A la Playa

Oh LeAnne, bless your heart! Well, congratulations and good luck on your upcoming marriage...regardless of the circumstances it should be a happy time for you. Don't let this drama over shadow it. That being said........if you have the fight in you, DON'T give up yet! Appeal the decision to the next higher level. File a grievance. Tell them that you were given false information (i.e. you were told your docs were covered) when you enrolled. ....bring out the words, "Insurance Commissioner" Too many people give up too easily because there are so many hoops to go through and there is so much paperwork to fill out--but that's how they weed out so many people that aren't willing to fight for what they deserve. If it were me, I'd probably just get married. ;-) But it makes me angry when I hear about the way you've been treated. Good luck, sweetie. Let me know if I can help!

Look at you ladies go with your song lists and everything all mapped out!! I'm so proud of you! I'm a total bridal failure when it comes to these details since we've had to switch venues......I'm sooo running out of time. Does anyone have recommendations for a photographer? Pics are really important to me, but anyone who is good is almost surely booked up already. Please help!!

You poor thing. That is a bad situation that you are in, no matter how you look at it. I say that you do whatever is necessary to take care of yourself. You are a priority right now--Remember that! I am actually a health insurance agent, and I was just having this exact conversation with some of my coworkers today (whether or not you should get married earlier to take your spouse's benefits). It's a very real possibility. One thing that I wonder about your enrollment in the HMO is that you say you live in CT, and the plan only covers doctors in NYC. Normally HMOs only allow people to enroll in the plan if they reside within the service area. Have you tried arguing the fact that you shouldn't have been able to enroll in the plan in the first place since you live in CT and there aren't any providers there? (Or is CT still within their service area--as messed up as that would be?) Good luck! Ashley

Thanks, Tammy! Great info!

That's a good point. It makes me wonder if TA's are compensated differently for group contracts vs. booking by the ones. Any of the wonderful TAs on here care to answer that one? Not that it makes any difference--I'm just curious if the commission structure is different.

You're not alone, Luciel! These are the details that keep me awake at night! Lol

I may be competely Type A, but I always pack my packing list so that I can go back over it before I leave the resort and ensure that I haven't forgotten anything important, i.e. my camera or my important documents I might have hidden in a drawer somewhere.

Quote: Originally Posted by SouthernSweetie My fiance's personal advice to us brides: be very careful about your baggage weight restrictions. He sees people who have to pay enormous fees for exceeding the weight limitations or have to leave things behind EVERYDAY. He also says that kindness and smiles go a VERY long way. Quietly mention that you are headed to your wedding/honeymoon and ask if there are any special accommodations that might be available, like a bump up to First or Business Class. (Most of the time only the gate agent, not the ticket counter agent, has this power.) If they oblige you, don't make a fuss over it because you are getting a free favor that another passenger may have offered to pay for and it just gets messy from there. Happy Creative Packing and I hope that this helps! Thanks for the wonderful info, SouthernSweetie! (Thanks to your FI, too!) That is all valuable information! When FI and I fly together we always try to ask for exit row seats since he's 6'4", but I wouldn't have even thought to ask if they have special accommodations since it our wedding trip. You are so right about being genuinely kind and sweet....courtesy goes very far, especially when someone is doing a job where they often don't receive the praises they deserve!

Quote: Originally Posted by mp1122 Wow, I can't believe they overbooked your wedding! I'm so sorry! You are better off though, you don't need to be stressing about things like that before your wedding! How i said the chapel itself is nice, but there is just too much going on all around it! Thankfully after the whole ordeal we left to playa del carmen and it was so nice and traquil I was able to relax and forget about Gran Caribe and Lorena! Everything happens for a reason! Like Tammy said, it's better to have the bad stuff happen now, before you get locked in with them and can't go somewhere else. Glad you got to go to Playa! We'll consider ourselves lucky! ;-)

I'm so sorry to hear about the way you and your FI were treated. There is no excuse for that! Hopefully you were able to enjoy other parts of your trip to Cancun? Thank you for posting this. My FI and were scheduled to get married at the Gran Caribe in the chapel this June until the hotel overbooked the week of our wedding (we just found out 2 weeks ago). We have since moved our wedding to the chapel at the El Dorado Royale. I was really bummed because I wanted to be married in the glass chapel, but your review of it's location makes me feel a little less sad! Good luck with your wedding at Moon Palace!!

