CCMS14

My mom tried to use the discount while calling it in, but was told that you can only use it onboard (likely because this perk is a coupon), when she spoke to the rep at X they had no idea what she was talking about at first and then told her that it wasn't applicable until onboard.

On our December Reflection cruise there was a 50% discount on the first night for Aqua Class guests.

Our Save the Date we made ourselves and had the date, ship name, sail date, and website where we provided info for our travel agent, etc. The only information which has included any registry details have been shower invitations sent by the bridal party. We sent our save the dates out about 14 months in advance. Hard to believe it is almost here!

Just read through all of this. We are getting married on the Celebrity Reflection, getting through final payment was hard. Now (we are doing a shipboard wedding and dealing with The Wedding Experience), every other day is an e-mail about something we can add for "just $95" here and there, it sure adds up. Thankfully we have said no to most of the upgrade offers. It definitely can be hard to make some of the necessary cuts but it seems like you guys are doing a great job.

I appreciate your feedback. And its good to hear this from someone so close in age to myself and fiancee. I will have to research the Aqua Class & Blu. The beverage package that you're referring to, is the "all-you-can drink-alcohol" package, correct?

 

Thanks again!

The package we got when booking was classic (soft drinks, non premium water, beer up to $5/glass and spirits/wines/frozen drinks up to $8 per glass), we will be upgrading to the premium package (everything $12 or under) before we go. I will be on the Reflection in December, so I can report back on the ship and my feelings of it, but not from a wedding/honeymoon perspective as I am traveling with my mom.

Long time Cruise Critic fan, and my first forum post...

 

So the good thing is that I've locked down my decision between 2 ships. Carnival Breeze and Celebrity Reflection sailing on 12/27/14. I understand that they are 2 different cruise ship experiences. I just need some guidance please...

 

Here is the catch, my honeymoon will be during peak season. Unfortunately, this is the only week we can go. Trust me, I'd rather not go during peak season. My fiancée and I are both 25 years old. We plan on sailing to celebrate the New Year and more importantly, our honeymoon. Aside from the premium price, another down side is that there will be a lot of families, and lots of kids onboard. Which brings me first to Carnival...

 

I sailed on the Carnival Breeze last year with my family and had a blast! It was one of the best cruising experiences I've had. I really enjoyed the "Fun Ship 2.0" theme. Everything from the fast casual food eateries to the George Lopez comedy club. I also really enjoyed the Adults only serenity pool deck. Carnival has long been my favorite cruise line. Since its a family conscious cruise liner, I'm afraid the Carnival Breeze will be loaded with kids during peak season which could be a negative.

 

I sailed the Celebrity Solstice(sister ship to the Reflection) a few years ago, again with my family. It definitely was an older crowd, but the ship was beautiful, modern, and the service was top notch. It felt very up scale, but a tad on the boring side. They did have much better food quality for dinner but the lunch selection/buffets were OK in my opinion. That's maybe because I'm a "burgers and fries" kinda guy. I am a very laid back/casual cruiser. I don't care too much for the glitz and glamour that Celebrity provides but I just don't want to be stuck with an all seniors cruise on my honeymoon either. I know that it will be a quieter, more "romantic" experience possibly on the Celebrity, but I think I sacrifice the fun factor.

 

Carnival is about $800 cheaper, which is nice, but it will not make or break it for me. If you take the price out of the equation, which would you recommend?

 

I will also mention that the fiancée and I will be staying 5 nights at a luxury adults only all-inclusive resort in Jamaica prior to the cruise. So we will get to enjoy 5 nights of peace :)

 

Please let me know your thoughts.

 

Ricky

My perspective will probably be skewed, we are getting married on the Reflection and staying onboard after for our honeymoon. We will be 24, and just find that the atmosphere is relaxed for us. I (we) have never sailed Carnival, so I can't give you a direct comparison. We are choosing to sail in an Aqua class suite for several reasons. First, for more space. Second, we love Blu and find that it gives a more intimate dining experience as opposed to the banquet experience of the main dining room. When we booked we also had the benefit of getting a beverage package with our booking. I would agree that you sacrifice the "fun factor" simply because there is a lot less organized activity and no real huge amenities like other ships have. I obviously love the Celebrity product, and will be happy to report back after my trips on the Reflection, but you may have made your choice by then :)

Good luck, no matter what you choose I am sure you will have a wonderful time.

