TammyWright

sarah, we are all rooting for you..you are strong and are goona kick some ass!!!

i like medium or shaved

oceana and portofino are my favs as well but i just love the omelette bar/breakfast at el patio...it was awesome!!

jessica, an early congrats and i know your wedding will be beautiful...please check in as soon as possible to update us!!

I sent an email to Marianna and the General Manager. The general manager is out until the 14th but I heard back from Marianna right away and she was very disappointed and they will talk to the staff to figure out who did this because it is unacceptable. I'll keep you posted on how the GM responds when she gets back.

angela, can i let marianna know some of the things that went wrong...especially the room service?

ok, not to sound snarky but are you serious about the free accomodations? i have never heard of hotels, resorts or villas that are in the charity business and not for profit?

i'll post some!

ok, my story. like ann, i always knew i wanted to have kids but of course i never really wanted to start trying for years. once i met steve i started to get the itch but one morning the baby bug hit us both hard and i started obsessing on it. it was like a switch was turned on. when i finally got pregnant i was so excited...the closer i got to the due date, the more i started freaking out though...steve and i have a very great life...he plays in his band and i would sometimes go on tour with him...we would eat out wherever/whenever we wanted, could afford to travel when we wanted...we were at this really comfortable place in our lives so the thought of a baby coming along and disrupting that was a little scary. i started to lament not going out to dinners, seeing friends, going to shows, etc. then when baby came along it was like survival mode for the first 2 weeks...we were like, what did we do! we are f*cked! no sleep, no rationalizing with baby, etc. then jack hit 2 weeks and things got so much easier...everyday it is a joy to wake up to him...i dont even get annoyed at waking up at 4 am (like this morning) and staying up until 6am. steve and i are just so happy. it really is this amazing love affair..these feelings you never imagined having. i hate to sound like a cheeseball but it is the best thing i have ever done and i could not be happier. we still go out to dinners but not as often and not at the drop of a dime like before...it takes a little more effort. and for the record i have 2 cats that i love...they were my babies...everyone called me the crazy cat lady because i was obsessed...well the love for jack is sooo much more...not that i love my kitties any less but it is so different.

that is great news!

http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com/c...faces?siteId=3 you can also sign up for daily email reminders...i did it with my "fake" email account...

Quote: Originally Posted by michelle08 hey Tammy...if I remember...i might shoot you an email tomorrow...I don't know if we can do december because of school...but how much more is it in january? give me some approx. dates and i will get you a price.

LOS CABOS SPECIAL! - DREAMS! INCLUDING 40% off Special & Kids FREE! - LOS CABOS - Dreams Los Cabos - LUXURY 4 Days All Inclusive With Air! Sale ends - Nov 13! Special details: Travel Dates: Dec 3 - Dec 15 Call us for special add-on rates Dec 16 - Dec 21 & Jan 2 - Jan 31! Kids 12 Years Old & Younger FREE! Resort Features: Three water swimming pools including an infinity pool ∙ El Patio ∙ Seaside Grill ∙ Himitsu Asian-Fusion ∙ Oceana ∙ Portofino ∙ Rendezvous Bar ∙ Two Swim up Bars ∙ Safety boxes ∙ Sophisticated SPA ∙ Water sports ∙ Tennis Courts & Tennis clinics ∙ Live nightly entertainment ∙ Daily activities program & Explorer's Kids Club with supervised activities for children ∙ Gymnasium 4 Days Junior Suite Ocean View Room from $509 per person! (based on double occupancy) Los Angeles $509 other departures include: San Jose - $519 Sacramento - $529 San Francisco - $549 San Diego - $588 Reno - $589 Seattle - $649 Denver - $665 AND Phonix - $665 Portland - $689 Detroit - $639 Washington D.C. - $659 Chicago - $719 New York - $745 Vacation Package Includes the Following: -Round-Trip flights on a major airline from your departure city to Los Cabos, Mexico -3 All Inclusive Nights at the Luxurious Dreams Los Cabos Suites Golf Resort & Spa! -All meals Gourmet a la carte, and no reservations required! Premium brand drinks included. Resort with NO WRISTBANDS in All Inslusive! -24 Hour room service and in-room servi-bar -Hotel & land taxes Kids 12 years old & younger are FREE! Special nightly live entertainment and daily activities & supervised Kids Club! Unlimited access to on-site gym & tennis courts -All hotel tips and gratuities Optional Ground Transportation to and from the airport (additional add-on) About Dreams Los Cabos... The resort offers an open-air hacienda-style architecture with spacious luxury suites in varying sizes, all with ocean views from your private and furnished terrace. Appointments include twice daily maid service, premium stocked mini-bar, satellite TV and much more. There are three shimmering pools, two with swim up bars, one snack bar, a full-service spa and fitness center, and five outstanding restaurants, theme parties, ocean-front bars & entertainment venues. Nearby, seven championship golf courses challenge you (cost not included). The sites, shopping, nightlife and famous deep sea fishing of Cabo San Lucas and San Jose del Cabo are 15-minutes away. VACATIONS INCLUDE: Round-Trip Airfare with scheduled Airline Carriers only, NO Charters! ∙ 4 Days / 3 Nights Luxury All Inclusive Dreams Resorts ∙ Hotel & land taxes included Prices: Add $93.00-$110.00 U.S./Mexico airport tax/security fees. September 11th Security Fee of $2.50 per emplanement (up to a maximum of $5 per one-way or $10 per round-trip). Rates per person based on double occupancy. Rates subject to air space availability and subject to change without notice. Shipping fees may apply ($20). Kids 12 years & younger promotion applies for hotel only.

