Waterways Cruises

As every bride knows, there are things I would change after the fact - but over all my wedding was beautiful on the Olympic Star. My wedding had 42 people which is about what the boat will comfortably hold. The round tables are for 8-10 guests but 10 would be SO cramped. I made my own chair ties, brought my own matching napkins, and did my own centerpieces, it was very cost effective. Pros: -Catering included, food was fantastic -Gave me floral contact who is familiar with the boat and a great florist (Betty-Daisy & Wish) -DJ included (Karaoke Kurt was fun) -Bar (option for open or not) -Beautiful boat and views for photos -Captain performs the ceremony My whole con list could be eliminated if I had known better beforehand. Cons: -Aisle WAY WAY too narrow for two people to walk down together, let alone a bride in a poofy dress arm-in-arm with another. Make sure your aisle is wide enough!! The pictures of my brother walking me down the aisle are bad, we are both walking sideways trying to avoid chairs and people. Not cute. -Spring for an extra hour or 2 or 3 on the boat. I did the standard 4 hour cruise and it is not nearly enough time. By the time my guests started singing and dancing and letting lose, we were back at the dock and it was over. -Ask your cruise manager to have the wait staff not pick up food and drinks immediately when people aren't looking. TWO times I had someone bring me a slice of my wedding cake and I had to set it down and go do something else really quick and both times I returned to my cake at my seat, it was gone. I never tasted my own wedding cake :(. -Ask that the buffet of food stay open as long as people are still eating, and have it left open for people to go for seconds. Over half of my guests came to me after the wedding saying how beautiful it was they just with the food wasn't take away so quickly since it was so good. Also, I wasn't aware you don't get to take home left overs - that's disappointing since you paid for all that food. -Be aware that the person you plan and work with all year will NOT be on your boat with you it will be an different employee. - Ask them to make sure they are stocked up on everything, they ran out of all dark soda (coke, root beer, etc), except for diet, yuck. Overall my wedding was beautiful, but I still think about my cons and it could have been avoided with some more planning and discussion. The aisle was literally 3' wide... my dress at the bottom was more than than - that should have been thought about by the people setting up the chairs. I should have gotten a longer cruise time, so my bad on that one - just a warning, get more than 4 hours. The buffet closed way too early and plates were picked up when people weren't finished with them. My wedding was mid July of 2016 and it was foretasted to be cloudy and rainy - the sun came out right at sunset and it was beautiful. My guests were also really happy to be on a yacht - most of them never have been. Some of them more intrigued with the views than the wedding itself haha, but that's okay. If I could do it again, I absolutely would. I might get the bigger boat and have more people and make sure to address my con list above and it would be a perfectly beautiful evening!!

We loved out wedding through Waterways! I liked the fact that most everything was bundled together in one price.

Although a few things didn't go smooth, in general the experience was very enjoyable. We were blessed with amazing weather. The fact that the views of the downtown Seattle, Space Needle, Mt. Rainier, floating houses are in the background of your pictures has no price. It was worthwhile to spend the extra money for the Enchanted Evening package with open bar (we only had 40 people). Waterways staff Kathryn (Event Coordinator), Captain Ron, Colleen (Crew Manager) made our day a fun, unforgettable and easy. The DJ (Sean with DJ Adam) did a phenomenal job pleasing the bride & groom as well as our guests. He was as part of the coordinating as everyone else. We only brought from outside the cake and flowers. They do everything for you. The staff even had everything we brought already boxed!We were very touched by how Captain Ron conducted our ceremony. He put a lot of thought and time to make it special. Just make sure that if 2 months prior to the event if things are not yet scheduled (linens, tables, etc.) don't freak out. They will get it done. I recommend getting the names in advance of the captain, crew manager and DJ so you can get an idea on what to expect. Thank you Waterways!!!

Perfect place for an elegant yet non-traditional venue. Everyone had a great time and the day of went off without one issue.