We visit the specialty restaurants for the quality of food and not for the gimmicks. There's a whole lot of gimmicks and very little substance at the Qsine. Set the appropriate expectations and then you'll enjoy your experience there.

This was my opinion of Qsine as well. We went on the Eclipse in 2011, and will probably go back once with a group on our trip in February, but its wasn't really a hit for me.

We became engaged in December 2012, and we had informed our family and friends of our plan to have a destination wedding by Christmas. We sent out our save the dates (for a February 2014 wedding) in January, and then followed with the invites in July. We set an early RSVP date in order to have time to have enough time to get all of the information from the guests and to the cruise line in time.

We are having an at home reception, so we have registered, but only included the registry information in bridal shower invitations.

Ultimately, you know your audience, and you would have the best idea of what they are/are not comfortable with. This is YOUR day, and what works for someone else doesn't always work for you & vice versa :)

In our case we are getting married during the cruise, so obviously our guests had to travel with us. We decided as a way to spend time with our guests & also get a honeymoon of sorts, to do back to back cruises (banking my vacation from this year), obviously that isnt possible for everyone, but it was the best way for us because we were fortunate to have so many people want to come and be with us, that we want to be able to spend time with them while on the cruise. I do think however that whatever we had wanted, most of our guests would have been okay with, and as such, I would suggest discussing it with your immediate family members/those who are most important. Ultimately it is you and your fiancees day, and you need to be happy.

I responded to your question on the Celebrity boards and I will respond here as well, Celebrity Wedding info is few and far between.

We are getting married on the Reflection with between 60 and 70 guests (not quite sure where we sit now). We decided on a destination wedding because we knew we wouldn't make everyone happy at home, we love cruising, and this is a little bit more low-key (or we thought it would be).

Our experience with The Wedding Experience has been great, they have been wonderful about answering all of my questions (no matter how ridiculous) quickly and always providing the information I have asked for. They have got me in touch with a specific person regarding the license requirements and she has been very helpful because some of the documents sound scarier than they really are.

If you have any other questions, feel free to ask

I know this wasn't directed to me but I thought I would chime in. We have 60 sailing guests coming from throughout Canada to Miami, and the biggest motivators in getting them there (I think), was firstly the fact that we did it at a time that a lot of our friends/family take vacation anyway, also, by giving people a lot of notice (13 months), it gave people time to plan financially and their vacation time and possible babysitting for those who didn't want to bring their kids. I would love to say that everyone just wanted to come for us, but I think making it convenient played a huge part in so many people coming.

first of all: YES, I know this is an old post, however, I am still hoping that I can get some info...

 

Bride2Be, I noticed that you live in California, and I believe that the cruise you went on was a Caribbean cruise.

 

The reason I mention that is because we too live in California and we are planning on getting married in 2015 on the oasis of the seas (which goes out of fort lauderdale). I noticed that you said that you had 40 people sail with you, and am wondering how you "convinced" (for lack of a better word) 40 people to fly across country and then take a cruise.

 

I will say, that I was thinking that it might just be my bride, son and I on our wedding day until I saw your posts....It gives me some hope that people may make the journey.

 

Hopefully you come back to CC, or someone with a similar situation will chime in...thanks in advance!!!

Hello again, her wedding is after your wedding ... the ship sails on Thursday, February 27th and the ceremony is actually the night of embarkation... 7:00 pm (hopefully all the guests will have their luggage/wedding attire or perhaps they should carry it on!). We are bringing a rabbi onboard who will be performing a "symbolic ceremony" as, by then, the ship will be at sea. They will actually get the official FL Marriage License signed either the night before or that morning while the ship is in dock. I can't believe you have such a big crowd sailing with you... how wonderful. My daugther wanted to keep it small, immediate family and their closest friends... so I doubt we will be more than 50 at the very most.

