? about booking a vow renewal

[Buckaroo's Dad]

ty house_of_princesses.

 

[rae519]

Originally posted by house_of_princesses
You don't give yourself enough credit! You seem to be a hopeless romantic at heart! And I don't know too many ladies who would disregard that! You've given this vow renewal some thought, particularly since a renewal doesn't appear to be in your near future!

You have shared a great idea, and I just might give that some thought. Thanks!!

BD - I agree with house_of_princesses -
You have always been, in both our public and private messages, a very respectful gentleman, a caring friend and very witty. None of us are prize packages that can be "trotted out of the barn with a blue ribbon on our necks" but I do believe, and you must agree, there is someone out there who will like you for you and all those little quirks you have will be endearments.

Hang in there, pal - the best is yet to come!

Rae

 

[srschilke]

We just did a vow renewal package on the Disney Magic Western Caribbean cruise, and I would highly recommend it to all! We received special treatment all week because we were a 'concierge' party (you get this as part of the vow renewal package). This included first crack at all ressie's, complementary soda in the room, daily goodies (fruits, cookies, etc.), and a reprieve from practically all of the many lines to stand in.

We breezed through check-in and were part of the pre-boarding group (right behind the famous Barb and Tony); we never waited in lines for Palo or Spa reservations, just went to Sessions, met with the amazing concierge staff, and got it all nailed. Other lines we missed: waiting for passes for "Tea With Wendy," waiting to register kids in the program, waiting to charge the tips for the staff, and I know there were others, because we kept asking -- what's that line for? This was all concierge stuff, and you get this service for either booking a suite, or booking a special package (we did both).

Now about the vow renewal. We worked with the wonderful Danielle Clark (who does groups, concierge and weddings on the boat, and I believe has learned how to be efficient and cheerful on little or no sleep). We had a meeting to review how the ceremony would go on Sunday, had lots of room to add special requests, and were offered specifics like a hair appointment pre-booked for me, special music/song selections, and options on our wedding cake. We made our choices, and went about our cruise.

The ceremony was set for Thursday at 4:30, held in Sessions lounge, and officiated by the captain! We had the band master on piano for music during and after the ceremony, and staff on hand to assist with champagne and cake. We were a small group -- me and my renewed groom, Rick, my mother, and our three children. My oldest, Samantha (8), was flower girl and maid of honor; our Michael (7) doubled as ring bearer and best man, and my youngest, Steven (5), had the honor of giving away the bride (then sitting with Grandma who kept him out of trouble).

Rick and I did a pre-ceremony cleansing ritual at the Surial Chamber, which lived up to all its promises, then parted ways to meet again in front of the captain. I headed to the salon for my hair appointment (which I was VERY glad I did -- cruising does not make for good hair days, and Leo was a miracle worker). Then I made Rick take the boys in one room to get ready, with the girls in the other.

The ceremony was very special. Danielle snuck us in a back door at Sessions, so I got that special 'bride' moment again walking down the aisle to my betrothed. We did not preview or change the captain's vows (based on advice from the boards), which were very beautiful and moving. The adults all got teary, and the kids were captivated enough to be angels throughout. Rick and I added our own personal message to each other at the end, and we used our original rings again to seal the deal. It was a wonderful recommitment to our marriage, and a great message to our children.

What followed was more music, champagne, cake cutting (and eating), special gifts, and lots and lots of pictures! We again bypassed multiple lines as our photographer led us right to the front of every line waiting to take formal pictures in the various settings and with characters. I felt a little bad, but people were so very nice and gracious about it. We opted to stay with our family for dinner, but the package comes with a night at Palo included. We did this the night before, and the really neat thing was we got to do ANOTHER dinner at Palo with my mom on a different night.

A word about the gifts -- I don't want to be too specific, because I know they change these. However, the Mickey & Minnie cake topper is beautiful (more so that you'd expect), and there were other nice surprises they don't mention in the package details. We were treated like a Disney Fairy Tale Wedding couple, and even though it was not cheap, it certainly was a fraction of any other ceremony you could have with Disney. Rick and I both came away feeling we really got our money's worth!

I like the Deck 7 idea, especially if you're travelling with a larger group. But for us, the Disney package was the way to go. It rained all day for one thing! Sessions provided a great combination of a view of the ocean, with climate and wind control. And the staff made sure we were treated like the 'wedding couple' all evening long. When we returned to our cabin that night, Danielle had arranged all of our things on our bed, and it was so beautiful and special.

We were shown prints of all the photos the next day (5x7 proofs), and made those choices. This morning we picked up a beautiful photo album of our ceremony. And it was less than 48 hours ago!

I was concerned that a cermony with just the six of us would feel a little silly. Not at all. It was just as special, and a little more relaxed. (I think Captain Guus was more nervous than either the bride or groom. What a nice man he is!)

So I say GO FOR IT to all who are considering this. Disney will make it memorable, and Danielle will make it personal. The vows are really beautiful, and quite romantic, and though we try to say and show our commitment to each other every day, there was something special about repeating our vows to each other in front of the captain and our family.

