First-Timer & Bride All in One!

Hello everyone!

I am new to the community, and see that so many of you have a ton of valuable information to share. In May of this year, my fiancé and I will be doing a cruise wedding in port in Grand Cayman aboard Carnival Sensation. Neither one of us has cruised before, and I am super nervous as I am super detail oriented and like to know everything prior to doing something.

Any tips on what to expect on any and all parts of the cruise would be appreciated! Also, I don't really know how meals/drinks work onboard. Lastly, if anyone has experience being a cruise bride, I'd really love to hear from you!

Thank you!

Have a back up plan, because Grand Cayman is one of the most missed port stops. There is a cruise wedding board here, why not head over there?

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=31

Also, post to your roll call thread for your cruise and read the posts on the Carnival forum for lots of Carnival related information.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=215

My son had a wedding on carnival and we had fun but they spent a day looking and choosing wedding pics and choosing them it was a mess when they got them finally?

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Cruising is really no different than staying in a hotel (albeit, with teeny rooms)...that goes to a different town every day.

There is no need to be nervous or worried! Consider the ship to be your resort...and pack according to predicted temps!

I would be a bit nervous about getting married in GC....it's a tender port, and if winds are high, or the tide isn't right, the ship can skip this port. Please...have a back up plan handy!

Personally, I think it's better to get married BEFORE the cruise, and have a "cruise party reception" for the duration of your time at sea.

If you read the cruise contract, they can cancel, skip, rearrange or whatever they want to do regarding ports. You can get mad, and throw a tantrum, but it's their right to skip the port you'll be married in. Get married BEFORE the cruise...and just have a good party!

We are heading back to Grand Cayman as we missed the port our last cruise. This is a tender port, so you will be boarding a small boat with 150 of your closest new friends. You may need to climb up stairs on the tender to find a seat. They are crowded. Not sure if you have a wedding dress or not, but a tender is not ideal for a fancy dress. Our weather was great the day we were supposed to be in Grand Cayman, however, the swells were too strong and the tenders could not dock. So back up plan is absolutely necessary.

Get married in the departure port!! Miami, Lauderdale, Tampa....... Grand Cayman is often missed!

Sage advice from everyone suggesting a backup plan. Grand Cayman is a great port, but you've got to get there!

I would have the wedding in Florida the day before the cruise. I wouldn't chance getting married in Grand Cayman because that stop is a tender port and due to weather conditions that port is missed because it too dangerous for the tenders to operate in severe weather conditions. I've missed that stop on numerous cruises since i got hooked way back in May 1983. Get married before the cruise or have the ceremony on the ship before it leaves. That way some guests go with you on the cruise and some have the option to share in your special day and then leave the ship before it departs.

Hello everyone!

 

I am new to the community, and see that so many of you have a ton of valuable information to share. In May of this year, my fiancé and I will be doing a cruise wedding in port in Grand Cayman aboard Carnival Sensation. Neither one of us has cruised before, and I am super nervous as I am super detail oriented and like to know everything prior to doing something.

 

Any tips on what to expect on any and all parts of the cruise would be appreciated! Also, I don't really know how meals/drinks work onboard. Lastly, if anyone has experience being a cruise bride, I'd really love to hear from you!

 

Thank you!

I didnt think Carnival did weddings in port. Always thought it was done before sailing. Are you looking to do that wedding privately?

Like posted I would not be looking to be married in a port like grand cayman

Okay, if I wasn't freaking out enough already before, now I am really freaking out! Thank you all for your honesty about the port in Grand Cayman, although I am now second-guessing everything! I called Carnival to ask about this, and they did confirm that with this port and Half Moon Cay, there is a chance of not being able to tender in because of rough waters. However, that in May, it really should be fine since this typically happens in late Fall/Winter. She also assured me that if this did happen, the cruise line would do what they could to make sure we still have a wedding. Not sure how much I believe that given the language I've seen about skipping ports. I'm thinking getting married prior is probably the way to go.

I didnt think Carnival did weddings in port. Always thought it was done before sailing

Carnival does in a variety of their ports - some of them are on a beach and some are at specific locations (i.e. I'm looking at a restaurant for mine). Their base price is a little more than on the boat, but we don't need to worry about a normal reception (I figure we'll just take advantage of the restaurant for food and the boat for entertainment that night as we're not having many guests anyway).

