lambert13

Quote: Originally Posted by Nrvsbride Why does this Dreams get such bad reviews? It seems absolutely stunning from the pics. And I can't imagine that it is that crappy like they make it out to seem in some reviews. Jason I am really jealous b/c I think it looks so nice! -Glenda TripAdvisor reviews always have to be taken with a grain of salt. There are quite a few bad reviews on there for Dreams Tulum, but almost all of them had to do with construction, mold smell (in the tropics?? go figure) or misrepresentation of the resort by the company they booked their trip with. Some people went to Dreams Tulum thinking they were staying at a 5 star resort, which Dreams Tulum is not. I would be disappointed too if that is what I was expecting. As far as I know, the construction is complete at Dreams Tulum. That gets rid of the noise complaints or the complaints of having to look at a construction site while on vacation. Lastly, is the smell complaints. Mold grows in humid climates! Tulum is a warm, humid climate year round. Mold will grow to some extent. Of course the smell should not be very noticeable, but it might be something you just have to live with to a certain extent. Bring scented candles, burn incense or use spray freshener if it bothers you.

I will be sure to bring back a boatload of photos, stories and details when we get back.

Quote: Originally Posted by Nrvsbride I love the pics, I am so excited for your romantic "just the two of you" wedding. Well the two of you plus the photographer, plus me. LOL. B/c as you know I am crashing everyone's wedding and your no exception. (J/K) -Glenda as long as you have a bunch of cash, gifts and tequilla...........crashing is acceptable.

I am getting so excited for the wedding/honeymoon this July! I keep looking at my photos from our trip last year from the RM. I figured I would share a few to show everyone why I love the area so much. Cancun Sunrise Tulum Ruins Beach Tulum Sunrise Dias De Los Muertos figurines Cancun Sunrise Beach in the Sian Kaan Reserve Hope you enjoy them

Quote: Originally Posted by Ryjaxs19 I'm definitly not an expert on Dreams packages but....I want to say that if you go with a package it is what it is, there isnt much room for swaping out certain things and adding other things. (I could be wrong though). I have heard of a Dreams bride that instead of purchasing a package (I want to say it was Tammy host) sort of built their own from scratch. Dreams sent me an "ala carte" price list for wedding services. It includes everything from the ceremony to photos and most everything else. If anyone wants a copy of it let me know. I would attach it here but I am not sure how to upload a document.

A few others that I have gotten responses from with excellent rates are... Cancun Studios Michael Maurus Anthony Caronia Still waiting for the last few stragglers to get back to me before I decide. Being a photographer myself, I am being way way too picky in choosing a photographer. The only problem is that my budget wont allow everything I want.

That is too true. I have seen men literally walk into glass doors or walls because their head was turned watching the scenery.

Quote: Originally Posted by Ryjaxs19 Thanks Jason I belong to the last two forums and they definitly do help as far as what resorts people prefer (vacation wise) and good things to do while in the RM/Cancun area. I thought I recognized your screen name from Loco Gringo.

I have only been on this forum a week or so now, but I have gotten so much great information from everyone here. This is truly a godsent resource for planning our wedding. To try to return the favor I want to try to help everyone else out as much as I can. I have been to Cancun and the Riviera Maya a bunch of times, and without sounding egotistic, I know a whole bunch about the area. I research every trip we take almost to a fault lol. I can't answer questions about specific resorts most of the time, but as far as restaurants, activities, tours, transportation, culture, shopping, nature, romance and everything else I can usually help. So, if anyone has questions about what to do down there after the wedding, give a shout. A few other travel related forums I belong to regarding the area which I think are fantastic resources are. Cancun Forum and Blue Bay Getaway Message Board. Cancun, Mexico. Your Complete Cancun Vacation Guide Mayan Riviera Message Boards, Forums: LocoGringo Riviera Maya Hotels, Resorts, Rentals: Mexican Caribbean Vacation Playa del Carmen forum Playa del Carmen, Mexico's Virtual Guide Book : Playa.Info I put links there to the forum sections and the main sections of each, because they both have great info and great people. The only downside to all of them is that they have next to nothing as far as wedding information, which is how I ended up here. If there is any problem with posting these links please let me know. I dont want to step on any toes here. I am just trying to give back to this forum in the best way I know how.

My travel agent made the initial contact over the phone, then we started to email the coordinator. Sometime soon we are going to try to set up a conference call with us, the wedding coordinator and our travel agent. There is only so much that you can communicate through email.

I belong to a few Riviera Maya and Cancun travel forums and I met a couple on there also who are getting married on 7/7/07 at Dreams Tulum. We chose July 4.

I am getting married at Dreams Tulum. Not sure if they use the same photographer. I have requested some samples from their photographer to see what kind of work they do. While I am waiting though I have been contacting outside photographers to get prices and availability just in case. So far, some of the outside ones who do excellent work have been cheaper than the resort prices too!

