Fallsgracefully

Thank you all for putting my mind at ease!

I am also leaving Sunday, but on the Summit. The storm seems to not be current threat to Bermuda. Current forecast looks beautiful on Wednesday, cloudy, but some sun on Thursday, and scattered thunderstorms on Friday, but with some potential for sun here and there :)

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This was our 1st Celebrity cruise but have been on a variety of other lines 25 times. We mostly chose this cruise due to the proximity to our home and the port of Bermuda for our 5th time and one of our favorites. Let's get to it;

 

 

 

Embarkation- We parked in the garage for $140, pretty easy and from the time I parked at 11:15 we were on the ship by 12:15. We ate lunch we was pretty tough to navigate as it was crowded and seats were at a minimum. Our luggage came around 4pm.

 

 

 

Room-We stayed in 2127 which was an Oceanview and for 4 people it was very tight, we tried to be in the room in shifts when getting ready for dinner. We saw the room steward twice but he did a fine job.

 

 

 

Food- This is different for everyone so will just give our point a view. Breakfast was similar and the same as all other cruise lines other than the poached egg station. The lunch buffet had a variety but it is spread out and seats can be tough but food was fine. Dinner was very good to outstanding, we enjoyed just about every night. We had the early seating and while our waiters tried it took 1:30 to over 2 hours. Just too long for our families. We told the Maitre D' and he tried but being on the the floor and food having to come up from 3rd.

 

 

 

Entertainment-Overall it was fine, one show was awful "Sirens" the other by the cast were pretty good with the female singers blowing away the males. They also brought in 'Divas 3" and they were excellent and a huge step up. The cruise director Chris and his staff worked hard and tried their best, most of their activities were worth watching. The 2 cover bands played by the pool and were good but by end of the week got a bit repetitive. The DJ was bland. More than 50% of the music was geared toward 55 and over, which made it tough for the younger crowd. Piano player was good but stuck in cafe, I tried to listen from martini bar but they had weird techno music blasting.

 

 

 

Kids Camp- My son was 13 and participated a bunch and had a decent time, the room is very small and they combine 12-14 and 15-17 quite a bit so that makes it for some awkwardness. They do what they can but this is not a **** geared toward teens.

 

 

 

Service- I had the drink package, mostly sat in the upper deck since its impossible to get a chair near the pool, I rarely saw a waiter so mostly walked to the bar. Drink were solid and bartenders helpful most of the time.

 

 

 

Pool Area- It was very warm and the 2 small outdoor pools were as tight as any cruise I have been on, the adult pool is deep so makes it tough for people to not stay on sides. I got out by 9:30 and sat on upper deck every day, the seats downstairs I heard got filled by 7:30

 

 

 

Bermuda-We went to Horseshoe the 1st and 3rd day and Tobacco Bay the 2nd. We used the shuttle for Horseshoe and ferry and shuttle for Tobacco Bay

 

 

 

Casino- I am a poker player and there were only 2 nights where there was any games and it was small and short lived.

 

 

 

Debarkation-We had self assist, left our room at 7:45 and it took about an hour to get to our car on site.

 

 

 

Dress Code- The 1st night I wore the shorts I wore on the ship and all other nights jeans and a collared shirt. I did not see any shorts and 'Chic" nights had a variety of dressing.

 

 

 

All in all a good cruise, we may do again without the kids

We are on the Summit next Sunday and have early dining. It says early dining is at 6 for us, but I noticed on here that some have mentioned 5:30. What time did your early dining start? Thanks in advance!

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Will you be charged for the delivery of the welcome bags to each cabin?

On Celebrity, each delivery is a charge. I believe our welcome bags are $3.50 per room delivery. I'm not sure on other lines, but we only have 6 rooms and didn't want our guests lugging on anything extra. Just figured I would give you the info that I have [emoji1]

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Hello! My fiance and I have been engaged for over a year because we have not been able to figure out how to do our wedding. We know we want our honeymoon on February 27th 10 day NCL Gem but nothing else. I we are debating about booking the wedding on the boat as well but have many questions about the process of how to do that. We have no idea how many people would come to the event whether it's 10 or 50. How can I buy a wedding package without knowing how many people will come? Also, I'm not very impressed by NCLs wedding packages they charge minimum of $3,000 and that only covers the ceremony. I would love if someone could give me a walk through of the process of organizing a cruise wedding as for as when to book the wedding, send the invites/rsvps, help people book the cruise with group rates or arrange the walk ons, whether or not I have other wedding packages options that aren't shown. I am pretty clueless on all this so the more information the better and I appreciate all the help! Thanks!