No one wanted to panic you, but it's important you knew that this was an "iffy" port at which to get married. Personally, I'd get married legally before I left then you are set. You can have a ceremony on Grand Cayman if you can make it. If not, you can still have a symbolic ceremony anywhere. If you missed Grand Cayman, you just can't get legally married at another port stop, as you won't have completed the paperwork, etc.

.... there is a chance of not being able to tender in because of rough waters. However, that in May, it really should be fine since this typically happens in late Fall/Winter.

Well I sure wish I had her crystal ball!! Hate to say this, but it was skipped on my June sailing andI wouldn't consider that to be in the late fall.

Check out the Carnival website to see if there's more info about getting married on board the SHIP especially if the port is missed (even if the ceremony is scheduled for a location on the ship, is there something they can give you in writing to ensure that while you're getting married, that it's handled as a private party, etc. I would certainly get everything in writing with all the contingencies. I imagine there's always back up plans for whatever the situation as cruise ships often have many weddings (depending on the cruise ship). with it in writing, you can relax.

Cruise Critic is a terrific research tool. You have several months to spend some time and effort looking at reviews and ports of call sections. Good luck!

The marriage should be a lot more significant than the wedding - better to work with your intended on contingencies, back-up plans, etc. than fixate on the precise (obviously iffy) venue for day one.

Hello everyone!

 

I am new to the community, and see that so many of you have a ton of valuable information to share. In May of this year, my fiancé and I will be doing a cruise wedding in port in Grand Cayman aboard Carnival Sensation. Neither one of us has cruised before, and I am super nervous as I am super detail oriented and like to know everything prior to doing something.

 

Any tips on what to expect on any and all parts of the cruise would be appreciated! Also, I don't really know how meals/drinks work onboard. Lastly, if anyone has experience being a cruise bride, I'd really love to hear from you!

 

Thank you!

Please understand that Grand Cayman is a tender port, meaning that the ships do not dock next to the land. The ship anchor out in the ocean and bring passengers to the land via tender boats. See the photographs below (all taken at Grand Cayman) ...

The reason for this is simple. If the weather is bad, the ship will not allow passengers to tender to shore. This is a safety issue. In fact, sometimes when the weather is bad the ship does not even stop, it will just keep going to the next port (at a reduced speed).

So, you better have a plan "B" because there is a chance that you may not be able to get from the ship to the shore for your wedding.

I got married in Grand Cayman on Liberty of the Seas back in 2008. The official came on the ship from Georgetown to perform the wedding and we got all of our paperwork. Getting married in the chapel on the ship was great. Being a port day we got to have the hot tubs and sundeck practically to ourselves. We did a photo session all around the ship. It was great! The salon did a fab job with my hair...the flowers were beautiful and tropical....and the cake the most divine ever. I understand the gitters as there are so many unknowns. It will all work out.

Happy wedding!

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I couldn't deal with the uncertainty! I've changed my wedding to Cozumel instead, and already feel like a huge load has been lifted off of my shoulders. I want to thank you all for your honesty and suggestions about the Grand Cayman port. It's still in our cruise itinerary, so hopefully we'll still get there, but I feel much better about this!

 

Carnival does in a variety of their ports - some of them are on a beach and some are at specific locations (i.e. I'm looking at a restaurant for mine). Their base price is a little more than on the boat, but we don't need to worry about a normal reception (I figure we'll just take advantage of the restaurant for food and the boat for entertainment that night as we're not having many guests anyway).

have you considered married on the ship- and dinner at the steak house ?

Glad you have made new plans.

I was going to chime in that we missed Grand Cayman a few times -- even in early July.

And I don't think you want to be in a mob on a tender boat wearing a wedding dress.

There's a section on cc just for weddings, it really helped me when we married during a cruise

Look under the special interest cruising section, you will see it called honeymoons and weddings

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Somebody did point this out to me when I first posted, and I have since found that board and posted there as well. However, if it were not for the people on this board, I would not have known that skipping a port was even an option! This has proved an invaluable resource just for that alone!

Somebody did point this out to me when I first posted, and I have since found that board and posted there as well. However, if it were not for the people on this board, I would not have known that skipping a port was even an option! This has proved an invaluable resource just for that alone!

Glad you found it, it helped me to find a planner and got lots of tips

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