Any RCCL brides out there?

[nk926]

I believe you can get married aboard the ship at any port, it is just that most people do it at embarkation so that more guests can come to the wedding who aren't joining them on the cruise. You cannot, however, marry while at sea (unless you are on Princess Cruiseline). If you get married aboard the ship (no matter where the port), you must use Royal Romance (aka The Wedding Experience), whereas if you get married on shore anywhere you have the option of using TWE or a private wedding coordinator.

 

 

That makes sense...thanks!

[Croozergirl]

I'd like to add my 2-cents to the Royal Romance/TWE complaints. This just happened today. The bride and groom had been calling and emailing for two months (since the time they paid) to get the answers to some questions. No reply from their coordinator. Period. Frustrated and angry, the bride's mother got through this afternoon and spoke with someone in St. Thomas at TWE. What she found out was very disturbing, unacceptable and inexcusable. The bride's coordinator was fired from the company nearly 2 months ago (somthing about inappropriate behavior). No one ever contacted the couple to tell them that she was no longer with the company and they would be assigned a new coordinator. The new coordinator was only assigned today. Had mom of the brinde not called, they still would not have known. When asked why they didn't even do the courtesy of contacting the couple and at least acknowledging their inquiries, they said "sorry for the inconvenience" and did not provide a reason why they dropped the ball.

 

Then to add insult to injury, they were told that in looking at the contract, the fired coordinator was not supposed to break the fee into several payments ("x" amount was charged to their CC upon booking, "x" amount was automatically charged last month, with the remainder due NLT I believe August). Well, they said that was all a mistake and the full amount was supposed to be collected upon booking. Mom explained that she had the contract faxed to TWE in her hands and that was a legally binding contract, regardless of their mistake. They replied that ther remainder of the balance must be paid by this Friday. Needless to say, mom of the bride is sending a scathing letter of complaint to RCL about this whole ugly thing.

 

To shorten this long story, the couple has a legal loophold with the signed contract and they want to back out of the whole thing and go with a St. Thomas wedding group, like Weddings the Island Way. So, this evening I'm searching the blogs for feedback on various wedding companies for St. Thomas.

 

What I've found so far is that TWE really nickel and dimes you and charges outragious fees compared to island packages. Anyway, I just wanted to throw that in.

[esbie11]

I'd like to add my 2-cents to the Royal Romance/TWE complaints. This just happened today. The bride and groom had been calling and emailing for two months (since the time they paid) to get the answers to some questions. No reply from their coordinator. Period. Frustrated and angry, the bride's mother got through this afternoon and spoke with someone in St. Thomas at TWE. What she found out was very disturbing, unacceptable and inexcusable. The bride's coordinator was fired from the company nearly 2 months ago (somthing about inappropriate behavior). No one ever contacted the couple to tell them that she was no longer with the company and they would be assigned a new coordinator. The new coordinator was only assigned today. Had mom of the brinde not called, they still would not have known. When asked why they didn't even do the courtesy of contacting the couple and at least acknowledging their inquiries, they said "sorry for the inconvenience" and did not provide a reason why they dropped the ball.

 

Then to add insult to injury, they were told that in looking at the contract, the fired coordinator was not supposed to break the fee into several payments ("x" amount was charged to their CC upon booking, "x" amount was automatically charged last month, with the remainder due NLT I believe August). Well, they said that was all a mistake and the full amount was supposed to be collected upon booking. Mom explained that she had the contract faxed to TWE in her hands and that was a legally binding contract, regardless of their mistake. They replied that ther remainder of the balance must be paid by this Friday. Needless to say, mom of the bride is sending a scathing letter of complaint to RCL about this whole ugly thing.

 

To shorten this long story, the couple has a legal loophold with the signed contract and they want to back out of the whole thing and go with a St. Thomas wedding group, like Weddings the Island Way. So, this evening I'm searching the blogs for feedback on various wedding companies for St. Thomas.

 

What I've found so far is that TWE really nickel and dimes you and charges outragious fees compared to island packages. Anyway, I just wanted to throw that in.

 

Wow I am sorry to hear this but not surprised. I am not sure what else you have read on here, but there are several threads with TWE horror stories. Mine is the thread "Wanting to Share my Royal Romance Story." Also check out www.cruiseweddingexperience.com and add your story on there! I hate to say it, but the mother's letter to RCCL will do nothing. Myself and several others have written to them with no response. The good news is that there are so many excellent WCs in St. Thomas. I am using Perfect Weddings of St. Thomas, but there are alot of others than seem great as well! To be honest, I would take any money loss just to get out of dealing with TWE and start over with a more competent private WC. Good luck!

[pattycakes]

that sucks croozergirl -- unfortunately, when you have no competition you tend to believe you can run roughshod whenever you want. I can tell you they will not return the $500 admin fee, unless you fight tooth and nail even if you believe they've breached their own contract.

 

We've filed with the credit card company who has issued a temp credit back to R, and also just heard from Florida Dept of Consumer Fraud, who claims that TWE is still standing behind the itinery change in NY that never happened. In any event, good luck with whichever way they decide to go.

