Megan's cruise wedding review- Carnival Destiny 8/15/09

[merocket59]

We flew out of Logan on the Wednesday before the wedding, the trip in went well and we checked our luggage at the curb, it was so easy and the guy was really nice, it doesn’t cost extra except you should tip them. Carrying my dress around the airport was a PITA but when I boarded AA was great they asked if it was a wedding dress and told me to bring it to the closet in the front of the plane because it was bigger, they acted like someone bring a wedding dress on the plane was an everyday occurrence. However the flight attendants in the back of the plane when I was sitting were incredibly rude, I’ve never encountered this before in my life and was astonished by how they were speaking to people. We were rerouted around weather and came in a little late so we missed our spot at the gate and had to wait to taxi in, we were waiting a long time so people started to ask how they were supposed to proceed since they were missing connecting flights. There was a woman behind me who asked politely and the flight attendant went off on her saying “what am I supposed to do, we’re in the air, I can’t do anything now, you have to figure it out when you get to the airport” I was appalled. Then it took over an hour to get our luggage because it got all messed up and they had to sort it. When we finally got it we grabbed a cab to Intercontinental Hotel in downtown Miami which cost about $25.
The hotel was gorgeous! The rooms were great, lots of space, great views, the bathrooms were nice and the showers were so powerful I loved it! The pool was on a roof on the 5th floor, we were on the 22nd, it was beautiful with fantastic views of the city, really warm, there was an outdoor bar, and towels down there. It was right outside of the spa where I got my nails done, they did a great job and were reasonably priced ($30 for a mani plus $6 for French tips). There was a hotel bar, which was a chill place to go, but drinks were expensive, as to be expected. There was also a Starbucks but it isn’t open on weekends.
The hotel was within a few minutes walking distance to Bayside marketplace which is a great place to eat and shop. The large restaurants are Hard Rock Café, Hooters, Bubba Gumps, The Knife, and Los Ranchos and there are lots of little places to eat and drink. There are little souvenir shops as well as chain places like Express and Gap. The walk from the hotel was short but there were a lot of homeless people asking for money or food so prepare yourself for that, they weren’t aggressive but some people don’t experience that often so it helps to prepare yourself.
My guests came on different days so it was fun waiting for people to get in and giving them their OOT bags, which were a huge hit! I got my bags at Target 30% off so they were $0.70 each, I had tags that say “to have and to hold your stuff on the beach”. I had sign and sail holders with carabineer clips, I had folders that had a passport to Destiny cover and in them were DIY puzzle books, welcome letter, photoshare cards, maps of Miami, wedding day timeline, bookmarks, door tag hangers, postcards, list of cabin names and numbers. I also had tissues, sunscreen, a hat, pencils, pencil sharpeners, highlighters, pens, post its, playing cards, hand sanitizer, sunglass holders and wipes, bug wipes, ladies bags for the women with little wedding day prep stuff like nail polish and bobby pins, for the men I had sample size nautical voyage cologne and combs, snacks: goldfish, lifesavers, jelly beans in a fish shape bag, granola bar and gum. They also had DIY first aide kits which say “in sickness and in health” and included alka seltzer, Motrin, Tylenol, ear plugs, chapstick, alcohol wipes, and Band-Aids.
We held a welcome dinner at Los Ranchos on Friday evening before the cruise which was also a big hit! I’m so lad I did a welcome dinner, lots of people got to meet each other or just catch up with those who live far away. The food was amazing and the staff was really nice. We had 4 huge tables in a corner of the restaurant that had glass walls so we could look out to the ocean. They had live music and even played a song for DH and I. After that some people went out in south beach and I went back to the hotel and had a few drinks with those who stayed behind.
Wedding day: I woke up and took a cab ~$6 to the Marriot to get my hair and makeup done at Panache salon which wasn’t the best experience but the pictures turned out alright so I guess it was alright but I would suggest that brides just have someone come to their room instead. I had tried to make an appt at Rik Rak salon, I called a month ahead of time and they never called me back, I called them back a week later and still no one returned my call so I called Panache and they were helpful to open early and fit me in. However, I guess there was a little bit of a language barrier with my makeup, she made it really dark, I finally said something because I kept thinking she would fix it until she moved onto my blush so she went back and fixed it but the eyeliner was still a lot darker than I expected. My hair came out cute but looks nothing like my inspiration pic that I had with me. I couldn’t see what she was doing behind me since I had asked for a low bun but I said it was fine when she was finished because I just wanted to leave. It cost $65 each for hair and makeup not including the tip. And they didn’t have extra product to sell, I asked for lip gloss but she just touched up mine, luckily my sister had similar stuff.
I took a cab back to the Intercontinental Hotel and gave my DH a pic of our puppy with a sign in front of it saying “Will you marry my mommy today?” He loved it and showed it to everyone. Then we got ready to check out and met our guests in the lobby. I reserved a coach bus to bring us from the hotel to port through Larry’s Limos, I had 40 guests and we fit very comfortably and the driver was great! It was $371 and some change for the service gratuity and tax included but we tipped the driver more since packed up everyone’s luggage and was really nice. I’m so glad I reserved this because only 2 guests didn’t take it and they were late. It made me more comfortable being able to keep track of everyone.
