Whether you chose to tie the knot onboard or at one of the beautiful destinations, here are a few things to remember.  Although it’s your special day, unfortunately it doesn’t come with special privileges.  You still have to go through security, wait in lines, and contend with other peoples needs who think are just as important as yours.  The captain will not wait for you if you’re late or having a ‘Bridezilla’ moment, and the weather will not do what you tell it too.  So the order of the day is to be patient, go with the flow, and enjoy the experience.  Before leaving home make sure you are aware of the prohibited items list to confirm what you and your guests can take onboard.

For more information on cruise ship weddings, refer to chapter 1 & 5 of my book.

On behalf of my wife and I, congratulations on your engagement and we wish you the very best on your wedding day.

To make the most of your cruise, read my book Cruise Ship Secrets.  It will help you with beating sea sickness, cruising with kids, saving money, what to expect onboard, what to pack, and a lot more.

Exercise for at least 30 minutes every day – If you’re new to exercise and feel inspired by your cruise to give it a try, you’re already half way there.  If you do not know how to put together an effective weight loss program on your own, or if you are a looking for a quality diet and exercise program you can follow, nearly all ships have fitness instructors to help you.  Most ships have fully equipped gymnasiums with weights, cardio machines and a host of exercise classes like Aerobics, Pilates, Yoga etc.

If you want a shortcut to burning fat fast, train in the morning before breakfast.  If you train when you first wake up, your body starts burning fat faster than it would after you eat.  The reason being is, your body has been fasting all night; hence it has less energy to use before it starts burning fat.  So if it normally takes your body 20 minutes of exercise before it starts burning fat, it may only take 10 minutes in the morning.  Therefore, a 30 minute workout becomes a lot more beneficial for burning fat in the morning than the afternoon or evening.  And considering your days will be filled with sightseeing, and your nights with eating, drinking and entertaining, the morning is also the most convenient time to train.

Keep busy - On cruises nowadays, there’s always something to do onboard, so it shouldn’t be too hard to keep yourself occupied.  This will keep you from getting bored and take your attention away from eating.  Depending on your ship, there could be fitness classes, dancing, rock climbing, ice skating, surfing, golf and miniature golf, inline skating, basketball, volleyball tournaments, dodge ball tournaments, and soccer just to name a few.  The ships daily planner will outline different fitness activities and wellness seminars you can do.  Take advantage of these to learn more about staying healthy.  This will not only keep you motivated but give you valuable education to serve you long after your cruise.  Want more cruise ship tips for staying healthy onboard.  Read my blog on what not to do while cruising.

To make the most of your cruise, read my book Cruise Ship Secrets.  It will help you with beating sea sickness, cruising with kids, saving money, what to expect onboard, what to pack, and a lot more.

Tips for getting it right.
To get married onboard a cruise ship you need to be cruising with them (although this may soon change, where they will offer non sailing packages).  They currently offer numerous cruise packages that are widely used and very convenient.  The list of packages can be found in each cruise lines website.  If you chose to marry on boarding day, I assume you will be checking luggage.  When you check your luggage out in the terminal, it won’t arrive to your stateroom until the afternoon or early evening, so make sure you have everything you need for the ceremony in a carry on bag.  Also include a change of clothes for the compulsory boat drill, unless of course you want to attend the drill wearing your wedding outfit, along with a bright orange life jacket.  If so, take the camera.
Since you don’t usually have access to your stateroom until after 1pm, the ship will have somewhere for you to get ready.  Check with your cruise wedding consultant beforehand to make sure you have compatible power sockets for your hair dryers/straighteners and the like.  Make sure you double check and triple check your wedding list before submitting it to the cruise line.  Anyone who turns up on the day and is not on the list will definitely not be permitted to board.  At the completion of the reception lunch or cocktail party, any of your guests that are not sailing will need to depart the ship, before you sail off in to the sunset on your honeymoon. Note: There are few ports in the world where your guests will be able to wave you off like you see in the movies.  The terminal building is usually in between your guests and the ship.  And once they leave the ship after the ceremony, they will not be aloud back inside the cruise terminal to wave you off. Similar to an airport, the front foyer is as far as they will get before security stops them.

Remember – The newer the ship, the better the amenities.  New ships are now being built to cater for the wedding market, therefore the chapel and ceremony locations are suitably designed areas instead of make shift locations made up for your wedding day and then turned back into a conference room after it’s over. 

Or get married in one of the ports of call, perhaps on a beach at one of the resorts… commonly called a destination wedding.

To make the most of your cruise, read my book Cruise Ship Secrets.  It will help you with beating sea sickness, cruising with kids, saving money, what to expect onboard, what to pack, and a lot more.