Ncl brides

[Chinital]

Did anyone tour the ship before the wedding? Did you pay for it? How many people did NCL allow?

[Chinital]

I am a Norwegian Bride. Any info on Norwegian Tours would be great.Is there a fee?

[Bostoncruiser35]

I am a Norwegian Bride. Any info on Norwegian Tours would be great.Is there a fee?

This is the info I was sent from Norwegian~

It is called Exploring Ailes Pre wedding consultation tour. Cost $275 for 2 people( presumably bride and groom), each additional is $45. Includes:

Pre Inspection arrangements

Site inspector with a wedding coodinator total time 90 min

~30 min tour of wedding locations and reception locations

~30 of consultation wich includes wedding props, photography and question and answer session

~ join other guests for a 30 min open buffet lunch.

 

If you would like more time with consultant at that time it is $100 an hour.

[Lipz]

Can anyone please tell me about the cake in the basic wedding package? I think it's a 6".

 

Is it square or round? Can I request it be round?

 

Secondly, based on the gourmet lunch menu, was the food good? I'd be mortified if my guests get bad food.

 

We had the two tier cake since we had more than 25 guest. It was round and white. The filling was vanilla. From pictures we had seen we knew it would be plain looking so we ordered a cake topper from the same person doing our wedding flowers. We had silk flowers and the cake topper matched.

 

There's a picture of our cake right on the homepage of our wedding photo site here:

http://daisha.shutterfly.com/

[Bostoncruiser35]

Found this on another post and thought it might be useful here

"

It seems like alot of the same questions get asked over and over and over.. So i Created a simple list with answers.. Please add to it and who knows it may stick around for awhile..

 

1. Dinning rooms open around 5:30 its just like a land based resturant.. Walk to the hostess stand ask for a table..

 

2. Yes you can carry soda / water on board.. Just no Beer.. Or to the naughty room you shall go.

 

3. Yes NCL charges $12 DSC a day...

 

4. OBC cant be used for the DSC anymore.. :( sad but true..

 

5. After final payment theres no price reduction.. you get what you paid for.. They dont raise the price on you if the cruise fare goes up..

 

6. NCL has Pepsi on board.. (im a coke man myself)

 

7. NO chair hogging.. Violators will be asked to walk the plank or left in some remote port in mexico..

 

8. Always go by SHIP time not PORT TIME!!! sometimes its the same sometimes not so much..

 

9. Yes we know NCL is Freestyle.. And some people enjoy the same wait staff Ya know the old school way. NCL rotates there wait staff.. Different venues different time different stations.. You could always stalk a waiter if you really want too..

 

10. Will I enjoy NCL?.. You should enjoy every vacation Your not at work.. Home or school! But you are on a big ship thats gonna feed you 3,4, 5 meals a day.. You room stewart will clean up after you 2x a day.. NO cooking cleaning mowing or landuary for the next 4 to 7 days.. Whats not to like about that?

11. The kids club is open from 9am to 10pm sea days and there is no charge. You do pay for "port play" when the ship is docked, or late night play from 10pm to 1am. The kids crew staff do not feed your kids or change diapers, help with clothes but will give you a pager to attend to these issues. They will not change the age groups no matter how much money you spent or how big your group is, but there are times all kids play together. And the kids crew are fantastic ;)

12. If you have a cabin under the Garden Cafe or pool deck you may hear noise from the deck above.

13. There is no self serve laundry on NCL ships but there is a laundry deal (currently $25/bag) mid way through the week.

14. At least in Florida, transfers arranged through NCL are always slower and more expensive than other options.

 

• 15. Suite guests with family and friends in non-suite staterooms may invite them to eat in their suite, but are not welcome to bring them to Cagney's.
  
• 16 You don't need a passport on some cruises, but it's a good idea to have one with you anyway.
  
• 17 Butler and Concierge do not participate in the DSC pool, plan accordingly.
  
