My fiance and I are planning to get married on Castaway Cay in February 2006. I've been PM'ing with several people who had Castaway Cay weddings, and since everyone has been so generous with their answers to my many (and lengthy) questions, I thought I'd post their replies here so everyone can share in the info. It's so hard to find
DCL wedding info online, as many of us have said. I'm so thankful for this board and everyone who has been so open with sharing their experiences.
Here is the info that
Hebejebe send me:
What was the Justice of the Peace ceremony like in Port Canaveral? How many people can be in the room? Is the room gloomy?
The ceremony was performed in a room in the DCL terminal. You board the ship then do whatever then come to Sessions to be taken off the ship and led to the room in the terminal. The room is behind the coffee/snack bar (that is never open) across from the check in counter and opposite the bathrooms. Everyone in our party (17 + us) was allowed to join us and we had plenty of room. The room is very nice but VERY WHITE! There are white bows on the windows with Captain Mickey and there is a little white table set up with the wedding Mickey & Minnie bobble-heads. I was given a white bouquet of fake flowers to hold. There are couches in the room, then the table then you. We stood against the open windows so the pictures are very washed out. I've included one for you. A cast member performed the ceremony and in my opinion this was the better-worded ceremony.
I have read they only do three weddings per cruise: one at Castaway Cay and two on board. Is that what you were told?
There is only one Castaway Cay wedding. Other weddings can happen (I also heard 2 but swear I've heard of more) on days at sea. I think these people get married by the captain but I really do not know. They also get to choose a cake, etc. Saw one other bride in the salon and saw people with the wedding ears on but could have been honeymooners instead.
Do you have any (in hindsight) advice about dresses that would work best on Castaway Cay? For instance, should I have a floor length dress shortened a bit so it doesn't drag in the sand?
I thankfully had my husband's parents take the dress with them since they drove. I wore a bridesmaid dress as my wedding dress and it was fairly compact since it did not have tulle or an underskirt. It did have a mermaid train. You really aren't on the sand and there is a red carpet down at the ceremony site. So don't worry about sand!
One thing you should think about is the wind. It was very windy. I wore my hair in a bun so it didn't affect me and tucked my tiny veil (my Mom made it from a yard of tulle and a barrette) down the back of my dress for pictures.
Was the keyboardist the only option for music during the ceremony? Did they offer steel drums as an option (to make it even more beachy feeling)?
I think the keyboardist was the only option. You get to pick the songs though.
Did you take the DCL bus to Port Canaveral? How did you keep your dress from getting wrinkled en route? How was your dress handled once you got to the Port? Did you carry it on with you as hand luggage? If so, did it have to go through the safety x-ray scanner thing with the other carry-ons?
We arrived by plane the day before hand and stayed at the Radisson at the port. Again, my in-laws drove my dress down. I did carry it with me on the shuttle bus. Don't worry too much about it because they will steam your dress for you. Mine was steamed the first night and hung in the closet until the wedding day. I carried my dress the entire time once I got to the terminal. I've seen brides carry their dresses on the plane and yes, everything goes through the scanner.
Did you get ready in your stateroom, or do they give you another room? Did you have her hair done professionally on board? If so, did you go to the spa or did they come to your stateroom? Were you pleased with the results?
You get ready in your own room. I ordered room service the night before so I would have something basic to eat like toast. I did my own hair but one of my bridesmaids had her hair done at the spa. She was very pleased with the results especially since her hair was super hairsprayed --didn't move in the wind at all.
Would Disney let us have our guests blow bubbles after the ceremony as we walk out?
I don't see why that would be a problem at all. You can check with your wedding contact if you want.
Was the reception held in the big area of Palo's or in the private room? How long did the reception last? Did it feel like enough time?
The reception was held in the middle of Palo's. We had the whole place to ourselves since it was 11:00 a.m. and they weren't open. I thin the reception was maybe 1.5 hours, no clue. I think we decided to leave on our own since we were starving. Your guests will go there after the ceremony while you get pictures taken around the ship.
How many attendees did you have?
We had 17 guests and paid the extra $10 for the additional guests.
Did you play music during your reception? Did you have a first dance?
We did not have music played nor did we dance. We had a reception back home after the ceremony. My husband was very happy about the not having to dance. We cut the cake, fed each other, had a champagne toast, and then socialized.
Did you have your guests join you for dinner at Palo's that evening? If not, do you wish you had?
We ate by ourselves at Palo's and looked through our wedding pictures. Depending on your package you will need to decide on enlargements. The food at Palo's was to die for! We had the same waiter who was at the reception. Not sure if this was planned or not but it was nice. We liked being by ourselves for the night.
