise and get a free party, or possible ship board credits. It's a perk to having so many people book with you. They'll also often times honor cheaper prices if the price of the room drops considerably. I'll be going through Vacations To Go.

    I'm choosing Key West because 1) I've never been (cruised 4 other itineraries but not this one), 2) It's easy regarding the marriage licensing, 3) it's beautiful of course! and 4) My sister chose Jamaica when she got married and she got screwed by a wedding planner there. She had done a TON of research and investigating before choosing her wedding planner in Montego Bay. The wedding planner flat out lied about the location on the beach, lied about the flowers she would get, rushed her ceremony and tried to make her buy into a ton of extra photography with a less than professional photographer - and her cost was somewhere around $7,000. So I wanted something that was still in the US to avoid possible scamming from afar (although I know even in the US it's not full proof if you don't do your homework).

    Good luck! :)
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