Wedding Day Itinerary

Hi All, I am new to this forum so excuse me if this has been discussed before but I could really use some insight. In April 2018 I am getting married on the Norwegian Breakaway on embarkation day in Manhattan. Only my fiancé and I am sailing. We have 60 non sailing guests. While organizing the wedding, I asked my coordinator if she could help me put together an itinerary for the day. This is what she provided me:

9:30-10am - Arrive for processing of guest boarding passes

11:30-12:30pm - Refreshments will be served

12:30pm - Ceremony

1-2:30pm - Cocktail Reception

2:30-2:45pm - Goodbyes and well wishes to the couple as they sail off

I asked my coordinator what will the guests doing be doing, and where will they be, from 10am-11:30am, since it was a good amount of unaccounted time. She told me that the guests will get their visitor passes and then be escorted to a VIP waiting lounge. She said the process usually takes 1-1.5 hours. After more questions, she explained the VIP lounge is just a waiting room where priority people wait to board. No drinks will be available to be served or purchased.

I am a little concerned about this. I am not sure how my guests will receive this waiting, especially without having anything served. But I also do not know if there is anything I can do about it. Has anyone experienced this problem and how it worked out? Or any suggestions on what to do? I feel like there is such limited time on the wedding day to begin with that I don't want to waste a minute. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated, thank you!!

I can not adequately give a play by play for an actual wedding on board ship as I have never attended one, but can validate that the boarding process is when they will process you and your guests to gain access to the ship. Everyone waiting to board the Breakaway that day will be similarly waiting in a holding area. Your area is set aside due in part to your nuptials. It will go by faster than you think!

Remember, there are approximately 4,000 pax from the previous week's sailing disembarking and a full turnover of the vessel going on in those few hours! A beautiful ceremony will ensue and all will be right with the world. Congratulations on you wedding!!! Sounds like a great way to get married and go straight to the honeymoon.

Before I even finished reading your thread, my first thought was "wow, that's a long time to wait!"

I think your guests will not enjoy being cooped up in some room somewhere, dressed to the nines, with nothing to do.

Maybe you could work with NCL to provide some refreshments or even board games?

It sounds like poor planning and I think your guests will be unhappy, hopefully you find a solution, and congratulations on your wedding!

We were married on the Dawn on embarkation day in Boston. I am guessing our timeline was similar. Most of our guests were sailing, but that doesn't matter before the wedding since their rooms aren't available then anyway. They all hung out in our wedding venue talking to each other while the groom and best man got ready in our cabin and the maid of honor and I got ready in her cabin. The guys went down as soon as they were ready and apparently there was a quick rehearsal (I.e. some instructions from the wedding coordinator) then I was escorted to the venue right before the wedding began.

Edit: I was not with the guests during the waiting time, but really no one thought it was a big deal.

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I don't know if they will be in a separate room or just a roped off part of the general waiting area. But, if they are in a separate room you may be able to arrange with NCL to provide sandwiches, cookies, coffee and juice to them. They do this for suite guests in NYC so they should be able to provide it for your guests. I'm guessing that this is not included in the wedding package and more than likely would be an additional charge. It doesn't hurt to ask.

Otherwise, it might be a good idea to let your guests know the situation and that there will be a waiting area for them where they will be waiting to board for about an hour. This way at least they're expecting to wait.

Congratulations and Happy Wedding!

She told me that the guests will get their visitor passes and then be escorted to a VIP waiting lounge. She said the process usually takes 1-1.5 hours. After more questions, she explained the VIP lounge is just a waiting room where priority people wait to board. No drinks will be available to be served or purchased.

If your guests will be waiting in the priority embarkation lounge, there will be coffee, juice & continental breakfast (pastries, croissants, etc.) - but no alcohol served or available. The concierge staff will be there hosting.

Have a fabulous wedding day and honeymoon! :)

Not much you can do about the waiting and cattle call. They are trying to move thousands of folks on and off, and dealing with various authorities. Just the way it is.

(and please - don't make anyone play board games)

Not much you can do about the waiting and cattle call. They are trying to move thousands of folks on and off, and dealing with various authorities. Just the way it is.

If the wedding guests are in the priority lounge as the wedding coordinator stated, luckily they won't deal with the "cattle call" - they will be sheltered from that, thankfully! The NYC pier priority lounge is comfortably behind closed doors and when it's time for embarkation, the concierge will lead priority guests directly onto the ship, avoiding any lines or crowds. But I don't see any way around the wait.

If the wedding guests are in the priority lounge as the wedding coordinator stated, luckily they won't deal with the "cattle call" - they will be sheltered from that, thankfully! The NYC pier priority lounge is comfortably behind closed doors and when it's time for embarkation, the concierge will lead priority guests directly onto the ship, avoiding any lines or crowds. But I don't see any way around the wait.

I was speaking to what is happening in total. Hopefully, they can avoid the long lines for screening which takes place before getting to the lounge area. And somebody finds everyone and "wrangles" them around most of this.

 

9:30-10am - Arrive for processing of guest boarding passes

11:30-12:30pm - Refreshments will be served

12:30pm - Ceremony

1-2:30pm - Cocktail Reception

2:30-2:45pm - Goodbyes and well wishes to the couple as they sail off

 

I asked my coordinator what will the guests doing be doing, and where will they be, from 10am-11:30am, since it was a good amount of unaccounted time. She told me that the guests will get their visitor passes and then be escorted to a VIP waiting lounge. She said the process usually takes 1-1.5 hours.!

Just an idea, but perhaps the 11:30-12:30 refreshment hour is a bit much since at the weddings we have been to you just come and are seated for the ceremony - no refreshments beforehand. Skip the refreshment time (they will get that after the ceremony anyway), figure 1.5 hours for processing and have the guests proceed right to the wedding venue instead of waiting around. That means guests arrive at 10:30, are processed by 11:30 - noon and have very little time to wait before the ceremony.

Will there be actual food at any point? If I was invited to an event from 930-245 I would assume lunch

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Will there be actual food at any point? If I was invited to an event from 930-245 I would assume lunch

 

 

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If not already planning, I woyld suggest some food at the cocktail reception. Finger sandwiches? Crudites? Fruit?

Being that your event encompasses a meal time it should be addressed.

I am assuming your guests will be in a separate waiting area than suites/vip, since every one I have been in would not accomodate 60 more folks! Maybe they could provide cookies, tea cakes, tea and water? Of course there will be a charge as none of your guests are sailing.

Just a few thoughts.

Oh, LOL. I once sailed out of LA and Geraldo Rivera was going to be a guest at a wedding but not cruise. He was very nice posing for pictures in the general waiting area. It did NOT appear Royal had any particular area set up for wedding guests. They made an announcement and he and the others went on. And it was right before the wedding.

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