12.29.07 Wedding ~ Moon Palace Golf & Spa Resort

[OneLove]

All,

 

Below is my review, thoughts, comments. We are blessed to have had the opportunity to have a DW. DH and I truly feel we had our perfect day, wedding trip & honeymoon. We were happy with our choices and delighted on how things turned out. As revealed below, quite a bit of what we chose for the wedding came from this forum. If not in an exact duplication, it was an idea, lead, assistance from a forum member, etc. Special thanks to the previous MP brides: andreslove & cariandnick. I do not even want to imagine what the wedding planning and execution would have been like had I not come across this forum when I did. Thank you all for sharing, and thank God for this forum!

 

Hope it helps a future bride. Let me know if there are questions.

 

~andrea

 

________________________

 

Overview:

Host Resort: Moon Palace Golf & Spa Resort

Wedding Date: Sat. Dec. 29, 2007

Welcome Dinner: Thurs. Dec. 27, 2007

 

Guest’s Travel:

- # of Guests: 39 (31 adults; 6 children)

- range of travel periods: Dec 25. – 1 Jan.

- stay durations: variety of 3 - 7 nights

- Sister Resort stay at SunPalace: 2 adults

- ‘off site’ stays in Cancun: 16 (10 adults; 6 children)

 

Our Stay:

Wedding Week – Moon Palace Golf & Spa Resort: Dec 25. – Jan. 1

Honeymoon – The Royal Playa del Carmen: Jan 1 – Jan 8.

 

Photographer: Tamm’s Photography

Our Pro Pics - Wedding Slideshow: http://www.tammsphotos.com/anss/

 

 

Welcome Dinner

Location: Arrecifes: Brazilian Restaurant, outside terrace.

 

(Guest pics)

 

We used the included dinner (at restaurant up to 50 people) in the free wedding package for the welcome dinner. The WC gave me two options on Nizuc side for a group size of 30 people and we reserved the dinner prior to our arrival. (Arrecifes: Brazilian, terrace/ocean view or rooftop terrace; Palapa Fragata: seafood buffet, ocean view)

 

Dinner was great out on the terrace at Arrecifes. It was a somewhat private area with people walking by occasionally. At some point the mariachi band came by and played for us. The salad was buffet, and the servers came by and served the different types of meat along with some sides (baked potatoe, etc). We had several vegetarians, and they had a variety and plenty to eat off the salad bar inside the restaurant, along with the side dishes.

 

Ceremony

Location: Tucan Terrace – Nizuc side

 

(Guest pics)

 

Of course the original plan was for the wedding at gazebo w/ the cocktail hr & dinner reception on terrace. After a suggestion from a friend, we changed our wedding location to the terrace with the go ahead from our on-site WC, Lily. The WC sent me the beach set up that would be done on the terrace, and mentioned the estimate for the additional cost. The cost was confirmed at our meeting after a call she made to the vendor. (I believe they reused the flowers on the posts at the reception on the dessert table). They provided the sound system (speakers, mic, etc) at no cost for the ceremony hour.

 

Legal vs. Symbolic

We did the legal/civil cermony. The requirements were minimal, didn’t cost a lot that much extra, and the papers were ready in 2 business days after the wedding.The cost for the justice of piece was included in the free wedding cost. For an idea, our additional costs/add ons were:

o Translation of birth certificates from English to Spanish ($45 each)

o Blood tests ($99 for both)

o Translation of Spanish marriage certificate from Spanish to English, 2 copies. ($35 each)

o 1 extra copy of marriage certificate (issued in Spanish) ($12 each)

 

Religious Ceremony:

Following the civil ceremony by the justice of peace was the religious ceremony performed by a non denominational religious minister. The justice of peace introduced him, so it was a natural flow (I always questioned this transition). Both justice of peace & minister spoke English.

 

We liked the wording for the ceremony I received via email (attached), and confirmed w/ the WC at our meeting that the religious minister would be using it. I’m glad I confirm because she mentioned it is usually up to the minister what he will say, and he may do some variation of that document.

