scottishbride

Quote: Originally Posted by Lisa DSO Yeah, I know what you mean- that is the only thing that prevented us from booking the chapel (that sounds so awful, but it really is time consuming). The gazebo area there is gorgeous! Hi, I am debating whether to get married at Gran Caribe or The Royal in Cancun...big decider is privacy and how many onlookers there are! Can you tell me how private/unprivate is the Gazebo at the Gran Caribe? thanks for your help!

Hi, I am hoping to get married at the Royal, Cancun next year but on reading a number of forums, some people have said the Gazebo at the Gran Caribe is more secluded and private with the one at the Royal being beside the pool. I would like as few onlookers as possible and just wondered if anyone here knew which is more private and the location of the Gran Caribe Gazebo? Also, do you know if possible to have ceremony at Gran Caribe and reception at the Royal Thanks for your help.

Quote: Originally Posted by stevensFiance Well the Gazebo on the royal side, can be somewhat "private" depending at what time of day, last year in May we stayed at the Royal and the sun sets pretty early on that side, around 4pm theres no sun hitting that spot, so most pool people will have moved to the other side of the pool, the activity side. But the Gazebo on the Gran Caribe side, is really private, on lookers can still see, but you wont find anyone wondering over there, its kind of sectioned off. Thanks very much for that...when you say gazebo on the gran caribe side, is the gazebo still in the royal section of beach but nearest the gran side?? When looking at the real resorts wedding site, only allows you to book one gazebo called oceanfront gazebo. Also, we are planning a May 2011 wedding, what time would you recommend the ceremony for as I dont want the sun to have set. Thanks again for all your help

Quote: Originally Posted by stevensFiance Site Inspection. We met with a Denise Compas, who was sweet as anything, only I would say her knowledge about the weddings is only about 45%, she was carrying around a binder with her that I assumed had prices and pictures and this and that... But every time we asked how much something extra would be or the prices of bows, she needed to double check with Kimberly. She seemed very uncertain with almost every answer she gave us. Either which way she took us to see the grounds (which are always well kept and beautiful) and sat with us during our food tasting. Food tasting. our choices. Beef tournado fillet, pasta w/ dried tomatoe sauce(vegitarian menu) and the salmon. The salmon was delicious, presentation A+ my fiance who only eats shellfish tried the salmon and finished it on me! His first time every trying it The beef fillet, was good, steaks all taste the same to me and the pasta. The pasta was unreal! I couldnt believe it. They ask you if you want anything changed in the presentation, which we thought was nice. We picked all 3, because I felt I couldnt just offer one option to such a large group of picky people, I was told in order to do this I would simply have to keep track. No problem, the food choices were already sent out with the invites and when I have the final's and seating chart, I just have to print up a menu for each table w/ their selections. Dont let them tell you, you only have one option for the entree, you can pick 3 or 2 if you were willing to keep track on your own. The gazebo on the Royal side, dont be afraid at first look it looks rather small, and thats because they cant set up any chairs behind the gazebo, due to the beds and lounged being placed right behind. But it can hold up to 50 people inside the gazebo, and during a light rain you can still get married out there because it doesnt drip through. So we looked at the gazebo on the Gran side and that I think holds up to 70 people inside, and they can put rows of chairs infront of stairs to gazebo as well. You can also have the cocktail hour right there, so we went with the gazebo on the gran side. My dad is handicapped and I felt the location would just be easier for him, which makes me happy. From cocktail hour you walk back up 3 or 4 steps and to the right and theres a big white staircase that takes you to the terrace of the albetros restuarant, which is really pretty and you have both a view of the ocean and the lagoon. Only downfall, is the floor is covered in green felt. But we were up there around the same time our reception would be going and onces its pretty dark you really cant even notice it, it kind of shimmers. The staircase leading up to the terrace is decorated with white candles on both sides, which I think will be beautiful. We intitally were just going to use our ipod to A. cut costs and B. we really only listen to house music and since itll mostly be a young crowd.. but then we found out that there wouldnt be anyone watching over the ipod, and I didnt like that, so we are now booked with dj ivan gomez. There is a Mac at the mall, its about a 10 minute walk and 4 minute cab drive, they charge $80 for makeup application, but youre actually purchasing makeup for that amount and then they do your application, here in NY its only $50 so I am a little put off, but Im considering it as the gifts for my BM's, they get new makeup and wont have to pay to get it done. Spa Azul at the resort charges $60 just for makeup application, so. We never looked at the ballroom cause we dont care to see it, our hearts are set on being married outdoors. Any questions or anything else you want to know just ask, thats all I can really think of now. Hi Stevens Fiance, I am from the UK and planning to get married at the Royal, Cancun in 2011, going next year to see the resort. Can I ask which area for the ceremony would you say would be the most private? Not sure if want a beach or gazebo ceremony? only be about 20 guests at most so size isnt really an issue. Thanks

