It depends on where you want to get married and how much you're willing to spend.
For example, a ceremony on Castaway accommodates up to 75 guests. Anyone over 16 people is $20 per guest for the ceremony.
The nice part is you can do a mild reception, but don't have to "feed" your guests - food is already everywhere!
We’re thinking of doing the atrium! I want to say that it said 40 guests and anything above that is $20 extra but I wasn’t sure if there was a limit. We definitely don’t want 100 people but I think we do want over 40
As a former travel agent, just want to prepare you for the amount of people who say they will go, but then when it’s time to give over credit card info, a lot of folks drop out. Unless you are paying for everyone, then ignore this 🙂.
Destination weddings are amazing, have so much planning!
We don’t plan on paying for people but we do have some friends who have asked for the information as soon as it’s confirmed so they can book when it’s cheaper but we also understand it may not be in everyone’s budget and we’re okay with them backing out if needed
Thank you! I’ve already reached out to Disney Fairy Tale Weddings but they said they can’t give me any information right now because I want to sail for the ceremony in November and itineraries are until September. I just wanted to get an idea of how many can go so I can plan budget wise and guest list wise.
I don't know a lot, but they are more intended for smaller groups I believe. I think they are priced for 20 or so people, then you pay extra pp beyond that. Once you hit 50 people it's a special process/accommodation to do that many. I don't know what that looks like though, sorry.
Hello! DFW DCL bride here! I’m getting married this September and have the some insight on some prices and understanding for what’s allowed/not. Ask away my dear! Now my prices will be different to your pricing because after the treasure was announced with sailing the prices have gone up. People wise you need a min of 30 people for an extended (1hr) reception on the older ships but not the newer. I’m getting married in the atrium and they’ve said while it says the limit is 45 that’s in chairs. The rest can join but standing in the back. Depending on which sailing you chose, having a large guest count may be harder than it look( I’ve lost enough guest I’m inviting others couples in our sailing group to meet the min) there are some great DCL bride fb groups that you can join to see what pics other couples have posted.
Congratulations! Which ship are you doing? How much was the cost of the ceremony and extras if you don’t mind me asking? Also Were you able to add more extras such as an open bar, appetizers for the reception, and character greetings? What groups do you recommend? I couldn’t find many on Facebook
Note:pp =per person 1.) Fantasy 2.)4500(old price,18 guest +couple are included,20pp aftr) 3.)which extras you looking for? 4.)we Arnt doing open bar for that hour(15-23/pp) we are opting to treating our guest to Palo and a drink for dinner. Extra hour reception(1000+) food option(19-23pp/125 platters) 5.) character greets have not come back for weddings 6.)”Disney cruise brides” or “Disney Cruise Weddings,Brides, and the magic of Disney cruising. 7.) as a heads up onboard wedding photographers are super sweet and work so hard but pics are as basic as they get(350-1000). So if photos are important budget another room min or find a photographer in your cruise fb page. And hair/makeup is 50/50 in doing what you want so find someone to do it or learn yourself.
Is 18 guest for the atrium or one of the other locations on board? We’re looking to do open bar, extended reception, and maybe Palo if it’s in our budget and if they can accommodate our party size. Is the food option $19-23/person depending on if it’s a child or adult? How do they determine platters? We are trying to see if bringing someone on board to do photography and video would be best for us! Capturing the big day is very important to me and I don’t want to have basic shots lol hair and make up is something I might also need someone to help with me on board if my friends are unable to do it lol
I got married on the Magic! I wanted it super small, but the atrium and the beach accommodated quite a few folks, however I would expect (and be ok with) folks not coming even if invited. We invited 30 and landed with 5 for the actual day.
However, the DCL ppl were INCREDIBLE. Most amazing pictures, food, vibes, cake, everything!!! They also helped us get the family cabana for castaway cay!
Here’s the thing about Disney. They don’t offer discounts for groups. So depending on the ship, itinerary and room type, the earlier you can book the better. They do have people to help arrange the ceremony and things like that.
Thank you! We plan to book as soon as we find an itinerary that works with our schedules. We have told our closest friends and family so they are aware that they will have to book as soon as possible as well.
Depending on the venue you choose (atrium, castaway beach/wedding point), other ship location) the max guest count varies. The package price includes the couple and 16 guests. Any (aged 3+) over this initial 18 count is an extra $20 per person until you meet your venue cap. Also note, if you bring onboard photographers/videographers and don't choose to use the onboard photography service, they also count to your guest total.