 

Sand Blending Ceremony:

(Guest pics)

 

We provided the WC the wording for the Sand Ceremony at our meeting (attached). We took the ceremony from http://www.4wed.net (thanks gals), altered a few words, and added the part to incorporate family (thanks Jessalyn). I sent it to the WC after our meeting, and had the religious minister lead this. We had a cousin ensure that each guest placed a shell in the vase, and guests were anxious to see what that was about. Below are the items we purchased:

o Nautilus Shells (2): Romantic Gifts Tropical Island Nautical Home Decor Housewarming Ideas: Legendary Shells

o Capiz Clam Dish (2): Shell Horizons, Inc. Seashells Shells Wholesale Shell Dealer

o Vase: Marshall’s

o Sand & Shells: Hobby Lobby

 

Horse & Carriage I loved this idea from the beginning. I did not mention this to anyone, and you could hear the reactions on the video clips as my father & I came around in the carriage. We received a lot of comments from guests and those that saw the pics.

 

Fans for women from www.asianideas.com: We decided to purchase fan after moving the ceremony from the gazebo to terrace. I liked that these came w/ a box. We got these just for the women. I saw guests using them so glad were useful.

 

Music: We provided the ceremony music CD to the WC the day before the wedding. I waited to burn it until final confirmation of timing that we discussed at our meeting. She mentioned I could provide it the next day with the witness information. Glad for that flexibility since I did make some changes (added back up songs just in case, which was needed for the pre-ceremony music and signing of the documents.). (List of songs attached)

 

Cocktail Hour

Location: Garden area directly next to Tucan Terrace.

 

(Guest pic)

 

The cocktail hour was immediately following the ceremony. We received this free for our group as we book 10 rooms at MP.We did pay $3 per person >12 yrs old to extend the time for an additional ½ hr. (can only charge by hr.)

 

At the WC meeting, we choose the Mexican Hors d’oeuvres. http://www.palaceresorts.com/Groups/AvenGroups/BanquetAven.asp. We requested to add vegetarian options as well. This was no additional charge. The food was tasty, but there was one that was not all that great.

 

Music: iPod vs DJ. We rented the sound system at this location, and had my brother-in-law serve as the DJ & MC using the iPod. It worked well and he is a DJ on the side so he had a good time serving in that capacity. We did make it easy, and provided the playlist. He just let it play, and interject for the toast, announcements, DJ comments, etc.

 

 

Buffet Dinner Reception

Location: Lake Terrace – Sunrise side

 

(Guest pics)

 

We chose this terrace on the Sunrise side for our private reception primarily because we wanted a horseshoe table set up for 40 people, and needed a location big enough to also include space for the dance floor. Our group stayed on the Nizuc side, and the wedding was on the Nizuc side. I’m glad that we had the reception on the sunrise side of the resort as it gave us some lag time for dinner not to start too early, and guests were able to see that side of the resort. We also requested to have private roundtrip transportation (Lobby to Lobby Shuttle) for our guest to/from Nizuc to Sunrise which was $60.

 

We made the menu selection at the WC meeting. We requested to include vegetarian options as well, but I can’t recall what was added. We choose the Cajun Buffet primarily for the blackened catfish, and steak. http://www.palaceresorts.com/Groups/AvenGroups/BanquetAven.asp Guests raved about these 2. Guests asked for A1 sauce at the dinner and the servers brought out a few bottles. The buffet included salad and dessert. All very tasty.

 

 

Tables/Centerpieces/Lighting

The WC and I exchanged emails months prior, and she sent me pics and price lists for the chair/table settings, centerpieces, lighting, etc. We thought that they were priced pretty high and decided to pass on the extras in this area. We ended up keeping it simple w/ the white linens, renting just the glass for the centerpieces, and we brought the seaglass, flowers, shells, tealight candles & holders. We did not have to pay additional for lighting. They provided hurricane candles/holders at no additional charge. The reception location had lamp posts, and the rental of the speakers came w/ lighting. Items we purchased were:

o flowers: www.angelsaccents.com

o sea glass: www.shellhorizons.com (This was heavy to transport. Think we got 20 lbs.)

o shells: Hobby Lobby

o tea light candles & holders: Pier 1 (They were nice, simple, & stylish, but were not used because it was too windy for tea lights. These were also heavy to transport. Weighed about as much as the seaglass.)