 

Do you intend to allow your guests to order from the entire drinks menu during dinner? Or will they be paying for their own drinks? We have to pay a drinks minimum as we bought out the restaurant but don't want to give the guests the regular wine menu as we would have no control over what is ordered. That's why I was looking for a copy of the menu so we could put together a limited "menu", which TWE will print (at a cost) and better keep track of what is being ordered.

 

We live in Boca Raton, my daughter and her fiance live in Aventura.

We are flying in from near Toronto. My fiancé has a large family so we have a lot of family and then our close friends. Truthfully I was surprised by the response but its also really cool.

*most* of our guests got the classic beverage package with the 123 go promotion, so that will figure in to our costs for booze. That makes sense to put together a limited drink menu/wine list. It's great to see someone else getting married on X. We are few and far between on this site!

CCMS14 - Your wedding might be before my daughter's. What date is yours? Are you getting married day of embarkation or during the cruise. Are 60 people sailing with you? Is the captain marrying you? I'm glad you're having a good experience with TWE... we had our reservations at first due to some reviews, but they've been really great. May be you should swap ideas with my daughter. She's currently choosing her bouquet and flower arrangements etc.

We are getting married on February 16 at sea, by the captain. We have 60 sailing guests so far. We also read some reviews that were worrisome, but our experience, like I said, has been great. I think part of what I've realized is that if you need an answer immediately, it can be stressful, but if you are asking your questions in advance and understand the fact that there could be a wait, it is a lot easier. Our goal is to fly into Florida on February 13, spend the 14 between Town Centre in Boca, and the Sea Watch in Fort Lauderdale, so your daughter seems to be just before us! Is she doing embarkation or at sea?

We have had such an amazing experience with TWE, she has been so good every step of the way. Answering quickly and always dealing with my odd middle of the night worries. We are getting married on the Reflection in February. I will have to contact the specialty restaurant contact we have and look into buying it out. We are at 60 people right now, a lot of whom have beverage packages.

Thank you so much for the info! I can't wait to hear how it went for you!

I wonder if someone would do me a huge favour. My daughter is getting married on the Constellation in February 2014 and the reception/dinner is going to be in the Tuscan Grille (we have bought out the restaurant for the entire evening). Because there is no bar in the Tuscan Grille, we are having to put together a limited drinks menu which will include a red, white and rose wine, prosecco and champagne (as well as cocktails, spirits etc). We need a full list of the wines/champagne available in the Tuscan Grille. If anyone has the chance and would be kind enough, could you please photograph the menu and e-mail it to me after your trip ... gillyelf at gmail.com (gillyelf@gmail.com). Thank you so much.

I do not have an answer to your question, but I do have a question for you if possible. Do you mind if I ask how much it was to buy the restaurant out for the evening? We are having our wedding and reception at the Tuscan Grille as well and haven't considered this option, we have currently got a reservation for about 60.

Well, here's to hoping that my itinerary doesn't get changed! It feels like time is going by way too quickly! There's always just so much to do, and not enough time!

Just wanted to join in on the chorus of telling you how amazing you looked. The ceremony location looked great and you and your husband looked great. Congrats!

We are not doing our wedding on Carnival, but we have just opted to have dinner in the specialty restaurant as opposed to the true reception, and then just party around the boat after

That's so funny, I was about to post that too! That made my day! I thought that was hilarious! Its just so hard to believe that someone would have the audacity to think they are owed a monetary gift to cover their wedding expenses.

And we have to do the SAME thing with his sisters. They need a solid 1-2 hours buffer before an event to be there. Which kinda worries me because they were planning on going on the cruise, and now they are planning on just driving to Key West (where we are getting married). Keep in mind, that is roughly an 18 ish hour drive from where we live. AND they have 6 kids between the two of them. I think I will tell them the wedding is the day before the actual date...otherwise I can see them driving up to Mallory Square as we sail away! Oh well. We planned a destination wedding for a reason... fewer worries.

