SDbeachgirl

Quote: Originally Posted by carinagirl Hi Ladies, Does anyone of the pricelist for spa services? I would like to tell my bridesmaids how much hair/make up is should they decide they want to have it done. Forgive me if this is posted somewhere, I am just too busy right now to look through the history. I also cannot open attachements, so if someone does have it - kindly email me at . Thanks in advance! I emailed them to you. I'll attach it to this thread for anyone else who is interested. Attachment 4403 Attachment 4404 Spa Dreams_MENU.pdf Spa Price list.pdf

Quote: Originally Posted by SDbeachgirl Ok, I know I am obsessing a bit, but I noticed that all of the really good reviews that have come through on trip advisor over the last few days have disappeared. Maybe they will reappear, but they are not there right now. Has anyone else noticed this? Now when you look the most recent reviews are those group of negative reviews. Why is this?? Up until now, I have never really used trip advisor. Do they do that periodically so that people can read various reviews? Ok, I just looked again and they are there. Maybe they were doing maitenance on the site. It said 105 reviews (17 showing). Oh well, I don't know what happened, but I am glad those reviews were not deleted.

What are you all doing for decorations and centerpieces at the reception? What are you using for lighting? I saw some new pictures on Facebook and it looks really dark. We will use the lights under the tables and tiki torches, but those were both used in the photos on FB and it still looks dark.

Ok, I know I am obsessing a bit, but I noticed that all of the really good reviews that have come through on trip advisor over the last few days have disappeared. Maybe they will reappear, but they are not there right now. Has anyone else noticed this? Now when you look the most recent reviews are those group of negative reviews. Why is this?? Up until now, I have never really used trip advisor. Do they do that periodically so that people can read various reviews?

Quote: Originally Posted by amberm410 Jen, Thanks so much for sharing your fabulous pictures!!! I also would love to use the wine cellar for somehting. I only have 12 people total so this may be perfect for our night of the wedding. Does anyone know if there is any additional costs to use this room besides the $80 in wine. I know we would have no problem downing at least $80 worth of wine. LOL Is there a dinner cost? Thanks again! From what I understand, you get the dinner (all included) just as if you were eating at one of the restaurants. You would either order from the italian restaurant or french restaurant (depending on which one is open).

Quote: Originally Posted by Laura22610 Jen - Thanks so much for the pictures! Are the beach ceremony pictures of the "new" beach location? The review on facebook was very helpful as well! It made me feel a lot better. Sounds like she had a great day and that maybe she had the same worries as us beforehand. Laura, Yes, this is the "new" beach location. Ana had said that she was going to propose to management that they would remove the first row of palapas. I don't know if that will happen, but that would help a little. Ana also emailed me today. She said that there was going to be a wedding today in the new location and she would send me photos when she had them.

Hey guys, Someone posted a great review of her DRC wedding on Facebook. Check it out! Go to page 4 on this link. http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?ui...8110#topic_top One comment to what she said, Ana told me that the palapas in front of the gazebo would be removed. However, now I am considering the sand wedding. I really wanted it in the gazebo but everyone who has seen a wedding there strongly discourages it. I just can't believe that they are not able to reserve the area for about 1 hour. Oh well. This review is great and makes me excited!

Hi all, I didn't know what the best way would be to post my photos of the resort. Just so you know, I only posted those that pertain to the wedding. I commented on some of them, so you could understand why I was taking the photo. I believe the comment only shows up if you click on the photo itself. It should be at the bottom of the screen. I'm new to photobucket, so I hope it works. Try this link and let me know if you have any questions about any of the photos. Cancun pictures by jenwinston - Photobucket

Quote: Originally Posted by rdsjcr Hey guys... I have tried to read this whole thing- while working and not getting yelled at by my boss at the same time But does anyone know - or what are your plans for the Rehearsal Dinner. I have read a little about people doing them at a restuarant onsite-- and it being a part of the all-inclusive (it just not being very private- as all other resort guests are there).... But what are you guys doing? Thanks. I think I am going to use the wine cellar (in between the french restaurant and the italian restaurant). It only fits 18 people, so we are just having the wedding party and their dates. We figure the rest of the group can fend for themselves! I believe in order to have that private spot, you only need to pay for $80 worth of wine. You can order from whichever restaurant is open that night. I need to confirm all of this with Ana, but I believe this is how it works. The other options are $10 per pp to have a semi private dinner at one of the restaurants or the buffet can arange for a separate area and if you want your guests to eat the food at the buffet, it doesn't cost anything. So there are a few options.

