amesharpe

I had to laugh when I read this. I had a struggle with this issue and particularly with my mom. She was he!! bent on pink and green becasue I've always loved those colors but I thought it was a bit overdone in the last couple of years. So I just started flipping through magazines looking for what caught my eye. I thought about the destination wedding and what I thought would look good in pics on the beach with the ocean in the background so I chose aqua and chartreuse/lime green. I figured they would work nicely becasue you see those colors in the ocean. It's totally your choice because anything you pick will look beautiful

Welcome to the forum. The DT brides are a wealth of information. Especially Sunbride and extremely supportive of each other during these crazy times. Good luck with your planning

Quote: Originally Posted by alin & mako I'm officially a Barcelo Maya Palace bride now. I guess I'm happy, not sure. It looks beautiful. My FI had his heart set on the food at Dreams we had picked and he is bummed now. Just sent an e-mail to 124 guests now and I am getting a lot of replies with it's ok, don't worry, so that is nice. Just feel so drained now... so much work down the drain... so much more work to do now. Deep breathe. Can't wait to get there. That's great about your guests! Everything will be beautiful and I'll be thinking of you on Nov. 8th sending you good karma

Quote: Originally Posted by SandyW Re: Barcelo Maya & drinks from the website: All inclusive selections Margarita, Pina Colada, Caribbean Dream, Banana Republic, Isle of Coconut, Mosquito Coast, Daiquiris, Tequila Sunrise, Sex on the Beach. See the menus at the bars for what's in each drink. Also included, house brand spirits: Tequila, Mezcal, Rum, Brandy, Vodka, Gin, Whisky. House brand liqueurs: Orange, coffee, banana, peppermint, amaretto, cocoa. Aperitives: Vermouth, Bitters. Beer: Corona lager or dark. Soft drinks, fruit juices and coffees. Non-inclusive brands There is a variety of non-inclusive liquors available at the bars. Guests must sign for these drinks and they will be billed to your room. These drinks are also included to Club Premium guests and guests of Barcelo Palace. Non-inclusive brands menu [PDF] as of October 2007. (you can view this on other link). If your guests care about brand of drinks - they can consider upgrading to Club Premium for $35 per night and then it includes: BEVERAGES • Full Premium Drinks & Liquors at the "Club Premium Lounge". • PREMIUM Bar at the bars & Restaurants in the Resort Sounds like a pain to get the kind of drinks that Dreams has automatically - but the rest of the resort looks really nice. I'm sure whoever has switched to their is just happy to have their whole group together somewhere!! I'm going to pout here because I don't understand why Dreams wouldn't be obligated to pay for the upgrade to "Club Premium Lounge". After all they did say (I'm quoting from an email I received directly from Kevin) "Even though we are confident that this will be resolved as indicated, we want to assure you that we will, of course, protect your wedding, rates and guests at one of our Dreams or Secrets Resorts in Cancun/Riviera Maya or will protect you in another resort of equal or better quality should the need arise. In your specific case, we do not foresee that this will be a problem as we are, once again, confidant we will be open well before your December 20th wedding. " Equal or greater quality includes premium drinks I would think since they are offered at Dreams resorts. I would push for that upgrade for everyone in the group. Just a thought.

Quote: Originally Posted by dreamstbride I am super upset today!!! I called about a million times today! and managed to speak to NO ONE! except the receptionist, and left three messages and no response. I am so so so stressed!!! I dont know if I can deal with this any further!!! I dont know what to do anymore? This is getting beyond frustrating!!!! If Barcelo Mayan Palace is an option... That might be good! Its nice there! HUGE resort, great for kids! its very nice! further down the coast too! which I really like... BEAUTIFUL beach too! But as I said... Its a BIG resort, I wanted something more intimate... Leanne!!! what are your top choices as of this point?? So far I really like The Paradisus! and Barcelo Mayan Palace. Dreamstbride- have you tried emailing Kevin Wojciechowski at AM Resorts? [email protected] He's the one that sent Amy706 and I that email a week or so ago. He cc'd the following people on the email. [email protected] & [email protected] try that and see what kind of response you get. He responded to me the next day. I feel for ya kiddo, I'm freaking out too and I have 2 months to go

