Royal Caribbean offers some of the best wedding cruises in the cruise industry. Bridal couples have the opportunity to combine a ceremony, reception and honeymoon into a cruise vacation. Here is what to expect from a Royal Caribbean cruise wedding.
Facts About Royal Caribbean Weddings
Type of Wedding Ceremonies – The bridal couple must be on the cruise in order to host a ceremony on the cruise ship. Keep in mind that the ship's captain does not have the authority to perform wedding ceremonies. All cruise wedding ceremonies are civil ceremonies that are performed by a non-denominational local officiate. Some of the Royal Caribbean cruise ships have a wedding chapel.
Wedding Consultant – Cruise wedding packages include a Royal Romance wedding consultant to assist the bridal couple with pre-planning wedding questions and bookings via phone and email correspondence.
Marriage License – The bridal couple is responsible for obtaining a valid marriage licence from the port of call they have selected to host their wedding.
Number of Guests – Cruise weddings on Royal Caribbean cruise ships may have up to ten non-sailing guests as a complimentary service. If there are more than ten non-sailing guests, a reception must be booked. There is a 150 guest maximum, but only 75 non-sailing guests are allowed to attend. Unfortunately, some ports do not permit non-sailing guests on board due to security reasons.
Wedding Coordinator – Separate from the wedding consultant, the wedding coordinator is included in the price of a wedding package. The wedding couple will be assisted by the wedding coordinator for the ceremony only. But, if an onboard reception is booked then an additional wedding coordinator fee of $150 is charged. Wedding parties with 26 to 50 guests require the services of an additional wedding coordinator (additional coordinator fees start at $150 per hour).
Onboard Wedding Reception – A one-hour reception with hot and cold hors d'oeuvres and a bar service costs $32 per person. A one-hour lunch buffet with bar service is $48 per person and a formal wedding luncheon costs $48 per person but does not include an open bar.
Other Professional Services – At an extra cost Royal Romance provides all professional services such as photographers, entertainment and flowers. Unfortunately, no outside vendors are permitted.
Surcharges – For cruise weddings that take place during the months of May, June, September, and October there is a surcharge of $100. Cruise weddings during holidays such as Christmas, New Years and Valentine's Day are subject to a $200 surcharge. There is also a surcharge of $100 for cruise weddings on the Voyager of the Seas, Explorer of the Seas, Adventure of the seas, Navigator of the Seas, Mariner of the Seas, Freedom-class ships and the Oasis of the Seas.
Royal Caribbean Cruise Ship Wedding Packages
The Shipboard Duet is the cheapest cruise wedding package available and includes priority check-in for the bridal couple and their cruising guests, a Royal Romance wedding coordinator, an onboard wedding ceremony, a bridal bouquet, chocolate covered strawberries and a bottle of sparkling wine. The Shipboard Duet package starts at $1,195 depending on the cruise port.
Explorer Weddings are an alternative to the traditional venues for the wedding ceremony. The bridal couple can get married on the FlowRider surfing simulator or on the rock wall for an additional $300 to the wedding package selected. Or, get married on the ice rink (Voyager, Freedom and Oasis-class ships only) for an extra $500.
Royal Romance destination weddings are performed ashore. The ceremonies are approximately 10 to 15 minutes in length and include roundtrip taxi transportation for the bridal couple to get from the ship to the ceremony location.
Cost of Royal Caribbean Cruise Wedding Packages
Juneau, Alaska – Shipboard Duet from $2,195 or glacier wedding with helicopter ride from $4,595
Vancouver, Canada – Shipboard Duet from $1,995 or garden wedding from $2,695
Cabo San Lucas, Mexico – Shipboard Duet from $2,895 or beach wedding from $4,095 (cost of licence is $840)
Caribbean Wedding in St. Maarten – Shipboard Duet from $2,395 or beach wedding from $3,295 (cost of license is $685)
Caribbean Wedding in St. Thomas, VI – Shipboard Duet from $2,195 or beach wedding from $2,995 (cost of licence is $245)
Since only one bottle of sparkling wine is included for a toast at the ceremony venue, bridal couples may choose to host a wedding reception onboard for an additional cost. But even when adding up the cruise wedding costs, a cruise wedding has the potential of being cheaper than a traditional land-based wedding. For more info check the Royal Caribbean website.
Renee Ruggero - Renee is a published travel writer and cruise industry insider with more than 1,000 days on cruise ships, visiting over 50 countries.
