rach2011

$48/pp over the 20.

We used Edgar 2 weeks ago for our wedding and he did a good job. If you send him a list of songs in advance he will make sure he has them. Otherwise, he has a fairly large selection and kept the party going. We also brought our iPod and could play off that whenever we wanted. You should be happy with him. The only thing I would caution you on is that if you are getting the lit dance floor, get specific dimensions. The one we received was too small. Good luck!

We did not have to pay for a day pass for him since he is considered an approved vendor. We actually met him the day we arrived. We were talking to Ana about the issues with the DJ we were supposed to have (reviews we read) and she said, well I have another DJ, he is here, would you like to meet him? And that is how that happened.

We were married at DRC on Feb 20 and I promise that we will one day write a longer review, but in the spirit of getting some basics out, here goes some key bullets: We had 35 guests (25 adults, 10 kids) and Ana was our Wedding Coordinator. In the weeks leading up to the wedding, I was as stressed as possible because of the lack of communication with the resort. However, just like every other bride that has posted a review afterwards, I will attest that they really come through in the end and make just about everything go smoothly. Ana was great to work with and was always readily available to meet once we arrived. She had some great additional ideas that we had not considered before. They really know what they are doing and you have to trust them. While this is hopefully the only wedding you will have, she does hundreds a year and you have to trust that she knows what she is doing. The fact that she does hundreds a year also explains why she is not as responsive as we as brides may like when our wedding is 6 months away. Again, our only wedding to worry about while she has 100 or more to take care of before ours. In summary, my advice is to relax, be calm, and trust that she will make your day incredible. We used Barbara Hylton from DestinationWeddings.com as our Travel Agent. I would recommend using a TA because if you have any issues along the way, they sometimes have more clout and you can escalate with them. We booked hotel and air through here and did not get transfers. We flew in on Wednesday, Feb 16 and most of our guests arrived the next day. Almost everyone came from Houston on Continental. Just about everyone was booked in Preferred Club Ocean View rooms and they were very nice. We had 3 couples, us included, book in Honeymoon Suites. The hotel was overbooked during our stay, so we were not given an upgrade, nor was my fiancee given the complimentary room the night before the wedding. I used Cancun Transportation Services (CTS) for all of my transfers, plus 2 additional excursions I arranged. I received quotes from 3 different places and they were the cheapest. They did a great job and were always exactly where they needed to be when they were supposed to. At one point I had forgotten to communicate a change in travel plans for one of my guest and they called me from the airport to confirm. We arranged two private excursions for our guests. The first was a day trip to Tulum and then Playa del Carmen for shopping. We have been to the area numerous times, with and without kids, and feel completely comfortable going around. We chartered a bus from CTS and hired a tour guide at the Tulum ruins. The second excursion was a 2 hour sunset sailing cruise through Paradise Catamarans in Puerto Aventuras. We did not opt to have food on the boat but did have an open bar. This was a great experience and I would highly recommend if your budget can accommodate. Again, chartered a bus so it was very easy getting people around. The DJ situation seems to be in constant flux. Ana was aware that DJ Neri had received horrible reviews in his first outing and was already prepared to make a change. We instead used a DJ from AVI (resort knows them). He did a good job and had most of the songs requested. He had provided us his e-mail in advance and would have had any other special songs we requested, but time got away from us. I brought my iPod and every now and then we would play something from it. Our guests enjoyed it and kept dancing all night. My only complaint was that the lit dance floor was SMALL. If you are interested in getting a lit floor, ask for specific dimensions. Spa was excellent. My fiancee (now husband) and I received a couples massage on our first day, and then I went with a group of the ladies for another massage and some other treatments. I had Fernando and Julius for my hair and makeup. Very, very pleased. They came to the resort and did it, along with my bridesmaids, in my room. We brought our own photographer and I am VERY happy from the initial photographs we have seen. I'll post a slideshow later, but we used AllisonAvenue.net. We also had the resort photographer for the ceremony and they did a nice job also. OOT bags - we included CD's with a themed soundtrack, cameras, sudoku and crossword puzzle books, koozies, survival/hangover kits, keycard/tip money holders, pashminas for the ladies and hats for the guys. Young girls received embroidered makeup bags with lotions and lip gloss. I used Allurements by Rebecca for the passport invitations, the survival kit tops, escort cards, table numbers, OOT bag tags, keycard/tip money holders as well as personalized thank you notes to my mother, mother-in-law and sister/sister-in-laws. She was FANTASTIC to work with and I can't say enough great things about her. She is truly amazing and her creativity and flexibility with her work was a pleasure to work with. That is enough for now. Let me know what specific questions anyone has, and as I said, I'll post some pics once they are completed.

