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

[kellygrrrl]

oh ya, those items are all readily available. you may even want to throw in a cute shell necklace or bracelet. specifically, there's a tequila store on 5th Avenue (Casa Tequila), but from what I remember the small bottles were a bit pricey ($5 - $7?). I ended up winning a full-size bottle of tequila at the Royal because I played blackjack (one of the pool activities) - it turned out awesome! you should have seen my FI and I unpacking and repacking the suitcase at the airport to ensure our suitcase was under-weight. ; )

 

the only thing I'm not 100% sure on is the chocolate, but cooking vanilla is kind of a big deal down there, so that's a fun substitute. I just ran out of mine this Christmas - good thing we're going back! ; )

 

the only items mentioned often on this forum were maracas. apparently, the further down 5th Ave you go, the better deal you get. I'm planning to include an internationally stamped postcard so that guests can mail one while they're in Playa without having to hunt down a store. some places that sell postcards will also sell int'l stamps. finally, one bride included US-stamped postcards so that guests could send it back to her and the groom after the wedding with their favorite memory. I thought that was a cool idea.
 

here's a pic of the tequila store. it's one of the more prominent non-restaurant venues on 5th Ave.

 

 

Originally Posted by qgirl2 

I am starting to get my gift bags together. We are doing more of gift bag than a OOT bag because some of our guests can only come for a limited time due to work and family. I think I am going to put in a hangover kit, a small first aid kit with bandades etc. What I would really like to do is give them some gifts from us that are known in the area. I was wondering if anyone who has been down there could give me some ideas. I have been reading up alittle on the PDC area and these are some ideas:

- Chocolates, Apparently PDC is known for its chocolates.

- small bottle of tequila from the area

- key chains

- shot glass

I have budgeted about 20-25 dollars a bag per guest or couple.

I have never been to the area and was wondering if the 5th ave district will have cute shops where I can purchase these items relevantly inexpensive.

 

Any input or help would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks!

 

[qgirl2]

Thanks! The vanilla idea is great. I also heard they have some sort of honey that is made in the riveria maya that i am looking into. My fiance does not like the maraca thing..says it is done too much. He wants it to be different. I like the maracas though..will have to check it out. Thanks for the info!

 

Originally Posted by kellygrrrl 

oh ya, those items are all readily available. you may even want to throw in a cute shell necklace or bracelet. specifically, there's a tequila store on 5th Avenue (Casa Tequila), but from what I remember the small bottles were a bit pricey ($5 - $7?). I ended up winning a full-size bottle of tequila at the Royal because I played blackjack (one of the pool activities) - it turned out awesome! you should have seen my FI and I unpacking and repacking the suitcase at the airport to ensure our suitcase was under-weight. ; )

 

the only thing I'm not 100% sure on is the chocolate, but cooking vanilla is kind of a big deal down there, so that's a fun substitute. I just ran out of mine this Christmas - good thing we're going back! ; )

 

the only items mentioned often on this forum were maracas. apparently, the further down 5th Ave you go, the better deal you get. I'm planning to include an internationally stamped postcard so that guests can mail one while they're in Playa without having to hunt down a store. some places that sell postcards will also sell int'l stamps. finally, one bride included US-stamped postcards so that guests could send it back to her and the groom after the wedding with their favorite memory. I thought that was a cool idea.
 

here's a pic of the tequila store. it's one of the more prominent non-restaurant venues on 5th Ave.

 

 

 

 

[qgirl2]

one more question for today..trying to bang out alot of wedding stuff today..have the time finally!

 

I recently found out my reception location was in front of pelicanos..I am not thrilled about this in any way. My main concern is pictures because that horrible pier is there.Has anyone has their reception cocktail hour here? and how did the pictures turn out. Also does the ferry run all night? Also concerned that will be in the back ground. I am just trying to figure out what I could put up to block out that horrible pier! Anyone do anything like this? Like shears or something? I have contacted my WC about it to see if there is anything they can put up,but no repsonse yet. Thought maybe someone on here might be able to help.

Thanks!

[kellygrrrl]

that's right - there's something called Xtabentun:

 

The honey-anisette liqueur based on the ancient ceremonial drink produced by Maya beekeepers is more of a novelty. Made in the Yucatán, it is becoming more popular in other parts of the country.

 

sounds awesome - I've never heard of it before. you can read more about it (and other souvenier ideas) in the article here:

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2010/10/06/mexico_mix_souvenir_shopping.DTL&ao=all
 

and regarding the Pelicanos beach, I know what you're saying, I hate that pier, but I've seen many groups do pics on it that look great. also, I'm not sure which ferry runs there, but it's definitely not as often as the one that goes to the main ferry pier, which operates every half hour or 45 mins or something like that. I only remember seeing a few groups come in on the Pelicanos ferry, and those were during the day.

 

honestly, I have seen THOUSANDS of wedding pics at the Royal, and while I don't remember anything at Pelicanos specifically, I can almost swear you won't see the pier. especially if you let your photographer know you don't want to see it. also, depending on the time of your reception, the sun will be going down, and without lights on the thing, you really won't see it, not even if it is in the background. the curtains are a good idea, but just make sure you get something really, really light so you're not fighting the wind all evening. I'd think tulle would work with maybe some fishing weights tied to it. depends on how your photog lighting is, but I think it's going to be ok. see if you can check in with your photog and their response. my hunch is they'll have no problem making it disappear entirely.

