Disney Cruise Line Wedding

[xAshleyx]

Hey Guys-- sorry if this is posted wrong, it wont let me add a post to the cruise line thread.

So we have been looking into a DCL wedding for next october. I have never been on a cruise but have always wanted to try it. We may have the ceremony at Castaway Cay or in WDW a few days before

I am nervous about October because of hurricanes and getting sea sick.
has anyone done a cruise in October-- ? Do you think i will be okay with no hurricanes ?

Has anyone seen any ceremony locations for the Disney Fantasy-- i cannot find anything online and DFTW wont give me much info without having the trip booked.

Also-- does Palo only seat 14 people ? we will have about 20-25 and im trying to figure something out for dinner. .

Thanks

 

[xAshleyx]

One other thing ! i have read some bad reviews about Disney Cruise Line photographers-- does anyone have any recomendations for photographers that will travel on the cruise line for weddings ?

Do they just charge a travel fee- or do you pay for their trip ?

 

[stl_figment]

There is a thread specific to DCL weddings. Search a little further down the list for it.

I got married last September in Castaway Cay - we used a DCL photographer and we were happy with them. For dinner, we did a private Palo dinner the night before the wedding and joined all of our guests at the normal dinner rotation the wedding night.

 

[Freckledginger]

Hi Ashley!

Glad to hear you're considering a DCL wedding! There's an intimate, but very friendly group of DCL brides here on the DIS who I'm sure would love to share their experiences. I'm not sure why the main DCL thread is closed... It's a great resource for perspective and current DCL brides. I've used it tons!

My fiancé and I are planning to get married this October on CC (Disney Dream). We elected to get married in October because cruise fares tend to be cheaper, the temperatures in the Bahamas are milder than summer, and it's towards the end of hurricane season. Although I haven't cruised during that time of year, what I gather from other cruisers (DIS DCL main board is very helpful) is that cruising in October is mostly a very positive experience.

Regarding DCL itself, I cannot say enough wonderful things about it. My fiance and I have cruised twice before on the Wonder and the Magic, and we had a fabulous time! The ships are beautiful, customer service top notch, and cruising is just a fun way to travel. Weddings are one of those rare times in life where lots of people get together in celebration, so we thought we'd take extend that time by taking a cruise together.

The Fantasy has just started sailing, so there's probably not much information available on the DFTW website yet. From memory, when the Dream started sailing, it took a while for the brides to hear about the onboard locations. I would imagine there will be an outdoor area and an indoor area--maybe similar to those on the Dream as it's the Fantasy's sister ship.

Dinner at Palo's the night of the wedding was also something I was hoping to do, but I had too many guests to make it work. Shanda, DFTW's DCL wedding planner, told me that brides could request the private room in Palo for dinner, but only for up to 14 guests (my PJ has more information about this). Since our wedding party will be more like 45 people, we're going to have dinner in the main dining room the night of the wedding.

With the DCL photographers, it has seemed that brides have had variable experiences. Photography is really important to me, so I wanted to ensure I had someone along that would take beautiful photos of the day. I contacted a number of photographers whose work I liked, and eventually found a brilliant photographer who was willing to work with me. Please feel free to PM with any questions or advice regarding this process.

Sorry for the uber long post, but I hope some of the information is helpful! Good luck with your planning

 

[stl_figment]

I posted a response to your question on my pj.

Like the above poster said, there are us cruise brides around that would love to help answer any questions you have. And sorry even though you said it, I didn't realize the other thread is closed... I'm posting from my smart phone at the moment which makes it harder to type and read.

 

[Denise85]

I am nervous about October because of hurricanes and getting sea sick.

 

[Evi]

I've never heard of a disney cruise being canceled because of a hurricane they just head away from the storm. Seasickness can happen any time of year since you never know if the seas are rough. I"d suggest going on some short cruises to see how you do. I know I've gotten a little sick on a whale watch before but then I've gone on many boats and never gotten sick. For what its worth I put in context I mean look at the size of Disney ships compared to small harbor ships or yachts. You should feel far less motion on a large ship.

I'm a chicken though and I we get hurricanes up here so I didn't want to chance it I'm getting married in Dec but who knows maybe it will be colder because of it.

 

[chris31997]

When it comes to hurricanes, be prepared to leave from port a little earlier and maybe skip ports. The ship can and does steer around the hurricanes so there is no worry about it. As for sea sickness, probably won't feel it from the hurricane. They can predict pretty good the direction the hurricane is going and can move/adjust accordingly.

 

[xAshleyx]

thanks for all of the helpful responses

we are so excited to start planning our DCL wedding. .
now are only other obstacle is deciding between the ship for the ceremony or Castaway Cay . . .

 

[DisneyDmbNut]

here is a link to the original thread..lots has changed but there is also a ton of information!
DCL Cruise Weddings

 

[JBeanBunny]

I may be biased, but you should book the DCL wedding! They're much more affordable than weddings at WDW (although there are MANY more options on land for customization than onboard DCL) and you get to spend a whole cruise with your wedding party... Just a heads up that more people may come than you expect! I invited EVERYBODY and I now have a wedding party of about 50+ guests for my September 14th wedding on the Dream! I just know it's going to be a wonderful experience, and I'm even more comforted after reading and interacting with other DCL brides on DIS! Be sure to read through the (now closed ) thread and read through as many PJ's and TR's as possible! I adore looking at other DCL wedding photos!

I'm also getting married during hurricane season, I'm going in September since I live in Orlando (and work for a rodent who shall not be named ) and I need to sail during the SLOW season. I originally planned to sail around October, but had a friends wedding that conflicted. I'm not concerned about hurricanes affecting my wedding cruise, and I don't think you should either. We haven't had many severe hurricanes in the area since around 2004. As others have said, they're prepared for such an event, steering around the bad weather and possibly skipping ports. (Honestly, there's plenty enough to do ON the ship anyways) I have sailed one time during rough seas (about 11 years ago) and the only time I felt sea-sick is when I took a small water taxi for a port excursion.

Definitely look into it! When I got the idea of the DCL wedding in my head, I researched it and booked it within a week! You can book it up to one year in advance, so be sure you reserve your spot ASAP! (I opted for an onboard wedding. I've seen a few castaway cay weddings and decided it wasn't for me) First you need to check for availability by contacting Disney Fairytale Weddings, then book your room for that sailing (I put around $250 deposit for my deck 9 verandah room) then contact Disney Fairytale Weddings again with your confirmation number, and they'll take a deposit for your wedding package (mine was about $500 for onboard) then Shanda (DCL wedding coordinator) will e-mail you with the wedding packages and all the information you'll need.

Happy Planning!

 

[lurkyloo]

Here is a link to the new Disney Cruise Wedding master thread: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2916225

 

[love2travel]

Me and hubby are renewing our vows (20th anniversary) on the Fantasy in June, can't wait. I'm hoping for a good DCL photographer, because I love photos!