Royalton Punta Cana 2014

[ShawnaV]

Ladies, 

 

I had my wedding at the Royalton on Feb. 7th and everything was perfect! 

 

Feel free to ask me anything! 

 

Here's the review I posted on TripAdvisor:

 

5 starts all the way! The resort was beautiful, the beach is pristine and the staff are outstanding. I'm so glad we chose the Royalton for our dream wedding!!!

Room:
We had an upgraded deluxe swim out suite. The room decor was modern, clean and minimal. With 2 washrooms, a Jacuzzi, a king bed, a lounge area, a dining table and TWO swim out patios, our room was the PERFECT honeymoon suite. On our wedding day most of our wedding party got ready in our room so we really appreciated the extra space.

Food:
I came back 6 pounds heavier, need I say more?! Every meal at every restaurant was outstanding! The breakfast buffet was unforgettable (especially since I usually hate buffets). I'm still craving the fresh banana juice.

Service:
OUTSTANDING! Our glasses were never empty and we never asked for something twice. Whether I was on the beach, at the buffet, at reception or at a restaurant the resort staff was impeccable. Everyone I passed said hello to me. During our wedding reception, several managers came to my husband and I to congratulate us. We felt truly humbled by the kindest and service their staff provided.

Wedding Services:
Claribel Pena is a rockstar! Claribel met with us to review all our prewedding arrangements. She took care of all the details, even the ones I forgot. Working with Claribel was like planning our special day with a friend. Yesiy was equally as helpful, personable and overall awesome. These two ladies were the best part of our trip!

Pre-wedding Planning:
We worked with Laura in Toronto for 6 months prior to our wedding. We experienced miscommunication, delays and overall issues in ALL our dealings with Laura. My husband seriously considered cancelling because of the frustrations we experienced. The only thing I would change in this entire process would be to have worked with Claribel directly. 

Ignore any negative reviews you read about the Royalton. The hotel is SPECTACULAR! If you're looking for the perfect resort for your dream wedding-this is it!!!

[Bigleap35]

@@ShawnaV do you mind giving us details on your wedding. Breakdown of cost for the wedding. Which package did you choose and what did you pay extra for. Thank you So Much for your post.

 

Sent from my HTCONE using Tapatalk

[Potter8]

@@blueyes80 I've hired Asia Pimentel as my photographer. Haven't decided on hiring a DJ yet, because we're so picky about the music we want..haha

 

We're having a cocktail party with hors d'oeuvres, so no buffet or seated meal. We have almost 60 people so I didn't want to spend the $85+ for a meal when we're also having a big reception at home. My thought is that most guests will go get something for dinner between our ceremony and reception while we're getting pictures anyway.

@@ShawnaV did you get your hair and makeup done at the resort? If so, how did you find it? Did you do a consultation prior to your wedding day? 

[KaDeidra262]

@@ShawnaV please post details. I'm trying to decide if I need to host a private reception. Also, do you have Caribel's contact information? I've asked Laura for the info how she is so scripted! Sometimes I feel like talking to her is like talking to a brick wall.

@@Potter8 are you using a private photographer or are you using one of their vendors?

@@ShawnaV what did you think of your reception? How many guest did you have? I was hoping the reception was more than dinner. ..Do you have pictures? Could you email them to kadeidra262wedding@@gmail.com? I would really appreciate it.

[ShawnaV]

Ok  ladies, here's the deal:

 

Details:

- 20 guests

- Wedding on the beach 

- Legal ceremony was done in Canada before hand

- Ceremony was at 5pm so that most gawkers would be gone

- Our private reception was on a covered terrace by the infinity pool

- Guests enjoyed cocktails and hors d'oeuvres and a guitar trio while we had a photos taken

- There was just enough light for our photographer to get some great shots

- I did my own makeup (it's a hobby of mine) had hair done by venue and they turned my fine limp locks into a work of art

- My maid-of-honour had her makeup tone there and they used pink and blue eyeshadow - enough said. We toned it down ourselves

- After pics we sat down to our meal. Bared through the usual baby pics and speeches. 

- Guests enjoyed an open bar

- We chose the french buffet and they accommodated various religious dietary restrictions (no seafood, no pork)

- We opted not to have a DJ and used or iPod instead. We had to skip through a few songs that didn't fit the mood. For such a small group a DJ seemed unnecessary.

- After it was all done our group piled into the disco and continued the party

 

Pricing:

- We opted for the free package. Unless you are going to enjoy a meal in the restaurants there's no point in getting anything else

- We negotiated a few freebies including the terrace venue, bouquets and VIP flowers, the open bar for 3 hours, a 2-tier wedding cake

- We paid extra for food for each guest, guitar trio, extra decorations for the gazebo

- In total we paid $6000 

 

Suggestions:

- Laura is not a decision maker. All pricing is approved by her boss Todd. Don't be frustrated with her personally, she's just doing her job which is pointless. 

- Email Claribel (the onsite coodinator) and her manager Mauricio requesting to work with Claribel directly. Their emails are weddingspuntacana@royaltonresorts.com and mzarate@bluediamondresorts.com

- I was helping another bride with suggestions and Claribel said a formal request must be made before you can work with directly

 

My experience: 

- The Royalton is amazing. I don't have single regret from my wedding day.

- We booked in July but we didn't get pricing until NOVEMBER.

- Initially, she told us a private reception would cost $10,000 for the venue and $180/person. That's when we wanted to cancel. (My husband and I fought so much about this it's a wonder we made it to our wedding day. To this day this has been the only major argument we have had.) 

- In December we received the real price list and worked out the option of an outdoor private reception. That way we could still have a traditional reception but not at a ridiculous price tag.

- Our wedding was Feb 7th so the planning was left until the last minute. -Thanks Laura!

 

I have email addresses for the Director of Sales and Director of Group Sales for Sunwing. Email me at kitscarforsale@hotmail.com if you need them.

 

Any other questions?  

[KaDeidra262]

Thank you so much @@ShawnaV. This is like a breath of fresh air for many I'm sure. Again congratulations newlywed!!!

One more question...@@ShawnaV do you have to meet the guest stay requirement of 5 rooms for 7 days to get the free package? I'm asking because I have about 50 people coming all staying various amounts of time but none quite 7 days.

[ShawnaV]

@@KaDeidra262 Yes, I believe it was something like 15 guests staying 7 days leaving from one airport. 

[jenny21909]

How much did u pay in total for your wedding? Do u know what they mean by semi private ? And if you can have a private reception

So the private reception came out to how much?

So the private reception came out to how much?

[jenny21909]

@@ShawnaV

How much did u pay in total for your wedding? Do u know what they mean by semi private ? And if you can have a private reception

So the private reception came out to how much?

So the private reception came out to how much?

[phiphi]

@@vANDm

I am planning to do the same thing as you.  Wedding at Jellyfish and having the guests stay at the Royalton.  Did the Royalton do anything special for you in terms of having a complimentary welcome party or dinner rehearsal?  what were your room rate quotes per night per person?

 

thanks!!!