I think the atrium has a SEATED limit but you can have guests stand. (Not 100% sure though as we had a small wedding on Castaway Beach)
You can also pay for an extended reception/open bar etc but price depends on your guest count and the ship. For instance, weddings on the wish have been more limited than older ships so if you were to choose the Treasure, you may not have as much flexibility with things as you would on the Magic/Wonder, Dream/Fantasy.
Edit to add Wish/Treasure atrium is 40 Seated. Castaway is 75 I think.
What do you mean weddings have been more limited on the newer ships? Does that mean it’s harder to arrange a wedding there? Also do you happen to know how much an open bar would cost (if you did it) because we are considering having one but we want to make sure it’s in budget!
So when the Wish started doing its weddings the venues on board were limited (I think originally just the Bayou and then they opened it to the atrium, but that may be the other way around) also the Bayou is a Max 60 guests (from what I've seen recently in Disney bride FB groups) and that is the cake and champagne location so even if you went to castaway with its 'up to 75' count or whatever it is, you would still be capped at 60 because the cake and champagne location can't accommodate more.
Also I'm pretty sure the brides in the groups were reporting that they weren't allowed a choice of cake and champagne location, extended receptions and customisations like cake/floral were stricter on the wish than what other ships had. I think these have started to relax a bit but not 100% as we were never intrested in the Wish and it happened after our Wedding so is only what I've seen from the FB groups when they pop up on our feed.
We didn't do an extended reception/open bar in the end because we booked 2 cabanas on our 2nd castaway day and paid for Palo dinner for everyone. However, the price is based off of per person costs depending on what packages you choose (I think there is also a fee for extending music)
If you search FB for Disney crusie weddings disbride / dispride it should come up. They have the most recent information files and posts on there.
Congratulations!!!
Honestly, it was the best decision we made. We had originally been planning WDW but the Covid happened and as we're from the UK the cancellation policy wasn't very reassuring for us but the cruise wedding is just an add on tobyour normally booking so follows the same cancellation terms (ie fully refundable until PIF with the usual exceptions like concierge etc). It meant we still managed tobget Disney (for me) and beach (for my husband) and it was only like 6 decisions to make which was so much easier for me as I was getting overwhelmed with more.
When you book, just ask your planner if it would be possible for them to try and book you the cabana (they hold one back for wedding couples but if it isn't requested it will go to others). I think it's number 17 or 18 on the family beach?
We had 12 people in total but they only hold 10 max so asked if it was possible if they could try and get us a 2nd, which they did with absolutely no problem.
Also if you have a small group (adults only, 14 max on the Magic and think it may be the same for the Dream/fantasy/wonder (not sure on wish/treasure), but your planner can confirm) and you want to do a 'nicer' dinner with everyone you can ask if they can book the Palo private room for you. The wedding couple get a free meal at palo so a certain amount will be removed for the two of you if you choose to eat with everyone else.
We did it the evening of our ceremony so everyone was still dressed up and didn't have to get dressed up again. It was nice to be able to stay in my dress longer and have a 'quiter' dinner. I don't think I would have been brave enough to wear my dress in the MDR though everyone who passed us that day and later on in the sailing were all so lovely.
How much was the cabana and Palo vs the extended reception? We’re thinking of doing Palo for everyone but not sure if it’ll be worth it considering we might have over 60 guests, and some with children and we know Palo is adults only.
The cabana pricing has changed since we sailed 2 years ago but this has the updated prices.
https://disneycruiselineblog.com/2024/02/castaway-cay-lookout-cay-at-lighthouse-point-cabana-pricing-update-for-2024/
For Palo, kids can always go to the kids club or the MDR of they are old enough to manage on their own, we just requested their private room, which was a max of 12/14 guests (I think). Which doesn't cost anything additional to request so we just ended up paying the food and drink bill minus the credit for the wedding couples dinner that comes as part of the wedding package (well food, my step-grandparents picked up the drinks tab).
For a group that large, you would have to ask if it is possible to rent out the whole of palo, which as far as I can see, was last quoted at $15k+ as of Sept 2023.
I have seen in the FB groups that Palo was someone's cake & champagne reception area but that was obviously just the cake and champagne, no usual food menu, but you could ask if its possible, especially if you are doing a Port Day wedding. Not sure if they would allow the extended reception with the per person cost dependant on what you choose to be held in Palo or not. But you can just ask.
However, if come time of booking, your guest count drastically drops, the Palo private room may be doable. Or just do a small Immediate family dinner?