• 18 Mini-suites have more room and a nicer bathroom but are not considered suites with perks.
  
• 19 Towel animals do not come to life while you are asleep and move your stuff.
  

 

 

20 What are the chances the upsell fairy will call? Slim

21 How can I get a free upgrade? Nealy impossible

22 What is a GTY? Guaranty room type

23 I'm in an inside, how can I get the Owners Suite? Pay for it.

-24 Is the fee for the speciality restaurants worth it? Yes

- 25 How do I get an OBC and what can I use it for? Research & speciality restaurants, bar tabs, spa services

- 26 Is it better to book directly with NCL or a TA? Depends on your needs. It is easier to change a reservation prior to final payment if you have booked directly with NCL.

- 27 Can I transfer a booking made with NCL to a TA? Yes

28. The water is the pools are salt water!

29. Phone calls from ship to home are very expensive..

30. Data rates for smart phones will end up costing you a ton.. Best thing to do is cut off data or put the phone in airplane mode..

31. Yes the ship can rock from time to time.. "

 

 

Hope it helps someone :)

[chellebells]

I am down to 258 days and already stressed out. I guess you could say I am a bit of a control freak and I just want all my details finalized now and not have to wait til 2 weeks prior. Does anyone have any tips on how to relax and just trust in the process and enjoy the next few months? BTW, I am getting married on the NCL GEM 11/25/2012...thanks Lipz for everything that you have shared with us!!!!!

[Lipz]

I am down to 258 days and already stressed out. I guess you could say I am a bit of a control freak and I just want all my details finalized now and not have to wait til 2 weeks prior. Does anyone have any tips on how to relax and just trust in the process and enjoy the next few months? BTW, I am getting married on the NCL GEM 11/25/2012...thanks Lipz for everything that you have shared with us!!!!!

 

Girl you are going to stress until it's over. Then your going to stress wondering if everyone enjoyed your wedding lol. Have a few 'no wedding talk' days and you will be fine.

[Chinital]

Hi everyone,

 

I'm getting married in May on the Gem and I just found out from TWE that I have to take care of photography myself. They told me that when I get onboard that I can speak to the photographer about taking oictures of my wedding. I find that to be a crazy sort of last minute request and I'm not happy about it.

 

Has anyone been married on the Gem or Jewel and used photography?

Please advise if TWE told you the same thing and how it turned out.

 

Thanks in advance.

[Bostoncruiser35]

This is the first time I have heard about this. Every thread i have read about photography cruises insist on thier photographers being used. i have even read some brides sneaking thier photographers on as guests at the wedding.

[chellebells]

Hi everyone,

 

I'm getting married in May on the Gem and I just found out from TWE that I have to take care of photography myself. They told me that when I get onboard that I can speak to the photographer about taking oictures of my wedding. I find that to be a crazy sort of last minute request and I'm not happy about it.

 

Has anyone been married on the Gem or Jewel and used photography?

Please advise if TWE told you the same thing and how it turned out.

 

Thanks in advance.

 

I was told that for my on board ceremony I would have to pay $300 an hour for the photographer or purchase a much more expensive package as photographers are only included for the onshore weddings. Sometimes I sit here and wonder exactly what I am paying for besides a 15 minute ceremony. :)

[gymbomb]

I was told that for my on board ceremony I would have to pay $300 an hour for the photographer or purchase a much more expensive package as photographers are only included for the onshore weddings. Sometimes I sit here and wonder exactly what I am paying for besides a 15 minute ceremony. :)

 

This is what my information said as well. We decided to just pay for the photographer now, then decide later how many photos we want to purchase. I'm sure we'll buy some but I won't know how many I want until I see them! And all I wanted was the photos -- not the frames/books/etc. that come with the packages. So even if it ends up costing a little bit more in the end, at least we'll only be paying for the things we really want.