We got to port they took our luggage, we handed in our funpass and showed our IDs, nonsailing guests left their IDs and got a temporary one, went upstairs and met with our wedding coordinator she was really nice and helped us get our room keys and explained the day to us and then to our guests. Our guests were told we were off limits and she would be handling things which was perfect timing because some people were getting a little annoying asking me everything under the sun and I just wanted to enjoy my day! We hung out in the terminal for a little while which is a good time to talk to your nonsailing guests, at about 1130 or 1145 they boarded us and it went really quickly we all went to our cabin and the men got their tuxes and went to get dressed in the best man’s cabin. My mom, sister, and nephew stayed with me. My sister got my nephew ready and sent him away with is dad because he was restless, then she got ready and my mom went to the Lido deck to grab me something to eat. I had a yogurt which I think is a good idea since it is a neutral food. I waited to get into my dress until about 12:30, the wedding party had to be at the Criterion Lounge at 12:40 for directions, and the guests were there for 12:45. The videographer came at about 12:15 to tape my pre-interview, which was quick and went well. My coordinator called at 12:55 and came to get me, I stayed out a sight from the groom until I walked in with my father, while I waited the photographer Dennis took some shots of me and ones of myself and my father. We walked in and my dad led me along, I had no idea what the aisle was supposed to be haha, then I had to walk up a few steps so of course I got all caught up in the bottom of my dress but I didn’t fall, just remember to lift your dress before you walk up that future Destiny brides! We exchanged vows and took pictures then headed to the Points After Disco for the reception. We had to stall at this point because I left the CD with the songs in our stateroom so I had my brother run up and get them. But it gave Dennis and opportunity to take some more photos of us.
Then we made our entrance, went straight to the dance floor for our 1st dance, My Wish by Rascal Flatts. Then I danced with my father to Butterfly Kisses by Bob Carlisle, then Doug and his mom danced to Mama by B Street Bombers. I took a few nonpro pics with family while I waited for them to finish dancing. Then we went directly to the cake cutting and toast. They got kind of intermingled because we started to cut the cake and took pictures but then we started the toast and the coordinator thought we already cut the cake so we had to do it again and feed it to each other after the toast. Then I grabbed a Bahama Mama and some food from the buffet, which was really pretty and had the ice sculpture on it. I talked to some family and danced a little, the DJ was good, he played top hit type songs. The only song I remember is Fire Burning because my mom was looking forward to hearing it, she has been dancing to in her office (Thankfully she works from home!) I had another drink and some food from the beautiful buffet and then the efficient wanted me for the signing of the wedding license and then Dennis wanted a group shot. After that we started taking family photos, DH’s father was nonsailing so we had to take the shots before he left. I couldn’t believe it when they made the announcement for the nonsailing guests to leave, it seemed so fast! Nevertheless, I really enjoyed myself, I was glad that I had spent time with people before the day and had a week left with the rest of them.
It was raining the day we got married but we went up to the deck anyway and got some nice shots, we went on the mini golf course and interrupted some little kid’s game it was funny. Dennis was amazing, he worked so hard and did a fantastic job, I loved the photos and got lots of them, we ended up with the $1999 package but he included a coffee table photobook, a CD of image files, a DVD slideshow, extra copies of both the CD and DVD, 3 canvas prints, and lots of 8x10s and 5x7s. We also got the video which came out really nice and the guy was easy to work with, can’t remember his name it was really hard to pronounce.
The rest of the cruise was great!! Destiny is a nice ship with lots to do every day. We ate and drank too much everyday and got too much sun, everything I planned! We hit up every bar in the place and enjoyed the entertainment. The food was really good and the drinks were strong (well I’m a lightweight so who knows). Only downfall was Jamaica, I didn’t prepare myself for how unsafe I would feel. I ignorantly thought that booking a the excursions through Carnival meant someone from Carnival would be with us. I know that they obviously approve the people that we go with but I just felt uncomfortable. I also thought that a photog from Carnival would be at all the excursions to take pics but they weren’t at the Dolphin swim so we had to buy the ones there and spend my cash I was planning on using for shopping but after leaving Dunn’s I didn’t want to go anywhere except back to the ship. Most of my group had the same experience, the ones who enjoyed themselves were the ones who went to the beach excursion. Grand Cayman was beautiful and I would go back in a heartbeat but there was a storm rolling in when we got there and our parasailing session was canceled (got our money back). So we took a van to the beach for $4 each and grabbed some food until the storm passed. I laid on the beach and my guys went on sea doos. We had a great time and it worked out well. Then I went shopping and got my freebies from the shopping talk.
I wanted to touch on a little bit of everything for you all so I hope this wasn’t too long but I know there haven’t been too many Destiny bridal reviews so I tried to give an idea of everything that happened. If I think of more I’ll add it and if you have questions just let me know!
Here is a link to my pro pics, there are bad and good ones in there so don’t be distracted or disappointed:
http://www2.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=2073807013/a=131274105_131274105/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/COBRAND_NAME=snapfish/

