Your wedding should happen in the most romantic place you can imagine. The venue you choose will create a special atmosphere, which is why many brides want a cruise ship wedding. It’s an incredible experience to sail somewhere new with your friends and family, all while getting married, but that’s more difficult since the beginning of COVID-19.
The coronavirus pandemic shut down the cruise industry and has forced drastic changes to what passengers will experience in the future. It all affects how you can plan your wedding and what it will look like, which may feel overwhelming.
Check out these six things wedding cruisers should know if you’re planning a cruise wedding in the future. These tips will help you figure out a way forward into an uncertain future, so you can still have the celebration of your dreams.
1. Pick the Best Country
Before the pandemic, brides could choose a destination from a long list of countries. Now some of those countries could be dealing with a COVID-19 surge at different times, limiting how many tourists can arrive.
As you begin planning your wedding, pick a destination you love that’s also successfully fighting the coronavirus. You can also keep in touch with the cruise line you choose since they’ll update their destination list if the situation changes.
2. Screening Tests Are Mandatory
Cruise ships have become Petri dishes for the coronavirus, so passengers will have to undergo mandatory screening tests before boarding. In addition to temperature checks and a questionnaire, everyone could have to take a COVID-19 test on the spot when testing becomes widespread for the general public.
Your guests will have to go home if they fail any of these requirements, so it’s best to advise them to self-isolate for two weeks before the wedding to ensure they’re safe to come on board.
3. Medical Isolation Is Possible
After your guests board the ship and begin your wedding trip, they might have an upset stomach or feel strange. Sometimes people get a virus or eat bad food while on a cruise, but now every precaution must occur if these symptoms arise.
If your loved ones report these issues, the ship’s medical team will move them to a prolonged period of isolation in case they have COVID-19. Your guests could miss your ceremony, but it’s to protect everyone around them. Be aware of this possibility as you plan your cruise wedding.
4. Indoor Ceremonies May Be Limited
Imagine that your final guest list has 25 people on it. You’ve worked hard to only invite the people closest to you. Still, the cruise ship’s guidelines state that only 10 people or fewer can be in their ceremony without breaking social distancing guidelines. You might have to work with them to move your nuptials outdoors and keep your guest list intact, as distancing outdoors lowers your risk of contracting COVID-19 and prevents your party from spreading it to the other passengers.
5. Find the Right Insurance
Travel insurance is more important than ever before, especially when planning an expensive ceremony in a known risky venue. Before you pay for anything, look into getting cruise insurance so that you can get your money back if things go wrong. Your insurance will save the day if there are medical emergencies or unexpected cancellations.
6. Check for No Sail Orders
The CDC is also preventing the spread of COVID-19 on cruise ships by announcing no sail orders. The first order went into effect on March 14, and the organization reinstated it on April 15. Cruise ships can’t sail until 100 days have passed, and the order is no longer in effect, so watch for a new order in the future so that you can cancel your trip if necessary.
Make a Backup Plan for Your Cruise Wedding
These are great steps brides can take while planning their cruise wedding but make a backup plan just in case. No one knows what the future holds, so preparing for every possibility will give you peace of mind.
Perhaps you could reduce your guest list and hold a micro-wedding instead or you could move your special day outside.