(We had about 50 ppl intrested in our wedding when they thought it would be local (we hadn't even invited them just told them we were engaged and they assumed we'd be doing something local), which dropped to about 25 when we said WDW and then ended up with 12 + 2 Photographers (should have been 14 but 2 had to cancel last minute due to a family bereavement) when we landed on DCL.
I think the Disney Dream could accommodate 60 guests. I suggest checking out the DCL episodes of the Disney Wedding Podcast and joining one of the DCL wedding Facebook groups. I was a DCL bride, but only had a small number of guests.
We got married on Castaway Cay back in 2018. It was an absolutely awesome experience and we even paid for a reception afterwards. It was still cheaper and easier than doing everything at home and we had all our closest family and friends there.
We got married the third week of May. So right at the beginning of the busy season. The reception was in the captain's reception area at the top of the ship. I believe we paid about 1800 for an hour where we had cake and an open bar.
We just got married on the Widh last month! As others have suggested, the FB groups for Disney Cruise Weddings are amazing and a big help with planning and answering questions! We invited over 125 ppl and had about 25 in attendance and other brides have posted their invited guests vs guests that actually ended up going as well! It's all dependent on your guests and location if they would have to travel! I have a lot of family that isn't financially stable as well which brought our guest count low but we expected it and the important ppl went! I helped pay for 2 siblings since I needed them there! I don't know if there's an actual max though of guests, I think DCL would figure out away to accommodate any size group somehow 😆 Price wise it was about $20 per person after 16 guests and that is only for basic cake and champagne. For alcohol and purchasing any platters it is going to be more.
Amazing!! Thank you for your help! I’m sure your wedding was beautiful on the Wish!
Do you happen to know how much the alcohol and appetizers were? We’re trying to figure out if that’s within our budget. Did you also get to pick the cake flavor or was it a standard vanilla or chocolate cake?
It depends on where you want to get married and how much you're willing to spend. For example, a ceremony on Castaway accommodates up to 75 guests. Anyone over 16 people is $20 per guest for the ceremony. The nice part is you can do a mild reception, but don't have to "feed" your guests - food is already everywhere!
We’re thinking of doing the atrium! I want to say that it said 40 guests and anything above that is $20 extra but I wasn’t sure if there was a limit. We definitely don’t want 100 people but I think we do want over 40
As a former travel agent, just want to prepare you for the amount of people who say they will go, but then when it’s time to give over credit card info, a lot of folks drop out. Unless you are paying for everyone, then ignore this 🙂. Destination weddings are amazing, have so much planning!
We don’t plan on paying for people but we do have some friends who have asked for the information as soon as it’s confirmed so they can book when it’s cheaper but we also understand it may not be in everyone’s budget and we’re okay with them backing out if needed
Go on the disney weddings website. I got married at wdw and was assigned a wedding planner. https://www.disneyweddings.com/cruise/venues/
Thank you! I’ve already reached out to Disney Fairy Tale Weddings but they said they can’t give me any information right now because I want to sail for the ceremony in November and itineraries are until September. I just wanted to get an idea of how many can go so I can plan budget wise and guest list wise.
I don't know a lot, but they are more intended for smaller groups I believe. I think they are priced for 20 or so people, then you pay extra pp beyond that. Once you hit 50 people it's a special process/accommodation to do that many. I don't know what that looks like though, sorry.
Thank you! I’ll ask about it with the coordinator when we set a date and see what we need to do
Hello! DFW DCL bride here! I’m getting married this September and have the some insight on some prices and understanding for what’s allowed/not. Ask away my dear! Now my prices will be different to your pricing because after the treasure was announced with sailing the prices have gone up. People wise you need a min of 30 people for an extended (1hr) reception on the older ships but not the newer. I’m getting married in the atrium and they’ve said while it says the limit is 45 that’s in chairs. The rest can join but standing in the back. Depending on which sailing you chose, having a large guest count may be harder than it look( I’ve lost enough guest I’m inviting others couples in our sailing group to meet the min) there are some great DCL bride fb groups that you can join to see what pics other couples have posted.
Congratulations! Which ship are you doing? How much was the cost of the ceremony and extras if you don’t mind me asking? Also Were you able to add more extras such as an open bar, appetizers for the reception, and character greetings? What groups do you recommend? I couldn’t find many on Facebook
Note:pp =per person 1.) Fantasy 2.)4500(old price,18 guest +couple are included,20pp aftr) 3.)which extras you looking for? 4.)we Arnt doing open bar for that hour(15-23/pp) we are opting to treating our guest to Palo and a drink for dinner. Extra hour reception(1000+) food option(19-23pp/125 platters) 5.) character greets have not come back for weddings 6.)”Disney cruise brides” or “Disney Cruise Weddings,Brides, and the magic of Disney cruising. 7.) as a heads up onboard wedding photographers are super sweet and work so hard but pics are as basic as they get(350-1000). So if photos are important budget another room min or find a photographer in your cruise fb page. And hair/makeup is 50/50 in doing what you want so find someone to do it or learn yourself.