[bermuda09]

Hey...I am in the process of finalizing plans for leaving on July 4, 2009 on Explorer of the Seas! However, I am still debating about how I want to approach the coordination of the actual wedding (taking place on Bermuda 7/7). All of these horror storites with TWE have encouraged me to look toward wedding planners on the island. I feel very sorry for those who have had such terrible experiences with this service.:confused:

[Croozergirl]

Hey...I am in the process of finalizing plans for leaving on July 4, 2009 on Explorer of the Seas! However, I am still debating about how I want to approach the coordination of the actual wedding (taking place on Bermuda 7/7). All of these horror storites with TWE have encouraged me to look toward wedding planners on the island. I feel very sorry for those who have had such terrible experiences with this service.:confused:

 

In all fairness, not every story I've read about is horrible. Truth is the TWE has it locked in with most (if not all) of the cruise lines (RCL, Carnival, Princess to name a few). I went on all three cruse lines' websites and saw similar tales of woe re: TWE. The location of the wedding didn't seem to make a difference. This speaks to, among other things, a problem of consistency and quality. You have certain expectations, and when the company falls short, the disappointment is an understatement, particularly when you find out that your situation is not unique. Anyway, I wish you the best of luck and congratulations.

[esbie11]

Hey...I am in the process of finalizing plans for leaving on July 4, 2009 on Explorer of the Seas! However, I am still debating about how I want to approach the coordination of the actual wedding (taking place on Bermuda 7/7). All of these horror storites with TWE have encouraged me to look toward wedding planners on the island. I feel very sorry for those who have had such terrible experiences with this service.:confused:

 

There are private wedding coordinators in Bermuda. As someone else already said, not everyone has had bad experiences with TWE. But, in my opinion, there are WAY too many bad experiences for me to want to use them for such an important occassion. I know someone else who is getting married in Bermuda this July and is sailing on Explorer of the Seas. I will ask who she is using for her wedding and get back to you!:)

[nk926]

Just to add my experience here with TWE (Royal Romance). They don't ever seem to have someone pick up the phone over at the St. Thomas office. I've been calling and leaving messages and finally my TA called them and I got a phone call immediately, as well as a renewed sense of urgency about returning calls and emails. I'm still not sure about whether or not I'll use them given the other feedback (on pricing), but hope this helps, maybe pressure from someone in the industry may help your particular cause, whatever it may be, since it definitely helped mine..

[esbie11]

The girl I know is using a private WC in Bermuda. She is using

www.kreativekoncepts.biz. Let me know if you want any specific info from her, and I will see if it is ok with her to give you her personal email address. Good Luck!

[pearl667]

I always seem to have a better experience with TWE when my travel agent calls on my behalf. They won't always call me back straight away, but they always seem to call her back, etc. However, one point that I was unaware of, if there are two weddings booked on the ship on any given day, there can only be one reception because RC will not have two at the same time. The woman at RR was unable to explain the reasoning to me. I do not know where this is in the literature because neither myself nor my TA knew about it, however, they tell me it is there.

It almost cost us the reception as the other bride on our sailing date booked first and had priority. Thankfully she did not submit the paperwork within the 48 hours needed and I was able to submit mine. I still feel badly for her though, everyone should have the ability to a reception if they so choose it. There could be plenty of logical reasons why she was unable to get it in on time, even knowing the consequences. It seems unfair, and who would expect that if two weddings are permitted 2 receptions would not be?

[hollidaygal]

I always seem to have a better experience with TWE when my travel agent calls on my behalf. They won't always call me back straight away, but they always seem to call her back, etc. However, one point that I was unaware of, if there are two weddings booked on the ship on any given day, there can only be one reception because RC will not have two at the same time. The woman at RR was unable to explain the reasoning to me. I do not know where this is in the literature because neither myself nor my TA knew about it, however, they tell me it is there.

It almost cost us the reception as the other bride on our sailing date booked first and had priority. Thankfully she did not submit the paperwork within the 48 hours needed and I was able to submit mine. I still feel badly for her though, everyone should have the ability to a reception if they so choose it. There could be plenty of logical reasons why she was unable to get it in on time, even knowing the consequences. It seems unfair, and who would expect that if two weddings are permitted 2 receptions would not be?

 

That is not accurate information. There can be up to 3 weddings and 3 receptions on any ship on the same day. It depends on how long and how big the receptions are though. I have worked 3 weddings with 3 receptions many times and lot's of times there are 2 receptions going on at the same time, just in two different locations. You might want to double check with whoever you talked to. It could have been a new person. Good luck!

[horseypharm]

My fiance and I are getting married 6/22/08 on Mariner of the Seas. I can't believe how time has flown!! We are keeping the wedding and reception simple so I am hoping the TWE experience goes well. So far, they have responded to all of my e-mails and answered my questions over the phone as well. We have 19 sailing guests and 19 non-sailing guests and are having a 1 hour reception.

