Romance On The High Seas: Vow Renewals à la Disney Cruise Line About This Page:

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by Laura Bradford, Guest Columnist and Novelist

When my husband informed me last fall that we would be taking the kids on a Disney Cruise to celebrate our 15-year wedding anniversary I was thrilled. I mean, what could be better than a Bahamian getaway in the middle of winter?

So, while my mind was conjuring up images of deck parties and nice restaurants, my husband was off and running on the next part of his plan. A plan that I knew nothing about until a few short days before the boat set sail.

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Let me set the stage. It's about four days before our trip and my husband and I are sitting in a restaurant celebrating our actual anniversary date when he asks me if I have any regrets about marrying him. I kind of stared at him for a few minutes, trying to figure out where a question like that came from before I finally said "No." Then, before I knew it, he was asking me if I'd like to do it all over again, this time onboard the Disney Magic!

And magic it was! For months he'd been planning the big day with the help of Disney Fairy Tale Weddings. With the help of an office phone line I never pick up and his work computer which I never use, my husband researched the various location options available for vow renewals at Walt Disney World. Many of those locations are dependent on the number of guests you will want to include at your ceremony. For those couples who choose to renew their vows in front of eleven or more guests, location choices run the gamut from the Rose Garden in the Magic Kingdom to a number of Epcot "countries."

If a smaller guest list is more your style, Disney has five "land locations" for vow renewals that can accommodate up to ten guests. These locations include: the Wedding Pavilion at Walt Disney World, Sunset Pointe at the Polynesian Resort (where authors Jennifer and Dave were married a year ago), the wedding gazebo at the Yacht Club, Boardwalk Resort's white gazebo, and the sunrise terrace at Wilderness Lodge. (Editor's Note: Check out our recent article on Disney's Intimate Wedding at http://www.passporter.com/news/news030605.htm )

My husband considered both the Wedding Pavilion and the Wilderness Lodge, but opted instead for a cruise, which allowed for a whole vacation rather than just a ceremony. And since we'd had the big wedding to start with fifteen years ago, he felt a quiet, intimate ceremony with just the four of us would be perfect for our renewal.

Once he selected the location, he was on to the particulars of the vow renewal package. Ceremonies performed onboard the Disney Cruise Line include: the vow renewal ceremony itself, which is performed by the ship's Captain; a gorgeous bouquet of roses for me, a boutonniere rose for my husband, a solo musician during the ceremony, a two-tier wedding cake complete with a Mickey and Minnie topper, a champagne toast, a special keepsake gift, dinner at Palo that night for the two of us, a complimentary renewal ceremony photograph, and concierge service while on the ship.

Our ceremony took place at 5:00 pm on the day the ship was docked in Nassau. My daughters and I were escorted down to the private lounge where my husband was waiting. And I must say, I couldn't help but feel a little like Cinderella as I walked down the halls of the ship in my dress.

The vow renewal was fairly short, but every second of that ceremony is imprinted in my mind. It was amazing to stand beside my husband and renew our commitment to each other and our marriage, and it was something I'm glad our girls could witness.

We chose to purchase a special photography package that gave us two hours with the shipboard photographer after the ceremony. We got some great pictures, one of which we've already made into our 2005 family Christmas card picture. The photographer we got for the evening was fabulous! She made the whole experience fun, capturing a magical evening with a professional eye!

Once the pictures were done, we checked the girls into the kids club and set off for our dinner at Palo. The food was incredible and the atmosphere very grown-up! We finished our meal with the top tier of our wedding cake, which the concierge staff had delivered to our table.

Fortunately, our trip did not end at the stroke of midnight that evening. The remaining days of the cruise were filled with sun and fun, as well as a few unexpected concierge surprises for the whole family.

It's been several months now since our vow renewal aboard the Magic, but keepsakes from our anniversary trip adorn the shelves in our family room. And every time I look at our Mickey and Minnie cake topper, I just smile and look forward to another fifteen years with my amazing husband.

For information about Disney's Fairy Tale Weddings, contact 407-828-3400.


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Laura's first novel, "Jury of One", will be released June 1, 2005. Check out her web site at http://www.laurabradford.com for more information!