Yes, you can get married on a cruise ship. There are many reasons why you might want to do so — but also some downsides to a cruise ship wedding, and things you’ll want to take into consideration while planning, to ensure your nuptials go off without a hitch. Here’s what you need to know.
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What to Expect From a Cruise Ship Wedding
I’ve seen many a wedding taking place on a cruise ship and I know a fair number of avid cruisers who’ve opted for a cruise ship wedding. However, the experience is not for everyone. If you’re relatively new to cruising, this is basically how a cruise ship wedding goes down.
A cruise ship wedding basically combines a destination wedding with a hotel wedding. You get the thrill of getting married far from home, in a vacation-worthy locale, but you also get all the built-in services that you might when holding a hotel wedding, including accommodations, catering, entertainment, etc.
Which Cruise Lines Offer Weddings?
Cruise Ship Wedding (Photo Credit: Pirat Pirat)
Many cruise lines offer wedding packages that bundle everything you could need into one cost. For example, Royal Caribbean offers wedding packages starting at $1,950, accommodating up to 10 wedding guests and including an officiant, planner/coordinator, Champagne for toasting, music, wedding cake, dinner for just the couple and a wedding gift.
Carnival Cruise Line, meanwhile, has a signature ceremony package starting at $1,799 for 10 guests and many of the same services and inclusions, though Carnival Cruise Line throws in photography services, too.
Other cruise lines that offer wedding experiences include Cunard, Virgin Voyages, Norwegian Cruise Line, Holland America Line, Princess Cruises, Margaritaville at Sea, Azamara Cruises, Windstar Cruises, Crystal Cruises, MSC Cruises and Disney Cruise Line. Not all offer wedding packages, per se, but they will allow you to get married or renew your vows on the ship.
How Does a Wedding During a Cruise Work?
Wedding While in Port (Photo Credit: Viktor Hladchenko)
When you get married on a cruise, you can choose to either get married while you’re in port (either at one of the ports that you’re sailing to or at the embarkation port), or while you’re at sea. All of these three options come with their benefits and downsides.
If you get married at the ship’s home port on embarkation day, you can get married on the ship and invite non-cruisers onto the ship to celebrate with you (they’ll obviously just need to leave before the ship embarks).
If you get married during the cruise itself, at sea and on the ship, keep in mind that your attendees will need to join you for the entire cruise (some couples prefer this, others do not).
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If you get married during one of the ship’s port days, your guests can join you in the destination, and in this case, you’d likely get married off the ship.
Out of these three options, I would recommend not getting married on embarkation day. While it may feel convenient for your guests and it leaves you with the rest of the cruise to enjoy the trip as a married couple, embarkation day is busy and stressful.
You’ll have to worry about long lines getting onto the ship. Since cruisers don’t have access to their staterooms right away on embarkation day, they’ll all be milling about in public spaces, making things crowded. It’s just not the experience I’d personally choose for a wedding.
Throughout all the planning, the cruise line’s event planner will be able to assist you, ensuring that all your questions are answered and that everything is ready to go for the big day.
They can even help with ensuring you’re completely legal, and that you acquire the right marriage license for your in-port or at-sea wedding.
Cruise Ship Wedding Pros
The Bride During Cruise Wedding (Photo Credit: Severina Chavez Lynch)
The benefits of opting for a cruise ship wedding are pretty straightforward.
First, there’s the cost. With the average cost of the typical wedding easily exceeding $30,000, you’ll save a ton by hosting a cruise ship wedding.
Even if you get one of the more expensive wedding packages, like Cunard’s luxury wedding ceremony package that starts at $3,600, you’re still saving a substantial amount. If you consider the cruise itself to be your honeymoon, that lowers your wedding costs even more.
(Though, I think it’s worth mentioning, just in case you didn’t realize, that the cost of the wedding package will not include the cost of your cruise itself.
You’ll need to keep that additional cost in mind as you set your wedding budget, as well as the cost of travel to and from your cruise port, and the cost of any extra purchases not included in your cruise fare, like specialty dining costs, spa and salon services costs, etc.)
In addition to savings, you may also enjoy extra perks and specials when booking a cruise ship wedding. Couples often receive extra on-board credits, for example, or a welcome gift of strawberries and chocolate.
If traveling in a group, with all your guests on the ship, you’re more likely to receive even more extras, such as a stateroom upgrade for the lucky couple.
Then, there’s the ease of planning. With most cruise lines including a wedding planner and coordinating services within their event packages, you’ll have a professional on your team to ensure all your wedding planning i’s are dotted and t’s are crossed.
The general simplicity of a cruise ship wedding likewise makes things more convenient. If you’re not a big planner, or the idea of a traditional wedding seems overwhelming, a cruise ship wedding is the way to go.