Thanks for all the encouragement and information. Without all you BDWer's I would simply be lost! Like Tammy said, even though we sent out STDs with booking info more than six months in advance and invites over 4 months in advance, you can't make everyone book their trips until they are ready to do so.....so this is the risk that you run into if you don't do a group block of rooms. Lesson learned. We have actually had to switch locations to the EDR, which is where we were going to spend our honeymoon. This time we have secured a group rate and blocked rooms! Knowledge is power!! Although things could be much worse, it's still not the ideal situation b/c now the property where we're getting married is significantly more expensive for our guests than the property where we were originally getting married (Gran Caribe Real), so for those guests who have already booked I am going to have to pay the difference for them to upgrade to the EDR. I just don't feel right asking them to cough up more money for their trips that they have already paid for since there was a major screw up which was partially our fault. However, I'm just thankful to have found a hotel to move everything with just 3 months' notice! I also have to give major props to my mom and fmil for helping me manage this stress and spending hours on the phone with me to get through all this craziness.

Quote: Originally Posted by cross El Dorado Royale has several locations that are on the beach. Maybe you can ask them which ones are available so that you can get married on the beach. When were there we looked at all of them, but Baglover21 is right about Gazebo 55 being the best. We picked it as well. The chapel is pretty too, but it is very enclosed compared to what you are describing at the other resort, and the altar actually does not face the beach. Only the doors leading in and out of it face the water. Hope this helps! Thanks for the info, Cross. My FI and I compromised when we started planning our wedding: we could do a DW as long as it was recognized by the Catholic church. Unfortunately, the church has very strict rules on getting married outside. They only recognize a marriage if it's done inside a church. Not necessarily something I agree with, but it's something that we've settled upon to appease him and his fam. Although, with the hassle of the paperwork and classes involved, I am ready to throw my hands in the air and say "forget about the Catholic wedding." I believe you are just as married to one another and that God can bless your marriage whether you are married outside or inside a church as long as you are doing it with love in your hearts. Off my soapbox...... ;-)

Hello, Baglover21! Glad to be here! And yes, it is crunch time--for sure. Lol. I have gotten more information from this thread alone than I could've imagined asking my TA or WC. I'm supposed to have a call setup with Valeria next week, so hopefully we'll have some things ironed out by then. I really would've loved to have gotten married on the beach--that's why I was so excited about the glass chapel at the Gran Caribe, but my FI is very Catholic, so here we are.

I would like some honest feedback on this too. I've heard mixed reviews on this from people. I know that it's definitely not the ideal "white sand, swim beach" that we're used to at some of the other hotels we've stayed at in Cancun, and I'm well aware that there are plenty of "whales" in the water to break up the waves. However, my FI is concerned that our guests who are looking forward to lounging on the beach will be disappointed with the quality at EDR. Any thoughts?? Surely with a resort that covers nearly a mile of beach, there has to be parts of it that range from decent to pretty good.

Hi Kathleen! Happy planning! You will find so much information on this site...it has been a lifesaver for me! I'm sorry to hear about your problems with your TA. I'm getting married at EDR on June 25, 2010! So far, booking travel and dealing with the TA has definitely been the most stressful part of the planning process, but you have come to the right place. ;-)

Hey everybody! Thought I would introduce myself as an EDR bride now! My fi and I just had to switch locations for our wedding last week when we found out that the Gran Caribe Real had overbooked the resort the week of our wedding, and we still had several guests that needed rooms. We were planning on spending our honeymoon at the EDR, but it looks like now we'll be there the whole time. I'm trying to roll with the punches, but since we're only 3 months out, I'm kinda stressed since. It really feels like we're starting from scratch after planning for everything at a different resort. Has anyone been married in the chapel at the EDR? We were planning on doing the Catholic wedding in the all glass chapel at the Gran, which is really the only thing that I'm disappointed about having to move. It will all workout though...hopefully!

