Wedding on embarkation day, is it worth it ?

[sebas030]

We will be sailing on the Gem in march 2013 and I was thinking of turning this trip into our wedding and honeymoon.

 

I got all the info from NCL ( within hours of request :eek: ) and we are thinking of doing it on the ship on embarkation day.

 

Has anyone done this ?, are you rushed ?, is it worth it ?, would you recommend it ?

 

We could wed at one of the port we visit but then no family members could join us :(

 

Thanks for the input !

[che5904]

Your question may get a faster reply on the Wedding and Honeymoon board.

 

You may want to try there

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=31

[DevCruise]

We will be sailing on the Gem in march 2013 and I was thinking of turning this trip into our wedding and honeymoon.

 

I got all the info from NCL ( within hours of request :eek: ) and we are thinking of doing it on the ship on embarkation day.

 

Has anyone done this ?, are you rushed ?, is it worth it ?, would you recommend it ?

 

We could wed at one of the port we visit but then no family members could join us :(

 

Thanks for the input !

 

First, I would avoid scheduling it for any ports that you visit. Many tales on here of how people scheduled events on land with other members of the family/friends and the ship changed port orders or skipped ports entirely.

 

As for the rest of your questions, it all depends on the wedding/reception you want to have and how many of your guests would be willing to book a cruise. When my wife got married, we had an all night reception. That won't work on the cruise ship unless a lot of your guests are going with you.

 

There's no right or wrong answer. But you have to figure out what is important to you.

[sdmike]

Any time I've seen a wedding prior to sailing the parties have look rushed and out of sorts. I've seen a crying bride because the cruise line forgot to set up the venue (in the rush of disembarking and embarking thousands of passengers). I guess mistakes happen, but personally I would opt for something calmer. :)

[McDebbie]

I've seen many weddings on embarkation day, most have been Carnival or NCL short cruises. The family members do not have to cruise with you, they can come on board for those few hours providing they have proper ID. The weddings we personally observed (yes we peeked) seemed to go well but I have read some horror stories here, do a search with wedding as key word. And you will probably find a lot more stories over on the Carnival board.

 

Either way, good luck!

[www3traveler]

We will be sailing on the Gem in march 2013 and I was thinking of turning this trip into our wedding and honeymoon.

 

I got all the info from NCL ( within hours of request :eek: ) and we are thinking of doing it on the ship on embarkation day.

 

Has anyone done this ?, are you rushed ?, is it worth it ?, would you recommend it ?

 

We could wed at one of the port we visit but then no family members could join us :(

 

Thanks for the input !

I am planning for my wedding aboard an NCL, but it will not be on an embarkation day. The staff is way too busy getting things cleared from the prior cruise and making sure things are ready for the new cruise. As hard as they will try, things can and do get over looked. I am thinking of using a Sea Day for my wedding. I have not thought it all out yet. My wedding is going to be very very small-including myself and the groom- there will be only 4 or 5 other people involved.

[sebas030]

I am planning for my wedding aboard an NCL, but it will not be on an embarkation day. The staff is way too busy getting things cleared from the prior cruise and making sure things are ready for the new cruise. As hard as they will try, things can and do get over looked. I am thinking of using a Sea Day for my wedding. I have not thought it all out yet. My wedding is going to be very very small-including myself and the groom- there will be only 4 or 5 other people involved.

 

Hi,

 

I have read in the NCL's brochure that they do not perform wedding on sea day. It is either embarkation day or a port day.

 

Ok I will keep looking

 

Thanks!

[sebas030]

Your question may get a faster reply on the Wedding and Honeymoon board.

 

You may want to try there

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=31

 

Thank you,

 

I did a search on the main board but never looked if there was a wedding board :o

[njhorseman]

I am planning for my wedding aboard an NCL, but it will not be on an embarkation day. The staff is way too busy getting things cleared from the prior cruise and making sure things are ready for the new cruise. As hard as they will try, things can and do get over looked. I am thinking of using a Sea Day for my wedding. I have not thought it all out yet. My wedding is going to be very very small-including myself and the groom- there will be only 4 or 5 other people involved.

 

You'll find that you won't be able to be legally married at sea on NCL. NCL captains can't do it because NCL's ships are registered in the Bahamas, where laws don't permit ship captains to perform weddings. Even if you bring your own officiant, they won't have the legal authority to marry you in international waters.

 

You can get married at sea on a number of cruise lines whose ships are registered in certain other countries such as Bermuda and Malta that permit captains to perform weddings. Princess, Cunard and Celebrity are among the lines that perform weddings at sea.

[www3traveler]

We will be sailing on the Gem in march 2013 and I was thinking of turning this trip into our wedding and honeymoon.

 

I got all the info from NCL ( within hours of request :eek: ) and we are thinking of doing it on the ship on embarkation day.

 

Has anyone done this ?, are you rushed ?, is it worth it ?, would you recommend it ?