Quote: Originally Posted by jesmcan . So I will reiterate this review is based on my personal choice. Note this is a reallllllyyyyyy loooonnggggggg review. Here is the link to see all the pictures I took http://theroyalwedding.shutterfly.com The pictures include La Tortuga Hotel & Spa where we stayed and we . 1.You only have to pay $100 outside vendor fee not the guest fee on top of that unless your vendor is eating. 2. I had wanted square tables however they are only offered for very small weddings. The round tables can seat up to 12 however Zulma recommends no more than 8 at a table. 3.The dance floor is included. However I personally did not like the dance floor and would not recommend it. It was just two wooden planks put together and was very small. 4.As for passes for Gran Porto guests it is $85 per guest for 9-5 or 5-11, $140 for the whole day, or it’s only $60 for all three days. The three day pass is a special they have going on right now. After we met with Zulma we went on our tour. We first went and saw the Gran Porto. The Gran is beautiful and it looks like a very fun spot for kids. We looked at the gazebo just to see it. It is very nice but also would be for a very small wedding. The one thing I like better about the Gran Porto was the beach. It is much less crowded and also much larger. It seemed much more private. We asked if there was any way we could have the ceremony at the Royal and the reception at the beach over at the Gran. However we were told no. We than looked at the first beach right next to the pier. This is where we were originally booked because of the size of our wedding. I did not like the pier being there at all. Until 4pm there are boats coming in and out with hundreds of people. They all come from Cozumel and come to go on the tour buses to other excursions. Also there were seagulls sitting everywhere. There is this small roped off section with these red posts. I just thought aesthetically it did it not look nice. The worst part is it is the main entrance to the beach. The beach is public and tons of people were coming in and out. The pro though is this beach is the safest in terms of erosion and offers the most beach. The next beach is in the middle area. This is right by the main entrance from the beach to the Royal. It has a nice wooden walkway and large beach area. The con here is of all three beaches this one gets hit second. So if a storm comes its possible this one could erode. Finally there is the beach right in front of the gazebo. It is the smallest beach section so we could not have it there for the amount of people we are having. Also if a storm comes this is the first beach to go. This beach is the nicest in terms of entrance. People are not waking in and out of walk ways. We ended up picking the middle beach by the pool entrance. We actually almost ended up calling off the whole thing and picking another resort because of what we saw when we walked down to see an actual wedding. We went alone after we met with Zulma because our appointment was in the morning with her. We walked down at 3:30 and the beach was packed. People were topless and literally on top of the wedding that was going on. They actually were turning their beach chairs to face the wedding. People were also just sunbathing right in front of the wedding. I know you expect some of this at a wedding and Mexico. However for us this was just a huge deal breaker. Luckily we went back down at 6 which is when we would be having our actual reception. There was not a sole on the beach except for a few people sitting on the pier. We saw the middle area and liked it the best. No one was walking back and forth at that entrance and the set up was beautiful. The standard setup is so beautiful. The tables were all lit up, tiki torches and the bar looked marvelous. Sorry ladies I did not take pictures out of respect for the weddings that were going on at the time. Take my word for it the standard set up that they do was breath taking. Something to keep in mind, it was pretty breezy down by the beach. I felt fine but some older relatives might be a little chilly. Of course this varies on the time of year as well. Also don’t worry about it being too dark they do such a phenomenal job with all the lighting. They offer a candle or a hurricane with the candle. I liked the candle a lot but it is only offered in orange. I saw the hurricane with the candle and I thought it looked very elegant. I was also worried about sand going in our food however even though its breezy somehow the sand does not go anywhere. So I would not be concerned about that. The sand is extraordinarily soft by the way. The next portion is the Gazebo. I just love this area for the ceremony. It is in a much more private part of the resort. They make sure that people cannot walk by during the ceremony time. We actually also ended up moving our cocktail hour to this area. There is a small grass garden right there and is still private. We originally had it in the main garden. The main garden is right in the center of the whole resort. They had a wedding being set up when we went to see it. People were staring from the balconies and taking pictures. Also everyone has to pass this way in order to get to the beach, pool and restaurants so there was a lot of traffic passing in this area. Again this was a personal choice. It was just something we did not want for us. Ladies by the way definitely no heels in the grass. I sunk right in with my heels and it was very difficult to walk on. I would do wedge or flip flops. Finally we looked at the ballroom as the option in case of rain. We also got to see where they have the ceremonies