Msredd’s Moon Palace Review-May 15, 2011

  Well ladies, it is my turn to write my review. I must admit it is bittersweet…the end of a year long road of planning and sharing ideas with all of you lovely women. Also a big thank you to Tammy, the mods and the past brides again. I have borrowed so many great ideas from past brides that I can’t remember them all. I am paying all the info and templates that I borrowed from here forward.

  My fiancee’ and I  have been together since 1989. We have 3 children together, ages 21,20 and 10. You can say we were highschool sweethearts. Needless to say we have discussed marriage many times over the years. He presented me with my engagement ring for Christmas 10 yrs ago, while I was pregnant with our youngest son. It wasn’t a fancy proposal, just knew we would get married one of these days. I never wanted to get married unless I could have the kind of wedding I wanted and with 3 children, we could not afford that type of wedding here. This is the reason we decided on a destination wedding, it combined a family vacation with a wedding that I could not afford to have at home.

 

Summary:

Miami Coordinator: Jennifer Gamboa

On-Site Wedding Coordinator: Daniela

Travel Agent: Teresa Stauring of Vacations 4 Less

Room Block: Nizuc

Wedding Week : May 11-May17

Honeymoon:  May 17- May 22 @ Grand Sunset Princess (Swim Up Suite)

Welcome Dinner:  May 14- Arrecifes Restaurant 6PM

Ceremony: May 15 @ Tucan Gazebo 5PM

Cocktail Hour:  5:30PM @ Tucan Garden

Reception: 6:30PM @ Tucan Terrace

Wedding Stationary and Monogram: Rebecca of Allurements by Rebecca

Florist: Marvin of Maya Disneo Cancun (outside vendor)

Bridal Hair: Doranna Debertolli (outside vendor)

Bridal Makeup: Lorena James (outside vendor)

Photographers: Photos in Cancun (outside vendor)

DJ: Ricardo and Benji of Discomovil (outside vendor)

Guests: Bride and Groom + 23

The Resort: B

  I had been to Moon Palace for a convention 6 yrs ago and loved it. While researching resorts in Mexico for our wedding, I found Moon Palace offered nice wedding packages and options and also really good incentives with group bookings. We also really liked the resort’s vacation dollars promotion.

  I filled out an online request for our date, and was contacted by their Miami office within a few days. A few days later, we sent back our contract and our date was secured.

Check-In: A

  We arrived around 1pm May 11. We were all greeted with a cool great smelling towel a flower and asked what kind of drink we wanted, and they brought it to us. Check in was easy, we used our vacation dollars to upgrade to concierge level. Since we were early, our room was not  ready. We went to book our excursions while we waited. By the time we were done, our room was ready and our bags were delivered with us in the cart drive to our room. The lobby and grounds are a little dated when compared to some other Riviera Maya resorts. Don’t get me wrong it was nice, but it could use some decorating updates.

Room: B

  Our room was beachfront and nice, but since we were on Nizuc side right next to the Grand side…we didn’t have hammocks ( a lil disappointed). While we were at dinner the first night the resort delivered a cute small heartshaped cake and champagne to our room. They also left a rose and a just married banner across the bed. It was a nice touched but they put the banner there Wednesday nite and our wedding was on Sunday..lol. Concierge level has 24 hr room service, 2 free 25 min massages, L’Occitane toiletries and a few other perks. Sidenote: The steak delivered with room service is outstanding.

 

Wedding Coordinator Meeting: Daniela-A

  I had my meeting with Daniela on May 12 at 10 am. She had all of our correspondence to date and all my choices. She went over all of them and a few other things. This is when I gave her our 4 big pieces of luggage filled with decorations and favors. I went over each item and what I wanted done with all of it, while she made a list. We also went over seating for our guests and how I wanted the reception tables set up. I also left her my dress for steaming, the meeting took about 1 and ½ hrs.

Décor: (we brought these items with us)

50 Hot pink organza chair sashes-25 for ceremony and 25 for reception

6 hot pink organza table overlays

25 hot pink linen napkins

12 red votive holders

12 LED votives

Mini starfish- to scatter on tables

Table numbers in frames

Cake cutter and server

25 Pink Sandalwood frames- to be placed on each ceremony seat

Freeze dried rose petals from Flyboynaturals.com in pink and red

Rose petal cones to be hung on each chair

2 pink and 2 red parasols

Sand Frame and red and pink sand

2 glass bottles for sand

3 large and 2 small candy buffet jars with tongs and scoops

Candy for Buffet

Bags for candy buffet

Collapsible Basket to hold flip flops

23 pair of flip flops

Frame with Flip Flop Sign

Reserved signs for mother of the bride and groom seats

Menus

Candle Favors

Mini-Maracas with attached place cards

Sand Tray for maracas

Guestbook and guestbook sign

Starfish Pen Holder and pen

I DO wooden letters

2 pink LOVE wooden letters

Acrylic Ice vase filler

12 Pink submersible floralytes

Ribbon for my bouquet and his bout

 