 

We could wed at one of the port we visit but then no family members could join us :(

 

Thanks for the input !

I had not though about this until after I had posted, but because of the Costa Concordia event, you may be able to bring guests on board who are not registered passengers. I know that security rules have been tighten since the accident, but to what degree I do not know. We are not having guests or family with us, just us. You might want to call NCL, talk to one of their wedding planners and ask. Concordia changed a lot of things and that may be one. It would not hurt to check and double check, so that you or someone else will not be disappointed.

[njhorseman]

I had not though about this until after I had posted, but because of the Costa Concordia event, you may be able to bring guests on board who are not registered passengers. I know that security rules have been tighten since the accident, but to what degree I do not know. We are not having guests or family with us, just us. You might want to call NCL, talk to one of their wedding planners and ask. Concordia changed a lot of things and that may be one. It would not hurt to check and double check, so that you or someone else will not be disappointed.

 

The issue with the Costa Concordia had to do with a possibly unregistered person on board (and on the bridge) while the ship was at sea, not with having guests on board while the ship is in port.

 

What you're talking about would effectively put an end to on board weddings while in port...at a huge loss of income to the cruise lines.

 

Wedding parties aren't the only instance when non-passenger guests are allowed aboard a ship in port. Travel agents are often invited to on board tours and lunch while ships are in port, as are local dignitaries and officials.

[aeh88]

I don't know about NCL, but I got married on embarkation day with HAL. It worked great for me. I did not feel too rushed in the ceremony or the reception. It kept it short, which I kind of wanted since I do not usually like to be the center of attention. At the reception we had time to walk around and say hi to everyone and then have toasts. The only problem we had was in boarding. I had 75 guests at the wedding and was told that they needed to be there by a certain time. What I wasn't told was that they all needed to be there before I could board. That was the only time I felt rushed, as I was waiting for my always late uncle to arrive. If you do decide to do this, make sure to find out the rules regarding boarding. It will save you stress on the big day.

[Arzeena]

I saw a wedding on the Explorer of the Seas on embarkation day. It was a small affair, with the bride, groom, parents, the ship's photographer, a coordinator and the "captain" who performed the ceremony.....I say captain because he had 4.5 stripes, but he was not the captain we sailed with.

[roger001]

Get married elsewhere in a non stressful setting without hurry. Then....after the big event....get away together and honeymoon on the ship. Getting married on the ship would be like getting married in the middle of a department store. My opinion.

[GriffinAlexander]

We will be sailing on the Gem in march 2013 and I was thinking of turning this trip into our wedding and honeymoon.

 

I got all the info from NCL ( within hours of request :eek: ) and we are thinking of doing it on the ship on embarkation day.

 

Has anyone done this ?, are you rushed ?, is it worth it ?, would you recommend it ?

 

We could wed at one of the port we visit but then no family members could join us :(

 

Thanks for the input !

 

First off, congrats on meeting the person with whom you plan to spend your life! Of course everything depends on all the variables. If it's just you two or your party is small and everyone is cruising, you could have the whole thing on the ship and see if they'll give you Bliss or Spice H2O for your occasion. You would probably have to ensure that you have the person officiating traveling with you too, unless the ship provides someone.

 

If it were me, and I wanted to invite people who won't be traveling, I'd get married the day before, spend a night ravishing or being ravished in the hotel room, then have limo service to the port. If you have a latitudes or Casinos At Sea membership you'll get through your boarding quicker, then you are free to enjoy your cruise.

 

As others have stated, your best advice will come from the weddings threads. I'm just giving you my rather limited opinion on the subject. I'm always happy to see when people have found the ones they want to spend their lives with. If you're on my cruise my partner and I will buy you a drink!

[garycarla]

No matter how hard you and the ship work at making it happen, your odds of problems are high. After all, they have 2,000 people getting off, going through customs, etc. They have 2,000 people trying to check in, board, etc. They have to "turn over" he entire ship. They are loading tons of supplies. Some crew are off for a few hours to go ashore. There is often some staff turnover as a few crew leave to go home, a few board. Your guests have to arrive at a busy place, park, taxi, etc. They board with the appropriate paperwork.

 

Not to blame anyone, but the chances of a breakdown has to be considered. But, if you want to do it, go for it.

 

 

A possible idea.

I would consider a 10am wedding at a local hotel, small reception, then be wisked off to your honeymoon ship.

[chrisc71]

I got married on RCL on embarkation day. We had a nice gathering afterward with RCL providing food and waiters. It was exactly what my DW and I wanted. A small affair with the people we wanted with us. I have been to so many weddings with hundreds of people and they always seemed like a waste. We never felt rushed.

 

For us it worked out and I would recommend it. As I said we did RCL so I do not know how NCL runs their program but I would still recommend a ship board marriage if that is what you want.

 

We tried getting others to go with us but a lot of people I think felt weird about going on our honeymoon.