Disney Cruise Brides - Let's Chat about our Weddings/VR's!

[chris31997]

, I don't know Lisa. Maybe you can pass what I said along. I am hoping to do a vow renewal in a few years( about 5 more years). I keep going back and forth bewtween a cruise and doing at WDW. I do have some time before I have to decide. Hubby thinks it would be really cool to do the ceremony on Castaway Cay. I really hope DCL gets it act together with this

 

[princessheather]

.. thats true. im sure not all disney brides know about this site lol. I even herd that there can be more the 1 wedding on 1 day.. i hope thats not true. i think each bride should have their own day when on a cruise.

 

[stl_figment]

.. thats true. im sure not all disney brides know about this site lol. I even herd that there can be more the 1 wedding on 1 day.. i hope thats not true. i think each bride should have their own day when on a cruise.

I think I read 1 wedding per day, but I could be wrong....

 

[lurkyloo]

There is only 1 Castaway Cay wedding per cruise, but there may also be up to 2 onboard weddings on the same cruise, for a total of 3 possible weddings per cruise. However, judging by Disney's total number of DFTWs per year, which includes DCL weddings, I'd say they're not maxing out every cruise.

 

[dolphingirl47]

Well, I started to read this when I had booked my vow renewal for October 2011 and by the time I reached the end of this wonderful thread, I am actually going to cancel it.

My reason to cancel has nothing to do with what I read on here, even though I was quite shocked about some of the things I read on here. I am glad that everything seems to have worked out for the brides that already had their big day and I keep my fingers crossed that everything will fall into place for those of you that are still looking forward to it.

The reason I decided to cancel is that all the people I wanted to be there for our big day had to cancel the cruise for one reason or the other. When it came right down to it, I was not willing to pay the amount of money they are charging for just Graham and me standing in front of the captain with nobody to share our special day and the cake.

I feel a bit silly as I have my dress and most other things already.

Corinna

 

[PixieDust1969]

Sorry to see several people upset. I am so thankful for this site. The few questions I had were answered over and over again for me on here which is awesome.

I think part of the issue is for weddings that take place on property, they are assigned a wedding coordinator. (the higher prices for a wedding on property I am sure pay for the extra people) DCL brides don't get a wedding coordinator until they get on board the ship. So really, Shanda is more like a booking agent, if you will...I can imagine she is overworked, she is getting questions from people interested in booking a wedding, she deals with booking weddings, getting planning guides to everyone, having to get them completed and turned in, etc, etc, not to mention the many emails with questions. Now, don't get me wrong...every email deserves a response from someone. She should just have a FAQ sheet she sends out with the most asked questions. I am sure she gets alot of the same ones...

Because my job is so demanding, I chose to do a DCL wedding because of the ease of it all...it is $3500 for a package. I really don't have to do a thing if I didn't want to. I have 55 people booked for a CC wedding. I asked Shanda about "special permission" for over 48 and she said it wouldn't be a problem. That was enough for me. When we all show up...they will find the room for us. Afterall, it is Disney, not Carnival LOL. Our wedding coordinator will be assigned the day we board the ship and that is who I will be asking all of my questions to. This is the only wedding I am going to have and I am sure Disney will make it perfect. I have not read on here that anyone has hated their wedding which is all I need to know. I have been on several Disney cruises and the CMs always bend over backwards to accommodate guests.

I am sure everyone's weddings will be beautiful!

 

[Shannon1984]

Sorry to see several people upset. I am so thankful for this site. The few questions I had were answered over and over again for me on here which is awesome.

I think part of the issue is for weddings that take place on property, they are assigned a wedding coordinator. (the higher prices for a wedding on property I am sure pay for the extra people) DCL brides don't get a wedding coordinator until they get on board the ship. So really, Shanda is more like a booking agent, if you will...I can imagine she is overworked, she is getting questions from people interested in booking a wedding, she deals with booking weddings, getting planning guides to everyone, having to get them completed and turned in, etc, etc, not to mention the many emails with questions. Now, don't get me wrong...every email deserves a response from someone. She should just have a FAQ sheet she sends out with the most asked questions. I am sure she gets alot of the same ones...

Because my job is so demanding, I chose to do a DCL wedding because of the ease of it all...it is $3500 for a package. I really don't have to do a thing if I didn't want to. I have 55 people booked for a CC wedding. I asked Shanda about "special permission" for over 48 and she said it wouldn't be a problem. That was enough for me. When we all show up...they will find the room for us. Afterall, it is Disney, not Carnival LOL. Our wedding coordinator will be assigned the day we board the ship and that is who I will be asking all of my questions to. This is the only wedding I am going to have and I am sure Disney will make it perfect. I have not read on here that anyone has hated their wedding which is all I need to know. I have been on several Disney cruises and the CMs always bend over backwards to accommodate guests.

I am sure everyone's weddings will be beautiful!

This is also my feeling on it!

