Hi, I am from Maryland and am thinking about a destination wedding/cruise four to five days between Christmas and New Years. We would be bringing our 5 teenagers. We have never been on a cruise. A travel agent discouraged us, stating the seas would be rough, the deck cold and the ship crowded with young children. Any thoughts? It really is the most cost-effective option I've found and I hate to scrap it. Thanks... Oh, cruise was to Bahamas or similar.
Hi bettyboop, welcome to Cruise Chat and greetings from a fellow Marylander! Marylandite?
Christmas cruises usually have a lot of families onboard with kids and teens. This can be good news for you, if you don't mind that you may not see your 5 kids too much during the cruise, other than dinner time! There are great children's programs on cruise ships, so the younger kids aren't usually under foot.
The weather in Florida and the Bahamas may not be as warm in December as it is in August, but it'll be a lot warmer than it is in Maryland. I'm not particularly sensitive to the "motion of the ocean" so I can't comment on whether the sailing will be rough, except to say that you can get strong seas at any time of year, particularly hurricane season. December is not hurricane season, so the water may be smoother than a couple of months before that.
You're right that cruising is a great value, especially because food is included and available practically 24 hrs a day. When you have teens, this is particularly important! There is a ton of things for everyone to do, and everyone can choose the type of accommodation that best fits their wishes and budget. And with everyone having the ability to do their own thing during the day, you all still end up in the same place in the evening.
What is your travel agent suggesting as an alternative?
Thanks..she wants us to go to an island for 20,000! I really don't want to go over 10,000 for everything, we are renovating his house to accomodate all of the kids. Ok , so as far as temperature... 1. Will I be able to wear a strapless gown in the Bahamas? 2. Will the pools on deck be open? Thanks.... Any ideas for wedding locations? We've never been outside the US!!
Hi bettyboop, welcome to Cruise-Chat. The weather in south Florida and the Bahamas in December is normally upper 70s to lower 80s during the day and upper 60s to lower 70s at night. The pools will be open, unless there is a storm. Going to an island is a nice option, but a cruise provides greater value, in my opinion. We have done 2 Christmas cruises in the last 3 years and have not run into any rough seas. Last year it was a little nippy in Ft. Lauderdale when we left, it was 68. Our first port was Key West the next day and it was in the 80s. Normally the ocean temperature is between 78-83F. I wear a short wet suit for snorkeling and am fine. Just bring a rain jacket, in case, and you should be covered. I would honestly think a strapless gown would be fine. You can never really predict the weather, and once in a great while a cold front will move through, but it will be at least 60-70 degrees warmer than Maryland.
Some frineds of mine took a cruise and married on St. Thomas. They had a wonderful time. Doing a 4 or 5 day cruise, you won't get much further than Nassau or Freeort. Maybe check into a wedding at the Atlantis resort on Paradise Island (Nassau). I think Princess cruise line still does weddings on board. I'm not sure which other cruise lines do. Princess normally does not have anything less than a 7 day cruise. Your travel agent can check into Royal Caribbean, they do 4 and 5 day itineraries, and see if they do weddings on board.
Congratulations on your upcoming wedding. Best wishes and once again, welcome aboard!
And you might want to rethink your selection in a travel agent. They should respect your budget wishes.
If you are really concerned about the temperature, consider a southern caribbean cruise. These are typically longer cruises but you will be in warmer weather. And as pointed out, anywhere a cruise ship is going will be warmer than Maryland in December.
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A travel agent discouraged us, stating the seas would be rough, the deck cold and the ship crowded with young children.
I hate it when I hear of agents making generalizations such as this. It shows they are either ignorant of the facts, or they are just plain lying to you in hopes of pushing you into a more expensive trip.
The seas can be rough any time of the year. We've cruised more than once in December and January, and from Florida ports too. The pools were open, the seas were fine, and the temperatures warm. On the other hand, I've cruised in April and October and had to wear a windbreaker and pants.
I'm with Jim - you ought to look for a new agent, and I suggest a cruise specialist.
