Royal Romance (from Royal Caribbean) Problems and Advice?

[liberty06-07]

We were married aboard the Independence of the Seas in January of 2016. My personal experiences with Royal Romance and the on-board wedding coordinator could not be more positive.

 

I had my reservations based on the abundance of negative reviews for Royal Romance out there. Every bride/groom is different - I personally did not want to have to spend time stressing over the little details, so a wedding on a cruise ship seemed perfect. I made the choices that were important to me and they handled everything else amazingly.

 

Don't expect weekly (or even monthly if you book far in advance) interactions with them. There are weddings being held on every cruise ship every week. There is only a small staff at Royal Romance to handle all the brides (and grooms). I would recommend saving up all your questions. I wrote out lengthy emails with all of my questions and would send them to my coordinator a few days before the next scheduled phone call. She loved it as it gave her time to gather up all the answers. As it got closer to our wedding date, the frequency of emails/calls picked up.

 

What I was pleasantly surprised to learn was that they go way above and beyond the options listed in the wedding details packet. They custom made our ceremony welcome drinks to match the wedding colors. There were over a dozen different cake/filling choices not listed. We found out that they offer the wedding cakes in square as well as round. I had the option to send pictures of flower arrangements I liked and work with the onboard florist to get a quote. Same thing with custom decorating of the cake - I sent pictures of what I wanted it to look like. I personally hated the idea of white rose boutineers and they were able to change the flower without a problem. They provided "kid plates" for the younger guests attending the reception. There are MANY more examples, but I think you get the idea. Basically, if there is something you really want for your wedding day - definitely ask. I don't recall hearing "no" once. Maybe I didn't have outlandish requests, but its certainly worth a shot.

 

One thing I definitely recommend is reviewing the wedding details contract with a fine toothed comb. You will receive a form to fill out with your selections 2-3 months before your wedding, and is typically finalized around 45 before you set sail. Ours wasn't finalized till 2-3 weeks before we set sail, but everything went fine. This is important as it is the primary document the onboard coordinator will receive. Make sure everything is correct and any special requests you may have are included in it.

 

I would not recommend a cruise/destination wedding for brides that like to plan every detail. However, it was a perfect match for my husband and I. We wanted to minimize the stress level while planning our wedding. RCCL is very experienced at weddings as they do them week in and week out aboard the ships. We could not be any happier about our decision.

I am relieved to see a positive review of Royal Romance. You noted they provided kids plates. We were told that all guests are charged as adults no matter the age. Was this true for you? Approximately, what was the cost of your flowers. Just trying to get a sense as I am getting married on RCL next February.

[ladanianw]

We were married aboard the Independence of the Seas in January of 2016. My personal experiences with Royal Romance and the on-board wedding coordinator could not be more positive.

 

I had my reservations based on the abundance of negative reviews for Royal Romance out there. Every bride/groom is different - I personally did not want to have to spend time stressing over the little details, so a wedding on a cruise ship seemed perfect. I made the choices that were important to me and they handled everything else amazingly.

 

Don't expect weekly (or even monthly if you book far in advance) interactions with them. There are weddings being held on every cruise ship every week. There is only a small staff at Royal Romance to handle all the brides (and grooms). I would recommend saving up all your questions. I wrote out lengthy emails with all of my questions and would send them to my coordinator a few days before the next scheduled phone call. She loved it as it gave her time to gather up all the answers. As it got closer to our wedding date, the frequency of emails/calls picked up.

 

What I was pleasantly surprised to learn was that they go way above and beyond the options listed in the wedding details packet. They custom made our ceremony welcome drinks to match the wedding colors. There were over a dozen different cake/filling choices not listed. We found out that they offer the wedding cakes in square as well as round. I had the option to send pictures of flower arrangements I liked and work with the onboard florist to get a quote. Same thing with custom decorating of the cake - I sent pictures of what I wanted it to look like. I personally hated the idea of white rose boutineers and they were able to change the flower without a problem. They provided "kid plates" for the younger guests attending the reception. There are MANY more examples, but I think you get the idea. Basically, if there is something you really want for your wedding day - definitely ask. I don't recall hearing "no" once. Maybe I didn't have outlandish requests, but its certainly worth a shot.

 

One thing I definitely recommend is reviewing the wedding details contract with a fine toothed comb. You will receive a form to fill out with your selections 2-3 months before your wedding, and is typically finalized around 45 before you set sail. Ours wasn't finalized till 2-3 weeks before we set sail, but everything went fine. This is important as it is the primary document the onboard coordinator will receive. Make sure everything is correct and any special requests you may have are included in it.

 

I would not recommend a cruise/destination wedding for brides that like to plan every detail. However, it was a perfect match for my husband and I. We wanted to minimize the stress level while planning our wedding. RCCL is very experienced at weddings as they do them week in and week out aboard the ships. We could not be any happier about our decision.

 

socks33, great to see more and more positive reviews about Royal Romance. Do you mind to tell me who's your coordinator and planner? I'm in the process of booking mine and I've phoned Royal Romance a couple of times, not all coordinators I talked to seem trustworthy..

[Jennybean1881]

I'm getting married on December of 2016 on the Allure. We were originally talking work Shannon, but got transferred to Stephanie. We had a few hiccups starting off, they took forever approving to to be married on the ship. And then Shannon left the company very quickly after that, when we got assigned to Stephanie, we found out our paperwork was lost. So... We had to send in a whole new contract. We've been assigned with out wedding planner Ingrid, we're scheduled to talk with her October 4th. Glad to see such positive reviews about royal romance... I've heard some horror stories. We were told we would be married in Dazzles. Hopefully things continue to go smoothly.