But saying that I am getting a little worried. I have not tried to contact Shanda yet but I was trying to come up with some question just to see what the response time is. I can't think of anything now though. I'm just worried about when I'm one month out and I have questions, if I will be able to get a response in time.

I sure hope so, I chose Disney so I didn't have the stress of planning a wedding. I hope they will be able to answer questions closer to the wedding date!

 

[MissFitt]

Well, I started to read this when I had booked my vow renewal for October 2011 and by the time I reached the end of this wonderful thread, I am actually going to cancel it.

My reason to cancel has nothing to do with what I read on here, even though I was quite shocked about some of the things I read on here. I am glad that everything seems to have worked out for the brides that already had their big day and I keep my fingers crossed that everything will fall into place for those of you that are still looking forward to it.

The reason I decided to cancel is that all the people I wanted to be there for our big day had to cancel the cruise for one reason or the other. When it came right down to it, I was not willing to pay the amount of money they are charging for just Graham and me standing in front of the captain with nobody to share our special day and the cake.

I feel a bit silly as I have my dress and most other things already.

Corinna

I cancelled my VR for October 2011...for what I was planning on spending on the ceremony I decided to take the $ and book another cruise so now we are doing a b2b instead.

I'm thrilled with the decision. You just have to go with what feels right. DH and I will do something special on the night of our 10th anniversary -- perhaps Remy or Palo or maybe a special evening with the kids. Either way, we will be on the Dream together as a family and that's very special for me.

 

[Goofy4Ever]

Well a bit of good news...Cindy's assistant contacted me this morning to schedule a call with Cindy to go over my concerns. I will let everyone know how it goes.

On a side note, I am not going to cancel either way. I want to get married Disney style and the Dream is perfect for us!

 

[Shannon1984]

Well a bit of good news...Cindy's assistant contacted me this morning to schedule a call with Cindy to go over my concerns. I will let everyone know how it goes.

On a side note, I am not going to cancel either way. I want to get married Disney style and the Dream is perfect for us!

Good, let us know.

I just sent my first email to Shanda asking her if we can use our Palo dinner on the second half of our b2b instead. We'll see if She gets back to me.

 

[chris31997]

Well, I started to read this when I had booked my vow renewal for October 2011 and by the time I reached the end of this wonderful thread, I am actually going to cancel it.

My reason to cancel has nothing to do with what I read on here, even though I was quite shocked about some of the things I read on here. I am glad that everything seems to have worked out for the brides that already had their big day and I keep my fingers crossed that everything will fall into place for those of you that are still looking forward to it.

The reason I decided to cancel is that all the people I wanted to be there for our big day had to cancel the cruise for one reason or the other. When it came right down to it, I was not willing to pay the amount of money they are charging for just Graham and me standing in front of the captain with nobody to share our special day and the cake.

I feel a bit silly as I have my dress and most other things already.

Corinna

Did you look into do a vow renewal at WDW? Don't know if that would be an option for you and our guests.

 

[DisneyDmbNut]

Good, let us know.

I just sent my first email to Shanda asking her if we can use our Palo dinner on the second half of our b2b instead. We'll see if She gets back to me.

I wonder how that will work..because we did a B2B and we had new cards issued..new everything..but, we were able to meet with Rufaro and the Palo manager on the first cruise instead of rushing around the day we boarded.

 

[kjg5]

DFTW's just called me with a survey on my experiences. Most of the questions were general- happy with , package, etc, but at the end she asked me if I had anything to add. I told her about the experience planning the cruise wedding. I said that Shanda needs a hand, stressing several times that she did make an honest effort, and therefore shouldn't get in trouble, but obviously the work load was too much for one person. I forget the name of the girl giving the survey, but she said that it would be brought up to her managers, as that's definitely an issue that has to be addressed, and assured me that Shanda will not get into any trouble.

 

[dolphingirl47]

I cancelled my VR for October 2011...for what I was planning on spending on the ceremony I decided to take the $ and book another cruise so now we are doing a b2b instead.

I'm thrilled with the decision. You just have to go with what feels right. DH and I will do something special on the night of our 10th anniversary -- perhaps Remy or Palo or maybe a special evening with the kids. Either way, we will be on the Dream together as a family and that's very special for me.

I have not come up with anything special to spend the money on yet. It has to something really special.

Did you look into do a vow renewal at WDW? Don't know if that would be an option for you and our guests.

We are not going to WDW this year. We have a Mexican Riviera Cruise booked for fall and will spend some time before and after the cruise at Disneyland. I did check out the possibility of doing it at Disneyland, but they only offer the more expensive packages. The original plan many years ago was that we would do the vow renewal at Crystal Cathedral near Disneyland and I also looked into this, but the people I really wanted there will still not be there as they are now heading to WDW at different dates or just cancelled the vacation completely.

Corinna

 

[PrincessTinker11]

Well, I started to read this when I had booked my vow renewal for October 2011 and by the time I reached the end of this wonderful thread, I am actually going to cancel it.