Contact with Wedding Coordinator: C

  Within a few weeks of sending back our signed wedding contract, our onsite coordinator Cristina N. Suarez contacted me via email with a introductory note and some info like flowers, cakes, menus etc. By this time I had already found this forum, so I wasn’t expecting such a quick response from my onsite coordinator, but was pleasantly surprised.  I was able to secure our ceremony, cocktail hr, and reception sites within a few weeks of her initial email. We decided to go with the complimentary package since you can’t change anything in the other packages. We had a site visit with Cristina in July 2010 and chose our bouquet, bout and cake at that time. 3-4 months prior to our wedding, I received a reply email from Daniela. She stated that she will be taking over for Cristina because she will be out and they were not sure of her return. I wasn’t too happy about that because I was happy and comfortable with Cristina, but what could I do. I made sure that Daniela had all of our locations and choices on record, and she did. She wasn’t as responsive as Cristina with emails, but in the end..everything turned out great.

Wedding Package:

  We decided to go with the complimentary package since the other packages didn’t allow any substitutions. I am really glad we did, I was very happy with the way everything turned out and luckily didn’t have any problems with my outside vendors. We ended up only having 50 room nights with our group contract which gave us a free cocktail hour and 2 free nights. Luckily, they just subtracted the 2 room nights off of my final bill for our stay, so I didn’t have to wait for a refund. They also did not charge me for our cocktail hour. We decided not to upgrade our cake since we had a small candy buffet and other deserts included with our menu and our guest count was small.

Here is a list of our add-ons:

Centerpieces, also used as altar decorations ($55x2): $110

Dress Pressing: $36

Private Reception for 23 guests: $800 (They charge $400 per table of 10)

1 Hour Extension of Reception: $120

Horse Drawn Carriage: $130

Wedding Website:

I created our wedding website for free on My Wedding.com. It took a few days, but I was pleased with the outcome. I was hoping more of our guests would check back frequently for updates, but most didn’t. However, everyone did visit the site and some signed the guestbook. We included our website address in our STDs and our invites.

www.mywedding.com/robertandyolonda

 

 

Excursions and Vacation Dollars promotion: A

  One of the reasons we chose Moon Palace was because of the vacation dollars program. For each room booked for 5 nights, that room would be credited with $1500 vacation dollars to be used on certain excursions, spa and a few other things within the resort. As soon as we checked in, we went to the activities desk to book our excusions. We booked Xel-Ha, Jungle Tour, and Swimming with the Dolphins at Wet n Wild. Xel-Ha was not included in the vacation dollars. We used some of our dollars for a room upgrade and also a couples lobster dinner. We also booked hair and makeup at the spa for the bridal party and a couples massage. I also got a pedicure the morning of our wedding. We also booked a limo ride to the airport for our children’s and mothers return flight. We used the remaining money to bring home a few Cuervo tequila sets.

  We liked Xel-Ha, but didn’t love it but, it was a nice experience. We snorkeled in the lagoon,tubed down the lazy river and ate at 2 of the restaurants.  We loved the jungle tour and swimming with the dolphins, although the picture packages were a bit expensive. Wet n Wild is really small and only has about 5 or 6 rides. We went on a few and stayed in the wave pool until we left to go back to the resort. Transportation is not included with the jungle tour or wet n wild, you have to pay separately.

  We had a problem with them charging everything to our room when we had 2 other rooms with the last name. Luckily, I found this out 2 days before our wedding and had it resolved before then. My bill was over $800 more than it should have been. Although it took at least 1 ½  days for them to resolve it with a lot of back and forth. They never offered an apology or did anything to make up for it. I felt like I should have been treated a lil better during that situation considering we had made the resort a nice chunk of money with our group and wedding. Because of the way they went about it and how they made me feel, I don’t think I would return. I may visit another Palace resort but not that one.