Hello there!

I figured I would offer my perspective as someone who is getting married on a Celebrity cruise next Sunday (:eek:). I will outline some of the timing and such that I utilized to help plan the wedding.

1. We booked the cruise itself abut a year and a half before the wedding. It was booked as a family cruise initially, but we wanted to lock in the 1-2-3 promo that was going on (and has now since ended). Our family members who could definitively go on the cruise booked at this time. We booked directly with the groups department. In hindsight, I would have arranged all of this through a travel agent. It got confusing at times and so many emails were sent to me personally, which I thought was a bit much to take on.

2. We sent save the dates about a year in advance. Again, in retrospect, I probably would have skipped these. We only had one additional group book. Everyone knew about the cruise by word of mouth and anyone interested I simply emailed the information. I also set up a wedding website, but most people don't utilize it often, so unless you have tech savvy people, not a requirement.

3. We sent our invitations in April for our August 28th wedding. The RSVP date was made for June 14th, as we had until 45 days before to submit a list. This 45 days for Celebrity was VERY flexible. I sent my list 30 days before. Give yourself more than the 45 days. I had to track a few people down to get their driver's license numbers and birth dates. I sent a separate card for my guests to fill out. It was attached to the RSVP card, but some did not see it (actually, it was impossible to not see, but it was disregarded by some).

4. When we booked the wedding (which was done after our engagement in April of 2014), we paid a deposit. We then were told that we had to pay in full to secure all venues within 30 days. We paid for 70 guests, but were told that we could pay for and adjust those numbers up until 45 days before. It was actually cheaper to pay for 70 people for a buyout than it was for less than 70. I am happy to say that we have exactly 70 guests going. I used Excel to keep track of all of our guests.

5. I purchased our invitations on Etsy. They are boarding passes and are absolutely beautiful. They are very clear about a 10:15 arrival for our embarkation day wedding. We have 14 sailing guests and the rest are nonsailing. Celebrity has been flexible with these numbers. Our venue holds 82, so we had some room to adjust.

6. I also feel like the ceremony was expensive. We are paying about $2,800 for the ceremony alone. We did not add extra flowers or an aisle runner. I do, however, understand the pricing to an extent. They are losing a bar and revenue from that venue for part of the cruise. We have a fabulous coordinator, Tammy, that I had the pleasure of meeting on a ship tour (a very pricey ship tour!) We did have to pay for additional coordinators due to our guest size.

7. In total, we are probably paying about $10,000/$11,000 for everything, including the cruise. I did not keep track of the dress, favors, etc. with a concrete budget. I paid upfront for the reception and ceremony and it is exactly what we want. We did a buyout of QSine, paid for wedding cake for 70 (one of our only extras), and are inviting the exact people we want to see and love. The wedding cake was about $450. We are doing a vanilla cake with raspberry, which was not on the menu. The classic beverage package is included in the buyout price (it was $45 per person for 70 people or more).

8. We paid for an extra hour of photography and also paid for the DJ. We have a price list for the photos and plan on purchasing the CD of photos. The package option seems to be about $1,500.

9. The Wedding Experience experience (for a lack of better words), has been very "spotty." We have been through 4-5 coordinators. It has been frustrating to say the least. I kept every single email. I have a very organized and thorough wedding binder with each document highlighted and filed in a certain section.

10. We have a very small wedding party. My best friend is assigned as "our person" (Grey's Anatomy????) She is going to handle the binder and Ipad (with our music on it). We have all of our "goods" boxed up and she will transport them to the pier. These items then go to the coordinator. We have our bouquets boxed up (the package comes with a bouquet and bout, but we are having the bouquet split in two for our moms at no charge...I made bouquets out of used book pages since we love Harry Potter and I teach English!).

11. I made sailing bags months ago. I will post these in a review. I just decided to make snack bags with sealed snacks for our sailing guests to munch on while waiting in the terminal.

Any other questions, ask away! I consider myself to be very organized, but also mostly relaxed. I don't care much about centerpieces or decor. I am aware that there may be snafus, but I am marrying the person I want to spend the rest of my life with and I am very excited. I apologize for the length, but I am always thorough!

I too have booked a couples massage for next week at Grotto Bay (sailing on Celebrity Summit) using the information from this thread!

 

I just wanted to say thank you both for posting the question and answering it with such great information!

 

It's also my (first) honeymoon! Married two weeks ago...got a great deal with X after already booking a bucket list cruise for the summer of 2017!

 

Thanks again! :)

Congratulations on the marriage and happy honeymoon!!! It was kind of a splurge, but it seems like a wonderful experience. I am very excited to experience the Summit and Bermuda!!!