Feel free to post specific questions. I'll check the boards over the next few days. These were a tremendous help to me in planning, so I will try to return the favor.

Even with so-so weather, and even if we hadn't done the vow renewal, it would have been a great trip. With the money we were spending and the special plans, we came in with VERY high expectations. Danielle, the rest of the crew, and the magic of Disney sailed right over the bar we had set. I wish the same for all of you!

 

[Surfergirl]

Susan,
Thanks for the great report. How did you go about booking the renewal in the first place?we are still trying to decide if we want to do this or spend the money on other things.
Jane

 

[srschilke]

You actually call Disney Fairy Tale Weddings, and are assigned a wedding coordinator. You can call and get more details on it, and also find out if there are any booked for your cruise. According to the person I dealt with, they will only book two vow renewal ceremonies on the cruise.

The money question is hard. Our vow renewal package cost $1,000 even (not including pictures). We really splurged on this trip, and will be paying for it for awhile (just like the first wedding). Our logic (if you can call it that) -- it's pretty tough to do the Disney cruise inexpensively, so let's make it really memorable for this one.

Alternately, you could look at their Romance Package. It's a pretty good deal if you like the spa treatment. But no concierge!

 

[rae519]

We were privileged to attend a DCL Wedding on the Magic on 5/3/03 - Danielle was also their wedding coordinator - what a wonderful girl she is!!!!!

It is truly all you have written and even more! Veryspecial to the couple and for us, their guests!

Best wishes to you on your vow renewal and much happiness!

Rae

 

[Tibbles98]

Congrats, Susan!!! I have a few questions. My DH and myself are renewing our vows on the Magic this December. It will be our 17th anniversary when we do it. It will be just myself, DH, and DS(12). He's going to be our best man and I want him to walk his mom down the isle.(I didn't have an elaborate wedding the first time; got married at the JP, so I'm doing it right this time)

My question is this: Did you have main seating or late seating for your dinners? We have main seating(6:00pm). How did they do your pictures with your dining times? We are going to purchase the photography package, the biggest one. Can you send me a PM about this. I am trying to get things squared away as much as possible before it happens. I have alot of other things going on in my life. I am going back to school, and I graduate on the 20th of Dec., one week before my cruise. So, its really going to be very hetic for me. Any info will be appreciated. Again, congratualtions and best wishes!!!

Lisa

 

[Tibbles98]

I just remembered another question. Did you wear a wedding gown? Like I said before, I didn't go all out the first time but this time I am. If you did, did you wear it to your meal or did you change, it ties in with the picture and dinner question. I read somewhere that a couple did the vow renewal and decided to wear her gown to dinner.
Thanks again,
Lisa

 

[house_of_princesses]

Susan, Thank you for letting us have a peak at a very special time in your life! And what a wonderful post for being a relative newbie!! Welcome!

I, too, would like to hear...... what did you wear?!? What did the wedding party wear?!? I couldn't imagine taking it off for dinner. I wore my veil all evening at our wedding reception and put it on again the next morning when we went to lunch!!

Welcome home and best wishes!!

 

[DisneyCruiseluvr]

If we were to do a vow renewal on a DCL cruise, I would not want to do the wedding gown/tux thing again. We had a nice wedding ceremony/reception the first time around, so I would want a "vow renewal" to be a bit more casual. I'm <b>POSITIVE</b> my hubby would agree.

 

[srschilke]

Tibbles, I don't know how to send a PM, and there are others with similar questions, so I'm just going to post info here.

We had the main dinner seating, and the APL rotation, which was arranged as part of the vow renewal, and was PERFECT because it put us in Lumiere's on semi- and formal nights. The ceremony was held at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday (formal night). We weren't given a choice and wouldn't have really had a preference. As it was, this was also perfect.

The vow renewal took about a half-hour, then we immediately did pictures. Unfortunately, it was raining so all our pics were indoors. But timing was great. As I said before, we were whisked to the head of all five lines for formal pictures, and we were done with it all a few minutes after 6, so we went right in to dinner.

I wore a gown, hubby a tux, boys in dark suits, and Samantha in an ivory 'flower girl' dress. My dress was a floor-length column dress with a deep v front, deeper v back, back slit -- ivory with lace and bugle beads. I got it at Nordstrom's, and though I thought it looked like a wedding dress, it was in the evening wear section and my sales person assured me it could be a non-wedding gown as well. It was definitely more sexy, less Cinderella than the first wedding dress.

I had a bouquet of roses (part of the package -- still gorgeous in a vase at home -- I smuggled them off the ship!), and this clearly identified me as a 'bride.' And I was surprised how much fun it was to be the bride again. Lots of attention, big smiles, nice comments from people.

As the wedding coordinator had planned it, we were to have dinner in Palo that night after the ceremony. We changed this because we wanted to have dinner with the family (sort of like a reception dinner). So we went to Lumiere's that night, and Palo the night before. We didn't change because it was formal night, and though the dress proved challenging on the stairs, it turned out to be okay for sitting (which I hadn't tested!).