 

Mariachi Band 4:45 PM – 5:30 PM

We originally reserved the Mariachi Band w/ the Miami Office. I let the local WC know we were uncertain about the time, and we finalized it at our meeting. We choose to have the mariachi band during dinner in case we were late to dinner taking pictures, the guests would have some entertainment. The mariachi band was actually 15 mins or so late, so they played more into dinner then anticipated. It was cool, but it was noticed by my BIL as he was expected to begin playing from the playlist at a certain time. Also, we waited until they were finished to begin the 1st dance, etc. So that started later into dinner than anticipated. No big deal. Having them serenade us during the dinner was fabulous! A very nice touch.

 

iPod vs. DJ

Same as from the cocktail hour, we had my BIL serve as the DJ & MC, and he did a great job. We provided a playlist for dinner, and let him do his own thing based on the mood for after dinner/party. He played music between iPods, and off a laptop. He did a great job as any DJ would. This is a great area to cut costs. We rented the sound system at this location which came w/ some lighting.

 

Cake

(Guest pic)

 

I sent the WC a picture of the cake I wanted months prior and she checked w/ the bakery and mentioned they could duplicate the pic. I provided her the flowers for the cake at our meeting. We brought a cake/server knife that we bought from Marshall’s.We chose carrot cake w/o nuts, and it was very tasty! The guests enjoyed it as well.

 

Celebration Plate from www.celebrationplates.com

I provided the plate, pen, and w/the directions that came w/ the plate (clean plate first, shake pen, etc) to the WC. This went over well and a nice keepsake. The company is busy and tend to book out to a few months. I had to submit a special request for consideration which was approved. The plate was complete w/in 2 - 3 wks. We bought the extra pen as recommended although it was not used. The plate size per guest # that they provide appears to be for just for signatures vs. for guests to actually write a message. We got the size for up to 150 signatures and it provided just the right space for all the messages & signatures on our plate. About 20 people/families signed.

 

cont. to next post....

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sand Blending Ceremony - 122907.doc

RELIGIOUSCEREMONY.doc

Wedding Music CD - 122907.xls

[OneLove]

Palace Resorts - Wedding Services

MoonPalaceMiami Office WC (WC - Carolina, Assts. Natalie, Karina): We had a good experience working w/ the WCs on the front end. Prior to booking the wedding, I spoke w/ Carolina and she was helpful and patient in answering all my questions. The assistant WCs were readily available and very responsive more so then Carolina. I worked mostly w/ Natalie. We reserved the private functions, religious minister and mariachi band about 10 months prior. Once I began asking detailed questions on the reception set up (cost/colors for chair/table settings, centerpieces, lighting, etc), they put me in contact w/ the onsite WC. That transition worked well. We booked the free package with add ons.

 

MoonPalace On-site WC – Lily (Rosy Lily Sanchez Perez):

Lily was fabulous, very flexible, knowledgeable, and responsive. I don’t have any complaints about her. She exceeded our expectations, we were very pleased with the outcome, and thank God for her.

 

Meeting w/ WC:

We conversed a lot via email and had 2 conference calls prior to our meeting 3 days prior to the wedding. Essentially, about 80% had been planned prior to this meeting, and our meeting still took 3 hrs, and we had a few items left to close w/in the upcoming days (witnesses, CD, etc).

 

At the meeting, we walked through our special requests along with how to use the items we brought, and she executed as discussed. Again, we were pleased.

 

Billing: At the end of meeting, Lily provided the bill for items that would be charged to the room for an idea of what to expect. It wasn’t final as she wasn’t certain on the # of centerpieces we would need & be charged for. I signed that invoice at the dinner reception prior to her taking off.

 

Day passes (7AM – 11PM)

Lily also handled the day passes for guests. We had to provide a list to her at our meeting, and it was provided to the gate/front desk the day of the wedding. She requested the resorts the guests were staying at, but it wasn’t required. We also gave her special instructions for those we were paying for. That was provided to the front desk as well. I did not realize until mentioned by a guest that the cost of the day pass for both adult & child is more if not the day of the wedding. Prices at our time of wedding:

 

Day of Wedding w/o private function (i.e. restaurant dinner): Adult: $57; Child: $29

Day of Wedding w/ private function: Adult: $78; Child: $39 (we did not have to pay a separate private function charge per person)

Not Day of Wedding (i.e. welcome dinner): Adult: $78; Child: $39

 

How day passes show on your bill: We were charged for all passes. If a guest paid upon arrival, the payment showed as a credit on the bill. The bill also showed just an overall summary for # of adult & #child passes charged per day. It did not show the price per day pass, nor does the front desk have this information readily available. We just had to do your own math to verify it was the correct charge for that day.