This is ridiculous!! I'm sooo ticked off that I don't know who to take my frustrations out on anymore. My FI is getting the brunt of it as is my mother. I'm sure we all have other things on our minds as well. I'm supposed to be closing on my condo 2 weeks before we leave wich means I have to be packed and out of this joint. Not to mention, we haven't found a new place to live!!!!! I work in finance which means that I have to work hard enough not to get laid off in this market (we laid 3 peeps off today). I have two bridal showers coming up in the next two weekends that I'm being told I haven't registered for enough yet. My FMIL is driving me crazy about the AHR in the end of January. Actually, probably she isn't I'm just super sensitive lately. I just am having a hard time making decisions on things that are supposed to happen after this whole DW shindig. I haven't been sleeping more than two hrs a night on account of this wedding garbage I suspect. Sorry girls, just venting after 3 glasses of vino. I'm just mad that I can't control anything that's going on and I'm a total control freak...... Hope you're all hangin' in there and doing better than I am. sorry for the debbie downer post, I just wish we had more concrete information. I know we can't control what's going on in the courts down in Mexico but I just wish we were getting more insightful information.

so i woke up in a panic sweating last night. it suddenly occured to me that my wedding is in mid-to-late December..... I haven't been asked to pay for anything due to the fact that the resort is closed.... We are not required to pay our balances until the matter is "resolved" My question is....what happens if the resort does not re-open? Are they bound by anythng to me or my guests to make sure that we are taken care of?? my guess would be no.... Are there any of you December brides out there worring about the same thing

Quote: Originally Posted by MonoAmor Are we still hoping for the resort to be reopened tomorrow?? I think the last date I heard was reopening Oct 16th, but moving all weddings until Nov 1st? I still havent heard anything from the resort and Im leaving in a couple days to go away. I have left a messages and emailed, but not a word. Im kinda fed up with this lol. Not to be the party pooper, but this really has sucked the wind out of my sails regarding the whole wedding planning. MonoAmor- It doesn't sound like it. Amy posted the press release a couple of days ago and I believe it says they were moving all arrivals through the end of the month.

Quote: Originally Posted by amy706 congratulations Carina!!! Today is my 30th birthday so I must say - GREAT day! YAHOO!!! Congrats on becoming a MRS officially!! Happy belated birthday Amy! It was my b-day too.

Quote: Originally Posted by Madbride2009 Congratulations Trish and Brooke! I can't wait to read the reviews and see the beautiful photos! Trish... I'm gonna channel your demure attitude on my day... man, you are cool as a cucumber! I'd like to pose a question for those of us who are getting married in 09... if DT loses the court battle the authorities are demanding that the areas affected be returned to their original state (meaning they will probably have to tear down a wing of the hotel) what will that be like for us? I certainly don't want to see (or hear!) construction going on during my wedding/vacation. Maybe I'm wrong...I just thought I'd pose the scenerio. Any thoughts? Madbride- I was just thinking about that too. Who wants to spend their vacation, wedding & honeymoon around constant construction.

Yay Trish! So glad to hear from you. Can't wait for the full report and pics Congrats on being a Mrs.

I just realized that I have a dilema and am starting to panic. I was patiently waiting my turn with the wedding coordinatiors to discuss the details of the planning. I have 4 emails from Sandra (prior to her departure) confirming wedding date and availability and 4 emails with Landy confirming the time of the ceremony over the last 8 months TOTAL!!! I was trying to be considerate of the other brides and not bother Landy or Lizette until about two months before my wedding. Now were in the middle of this mess with the resort being closed. Landy & Lizette are scrambling trying to stay on top of everything and it sounds like they are even more unavailable than they were prior to this mess. I need advice here, should I just wing it and wait until I get down there to make all of my decisions or should I try and convey my wishes and desires to these girls? I really don't want to put any more pressure on them than they already under but it's my wedding. There is a lot of money being spent here and I'm torn with what I should do. I wonder if it's even worth it becasue the resort might or might not be open by the middle of December and if I have made all of these arrangements for DT and we end up being moved it will all be changed again.

Carina- You must feel soo much better and a little more at ease that Landy will be with you. I know everything will be just beautiful, maybe not the way you originally planned it but still amazing. I wish nothing but the best for you and can't wait to hear all about it when you get back.

oh Maura Thanks. pics of any weddings taking place during your sister's stay.