 

The Spa: A

  I had booked all our hair, makeup and massage appts. via email with the spa about 2 months in advance. I didn’t want to take a chance of not having availability. 3 people in our group got their hair done in the salon on the Nizuc side and 1 also got makeup. They did a good job with everyone’s hair, they just used pics from the books there. The makeup was nice, just a lil dark on the eyebrows..but that was easily fixed. The couples massage was nice and relaxing, but they didn’t tell us to come early to use the sauna or hydrotherapy services…so we didn’t use it. They gave us the option to use it afterward, but we had dinner plans. My pedicure was great and lasted longer than they usually do, I was impressed.

 

Restaurants: A

  We were running around so much between meeting up with guests and excursions that we didn’t get to try as many restaurants as we would have liked. Our welcome dinner was at Arrecifes on the terrace and was absolutely wonderful. We also ate at Momohana on the Sunrise side, I had eaten here during my last stay so I knew the food was great and it didn’t disappoint. Other than that, we either ordered room service or went to El Manglar buffet. I have no complaints about any of the food, although the non buffet restaurants were better..all the food was good.

Welcome Dinner: AA+++

  We had our welcome dinner the night before the wedding. I would have preferred to have it 2 nights earlier, but planned it Sat night because some guests were supposed to just come for the weekend. In the end, those guests didn’t have the money to book and everyone who did come arrived Wednesday or Thursday. In retrospect, I could have asked that the day be changed, but the welcome dinner info was in everyone’s invites and pre travel brochures so I wasn’t sure if I should change it or not. The terrace was not ready when we arrived, they said they thought that we would be dining inside. When I informed them that I had the terrace booked for months, they quickly sent over the manager. He asked me how everything was going and I told him not so great because I had all those issues with the vacation dollar billing. He said he was sorry and that he would do everything in his power to make me happy. He told me they would have the terrace ready in 5 mins. When they were finished setting up, he came to me and said: “Well it took 8 mins. not 5”, but everything is ready and if I need anything else to let him know. He then escorted our group to the terrace that was set up beautifully. We had our own wait staff and all of them were wonderful. They made special drinks for the children and totally catered to us. We ended up occupying the terrace until closing and they served us drinks all the while with a smile. Everyone tipped them well. It was definitely one of the highlights of our stay! The food was great too..even the deserts.

Bridal Hair: AA+++++

  I am extremely picky when it comes to my hair and I knew that if I didn’t like my hair that I would not feel like a beautiful bride. I decided not to take a chance with the spa and booked Doranna DeBertolli after reading some threads about her here and going to her website. I listed her as a guest with our coordinator and bought her a day pass. Doranna arrived on my wedding day at 1pm on the date and we met her in the lobby and took her to our room. Doranna has a great personality and made me feel very comfortable with her. I was supposed to do a trial with her 2 days before the wedding, but I cancelled it because I couldn’t fit it in our schedule. I notified her via email and she was great about it. Doranna quickly got to work. I didn’t have the pics I took down with me, because I accidentally left them in1 of the suitcases I left with the coordinator. She looked at my dress and showed me her idea in the mirror with my hair so I could get an idea of what she meant. My hair is short and I originally wanted an updo, but wasn’t sure if it could be done. Doranna had my hair done in about an hour and it was spectacular, I didn’t have to touch it or ask her to change anything. Even when my own hairdresser does my hair I have to fix it, but not with Doranna. I can’t say enough great things about her, she was a godsend and helped to make me feel like a beautiful bride!

Makeup:

  My photographer’s asst. Lorena James does makeup and gave me a great price. She asked me for a pic of myself so she can get some ideas prior to arriving. Later the same day, Lorena emailed me a few inspiration pics to choose from and I did. I conveyed to hair that I wanted a natural look and that is what she delivered. She also brought and applied the best eyelashes. She was very sweet and accommodating. Again, I didn’t have to change a thing. I can’t say enough great things about Lorena.

Florist: Marvin of Maya Disneo and Moon Palace- A+

  I sent the coordinator an inspiration pic of the centerpiece that I wanted and it came out great. We used the free bouquet and bout in our package and they were beautiful beyond belief. The colors were so vibrant and perfect. I provided the ribbon for the bouquet and bout and it all matched perfectly.

  I contacted Marvin a few months before the wedding for bridal party bouquets, bouts and corsages for the moms and explained what I wanted. I wanted real flowers and didn’t want to pay Moon Palace prices that were at least double of what Marvin charged me.Within a few days Marvin sent me these pics and they were perfect. He delivered them on time to our lobby without any problem. I also ordered a throw away bouquet from him..again..perfect.