if it rains. It is a long marble hallway with a fountain and a cross. Not to terrible of an option. It was actually a very serene spot. We also went to see the spa. I picked up a rate card of all their services. A trial session for makeup is $45, the actual makeup session is $60. Up do’s range from $40 - $70 depending on the style and $45 for a trial. Pedicures are $30, manicures $25 and French manicures are $40. If you want to use the Spa sauna and pool its $25 per person for the day or $60 unlimited use if you stay in a master suite for more than three nights. They always have special offers going on at the Spa. Right now its 20% off all services. By the way I did go to the Mac make up store. It is literally around the corner from the Royal. It is two blocks up and not a far walk at all. You walk in and go up on elevator. The whole upstairs is the MAC store. They told me they will not go to your room. It is $70 for a trial and $100 for the actual application for the bride. For brides maids, moms and so on it is $70. I thought that seemed pretty expensive. However it is a nice walk down and you could get great pictures. The final portion is the food tasting. The food was phenomenal and as you will see from the pictures the presentation was just wonderful. We had the following, For the cocktail hour: Breaded chicken fillet with sesame seeds (was absolutely wonderful and delicious!) Shrimps au coconut with mint sauce (was also amazing and I loved the sauce) Cantaloupe pearls with prosciutto & spearmint (this was my favorite, the prosciutto was very fresh and light) Salad: Spring salad with goat cheese & almond oil (Not what I expected, it was basically a big block of cream cheese with a piece of goat cheese on top) Caribbean salad with shrimp, smoked pineapple pesto & jasmine flower (The presentation is really cool but it was to fishy for me. It tastes like a seafood salad) Prosciutto with cantaloupe and Dijon mustard vinaigrette (This was my favorite and the option we chose. We are changing another option for the cocktail hour so we don’t have the same thing twice) Soups: Oyster cream soup with fried leek (absolutely fabulous, creamy and was just wonderful) Clam chowder with chopped vegetables au white wine (The clam chowder was also very good) Princess cream soup with green vegetables au white wine flavor ( This soup was the one we chose because not everyone likes oysters and clams. It was our favorite of the three. Again very creamy and flavorful) Entrees: Beef fillet with Dijon mustard, garnished with provencal herbs (This was good but the sauce as a little off and we did not really like it) Valentino beef fillet with pink pepper sauce & Jumbo shrimp (Everything was delicious except the sauce was way to over powering) Beef fillet tournedo with three peppers sauce (This was the dish we chose. The beef was perfectly cooked and we asked for them to add jumbo shrimp to this one instead.) Dessert & Cake: Lime pie with strawberries (It was ok, I have had better) Paris chocolate shell stuffed with fruit au white Cinzano flavor ( We licked the plate clean with this one it was so good. We chose this one as our dessert. It comes with marscarpone cream, it was amazing) Tres Leches Cake (I can’t not even describe how delicious this cake is. We chose it for our cake flavor. It is moist, creamy and light. We both absolutely loved it.) Finally the rehearsal dinner. We originally were going to do Catamaya and take everyone snorkeling on a catamaran. We realized this just does not work for the adults. We were going t do the 3:30 – 7:30 but honestly by 5:30 it is pitch black ad being out on a boat we thought it might get quite cold. Instead we are doing this as a gift to our bridal party and switched to the 10am – 2pm session. Instead we are going to do it at the hotel we stayed at this time. We stayed at La Tortuga Hotel & Spa right on 5th. I cannot say enough about how much we love this hotel and we go back every year. They have a beautiful terrace and we are going to do a mixture of tables, lounge areas. We opted for cocktails and tapas and kept it relaxing and fun. This hotel is like a secret oasis in the middle of 5th avenue. You walk in and the ambiance speaks for itself. I posted the pictures of it in the link. Finally I swear just some last tidbits of information. For those of you looking for maracas 5th avenue is covered in them. They range from $1 - $3 depending on the size. I bet though you could haggle for a good price if you buy a lot. Also for bachelorette parties there are two main clubs. Coco Bongo is the newest place and the line goes on for miles. It is $60 all you can drink and is a really fun spot. Senor Frogs is $35 all you can drink and depends on the kind of crowd you are looking for. I am going to end up going to a handle full of wine and martini bars as well as having tapas with the girls. There are some really cool lounge areas. There is one place called Deseo (Desire) that is a roof top lounge that has beds and linen canopies. It is a martini bar and a great spot for chicks to hang out together. At the end of the night we are going to end at Coco Bango. They also have a Cancun Charlies but it is more of a sports bar. I am sure I have forgotten something so please feel free to ask questions. All in all ladies it’s your big day let the professionals take care of it. Once you get to the Royal you can just see that they go above and beyond to make your day just the way you want it. Do you have to pay the guest fee for those who are just attending for ceremony and reception? Most of my guests wont be staying at the real resort so bit worried if have to pay extra! Thanks