Quote: Originally Posted by Princess402 I noticed this awhile back in this thread and thought I would bring it forward. Feel free to edit/add on! Christine & Brandy - 11/2/2009 Laura & ? - 2/26/2010 Carina & Ari - 2/27/2010 Pam & Kevin - 3/9/2010 Ashley & Perry - 4/4/2010 Kcgcristyn - 4/17/2010 Stephanie & Jamie - 4/24/2010 Jennifer & Michael - 5/7/2010 Jessica & Robbie - 5/15/2010 Margaret & Matthew - 5/15/2010 Megan & Jason - 5/21/2010 Ashley & ? - 5/30/2010 Rachelle & Randal - 6/3/2010 Nancy & Bruce - 6/11/2010 Erica & John – 6/19/2010 carlychristine - 6/22/2010 Evelilna & Phil - 6/25/2010 Allison & ? – 7/24/2010 Casey & Ron - 9/18/2010 Vix1383 – 10/16/2010 Emma & ? - 10/23/2010 wisconsionbride - 10/28/2010 Rachael & Alex - 10/31/2010 April & Reggie – 11/6/2010 Tracy & ? -11/26/2010 lnf_munchkin - 11/27/2010 Angela & Craig - 12/8/2010 Hey, Has Christine or Brandy been on this site lately? Just wondering if anyone has heard how their wedding was on 11/2?

Quote: Originally Posted by dee414 Hello! I have been checking this website on a daily basis. We are getting married on June 13, 2010. Is anyone bringing wedding programs to the ceremony? I am still undecided if they are really necessary or not, since it's a destination wedding. Just wondering what other people's thoughts were on this. I'm going to get raffia fans...since it will be warm out...and place them on each of the seats. The raffia fans will have colored satin ribbon wrapped around the handle and I will probably attach the programs to the fans. I think the programs will be fairly simple though.

Quote: Originally Posted by ebernard4985 Are the table cloths $10 per table? On the price list it said more than that... I think it said $18-25 I am having rectangle tables set up in a square/rectangle with the dance floor in the middle so I am not sure if the table cloths would be more for larger ones She just quoted me $6 for the table overlays (I think that is what she called them). They are organza (Turquoise). I will then put lights underneith the tables...I think.

Quote: Originally Posted by michelle2011 Hi Brides, has anyone got the email address for Ana? We are looking at this resort for our wedding and hoping for the beach set up for the ceremony. I wanted to ask her if you can have flowers and maybe a different colour fabric for the decoration rather than just the plain white. I have seen it at other resorts and just makes it look a little prettier! Also i have a worry about not being able to make reservations at the restaurants. I would hate for my family and friends to wait hours for their evening meal. 30 - 45mins is ok but i have read bad reviews on this, anyone else have the same worry?? Here’s Ana’s email: [email protected] I think you can have whatever you want for decorations. The different colored fabric and extra flowers will probably cost you, but I don’t see why they wouldn’t let you do that. I would confirm with Ana. Let us know what she says! As for the long waits at the restaurants, we were just there and did not have the same bad experience that others are complaining about. However, there were only 2 of us and it is possible that this becomes more of an issue if you have a large group. Also, remember that these reviews have come in right after a big holiday and the resort was very crowded. None of the earlier reviews mentioned this being an issue. When we were there we talked to someone who had been to other all inclusives and said that this system was so much better. Apparently, many other resorts make you decide at the beginning of your trip which restaurants you want to eat at during the week and when. Who wants to be on a schedule on vacation Anyway here is my experience: 1.Asian restaurant (regular table) – 6pm no wait 2.Bordeux – 7pm – 45 min wait. We just grabbed a drink at the lobby bar and were not too hungry anyway from all of the other snacking we had done. So it worked out good! 3.Oceana – 6pm no wait 4.Asian restaurant (tepanaki grill) – made reservations on Thurs for Sunday night. If you want to eat at the grills you should make reservations at the beginning of your trip as there are only 2 tables. 5.Didn’t have a chance to try out the Seaside grill, Portofino, or El Patio I hope that helps!

Quote: Originally Posted by Laura22610 I am staying 7 nights at DRC (4 nights before wedding and 3 nights after) and then going to Excellence Riviera for 5 nights. I think Excellence is very close, if not right next door to DRC. Yes, Excellence is right next to DRC. I think I might look for something in Playa del Carmen...maybe The Royal Play del Carmen. This was one of the places I had looked at for a wedding but it was adults only and was a little more pricey for guests.

Is anyone planning on going somewhere else for the honeymoon? We booked 12 nights at this resort (1 week after the wedding and about 4 days after most people leave). Now, I'm thinking we should go to an adults only resort for the honeymoon (maybe 4 nights). Just curious what everyone else is doing....

Quote: Originally Posted by ebernard4985 I love the site you found!! They seemed to have a better selection of colors!! Good thing I only ordered samples from the first place!! I think I will go with these, and right now they are on sale!!! Thank you!!! If anyone is doing turquoise I think it was $10 per table. She had a couple of colors. I'm doing turquoise so thought this was a good option. I will look at this website though too, just in case.

Quote: Originally Posted by chirorach This is a pretty common thing at resorts all over the world. I have dealt with the chair saving on 3 cruises as well as the last 4 Marriotts I have stayed at (Aruba, Mexico, Palm Springs). We tend to switch off who makes the saves every morning so people get a chance to sleep in. So frustrating though when people save lots of chairs and never show up though! That's what I would have figured to. However, I was frustrated when I walked down to the other resorts and this was not happening. It is possible that the occupancy rate was so much higher at DRC because of being the #1 spot on TA. I hope that was it...