 

We did not get a bill under our door.We saw it at check out, and spent some time settling it. There were a few mistakes around the day passes. I didn’t even notice it, and think to verify and let them run the credit card. Then I was just looking at it for some reason while we waited and I didn’t notice a credit from a guest that I know paid, so looked at it more closely. They over charged us on the day of the welcome dinner by 2 adult passes. They also undercharged us the day of the wedding an adult & child (I didn’t mention this one though...). Once discussed, the clerk needed time to make the corrections. She did some digging and reference emails from the WC. We went to lunch, and came back. Good thing we didn’t have a plane to catch, and just rescheduled our shuttle for a later time.

 

I suggest requesting a copy of your invoice the day/evening prior and verify wedding charges. Especially if your check out day is on a day that wedding services will be closed. Front desk doesn’t know the wedding charge specifics/special cases and will need to verify w/ wedding services for changes if they can not find reference in their records/emails.

 

Day After Breakfast We choose our menu at the meeting w/ our wedding coordinator. Our breakfast was late. I can’t recall the time they were supposed to arrive, but it was long enough that I called to check on it. It was very tasty.

 

Multiple weddings a day vs. 1 wedding a day

There were 5 other weddings scheduled the day of my wedding, 1 every hour. It seems that they spread the weddings & receptions out because we didn’t notice or ‘bump’ into the other weddings. I saw the beach set up for one of the weddings from our room, and ran into the 12PM bride at the salon. Other than that we did not encounter the other bridal party/guests/weddings/receptions.

 

I never felt like I wasn’t getting the right amount of attention, or our WC’s focus was on something else. She remembered every tiny detail from emails, previous phone calls, and our meeting. Some things I forgot that I even mentioned. She made it a point to respond to emails and answered every question w/ clarity. We were Lily’s only wedding that day, and she was attending to us literally all day. She left about an hour before the end of the reception, and let me know before she left. I am not sure if they typically assign a WC 1 wedding a day, but if not, I suggest asking on the front end w/ the Miami Office if this could be made possible.

 

MoonPalace - Spa Services

Massage/Facilities: It is really nice down at Spa & Golf Club w/ a completely different vibe. This is where the golf suites are. Nice! DH and I got couples massage the night before the wedding, and used the $200 credit from sitting in on the ‘timeshare’ presentation. We took the Lobby to Lobby bus that comes every 10 mins, and it’s the first stop from Nizuc prior to the Sunrise side stop. They suggest arriving an hour prior to your appointment to enjoy the steam room/spa/Jacuzzi area (which is separate for men/women). We did, and it was very relaxing.

 

The Italian & Oriental restaurants at that Spa & Golf Club are only open for dinner, and had about a 2hr wait during our visit. We didn’t think to eat here, but it may be worth making the reservations at the arrival for the appointments, then the wait for dinner would be minimal after our appts.

 

Hair: Morning of the wedding, I got a wash/blow dry & style. I provided the flowers, and the stylist used her hair pins. She put on my veil as well. Although very simple, I was pleased with the style.

 

Make Up: The same stylist applied my make up. I typically only wear lipstick & eyeliner, and never done anything more then that, so deciding to wear more was a bit outside my comfort zone. I previously went to MAC, showed a picture of a look I liked from a magazine and got a mock up done. I purchased the MAC makeup (& brushes…eeh), and took the MACs stylist suggestion and got my lashes & adhesive from Sally’s. Since it was my first time for lashes (which the MAC stylist convinced me it was a must do), she also suggested to test them out in advance. I tried them for the welcome dinner and loved them! I provided the MP stylist the make up to use and the picture and I was pleased with the look. Although, she was quick and used her own eye shadow, I should have stopped her/had her remove it. From some of the pics, I really don’t like the way the eye shadow looked.

 

Pedicure: I started services the morning of the wedding w/ a pedi. Due to timing as this was a late add, I only had time for the basic. Pretty much the usual, so I was also pleased w/ this service as well.

