Marriage Proposals

[hcs81m]

My girlfriend has never been on a cruise. I have been on three including the Golden Princess. I am still in the planning stages of this process. Does anyone have any suggestions regarding intinerary, type of cabin, creative suggestions, or personal experiences?:)

[pamwinn]

Propose on the first cruise and honeymoon on the second cruise :D

[spongerob]

A honeymoon cruise is perfect. That way, your family can attend and "help" plan the wedding, then you can ditch it all and go on the best vacation you've ever had.

[chamima]

As the parent of a girl who was proposed to just before our cruise (we thought we were taking daughter and her boyfriend), please propose at home before the cruise so your families can enjoy it. Then you can bask in the glow of your new status the whole vacation.

[Flintstone]

Just my $.02 on this.....but

I think it would be awesome to surprise her with a proposal on the cruise. But then leave it up to her (and Mom) whether a cruise-wedding is what they would want. You can always do the cruise-honeymoon!! I would hate for your wedding to be the first cruise for her and then find out she doesn't like cruising!! (We here forget that not everyone likes to cruise!!)

As for your questions....IMHO..nothing less than a balcony (BB afts are incredibly romantic), and I doubt much that the itinery will matter to the two of you as you will probably be "busy" a lot of the time :D. Also, check into adding on the "Romance Package" thru Princess for an extra special touch!

 

Congratulations to you and your future bride!!

 

Deb

[zurmoly]

Dinner on your balcony, and a ring...how perfect!

[Lisa63]

My cousin received her marriage proposal while on a cruise. She and her boyfriend were on a Princess cruise to the Eastern Caribbean, and he proposed on their balcony one evening. She called many family members from St. Thomas the next day to share the happy news.

 

His original plan was to propose and give her the ring while they were snorkeling -- he was to surface with the ring and tell her he found something pretty in the water. Alas, the water that day was very murky, so he kept the ring secure in his pocket and proposed that evening. They both said it was very romantic.

[relevart]

If you propose on the cruise be sure she will say yes or it could be a very long cruise!

[Genessa]

She might prefer a proposal at home so that she can start calling her family and friends immediately and not have to wait until port or worry about expense of calling from the ship.

 

I voted for cruise for the honeymoon, 'cos you can be as alone as you want to be.

[mizsuzannah]

Your poll question said "If you've NEVER".... so I didn't vote in the actual poll.

 

But my two cents is: Get married at home. Let your families and friends share in your joy and save the cruise for the honeymoon. A marriage is something to be shared with your friends and family....the honeymoon is, well..... <raised eyebrows! > :D

[PAULNJILL]

I proposed to my fiancee over the televison broadcast one morning whilst at sea, we were the talk of the ship for days afterwards as she drew out the reply over a few days, The cruise director was great over this and we really had a good time In the end she said yes and it was broadcast all over the ship as well

[ashantimom]

A honeymoon cruise is perfect. That way, your family can attend and "help" plan the wedding, then you can ditch it all and go on the best vacation you've ever had.

 

I've never been on a cruise before and I think this is a very romantic idea. I would LOVE for my man to propose to me on my first cruise. Because I love him so much, I would even elope with him while on the cruise. Yes, our family and friends would miss out on the event, but they would be very happy for us. :)

[MandyGirl]

Definitely check out the honeymoon/wedding boards here on CruiseCritic. Lots of stories from various cruiseships of engagements, weddings, and honeymoons as well as pictures being shared.

 

Personally, hubby proposed after a baseball game on a vacation to Phoenix for Spring Training (we met at a baseball game locally - so it made sense for us). At first I was surprised he had not proposed on our Celebrity cruise four months earlier (southern Caribbean), but I later learned he had not been able to ask my dad prior to that cruise.

We married on cruise #3 while in port at St Thomas. With the geographic locations of our families scattered around the US, and knowing everyone would have to travel to come to our wedding no matter where we chose to marry (home in Dallas or back home where I grew up), we just figured we would travel somewhere good... so we married on St John, USVI. For most on our wedding cruise, it was their very first cruise. (Pics are linked in my signature) We are about to take cruise #6 - this time to Alaska - and almost everyone on our wedding cruise is joining us for Alaska. :)

We had really researched Princess in planning our cruise wedding, but decided what we truly wanted was our toes in the sand as we exchanged vows, so then it allowed us to research other cruiselines since we were not adamant about marrying while at sea (Princess is the only cruiseline that can marry while at sea - others must be in port somewhere but you can marry either on or off the ship while in port). With me being a teacher and us marrying over Spring Break, we chose a different cruiseline that more could afford... but we are still planning on trying Princess hopefully one day soon!

BTW - If you use Sprint PCS, it is considered a "local call" in their nationwide network when calling from St Thomas (and the part of St John you get reception). So if your ports of call include St Thomas, you could propose the day before reaching St Thomas (or even in the USVI) and then she can easily make phonecalls back home in St Thomas. That's usually our "call home" day when on a cruise since we have a cell phone with us, and when vacationing on St John we just need to be near Cruz Bay to get coverage. No coverage on the east side of St John.

Good luck!!

[seacrystal]

We returned from the 1/7/05 cruise on the 3-day Paradise. On the night of our formal dinner, the maitre d' starting making announcements mid-way through the dinner. It was "Bob's 80th birthday with his entire family," "so and so's anniversary" and then announced that "Mr. so and so had something important to ask." He got down on one knee in the aisle next to the table and proposed to his girlfriend! We all cheered and clapped it was really fun. That will give them something to talk about for a long time.

 

By the way - she said yes!