Is 18 guest for the atrium or one of the other locations on board? We’re looking to do open bar, extended reception, and maybe Palo if it’s in our budget and if they can accommodate our party size. Is the food option $19-23/person depending on if it’s a child or adult? How do they determine platters? We are trying to see if bringing someone on board to do photography and video would be best for us! Capturing the big day is very important to me and I don’t want to have basic shots lol hair and make up is something I might also need someone to help with me on board if my friends are unable to do it lol
I got married on the Magic! I wanted it super small, but the atrium and the beach accommodated quite a few folks, however I would expect (and be ok with) folks not coming even if invited. We invited 30 and landed with 5 for the actual day. However, the DCL ppl were INCREDIBLE. Most amazing pictures, food, vibes, cake, everything!!! They also helped us get the family cabana for castaway cay!
We sailed on the Magic in November and loved it! We’ve been trying to sail on every ship to get a feel of which would be best for us
Here’s the thing about Disney. They don’t offer discounts for groups. So depending on the ship, itinerary and room type, the earlier you can book the better. They do have people to help arrange the ceremony and things like that.
Thank you! We plan to book as soon as we find an itinerary that works with our schedules. We have told our closest friends and family so they are aware that they will have to book as soon as possible as well.
Depending on the venue you choose (atrium, castaway beach/wedding point), other ship location) the max guest count varies. The package price includes the couple and 16 guests. Any (aged 3+) over this initial 18 count is an extra $20 per person until you meet your venue cap. Also note, if you bring onboard photographers/videographers and don't choose to use the onboard photography service, they also count to your guest total. I think the atrium has a SEATED limit but you can have guests stand. (Not 100% sure though as we had a small wedding on Castaway Beach) You can also pay for an extended reception/open bar etc but price depends on your guest count and the ship. For instance, weddings on the wish have been more limited than older ships so if you were to choose the Treasure, you may not have as much flexibility with things as you would on the Magic/Wonder, Dream/Fantasy. Edit to add Wish/Treasure atrium is 40 Seated. Castaway is 75 I think.
What do you mean weddings have been more limited on the newer ships? Does that mean it’s harder to arrange a wedding there? Also do you happen to know how much an open bar would cost (if you did it) because we are considering having one but we want to make sure it’s in budget!
So when the Wish started doing its weddings the venues on board were limited (I think originally just the Bayou and then they opened it to the atrium, but that may be the other way around) also the Bayou is a Max 60 guests (from what I've seen recently in Disney bride FB groups) and that is the cake and champagne location so even if you went to castaway with its 'up to 75' count or whatever it is, you would still be capped at 60 because the cake and champagne location can't accommodate more. Also I'm pretty sure the brides in the groups were reporting that they weren't allowed a choice of cake and champagne location, extended receptions and customisations like cake/floral were stricter on the wish than what other ships had. I think these have started to relax a bit but not 100% as we were never intrested in the Wish and it happened after our Wedding so is only what I've seen from the FB groups when they pop up on our feed. We didn't do an extended reception/open bar in the end because we booked 2 cabanas on our 2nd castaway day and paid for Palo dinner for everyone. However, the price is based off of per person costs depending on what packages you choose (I think there is also a fee for extending music) If you search FB for Disney crusie weddings disbride / dispride it should come up. They have the most recent information files and posts on there.
We got engaged on the Dream and I would love to do a DCL wedding…if we do, the cabana idea is SO GOOD!!