wow angela, you looked absolutely beautiful!!..i want a review soon...did your guests have a good time? i want to see a picture of phyllis...she would call and i would recognize her voice...she was so cute.

heidi, those are some good look alikes! carly, the DR thing...i can see it...its your eyes and smile!

source: eyefortravel.com - Travel Distribution News, Events and Analysis Quote: "Online is no longer always the least expensive alternative" Business travel itineraries booked on public Internet sites such as Orbitz, Expedia, Travelocity, and the airlines' direct sites have been found to average $75 more per itinerary than those booked by a corporate travel agency, according to a study conducted by Topaz International. - (10/31/2007) The independent research firm serving the corporate travel industry has provided comparative studies since 2001, and in each year, found that agency fares were equal to or lower than those offered through online sites in over 91% of itineraries. "The five years of comparative airline purchasing patterns indicates that the online alternatives are not always cheaper, but in fact have been higher over the past few years," said Bradley Seitz, President and CEO of Topaz International. According to an official release, there are two primary drivers in the purchase of business travel today: price and service. And, in both differentials, corporations that use a travel management company are coming out on top. "The model of the airlines in recent years has been to encourage travelers to go online to book directly on the airlines' websites. This circumvents the travel agent, who has always served as an advocate for the consumer, keeping their best interests in mind. The problem is that while web fares initially created the perception of low cost, suppliers are now maximising their yields by driving up prices. The result? Online is no longer always the least expensive alternative. Travel agents, on the other hand, have the ability to search online fares and traditional GDS [Global Distribution System] fares, and pass along the best possible deals to their clients," said Don Raad, Owner of MSW LI, a Long Island-based boutique travel agency that generates $20 million in annual travel sales, and a member of the TRAVELSAVERS international marketing organisation. The issue of service fees must also be considered. "Most online sites charge a whole litany of service fees, for uploading supplier discount contracts, managing profile data systems, and monthly online management fees, just to name a few," said Azzam Hajyousif, President of Apollo Travel, an independent travel agency with annual sales of more than $30 million and offices in the US and Greece. "A corporate travel agency typically only charges $15-20 per airline ticket." But, according to Hajyousif, the greatest value in using a travel management company, from a pricing perspective, lies in the fact that an agent constantly analyses travel expenditures on their clients' behalf and uses their personal relationships with suppliers to negotiate the lowest fare options, which are generally not available to the public. "Taking this operational model one step further," he said, "when an agency is part of a global organization, like TRAVELSAVERS, where we engage in account-sharing practices with other agency members around the world, the benefits to corporations increase exponentially. For instance, when a multi-national client has travel requirements in the US, Mexico, Germany and Asia, we have experts on the ground in those regions who have access to the lowest fares, and who can provide local intelligence and highly personalised service." A.J. Rick Mazza, President and CEO, TRAVELSAVERS, a global marketing organisation for independent travel agencies, summed up the latest round in the online-versus-agency debate: "Disillusioned with the Internet, both business and leisure travelers are now eagerly returning to their travel agents. On the positive side, technology has opened up so many extraordinary possibilities in our world, but we also need to be careful about its dehumanising efforts. We advocate for corporations to take advantage of the best of both worlds…work with an experienced travel agent who uses today's technology to assess and manage your travel expenditures. And, keep in mind that in our hyper-speed digital society, relationship-building is still a key element of any business transaction. Travel has always been a personal business, and always will be. Corporate travelers need the high-touch factor that a dedicated travel agent provides."

bump...i thought this would be fun for the newer members...i am gonna try with a pregnant, fat face pic to see what happens...