Congratulations on your upcoming marriage and welcome to cruise-chat!
We took a five day cruise a couple of years ago. It was on the RCCL Grandeur of the Seas. The ship left from Tampa and went to Cozumel and Grand Cayman. The water in the Gulf is generally not as choppy as in the Atlantic. I'm sure that is not always the case, but that has been our experience.
We enjoyed the ports and had beautiful weather. Our cruise was in the middle of December. I'm sure over Christmas break the prices are higher, but it's worth checking.
Whatever you choose, I'm sure you will all love cruising!
Any ideas for wedding locations? We've never been outside the US!!
Be careful about this. Many jurisdictions outside of the U.S. have a residency requirement before they'll perform a marriage ceremony. In the Bahamas, you have to be there for two days. You can get your Bahamian marriage license on day 1, and get married the next day. Or you can arrive there one day, and the next day get your license and get married the same day. Since most ships are in the Bahamas for just one day, this would not work coming off a cruise ship.
You can get married in the U.S. or one of its territories like St. Thomas, with the proper license. It used to be that folks wanting a cruising wedding would actually get married before the ship left the US, and then have the reception and honeymoon on the cruise. As mentioned, Princess says they can legally marry couples once the ship has sailed. There may be others.
Just be sure to check and make sure you know the rules of getting married outside of the 50 states.
Sandy may remember him too...but I knew this man (Drew) who lived on St. Thomas and did the whole package. He arranged for the legal paperwork, arranged the ceremony, did the wedding photographs, and performed the ceremony! He was a minister and also a professional photographer. Also a great guy. I met him a couple times when my ship stopped there. Not sure if he still is in business.
Dave, I met Drew once, before embarking on a cruise that started in St. Thomas. He was really a "one stop shopping" for weddings in St. Thomas. I don't know whatever happened to him. Last time we talked was many years ago, after St. Thomas was hit by a major hurricane and his house suffered some damage.
After thinking about it for a bit, I recall Drew gave up after a second hurricane caused him a lot of financial grief, and he moved back to the mainland.
So I just did a search and found him. He is in Florida now, still doing weddings!
This is all very helpful....might I ask a few more questions? To avoid residency requirements for marriage, what about taking a cruise that includes Key West OR perhaps arriving a day early to wherever in Fla. we take off from to have the wedding there. If we arrive a day early,will we still be able to get cruise/air packages? Regarding the cruise/air packages..is there a way to get this without going through a travel agency? Thanks...
We were on Radiance of the Seas on a Thanksgiving cruise. One young couple at our table got married our first port day (on shore - Key West) and then back on board for the honeymoon, etc. Whole family was on cruise. Point is, the ceremony was on shore becuase of legalities, waiting times, etc. All worked out well though.
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bettyboop, there is no residency requirement to get married in Florida. You need a Florida license and then can get married anywhere in Florida. Certainly, you could arrive in Florida the day before, get your license, and then get married either before boarding the ship, or during a stop in Key West if your ship goes there. Obviously, you'll have to make the wedding arrangements in advance.
If you get your air tickets through the cruise line, you can pay an extra fee and have them fly you to your embarkation city as many days before your cruise as you'd like. However, coming from Maryland, I can tell you that you can almost always get cheaper airfare by buying it on your own, particularly if you're flying to Florida and can go from any of the 3 DC area airports.
It sounds like you need a new travel agent. You could book this trip on your own but you'd be missing out on a lot of benefits a travel agent could provide.
My husband and I were married in December 2001, though not on the cruise. We have cruised 4 times and always in late December or early January to celebrate our anniversary. In CocoCay, the snorkeling is better with a wetsuit, but you can sun on the beach in a swim suit. On our last cruise, we went to the ruins at Chichen Itza and our tour guide joked that they only have two temperatures: hot and hotter. We were lucky that it was January and we only got to experience "hot". It was at least 85 degrees, and because of the lack of shade at the ruins, I had to borrow sunscreen to avoid getting burned. We have experienced rain in the past, but on most days I think you would be fine in a strapless gown.