[Twin A]

I was told that for my on board ceremony I would have to pay $300 an hour for the photographer or purchase a much more expensive package as photographers are only included for the onshore weddings. Sometimes I sit here and wonder exactly what I am paying for besides a 15 minute ceremony. :)

 

I have to admit that this was one of the reasons FI and I decided to go with Carnival. We LOVE sailing with NCL and had originally only looked into them for our wedding. But after reading some Carnival wedding reviews and taking a look at their packages, I was sold. NCL has beautiful weddings, but for what we wanted, Carnival offered more at a better rate.

 

We still might take a honeymoon cruise on NCL, though. We really do <3 them!

[Lipz]

Hi everyone,

 

I'm getting married in May on the Gem and I just found out from TWE that I have to take care of photography myself. They told me that when I get onboard that I can speak to the photographer about taking oictures of my wedding. I find that to be a crazy sort of last minute request and I'm not happy about it.

 

Has anyone been married on the Gem or Jewel and used photography?

Please advise if TWE told you the same thing and how it turned out.

 

Thanks in advance.

 

We got married on the Jewel this past July, embarkment day. They were adamant about the fact that we had to use their photographer and could not bring our own. We went with theirs and was disappointed when he showed up 1/2 hour late which shortened our reception time. TWE made up for it with a nice hefty reimbursement check! .... Oh and the pictures were nice but nothing to spend thousands on so thankfully we didn't purchase a package before the wedding.

 

This is what my information said as well. We decided to just pay for the photographer now, then decide later how many photos we want to purchase. I'm sure we'll buy some but I won't know how many I want until I see them! And all I wanted was the photos -- not the frames/books/etc. that come with the packages. So even if it ends up costing a little bit more in the end, at least we'll only be paying for the things we really want.

 

On NCL we didn't have to pay for the photographer. You get one hour automatically so ours got ceremony, reception and ship shots. We only paid for a few pics.

 

I have to admit that this was one of the reasons FI and I decided to go with Carnival. We LOVE sailing with NCL and had originally only looked into them for our wedding. But after reading some Carnival wedding reviews and taking a look at their packages, I was sold. NCL has beautiful weddings, but for what we wanted, Carnival offered more at a better rate.

 

We still might take a honeymoon cruise on NCL, though. We really do <3 them!

 

Our original choice was Carnival until we found out they didn't support same-sex weddings on their ships. Then we decided on Royal Caribbean but didn't want to truck our guest to New Jersey when we could leave out of our very own home port of New York City. NCL won by default but.....everything happens for a reason and I believe we were meant to be Norwegian brides. It was beautiful!!!

[Twin A]

We got married on the Jewel this past July, embarkment day. They were adamant about the fact that we had to use their photographer and could not bring our own. We went with theirs and was disappointed when he showed up 1/2 hour late which shortened our reception time. TWE made up for it with a nice hefty reimbursement check! .... Oh and the pictures were nice but nothing to spend thousands on so thankfully we didn't purchase a package before the wedding.

 

On NCL we didn't have to pay for the photographer. You get one hour automatically so ours got ceremony, reception and ship shots. We only paid for a few pics.

 

Our original choice was Carnival until we found out they didn't support same-sex weddings on their ships. Then we decided on Royal Caribbean but didn't want to truck our guest to New Jersey when we could leave out of our very own home port of New York City. NCL won by default but.....everything happens for a reason and I believe we were meant to be Norwegian brides. It was beautiful!!!

 

 

It's a shame that Carnival didn't allow same-sex weddings. But you two made beautiful NCL brides, & your wedding looked wonderful!

 

My fiance & I have recently discovered whiteknot.org, which supports marriage equality. So we'll be wearing white knots on our wedding day & offering them to our guests.

[Lipz]

It's a shame that Carnival didn't allow same-sex weddings. But you two made beautiful NCL brides, & your wedding looked wonderful!

 

My fiance & I have recently discovered whiteknot.org, which supports marriage equality. So we'll be wearing white knots on our wedding day & offering them to our guests.

