Crown Princess Wedding at 11:00 a.m.

[CSoul]

My DD is getting married on the Crown this coming February and was originally told by TWE (on 3 different occasions), that she could have a private reception luncheon in one of the specialty restaurants.

 

Now she is being told that this can only be done in the main dinning room. She is quite upset that this is her only option as she would have most likely chosen the later (3:30 p.m.) wedding time should she had known this.

 

Has anyone been married on the Crown at this time and what did you do for a luncheon reception after the wedding?

 

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

TIA

Danielle MOTB :)

[flhokie]

We got married at 11 am on the Grand Princess. We had a lunch at Sabitinis for our guests, but did not arrange it through TWE. Our travel agent booked it through the groups department. Have your TA check with the groups department about a private lunch at a speciality restaurant (we couldn't have it definitely booked until about 2 months out from sailing).

[CSoul]

Thanks for the quick response flhokie!

 

I've emailed our TA and didn't receive good news. She was told by two different Princess reps that this could only be done once onboard :mad:.

 

I will however continue to try :rolleyes:!

 

Thanks again,

Danielle

[vannagreen]

Hello,

 

Unfortunatly, I think now that it is so close to the sailing date, there may have been people who already made reservations..its a case of early bird gets the worm. I just reserved Sabatinis for our group, but our wedding isnt until July. TWE encouraged me to make my reservation for this asap since once other make reservations I wouldnt be able to have it made private.

 

Maybe as an alternative, your luncheon wedding can be conveted to a buffet style luncheon in one of the private lounges or private group spaces around the ship. I think the wheelhouse lounge or skywalkers looks really nice and have seen photos of receptions thiere and they look great!! Also, since you guys are having lunch, those lounges should be easier to be privatized!!

 

I wish you guys luck and let us know what happens!!

 

Good luck!

[CSoul]

Hi Vanna,

 

I spoke to my TA at length after having received her email. Both Princess reps she spoke to both gave her the same response: "WE DO NO PRE-BOOK SPECIALTY RESTAURANTS". I have told her that i've seen several threads here on CC stating the contrary. I don't believe it's a case of them not having the availability, if it were, I would totally understand.

I will "cut and paste" your response and send it to her. Maybe it's just the ship we are on? I thought maybe it was some new policy but I guess that's not it.

 

She is waiting for a call from a lady at Princess to sort out our traditional dinning room seating arrangements and she made a note to ask her about what our options are. Hopefully, we can have a wee bit of privacy anywhere other than the main dinning room.

 

Thanks for your suggestions, we will be definately looking into "an alternative"!

 

Danielle

[flhokie]

Does your TA have you & your guests booked as a group? If so, it should be the group coordinator that can do this. They don't do regular reservations for specialty restaurants in advance, but the group coordinator handles special dining arrangements, cocktail parties, etc. for booked groups.

[vannagreen]

The TA and Princess can NOT pre-book the specialty resturaunts. This is becuase TA's nd Princess Groups dept will not make these arangments for weddings.

 

Only the wedding coordinators at TWE (The wedding experience) can pre-book the specialty resturants as part of your wedding add-ons.

 

However, to do this TWE has to get special permission from the ship in advance.

[vannagreen]

Sorry.. I realized I should have made that more clear in original email..the reservation I made was done through TWE not my TA..

 

Hope this didn't confuse!

 

Also, just a note on the groups dept...once they here the word "wedding" they will automatically refer you to TWE. I would suggest dealing only with TWE for this...they should definatly be able to find a private area for your reception.

 

: )

[CSoul]

Thanks everyone. What my DD has decided to do (if possible) is to have a reserved section in the DR for our group for the regular lunch. We will then reserve a lounge afterwards for cake and cocktails.

 

Hope it all pans out for the best :) The more she waits, the more chances she takes in not having the availability! But hey! it's HER wedding :D

 

Does anyone know if we ALWAYS have the same tables for breakfast/lunch/dinner in the DR?

 

Danielle

[vannagreen]

I think you will always have the same assigned tables each night, unless you specifically requested "anytime" dining. If you guys requested a formal dining time (6p or 8p) then you'll have the same tables.