[MCManders99]

Since I am getting married in 4 months, I vote save it for the honeymoon. I am having a large wedding at home with family and friends and doing an Alaskan Cruise for the Honeymoon! This is the first cruise for both of us, but my parents are frequent cruisers and talk about them all the time, it made me want to go. We decided on the home wedding for many reasons, but the main one is most of our family (besides my parents and a couple others could not go for many reasons, including his mom) ANd plus why would I want my parents on my wedding/honeymoon cruise. I'm saving the cruise for just US.

[tetons]

While climbing up Dunn's Falls, a very nice gentleman in front of me was helping me as much as he could. My husband was behind me. Well, to our surprise, this nice gentleman popped the question in a small area in front of one of the waterfalls to his girlfriend. Of course she said yes. It was one of the most exciting proposals anyone on the excursion had ever experienced.

To the nice gentleman, if you are are reading this, please reply. My husband and I have wondered how the two of you are doing now. Just thinking about it now brings tears and a smile to may face.

[cruznliz]

My sister-in-law and her significant other (both in their mid 50's at the time) had an opportunity to go on a 65 day world cruise. In the planning excitement he popped the question! She immediately wanted to get married on the cruise, but unfortunately it was before you could really do that. They compromised with a beautiful civil ceremony at a hotel a week before the cruise that included just family and close friends. My husband and I purchased them the "renewal of vows" package and they had an outstanding private ceremony with the captain in Sydney harbor. The photos were awesome! I will say the captain was initially confused that they were renewing their vows after a full 3 weeks of marriage!!! ;)

 

 

By the by, we purchased the "low budget" renewal of vows package but they were inadvertently given the deluxe package! They still speak fondly of all the chocolate covered strawberries and hordeurves they received EVERY SINGLE NIGHT on the 65 day cruise! What a bargain!

[Speechless]

I proposed to my wife on the Grand Princess a year and a half ago.

 

I didn't care for an audience, so I waited til we found a quiet empty area outside on deck and stared out (Caribbean) around midnight. I got on one knee, and when she said yes - I IMMEDIATELY took 2 steps AWAY from the railing (I wasn't gonna drop that ring overboard) and put it on her finger.

 

It was simple, nothing extravagant, but it was just perfect.

 

Whatever you decide, good luck and you'll do just fine.

[NASH99]

My girlfriend has never been on a cruise. I have been on three including the Golden Princess. I am still in the planning stages of this process. Does anyone have any suggestions regarding intinerary, type of cabin, creative suggestions, or personal experiences?:)

 

A Caribbean cruise and balcony for sure. Cruise's are so romantic and personal to each person so I can't predict what's best. I voted save it for the honeymoon. But I'm old school. First marriage for each? That would make a difference.

Steve

[Nessi]

"Be proposed to, married, and honeymoon on the same cruise"

 

Most girls dream of planning their wedding since they were little girls. The cruise proposal is awesome. The cruise honeymoon is awesome. I don't know your girlfriend, but most girls would not want the whole package sprung on them. I definately would not recommend the above. She would probabby appreciate the surprise and the caring that went into it, but she would probably feel she missed out on planning her own wedding. Propose to her on a cruise and suggest the option of getting married on one. Weddings are all about the absolutely wonderful institution of marraige. But weddings are also about the girl picking out a beautiful dress. Trying it on with her bridesmaids in tow. She's fantasizing about being the most beautiful bride. I recommend you let her plan a wedding together. It's a chic thing.

[GLC'sBrenda]

My husband proposed to me March 2004 on the Golden Princess, my first cruise and his 15th. It could not have been more perfect. It was very romantic and special. We were married this past Saturday and can't wait for our "honeymoon cruise" on March 19th aboard the Caribbean Princess.

[jody]

Propose on the ship and then you can decide together what type of wedding you both want to have. I do suggest a honeymoon cruise too. That is what worked for us (although I wasn't lucky enough to have my proposal done on a ship, like I had hoped for).

 

12 sleeps until our honeymoon cruise!

[AmyinGA]

Propose on the cruise and then plan your honeymoon cruise (book on board to get the credits). A wedding at sea would have been great, but 90% of our guests wouldn't be able to afford a wedding cruise. Plan the cruise, get a balcony or mini-suite and order dinner for a romantic night under the stars. Then she can have time to plan that dream wedding while looking forward to a cruise for the two of you after the wedding. We went on a cruise for our honeymoon and now we go each year on our anniversary. It's a great way to celebrate each year.

[katricia]

I agree with this. I suggest buying a phone card for her so she can call her family. It's a wonderful idea to propose on board.

Congrats,

Katricia

[calikak]

I got engaged on my first cruise, and one of my best friends got engaged at the same time, also on the cruise. Our boyfriends had planned the whole thing, they both wanted to propose so they decided they'd do it on the same night, the last formal night, after dinner. My boyfriend (now husband) was going to take me out on the deck in the moonlight and do the whole get-down-on-one-knee thing in his tux, but unfortunately there was a huge storm that night. So there was no moonlight, and it was too windy to go out on deck, and to top it all off, he was seasick--he didn't even make it through dinner! But, when I got back to the room, he managed to get away from the toilet long enough to get down on one knee in his shorts and t-shirt and make a lovely speech before popping the question. :) My friend's boyfriend had planned to take her out onto their balcony in their nice formalwear to do his proposal, but like most women, the first thing she did when she got back to their cabin after dinner was get out of her uncomfortable formal dress and nylons, and put on some sweats. :D So, he waited until the next morning, and proposed over breakfast. When the two of us got together later that morning, she showed me her ring, and I showed her mine! It was a really fabulous moment, the guys were very proud of having been able to surprise us that way and us girls were both so happy for each other. As soon as we got home, we called our parents to tell them about it (my dad already knew, since DH had asked his permission to marry me, but my mom didn't).