 

MoonPalace - Videography / DVD

The DVD was ready 2 business days following the wedding. We returned to MP to pick it up along w/ the marriage certificates. We watched it when we picked it up, and have several times. I do think my expectations were a bit high from the rave reviews from previous brides. But for $360 it may be at the right quality. I may not have notice had I not watched it several times. Regardless of my nit picking/comments, we like the video, glad we chose to get it, and recommend it. My comments:

• There are 3 areas where they cut/edit, but the voiceover didn’t quit match.
• The transition of the songs does not fade out, so it’s choppy in some areas.
• The repeated the same clip (scan of the crowd during the ceremony) 2xs.
• They included a not so great picture/snap shot at the end
• There is a ‘play all’ option and ‘show a chapter’ section, but the sections don’t work! You can only play all.
• The pictures of the pre ceremony were very short, and flashed a bit too quick actually. We would have appreciated more pics there.
• Since they included pictures, we would have liked to have those as downloadable.

Palace Resorts - Group Reservations – Nancy Anduja

We booked our group directly w/ MP Groups for Weddings. I looked into several TAs, but we did not find one that could match MP prices for the season. I’m certain this was due to it being high season.

 

I spoke w/ Nancy several times in the beginning to understand the arrangements, and she was very accessible, knowledgeable and helpful.

 

There were instances where she was not as responsive and need 2 – 3 follow up emails/phone calls. We did have a few instances where Nancy did not 1) process a group reservation 2) send a receipt/reservation confirmation to a guest. Both instances were found when I did a followed up w/ our bookings based on what she sent me via email and what I heard from guests. This was a bit frustrating, but I suggest to keep watch to be sure nothing falls through the cracks.

 

Room Block We were glad that we didn’t have to go under contract for the room blocks. We paid 10% of the reservation for the room block, and we didn’t have any penalties if we release some or all of the rooms blocked. We didn’t want to attempt getting that # right. We ended up releasing half of the rooms we had blocked 45 days prior. Actually, Nancy was flexible and allowed us to keep the rooms on hold w/o penalty until the next week since MP was sold out for our time of stay, and we had a few known stragglers. After we did release rooms, we had at two people try to book under 30 days prior, and ended up staying somewhere in the Cancun area since MP was booked.

 

Priority on guests in same building vs. double bed requests!?! We had several rooms request double beds. Since they were part of our wedding group, MP wanted our guests in the same building and therefore gave them king beds instead. Front desk would not make any changes. This upset at least one guest. They did mention they could bring a cot to the room. This happened w/ 3 rooms, each of which had double beds in their reservation. I did not understand this rationale, especially when the guests specified a bed preference, there were had 2 or so rooms in the group that stayed in a different building anyway, and the buildings were all right next to each other.

 

During our stay, they placed all honeymooners in the same building (we were in Monkey - Mono), and our group near by (ours were at panther & jaguar). These rooms are closest to the gazebos & where they do the beach weddings, but not the closest to the lobby or Nizuc/Sunrise border. We learned the shortcut from our building to the lobby.

 

cont.. to next post.

[OneLove]

Moon Palace Vendor Policy vs. Outside Photography

Well…. MP does make exceptions in this area, although not consistent or widely advertised. We did not run into any problems, but have heard stories of the inconsistency, and instances where they have given a particular photographers / brides a difficult time, and instances where there are were no problems at all. They do need to revisit this policy, and update their documentation to avoid problems & misunderstandings. Even though the ‘No outside vendors’ policy is noted in the contract, I would not let this be a deterrent, even if you have signed the contract. I’d definitely ask based on your needs and negotiate. I also suggest getting any exceptions from documented, and ensure the on-site WC & photographer is on the same page.

 

Photography - http://www.tammsphotos.com

We hired Tamms Photography. Tammara & her assistant (husband, Grant) arrived on time in the AM on day passes that we purchased. Tammara was with me and Grant w/ DH prior to the ceremony. DH & I took pictures before ceremony, and before dinner during time everyone was moving to the other side of the resort for dinner. They were a lot of fun, and a pleasure to work with. They captured every detail, things I totally forgot about and of course things I totally missed. Not only did they take pictures, but they were also helpful in getting us through the day. Tammara was also very flexible about the plans for the honeymoon shoot. We are very pleased w/ our photos! Our Wedding slideshow: http://www.tammsphotos.com/anss/

 

Save the dates - Brochures & Magnets:

http://i179.photobucket.com/albums/w281/thepreciouspearl/magnetdesign-take3.jpg

 

http://i179.photobucket.com/albums/w281/thepreciouspearl/122907-brochure.jpg

http://i179.photobucket.com/albums/w281/thepreciouspearl/122907-brochure2.jpg

 

We hoped to send out the STDs 12 – 11 months prior to the wedding. It took a bit longer then planned to get all the logistics in place w/ travel, and I ended up sending them out 8 - 9 months prior. We sent a brochure with all the info guests needed to book their accommodations. It included the link to our website w/ the wedding event itinerary, and a magnet keepsake.