The part that baffles me is that, you know what, let's call it like it is, wedding gifts are amazing. We are hosting a 100 person at home reception after our ceremony on the ship, but we aren't inviting them expecting money or gifts. We wanted the low key aspect of an intimate shipboard wedding where there was less going on (I get anxious in big crowds, so even though there are a lot of people ON the ship, and we have 60 or so sailing guests, I know that the people who are at the wedding on the ship are those who understand my anxiety and would never add to it intentionally/unintentionally), but some people who are really important to us couldn't come (grandparents), and we want to celebrate with everyone. So in my perfect world, the reception at home will be less stressful because we will already be married, so its just a big party!

Those sisters must be a part of my fiance's family. I love them to death, they are amazing people who I wouldn't trade for anything, but sometimes I just wish they could be a little bit more organized.

We are working on our transportation to the point, I think we are leaning towards A1A Limos. We have used them before for prior cruises and have had great experiences. It feels like it will be here in no time flat!

We did save the dates at 13-14 months and invites will go out at about 5 months....hopefully :p

Ha well... We got engaged in January, picked cruise and I immediately made invites at the end of January. I made little message in a bottle invites.Took it to the post office and to my surprise they were going to be something like $4-5 a piece to send locally, and it would cost more the further away I sent them. So I nixed sending all of them and I gave as many people as I could invites by hand. So not all of them were received at the same time. And the people who live further away that I wouldn't be seeing soon, I sent those via usps. I know I probably committed so many faux pas by handing out my invites, but too bad. Atleast I got to see their surprise when I handed it to them, and I got lots of compliments. I sent/ gave them out as soon as I could that way everyone would have time to plan accordingly for vacation requests, financially, all that if they decided they wanted to go.

Now, I'm just freaking out about a dress. I don't know what I want. I try on all of these dresses and I adore every stinking one of them! Its. just. not. fair.!

We are having our RSVP date about 4 months before the cruise, partially because it is in February and we are kind of pretending December doesn't exist because of the fact that it's Christmas. And unfortunately some of our friends/family members are terrible in terms of responses, so we built ourselves a 1 month buffer to avoid problems with people in terms of timing. Some of his family members struggle with time management (think, we have to tell them dinner is at 3 when its at 6...). Anyway, most of our friends and family are aware, and not bothered by it because I think you kind of need to know if you're planning on going on a cruise earlier on in terms of finances and vacation time.

As for postage, if it was $4-5 to mail, I would have done the same thing. We have probably committed the same faux pas, but at the end of the day, these are our friends and family and we love them, and hopefully they love us enough to ignore any "errors" we have made...

In other news, this made the Toronto news today for wedding info!

http://www.thestar.com/life/2013/06/20/wedding_gift_spat_miffed_bride_guest_both_made_mistakes_experts_say.html

its kind of funny but horrible all at once!

Just thought I would throw this out to everyone. How far in advance of the wedding did you send out the invitations? We sent out our save the dates at 13 months and probably our invites at 7 months or so...thoughts?

Hey there..will be probably be aboard the Silhoutte. We took that one this year and loved it. Also we have moved our wedding back home (more people could join us to celebrate) and so that we could do a wicked cruise.

 

What about you?

We are onboard the reflection. The silhouette is an amazing ship, I was on if in August of 2011 and loved every minute!

Well, after 10 years of dating and six cruises together, we are finally getting married and have decided to do so aboard a Celebrity cruise next February.

 

I am looking forward to the big event and our life together I have to say that all of the details especially the dress and etc that I am a bit nervous.

 

Suggestions and calming drugs will be most welcome!

 

Donna

I am getting married onboard celebrity next February. What ship are you looking at?

Are you actually getting married on the ship?

We are certainly considering one of the Celebrity ships for April 2014 and have looked at the Reflection esp as she sails out of Miami which is a city I love! :)

Yes, we are getting married on the ship, while at sea, with about 50 sailing guests. I love all of the Solstice class ships, and we wanted to try the newest one out

We will be getting married on the Celebrity Reflection next February, which seems like a million years away, but I'm sure it will go quickly. There certainly aren't many Celebrity brides on here