 

Im not sure if this also applies to lunch though....

 

btw.. I just noticed on the main CC site someone posted a video from the Crown! Looks like a pretty ship!!

[CSoul]

It sure does Vanna!

 

We are all really looking forward to the trip. There are 22 of us going (including 4 kids) and 18 of those are new to cruising :eek:! Should be a great experience for all of us :)

 

You must be getting excited for your Alaskan Wedding! Lucky you :D Which ship are you sailing on? I can just imagine how beautiful your wedding pics will be!!!!!

 

Danielle

[vannagreen]

Hi Danielle,

 

We are going to be on the Golden Princes from Seattle R/t...with about 35 guests I think! Our wedding isn't until July, so I'm really looking forward to all the other princess brides to come back with photos and reviews..

 

So far our plans are to have the ceremony at 3:30p. Ideally I would like the ceremony on deck, but on Alaska cruises there is a high chance of rain...so I am thinking of having the ceremony in the Wheelhouse bar or up in Skywalkers. The only other thing we have planned is dinner from 6p-8p at Sabatinis.

 

Im thinking of also doing a cocktail hour from 4-5... but not sure if we should do the cake then or wait until after dinner!?

 

I havnt picked flowers or a cake out yet, or music or anyting... Are you guys getting one of the flower packages or bringing your own?

[CSoul]

Wow sounds just fabulous! I'd definately try for the deck wedding. I've read on here somewhere that the ship actually made a detour to avoid the rain! They even had staff drying off the deck for the bride :) Maybe since there's no chapel, it's better not to leave it to chance. I was wondering about this for my DD. Since there is a chapel, she might have the option if it does rain... not sure though!

 

Who are you dealing with for the wedding part? I guess seeing your not leaving from FL, it's not TWE. So far my daughter doesn't seem too impressed with them. She will be going with the flowers they offer. She doesn't want anything fancy, just a red rose bouquet.

 

The only reason she chose the 11:00 a.m. wedding is because of my 18 mth old GD :) It's her happy time in the morning and she can be quite cranky before supper time soooooooo hehe

 

I spoke to our TA again today and she said that the group coordinator at Princess was faxing a request directly to the ship for our reserved seating in the main DR for 12:30 on the wedding day. She will let us know, at the latest, next Monday to see if they approved it. As for reserving the lounge, she said this had to be done through TWE. They said we could have a reception in the Wheelhouse Lounge. AGAIN not private :mad: and to add insult to injury... it's a smoking lounge. Although i'm a smoker, most of our group is not. My daughter asked for another lounge. I told her to request Skywalker as I know it's not open during the day and it would be a bit more private than the Wheelhouse. She's going to wait to see what the TWE rep offers. We'll be having the cake and speeches at that time.

 

It's getting closer by the minute. I wish DD would have started her research etc. before now. Nothing like waiting until the last minute! Sometime I wonder if she wasn't switched at the hospital :D

 

Danielle

[flhokie]

Definitely see if you can get Skywalker's instead of Wheelhouse. While it is public and parts are smoking, the bar there is not open during the day. Because of this & the location it would definitely be more private. Also, there is nicer scenery (the sea) for pictures.

 

We had cake, cocktails, dj & dancing there after our lunch and it worked really well.

[CSoul]

Thanks flhokie! My daughter tried emailing TWE yesterday and today and never got an answer. I suppose with the holidays it might be a bit harder to reach them. I'm sure she'll get on them again next week.

 

I know exactly what you mean with Skywalker's. We might have a few people wondering in out of curiosity but that's about it. Not like Wheelhouse where it's actually open for business. Might not be too many people there but still.

 

I just hope that Skywalker's isn't already booked but if it is we'd understand. We won't be happy campers if we are told it's just not possible (like they CAN'T do it). I know I won't want to be near my daughter if that's what they tell her ;)

 

Hope it's all good by the end of next week! DR and Skywalker's :D

 

Danielle

[vannagreen]

Thanks for the tip about Wheelhouse, I didnt realize it was a smoking bar.

 

The ship we will be on.. the Golden.. does have a chapel. If the weather isnt bad, we can always try to have it there. We might have 35 people in our group though, so we'll have to squeeze! But I dont thing the ceremony will be too long!