 

www.vistaprint.com printed the magnets. We received a lot of positive feedback on the mail-outs. They loved the magnets, and appreciated the level of detail in the brochure & website.

 

In hindsight, we should have made this mail-out the ‘invitation’, w/ the action to RSVP. When the time came around to do invitations, about 85% of our guest had booked and/or communicated a definite yes or no. When I went to work on the invites, we did not have any additional information to include from what was included in the STDs. We decided not to send out formal invitations, and were a bit more involved to get a final count.

 

We did not update the exact locations on our website. Only those that RSVP’d received that level of detail. In our case this worked well, and prevented those from just showing up. They were forced to contact us or someone ‘in the know’ for the details which gave us enough time to include them & not have ‘day of’ surprises.

 

Wedding website

We ordered a domain from www.godaddy.com, and hosting from www.wedquarters.com. Wedquarters provided what we needed, was easy to work with, and about every question was answered on the FAQ in the Hub. Surprisingly, quite a few people RSVP’d online w/o that direction from the STD mail-out.

 

It would been nice to have music, but didn’t spend the time to figure out how to convert/compress the file to the smaller format/size to fit w/in the constraint. Other features would have been convenient (notification sent when someone RSVPs/add comment in the guest book, let you know who visit your site, etc.), but it wasn’t a must have. We choose cost over the extra features.

 

Invitations – N/A

See ‘Save the dates’ comments.

 

Attire:

(Guest pic)

 

My Dress: Nicole Miller from Neiman Marcus. Color is ‘Antique White’ and the material is taffeta. I loved it! Very lightweight, fitting and w/in budget.

My Shoes: from Aldo, which were very comfy for 4” heals. I wore them all day/night.

Veil: Rented from www.classyconceptsdesign.com. It was cathedral length, ‘Naomi’ color, w/ pencil edging. I found this company at a bridal show in Austin, and they mentioned they make custom veils. I went to see what they had in the store, and Sue mentioned that I could rent the custom veil as well. Even better! She had several examples, and one a color that went perfect w/ my dress. I ended up not doing a custom order, and just rented one she already had.

Jewelry: Necklace & bracelet from Macy’s. Earrings are from www.premierdesigns.com via an independent distributor.

DH Suit: from Casanova Collezioni in Houston.

DH Shirt: from Macy’s

DH Shoes: from DSW

 

Flowers

We placed the order for silk flowers. I loved Lenita’s bouquet and w/ her feedback, knew this was a must do. I ordered my bouquet, 3 boutonnieres, 3 corsages, 54 single orchids (14 of each color (pink, green, yellow, & white) for centerpieces, cake and hair flower, and rose pedals for the aisle (fuchsia pink, yellow, green, & royal blue. The royal blue was more on the purple side for my liking, but those I asked felt it was ‘blue’). This was a great decision, and saved use a few hundred. Everyone thought they were real, and MIL wanted to put the corsages & boutonnieres in the fridge!

 

 

OOT Bags

Based on the content of the bags, we decided to only do the OOT bags and not any additional favors at the reception. The evening we arrived, I put these together. Since we only had 36 to prepare, it wasn’t bad at all. We just had bags lined up in the room for a few days. We distribute them as we saw guests, after the welcome dinner, and at the dinner reception. We received a lot of favorable feedback on the content in the OOT bags, and saw them in use over the days.

 

Bags: from www.retailpackaging.com/catalog.asp?prodid=422251&showprevnext=1

We only needed about 40 bags and the in minimum purchase was 25, so this worked well for us.

 

Contents:

- Print outs:

o Welcome letter/message

o Wedding Weekend Events Itinerary http://i179.photobucket.com/albums/w...y-12-29-07.jpg

o Wedding Day Timeline http://i179.photobucket.com/albums/w...e-12-29-07.jpg

o Spanish Phrases: (got from forum! J)

- Mugs: from www.allaboutpromos.com/details.asp?sku=15466

We loved how they turned out, quality & color. We ordered the minimum purchase for this style (48; a case/24 of blue, and a case/24 of green w/ the wraparound print. The print doesn’t wrap 360 around more like 270, and the proof does not reflect this. The service was great as I had several questions on a # of different mugs.

