Cruise Giant Launches Gay Weddings At Sea

Cruise Critic reports:

Following a recent Supreme Court ruling allowing same-sex marriages in Bermuda, three Carnival Corp. cruise lines — Princess Cruises, P&O Cruises and Cunard Line — have revealed they are now taking bookings for same-sex marriages at sea.

The ruling permits any Bermuda-registered cruise ship offering weddings at sea packages the opportunity to offer same-sex ceremonies. All P&O Cruises’ ships (with the exception of Britannia) are registered in Bermuda, while Cunard’s three-ship fleet is also registered there.

Ceremonies will be performed by the ship’s captain or deputy captain, with marriage licenses issued by Bermuda. P&O Cruises’ Weddings at Sea packages start from £1,200 and the first same-sex ceremony is set to take place in the Caribbean onboard the 3,096-passenger Azura in January 2018.

Carnival holds nearly 50% of the global cruise market and only the above three of their ten brands are registered in Bermuda. Some of their other brands are registered in the Bahamas or Panama, neither of which have legalized same-sex marriage.