For Honeymooners

It's no surprise that cruises attract honeymooners. By their very nature, cruises are romantic---moonlit nights on deck and the vast sea all around, elegant dining, dazzling entertainment, cozy cabins, private verandas, and a variety of ports. Many lines go out of their way to make a honeymoon cruise convenient and memorable. For example, Sunday departures. Honeymoon-friendly schedules have been introduced by nearly every line on at least some itineraries, so that couples who marry on Saturday can leave on a cruise the next day; in the past, most sailings departed on Fridays or Saturdays, and newlyweds, who typically marry on Saturdays, had to wait almost a week to start their cruise.

On board, many big-ship lines offer honeymooners complimentary extras like a bottle of champagne in the cabin upon arrival, a special cake served in the dining room one night, and a private cocktail party for newlyweds. To partake of the freebies, be sure to tell your travel agent or the cruise line reservation agent that you'll be celebrating your honeymoon on the cruise.

High-end small-ship lines don't offer special cocktail parties and the like, but their ultradeluxe amenities are especially pleasing to honeymooners. Guests are pampered with terrycloth bathrobes and slippers that await in walk-in closets; elegant in-cabin dining service complete with linens, china, crystal and silverware; whirlpool bathtubs; stocked mini-bars; and high crew-to-passenger ratios. Cabins may have private verandas, an especially romantic touch. All of these extra special touches are business as usual on these small, upscale ships.

If you want more than what the cruise lines offer for free, most also have a variety of wedding, honeymoon, anniversary, and vow-renewal packages that can be purchased before the cruise.

If you want to get married on board, you can legally do so on many ships, although ships' captains haven't been permitted to officiate weddings in U.S. ports since World War II. Instead, a local officiant is brought on board to perform a civil ceremony. A justice of the peace, notary public, or minister is used, depending on where the ceremony is taking place; sometimes, where permitted, you're able to request or arrange to have a priest, rabbi, or other official of your choice. Many couples tie the knot on the first day of the cruise, while the ship is still in port in the U.S.---for example, in Florida, California, New York, or San Juan---with a ceremony conducted on deck or inside in one of the public rooms. This way, friends and family are allowed to come on board for a few hours for a ceremony and a reception before the ship departs. Ceremonies can also sometimes be conducted in port, on a local beach, for example; each cruise line offers its own set of packages.

Many ships also offer opportunities to marry at one of the ports visited during the cruise, like Bermuda and the Caribbean. As a territory of the United States, the U.S. Virgin Islands---St. Croix, St. Thomas, and St. John---are popular wedding spots. License applications must be received by the Territorial Court in the USVI at least eight days prior to your wedding day. The fee is $25 for the marriage application and $25 for the license; additional fees apply if the ceremony is performed by the Judge of the Territorial Court (download the "Application for Marriage License" form from the USVI Division of Tourism or contact them at 800/372--8784 or the Marriage Dept. direct line, 340/774--6680). In a non-U.S. or Canadian port, such as Bermuda and other islands of the Caribbean, policies vary from country to country, and you need to find out what the rules are well in advance of your sailing date.

Cruise lines that sell wedding packages will assist you with the paperwork, for example, by sending you a license application form or telling you where to get one. In Bermuda, couples are required to file a Notice of Intended Marriage with the Registrar General's Office in Bermuda no earlier than three months and no later than three weeks in advance (the fee is $186, plus $19 for the certificate, and you can get a form either from the cruise line or the Bermuda Department of Tourism, tel. 800/223--6106). The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism has a Wedding and Honeymoon Unit (tel. 888/687--8425) to assist with organizing wedding ceremonies. You must be in the Bahamas at least 24 hours before applying for a marriage license (the fee is $40; contact the Bahamas Tourist Office, tel. 800/422--4262).

Remember, the cruise itinerary will limit where and when you can tie the knot; time spent in a given port generally ranges from three to 10 hours. No matter where you choose to wed, U.S. or foreign port, a wedding license must be obtained (or an application filed) in advance of the cruise, and specific arrangements must be made for the wedding ceremony itself. At the time of booking, the cruise line or your travel agent can fill you in on the rules and regulations of the ports visited as well as offer you a selection of wedding packages for purchase.