Hi Jess

Congratulations!

 

YES you can book this. We have been there a few times. The cave spa is an absolutely out of this world experience. I will post an email to the spa director and you can write to her directly and book it. I always deal with her directly. Schedule your appointment for later on in the day or in the afternoon so you are not rushing to get there.

The best way to get there is by bus from Hamilton. So you will take a ferry to Hamilton, walk up to the bus depot and get on the bus to St George's. Have the bus driver drop you off across from Grotto bay at the entrance to the Crystal/Fantasy Caves (those are not the caves inside the resort but the ones on the opposite side of the resort). Then you cross the road and walk up a bit to the main entrance of Grotto Bay resort.

You can always take a taxi, but that is going to cost more. We have done it both ways.

I am telling you, you will not be disappointed! It is some experience!

 

Here is her email and phone. Ask to speak with her directly. If she is not available the spa concierge will book you.

 

SANALI SENANAYAKE - MCFADDEN

Spa Director

Main: 1 441 293 8333 Ext 1928

Toll Free: 1 855 447 6886

Fax: 1 441 293 4194

sanali@grottobay.com

 

Good luck and wish you the best for your marriage.

Thank you for this contact number. I successfully booked our massage through email!

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Jess

I am also in NJ. What part are you from?

or should I say what exit? ha ha.:D;)

Hello there,

I am exit 90...down by the shore! (though I think we now have an 89a and b now and an exit 91...) How about you?

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Hi Jess

Congratulations!

 

YES you can book this. We have been there a few times. The cave spa is an absolutely out of this world experience. I will post an email to the spa director and you can write to her directly and book it. I always deal with her directly. Schedule your appointment for later on in the day or in the afternoon so you are not rushing to get there.

The best way to get there is by bus from Hamilton. So you will take a ferry to Hamilton, walk up to the bus depot and get on the bus to St George's. Have the bus driver drop you off across from Grotto bay at the entrance to the Crystal/Fantasy Caves (those are not the caves inside the resort but the ones on the opposite side of the resort). Then you cross the road and walk up a bit to the main entrance of Grotto Bay resort.

You can always take a taxi, but that is going to cost more. We have done it both ways.

I am telling you, you will not be disappointed! It is some experience!

 

Here is her email and phone. Ask to speak with her directly. If she is not available the spa concierge will book you.

 

SANALI SENANAYAKE - MCFADDEN

Spa Director

Main: 1 441 293 8333 Ext 1928

Toll Free: 1 855 447 6886

Fax: 1 441 293 4194

sanali@grottobay.com

 

Good luck and wish you the best for your marriage.

Thank you so so much for the detailed response. The directions are wonderful and we are definitely going to book. It seems like a once-in-a-lifetime experience!

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Hey everyone,

We are exactly a month away from our embarkation day wedding on the Celebrity Summit! The time truly flew by so quickly. We have hit some bumps here and there and it has been stressful at times, but I promise to report back with a full review when we come back!

We are currently working out the cash situation for tipping. We are having 70 guests for a buy out of Qsine and like to prepare ahead of time. Who exactly should we tip?

The officiant?

The coordinator and her crew?

The servers?

The DJ?

The photographer?

How much should we tip? Also, how many servers would typically be there for us to set money aside for?

Thanks in advance.

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Hey all!

We are getting married on the Celeb Summit at the end of August. We are looking to do something special. I recently saw a review for a couples massage inside the caves at the Grotto Bay Resort.

First, has anyone had experience with this? I'm not even sure if outside guests can book the spa? Additionally, this may be a stretch, but any idea if booking the massage gives any access to other amenities?

Finally, I have never been to Bermuda. What is the quickest and most cost efficient way to get to this resort? I believe it is located in Hamilton Parish.

Thanks all!

Jess

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Processional- "The Jurassic Theme" by the Piano Guys

Recessional- "Life's a Happy Song (Reprise)" from the Muppets Movie

Entrance/First dance- We are thinking of being introduced with our first dance song since it is kind of long. Is that a viable option? "Come to Me" by the Goo Goo Dolls

Parent dance- "93 Million Miles" by Jason Mraz

Love the Piano Guys!

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Just a quick check in. If you are thinking of getting married on the ship, just do it. Full review when I get back, but this has been the most amazing experience.

 

You look absolutely beautiful!!! Congratulations and I hope you are having a blast. I cannot wait for your full review!

That is a great idea!!!!! I've been debating on how to do this. I only need like 25 but if you have extras I'm way interested... My email is arondinone@comcast.net!

