Following a Supreme Court of Bermuda ruling that marriage
laws apply to same-sex couples, three cruise lines flagged in Bermuda say
they will begin to perform same-sex weddings at sea.
The largest of the lines is Princess Cruises, one of three
Carnival Corp. brands with ships registered in Bermuda.
The other two are Cunard Line and P&O Cruises, a line
based in the United Kingdom.
The Bermuda flag authorizes captains to perform legal
wedding ceremonies, following appropriate procedures under the Bermuda Maritime
Marriage Act of 1999.
In a statement, Princess said “Although same-sex couple
commitment ceremonies are not new to Princess, we are delighted by the ruling and
look forward to hosting same-sex marriages on our 13 ships which are registered
in Bermuda.”
Princess said it is working on developing a range of services
and amenities for same-sex couple ceremonies and will release full information
on them shortly.