ROYAL PLAYA DEL CARMEN BRIDES: were kids allowed for the day? ...and other questions

[istephiez]

Hello my fellow Royal brides

 

My heart is breaking as I write this e-mail and I guarantee that it won't be my last. I am officially canceling my mexican wedding. I can not deal with the phone calls, e-mails, texts, fights, tears and not knowing what do do feeling anymore. Since the level was raised to 5 it has given us no reason to believe that we can still count on going anymore. There are too many people concerned and we don't want to do it without the 46 people that have committed to going with us. Pushing is also not an option because of the time lost by being a freelancer due to the wedding and the money would be greater if we wait and do it at another time. I just can't afford to go through the lack of work again and also can't guarantee that we could find a date that would work for everyone again.

Our plan B is to goto Key Largo in the Florida Keys because it would give us a beautiful beach, weather, sunset and ability to put everyone at the same hotel thus creating the weekend environment that we had planned in Mexico, as I have said from the beginning it isn't about the wedding day it is about the whole trip and time spent with everyone which we would lose if we do it here in LA.

I am still going to bring my Mexican Fiesta Koozies and gift bags that say May 15th even though I am now getting married on May 16th and I am still doing my starfish and chair bows and fans and having our friend do our ceremony so I know that I can end up with a very special weekend but just not what I wanted. If I wanted to do it this way I would have from the start.....

That being said I need to find a way to get over the loss and move on with the new plan. I told my Fiance that since we aren't doing Mexico we ARE doing a honeymoon even if its got to be paid on a credit card. We are planning to hit Hawaii for a week which I am hoping will make up for some of the things I lose out on in Mexico.

As I said I will still keep coming on here and checking in because I have gotten used to all of your support as well as the feeling of just getting to vent to people who actually can relate to me so I thank you all for listening and for your continued support.

For those of you who are in a similar situation I hope that you can also find a way to make the best of the situation because though it SUCKS it is still your wedding and its now part of your journey in life, its up to you to make it special and move on from it... thats what I keep telling myself anyway....

[~Stephanie~]

Steph- I am so sorry hun. I'm glad you have a plan B but I'm sorry its not what you want. Did the Royal let you cancel? Or did you lose money? Florida is beautiful if you haven't been.. I use to go every year. I won't try sell you on something you don't want to hear but hopefully you still enjoy your time and find some joy in your day. Please continue to keep us posted, we ARE here for you and do want you to continue to vent with us becuase we care about you, and Shannon and all the other brides this has effected. You're still going to be a gorgeous bride- even in Florida!

 

PM me for anything, please!

 

Shannon- are you still checking in... Sweetie please let us know how you are doing, are you ok? (thats a dumb question I guess)

[trentlaw]

I live in Fort Worth, Texas...(no "confirmed" cases of the flu). They just announced they are closing all the schools in Fort Worth down for 2 weeks (80,000 students) just to be on the "safe" side. Let the panic continue!!! My fiance and I were in Playa at the Royal Friday through Monday night. Everything was excellent as we were finallizing everything (and they are about to release new wedding packages...so no future weddings should commit to a package just yet- it will be cheaper). The Cancun airport Monday night was business as usual. No mayhem, riots, or out of control individuals. We did not see ANYBODY wearing masks in the airport either. Tuesday morning, one of the news media reported that there was "absolute chaos" at the Cancun airport the day before with travellers wearing masks, bandanas, and T-shirts over their faces to prevent them from getting the flu- not even close to the truth. It is funny how we have all survived the drug dealers, gun violence, hurricanes (and lions and tigers and bears) to be threatened by a microscopic piece of $hit! It is just not fair and yall are the only ones I can bitch to. We have 144 confirmed for May 23 (and we met with Michelle and she is wonderful). We still do not know what we are going to do.

[Kriswim]

Hey Steph - I am still here!!!!!!!!

Over 1/2 of our wedding guests have canceled. But the wedding will go on! Its so beautiful here we are enjoying ourselves!! Our parents and siblings made so thats the important part. We will just do something small when we get back. I was crying alot yesterday but my wonderful FI reminded me that's its about us getting married and that's what really counts. its a shame that the panic contiunes at home but its out of our control. The hotel has been really great.

Its just a sad sad situation all around. Lots of weddings here have been either canceled or reduced. But ours will still go on. I think if you go on the webcam at 6:30 central time you will see my reception at the Gran porto!!! Who hoo - can't wait.

Steph - your wedding in the Keys will be WONDERFUL!! its so pretty there - great sunsets!!!!!

That's a great back up plan - we might have done something like that if we had more time to think about it but that's ok. Good luck!!!!!!!

[Kriswim]

Hey Steph - I am still here!!!!!!!!

