We Renewed Our Vows On A Disney Cruise!

November 5, 2019 Peta-Gaye Daniel

We chose to celebrate our 10th anniversary with a vow renewal on a 7-day Disney Fantasy Eastern Caribbean sailing, which was a magical escape from navigating the hustle and bustle of New York City, working demanding jobs, and parenting our two rambunctious boys – well, we still parented our boys throughout the cruise, but they shared a stateroom with Grandma and spent hours enjoying the Oceaneers Club, which allowed Mommy and Daddy some much needed rest and relaxation.

On this particular voyage, we enjoyed our gorgeous ship on sea days and we also enjoyed days at port in Tortola, B.V.I., and St. Thomas, U.S.V.I. Then, at sea on Day 6, we renewed our vows on the Meridian Patio, Deck 12, aft, with breathtaking views of the ocean and sky as our backdrop. Whew! I get goosebumps thinking about it all, even now. Our vow renewal was simply amazing!

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One of the most touching elements of this beautiful occasion was that the Disney Fairy Tale Weddings (DFTW) team, from our land-based coordinator (Stephanie) to our onboard coordinator (Mira) communicated my desire for a DVD player to be provided in our stateroom so that our original wedding video could play as we got ready for our vow renewal, and they made it happen. My dad, who walked me down the aisle on our actual wedding day in 2009, passed away in 2015, so it was very important to us to have our original wedding video playing as we got ready for our vow renewal. Thank you, Disney Cruise Line and Disney Fairy Tale Weddings! Stephanie, Mira, and their teams are spectacular! We also had a fabulous videographer, Reality Weddings, and photographer, Captured By Kaitlin Rose, along with us for our cruise, so many of the magical Disney touches have been captured in photos and video. Our heartfelt gratitude also extends to Senses Spa stylist Nikki who styled my hair and applied my makeup on vow renewal day; Staff Captain Jason who officiated our ceremony; the talented pianist who provided Disney melodies throughout our ceremony and cake-cutting; the cast members who served our delicious cake and champagne; the cast members who worked behind the scenes to prepare the ceremony location; the cast members who ensured that our bouquet and boutonniere would be fresh even on Day 6; the “mousekeeping” cast members who, along with DFTW, prepared our stateroom in the most special way on the night of our 10th anniversary; our dining room cast members, Andre and Efren, who kept our family well fed and entertained each night; and the wonderful cast member on Castaway Cay who drove us out to Wedding Point for our photo/video shoot and “Trash the Dress” session. Everything… and, I mean EVERYTHING… felt special and sprinkled with pixie dust! Right now, the only question we have is, “When can we go back?”

We expected a great experience because we’ve sailed with Disney before and we are familiar with Disney’s standard of excellence. However, we had no idea how truly wonderful our entire 9-day Disney vacation would be when we initially contacted DFTW to book our vow renewal cruise. In true Disney style, our 9-day Disney vacation tells a story, starting with our Magic Kingdom photo shoot.

Note: One of the wonderful perks of having a DFTW wedding or vow renewal is that you have the priority opportunity to book bridal Walt Disney World park photo sessions with Disney Fine Art Photography in the theme parks before they open. Can you imagine photos in an empty Magic Kingdom? Well, we don’t have to imagine because we’ve now experienced it! We booked a Magic Kingdom photo shoot to take place on the morning of our set sail day. This was not even on our radar when we initially booked our DFTW cruise, but we learned of this and many other wonderful details through listening to the informative Disney Wedding Podcast, and eventually, joining a virtual community of Disney brides.

My husband and I wore our original wedding attire for our Magic Kingdom photo shoot, symbolizing that our wedding 10 years prior was the beginning of our fairy tale. We then embarked on our Disney Fantasy cruise that afternoon, symbolizing our marriage journey thus far: Waves may come, but we are sailing forward. On Day 7 of our Disney Fantasy cruise, on Disney’s Castaway Cay, we again wore our original wedding attire for a “Trash the Dress” photo/video session on the beach, symbolizing the end of our first decade of marriage, and we then changed into our swimwear for fun in the sun on the beach at Castaway Cay, symbolizing the good times that our marriage will have in the years and decades to come. After our 7-Day Disney Fantasy Cruise, we then spent two fun-filled days at Walt Disney World, and visited all four Walt Disney World parks, before returning to New York.

The attention to detail and overall excellent Disney service provided throughout our Disney Fantasy vow renewal cruise created an atmosphere in which our love would be rekindled and our marriage refreshed. Our Disney Cruise Line vow renewal was spectacular!

Vow Renewal Day and Ceremony Credits:

Coordinators: Disney Fairytale Weddings – Stephanie (land-based) & Disney Fantasy – Mira (onboard)

Venue: Disney Fantasy

Officiant: Disney Fantasy’s Staff Captain – Jason

Videography: Reality Weddings

Photography: Captured By Kaitlin Rose

10th Anniversary Rings: Lord’s Diamonds

Bride and Groom Hangers: Spring Bridal Hanger

Bridal “We Still Do” Sweatshirt: Zeus’ Magical Creations

Bridal Hair & Makeup: Senses Spa & Salon, Disney Fantasy

Vow Renewal Bridal Gown: Stella York

Bridal Shop: Paisley Bridal