P&O Cruises has hosted plenty of celebrations at sea, but René Palguta and Yricka Espinosa Fausto brought something rather more personal aboard Iona: a love story that began with a routine workplace introduction and ended with a Captain asking them to say “I do”.
René, a customer services manager from Slovakia, and Yricka, an assistant shore excursions manager from the Philippines, married in Iona’s Ivory Suite before family, friends and fellow crew members. The ship’s Captain officiated, which is certainly one way to ensure nobody arrives late.
There was no grand day off before the ceremony, either.
The pair spent the earlier part of their wedding day doing what cruise professionals do best — getting on with the job. Only after completing their regular duties did they swap uniforms for wedding attire and gather with the people who had become their second family at sea.
It was a fitting ceremony for two people whose relationship had been shaped by ships, schedules, shore days and the realities of working thousands of kilometres from home.
A chance meeting aboard Azura
The story began aboard Azura in 2023, when René showed Yricka around during her first days on the ship.
At the time, it was nothing more than a thoughtful welcome for a new colleague. There were no violins, rose petals or suspiciously well-timed sunsets. Just one crew member helping another find her feet aboard a large cruise ship.
René said: “At the time, I never imagined that a simple introduction would eventually lead us here. Yricka was incredibly kind, friendly and always smiling. She had such a positive energy that made everyone around her feel comfortable.”
Yricka added: “René made me feel welcome from the very beginning. He was patient and genuinely cared about helping others. Looking back now, it’s funny to think our story started with something so ordinary.”
Ordinary beginnings have a habit of becoming memorable when the right people are involved.
As their careers took them across different ships and contracts, their friendship slowly became something more. There were periods apart, of course. Cruise rosters are not generally written with romance in mind, and time zones are notoriously poor matchmakers.
Yet the distance strengthened their relationship rather than weakening it. Each reunion mattered more. So did the small rituals: coffee after work, sunsets on the open deck and precious hours spent exploring destinations together.
By the time they were working aboard Iona, neither needed a compass to see where things were heading.
A Philippine sunset and an obvious answer
René proposed at sunset on Lakawon, a private island in the Philippines, in December 2025.
It was a setting worthy of the moment, although one suspects Yricka’s answer mattered rather more than the scenery.
When the couple began considering where to marry, a shipboard ceremony felt natural. Their careers had brought them together. Life at sea had tested their patience, deepened their friendship and taught them how to work as a team.
Beginning married life aboard Iona simply closed the circle.
The couple’s intention to enter a maritime marriage was also formally recorded by Bermuda’s Registry General in April 2026.
Yricka said: “Getting married on board felt like the perfect way to celebrate our story because it’s where everything began. We met through P&O Cruises and fell in love while working at sea.”
“Being surrounded by colleagues who have become close friends made our wedding day incredibly special. We joined P&O Cruises to build our careers, but we found so much more.”
“Life at sea teaches you resilience, patience and teamwork. Living and working together in such a unique environment meant we learned how to support one another and appreciate the time we had together. Being apart during different contracts also made us value every reunion even more.”
“Working at sea offers a chance to grow personally and professionally, experience incredible places and build friendships with people from all over the world. You never know where one chance meeting might lead.”
Her words will ring true for thousands of seafarers who understand that shipboard life is demanding, rewarding and unlike almost any workplace ashore.
Colleagues work long contracts. They share a close community. They depend on one another in ways the average office worker rarely needs to consider.
That bond is part of what keeps cruise ships running. Occasionally, it also leads to a wedding.
More than another day on the roster
Carnival UK & P&O Cruises president, Paul Ludlow, said: “René and Yricka’s story is a wonderful example of the friendships and connections that can develop through life at sea. Our ships bring together talented people from around the world, creating a unique community where colleagues support one another both professionally and personally.
“We were delighted to celebrate this very special milestone with them on board Iona and wish them every happiness for their future together.”
The marriage is a warm human story for P&O Cruises, but it also offers a rare glimpse behind the public face of the cruise industry.
Guests see the restaurants, entertainment, destinations and polished service. Behind it all is an international workforce building careers and friendships while keeping what is effectively a floating town moving safely around the world.
For the cruise line, there is also a natural connection with its wider wedding business. P&O Cruises offers Ceremonies at Sea across its fleet on voyages of five nights or longer, with ceremonies held during sea days. Captains conduct the proceedings, while onboard teams help couples plan the finer details.
René and Yricka’s wedding, however, had one advantage no brochure, package or floral arrangement could manufacture.
Nearly every part of the occasion was tied to their shared working life.
Their story began with one colleague helping another find her way around Azura. Three years later, they stood together in Iona’s Ivory Suite and promised to find their way through life together.
For once, “all aboard” sounded less like an instruction and more like very sound marriage advice.
Further information is available from the official P&O Cruises website and its Ceremonies at Sea service, or through a travel agent.
By: Yves Thomas – © 2026.
Read Time: 4 minutes.
Author Bio:
There’s a quiet pull about Yves Thomas, the kind you only notice after a moment. It comes from having lived travel from both sides of the reception desk. A graduate of Bangkok University International, she stepped straight into Thailand’s tourism industry, learning early how much care goes into making someone else’s holiday feel effortless.
She worked with some of the country’s best destination management teams, polishing the details most travellers never see but always remember. Eventually, the road began calling louder than meetings and schedules. Yves packed a bag and went looking again, trading conference calls for compass points.
Somewhere between Chiang Mai and Copenhagen, she started writing it down. Those reflections became a blog, warm and observant.
Now based in Hua Hin and writing for Global Travel Media, Yves shares travel not as a publicist, but as a traveller attentive, thoughtful, and deeply human.
