Getting to the ship! Poll

[Bostoncruiser35]

I am a little nervous about everyone getting to the ship. I have 2 options.

 

1st: Meet at my sisters house 25 min away from port and get a shuttle service to cart the 30+ people together to the ship. She will have a lite breakfast there for everyone ( they have a canteen business so no biggie).That is when I would hand out oot bags. We would all meet over there at 9-9:30 leave for port at 10:30-11

Pros:

No cost parking

I know everyone will make it to the ship

A set time to give oot bags and I don't have to carry them on

Cons:

I will be footing the bill for the shuttle both ways

The cost of the shuttle will be taken from my dress budget

Dictating when everyone will need to get there and if we must wait in line the time I pick may be an issue.

 

2nd: Have everyone meet at the port

Pros:

No budget issues

Everyone can get there at thier lesure

If they wait in a long line, I am not on the hook for it.

Cons:

They must pay for parking along with the cost of the cruise

I will be stressing about everyone making it

The ot bags would be hung on thier doors when we get on and I worry someone may make off with someones bag.

 

 

So what does everyone think. I do not want to ask my guests because I do not want to hurt the feelings of the people who I go against, so I would rather not know what they think unless they vioce it themselves.

[Sonobride]

we have a similar situation but we live alot further away than 25 mins.

we are planning on hiring a bus service to transport our guests down. We are in hopes that a majority of them will take us up of the offer, but if it gets closer - and we don't have many people, then we can downsize the bus.

 

this was part of the planning and budgeting process - so....even though i felt as though most people could drive and pay the fee to park, my FH thought it best to just provide the transportation that way there was no question about times and people not making it or getting lost, etc.

[Artemis908]

If I had to pay for the bus, I wouldn't do it. But I am also a cheap skate. ;) My FIL paid for a bus as part of our wedding gift but they were also all about 3 hours away from the port, so it's not quite the same. So half of our guests arrived with the bus, but they were about an hour early so they had to wait awhile. Rest of our guests arrived fine on their own and to be honest we had enough guests I wouldn't have noticed (there were 80 of us total). There was SO much going on that day that I didn't even have time to talk to everyone (some people were either in the bathroom or getting food when we were walking around and saying hello).

 

I know it's hard, but just try not stress over the stuff you can't control. Everyone will get there somehow, in fact it was US I should have been worrying about. We got to the ship 30 mins late because of a big accident that blocked our way.

[brklyn78]

I live about 45 minutes away from my port. My family lives about 3 hours away, and my fiancé's family lives between 45 minutes and 1.5 hrs from port. I'm getting married on embarkation day, so we are all supposed to be at the port at 11.

 

There is NO WAY I would want to have to wait for everyone to get in one place before I could make my way to the ship. If you are getting married on any other day, I imagine it's less of an issue. There are hotels near the ship that offer 1 night plus 1 week of parking packages for not much more than a week worth of parking at the port. That is what I and my family are doing. My fiancé's family are all making their own way to the port. They have taken it upon themselves to figure out carpools, how many people plus luggage can fit in each car, etc.

 

There was no expectation that I would provide transportation. I say, there are so many things that you are probably paying for, why add another expense when your pocket is probably already overly taxed.

 

As for the OOT bags, I'm planning to see if I can have someone deliver them to the rooms during that time before the rooms are ready when the doors to the hallways are closed (but not locked) the cabin doors are open, and the stewards are making up the rooms. That way they'll be in the room when they get there. If that doesn't work, I'll just make it someone's "job" to make sure everyone gets there's personally. We sail in two weeks and everyone's been asking if there is anything they can do to help. I'm going to say "yes, pass out OOT bags." ;)

[jebuell]

Well, we don't live anywhere near the port (a 6 hour FLIGHT, actually), but I did contemplate having a shuttle service pick everyone up at the hotel. Ultimately, I decided to just let everyone fend for themselves as far as how they get to the port. Mostly because 1) most people are staying at different hotels than the one we picked and most of the hotels offer shutters and 2) I trust everyone to be able to make their own way there so hiring a shuttle would be a wasted expense.