I can understand wanting to go more casual the second time around, especially if you had a very formal first affair. However, it worked very well with the formal evening on the ship. It was a more formal ceremony than I anticipated, and that made it much more meaningful. I would never have predicted that I, my mom, and my hubby would all get misty-eyed.

HINT: Don't go with the highest-priced photo package, pick the middle one! You get the photo album and extras with the middle package, one 8x10, and 12 5x7s. For the more expensive package, all you get are 12 more 5x7s, and it's $100 more. They will sell you as many extra 5x7s on ANY package at $.95 per picture.

I hope this helps. Tibbles -- double congratulations to you on the vow renewal and graduation! I went back to college as an adult, and I think I appreciated graduation more than I could have at 22. You are going to have quite a celebration on your cruise!

 

[DisneyCruiseluvr]

<h3>srschilke,</h3>

Thank you for all of the great information! I'm so happy you had such a wonderful and "<b>MAGIC</b>al" experience with your DCL vow renewal. We appreciate you trip report very much.

 

[MindydLeon]

How far in advance did you have to make arrangements. I have dreamt of doing this since my husband and I only had the two of us and 2 close friends present the first time we did it ... Coincidentally the cruise we have starts on our 18th anniversary - I could not justify the cost but after reading your post ... I think I may want to splurge, but the date is fast approaching ... do you think I may have "missed the boat" for having waited so long? in light of the short time left ... is there anything I can do to help make it happen?

Thanks and Congratulations and Best wishes on a long, happy marriage.

 

[srschilke]

Good news (maybe), MindydLeon! We didn't actually BOOK our cruise until less than 2 months before we sailed. I had tried to book a suite (we splurged bigtime) in November 2001 for the week of 5/24, and they said they were booked, but could put us on the waiting list. We got a call at the end of March saying we could do it. We had to change other vacation plans (and take out a second mortgage), but it was no problem to book the vow renewal.

Call Disney Fairy Tale Weddings and ask if there is availability. I know they will only allow two per cruise, but you might just be okay. There has been a lot more buzz on the boards about vow renewals recently, so it might get more popular. I think we are helping sell the package, but sadly no commissions for us!

 

[MindydLeon]

Thanks for the words of encouragement ... I will place the call first thing tomorrow morning! Again, my heartfelt congratulations to you and your husband! I hope we get to follow in your footsteps!

 

[Tibbles98]

Thanks again, Susan!!! I know that my cruise will be as memorable. I did though have another question. I don't know if you will be able to answer it. With us going all out, I have my gown here at home. I will be getting it altered in the fall. I will say that it has a large train and very elegant. I was planning on wearing it to dinner. I hope though as you said about sitting that it will be possible for me to do it. I got my wedding gown at over half off in price, so I wanted to get my monies worth. Do you think it would be ok or should I change? Like I said, maybe you can't answer for me , but I would like to have your opinion.
I was also wondering, when exactly did you get you pictures on Saturday? Also, did you talk with Cathy Ingle@ fairytale weddings. That is who I am going through. I was also thinking about wearing my gown to the night club, what do you think?
Thanks again,
Lisa

 

[srschilke]

Lisa,

Go for it! If you love your gown, it will be fine for dinner and whatever else you want to do. You didn't have the big affair the first time, and I say you deserve to have it all this time. My gown did not have a train, and even so was a little hard to navigate. But just take the elevators (even for one floor, I did), and put your son on 'train duty.'

Check on the sitting thing, see if you can 'bustle' the train, and then see how that sits. But you'll be happy and excited, so you'll make it work. As far as the night clubs (we didn't go, we have younger kids and maybe we're getting to be old fuddy-duddies), then it's really based on how you're feeling. Bring along some great little dress you can change into if you want to, but you may just want to wear your 'bridal' gown all night long!

Yes, I worked with Cathy Ingle at Fairy Tale Weddings. She was great, and Danielle (on the ship) was just amazing. You'll have a wonderful time!

One other piece of advice -- don't be afraid to ask Danielle for the things that you want and matter to you. She will truly try to make this special for you and your family.

 

[srschilke]

bump

 

[srschilke]

bump

 

[MindydLeon]

Looks like we might be able to pull it off ... will know for sure by tomorrow (i hope!) But I had a couple more questions ... (i hope you don't mind) ... you mentioned in a previous post that you got front of the line for doing your formal pictures ... did that only apply to you and Rick? what about the kids? your mom? Could you tell me all the details of the available photo packages ... I am a photo nut ... I probably get at least one roll of film developed every 2 weeks or so (and that's a no-special occassion type of 2 weeks ) and I LOVE to scrapbook ... so the photo package is essential! My last question (for now - anyway) ... how much more money should I have set aside to tip the concierge staff ... and what about Danielle ... will I be provided separate envelopes for this? Thanks so much for taking the time to answer these questions and to share your trip --- I really love the way you planned the whole thing ... from Palo the night before, to the Surial, hair, renewal, then family dinner ... I think I would like to do the same thing!

"Pssst ... Tag Fairy ... are you there?"