We chose Dreams Tulum because............ 1. The resort looks beautiful. 2. We love Tulum 3. Our favorite restaurant in the world is just down the road in Tulum Pueblo 3. Its close to Akumal 4. The price is right 5. Its the furthest south from Cancun you can go and stay at an all-inclusive. 6. The ruins are a short bike ride away

Quote: Originally Posted by jilly76 Jason, if you're looking for budget friendly photographers in cancun you should check out, claudia rodriguez, cancun studios, & I'm trying to remember the name of the other one, petra mauras, I think. there is some info on all three on this site, in different posts, and I've gotten pricing from all 3 and they were very reasonable. I still haven't decided on mine, but may go with one of these 3. I just emailed about every photographer in the area down there on Friday. So far I have heard back from a few and they have all been reasonable. Your'e right about Cancun Studios and Michael Maurus. Both very reasonable. Now we just have to wait for the rest to come back with their bids. I would love to get Claudia at a price we can afford. One guy who I dont hear much about on here emailed me back right away with some great prices. I am seriously considering him, once he confirms that he is available for my date. Anthony Caronia

I think everyone who entered is more than deserving to win. Since I am not even sure that our budget would allow for the travel expenses to bring Jonathan down for the prize (a byproduct of planning a wedding date 7 months after you get engaged), I almost hope that someone more deserving gets it.

http://bestdestinationwedding.com/forum/t1526 I believe that is the one you might be referring to. I just sent out a ton of emails yesterday asking for prices and such from most of the people on that list and a few other recommendations from friends living down there. So far I have got about 5 responses! I was just getting used to the slower than slow response rate from everyone down there but these guys surprised me.

Since it will be just Karen and I in Tulum, we decided to have a little get together when we get back. We contacted our favorite local Mexican restaurant and they gave us a price of 12-25 per person for a full 4 course dinner! We were expecting much more than that.

All we had to do was leave a $50 deposit with our travel agent. Now I am just waiting to hear back from the WC at Dreams with answers to a few of the thousands of questions we have. I emailed the WC on Wednesday and still have not heard back from her though which is a little irritating. I will be sure to give updates to help out all the other Dreams couples on here whenever I can.

The Riu resorts have in-room safes for you to use for just that type of reason. In general, just use the same precautions as you would at a hotel in the US. The people working and living in Mexico are wonderful, kind, generous people. You get a few bad apples here and there, but those are the exception. On my trips to Cancun and the Riviera Maya I have always brought thousands of dollars worth of photo equipment with me and have never had a problem. I use locks on my bags and put money, passport and valuables in the safe. It might be a good idea to contact the resort to see what else they might be able to do for safekeeping of the rings as well.

I am so so excited. And a little nervous at the same time because once the deposit is down, we are in it for the long haul. The nervousness isnt about getting married.....just hoping that everything leading up to the day goes smoothly. I will be posting details, tips, tricks, slander and whatever else I feel may be of help as we go along. On a side note, our choice of what day we want has been confirmed as available! Thats always a good thing. Thanks for letting me ramble on about my excitement. I got all worked up about it tonight and went out looking for clothing to try on. No luck with that yet, but its still fun getting into the spirit.

Is "Royal Porto Real" the official name of the property? I was looking on the Royal Resorts website and did not see that name. In PDC they list the Gran Porto Real and the Royal in Playa Del Carmen. I am guessing that it is the Royal in PDC?

Quote: Originally Posted by mexico15 Welcome Jason! Congrats on the engagement! Sounds like you are a Mexico expert! Know anything about Puerto vallarta? I have never been to that side of Mexico, but who knows what the future will bring. But I can answer most questions about the Riviera Maya excluding specific resort info. Just got back from a trip to Rincon, Puerto Rico also which is my new favorite spot. The lack of services, people, noise, tourists are the reasons that I love it there, but also the reason that getting married there would be more of a challenge than I am up for. Maybe for the second leg of the honeymoon trip though.

Answers to questions.... Number of guests.......0. We are planning a reception for when we get back. We both decided we want our wedding day to be completely about us. It may sound selfish in some ways but I want to be able to focus everything on her and us for that whole day instead of wondering if Dad is too warm or if everyone had enough to eat. Photographers....... I looked at the thread listing most of them. Wow. They are all really great. Weather in July..... Thats what time of year I have always gone to the Riviera Maya and cancun. Its very hot, but the ocean is beautiful and the cervezas are cold. Thanks for the other resort reccomendations. They are on the list now too Where else have I been down there..... I have stayed at the Oasis Playa in Cancun 4 times, but probably wont go back because they raised their prices. I have been all over the place down there driving around and having fun. One of the highlights though was staying overnight in an Oceanfront cabana in Tulum. No electricity, no TV, no noise, nothing but the ocean and the stars at night. I get chills thinking about it. My favorite hangouts though are Akumal for all the little restaurants, Downtown Cancun for the people and the prices, Tulum for its charm and Cancun's hotel zone for the beach

Thanks for the welcome. The suggestions have been added to the resort page in the research folder. Shhhh...just don't tell anyone I am doing this at work. One of my big concerns is the wedding photography as I am a semi-pro photographer. Whoever we choose I can almost guarantee I will be worse than a mother-of-the-bride when it comes to telling them how to do their job. For now though, much reading is in order.

Hi everyone. My fiance and I (just got engaged on Christmas Eve!) are planning to elope this coming July probably in Mexico. I have been to the Cancun and Riviera Maya area 4 times now and she has been there once last summer with me. A few questions first....... where should we get married? what will the weather be like? do they have comfortable beds? Just kidding I belong to a few other web forums about Cancun and the Riviera Maya already, so I know the drill in general down there. I dont have any specific questions yet, but I will let you all know when I do. Just going to do a lot of reading and browsing for now.