 

Photographer: Photos In Cancun- AA++

  I have already gave them a review on the forum, I am attaching the link… but they were great and met all my expectations. Derek  and Lorena were always responsive with all my questions and emails and gave me a great price for all day coverage of my wedding day with all my images on CDs delivered to us before we left Mexico.  I am waiting for the edits of 100 pics of my choice. They captured everything on my wedding night and didn’t miss a thing. We are very happy with our choice of photographers.We booked them a night because of the no outside vendor rule.These pics are unedited.

 

TTD: Gonzalo Nunez

 We did a TTD with Gonzalo the day after our wedding in Puerto Morelos. I can't grade them yet because we haven't received them yet. We should be getting them in about 2 more weeks. We did our epics with Gonzalo in NYC and love him and his work is beautiful. We have gotten so many compliments on his photos. He is friendly and fun to be around. I will post a review as soon as we receive them.

 

DJ: Discomovil: Ricardo and Benji- A+

  I wanted a DJ, but I wasn’t about to pay $1400 for 4 hrs of DJ that I heard wasn’t any good. I began contacting all the other DJs I could find in the area and found the best deal with Ricardo. The reviews that I did find on them were good and the price was right, so I booked them. Because of the no outside vendor rule, I booked Ricardo and Benji a room for the night. A few days before the we left for Mexico, I emailed Ricardo a huge playlist. They showed up on time and were playing just about all the songs from my playlist. They made all the necessary announcements at the right time with good English. They were friendly and wonderful!

 

Wedding Ceremony: A

  Daniela came to pick me up a few mins before our ceremony with my beautiful bouquet. The horse and carriage were waiting a very short distance outside my room. My mother and I boarded the carriage and had a short wait until Daniela gave him the signal via radio. Strangers snapping pictures and making comments..it was sweet but a lil embarrassing. I LOVED the carriage ride…made me feel like a princess. It is so worth it! I was able to ride past the Tucan Terrace where Daniela had everything set up beautifully…my vision come to life. As we approached the gazebo I heard one of the songs from the CD I gave to Daniela to play. It was beautiful.

 

  We had our symbolic ceremony at the Tucan Gazebo at 5pm. We were legally married in the court house a few weeks before leaving and didn’t tell anyone.I bought down organza sashes for the guests chairs and engraved sandalwood fans that were left on each chair. I also provided petal cones made by Rebecca that were hung on each chair. We used our centerpieces for the altar decorations to save money. We also provided the sand frame and sand for our sand ceremony. Daniela set up everything beautifully. The provided a tan aisle runner. The justice of the peace was nice and friendly and spoke good English. We provided Daniela our vows at our meeting and he read them perfectly. He had a lil accent but was perfectly understandable. The ceremony lasted about 30 mins and then we went to the cocktail hour. My only issue was that I provided 2 glass bottles for the sand, but she only used 1 and left the pink sand in the container it came in.

 

 

Cocktail Hour:A

  Our cocktail hour started at 5:30pm in the Tucan Garden. I believed we chose the superior menu and everything tasted good. They had a full bar set up there with premium alcohol. I didn’t get to taste everything because we spent most of cocktail hour taking pics with the photographers. The cocktail hour was free with our group benefits.

Reception:AA+++

  I had originally booked the rooftop Carribean Terrace on the Grand side for our reception. Spending was getting way out of hand so I changed it To the Tucan Terrace (which was my 1^st choice) just prior to leaving for Mexico. I would have had to pay at least $300 more set up fee for that terrace and another $150 to the DJ to bring extra equipment. I am so glad I did, the Tucan Terrace is beautiful and right in front of the ocean. It was also very close to our room which came in handy as they did not offer us a hospitality room. Daniela did a wonderful job with set up…it was absolutely gorgeous…better than what I envisioned. Everyone commented on how beautiful it turned out. We chose the Italian menu and the food was better than ususal. I had Daniela special order Crème de Cacao for our signature drink and it was there as promised. They made our signature drink and a server went around and served them. She also set up a small candy buffet with the things I provided her. She set it up at the desert table which was really cute. She set up a small table at the entrance with our guestbook and placecard tray, as well as our flip flop basket which was on the ground next to it with it’s sign. She placed all the menus in the napkins as requested and placed a favor at each place setting. We went with the cake included in our package and decided not to upgrade because we only had 23 guests. I chose the cake I wanted and asked that the white chocolate shells be painted pink…it came out really cute. The only issue I had with the reception was that I got a chocolate cake when I requested a strawberry one, but it tasted good so it didn’t bother me. I was so satisfied with the wedding department, they almost made up for how the resort made me feel. My wedding was better than I ever imagined. The coordinators are great…Don’t stress ladies…they take care of everything.