Allison & Chris' WeddingMoon!
Frequently Asked Questions – Update 1
I’ve had a couple of questions asked and I’d like to share the answers. Since more than one person has asked these questions, I obviously did an awful job explaining things. =)
Here is a brief synopsis of the trip.
Friday - January 22nd
We will all arrive in Miami, FL (details will be provided as soon as I’m able to confirm hotels/flights).
We will all make our way (again, details will be coming regarding this) to the selected hotel. From there (depending on timing) we’ll eat and gather and chat and catch up with each other, etc. Then it’s time for beddy-bye. I need my beauty sleep and would like to be halfway presentable for the following day.
Saturday – January 23rd
At, oh, dark thirty, I’ll be waking up and heading downstairs to grab some breakfast. Anyone who would like to join me, please feel free to sample the hotel’s breakfast fare. (Guess what, more details will be provided about this later as well.)
After I’m stuffed, I’ll be heading upstairs to my room to get ready. I will have someone coming in to make me look gorgeous (What a task, eh?). I also want to be ready to go by 9am. That way, I can pop in and say hello to all of you and ensure that the shuttles are ready to take us to the pier. Please dress for the ceremony at this point. You will not have the opportunity to change beforehand. (Afterwards, absolutely. Feel free to break out those tropical shirts)
By 9:30 am, I would ask that everyone be checked out and in the lobby ready to head to the pier. We MUST be at the pier by 10am. I am working with the hotel and a transportation company to ensure we are there by 10am. We’ll have either a shuttle or a bus to get us to the pier. You don’t have to try to hail a cab or anything like that. Just meet in the lobby by 9:30 am and if you’re there, I’ll get you to the pier. We do have priority boarding and must be there as an entire group by 10am. Anyone who is not there by 10am will be forced to board with general boarding and may miss the ceremony. For those of you who tend to run late, please plan on being in the lobby at 9 am (or 6:30am, just to be sure). I’m sorry, but I’m going to be so involved, that I don’t want to “forget” anyone or be late myself.
We’ll be at the pier at 10am, and we will drop off baggage at the terminal, and then head inside to go through security. Please leave anything that you don’t want to carry with you at the terminal. Otherwise, you may be stuck lugging it around until after the reception. Please do keep any medications, passports, travel documents, credit cards, glasses, cameras, etc with you as you’ll need these to board. Well, not the camera. You’ll need that because I LOVE pictures and want you all to fill up those memory cards. =)
Once custom clears the ship, we’ll be boarding. First step is security, (I know, what fun. At least I don’t have to go on board in my gown) Once it’s been determined that we don’t have any contraband, we’ll head up to sign in to the ship. We’ll present our travel documents, give them a credit card for all of our purchases and get our Sail & Sign card. This card functions as a room key, ID, and a ship “credit card”. After that, we’ll go ahead and stop at the ships first photographer. You just HAVE to be photographed before you get on the ship. So smile pretty so we can race through this one. =)
Then we’re on the Liberty. Woo hoo!! Haha, Chris, you’re trapped now. You cannot get out of it. You must follow through and firmly clasp that shackle around your neck. =) From here, I’m sorry, guys, you’re on your own for a few minutes. Our wedding coordinator will take good care of you all and get you to the ceremony location. Then you get to wait while the bridal party primps and gets all pretty. Once Chris and I are changed, we’ll head to the ceremony location as well. Please offer Chris condolences as his life will never be the same. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, just a goodbye to bachelorhood. Hello insta-family. This is the day that Chris graduates from 72% Dad to 100% Dad!
It’s ceremony time! Now, my father will give me away and Chris will take over the burden. The kids will be there cheering him on, and all of you will be there to witness our moment. I’m sure I’ll cry, and ruin what makeup I put on. (See, that’s why I never wear it in the first place!) So, we’ll be bonded forever and ever and ever and now it’s time to celebrate!
To the disco!! That’s where our reception is being held. We’ll have tasty appetizers for everyone to munch on. And OPEN BAR!! That’s right! All you can drink for 90 minutes. On a ship, this is a treat! So please ENJOY!! Don’t be shy, it’s paid for, and I won’t be having my portion, so someone needs to pick up my slack. =) We’ll have the traditional dances here, (Chris & I, the kids, our parents, etc) and then, the DJ will get playing some fun stuff. I don’t want this to be a formal or stuffy reception at all. (We did the formal with the 20 minute ceremony, now it’s time to loosen up and celebrate) So, get out there and show me those moves!