[pearl667]

Hollidaygal - are you sure? My friend also spoke with RR on my behalf as I just could not believe it and was told the same thing about the reception. They said that a person could book another space to host people with food and beverage with RC, but it would not technically be a "reception" booked through RR. Also when I was booking the wedding, two different people told me that there could only be two weddings on that day. I know that for sure because there was a mix up and originally one told me that two weddings were already booked and I could not be married that day because they allow no more than two before sailing. It was then determined that there was only one so it ended up being ok but I was very nervous for a bit. This just seems to be the kind of thing one can encounter using RR...I'm just trying to go with the flow and not worry too much about it! :-)

 

horseypharm - I'm glad you have had such a positive experience, it leaves me hopeful as I get closer to our wedding date!

[Rhib7686]

Just curious what % deposit RCI requires for the actual cruise...or if it varies by TA. We're finally getting closer to booking..FINALLY the planning will begin. :D

[esbie11]

Just curious what % deposit RCI requires for the actual cruise...or if it varies by TA. We're finally getting closer to booking..FINALLY the planning will begin. :D

 

$250 per person. I don't believe it varies by TA but perhaps by cruise length. Our cruise is 9 days and that is the deposit that was required.

[hollidaygal]

Hollidaygal - are you sure? My friend also spoke with RR on my behalf as I just could not believe it and was told the same thing about the reception. They said that a person could book another space to host people with food and beverage with RC, but it would not technically be a "reception" booked through RR. Also when I was booking the wedding, two different people told me that there could only be two weddings on that day. I know that for sure because there was a mix up and originally one told me that two weddings were already booked and I could not be married that day because they allow no more than two before sailing. It was then determined that there was only one so it ended up being ok but I was very nervous for a bit. This just seems to be the kind of thing one can encounter using RR...I'm just trying to go with the flow and not worry too much about it! :-)

 

horseypharm - I'm glad you have had such a positive experience, it leaves me hopeful as I get closer to our wedding date!

 

Which port are you getting married in? The only port and ship that I know of that can't accomodate 3 weddings & receptions is Key West on the Enchantment (I think) because it's not in port for 8 hours and it's difficult to accomodate 3 weddings or even 2 depending on the length of the reception. Hope this makes sense!

[pearl667]

Hi Hollidaygal - We are getting married before the cruise departs, on Explorer of the Seas in Bayonne NJ. Could that be because everyone is boarding that day and there is not enough time? The way the person at RR made it sound was that it was the rule in general but she could have been only speaking about our specific date.

[hollidaygal]

Apparently in Bayonne, NY and San Pedro they can only accomodate 2 weddings and either one 2 hour reception or two 1 hour receptions. The reason for this is the boarding and security procedures take a lot longer than they do in other ports and the couple usually can't board until noon or 12:30. Because of this, there is not enough time to handle anything longer than a 2 hour reception because non-sailing guests need to disembark by 3:30 at the latest. Get married in Miami...it's alot easier! ;) Good luck and let me know if I can help you with anything else!

[kmigrrrl]

I just got married on The Explorer and it is true that they will only do 2 weddings while in port. Also you are only permitted the 1 hour reception. I had an absolutley beautiful wedding and when I get a chance I will try to post a review of my experience and try to share some pictures as well.

[cruisinbride09]

We're getting married February 2009- the Adventure of the Seas on St. Maarten. Just booked the ceremony and are absolutely excited!! Counting the down the days. :)

[pattycakes]

I just got married on The Explorer and it is true that they will only do 2 weddings while in port. Also you are only permitted the 1 hour reception. I had an absolutley beautiful wedding and when I get a chance I will try to post a review of my experience and try to share some pictures as well.

 

we were told only 2 weddings in bayonne but were also told that they do allow 1 2-hour reception not that all receptions could only be 1 hour. are you positive that that info is correct regarding the length of all port receptions?

[kmigrrrl]

I believe in Bayonne only a 1 hour reception is allowed. That was the information we had received and therefore that is what we had, however if they tell you you can have a 2 hour reception I would DEFINITELY go for it. That is the one thing I wish were different. Everything was absolutely wonderful but went by way too fast.

[pearl667]

kmigrrrl-any info you can provide about a wedding on Explorer out of Bayonne would be appreciated...we still have 5 months to go but I'm sure it will go by quickly with all of the planning we still have left to do!

[hollidaygal]

we were told only 2 weddings in bayonne but were also told that they do allow 1 2-hour reception not that all receptions could only be 1 hour. are you positive that that info is correct regarding the length of all port receptions?

 

Like I stated earlier, if there is only one wedding on that ship that day, and they want a 2 hour reception, it is possible. If there are 2 weddings that day and they both want a reception, than it can only be a 1 hour reception for both. If there are two weddings and only one couple wants a reception, they can have either a 2 hour or 1 hour. Does this make sense ladies? Hope so!

[DNineMoons]

Hey Kim - welcome back! I have been meaning to start a thread asking how things went for you! I can't wait to see picture, I really hope you'll share! Only about 2 months until my EOS wedding, I'm getting nervous that I don't have a lot of things done yet.

 

I'm glad things went well, can't wait to hear more about it!

 

Congrats!!!!