Hi all, I got a response from Ana about blocking off the seats around the wedding site. This is what she said - I will set up the signs in the first line of palapas, actually I will propose to the management to take off the first line of palapas in order to have more space. Definitely I will do something with the weddings locations to have it quiet during the ceremony. So, if she is able to do something that would be good! We'll see. I will post pics of the site this weekend. I have been bugging my FI to upload the photos to my comp.

Some other info that I have: - Ana confirmed that you do not have to have a party of 40 in order to have the buffet - Ana mentioned that the current hair dresser came from the Excellence Riviera and that when Ana worked with her previously, she heard nothing but good things about her. For those of you planning on using the resort hair stylist, this might interest you. I don't know if ther is more than one, but you may want to follow up with Ana to make sure you get that person she was referring to.

Quote: Originally Posted by Laura22610 I just read all of the reviews on trip advisor and now I am really really really nervous! Although, the biggest complaint seemed to be about kids and someone said that kids are staying free until the end of the year. I know that during the time I will be there, kids are not free because my sister had to pay for my nephew. So, hopefully this will not be a huge issue. SDbeachgirl...I will be very interested in hearing your reply from Ana about saving the palapas the day of the wedding. I think that is a great suggestion! Does the new beach location have the climbing wall and trampoline in the water as a backdrop? I read something about that on trip advisor. And one more question- After your trip....are you still happy with your decision to have your wedding there? I didn't see the trampoline in the water while I was there as the water was a little choppy. I did see the climbing wall though and I would imagine they are right near eachother. If that is the case, it is on the other side of the resort. So it shouldn't be in the background of the ceremony unless the photographer is filming at an angle. I would also think that Ana could arrange to have these brought in if they were in the background. I was happy with the resort with the exception of the chair reservation thing. That really annoyed me! But now that I am back and keep reading up on the reviews, I am liking it less and less. I'm letting the reviews influence my opinion even though I was there and thought it was nice. I need to not do that! There is no turning back. 29 people have already booked. We need to keep reminding ourselves that even the best hotels get some bad reviews. This is why I was having such a hard time picking a resort. Everytime I found one that I liked, I came across some bad reviews and would change my mind. I think that is why I liked Dreams RC...there were no reviews and so I couldn't get discouraged. As it is the resort still has way more good reviews than bad reviews. My hope is that the few growing pains it has are worked out by May. The resort is beautiful (at least I think it is). Since they have so many weddings there, they should figure out a better place for the ceremony or a way to make it more private.

Quote: Originally Posted by Princess402 That's great that they are going to relocate the beach ceremony location! Well in theory anyways, we'll wait and see about the new location... I just know that I really don't like the look of the weird wedding gazebo so would like to be able to opt for a beach ceremony. I'm under no delusions that it's going to be completely private, but as away from the action of the resort would be preferrred! I saw where the location is going to be and if people are sitting under the palapas it is not private. I will post a photo of it as soon as I transfer my photos from the camera. I sent an email to Ana asking if we could block off the use of the palapas for about 1 hour...but she has not responded yet. There is another option that is used as a backup in case it rains. This one is more private but is not near the sand or water...and so I would imagine it wouldn't interest anyone. It actually wasn't bad as a backup. It made me a little more comfortable in the event that it rains. I was nervous about that.

Quote: Originally Posted by chirorach Thank you so much for th review! Glad to here about all the great reception/cocktail locations. I will have to rethink mine! Bumer about the lack of privacy for the ceremony. Looks like there will be no way around it. I had set mine to start at 5pm but maybe 6pm is better... fewer people on the beach. Did she give you an option of a time? Another bummer about the chair saving. That is my least favorite part about traveling. But I think people just need to be aware that this is a very common problem at many resorts, not just DRC. Just make sure your guests are aware of it ahead of time! Just curious but I am assuming they were not enforcing the no kids at the infinity pool policy? I had been reading this on Tripadvisor. I am REALLY not happy about this. I really wanted an adults only resort but had to compromise with my family. I was hoping the pool would be a quieter escape as 98% of our guests would not have kids with them. I wonder if it is something worth posting about on the Facebook fan page? Hope you had a great holiday :-) Rachael Rachel, Your wedding is in October so I don't think you should have your ceremony much later than 5pm. You can ask Ana what the best time would be for pictures. She should know. You might also just want to find out what time the sun sets during that time of year. Did you read somewhere that the infinity pool is supposed to be adults only? I have heard people complain about that but have also seen responses that it is not adults only. I didn't see any signs when I was there. That would be very nice if it was! I feel the same way. Most of my guests will not have kids with them but I wanted to go to a family resort so that we could invite those with kids. I honestly thought we would have more kids coming. Otherwise, I might have chosen an adults only resort. Oh well...it is a lovely resort, just a different feel to it because of the kids. As I said, I really don't mind. I'm more concerned about what my guests' experience is going to be.

Quote: Originally Posted by ebernard4985 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! 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.

Quote: Originally Posted by Laura22610 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? 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.

Quote: Originally Posted by Lili11 I was wondering the same thing..(what to do after the dinner) I really want to be able to party and dance with all my guest without having to pay extra for a DJ or a location. Maybe go to the club if the resort has one?? 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!