How was the hand off between the DFTW event managers on land and on sea? Did you feel like anything was forgotten or like you had to hold it all together so they didn't miss anything? Did you get to talk to the event manager at sea before your sailing day?
We didn't speak to out planner until we arrived on the ship. He was actually one of the concierges but we didn't feel like he forgot us. You will have a meeting with him the day after you board to go over all details and to pick out the cake, reconfirm details, etc.
Did you get a discount on your staterooms for booking a group and/or wedding? Did you get an upgraded stateroom due to your wedding?
No to both. We booked through Costco and saved a ton. Group rates were not available for our cruise. I think our cruise was pretty packed.
Did you do a land and sea package?
We did our own combination of land and sea. We arrived a day early and spent the day at Port Canaveral lounging around the hotel. We then did the 7-day Western Caribbean cruise followed by a day at Disney and the next morning at Downtown Disney before our flight.
Are you allowed to take your fresh bouquet and leftover cake through US customs and back into Port Canaveral?
Sadly, bouquet must stay on the ship. It is a customs violation. Take plenty of pictures. Plus it was so heavy I wouldn't have wanted to lug it around.
What flavor cake and filling did you choose? Would you recommend that combo?
I think I went with the moose and a yellow cake. It was very good. I might have gone with something fruitier but really, can you go wrong with chocolate?
Did Disney pack the top layer of cake for you to take home and save for your first anniversary?
We received the top layer after dessert at Palo's to finish. Again, the whole customs thing prevents you from bringing food off the ship. Think: Ship = Bahamas. We ate a bite and then asked our waiter to give it to the staff. We could have taken it with us to our room if we wanted.
Were the different wedding cake styles they offered you nice, or did they feel generic? Did you use their cake topper or bring your own?
There is a whole book of designs and you can mix and watch all you want. We went with the rope braiding as a border around the cake and had some flowers and other thing. Check out the picture. We used their topper for the cake (which you do get to keep) and actually used it again for the reception back home.
What did you offer as a wedding favor?
We didn't offer anything on board but at the reception back home we had the wind-up Mickey & Minnie wedding figurines. We also had napkins with Mickey & Minnie printed with our names and reception date. Those were fairly inexpensive. We thought about having pictures taken with each person then getting them developed and then putting them in a frame as a gift but it seemed a little complicated so we didn't do it. You could do just frames from the shops onboard.
Can you have photos taken on board as well as on the island? Were they ready before you left the ship, or did they mail them to you later? Did you get to buy the proofs and/or negatives? Can you have the photographer for longer than the two hours they say on the DFTW site? Did you have a video done?
We had photos taken of the ceremony, after the ceremony, around the ship and then at the reception. All the shots will be delivered in 5x6 size to your stateroom that night. We took them with us to dinner at Palo's to look over them and decide on the enlargements. Once we had decided we called our concierge and he picked them up to be enlarged and brought them back down when they were done. We received a blank white album at the same time as the initial photos. We chose to purchase the negatives. There are no proofs -- you get all the shots in 5x6 size. I'm not sure how long we had the photographer for. I think until he runs out of film he is yours. We had friends videotape for us but not a professional. Do they offer that service now?
What time of day is the wedding on Castaway Cay? Did your guests have a chance to enjoy the island after the reception?
The wedding is held at 10:00 a.m. Ours was a held around 11:00 a.m. because they were waiting for the weather to clear up. After the reception (maybe 12:30 p.m.) went changed, ate and then went on the island. We had plenty of time on CC. We only went to CC once on the cruise. Wait until you see the wedding pics with the difference between the morning and the afternoon when it cleared up.
Were there custom options for the bouquet? I've always had my heart set on having a bouquet of peonies, but that's not one of the options they show on the DCL weddings web site. Are the only options the five bouquets on there and that's it?
There were 3 options for the bouquets, are there 5 now? That's it. The garden (the one I went with), roses and something else. Ask your wedding coordinator to forward the pics to you.
Do they hold a rehearsal before you get to Castaway Cay? Or do you just wing it?
You just wing it baby! Pretty much, get off cart, greet Dad, walk down aisle, get handed to husband, follow along and repeat when asked.
Did you order bouquets for your bridesmaids or any additional flowers for your guests (corsages for the moms, etc)? If so, do you recall how much they were?
Flowers are expensive. I think it was $125 for a bridesmaid bouquet. We didn't get any other flowers -- just the ones that came with the package. I can't imagine someone having to hold two of those things. They weigh like 10 pounds!!
Thank you Hebejebe for this great info!!!
Jennifer