Maureen, she didn't explain the differences in the booking processes. She just booked each trip seperately as it came through. I'll certainly share the blame; I just wish that I had at least been better educated. She has had several people inquire, and she has yet to respond to many of them, which has been the most frustrating part. I have had to call her and ask her if she heard from "so and so" to remind her to call them back. She has said at least three times that she will start sending me a list with those who have booked, and she has never sent me one. I'm trying to give her the benefit of the doubt (and send her Business!), but I really feel like she's not meeting my expectations. I'm really not trying to be a bridezilla--All I'm asking is that you stop telling me you are going to do x,y, and z....if you only intend to do half of x. Is that too much to ask?

Sheree, she specializes in destination weddings, which is why I selected her after she was highly recommended by my realtor. Thanks for the information, TA Jill. She never explained any of this to me--I have been relying on her to explain these things, which is why I brought my business to her. I understand that my ignorance is not an excuse for what has happened, but she is the expert. As a commissioned sales agent myself, I understand how important it is to provide full disclosure because most of the time, the devil is in the details. When she implied that she was "watching availability" for our dates, I assumed it meant that she had blocked a certain number of rooms for the anticipated number of guests. She never mentioned blocking rooms as an option, or that the hotel could potentially book up 3 and 1/2 months in advance if we didn't do anything. Hindsight is 20/20! I guess the most disheartening thing is that I was the one to bring it to her attention that the resort was full, and she didn't even realize it. Now we and our guests are scrambling to fix things. I did just get an email response from her that she has put in a call to the booking mgr at the hotel and she will see what they can work out. Supposed to hear from her tomorrow--Will cross my fingers!

I appreciate all the advice given on these forums, and I've been a longtime lurker...so now comes the time that I have to ask for some much needed advice. FI and I are getting married in the Catholic Chapel at the Gran Caribe Real on 6/25/10. I have been working with a TA since last Sept. She has been helping me (not really as I have been doing all the work) go back and forth with the hotel to schedule the details of the ceremony, etc. As far as the travel details are concerned, I have encouraged all my guests to use her to coordinate travel plans so that if any hitches occur, she can work them out with the resort. I see the benefits of using a TA because I don't want any issues with my guests arriving and the resort trying to bump them to a different hotel, etc. This TA has been less than helpful at times....I have had to remind her over and over again to send me emails with iteneraries, respond to my guests, and rebook my trip so that I get the difference in the price change. However, she has finally dropped the ball to the point that I cannot forgive... I sent out my STD's at the beginning of January giving our guests plenty of notice to contact my TA and check out our website for rates and booking info. I sent out our invites last week again encouraging our guests to book with our TA. I let her know early on that I was mailing out more than 100 invites and we were expecting nearly 50 guests. Only seven people had booked to date. I found out yesterday morning that our resort has NO AVAILABILITY the day before our wedding! She hadn't set aside any rooms for our group or anticipated the amount of rooms that our party would need based on the number of guests we were expecting! She has been out of town since last Thursday, and she responded to my two frantic phone calls with an email asking me how many rooms I thought we would need?? and saying that we still had "options". I told her that having our guests stay at other hotels isn't an option for us--we are inviting them to Cancun to share in our vacation and our wedding with us. She isn't even planning on calling me back until tomorrow! I feel like my hands are tied........what can I do?? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I am a nervous wreck right now!

Hi Everyone! Love the site, and really looking forward to utilizing the great wealth of information that everyone is so generous to offer. I'm Ashley, and I am looking to have my wedding at the beachfront Catholic chapel located at the Gran Caribe Real in Cancun. We are hoping to set the date with the hotel either 6/19/10 or 6/26/10. However, I am having a hard time getting in touch with anyone from the hotel. So we will see..... P.S. It's taken almost nine months for my fiance and I to figure out that we could still do a destination Catholic wedding, so let's hope this works!!