We are using CANCUN TRANSPORTATION SERVICES. I received quotes from 3 different vendors and they had the best pricing. Actually, they originally had the best airport transfers but were a little more expensive on a couple other excursions I wanted, so I negotiated with them and they brought their prices down. The contact person was Patricia rodriguez at [email protected].

If you all can have some patience, we are getting married on Feb 20th and are using the new house DJ, Mauricio Neri. We are also getting the light up dance floor for 30 people and will be able to provide a review of the size. Also, I was complaining last week about the complete lack of communication. Well, in the days following, I probably exchanged 5 e-mails with Ana and she even instigated a conference call. It seems like every other review is correct and they pull it all together towards the end.

Our wedding is on Feb 20, so less than 3 weeks!! The resort pricing for a DJ is $300/hr. Outside DJ's cost a good bit less, but then you have whatever fees the resort dreams up today for using an outside vendor (was $500, now it may be considerably cheaper), and that is only if the outside vendor is "approved". I basically think that means the outside vendor has to agree to pay the resort some amount of money for the right to work at the resort. Anyway, the price difference and the fact that they are making these changes so close to our date is why the WC is trying to throw in extras to entice me to use their vendor.

Haven't decided completely about the DJ. They offered the lit dance floor for free, but you are right, it looks small if those are the pictures on FB. I asked how large it was and am awaiting on an answer. If the size is acceptable, I may use the resort DJ.

One thing to add is that this time of year, the beach bar closes at 6pm, so think of that when planning the schedule.

We are in the final stages of planning and I will tell you that Ana had no problem letting us forego the cocktail hour and applying the credit ($26/per * 20 people) towards our dinner. We will have people meet at the beach bar and drink from there while we take pictures. While we couldn't get credit for the Mexican trio that is part of the package, so they will just set up by the bar and play there.

Beginning this year, Dreams revised their contracts with external vendors. Apparently the new contract was a bad deal for some vendors and Doremixx refused to sign, and therefore cannot provide services at DRC anymore. Not sure what his direct rates where because previously you had to book through the resort and pay their $300/hr rate. DJ Molina from Mood Event Services is also supposed to be good and he quoted me $650 for up to 5 hours (same price for anything less). The resort is trying to push their new preferred DJ. I haven't read any reviews on him yet, but we are likely going to use him. They are making some concessions to make it appealing.

Thanks, and yes, I am glad the day is almost here. We are having 35 guests. We are bringing down all of our OOT stuff, as well as various decorations for the tables. We actually got the pricing on centerpieces today and my fiancee said we can buy the stuff here, buy a suitcase, haul it all down there and still end up cheaper, PLUS we still own it. So, we may be bringing more :-) Haha, if we could only pack a DJ.

Steve and Amy 2/04/2011 Tara & Andy 2/10/11 rscherle- 2/19/2011 Rachel & Kevin - 2/20/2011 saymyname74- 3/5/2011 Kerry & Gary - 4/8/2011 Melissa & Michael - 4/22/11 Dawn & Jimmy - 4/30/2011 Lisa & Andrew - 5/6/11 Ursula & Matt - 5/7/2011 Melissa & Nathanael 5/8/11 Winter & Steven - 5/10/2011 Leanne & Adam 5/14/2011 Lauren & Brian 05/25/2011 Sharon & Josh 7/17/2011 Colleen & Clint 7/19/11 Lindsay & Frank 7/23/11 Ivelisse & Steve 10/28/11

I am glad to hear that some people are beginning to have better communication with the resort WC's, but that seems to be on a case by case basis depending on who you have as a WC. We have Ana and are having long delays in responses. Oh, and by the way, our wedding is in less than 3 weeks (Feb 20). If it weren't for all of the reviews stating how this is basically par for course, meaning that communication is horrendous up front and then they miraculously pull it all together in the end, I would be worried. Sigh…why does it have to be so difficult? But I guess I have to remember that one of the reasons that we chose a destination wedding was so we wouldn’t have to plan for months and months and months. We are arriving on Feb 16th, so hopefully we will have plenty of time to put it together. If they would just resolve this darn DJ situation! Anyway, 19 days and counting.

I hope your wedding went perfectly!!!