- Items from www.minimus.biz (Pepto, Imodium, Peanuts, Welch’s, Wet ones, Wet naps)

- Items from Costcos (Cheese-itz, Ganola bars)

- Academy (OFF packets)

- Walmart (Coloring book set for the kids)

- Left over Halloween candy

- Picked up at Cancun airport: Complementary brochures/travel packets.

 

Transporting the ‘stuff’ to Mexico:

We flew AA, and purchased tickets via frequent flyer miles. Unfortunately we did not have an option from Austin to have a direct flight. We maxed out on the carry on & check in luggage allowance; we carried the fragile & valuable items, wedding attire, and change of clothes in our carry on, and had 2 totes of wedding stuff as our 1 extra check-in luggage each, which was knowingly overweight. On the return, we were lighter and able to consolidate a bit to be w/in the luggage allowance. We confirmed w/ AA airlines the size & weight restrictions and cost of extras in advance. I should have printed this out, and had the measurement of our totes on hand because we were challenged on the way back. The agent wasn’t familiar, and needed to get her supervisor’s confirmation that the tote wasn’t too big. We did not have any problems w/ customs & received the green light both times. At check in, we were just asked what was in the totes. I would suggest totes that are more secure. They gladly tapped the totes to ensure they remained closed, but TSA Security just half ass taped them back after the inspection. Ours remained closed, but I am puzzled as to how it held especially w/ the connections, etc. It was nerve wrecking.

http://i179.photobucket.com/albums/w281/thepreciouspearl/IMG_0010.jpg

 

Illness:

I only heard of sickness from 2 of our guests. They believe it was due to the lunch they at on the Chichen ItzaTour. They started to feel ill 1 - 2 days after the tour which was once they returned. One mentioned that the Pepto and Imodium came in handy, although only the Imodium worked.

 

cont. to next post.

[OneLove]

Moon Palace Golf & Spa Resort

Everyone enjoyed MP, and I haven’t heard of any complaints. I will not go in much detail to duplicate all of what is mentioned on the trip advisor review, but try to just highlight/comment on a few things:

 

MP is big in size being that it is 2 resorts in one. But, primarily, you can get everything you need and stay on one side (lobby, restaurants, activities, etc). You don’t have to go between the 2 resorts unless there is a particular need (to go to the casino, disco, spa, event, etc). You can spend all your time on one side and be happy.

 

I would recommend for all guests to stay on the same side. We had one couple stay on the Sunrise side and it just took them too much time to constantly come over to Nizuc side to spend w/ us. They booked separately from the group and were put on the Sunrise side. I also suggest mentioning in communications to guests prior to arrival, 1) The group is all staying on the Nizuc side. 2) Those that didn’t book w/the group, try to get (request) a room on the Nizuc side. When people arrive, the driver may ask, ‘which side are you staying at?’ Some of my guests had no idea there was more then one, let alone which one. By default, they went to Nizuc.

 

Nizuc vs. Sunrise I preferred the Nizuc hands down. It is at the right size and didn’t give you the too big or busy feel. The sunrise side (particularly the lobby) was way too busy for me. I felt overwhelmed going over to use the paper cuter at the business center. The lobby alone is bigger in size, nosier, and just too much - for me.

 

Grand Moon is open. We ate at the Caribbean restaurant, and it is lovely over there! It is the next best thing to staying where the golf & presidential suites are, or at sun palace….very pleasant and low key, although the rooms are a bit further from the lobby.

 

Included Tours: This will have us return to Palace resorts. Although we didn’t make it on a tour, our guests did w/o problems even during the peek season. I was initially concerned that the tours would be booked, and our guests wouldn’t get a chanced to take advantage of this inclusion. They did have to reserve a tour once they checked in, and the tours are first come first serve. The free tour inclusion was missed when we moved over to the Royal.

 

Beach vs. Sister Resort: I was most concerned about the beach. We had a few that walked the beach in the AM, and a few that visit SunPalace for the beach. I did not hear complaints back, but I’m sure a nice beach would have been icing on the cake. We made it to SunPalace, and it is lovely. DH would like to return to Sun or AventuraPalace.