Boo hoo!! They’re kicking us out of the disco and taking the food and drinks away. = ( But, I have something that is a close second. The Lido Deck!! We’re moving the party topside!! On Lido, they’ll have lunch, so feel free to have a bite to eat. The bars will be open (but you have to pay for these drinks) and it’s a great time to get the fountain fun cards for those who need them. Chris and I will still be all pretty, and we’ll be on deck to watch the ship leave the port. There’s usually a Caribbean band on the deck, so, more dancing and partying up here!
Now we’re on the open seas! Off we go to explore the Eastern Caribbean. And off you go to explore the Liberty. Keep an eye on the clock, dinner is at 6:15. Since this is the 1st dinner and we’ll still be all pretty, it’s going to be a special one. Please join us in the dining room for our first meal as man and wife.
We’ll be watching the Carnival Capers to find the schedule for the evening, and we can plan our night at dinner. We all don’t need to be a group for the entire voyage. I’d like us to come together for dinner each night, and enjoy ourselves during the day. That may mean as a whole group, smaller group, or just some time to yourself.
Sunday-Friday
Enjoy the voyage! Please make the most of your vacation and enjoy every moment. Details about the group excursion to follow, but other than that and dinner each night, have a blast. That’s my one wish for all of you. That you have a wonderful time! Feel free to use the directory I’ve provide to locate everyone and make plans and such.
(Thursday night, we may have something fun planned on the ship as a group, so watch for more details)
Friday night
Our journey is coming to an end. = (It’s time to pack up and leave our bags outside our doors (or carry them off ourselves). I hope that each of you took the time to attend the debarkation talk. It’s really helpful. Now we can enjoy the ship’s highlights one last time before we have to leave in the morning. =(
Please remember when packing, that you WILL need CLOTHES to wear to go home on Saturday. Don’t pack all your clothes when you’re getting ready for bed and leave the bags outside your door. You’ll wake up in the morning to find your bags have magically disappeared and you have nothing to wear! That means you’re either begging your family for something to wear (and knowing us, we’ll come up with something very inventive to dress you in) or you’re buying a $50 bathrobe to get you through til you have your bags back again. Please leave out any important documents, medications, contact stuff, clothes, advil, etc etc. Otherwise, we will have this as a Foto to remind you for years to come. =)
Saturday morning
Please feel free to enjoy breakfast on deck and be ready to vacate your room by 8:30. As soon as they call, we’ll be able to disembark the ship and go through customs to be on our merry way. If you’ve purchase transfer tickets back to the airports, you should have instructions on how to use them. I highly recommend this option. Carnival will get you to the airport in plenty of time for your flight. Please make sure all return flights are scheduled after 2pm. If you’re planning on sticking around lovely Florida, most rental car agencies will pick you up from the pier. You’re all adults; I trust you’ve got your travel arrangements all settled.
I’d like to meet one last time up on the Lido deck at 8am. This way we can say goodbye to all of you. Once we start to disembark, and we go through customs, it can get a little hectic. We’ll need our hugs goodbye and to thank you again for sharing a very memorable week with us.
Ta da! That’s our tentative schedule for our WeddingMoon! I hope that clears up some questions for you. Now on to some others =)
What to Wear?
Attire - Please feel free to wear whatever you would like to the ceremony. I’m wearing a big wedding gown with my 6 foot train, and Chris will be in a tux. The bridal party will also be all dressed and pretty. You can come in a ball gown, you can come in a sundress (not the men please). Take the opportunity to dress up if you’d like, or dress down too. It’s completely your decision. Just please be comfy. There’s no need to suffer in a dress that won’t stay up, or a suit that you haven’t worn since the last family funeral. Be comfy, be yourself, and dress up or down as suits you. Just remember, I LOVE photos, so whatever you wear will be looked at for years to come! (That was for you, Uncle Rich)
Wedding Theme
What is our wedding theme?? Beats me!! I’m just trying to get all the cruise stuff handled. =) I think the theme I’ll go with is family, fun & fotos. (Sorry, I needed 3 “F’s”) Those are three things that really matter. Even though some of you are not “blood” family, you’re still family. You’re the ones that we speak with most often, complain to, and share those happy moments with. That makes you family, so HA! So, that will be our theme! Family, Fun & Fotos! We need the family to have fun, the fun to keep us from the bars, and the fotos to remember it down the road.