Cruise Ship Wedding Cons
Wedding on the Beach With Clouds (Photo Credit: WellStock)
So what are some of the potential downsides to having a cruise wedding?
For one, you can’t always control your surroundings. If you want to have your wedding on the cruise ship deck, with the ocean in the background, for example, your big day might be moved inside, to one of the ship’s other venues, if the weather doesn’t cooperate.
Likewise, if you have your wedding while in port, on a beach, you can’t really prevent other travelers from wandering into or close to your ceremony space.
In some instances, this is not a big deal. In my experience, most cruisers are fairly respectful of wedding parties on the ship. They may stop and stare, but they’re not going to overtly get in the bride or groom’s way.
I’ve also, though, seen wedding parties actively peeved that the cruise ship’s hustle and bustle goes on around them, while they’re trying to get photos or otherwise enjoy their day.
Then, there’s the fact that cruise ship weddings are more limited than on-land weddings. Most cruise ship weddings are on the smaller, more intimate side, so if you’re dreaming of a wedding day that includes hundreds of your closest friends, family members and mere acquaintances, tying the knot on a cruise ship might not be for you.
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You’ll likewise be restricted to the cruise ship’s offerings, in terms of cake design, décor, ceremony space, etc. While these offerings take into account most couples’ preferences and common wedding trends, if your dream wedding includes something completely out of the box — say, you and your spouse-to-be riding away from the reception on horseback — you might be out of luck.
Lastly, it’s worth noting that basic cruise ship wedding packages only include your ceremony, technically. For a reception celebration, you’ll likely need to make a group reservation at a specialty restaurant on the cruise ship.
Tips for Planning Your Cruise Ship Wedding
Taken all of the above into consideration and decided that a cruise ship wedding is right for you? If so, here are a few tips to ensure your wedding day is as magical as possible.
1. Book Carefully and Early
Cruise Wedding in Grand Cayman (Photo Credit: Viktor Hladchenko)
Keep in mind that you’ll likely not be the only couple on board getting married during your chosen sailing, and the cruise ship will have a limited number of wedding slots available.
As such, if you have your heart set on getting married on a certain day or during a certain sailing, book your cruise and your wedding package as soon as you can, for the most choices possible.
You may also want to opt to cruise during less-busy periods, for less competition for those wedding slots, such as during the week, avoiding holidays and spring break season.
2. Make Things as Easy as Possible for Your Guests
Dining for the Special Event Onboard (Photo Credit: canbedone)
While your cruise ship wedding coordinator will make the wedding planning and day-of as easy as possible for you, extend the same courtesy to your guests.
Start by letting your guests know as soon as possible that you’ll be having a cruise ship wedding, so they RSVP and can plan any travel accordingly. If you’re inviting them to go on the cruise with you, offer a block of cabins that they can book at various price points, just like a Group Cruise.
Additionally, plan a mix of “together” activities and free time. You want your guests to walk away having had an excellent vacation, but you don’t want to monopolize their free time (and you likely don’t want to spend your entire romantic cruise catering to Grandma Mary’s wishes and demands anyway).
3. Arrive at Your Cruise Port a Day in Advance
Cruise Ships Docked in Miami, Florida (Photo Credit: 4kclips)
While this is a piece of advice I hand out often, to all cruisers, it’s especially something to consider if you’re having a cruise ship wedding. Arrive at your cruise port one day ahead of embarkation day.
While you may think that there’s no way at all that you could miss embarkation, you never know when a flight is going to be cancelled, weather is going to be bad or something similar is going to make it impossible for you to get to the cruise port on time.
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You can alleviate all worries about missing your cruise’s embarkation by arriving at your cruise port one day in advance, staying overnight in a hotel and then traveling to the cruise port the morning of embarkation.
4. Carefully Consider all the Pros and Cons of a Cruise Ship Wedding Before Making Your Final Decision
Onboard Wedding Ceremony (Photo Credit: ViktoriiaNovo)
Lastly, it can’t be overstated that you really need to think about all the pros and cons of a cruise ship wedding before booking.
Will some of your family not be up for a cruise ship wedding, particularly family members that you’d really like to have present on your big day? Do some of your friends or family members get seasick? Is everyone healthy enough to travel internationally?
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How flexible are you, typically, and for big events? When you’re at the whims of the weather and the cruise line, you may need to be very flexible in where, when and how your nautical nuptials eventually take place.
If you’ve fully thought about what’s best for you and your fiancé, your guests, your budget and your personal preferences, and you’ve found that none of the cruise ship wedding cons are a big enough deal to dissuade you, then it’s time to book.
Source: Cruisehive.com