TammyWright

hmmm...i was just doing a big upgrade so maybe that was it...

Please let me know in this post if anything funky happens on your end.

Quote: Originally Posted by AQHARIDER lol Good luck! Are we getting anything new or cool? Or just an update... Any fun anniversary plans? it is an update to prep the software to add cool things...like the blog they are working on will only work with this new version.. dh and i are staying at the palace hotel and having spa weekend...yay...spa services and yummy dinners then back to the hotel room to watch tv, then the yummiest brunch!

i will be updating the forum software tonight so if it is slow or weird, that is the reason... wish me luck...i hate doing this...i always causes me anxiety.

Quote: Originally Posted by mkdela They didn't have to go through the trouble of writing up a contract, because I told them I wouldn't be interested in reviewing a contract until I had a quote on the rooms. The quote represented what they would have offered me for a room block by contract - which is presumably a lower rate than what will be offered online eventually. I also asked what the regular rate would be for that weekend and everyone provided me with an estimate of what they expect the rate to be. the problem with this is 90% of the time hotel group rates are higher than going elsewhere...they give you a general high number to see if you will bite. also, this rate is not set until a contract is signed and deposits made.

Quote: Originally Posted by matt OK...thanks, Tammy. That lends a little more clarity. I'm just starting to feel the pressure of securing a date and I'm getting nervous. I'll take a look at current prices again and try to get a feel for where we want to go. Thanks for your help. Matt people don't understand that "rates" and "group rates" are 2 different things..."group rates" they have to figure out occupancy level, etc to come up with a rate...there can be 2 groups at a hotel at the same time with the same TA but the group rate may be slightly different depending on when they locked it in.

hi matt, feb/march are an expensive time for DW's...but if you look at rates right now add about 10% and you should a good idea where rates will be for that period. for dreams cabo, i submitted a request for group rates and a contract so they made rates for me...i can't do that for multiple hotels..i only do it once the hotel is picked and the date booked because it is waaaayyy too much work for the hotel to come up with a group rate before rates are even out.

i wouldn't tip the photog (if working for himself) but would give some $$ to their assistant...i tried to tip my videographer and he flat out refised so i gae him some $$ for his assistant. i would tip the WC if it is a hotel WC...not sure if it is someone on their own.

this forum software is actually working on a blog that goes with everyone's profile...they have a beta version out but the bugs have not been worked out of it so I am waiting for the bug-free version... i actually have to upgrade the software this weekend to prepare the forum for alot of great features like blog and more.

Quote: Originally Posted by mandm We are honeymooning at Dreams Los Cabos - anyone else been here? i got married there last year and was there just over a week ago...fun palce.

there are ALOT of las caletas brides here...ann (akh) one of our moderators is getting married there... let us know how we can help.

Quote: Originally Posted by gkashmira My vote is Sarah too! Have you seeen the length and detail in her review?!? That is dedication! and we dont expect any less from you, young lady!

Quote: Originally Posted by angitalia23 Does anybody have Mariana at Dream's email address. Yesica said she would forward Mariana my email address so she could get started with my planning. That was last week and she still has not...im a little worried. I was hoping to get her personal email address...i'd appreciate the help. Also, did anyone sign a contract to ensure their ceremony site/reception/overall date. Yesica said mine is reserved and I didnt need to sign a contract....is this odd im sure you are fine...they dont make you sign or put dep. to hold the date.

i know...so exciting!!! i cant wait to see pics

oh no...your shooter got sick? hopefully you didnt catch anything....is she on cipro?

mikki is right...that or have them stay at the hotel...

and i think sol is taking her pics...i can't wait to see...i know she will be a stunning bride!!!

i'm game for that...we always end up with 2 or more anyways...we just have too many super members! now if only i could get an award that says post whore or something

i dont think people realize how many hiccups can occur when you have 30+ people planning on travelling on your behalf.

