Dreams Riviera Cancun - Brides post here (new thread)

Congrats Angela! You chose a fantastic wedding date...my birthday

Congrats!!

Welcome back, Rachelle I haven't totally decided on a bridal bouquet yet. I was hoping to have a bouquet with roses and calla lilies, but I am not sure if that would be included?? I was thinking about having my BM's carry calla lilies. I guess I will have to check with Ana to see if any of the bouquets can be changed at all. I would probably go with #7 though if they can't be changed. Except, I would want it in a different color...do you know if we can get the bouquets in different colors than what is pictured?

We just got back from a wonderful trip to Dreams Riviera Cancun for our site visit. I would like to share my thoughts on the resort from the perspective of a future bride. Before I do, you should know that my FI and I have never been to an all inclusive resort and we are both pretty laid back and not too picky. So you can take my comments with a grain of salt. I appologize as this is rather lengthy but figured it might helpful to some of you needing more info before making your decision on the resort.

 

The Resort itself:

First off, I would like to say that the resort is beautiful! Having visited this resort, I can truly say that I am glad we decided to make this the location for our wedding. A resort in the states that looks and feels similar to this would cost an arm and a leg to hold a wedding at. I think our guests are going to be impressed. The lobby is very impressive and the landscaping of the grounds is very well kept. The restaurants seem like restaurants that you would find at an upscale resort. The rooms are very nice, though not a whole lot of privacy in the bathrooms.

 

Check in:

We were greeted at the front with our bags and taken to the preferred lounge where we were checked in right away. We were automatically upgraded from a Deluxe Plunge Pool room to a Preferred Ocean Front Honeymoon suite. When we purchased our tickets we were guaranteed a free upgrade (if available). I didn’t actually expect an upgrade with the plunge pool room, so was not going to even ask.

 

At first I was unsure if I wanted this room since it did not have a plunge pool. However, I am glad we did upgrade because the plunge pools were not heated and for this time of year, it was too cold to go in them. We didn’t see anyone using them. Though I think they would be fun when the weather gets warmer. Apparently, the waiters can walk right up to you in your pool to take your drink order.

 

The view from the honeymoon suite was spectacular. We had an ocean front view and could see the water from all parts of our room. The deck was not private, though we only saw one of our neighbors out there once. So this wasn’t a big deal. We had a Jacuzzi on the deck and used that a couple of times. We had use of the preferred lounge which was kind of cool. They had food throughout the day and a private bar. They also had 3 computers with internet that you can use for free. We had champagne waiting for us in our room and nightly turndown service (I think this was because it was preferred).

 

The Beach:

The beach was not as bad as I was expecting, given the reviews that I had read about the seaweed. It was not gross at all. Of course, I live in Southern California and have been to many beaches that have seaweed. So, I guess I am used to it. Regardless, the resort cleans it up pretty good in the morning. The sand was so soft and white! I loved it! The water was only about 75 degrees so I did not go in it for very long. However, the one time I did, I happened to step on rather large rocks that seemed a little sharp. I don’t know if this was only where I was standing or if it was all along the shore. I would recommend water shoes just in case.

 

Service:

We received excellent service and the staff was so friendly. Everyone just seems so happy to be working there! If only we could adopt their attitude in the states. They are all so eager to serve you or answer your questions. With all of the employees that we came in contact with over the 5 days, I don’t think we met one rude or unfriendly person. They really made you feel welcome and treated you like you were royalty. Hopefully the novelty will not wear off.

 

Food:

We thought the food was awesome! Again, let me remind you that we are not picky. But we could not believe that the food was included. Everything was delicious. We never made it to the Italian or Mexican restaurants but the others were so good. We especially liked the Asian restaurant. On Thanksgiving they put together an incredible spread for Thanksgiving dinner. One of the things that I enjoyed was the little tray of chocolate dipped strawberries and finger sandwiches that were wheeled out to the lobby bar around dinner time each night . We would have our evening glass of wine in there while watching the sunset and having a little snack. This would probably explain why I was never hungry for dinner (ha!)

 

Nightlife:

We are not much for staying up late so it didn’t bother us, but we noticed that there was not a lot of action at night for young people. I hope this changes by May because I have friends that like to stay up and party and I don’t want them to get bored at the resort. I know they will go to Playa del Carmen at least a couple of nights while there but that can get expensive. So it would be nice if there were more going on at the resort. I’m sure it has something to do with the fact that it is a “family” resort.

 

Guests:

This is one area I will have to complain about. There were A LOT of families there. I was expecting this after reading the other reviews on trip advisor. But unfortunately, I must say that having so many kids running around, makes the resort feel a little less upscale than had it been adult only. I had wanted to make sure that anyone who had kids would be able to bring them, though now it looks as though the only kids there will be the flower girl and ring bearer. It didn’t bother me that much, but most of my guests are either single or my parents age and have “been there, done that” so I am hoping that they are ok with the number of kids running around.

 

The BIGGEST complaint that I have is that all of the chairs with umbrellas around the pools and on the beach were take before 7am every morning. We sat on our balcony watching the guests one by one, put towels on the chairs and then leave. It was absolutely ridiculous! I don’t know what the resort can do about this but I am afraid this is going to be a huge issue with my guests. I really don’t want people to get frustrated and can see this creating frustration in anyone (unless you like to wake up at the crack of dawn). What was even more frustrating was that we went for morning walks every day and passed other resorts. They all had plenty of seats available. Why was DRC different? I’m wondering if they just had a higher occupancy rate (80%). Maybe the other hotels were not very crowded.