 

If you can take lots of pics of chapel!! Thanks again and good luck to your daughter on getting the arrangements made!!

[CSoul]

I'll let yas know once everything is final. I, for one, will be taking LOTS of pictures which I will be happy to share :D

 

The Wheelhouse on the Golden might have different smoking rules... the way I found out was to have a look at the Crown's patters. They are pretty specific in their smoking areas... so much so it's comical!

 

Danielle

[goodlife 2]

Hi there!

We are getting married Harborside on the Crown - Jan.25/2009.

Just FYI, they usually use the "Wheelhouse" for their lunch service.

I was told the captain of the ship is pretty strict and he calls the shots!

I am getting married in the chapel, and having a one hour reception at Adagio's. It made sense to us, because both rooms are on the same level

(Deck 16).

TWE had no problem booking that for us, but I made it clear that I would not bother booking a reception unless I had the chapel!!! lol :)

Needless to say, it was all worked out.

I did call Princess directly to try and book Sabatini's, but I was informed they couldn't do it etc.....only to get a phone call afterwards telling me I could......then I was told I had to pay for it upfront (couldn't just be added to my shipboard acct) and when I asked if my guest list changed (which it has several times!) would I get $$ refunded, they said no.

So, I booked our reception through TWE, and still had to pay upfront, but it was just easier, since they were co-ordinating everything else.

My TA called the other day and said the Princess group co-ordinator was wondering if we still wanted Sabatini's?!! obviously they forgot to cancel my request.....

otherwise, my rep from TWA is Alexandra and she has been great! I even have her coming aboard for the service to share a few drinks with us!

I would be happy to answer any other questions you have if I can!

Good luck!

Jill

[CSoul]

Thanks Jill! What time is your wedding scheduled for?

 

We got our reservations confirmed for the main DR through Princess. Now we are waiting on TWE for the lounge reservation. She's requested something other than the Wheelhouse and I believe she's specifically asked for Skywalker's for the reception after lunch. TWE only offered her the main DR for their "special" lunch. What's the point of paying $20 a head if we are in the main DR????? She'll just order more wine lol

 

I hope she gets the lounge sorted out next week and that we can have some sort of privacy in order to give our speeches and cut the cake etc.

 

You must be getting excited! I know we are :D

 

Danielle

[finn1913]

Hi Danielle,

 

No idea if this will help or not (the brochure may have changed), but here's what we did..

 

I was married at sea Jan 08 on the Golden. We had an 11am wedding, lunch in Sabatini's, then a cocktail/cake reception up in Skywalkers.

 

I did the Sabatini's booking through TWE (it was on their booking form) and pre-paid it ($20 per person). They actually had a kids price ($10) that I only learned of when I had my final call, she refunded the difference on my nephew!

 

Now - to avoid having to pay for a "cocktail reception" we booked Skywalker's directly through Princess Groups Dept. Our TA was not at all interested in helping us, so they took pity on me and let me work with them directly and not through the TA. We booked Skywalker's from 2-5pm and had our cake up there. We also had an open bar (chose the host option as we are not big drinkers) and had the tab put on our room account.

 

If you want your lunch to be the regular DR lunch (like everyone else) then ask your TA to fax the ship and request for your group to be seated together for lunch on that day. If you are signed up for "anytime" dining, this should be easier. When you get onboard be sure you explain the problems to your wedding co-ordinator. Ours was an absolute star.

 

If you book a lunch reception through TWE you will get the options available in the brochure. It's a different menu and that's likely why they charge per person. They will also charge you extra for your drinks (they had wine packages you could add). You will also likely get charged for another co-ordinator as well. (I noticed that in the brochure last year) and that's why we just went to Sabatini's. TWE just makes the reservation for you.

 

Also, TWE won't just reserve space for you after lunch, they will make buy a "reception" package (drinks/food). (And probably charge you for another co-ordinator again).

 

Not sure if this helps, but any questions... just ask!

 

Good luck!

 

Cheers,

Ann

[CSoul]

Hi Finn,

 

Thanks for the info.

