Weddings on board

[Hoops_Baller]

We are thinking about getting married next fall onboard the Panorama.  We've both been married before, so we will be keeping it very small and simple.  Just wondering if anyone else has gotten married on board a Carnival ship?  If so, please share your experience and what you liked and didn't like about it.

 

P.S. In the meantime we are sailing the Sunrise in January...Only 57 more days!

[chengkp75]

Just to clarify, the Captain is not authorized to perform weddings, so the wedding, while physically on the ship, will be in a port of call, officiated by a legal representative of that country.

[Hoops_Baller]

According to the website you can do it aboard the ship on embarkation day, so ours will be in Long Beach.  You get priority boarding as part of the wedding package.

[Shmoo here]

1 hour ago, Hoops_Baller said:

According to the website you can do it aboard the ship on embarkation day, so ours will be in Long Beach.  You get priority boarding as part of the wedding package.

But, still, officiated by a local person authorized to perform weddings.  Not the Captain.

[cruisinmeme]

My son and his wife was married on the ship (New Orleans) once you notify the proper person they take the ball and plan everything for you. The family was met at the port and all sat together before boarding. Only the couple sailed on the cruise. The rest of us did have to go to special counter and check in. Had to leave our drivers license with the person at counter. We had a special tag to wear. That tag was returned and we got our license back when leaving ship. 

The food provided was ridiculous.  Way way too much. The time frame in which to eat and drink is very small so lots of food wasted. BTW once we all got on the ship and waited for wedding to start we were told to go to lido deck and eat.

the photo package was beautiful pictures but very high priced.  All 8x10’s, nothing else. We actually had all taken some good pictures but the bride didnt know that so she bought the package.

The whole wedding and reception seemed so rushed.

They take care of having a minister to marry you. In New Orleans the wedding planner and minister happen to be a couple (married)

you can add to the different packages available.  Example our bride wanted more corsages than allowed. A few other odds and ins.  You just pay the extra.  

[Essiesmom]

There is a board here for Honeymoon &Wedding cruises, under Special Interest Cruising:  https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/18-honeymoon-amp-wedding-cruises/

[cyntil8ing]

My daughter got married on the Carnival Pride in Baltimore in 2014. There were about 30 guests, but only my daughter and her husband, and me, my husband and our other two children stayed onboard for the cruise. It was wonderful! We were so pleased with everything and had no complaints at all. Planning was so easy. She and I toured the ship a few months beforehand and chose where we wanted the reception. Pride had a chapel, so we were able to have the ceremony there.

 

 

 

 

Edited November 25, 2019 by cyntil8ing

[serene56]

Carnival allows 3 weddings per sailing.    (and its first come first serve)

to the area of choice.   (depending on how many people are attending.

Carnival is not for the people who need to be planning. 

 

[cdm289]

15 hours ago, Hoops_Baller said:

We are thinking about getting married next fall onboard the Panorama.  We've both been married before, so we will be keeping it very small and simple.  Just wondering if anyone else has gotten married on board a Carnival ship?  If so, please share your experience and what you liked and didn't like about it.

 

P.S. In the meantime we are sailing the Sunrise in January...Only 57 more days!

My tip for getting married on the Carnival Panorama is to book EARLY!!!  We are cruising on that ship at the end of March.  We inquired in August and it was already sold out.  On the Carnival Panorama, they only allow embarkation weddings and only allow 2.  I was told they allow one "intimate" and one "grand" so if you want an "grand" wedding and they already have that space booked you would have to go with a "intimate" wedding.  Once booked, too bad so sad as they do NOT have a waiting list.  

 

Other sailings in the Caribbean offer weddings at ports but this itinerary does not so once those 2 spots are booked...that's it.  

 

I was told that weddings are booked over a year in advance.  They seemed shocked that I would call only 8 months out in hopes that it could happen.  

 

They offered me some different dates but we were already booked with airfare and we were set on sailing that week so we couldn't have changed.  

 

Book early!!!

 

[Hoops_Baller]

Thanks for the info...keep it coming.

[nascartim]

My wife and I got married 3 months ago on a carnival ship. We both were married previously also. We did not use any of carnival's services. My wife's best friend is a notary and is experienced in the ceremony process. We had a large group of friends already going on this cruise when we made our decision. The plan was to meet on a deck somewhere, it was decided to be on the back serenity deck, as I and a group of friends made our way back there it seemed quite busy and a bit hot, I walked around the corner and these 2 doors opened up for me and I found myself in the back of the comedy club, air conditioning, stage and all, so we decided that would be our spot. We were in there maybe 30 minutes or so and no one ever said a thing to us. P.s. in the state of Florida a notaries license is good within 9 nautical miles of the gulf coast. It wasn't a problem at all, we got it done early before everyone had a chance to get to drunk. The rest of the cruise was the honeymoon.

[seaturtle_808]

I recently got married on embarkation day on a cruise. We did a Princess cruise out of Los Angeles (San Pedro). I really do not recommend embarkation day weddings. There are so many moving parts that can get delayed which super rushes your day and you can't get the time back.

 

Our ship didn't get cleared to start boarding till 12pm (we were supposed to board around 10:30am), the florals were sent to the ceremony site not the room so none of our pre-wedding photos have flowers. The flowers were the wrong color but there was no time to fix it. Our string duo got stuck in customs which further delayed our ceremony, and when they arrived they weren't properly briefed so they played the wrong music. And our ceremony had to be cut super short (one poem, vows, announced husband and wife, done) because of time. 

 

We had some nice pictures after the ship sailed when we did a walk-around with a photographer. But the photography was very expensive and we were only with the photographer maybe 2 hours for the ceremony and cocktail reception and then an hour for the walk-around photography. We also didn't get many photos with our family and friends who didn't sail as we were so rushed.

 

I've heard the weddings at sea are lovely and are not as rushed, but after my embarkation day experience I would not recommend it. 

[Host Carolyn]

When I was a TA this was the most common complaint about weddings on the ships... and most of the ones our agency booked were on Carnival.  There ARE a lot of moving parts so to speak that can't  be foreseen or controlled if they happen -- flight delays, lost luggage, weather delaying ship coming back into port, delayed embarkation (as above) due to customs etc.   The best advice I have is be flexible and keep your eye on the prize, i.e., at the end of it you will be married!  Hopefully all will go smoothly but just be prepared for "hiccups."

[Hoops_Baller]

Thanks for all of the replies everyone....I think we have actually decided not to get married on the ship.  A lot of different little reasons, but the responses were helpful, and I hope they are helpful to others as well.