 

Meeting with wedding coordinator:

We met with Ana for about 3 hours one day. She was so nice and so helpful! I feel very comfortable having her coordinate our wedding. She showed us all of the ceremony and reception sites and answered some of our outstanding questions.

 

Ceremony Locations:

I will say that I am still disappointed in the location of the ceremony. Sorry, I was hoping to bring back some good news for this. There is no place for a private ceremony on the beach. The Palapas span the entire width of the beach in front of DRC and they cannot be removed. The beach ceremony site is directly in front of the palapas and the ocean front rooms. There is no privacy, unless people are not still sitting under the palapas during the time of the ceremony. Having seen the beach location, I think we have chosen the gazebo though I am not extremely thrilled with this option either. To me it looked better than the beach location. Ana did mention that the palapas that are directly in front of the gazebo will be removed very soon.

 

There is still the possibility that everyone is getting ready for dinner around the time of the ceremony. We will have our ceremony at 6pm and the restaurants open at 6pm…so maybe that is a good thing.

 

Reception Locations:

The pool deck is beautiful! This is going to be such a lovely spot for the reception. Again, you would have to pay $$$ anywhere else to have a reception in such a beautiful location. There was no doubt that this is where we wanted it. We are going to have 4 or 5 round tables with turquoise table cloths and lights underneath the table. We will also have the turquoise ribbon around the chairs. I don’t know what the centerpieces will be yet. Ana said she could bring out tiki torches too.

 

Cocktail hour:

There were so many options for this. I think you could choose any place that you found would work (depending on the size of your party). There is a little deck above where the pool deck is. It is part of the Oceana restaurant, but Ana said that this is a possibility for the cocktail hour. I think it is a really pretty option. However, since it is right next to where I will hold the reception, I think we are going to opt for something else…just for a change of scenery. I liked the idea of taking the guests to a garden area in the middle of the resort. They would set up tall tables and if we wanted, they could bring down some lounge furniture. Also, this way they are not watching us take our photos…ha! I’m sure I will feel a little self conscious anyway. The Desires Terrace is also an option and is in a private location. However, I didn’t like the surrounding view that much. It over looked the Explorers Club and you look right into one of the resort buildings. I think if it was at night, it might be cool, but I imagine that this will still be during the daylight since you will be taking your photos during the cocktail hour. The Jacuzzi area is the same thing. It would be cool at night because there are lights in the Jacuzzi that change colors and they can put glass across the top so that you can walk across it. But not sure if it is that cool while the sun is still out.

 

Rehearsal dinner:

If you have a partially private rehearsal dinner in one of the restaurants, I believe you have to pay $10 per person. However, you can have it for free in the World Café. The best option, I think, is the Wine Cellar. This is in between Portofino and Bordeux. It’s a private room that holds 18 people. If I understand correctly, you only need to purchase $80 worth of wine and then the meals are included with the all inclusive. You would get either the menu from Portofino or Bordeux, depending on which one of the restaurants is open that night.

 

I know that was a lot of information, but hopefully it helps out. Let me know if you have any questions.

The resort does have a club. It is called Desires lounge. They have a dj. Though while I was there last week, I did not actually go to hear the dj. I have heard that there are not many people there. If it stays like this, it may work in your favor. You could have an almost private party in the club. Though, I'm thinking they may try to improve this because I have read a few negative reviews from people saying that they needed to improve the nightlife. Either way, we have an option for after the reception. Shoot, I'm sure you could even request certain songs from the dj!

I met with Ana last week while at the resort. She told me that the bouquet can be changed up from what they look like in the photos but that the flowers that are pictured are the options we have. You can mix and match the flowers that are pictured in different bouquets. If it is not in any of the pictures you would have to pay extra. So for instance, the white calla lilie is included but you would have to pay extra for a different color that is not pictured.

I haven't decided what I want yet either. I thought I wanted white calla lilies but then saw some photos with bright orange bouquets that just really popped out and looked so pretty. I guess I will have to keep looking at photos to make my decision.

SDBeachgirl...... THANK YOU SO MUCH for the thorough review!!! I really appreciate it and I am sure everyone else does too! I am still hoping that the beach ceremony location will improve by June! I really want the ceremony on the beach.... can anyone reserve the palapas? I was thinking I could wake up super early in the morning to reserve those that will be directly in front of the ceremony.... I don't mind them in the pictures as long as they are empty! Somehow I think the resort should be able to work with the bride and groom to make sure these are empty during the ceremony!

I sent Ana a picture of hot pink calla lilies for my bouquet and she said they can do that, but there will be an extra charge. For each additional bridesmaid bouquet (same hot pink callas) it would be $100 each. She sent me a document of the additional charge bouquets, I believe I attached it on here earlier... I will try to find it and attach it again.

You're welcome! Hopefully it is helpful. You can probably reserve the chairs under the palapas if you get up at 6am in the morning! However, would you keep them reserved for the entire day? Maybe Ana can put up signs that say private event (). I did see a sign off to the side that is obviously used for the reception and/or cocktail hours so that you do not have random people joining you. Maybe there is a way to keep people off of the chairs. It is only for 20 mins (maybe a total of 40 mins while guests are sitting down etc). Also, like I said, people may start to get ready for dinner around this time. Everyone wants to take advantage of the dinners and since there are no reservations it is good to get there early. I'm hoping to see more and more photos of the ceremony's so that I can make sure that I am happy with my decision.

Thank you for the review of the resort. Great to hear the positive review of the resort.