My reason to cancel has nothing to do with what I read on here, even though I was quite shocked about some of the things I read on here. I am glad that everything seems to have worked out for the brides that already had their big day and I keep my fingers crossed that everything will fall into place for those of you that are still looking forward to it.

The reason I decided to cancel is that all the people I wanted to be there for our big day had to cancel the cruise for one reason or the other. When it came right down to it, I was not willing to pay the amount of money they are charging for just Graham and me standing in front of the captain with nobody to share our special day and the cake.

I feel a bit silly as I have my dress and most other things already.

Corinna

So sorry this happened to you, it happened to us as well. We had 30 people, booked and ready to go and then one by one they canceled their rooms due to economy, this one is getting pregnant, etc. It is heartbreaking as I was in my one girlfriends wedding and she cannot even be there for me...I have about 15 people going now but truly believe I am doing this for my DF and I and would have done it with just him and me...I wish you luck on your wedding planning and whatever you decide to do...It is a very hard economy to be planning a wedding unfortunately!

 

[PrincessTinker11]

Hello all,

I wanted to post this link:

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It can be used to have 30 percent off at the following stores on March 17th to the 20th (vacation wear for those leaving soon!) It also benefits Juvenile Diabetes Research...

Gap, Banana Republic, Old Navy, Banana Republic Factory Store, and Gap Outlet in-store

 

[stl_figment]

This is also my feeling on it!

But saying that I am getting a little worried. I have not tried to contact Shanda yet but I was trying to come up with some question just to see what the response time is. I can't think of anything now though. I'm just worried about when I'm one month out and I have questions, if I will be able to get a response in time.

I sure hope so, I chose Disney so I didn't have the stress of planning a wedding. I hope they will be able to answer questions closer to the wedding date!

I agree. I wouldn't change my Disney cruise wedding for anything. I just wish they would get Shanda more help so we can get answers more easily (or a FAQ sheet would be wonderful).

FYI: I emailed her a list of questions last Friday morning, I haven't received a response yet, will let everyone know when I do.

I'm thankful to everyone on the boards and this thread in particular. The information has been invaluable

 

[PixieDust1969]

Well a bit of good news...Cindy's assistant contacted me this morning to schedule a call with Cindy to go over my concerns. I will let everyone know how it goes.

On a side note, I am not going to cancel either way. I want to get married Disney style and the Dream is perfect for us!

That is great news for you! I hope it puts your mind at ease a bit. Yes, be sure to post what you find out and maybe that will help someone else.

 

[princessheather]

i called today around 12:15 not expecting for anyone to pick up and surprise shanda answered!! lol haha i was so shocked i was stuttering over my words haha. I told her my concerns for my guest count and she told me that 40 would be the maximum so i just made it! she told me all about the time she spent on the dream. that our wedding ceremony's that are held in the outlook lounge are very secluded, private, and personal and have a wonderful view. Also she mentioned the fact that since the dream is new they are still working out everything when it comes to planning and knowing exactly everything that will happen when it comes to having our wedding on the dream. which i understand. She even mentioned that there was even a wedding on the maiden voyage! and that there has been over 28 weddings that have been done on the cruises this year so far. She mentioned the reviews she has received from brides that have had their wedding already on the dream and Have loved everything about it.

Makes me feel somewhat better to know that my guests wont be sardines during the whole wedding process while in the outlook

i've been thinking about all the reviews of the Disney cruise wedding experience from past brides and i think it all depends what kind of bride you are. If you are the bride that is over the moon already by just the thought of getting married on the Disney dream with friends and family then you tend to make the best of out the experience.

 

[Goofy4Ever]

i called today around 12:15 not expecting for anyone to pick up and surprise shanda answered!! lol haha i was so shocked i was stuttering over my words haha. I told her my concerns for my guest count and she told me that 40 would be the maximum so i just made it! she told me all about the time she spent on the dream. that our wedding ceremony's that are held in the outlook lounge are very secluded, private, and personal and have a wonderful view. Also she mentioned the fact that since the dream is new they are still working out everything when it comes to planning and knowing exactly everything that will happen when it comes to having our wedding on the dream. which i understand. She even mentioned that there was even a wedding on the maiden voyage! and that there has been over 28 weddings that have been done on the cruises this year so far. She mentioned the reviews she has received from brides that have had their wedding already on the dream and Have loved everything about it.

Makes me feel somewhat better to know that my guests wont be sardines during the whole wedding process while in the outlook

i've been thinking about all the reviews of the Disney cruise wedding experience from past brides and i think it all depends what kind of bride you are. If you are the bride that is over the moon already by just the thought of getting married on the Disney dream with friends and family then you tend to make the best of out the experience.

Wow...thanks for sharing this information! I cannot believe there has already been 28 cruise weddings this year. That just proves that Shanda needs help. I am sooo happy to hear my 25 guest count will work for the onboard location. As nice as a wedding on the beach seems, I am all about the ship. I am getting so excited....