Quote: Originally Posted by Julesr Is it just me or is Mexico going down hill when it comes to crime. I am not sure about you gals in the US, but here in Canada we are constantly hearing about very bad things happening in Mexico. When I mentioned it as a maybe for our DW I had several people tell me they would not come if we did it in Mexico. Its very sad, I hope the government does something soon to fix this or they are in for a rude awakening when it comes to tourists going there. i think that when there is an opportunity for thieves and criminals they will take it so if you know that people are going to bring lots of cash and jewelry on vacation and be out of their room most of the day then it seems like a pretty easy job to me. this one job was obviously an inside job but this could happen anywhere. we had a problem at the Four Seasons in San Francisco where about 30 rooms were robbed in one day.

Quote: Originally Posted by PaulaV Oh my! ~giggle~ I hope you had a nice dinner! dinner was better...not breast milk incidents but i did get a little engorged. the food was soooo yummy...

source: Herald-Coaster Quote: A destination wedding disaster - Family and friends lose more than $100,000 to thieves at Mexican resort By Stephen Palkot Thursday, November 1, 2007 5:34 PM CDT What started as an idyllic destination wedding last weekend became a nightmare for a Fort Bend County family after more than $100,000 in cash and property was stolen from more than a dozen guests in what looks like an elaborate heist. Judge Thomas Culver III, who presides over the 240th District Court in Richmond, traveled to Tulum, Mexico, for the wedding of his daughter, Courtney, to Mark Schaefer. They and about 70 others comprised the majority of guests at the Eurostars Blue Hotel, where all went according to plan until Saturday evening. Tulum is located near what is called the Mexican Riviera, about 60 miles south of Cancun. Culver said a member of his wedding party first reported the disappearance of belongings from a safe in his hotel room, after the wedding and during the reception. In time, it became apparent that thieves had taken cash and belongings from the room safes of at least 20 people in the wedding party. It seemed the perpetrators knew to conduct the heist during the hours of the wedding, said Culver, and they were able to pull it off without leaving traces of forced entry into either the rooms or the safes themselves. All told, Culver said about $100,000 in cash and valuables were reported missing by wedding guests. Culver said he brought the theft to the attention of the hotel's front desk, who were not sympathetic - and when he complained to a regional manager for the hotel, he and dozens of other victimized guests were met with outright hostility. A report was filed with the police department in Tulum, but Culver said the investigation was hasty and, again, met with hostility. Culver said the hotel's regional manager threatened him and other complainants with criminal charges for making false claims, and a federal investigator who was called by the manager did not take any action to investigate. Culver said he and all the wedding guests were able to leave the hotel Sunday morning, earlier than planned, after a Houston-based travel agent was able to seek the assistance of a Mexico-based counterpart. Culver's daughter and son-in-law stayed in Cancun through Wednesday, when they flew home early out of safety concerns. Culver said his initial concerns were for the safety of himself, his family and wedding guests, but now he would like to see a real examination of the strange events of Saturday evening. To that end, he has been in contact with the American vice consul who is based in the Mexican town of Merida, and he has even been in contact with former Democratic State Sen. Ken Armbrister, who now works in the office of Texas Gov. Rick Perry. Culver said the vice consul in particular should be able to apply some pressure on government officials in the Mexican state of Quintana Roo, where Tulum is located. “Obviously, the first thing that I would hope would happen would be a legitimate investigation into this major crime. This was not an isolated theft from a single room at a cheap hotel. This was a planned, executed, major crime.” As for the Eurostars Blue hotel, an e-mail inquiry to the Barcelona office of Eurostars, which has 35 hotels according to its Web site, was not returned. Culver said he, too, has not received any responses after contacting the corporate offices. A Houston-based travel agent said he is looking to enact a “stop-sell” for the hotel, which is a process whereby travel agents are warned not to send travelers there.

wow! thanks for all the great birthday wishes. steve made me breakfast this morning, then sent me to the spa next door...i got a massage and mani/pedi. tonight my sisters are going to babysit while we go out w/out jackson for the first time i really missed jack when i was getting my massage (which caused my boobs to get engorged and shoot out breastmilk) so i am not sure how dinner will be

natalie, i was just thinking about you yesterday but didn't want to call and be annoying...i can't wait to hear about the baby...

will do........

sometimes you will see deals to cabo for that time because the weather is not the best. it is REALLY hot in august...but the rate isn't that much lower than June or even november

some TA's ask for a service fee or retainer...i have thought of doing this but don't yet...if i did, it would be like $100 or something that went towards their travel cost...$1000 is very steep. pm TA jennifer, she specializes in jamaica and may be able to shed more light on this.