 

Strange thing about it all is that our experience is completely the opposite lol TWE said they could NOT offer us Sabatini's, however, they ARE requesting a reception at Skywalker's for us after lunch. Our lunch has been confirmed in the MDR through our TA and Princess (one down one to go!).

 

Now we just need a confirmation from TWE that Skywalker's is available. TWE did not mention any additional charge and we will not be having an open bar but will be requesting that a bartender be present.

 

Hope everything works out! :)

 

Danielle

[goodlife 2]

Thanks Jill! What time is your wedding scheduled for?

 

We got our reservations confirmed for the main DR through Princess. Now we are waiting on TWE for the lounge reservation. She's requested something other than the Wheelhouse and I believe she's specifically asked for Skywalker's for the reception after lunch. TWE only offered her the main DR for their "special" lunch. What's the point of paying $20 a head if we are in the main DR????? She'll just order more wine lol

 

I hope she gets the lounge sorted out next week and that we can have some sort of privacy in order to give our speeches and cut the cake etc.

 

You must be getting excited! I know we are :D

 

Danielle

 

Hi Danielle,

Yes, we are so excited now!! i can almost taste it! Sick and tired of working and shovelling snow.

It looks like our ceremony will be at 1pm and reception from 1:30-2:30pm.

Then it's time to party and enjoy our vacation! This is 2nd wedding for both of us!

How many guests sailing/non-sailing do you have?

I was a little annoyed the other day when TWE informed me that I have to pay another $150 for another co-ordinator because we have 28 people.

There booklet does state if there's over 25, we have to pay, but they include us in those numbers.....ahh...can't win em all..

 

Jill

[CSoul]

Yes Jill! The countdown is surely ON :D

 

All 22 of us are sailing most of which are first time cruisers!

 

I'm also sick of shovelling.... more snow on the way this week :(

 

Where abouts are you in Ontario? Are some of your guests NOT sailing? The thought of having people just go to FL for the wedding never even crossed our minds but would have been a good option for some... o well!

 

My daughter really didn't spend much time doing research before choosing the cruise wedding route. Maybe if she had, she would have known about the option of getting married before we set sail.

 

How many from your group are sailing?

 

Danielle

[CSoul]

Hi all,

 

Looks like Princess has suggested we use Adagio's for our reception after lunch.

 

Is Adagio's closed during the day? I've read that it opens at 5 pm but that was a while back and was wondering if this still applies. If so, i'm so very happy to have a wee bit of privacy in order for a few of us to give our speeches, which i'm sure will be quite personal ;)

 

Danielle :D

[goodlife 2]

Yes Jill! The countdown is surely ON :D

 

All 22 of us are sailing most of which are first time cruisers!

 

I'm also sick of shovelling.... more snow on the way this week :(

 

Where abouts are you in Ontario? Are some of your guests NOT sailing? The thought of having people just go to FL for the wedding never even crossed our minds but would have been a good option for some... o well!

 

My daughter really didn't spend much time doing research before choosing the cruise wedding route. Maybe if she had, she would have known about the option of getting married before we set sail.

 

How many from your group are sailing?

 

Danielle

 

Well, let's see.....we have 25 sailing and 2 non-sailing.....including us and my son. my aunt and friend are non-sailing, as her friend lives in Florida and she will be there visiting her.

our reception is in adiago for an hour with open bar and h'orderves. i asked if i could have the ceremony in the chapel and reception at adiago since they were on the same level of the ship! just made sense to us.

got final call last week and i just received my confirmation from TWE yesterday, and faxed the 7 pages back today! a few errors on it, so make sure your daughter looks over it carefully. did she receive her marriage license yet? i was not impressed when they said there was nothing else here to do in Canada before the wedding and the license showed up a week later with a letter stating it had to be notarized and back to them within 72 hours......needless to say, i did not send it by ups or purolator....canada post was just fine....

the cost of a harborside wedding is quite reasonably priced, and we are glad to have the service on the 1st day, so it won't interfere with the vacation!

this is 2nd marriage for both of us, so this was a good choice, since we love to cruise.....plus we get to board the ship at 10:30am, so that will be great!

we just tried on some of our clothes tonight, and sorting through which ones are off to the cleaners!!

sooo excited.

Jill