SmartMoney Magazine Travel Agents Are Staging a Comeback By Kristen Bellstrom WHEN SHE WAS PLANNING her birthday trip to New York City, Caroline Koons Forrest started where most of us do: online. She checked everything from Hotels.com to the Four Seasons' site. No luck. Everything was booked solid, outrageously priced or completely unfamiliar to her (the Days Hotel, anyone?). So the West Palm Beach architectural designer did something she hadn't done in ages: switched off her computer and called a local travel agent. Minutes later Stacy Small of Elite Travel International phoned back with a room at her first-choice hotel, the Four Seasons, at half the $1,600 price tag for a suite Forrest had spotted on the web. The icing on the cake? An actual birthday cake, which awaited Forrest and her husband when they entered their room. After more than a decade of decline, the humble travel agent is staging a comeback. Frustrated with the recent rash of sold-out hotels and airline seats, travelers are discovering that for all the hype, web sites like Hotels.com, Orbitz and Travelocity are losing some of their edge, especially when it comes to high-end locations. And customer displeasure is starting to show; growth in the once red-hot online travel business is cooling, up 20% last year after a 28% increase in 2004. Enter the travel agent, the most savvy of whom can use longtime connections to secure that "sold out" room or coveted aisle seat. Written off as dinosaurs not so long ago, agents are seeing a welcome bump in business, with the 2006 average weekly sales per agent location up 15% over the year before. High-end travel is turning up as well, with members of Virtuoso, a consortium of more than 300 luxury agencies, racking up $4.2 billion in sales last year, an 11% jump over 2005. Many agents have become a specialized bunch, some offering adrenaline-fueled adventure trips, others pricey safaris. Travelers come to Stacy Small for high-end requests like a line on a Tuscan villa or a lesson with the best ski instructor in St. Moritz. Other agents go after even thinner slices of the travel pie, with specialties ranging from twins-only cruises to kosher dude ranches. Linda Androlia of Sunstone Tours in Malibu, Calif., books nothing but small cruises to wildlife-rich spots like Alaska or the Galapagos. But fair warning: Such expertise comes at a price. Some agents charge anywhere from $150 to redeem a frequent-flier award to a $500 consulting fee for arranging customized trips. For an industry that was all but left for dead, any recovery is quite a shift. In the 1980s, agents were the gatekeepers of travel, booking nearly 80% of all airline tickets. That changed in the mid-1990s, when airlines began hacking away at the commission rate until it finally disappeared after 9/11. At the same time, the first online travel agencies started to gain traction, and consumers began to discover that they could book their own tickets just as easily — and often for less. Sales plummeted, and the number of agency locations dropped by nearly 50% between 1996 and 2006. Setting the stage for the agency renaissance is a booming travel market that has vacationers scrambling to find room at the inn. Airports are mobbed, with the major U.S. carriers filling 79% of seats last year, the highest rate since World War II. At the same time, hotel occupancy rates hit their loftiest mark in nearly a decade last year, according to Smith Travel Research. It doesn't hurt that agent-friendly businesses such ascruise lines are also growing, with a record 12.6 million people expected to take a cruise this year. And while travel web sites point to their service alerts and 24-hour hotlines, traditional agents often have the upper hand when it comes to dealing with the mounting travel hassles. Ellison Poe, president of Poe Travel in Little Rock, Ark., recently fielded a desperate call from client Terry Harris, a marketing vice president who was en route to a meeting in Cuba when a hurricane stranded him in Miami. With all the nonstop flights out of commission, Poe had to get creative, ultimately managing to get Harris to Cuba by way of Mexico City. "I can't imagine booking a trip without her," says Harris.

i have to say sarah...she has not won and has always been so active...also, her review and anal-ness is unmatched

sarah, even steve watned to watch the videsos... it made us so happy to see them again even though we were there... i cant wait to see the edited version with music, etc. also, you are so OCD that maybe you should do your own editing...so you know exactly what you want to keep.

this is a great idea...

sarah did and her hair looked really great...she hated her make up though.

i was there for cinco de maya and my DH was all excited but i explained that it was more of an american thing...but when we asked our driver he said that they had been celebrating all day...i guess any chance to celebrate. our hotel did a really nice party on the beach...mexican buffet...mariachi...dancers etc.