 

We did all agree to meet at the port at a specified time (10:30 most likely), and I'll have a cell phone number for everyone. I won't board until I know everyone is safely at the port.

 

But, I only have a dozen guests... with 30+ I may be a little more concerned!

[aprill121]

Are you leaving from florida? What I would do (am doing) is using SAS transportation, they are very resonable, 11pp, from Fort lauderdale airport to the port of miami. I am giving guests the option, I am letting them know I have a shuttle service in place and made them aware of the price (they have to pay) and I included information about parking fees at the port, and the average cab fare from the airport. I let them choose, and told them if they wanted to use the shuttle the money had to be paid 30 days in advance. So, they can choose what they want to do, and we are not footing the bill!:D

[WDrake_98]

I have the exact same situation.

 

I live in Houston about 45 minutes from the Port in Galveston.

 

Because I'm such a perfectionist, I've decided to get charter the bus.

 

I'll have about 56 guests, with 9 sailing.

 

I'm planning on having my bridal party drive down and have a spa day in Galveston the day before the cruise and stay the night.

 

The day of the wedding the Charter bus will pick up everyone at a central location and then head to Galveston. After the wedding it will return them to the same spot.

 

My FH and his groomsmen who are sailing will be on the charter. The bus will have enough room to fit all their luggage.

 

It is quite pricey to get the charter bus, but I'm hoping it will make for a better experience for my guest and ensure that everyone gets to the port in time.

 

Of course, if there is a reck or a problem with the bus, then no one will be there, but I can't control everything lol.

[cruiseonthebrain]

I would definately vote for your second option. I don't want to sound like a past Bridezilla- but if you think you will stress about all your guests getting to the port on time, wait until you are stressed about getting yourself to the port on time because your guests are late getting to the shuttle pick up point.

We pre-arranged shuttle service for everyone to try to do something nice and keep things simple. I was so freaked out about not getting to the ship on time myself (for some reason my guests were completely oblivious to the importance of timing even though we told them a whole bunch of times). My hair and make up artist ended up driving me separately which turned out wonderfully.

If you go the shuttle route I would absolutely recommend having a plan B to make sure you minimize your stress if you have late guests. This sounds terrible, but it is so important to consider your mental health and stress level on your special day. Plus you deserve the bigger dress budget! Or a bigger photo budget!

I think it is really nice that you would consider doing the shuttle for your guests. I will tell you when we arranged for the shuttle nobody even thanked us for it- I guess they thought it paid for itself :-)

Congratulations and good luck!!!! Let us know how it goes!

[WDrake_98]

I would definately vote for your second option. I don't want to sound like a past Bridezilla- but if you think you will stress about all your guests getting to the port on time, wait until you are stressed about getting yourself to the port on time because your guests are late getting to the shuttle pick up point.

We pre-arranged shuttle service for everyone to try to do something nice and keep things simple. I was so freaked out about not getting to the ship on time myself (for some reason my guests were completely oblivious to the importance of timing even though we told them a whole bunch of times). My hair and make up artist ended up driving me separately which turned out wonderfully.

If you go the shuttle route I would absolutely recommend having a plan B to make sure you minimize your stress if you have late guests. This sounds terrible, but it is so important to consider your mental health and stress level on your special day. Plus you deserve the bigger dress budget! Or a bigger photo budget!

I think it is really nice that you would consider doing the shuttle for your guests. I will tell you when we arranged for the shuttle nobody even thanked us for it- I guess they thought it paid for itself :-)

Congratulations and good luck!!!! Let us know how it goes!

 

 

This is so very true. I'm looking at it as trying to control what I can and not worry about what I can't. If my guests pass up a free ride, cause they were late then hey I did the best I could.

 

Part of the rsvp I make will include information on the shuttle and allowing them to opt in or out. I'll also point out the importance of being on time and that this is not like a regular wedding where you can be late/ miss the ceremony and still make the reception.

 

Since the bus will bring the groom, leaving late just won't be an option.

[cruiseonthebrain]

Since the bus will bring the groom, leaving late just won't be an option.