 

Shuttle 2 Cancun: We did need to get in line at least 45 mins prior to as they booked up fast. I do not understand why they only have 2 a day, rather than every hour. They could improve in this area, but nice if you can get your spot in line, rather than spending money on a cab.

 

Lobby to Lobby Shuttle: These came every 10 mins, and the way to get around between Nizuc, Sunrise, and the Spa & Golf Club.

 

Golf Carts: We saw several people wait for these and get a ride to and from their rooms and around the resort (mostly to the lobby I think). It’s convenient if you really don’t feel like walking, and don’t mind waiting for one.

 

Wireless internet in Suites: I was pleasantly surprised this was in our rooms. I had no idea. It simply is just convenient to ‘get connected’ at your leisure from the room. It came in handy to communicate w/ those still in the states w/o paying to use the cell phone. You can not get a wireless signal from Weddings Services though.

 

In room digital Safe: I was pleasantly surprised the laptop fit in the safe! We felt secure using this.

 

Other: I really loved the lotion provided in the rooms w/ the other tolietries, and it was a nice size. (Biosilk, 5+oz.). I appreciated the to-go boxes & plastic silverware from the restaurants as we ate lunch on the go a few times.

 

NYE: Spending NYE at MP w/ the family on vacation was great! The resort event was on the Sunrise side, and we made reservations at 2 tables for our group. Dinner was a 5 course meal that started at about 8PM. It seemed like a long wait until the count down, but they had quite a few different acts throughout the night to get to keep everyone entertained. There were a lot of families, and kids running around. I think there was a ‘kids’ section to keep them entertained, but, you know how that goes.

 

Wrap Up:

As DH and I reflect back, and we definitely would recommend a DW to others. Throughout the weekend DH would mention what a great job ‘I’ did, and I would thank him for his support of ‘my’ decisions and trusting me! when honestly I had my moments of uncertainty. Throughout the weekend guests mention the great time they were having, and have since heard how they enjoyed their trip and how beautiful the wedding was. I honestly can say we do not regret any decisions. Of course there were things that I would have preferred to be done a different way, wish we planned for, wish we hadn’t procrastinated on, etc but nothing that impacted the end result of the day or experience. And at the end of the day, that is a great feeling!

 

At any rate, a few key things I’d suggest which comfort me, and kept me sane & focused through the planning:

• There is power in prayer. Make it a point to pray over every decision before it is made. Once you pray, let go, and let God! There is serenity and an overwhelming sense of peace when you know, trust, and have faith that things will happen according to God’s plan for your life.
• Have a support system (non bias family member/friend, forum, etc.) that will always be positive, provide constructive criticism, advice & feedback.
• With this forum, you come across so many great ideas. You can’t implement everything! Focus on your purpose & end goal, identify constraints (i.e. budget), make a list, prioritize, pray over it, and revisit your purpose prior to making a change or adding more into your plans & budget.
• Eliminate items that have potential to bring on unnecessary drama, stress, & cycles when it is not one of your top priority items for implementation. Do a pro – con list to validate and avoid making a rash decision.
• Communicate thoughts, suggestions, ideas, feelings, etc. w/ your FI. Come to decisions/resolutions together. Don’t get frustrated or upset if your FI is not into the details, and suggests that you ask someone else for their opinion.

[Betsy]

Thank You, Thank You, Thank You!! I am getting married at MP in 2 weeks this was totally helpful! It sounds like everything went great!! Your post was very very helpful! Congrats on the wedding!

[Yari]

Wow, what a through review. It was great.

 

Congrats!

[Ana]

Your review is so great, thank you so much It sounds like you had an amazing time, and the pics you posted look beautiful! Congratulations!

[kiahjane]

What an amazingly well thought out review! It sounds like you had a beautiful wedding and a wonderful time! Thank you so much for putting the time into this. We leave two weeks from tomorrow for our own Moon Palace wedding!

[Dez921714]

OMG Thank you for posting this! I'm getting married at the MP is January 2009 and this is soooo helpful. I might PM you if I or FI have any questions, if that's ok.

[kiahjane]

Oh, and Andrea, I am sorry that I forgot to mention that you looked absolutely STUNNING. What a beautiful couple.