Recommend June 2014 - (Page 32)

nuptials AT SEA deserae del campo If you're not plugged into the wedding cruise market, you're missing out on a lucrative business. Take it from president and CEO of Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), Christine Duffy: deserae del campo "With interest in at-sea nuptials at an all-time high, it's a great opportunity for travel agents to tap into this market-this can mean big business and make the difference between a good year and a great year. Booking weddings at sea for your clients should be a strategic endeavor-agents should be emotionally connected to their clients, work closely with cruise line wedding planning departments to ensure a successful event, attend local bridal shows to ﬁnd business, and should position themselves in the local marketplace as someone who sells weddings as these newlyweds usually become loyal repeat clients." Cruise lines across the board offer a slew of wedding and honeymoon services. Here's a sprinkling of those offerings. carnival cruise lines Top photo: Couples can get cozy in The Retreat on board HAL's Eurodam; Above: With Carnival, couples can tie the knot both on and off the ship. "Carnival Cruise Lines' weddings provide an elegant, cost-effective and hassle-free way for couples to begin their lives together. Not only are the prices affordable, but the wide variety of dining, bar and venue choices make a Carnival wedding truly special and memorable for everyone," says Carol Lyman, manager, Carnival weddings. On average, Carnival hosts about 2,600 ceremonies a year, and that number could increase now that the cruise line completely revamped its wedding program offering upgraded amenities from the ﬂoral arrangements to new multi-tiered wedding cake options-coconut cream, red velvet, and chocolate ganache- baked on board. The Just You & Me package (max eight guests and starting at $1,355) includes the wedding ceremony, bouquet and boutonniere, the tiered wedding cake, Champagne toast, photography services, decorated aisle and ofﬁciant. If a party of eight is just too small for the couple, there is the Time to Celebrate...Big! package (20 guests; $1,975) that includes all amenities from the Just You & Me package, but adds a 1.5-hour reception, open bar, hors d'oeuvres, and a custom-designed ice carving. Wedding ceremonies can be held both on and off the ship. Recently, Carnival added Grand Turk and Freeport to the list of ports of call where couples can tie the knot; other Caribbean locales include Barbados, Grand Cayman, St. Thomas, and Half Moon Cay in the Bahamas. carnival.com or goccl.com celebrity cruises Each year, more than 300 couples exchange vows on board a Celebrity cruise ship. Celebrity offers couples all-inclusive wedding packages, coordinated by the line's specialist vendor, The 32 june 2014 recommend.com http://www.carnival.com http://www.goccl.com http://www.recommend.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recommend June 2014

Editor’s Notes
Hotel Desk: Seattle’s The Edgewater Rocks
Tour Talk: Apple Leisure Group
Caribbean Weddings: Choices, Romance & More Choices
Honeymoon Havens for all Sorts of Lovebirds
Nuptials at Sea
Wild Honeymoons!
Latin America for Lovers
Colombia Travel Guide
A Fairy Tale Honeymoon
All-Inclusive Powerhouses
Iberostar Playa Mita
Let’s Get Hitched!
Romantic Retreats
Unforgettable Honeymoons a World Away

Recommend June 2014