Laura- double check with your TA regarding the payments. The balance is supposed to be due today for my trip but my TA said that we would not owe anything until this issue was resolved. Out of the 50 of us booked for the trip 46 are booked through my TA which is an apple vacation provider. The other 4 are booked directly with the resort. The 4 that are booked with the resort directly do not owe anything until they check in the hotel. It sounds like the vacation provider that your TA is dealing with is looking for $$$$. Don't get pressured into making a decision. Especially this fast. Tell her that based on the circumstances that you would like more time to make a decision and expect them to hold your reservations. This is definately not the time for you to have any more pressure!

laura- are you sure that you want to make the decision right now? I think you're going to have more leverage with the Dreams management as far as pricing, room upgrades & basically getting more for your money becasue of the total turmoil they've managed to create for us. I know it's a hard decision to make, I'm struggling with it myself but I think for now I've chosen not to commit myself to another resort. I'm going to wait and see what happens in the next week and keep pushing for more information. I don't know, just a thought. I totally understand your position though.

Got another response girls! I posted this in the petition thread as well as the dreams tulum sticky thread ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Kevin Wojciechowski <[email protected]> Date: Thu, 9 Oct 2008 12:29:40 -0400 Subject: Dreams Tulum To: [email protected] Cc: [email protected], [email protected] Dear Ms. Sharpe, We completely understand and appreciate your anxiety to be quite honest. Please be assured that we are not trying to keep information from you or any of the other wonderful brides that have planned their special day at Dreams Tulum. The situation is extremely delicate and tense at the same time. It is not at all easy to say when it will be resolved since it is a legal matter and in the hands of the court system. Our legal team is working extremely hard to resolve the matter expeditiously and just yesterday we were informed the situation can be resolved prior to the end of October. This is positive news to be sure but we are still taking the decision to protect and move all new arrivals straight through the end of this month. This decision was taken today at noon. We realize this is challenging to hear and we feel terrible that you and all our other brides are worried however it is extremely challenging being in the hands of the court system and not being able to determine an exact date that this will be resolved. We will be calling each and every bride that is planning their wedding in 2008 in order to discuss the situation with them personally and give them a better comfort level. We, of course, do not wish for you to have any greater anxiety than already exists and feel that a personal call is the best way forward. The resort has been extremely active doing everything it can to protect those guests arriving the first weeks of October since they were the highest priority and need immediate assistance. We were convinced that this would be resolved sooner and that is why you were informed by Mr. del Peon about our initial actions to protect guests earlier this month. We did indeed protect everyone through October 13th and as indicated above have only today made a determination to protect through the end of the month. It is what is best for the guest in order to ensure their stay is enjoyable and goes as planned. Even though we are confident that this will be resolved as indicated, we want to assure you that we will, of course, protect your wedding, rates and guests at one of our Dreams or Secrets Resorts in Cancun/Riviera Maya or will protect you in another resort of equal or better quality should the need arise. In your specific case, we do not foresee that this will be a problem as we are, once again, confidant we will be open well before your December 20th wedding. We regret that you have been caused this anxiety and hope to have the entire situation resolved as indicated above. You will be hearing from the resort soon, Ms. Sharpe and please be assured we will do everything possible to take excellent care of you and all our brides. Thank you very much for your understanding. Best regards, Kevin Wojciechowski Vice President Sales & Marketing AMResorts

For the brides getting married in mid to late November and December, are any of you considering DPA as a back up plan? I have contacted them and they do not have my date available. I was told that weddings are planned based on space available?? I'm assuming that means that there is another wedding planned for my date. If infact the unthinkable happens and DT does not reopen, I'm wondering if they will try to work arround this issue? Any thoughts? Has anyone been in contact with them more than I have?