You've got mail :)

I am trying to resize the front of the ID card business cards....

Hello friends,

I just got done organizing and preparing my invitations for sending out. I worked with a girl on Etsy and got a great deal :)

I am attaching some pictures...the mailing envelopes are the most beautiful shimmery gold.

But this is more of a side note. I also made 100 business cards (VistaPrint's minimum) to go with the RSVP cards. They are smaller, but they have room for the ID information for the guests. I used a gold paperclip to attach then to the RSVP cards so that guests can fill them out. I will have about 60 left that I will not need, if anyone wants them, free of charge. I designed them on Vista Print and they could fit any cruise wedding. I attached pictures of the cards...plus also the invitations because they were too cute not to share!

~Jess

I'm using Celebrity's flowers. You can't bring fresh flowers onboard, and it's one less thing I had to think about getting/putting together.

 

It was a $25 upcharge to put something other than ivory or red into my bouquet. My girls bouquets were $80 each, corsages were $35 each, and the boutonnieres were $14 each.

Hello again! Those prices aren't too bad for the flowers. When you pay the upgrade fee, what color options do you get? I haven't discussed flowers yet with Denise. I was trying to be ambitious and was thinking of making paper flower bouquets, but the time is quickly ticking!

Hmm, another thought...Are you using Celebrity's flower options? Or, are you bringing your own?

I'm now at 33 days to go. ACK!

What am I forgetting?

 

* Reception paid for. Bonus: my future inlaws sent us a check for almost half of the cost of the wedding. Completely unexpected, but very much appreciated.

 

* Paperwork submitted for sailing and non sailing guest who will be attending the ceremony/reception. Pro tip: They won't let you mismatch numbers, so if you have folks going to the ceremony, you have to pay for them to go to the reception as well.

 

* Hair trail done - appointments set up for hair and makeup the morning of the wedding.

 

* Transportation to the pier for me and my girls all set. Guys are getting up there via two private cars.

 

* Favors are all set, ordered and delivered - we are doing tote bags that are customized with our initials and are being filled with stuff you might need if you are on the go or on a trip - hand sanitizer, etc.

 

* Ketubah and Kippahs ordered and delivered. Marriage license paid for, and will be picked up next week.

 

* Guest book ordered, and will be here by the 16th. We used mixbook.com, and were able to customize it. We also ordered gel pens for folks to sign with.

 

* Welcome letter is in process. I will try to get that done by early next week.

 

* Wedding rings ordered through iweddingrings.com - they will be here by the 16th as well. The site got great reviews on many wedding websites, and the cost was half of going to a jewelry store.

 

* Appointment for fitting for my wedding dress is a week from Saturday. I brought it in for an initial fitting... but I lost weight since I bought my dress. I am going again on the 16th (that sees to be the magic day ;) ) so that we can get a better idea of what my actual size will be. Hopefully I won't have to buy a brand new dress at that point, but I fear my alterations are going to cost more than the dress.

 

* Fiance bought a new tux, and that is ready to be picked up. We also bought matching ties for the groomsmen.

 

I think that's it! Is there anything glaring that I'm missing...?

Woohoo! This all sounds exciting! I cannot wait to see pictures!

This is an awesome welcome letter!!

This is fabuous! Would you mind sending a copy of the template to Fallsgracefully@Gmail.com?

Thank you so so much in advance!

Hi folks. some updates.

 

We ended up not using the best western - their transfer time to the pier was too late - not until 10am and that was cutting it too close for this bride. So instead, guests are going to book through Trinity Reservations at the Ramada - it's $202/night which includes up to 21 days of parking, and a private transfer to the pier which can be set up at any time. Much better.

 

I'm having some mild panic attacks. More people replied yes than we were expecting... so we are at 120 guests... and the newly installed Tuscan Grille only holds 106. So... Denise and Liz are working on how to handle that. I can't uninvite people, and I can't just have a cocktail party reception. I'm trying my best not to flip out.

 

Other details are coming together. I've arranged for my girls to have transport up to the pier - we are going to have our hair and makeup done at my salon before heading up to Bayonne. Also decided on the pre-wedding dinner the night before. Harold's in Edison.

 

I'm at under the 2 month mark. Trying not to panic. ;)

Wow! It sounds like everything is coming together! I can't believe you have less than two months! (We are at the 5.5 month mark ourselves). Quick question, is the private transfer from the Ramada included in that pricing? We currently have a room block set up at the Hampton Inn Newark Airport. I priced 12 different hotels and they seem to be the best priced. We almost went with the Best Western as well, but didn't like the time of the shuttle and the parking was not included. The Hampton Inn includes parking for the week and the room for $129. It does not include the shuttle, but they use a private company and can set up transfers for us. We may just set this up for our sailing guests and pay for this. I looked into a shuttle bus and the prices are somewhat outrageous.