 

Just a little update....

 

When we went to book our wedding in 2010 Carnival did not support it. However, I learned that this year they have started booking same-sex weddings and that is good news indeed.

 

We actually tossed around the idea of doing the white knot at our wedding. As well. We decided against it only because we wanted guest to see that a same-sex wedding is no different than a straight couples, ex for the obvious, so we shied away from making any kind of 'statement'. Knowing that straight couples are dong the white knot in support is heartfelt for sure.

[chellebells]

On NCL we didn't have to pay for the photographer. You get one hour automatically so ours got ceremony, reception and ship shots. We only paid for a few pics.

 

 

That is great news, hopefully I will be pleasantly surprised by a real photographer and not just my friends and family with their IPADs LOL.

 

I just hope that my day is half as wonderful as yours was Dana as I have seen all the pics and I hear all your wonderful memories.

 

To help ease my stress we have booked a room at the Park Lane Helmsley for the night before and I was thinking of through TWE having a car bring us to the ship that morning but they want $150 to go 6 blocks! I am thinking the concierge at the hotel may be able to find me a car service cheaper, unless anyone here knows of one?

 

Thanks!!!!!

[Twin A]

Just a little update....

 

When we went to book our wedding in 2010 Carnival did not support it. However, I learned that this year they have started booking same-sex weddings and that is good news indeed.

 

We actually tossed around the idea of doing the white knot at our wedding. As well. We decided against it only because we wanted guest to see that a same-sex wedding is no different than a straight couples, ex for the obvious, so we shied away from making any kind of 'statement'. Knowing that straight couples are dong the white knot in support is heartfelt for sure.

 

I can certainly understand not wanting to make that kind of statement. My fiance and I are looking at this as a nice and non-confrontational way to show that we believe everyone has a right to get married.

 

I do remember reading about Carnival's decision change. Glad that happened.

[Lipz]

On NCL we didn't have to pay for the photographer. You get one hour automatically so ours got ceremony, reception and ship shots. We only paid for a few pics.

 

 

That is great news, hopefully I will be pleasantly surprised by a real photographer and not just my friends and family with their IPADs LOL.

 

I just hope that my day is half as wonderful as yours was Dana as I have seen all the pics and I hear all your wonderful memories.

 

To help ease my stress we have booked a room at the Park Lane Helmsley for the night before and I was thinking of through TWE having a car bring us to the ship that morning but they want $150 to go 6 blocks! I am thinking the concierge at the hotel may be able to find me a car service cheaper, unless anyone here knows of one?

 

Thanks!!!!!

 

Save your money and have the hotel flag you a yellow cab or call you one. Those 6 blocks are actually long but not $150 long! You can actually walk them that's how close you'll be staying.

I can certainly understand not wanting to make that kind of statement. My fiance and I are looking at this as a nice and non-confrontational way to show that we believe everyone has a right to get married.

 

I do remember reading about Carnival's decision change. Glad that happened.

 

That's a wonderful gesture. Love it!

[JonandJess]

hey there! I've been stalking this boards for a while reading all the info and have to say thanks for all the helpful info everyone! We are sailing on norwegian sky out of miami (since most of our family lives there) sept 21 and having our ceremony in nassau sept 23 (through a private nassau wedding coordinator) and our reception on the ship afterwards once we leave nassau. The group department has informed us we need speak with TWE for our reception, and TWE has told us we need to work with the group people since we did not use TWE for our actual ceremony, so we are getting quite the "runaround"... has anyone else done things this way? did it work out? we have over 70 people sailing, and not getting any info about holding a full blown reception is starting to worry us! thanks!!!

[janine1030]

I am also getting married in the port of new york. I am sailing from the gem. They told me photography isnt included? I am confused because you said you did not pay for a photographer?

