Carnival Classic Package- June 2020 Wedding

[kichan]

Hello, I'm in the VERY early stages of planning an embarkation wedding our of NYC on the Carnival Sunrise in June 2020 (my fiance and I started talking about it this morning lol!).  I have downloaded the wedding brochure and we are considering the Classic Diamond package. We have only cruised on Carnival once before but had a great experience,  and since we live in NY, thought an ceremony on embarkation day would be most convenient for those who aren't sailing with us (we will also have family and friends traveling from overseas).  I welcome any advice from those who have booked this type of package, as well as things we need to look out for. I keep reading the recurring issue of the photography packages being ridiculously expensive and an wondering if we can instead just have a friend or guest take our official photos. Also, a 1 hour reception seems short to me.  For those who have done it, was that enough time to enjoy the reception and spend time with guests,  or did you feel rushed?  Were you able to bring your own music for the reception. or did you have to use their DJ? Were your guests allowedto eat at the buffet with other cruising passengers? Overall, were you satisfied with the planning and wedding experience provided?  So many questions and I'm sure I'll have more! Thank you in advance. 

[Rzexmail]

I have already booked my wedding for this September as an embarkation wedding. I went with the carnival classic gold package. Also beware that price on the brochure change depending on the ship. I booked on the vista that is one of their new ships and my starting free was about $850 more than the brochure.

 

Family and friends can bring their own cameras and take photos. They just can’t set up any try pods.

 

DJ: you can either give him a iPod or phone with a list of songs already in order for $150(we chose this option.

 

Or you can pick a theme for 250: did not like the themes none really fit our music style which is really all over the place.

 

Your guest can eat at the buffet before the wedding but it’s an extra $17 per person. We decided to skip this option seeing that the reception will have food. However any guest who are sailing may of course eat at the buffet.

 

Lastly, an hour feels super rushed to me too. So when they sent me the form of how we wanted our reception( first dance, dad and bride dance etc.) we decided to just do an introduction of just us, our first dance, and then enjoy our guest. Especially  since most are not sailing with us.

 

Hope this helps! I will do a full review after my wedding.

[becky48417]

I would call or email them and get a quote for the number of people you are anticipating.  They can then tell you how much the extra half hour is.  We went with the Platinum package and for the extra half hour for our group, it was $2400.  I couldn't justify spending that on 30 minutes.  There is a large group on a social media page for Carnival Cruise Brides that has tons of info too.

[PippaScott]

$ 2,400 for a group is very expensive

[cowprintrabbit]

On 3/30/2019 at 7:57 AM, kichan said:

Hello, I'm in the VERY early stages of planning an embarkation wedding our of NYC on the Carnival Sunrise in June 2020 (my fiance and I started talking about it this morning lol!).  I have downloaded the wedding brochure and we are considering the Classic Diamond package. We have only cruised on Carnival once before but had a great experience,  and since we live in NY, thought an ceremony on embarkation day would be most convenient for those who aren't sailing with us (we will also have family and friends traveling from overseas).  I welcome any advice from those who have booked this type of package, as well as things we need to look out for. I keep reading the recurring issue of the photography packages being ridiculously expensive and an wondering if we can instead just have a friend or guest take our official photos. Also, a 1 hour reception seems short to me.  For those who have done it, was that enough time to enjoy the reception and spend time with guests,  or did you feel rushed?  Were you able to bring your own music for the reception. or did you have to use their DJ? Were your guests allowedto eat at the buffet with other cruising passengers? Overall, were you satisfied with the planning and wedding experience provided?  So many questions and I'm sure I'll have more! Thank you in advance. 

How did it go? Starting to plan a tiny embarkation wedding for next year.

[cowprintrabbit]

On 4/25/2019 at 11:30 AM, Rzexmail said:

I have already booked my wedding for this September as an embarkation wedding. I went with the carnival classic gold package. Also beware that price on the brochure change depending on the ship. I booked on the vista that is one of their new ships and my starting free was about $850 more than the brochure.

 

Family and friends can bring their own cameras and take photos. They just can’t set up any try pods.

 

DJ: you can either give him a iPod or phone with a list of songs already in order for $150(we chose this option.

 

Or you can pick a theme for 250: did not like the themes none really fit our music style which is really all over the place.

 

Your guest can eat at the buffet before the wedding but it’s an extra $17 per person. We decided to skip this option seeing that the reception will have food. However any guest who are sailing may of course eat at the buffet.

 

Lastly, an hour feels super rushed to me too. So when they sent me the form of how we wanted our reception( first dance, dad and bride dance etc.) we decided to just do an introduction of just us, our first dance, and then enjoy our guest. Especially  since most are not sailing with us.

 

Hope this helps! I will do a full review after my wedding.

How did it go? Starting to plan a tiny embarkation wedding for next year.