Wow! That is a fantastic number of people going! Let me know what they work out for you. We are cutting ours close for QSine. We haven't sent invites out yet, but are right at the cut off (82 is our capacity).

Have you picked wedding cake flavors yet? We are tempted to do a second tour of the ship, but don't know if they would offer tasting of the cake anyway. We chose to buy a tiered cake for our guests and were offered some unique flavors, but do not know how they would translate to a cake.

Thanks and much luck!!!

I'd be interested in hearing more about the courtyard in elizabeth - right now we have an arrangement worked out with the best western north for $175 plus tax that includes parking for the week, or $155 without parking, and also includes transfers to and from the pier.

 

We are not sure yet what we are doing the night before the wedding. We are trying to get an idea of just how many folks are going to spend the night the night before, and then see about doing something. We're even considering something as informal as a pizza party, but likely will end up doing something at a localish restaurant.

Hello there! Do you have the contact information for the Best Western? Additionally, what time will the transfer to the pier occur? Thank you! We are considering something like a pizza party too, depending on our numbers.

Yes, it is the 28th! Small world! We are looking now into a restaurant to have a dinner the evening before with all my guests in the Newark area. Any suggestions? I saw this famous bbq place that has party rates but idk if FH would go for that. I also got a great group rate at the Courtyard in Elizabeth if you have any out of town guests, I can get you the sales managers name. :)

That's awesome! I initially thought I wouldn't find another Celebrity Wedding, let alone the same date! Are you talking about Dinosaur BBQ? If so, it is a fantastic restaurant. I have never been for a party, but they are wonderful. Could you send me the information for the Courtyard Marriott? We haven't arranged the hotel just yet. Does it include a shuttle for the next day? My email is Fallsgracefully @ Gmail.com.

Hello Ladies! My partner and I will also be getting married in August 2016 on the Summit in Bayonne. Your information on the board has been very helpful! We have sailed on the Summit before so we won't be doing the pre tour of the ship. We are only having about 25 total guests, so I'm sure Celebrity will have our ceremony and reception in the same location. For us, the cost of a lunch would be around 200 per person, so we are opting to do the 2 hour cocktail with o'dourves. Denise had mentioned there was another wedding the same day as ours. I wonder if it was yours? If that is the case, then I'd assume we would get Tuscan for both.

 

-Stephen

Hello there Stephen!

We are getting married on August 28th, is this your date too? If so, we are wedding buddies on the Summit. We are doing our reception in Qsine (which made sense financially for us since we are having around 75 guests). As for the ceremony, we have requested the Reflections Lounge. Originally, they wanted to do the ceremony and reception in Qsine, but thought it could take away too much time to do a turnover. The ceremony location won't be confirmed until later I think. Tuscan would be nice for both. I've only toured the Normandy, but heard good things about this location!

We had about 15 non sailing guests at our wedding. I had put together bags and gave them out the night before at a dinner we hosted, and had our matron of honors give out the rest of the bags for those who didn't make dinner. Anyway, in the bags I had a welcome letter (10 pages long including a word search specific to our wedding, a maze, introduction of our wedding party, pencils, notepads, deck plans of the ship with the wedding location and reception location marked, a schedule of the days events, chips ahoy cookies, bottle of water, sunscreen, etc. The bags were canvas bags with our names and date on them, so they also worked as wedding favors (also had sunglasses and flip flops at the reception to add to the bags). The time seemed to fly by for the guests and we did pay for lido deck lunch for our guests as well so as soon as they got on the boat (on Carnival wedding parties are the first people to board) they could get a bite to eat before the wedding so that also passed the time once we boarded at 11 since the wedding wasn't until 1:30.

Thank you for this information! I like the idea of the bags with snacks and such. Unfortunately, Celebrity does not offer the opportunity to go to the lunch buffet; however, our ceremony is likely to start around 12 with the reception immediately after.

Hello there,

We are getting married on the Celebrity Summit on August 28th of this year in port. I was wondering, since our non-sailing & sailing guests have to be there an hour before boarding, what do you all plan on doing to pass the time? We have quite a few guests who are not sailing with us and I was wondering if anyone planned on doing anything? I was thinking of making "breakfast" bags with granola bars and sealed goodies. Activity wise, are there any options?

Thanks!

~J