Over 1/2 of our wedding guests have canceled. But the wedding will go on! Its so beautiful here we are enjoying ourselves!! Our parents and siblings made so thats the important part. We will just do something small when we get back. I was crying alot yesterday but my wonderful FI reminded me that's its about us getting married and that's what really counts. its a shame that the panic contiunes at home but its out of our control. The hotel has been really great.

Its just a sad sad situation all around. Lots of weddings here have been either canceled or reduced. But ours will still go on. I think if you go on the webcam at 6:30 central time you will see my reception at the Gran porto!!! Who hoo - can't wait.

Steph - your wedding in the Keys will be WONDERFUL!! its so pretty there - great sunsets!!!!!

That's a great back up plan - we might have done something like that if we had more time to think about it but that's ok. Good luck!!!!!!!

[Kriswim]

Sorry for the double posts! that's really funny about the report about mayhem at the cancun airport on monday were where there monday and it was really really calm. wow no wonder people at home are scared.

[~Stephanie~]

Shannon- So glad you have found the silverlining so-to-speak and it sounds like you are marrying a very caring man that loves you very much. I'm glad that your family is there- enjoy! Can't wait for your full report and of course the gorgeous pictures!

 

Our other Shannon- are you still checking in? How are you?

[violetmal]

Hey everyone!! It's been a while since I have posted, but I have been here in the background reading your posts as they come in via email... Our wedding is coming up July 4th and we have no plans of canceling at this time due to this "swine flu" freakout. We live in Dallas but I am Canadian and my parents and some family are flying down from Canada... my main concern is that airlines in Canada are canceling their flights!! I'm just hoping and praying that this thing calms down before we head out on July 1st... otherwise we may need to consider a Plan B as well... I emailed our photographers in Playa yesterday to see how things were on their end, and they said there have been no reported cases of the swine flu in the Riviera Maya. I also sent an email to my TA this morning so hopefully she can offer some insight into the situation... I have put so much effort into planning this wedding and it would be a shame for it to be canceled!!! I'm sure you all feel the same...

 

Good luck ladies... Stay positive!!!

[ltl_leah]

Hello everyone. I still plan on leaving for Mexico tomorrow morning as planned. Out of the 12 of us that were going, only 2 aren't able to go due to the outbreak. My FH parents both suffer from health problems and the doctor strongly recommended they not go. Luckily, they took out the insurance and will get a refund. It is sad that they can't be there to see us get married.

 

I had a better day yesterday. Still on the fence as to how I feel today.

 

I just got a call from work saying that I can't come back to work for 7 days from when I get back. I'm not entirely mad because I work for the federal govt. and I'm sure it's coming down from DC. I am a bit irritated from it, though. I get to take sick leave, so that's good. Well, I guess I get an extended vacation out of all of this!

 

I reflect on if I should have just kept our original date of Sept. 10, 2009 for our wedding and wonder if things could have been better that way. Then I think, if our wedding was in Sept., we probably have our wedding ruined by a tropical storm or hurricane! I guess I can't win either way. There's no sense in thinking about all the "what ifs".

 

I'm so sorry to hear about all the brides who have cancelled their weddings. My heart goes out to all of you.

 

I was not going to bring my laptop to the resort, but since I know many of you would like to hear what's going on while I'm there, I will bring it along.

 

Good luck to everyone and wish me luck while we're there!

[istephiez]

Hey girls

 

Still checking in with you..I think we are changing our first dance song from "What a wonderful world" to Bob Marley "Don't worry about a thing, cuz every little thing is going to be alright!" thought you'd all get a kick out of that

 

Shannon when this all started going down on Sunday I said that I was pretty level headed thinking that if we were leaving early this week it would likely go on as planned because it would have been too late for anyone to do anything or freak out too much and if we weren't getting married till the end of May it would likely die down by then. Leaving 2 weeks out from when this happened was a fortunate/unfortunate timing to be in because it is right in the mayhem of it yet still have enough time to come up with a back up plan. I knew based on the calls we were getting that even though I was fighting canceling Mexico that it was likely going to be made for me based on the family stuff. I am going to get through the logistics today and then hope to welcome the new location. Somehow I need to wrap my head around the fact that this is the way that it was meant to be but as I go through it I just feel like its the most screwed up thing that has happened to a bride and yet all I can think about is all of you guys and all the the personal situations that you are all dealing with as well. I have never felt so in sync with a group of girls than I have this week with all of you.....I just really hope we can all get through the lows of the circumstances, deal with them emotionally and then put our focus on the positive which is marrying our fiance's

 

Does anyone know what is going on with Shay? She is normally on here posting so many updates and I just feel so bad that she can't go and last I heard she wasn't getting a refund so everything was up in the air...Shay are you out there?

 

Little Leam so sorry with your situation as well but you only live once so take it in stride and have a beautiful wedding

 

Shannon you are going to have a beautiful intimate wedding and marry your wonderful Chris, enjoy and I am still going to look forward to your review and photos!