 

This is great!!! I had a good laugh. Recommend pre-printing a few flyers with directions on them to leave behind at your sister's house for any latecomers :-)

 

I still think you should spend the extra money on you :-)

[Bostoncruiser35]

Thank you everyone for your input. I am thinking of combining a few of the suggestions.

My wedding day is mid cruise on the boat, but I agree I need to make sure my mental health is good so I don't choke someone before they get to see my ceremony. Here is my thought:

Take the shuttle, advise my guests that the shuttle cost will be X if they choose to take it. Have everyone meet at my sisters house for breakfast who is going on the shuttle and as for the rest of the guests who choose to make thier own way to the boat.... I'll be at the pool bar come find me when you get on!

I am going to have a website with all of the particulars, shuttle option, and directions to the terminal. And I will leave some at the house for late comers advising them ahead of time since the shuttle will be available if they make it or not no refunds for a missed shuttle. Since I am cruising out of Boston and from what I have been told it is a $16 p/d parking ( 7 day cruise) so if I can keep it under $100 ( which I should be able to it for about 1/2 that) it will be cheaper to take my shuttle. And that is both ways.

As for the welcome bags, my sister said she will take care of the bags for those who don't make the shuttle. I am smilie once again!:D

[Herbaltees]

I live about 45 minutes away from my port. My family lives about 3 hours away, and my fiancé's family lives between 45 minutes and 1.5 hrs from port. I'm getting married on embarkation day, so we are all supposed to be at the port at 11.

 

 

Which hotels did you use in the area for your OOT guests? We are looking at a few dwntwn but the parking fees are really high ($30/night).

 

By the time ppl stay the wknd, they would have paid for another night just in parking fees, alone.

[brklyn78]

Which hotels did you use in the area for your OOT guests? We are looking at a few dwntwn but the parking fees are really high ($30/night).

 

By the time ppl stay the wknd, they would have paid for another night just in parking fees, alone.

 

Found it! Sorry I missed this one. We are all staying at the Brookshire suites in downtown on Lombard. They have a Cruise and park package (that might not be the right name) where you can get a room for one night for about $119, and park the full week for free. With taxes, that comes to about $130 something... not that much more than parking at the pier for a week ($105). I see it as getting a hotel night for $30. Plus, they have a car service (not shuttle, car) that will take you to and from the pier. I love this option. Since they use a service, they can have multiple cars come to get my group. There is also free breakfast.

 

Sleep Inn near the airport has a very similar program for a very similar price. They use a shuttle van, and aren't near anything, unlike Brookshire which is a block from the inner harbor.

[Herbaltees]

Found it! Sorry I missed this one. We are all staying at the Brookshire suites in downtown on Lombard. They have a Cruise and park package (that might not be the right name) where you can get a room for one night for about $119, and park the full week for free. With taxes, that comes to about $130 something... not that much more than parking at the pier for a week ($105). I see it as getting a hotel night for $30. Plus, they have a car service (not shuttle, car) that will take you to and from the pier. I love this option. Since they use a service, they can have multiple cars come to get my group. There is also free breakfast.

 

Sleep Inn near the airport has a very similar program for a very similar price. They use a shuttle van, and aren't near anything, unlike Brookshire which is a block from the inner harbor.

 

Great info. Thanks. Brookshire did give us a great rate considering they are right downtown. I didn't know about the car service to the port though. Very classy touch!

 

Thank you again and good luck this wknd. I know it's all coming together beautifully. I'll be wtg anxiously to read your review when you return!

[Lipz]

Trust me.

You will have enough stress and worries and do not need the added stress of coordinating grown folks to the port. Right now you feel good about it bacause it's like you will have control, but if folks are going to be late...they are going to be late!

As for your OOT bags you can always pay the cruise line to deliver them to the cabins for you. They charge about $2-3 a bag which I am pretty sure is cheaper than the shuttle rental. You may even luck out as we did and not get charged at all. Our TWE coordinator hooked that up for us. Again we were on NCL so it may be different, but you never know.