[chellebells]

I am also getting married in the port of new york. I am sailing from the gem. They told me photography isnt included? I am confused because you said you did not pay for a photographer?

 

Janine,

 

When is your wedding? Mine is in November on the Gem so we can compare notes on what each of TWE planners tell us . :)

Basically, I was told that I have an officiator for a 10-15 minute ceremony, a cake for 2, a 6 rose bouquet, boutannaire(sp) for the hubby to be, and a bottle of sparkling wine. Photographer would be $300 an/hr if I choose to have one.

 

We are just having a small ceremony with no reception for us and our parents so we are ok with this. My only request which I HOPE they can provide is we would like to be married on the top deck of the Garden Villa. However, I will not know if this can be accommodated until two weeks prior. :(

[Lipz]

I am also getting married in the port of new york. I am sailing from the gem. They told me photography isnt included? I am confused because you said you did not pay for a photographer?

 

Sorry for the confusion, I just realized what's happened. Although we got married just this past July (2011) when we booked our wedding it was still 2010. We were under the 'old' contract which included 1 hour photography, a 8x10 photo and a photo presentation to view what your pictures. Looking at the NCL wedding brochure from 11/2011 I see that those 3 items are omitted from the wedding aisle package that we had booked. We didn't really have a photo presentation either. It was more like standing at the photo counter and looking through hundreds of photos for about 2 hours. Another reason why we got a nice reimburstment!

 

 

Janine,

 

When is your wedding? Mine is in November on the Gem so we can compare notes on what each of TWE planners tell us . :)

Basically, I was told that I have an officiator for a 10-15 minute ceremony (they allowed us 30 minutes with no additional cost just so you know), a cake for 2, a 6 rose bouquet, boutannaire(sp) for the hubby to be, and a bottle of sparkling wine. Photographer would be $300 an/hr if I choose to have one.

 

 

The wedding photography is $300 per hour now. Glad we booked when we did as it was already part of the package with no additional cost accept when buying the photos.

[chellebells]

Sorry for the confusion, I just realized what's happened. Although we got married just this past July (2011) when we booked our wedding it was still 2010. We were under the 'old' contract which included 1 hour photography, a 8x10 photo and a photo presentation to view what your pictures. Looking at the NCL wedding brochure from 11/2011 I see that those 3 items are omitted from the wedding aisle package that we had booked. We didn't really have a photo presentation either. It was more like standing at the photo counter and looking through hundreds of photos for about 2 hours. Another reason why we got a nice reimburstment!

 

 

The wedding photography is $300 per hour now. Glad we booked when we did as it was already part of the package with no additional cost accept when buying the photos.

 

That's ok, we are just back to family and friends taking pictures. I could never justify paying a photographer because I am NOT photogenic and every time I try to pose let's just say it isn't pretty. :eek:

Hopefully this way I will be caught with more candid shots that may not be quite so bad LOL.

 

Thanks for the tip on the taxi, you are so right with the port being so close there really is not a need for a car service. Someone please stop me from being a 'bridezilla'!:D

[janine1030]

Do you think they would notice if I brought a photographer on as a guest??? He is a family friend? Would they say something??

 

@Chellebell. My wedding is June 1st, 2013 on the gem. I am so excited, but getting exhausted because its all my brain can think about. lol

[Bostoncruiser35]

Ok I have to ask a question, for the ceremony if you must pay for the photographer's time and pictures, pay for cake for your guests, bring a runner, bring your flowers if you want anything but what they supply and bring your music if you want different, what are you paying for? Even if you go with thier flowers and music isn't the $$ alot for flowers and music seeing as you already paid for the cruise? Yes you get the coordinator( from what I hear for just short time before hand and for the ceremony the whole 15 min of it) and the venue and someone to be the officiant (not necessarily the capitan). I wonder if they have lowered the prices because of that.

 

Sorry to be a debbie downer but I am coming off a trip to look at wedding dresses and fell in love with one outside my budget.