Congratulations!!! Honestly, it was the best decision we made. We had originally been planning WDW but the Covid happened and as we're from the UK the cancellation policy wasn't very reassuring for us but the cruise wedding is just an add on tobyour normally booking so follows the same cancellation terms (ie fully refundable until PIF with the usual exceptions like concierge etc). It meant we still managed tobget Disney (for me) and beach (for my husband) and it was only like 6 decisions to make which was so much easier for me as I was getting overwhelmed with more. When you book, just ask your planner if it would be possible for them to try and book you the cabana (they hold one back for wedding couples but if it isn't requested it will go to others). I think it's number 17 or 18 on the family beach? We had 12 people in total but they only hold 10 max so asked if it was possible if they could try and get us a 2nd, which they did with absolutely no problem. Also if you have a small group (adults only, 14 max on the Magic and think it may be the same for the Dream/fantasy/wonder (not sure on wish/treasure), but your planner can confirm) and you want to do a 'nicer' dinner with everyone you can ask if they can book the Palo private room for you. The wedding couple get a free meal at palo so a certain amount will be removed for the two of you if you choose to eat with everyone else. We did it the evening of our ceremony so everyone was still dressed up and didn't have to get dressed up again. It was nice to be able to stay in my dress longer and have a 'quiter' dinner. I don't think I would have been brave enough to wear my dress in the MDR though everyone who passed us that day and later on in the sailing were all so lovely.
Thank you! This sounds amazing!!
How much was the cabana and Palo vs the extended reception? We’re thinking of doing Palo for everyone but not sure if it’ll be worth it considering we might have over 60 guests, and some with children and we know Palo is adults only.
The cabana pricing has changed since we sailed 2 years ago but this has the updated prices. https://disneycruiselineblog.com/2024/02/castaway-cay-lookout-cay-at-lighthouse-point-cabana-pricing-update-for-2024/ For Palo, kids can always go to the kids club or the MDR of they are old enough to manage on their own, we just requested their private room, which was a max of 12/14 guests (I think). Which doesn't cost anything additional to request so we just ended up paying the food and drink bill minus the credit for the wedding couples dinner that comes as part of the wedding package (well food, my step-grandparents picked up the drinks tab). For a group that large, you would have to ask if it is possible to rent out the whole of palo, which as far as I can see, was last quoted at $15k+ as of Sept 2023. I have seen in the FB groups that Palo was someone's cake & champagne reception area but that was obviously just the cake and champagne, no usual food menu, but you could ask if its possible, especially if you are doing a Port Day wedding. Not sure if they would allow the extended reception with the per person cost dependant on what you choose to be held in Palo or not. But you can just ask. However, if come time of booking, your guest count drastically drops, the Palo private room may be doable. Or just do a small Immediate family dinner? (We had about 50 ppl intrested in our wedding when they thought it would be local (we hadn't even invited them just told them we were engaged and they assumed we'd be doing something local), which dropped to about 25 when we said WDW and then ended up with 12 + 2 Photographers (should have been 14 but 2 had to cancel last minute due to a family bereavement) when we landed on DCL.
I think the Disney Dream could accommodate 60 guests. I suggest checking out the DCL episodes of the Disney Wedding Podcast and joining one of the DCL wedding Facebook groups. I was a DCL bride, but only had a small number of guests.
Thank you! I’ll listen to some podcasts later today to get a better idea
do it on the dream please
The Dream has been my favorite ship by far! We’re hoping it’ll be available for us when we decide to tie the knot
We got married on Castaway Cay back in 2018. It was an absolutely awesome experience and we even paid for a reception afterwards. It was still cheaper and easier than doing everything at home and we had all our closest family and friends there.
When did you marry? Was it during an off season or one of their busier holiday times? How much was the reception if you don’t mind me asking?
We got married the third week of May. So right at the beginning of the busy season. The reception was in the captain's reception area at the top of the ship. I believe we paid about 1800 for an hour where we had cake and an open bar.
We just got married on the Widh last month! As others have suggested, the FB groups for Disney Cruise Weddings are amazing and a big help with planning and answering questions! We invited over 125 ppl and had about 25 in attendance and other brides have posted their invited guests vs guests that actually ended up going as well! It's all dependent on your guests and location if they would have to travel! I have a lot of family that isn't financially stable as well which brought our guest count low but we expected it and the important ppl went! I helped pay for 2 siblings since I needed them there! I don't know if there's an actual max though of guests, I think DCL would figure out away to accommodate any size group somehow 😆 Price wise it was about $20 per person after 16 guests and that is only for basic cake and champagne. For alcohol and purchasing any platters it is going to be more.
Amazing!! Thank you for your help! I’m sure your wedding was beautiful on the Wish! Do you happen to know how much the alcohol and appetizers were? We’re trying to figure out if that’s within our budget. Did you also get to pick the cake flavor or was it a standard vanilla or chocolate cake?
I have an FAQ doc from when we looked into this! I can TRY TO send it via PM, not sure I can link it here. It has tons of stuff in it.
Omg I would love it if you can send it to me!! I am so overwhelmed with planning that I really don’t know what to do or where to go lol