Right now, the color theme I’m going with is Cornflower Blue (to match Chris’ eyes) and a Lemon yellow. This may change, but for now . . . The flowers I’m choosing will be fairly traditional. Right now I’m looking at a Victorian bouquet. I’ll be carrying silk flowers, since I can’t take real ones on or off the ship (err, Customs!)
Are we getting the best value?
For those of you who know me, I’m very frugal. I love to spend money, but I want to get the best deal for my cash! I’ve researched cruise options with travel agents, friends and even online. I feel the best value for our money is booking directly through Carnival. I’ve worked with Luis for a few years now and he has never failed to exceed my expectations, (and ask Chris, I can be tough to please). If he commits to an action, it happens. Also, travel agents CANNOT sell the cruise for less than Carnival itself offers if for. It’s against their contract with Carnival. Now, they can offer you perks like a tote bag, room upgrades and onboard credit. What they don’t offer you is if the price goes down, you don’t get to take advantage of that. Once we’re booked, if the price decreases anytime until Nov 8th, we can get that lower price with Carnival. I have Luis looking for the group, and also I hop on a few times a week to see how “cheap” I can get the cruise. After we’ve paid, if the price goes down, we can ask for that difference as well. No guarantee we can get it at that point, but . . .
For example, when we booked our Nov cruise it was $489 plus all fees. We ended up paying $379 and got an onboard credit of $180. I was quite happy with that arrangement. =) We got a great deal and had a wonderful time.
Luis also has taken hours working with me with what I want for this cruise. He’s gone over many options with me and knows how value conscious I am. I also feel completely comfortable in his care. I know that he will do his best to make us all happy. He’s also great at rolling with whatever punches I throw at him. He has been more than accommodating and I know that if we had any major issues, he would make sure that we’re good to go before sailing. I feel that my wedding is safe with him, and that’s a lot of responsibility I’m thrusting at him. So, please remember, the price will go down, I just can’t say by how much yet. I’m also always bugging him for whatever “perks” he can throw in. The group rate should also bring us down a bit. Both Luis and I are watching to for the best deal for the group.
Services I can help arrange
Hairdressing -For anyone looking to get their hair done on our Wedding Day, I do have the option of having a hairdresser come to our hotel to make us gorgeous. I do find it to be a little on the high side, ($90 for an up-do) but at least it’s someone that Carnival is recommending. Again, not a requirement at all, just an add-on if anyone would like it done.
Tuxedos – For all you men who want to pull out the Black-Tie, we can rent right through Carnival. The Tux will be in the stateroom for you, (i.e., no lugging it on the plane) and it’s yours for the week. If you’d like to use it for the formal nights or just prance around in your cabin in it. Cost is $87 without shoes, $100 with shoes, or $132 for black tux and also the white dinner jacket (also, please add sales tax)
Please let me know if you’d like to take advantage of these services and I can email you the order form.
Must Have Items to Bring on the Weddingmoon!
Your cameras - The whole “Foto” thing is part of my theme, and I’d love to see the Weddingmoon from all of your viewpoints. If you have a digital camera, we’ll have a laptop,( and a satellite phone, and a server, and a datacenter, etc) to download to in case you run out of room on your media. I know I always do! Then we can get you the images when you get home. I’ll make Chris upload to his website or burn the images to a CD.
Your ideas – For crazy little things we can do on the ship to make it that much more fun. Do we want to do a group T-shirt? Have a tropical shirt day? What wacky ideas do you all have to have a great time? My poor brain is sore from all the thinking. =)
Yourself – Most importantly, bring you. I want you to have a great time, whether you want to relax, or be stumbling around one of the decks looking for your room. Come now, there are those of you who you KNOW are going to be knocking on doors, “Do you know me? Where’s my room?” I can’t wait to get a Foto of that!!
In keeping with the theme – Family, Fun, Fotos! Please try to bring the things listed above. Let’s make this a great Weddingmoon for all of us!
Please let me know if you have other questions. Chances are that if you’re questioning it, others are too!! I’m nowhere near perfect, and I forget things too, so please ask away. I’ll post these FAQ’s as often as needed.
Warm Regards,
Allison & Chris