Quote: Originally Posted by loanmao scottishbride...when i went for my site visit in july, angie from general wedding sales, set it up for us. we just told her when we were going and our flight info. she will also help to set up an appointment with your WC. Thanks for the info! We are actually looking at the Royal Cancun but going to stay next door at the Gran Caribe whilst over to visit the Royal...cant wait! Does anyone know when 2011 prices will be out?

Hi, For anyone who has arranged a site visit...have you been given an appointment to meet the W/C at the Royal? Did you just email the general wedding sales address and they arrange it for you? We are planning a site visit in may and just wondered how it worked? We will be wanting to book date/location etc when get there so would like to meet WC so can discuss different options. Thanks for your help.

Quote: Originally Posted by itsfinallyhere My FI says.... From one scot to another, that has never stopped us before! ha ha, very true!

Quote: Originally Posted by isaidyes Even if it is true I wouldn't worry too much. Who's going to know if you slip in a drink or two? It's not likely that you'd get smashed before the wedding. I actually was considering Mexico when we were planning our DW but was turned off by the fact that we'd have to get bloodwork and chest x-rays done! Chest x-rays??!! i know about the blood tests but not read anything about this...they are very strict in mexico! I understand that shouldnt be drunk when getting married but sure a couple of glasses be okay (hopefully) think would be too nervous completely sober:-) we going for site visit in may so will ask wc then but dont want to seem like raging alcoholics!!!

Hi, I have just read from a bride-to-be that they were not allowed to drink any alcohol in Cancun before the wedding ceremony which i was very surprised about!!! can anyone confirm if this is true I was hoping to have a couple of glasses of champagne to settle the nerves whilst getting ready! Thanks

Hi, I am having a civil ceremony wedding in Cancun and have read somewhere else that the Justice of the Peace does not give you vows to say and repeat... Can anyone confirm if this is the case? I assumed it would be the same as at home where the justice of the peace says the vows and then you repeat them back? Any help very much appreciated!

Hi, I am planning a Royal Cancun wedding for May 2011, we live in the United Kingdom so are visiting the resort next year to book everything and see the venue. I have been dealing with the wedding sales person to get initial information -Carole. Sometimes she responds quickly and sometimes not. Do you think I would be better getting in touch with Kimberly to organise site visit - if so, could you give me her email address? As we are planning it from such a long distance makes me a bit anxious so be great to get any info/tips!

Quote: Originally Posted by super19 Hello - I received this information today and thought I would share. It has some of the a la carte costs on it. I hope you find it helpful. For some reason, the forum will not let me open this document. Any ideas how I can open it? Says I do not have permisson :-(

Quote: Originally Posted by jesmcan Hi Ladies, I missed the webinad so thank you to all of you who informed us. I did not know that centerpieces were included, that is great news Also just to re-iterate to put everyones minds at ease I know for a fact from another bride who was married at The Royal that any guests staying at The Royal, Gran Porto or Real are free and do not have to pay for passes to come to the ceremony, cocktail hour (as long as it is private) and reception. I was bummed about the one menu choice to Hi, if guests are not staying at one of the Real Resorts, then do you need to pay for guests to attend the ceremony and reception? Is this on top of the cost for their dinner and drinks? Also, i would quite like a few of my friends to come up to my room whilst I am getting ready, would i have to pay for this? Thanks

Hi, We are thinking of Cancun, mainly because we would like the nightlife. we are going to go to Cancun in May to visit the Royal so might venture to PDC also to check it out.