Amy S. & Matthew B. 12/20/2008 45 Guest attending My concern is the constant pushback of the reopening. I'd like a clearer defination of what is happening in these legal proceedings if possible. The three times delay in the reopening of the resort puts the brides in a position where they can't make decisions: specifically to switch resorts or for that matter plan any details at all at the new resort. I sent this letter to the CEO of AM Resorts today via: email, fax and registered mail. I'll let you know if I hear anything back Wednesday, October 08, 2008 AM Resorts Alejandro Zozaya-Gorostiza President 7 Campus Boulevard Newton, PA 19073 RE: Dreams Tulum Closure Dear Mr. Zozaya-Gorostiza- I am writing to you on behalf of myself as well as the hundreds of other brides who have planned their weddings at your Dreams Tulum Resort in the upcoming months and well into next year. I am completely disappointed in your resorts communication efforts over the last two weeks. As far as I understand it, the Dreams Tulum Resort was shut down by the Mexican Federal Government on Monday, September 29th. I have received one email from Mr. Gonzalo Del Peon regarding the closing only after I called my travel agent in a fit of panic. I was assured by Mr. Gonzalo that the resort would be open on 10/6/2008. As of yesterday we had information from “the rumor mill†of a 10/13/2008 opening. As I write to your today, I’m hearing 10/16/2008. I understand that 99% of your guests choose a resort for vacation purposes and have insurance should something unfortunate like this happen. After all, a vacation is a vacation and switching hotels is not that big of a deal for most people. They can always go on another vacation next year. But for us, it's quite different. This is the most important day of our lives. We spent many hours, days and months researching the best possible place to get married. We chose Dreams Tulum for our special day, a resort that prides itself as the leader in destination weddings. We’ve painstakingly planned these trips for ourselves and our guests. There is no second chance for us; we will not get the opportunity to do this again next year. I think above all else, the brides deserve a little more information that what we are being given. We are one of the main reasons the resort maintains satisfactory occupancy during your slow seasons. Each one of the weddings planned at your resort secures a minimum of two guests to as many as 250 guests or even more. Sometimes there are three weddings in one day. That to me seems like a large part of your revenue and an even larger reason that we deserve more information with regards to the reopening of the resort. Finally, my work puts me in daily contact with the executive management teams of over 85 publicly traded companies. In dealing with these people, I’ve learned how they like to receive their information. Short, concise and to the point. We all interact with each other on the premise of “don’t waste my time, and I won’t waste yoursâ€. I strongly suggest that you put out a press release with regards to the reopening of the resort. I have an army of emotionally distressed brides ready to release their anger in the forms of daily emails, phone calls and letters to your executive management team. I look forward to hearing from you very soon. Sincerely, Amy XXXXX Hopeful Dreams Tulum Bride 12/20/2008

Quote: Originally Posted by Tammy Host i will start a thread and send it to the heads of the resorts....but also have your TA's do some work for you. i have talked to someone at dreams tulum once or twice (sometimes 4 times) a day since the closure. Thanks Tammy! I agree that we should all put pressure on our TA's as well. I do think it's important that the executive board hear from us individually as well though

The address for AM Resorts is: AM Resorts 7 Campus Boulevard Newton Square, PA 19703

I think we should at least email our personal stories to each one of the executive board. This is NOT just a vacation for us. I'll say it again, This is the most important day of our lives. I believe that we deserve and should DEMAND a better answer. This is a big corporation. We have power in numbers and I don't think it's fair what is happening to these girls that are getting married in the next couple of weeks that have had little contact with the resort. Landy and Lizette don't have the capabilities to help us right now. They're employees of the company that are extremely overworked and I imagine severely underpaid. I'm sure their hand are tied in light of the current situation. I'll get the address as well and maybe we should send registered letters as well. That way we can assure that someone did receive our concerns.

Quote: Originally Posted by dreamstbride Can any one send some paradisus wedding pics our way... Please! I am stressing big time!!! did you try the paradisus thread http://bestdestinationwedding.com/forum/t16099

Girls, I posted this in the Dreams Tulum Closure thread. I'm presenting it here to get some insight from you. Let me know what you think?? Here is the bio list for the executive board at AM Resorts AMResorts: Bios I'm guessing again on the emails but lets try it [email protected] President [email protected] Executive Vice President [email protected] Chief Financial Officer (this one is probably pointless) [email protected] Vice President, Sales and Marketing [email protected] Senior Director of Sales [email protected] Director of Marketing and Distribution Here is the info on the resort that Dreams just purchased. It's not all-inclusive and it is qusai adults only (ages 16 & up) Am resorts ( owner Dreams & Secrets) now owns Parasio de la Bonita! Not really an option for me but maybe some of you girls might be interested in this option. We can try and email these guys and put the pressure on for a definitive answer. These people are responsible for maintaining optium occupancy and the resort itself prides itself as one of the leading resorts for destination weddings. I understand that most people choose a resort for vacation purposes and have insurance should something unfortunate like this happen. But for us, it's quite different. This is the most important day of our lives. We spent many hours, days and months planning these trips for ourselves and our guests. I think we all deserve a little more information that what we are being given. I hope I'm not overstepping the boundries of this forum but I think we should give this method a try. My heart goes out to all the girls getting married in the next few weeks

I'll post my message in the DT thread and see what kind of response we get