[merocket59]

Forgot the mention that my flowers were from AA, had a great time working with them and got exactly what I expected, no one knew they were fake. Even my dad who brought his home and was telling me in the airport that he was scared that customs was going to yell at him, I laughed and said it was ok because it wasn’t real and he started laughing and staring at it.
Also, I learned through my nonsailing guests that the taxis leave port by 3:30 since people are supposed to be off the ship so even though the ship may let them stay a little later it is hard for them to get a taxi when they need to leave.

[angela111509]

Thanks for your review! Sounds like everything went great - made me even more excited!

[jerseygirl79]

LOVE your photos outside....your hair and make-up were beautiful...the yellow flowers were awesome.

Congrats!!!!

[lowash67]

Your pictures are gorgeous and so were your flowers. I also got my flowers from AA. I hope mine looks as pretty as yours do. They look so real and natural. Did you spend a lot on the pictures? It appears as if you brought them all. I'm glad to see you had a wonderful weddding and hope that your marriage is as blissful as your day was.

[merocket59]

Thanks guys!
Lowash- The flowers even smelt real! I'm sure yours will be just as nice, which ones are you getting? I spent $2000 but I may have gotten more pics on the CD than I purchased... but you didn't hear it from me

[jam3_mom]

I don't mean to sound silly, but were your guests signing post cards? What did you do with them?

[MalibuBarbie]

Absolutely loved looking at your wedding pictures, You were a beautiful bride! Thanks for sharing them!
MalibuBarbie

[4evercruiser]

Thanks for sharing your review. Your pictures are beautiful and your wedding gown is gorgeous.

[merocket59]

Originally Posted by jam3_mom

I don't mean to sound silly, but were your guests signing post cards? What did you do with them?

Yeah they were, I decided to do a postcard guestbook, I'm going to find a photo album where you can see through both sides and put them in there. I either ofund the idea on the knot or best destination weddings forum I can't remember but they came out really nice because people all wrote sweet messages.

[attorneybride2010]

Thanks for the review, I was thinking about you last week! Your pictures are AWESOME, i love your dress! I dont know what you had in mind for your hair originally but I think it looks so pretty, very classic! That's good to know that food was available for you before the wedding, thats one thing I hate about being in a wedding, I'm always starving waiting for dinner to arrive! One question, it seems like some of you were able to get dressed in your room, is that something you arranged ahead of time? I was under the impression that the only cabin that would be ready was the bride and grooms, I may still have my bridesmaids get dressed before just to be on the safe side.

[Cruiselover7279]

Thanks for the review and your pics are beautiful. Congrats!!!

[shorbr]

You were a beautiful bride...and your make-up was flawless. Congratulations to you both

[merocket59]

Originally Posted by attorneybride2010

Thanks for the review, I was thinking about you last week! Your pictures are AWESOME, i love your dress! I dont know what you had in mind for your hair originally but I think it looks so pretty, very classic! That's good to know that food was available for you before the wedding, thats one thing I hate about being in a wedding, I'm always starving waiting for dinner to arrive! One question, it seems like some of you were able to get dressed in your room, is that something you arranged ahead of time? I was under the impression that the only cabin that would be ready was the bride and grooms, I may still have my bridesmaids get dressed before just to be on the safe side.

You can ask for more cabins to be ready. Actually my room wasn't even ready, my steward stopped by and appologized for it not being cleaned yet and I didn't even notice.

[cece9922]

Sounds like you guys had a wonderful time! Congratulations to you both! Your pics are beautiful!

[PrettyHazardous]

Congrats Meg your pics were great!!

[goNDmay9]

thanks for the review. i came from the bdw board and was trying to find reviews of brides getting married on embarkation day. awesome!!

[merocket59]

Gotta love BDW!

[KSMandMJG]

Thanks for posting this blog. My FH and I will be getting married on the Destiny in July. I was having a hard time finding reviews of the boat and thankfully I found yours. Your pictures were lovely and they really set me at ease. I was worried about the skill of the photographer, but they guy you got seemed to have it all under control. Congrats!

[merocket59]

Originally Posted by KSMandMJG

Thanks for posting this blog. My FH and I will be getting married on the Destiny in July. I was having a hard time finding reviews of the boat and thankfully I found yours. Your pictures were lovely and they really set me at ease. I was worried about the skill of the photographer, but they guy you got seemed to have it all under control. Congrats!

Thanks, any questions feel free to ask!