 

 

Originally Posted by qgirl2 

Thanks! The vanilla idea is great. I also heard they have some sort of honey that is made in the riveria maya that i am looking into. My fiance does not like the maraca thing..says it is done too much. He wants it to be different. I like the maracas though..will have to check it out. Thanks for the info!

 

 

 

Originally Posted by qgirl2 

one more question for today..trying to bang out alot of wedding stuff today..have the time finally!

 

I recently found out my reception location was in front of pelicanos..I am not thrilled about this in any way. My main concern is pictures because that horrible pier is there.Has anyone has their reception cocktail hour here? and how did the pictures turn out. Also does the ferry run all night? Also concerned that will be in the back ground. I am just trying to figure out what I could put up to block out that horrible pier! Anyone do anything like this? Like shears or something? I have contacted my WC about it to see if there is anything they can put up,but no repsonse yet. Thought maybe someone on here might be able to help.

Thanks!

 

[hilly1gh]

Hi everyone,

 

I want to buy maracas to have at the reception.  Do you recommend buying them now or shopping for them when we get to Mexico?  We arrive 3 days early, but I want to relax.  Although, I also don't want to haul a bunch of stuff with us if its going to be a pain.  This place seems reasonably priced http://www.amols.com/catalog/view?s=&ss=Maracas%2C

[kellygrrrl]

brides earlier on this thread have suggested waiting. the further down you go on 5th Ave, they cheaper they get. try searching the thread for 'maracas'.
 

Originally Posted by hilly1gh 

Hi everyone,

 

I want to buy maracas to have at the reception.  Do you recommend buying them now or shopping for them when we get to Mexico?  We arrive 3 days early, but I want to relax.  Although, I also don't want to haul a bunch of stuff with us if its going to be a pain.  This place seems reasonably priced http://www.amols.com/catalog/view?s=&ss=Maracas%2C

 

[tunaandocean]

Hi Jenn

 

Although it's been 7 months since your wedding, big congrats!! 

I just realized that a Catholic wedding should be done at a chapel/church that is officially authorized by the church. 

As I was searching more about this, I read your posting which you talked about Catholic wedding at the Royal.

Thank God that you mentioned about 'the little chapel'!!

 

I already reserved the gazebo, and the main reason we decided with the Royal PDC is the gazebo, going to the Cancun resort to do the Catholic wedding is questionable. But I was thinking maybe I can do a little ceremony a day after at the chapel!! (We are going to fly with our own Priest

 

Would you let me know which chapel you're talking about? Were you referring to the one at the Royal in Cancun? 

I don't know whether you come at this website anymore, since your last posting was on a day after your wedding. *sigh*

Anyway. Thank you!! 

 

Cynthia

 

 

Originally Posted by jenniferkuhr 

Hi Ladies!

 

I'm here in Playa Del Carmen and everything is AWESOME!!!  Bonnie, I beat you by a few days, our wedding is this Friday, July 1st at The Royal!  Most of us are staying at The Gran Porto though, due to many guests with kids and we all wanted to be together.  Our ceremony is at the little Chapel at 4PM at the end of 5th Avenue and then cocktail hour and party starts at 6PM on the beach.

 

Its been so amazing, everytime I turn around I bump into a family member or friend I haven't seen in a while.  The weather that greeted us was kind of crappy, but it was nice to see everyone having a great time regardless (kids still swim in the rain, others were just having drinks at the bar, everyone smiling and happy).  The resort really goes out of their way to make you feel taken care of etc.  Everyone is SO NICE!!!  Now the sun is starting to come out so I am PSYCHED.

 

American Airlines was great about hanging my dress on the plane.  Getting through customs was a little nerve-wrecking but super easy.  When they opened up our bags, Ryan made sure to tell them the total value of the contents was $200.  (Yeah, right!)  They cap it at $300 before they start making you pay fees (a bridal "trousseu" doesn't count, which I'm guessing means your dress and jewelry?), so we thought we would low-bar it and hope they didn't ask too many questions, which they didn't.  I might recommend splitting up the contents though amongst other friends and family traveling with you so it doesn't look suspicious.  They limit the amount of CD's you can bring in to the country to 30, and we made 40 for our OOT bags.  Luckily they didn't spot them, but I would have felt better is we just had half that amount and someone else took the other half. We also made signs we put inside each bag that read "Regalos no comercios, regalos son para mi boda" (non commercial goods, for my wedding) and then the name and contact information for our on-sight wedding coordinator, with our names and the date/time of the wedding.  We didn't need it, but it made us feel better to have it.

 

We meet with our coordinator today.  Hope it all goes well!

 

SOOOOOOOO  happy and excited.

 

Jenn

 

 

[qgirl2]

I have a question about flowers. I would like to use Marvin for my centerpieces and bouquet and some other bulk flowers(my mom's best friend is a florist and is putting together the bridesmaids and the boutonieres and decorating the beach area) Has anyone else used Marvin and not been charged a vendor fee for using him? And if so when and how? Marvin is stating that if delivered to the lobby the resort will charge me the $300.00 frickin fee which is ridiculous! Please let me know how you did it with avoiding the fee as many of you on here have used him and stated that you avoided a fee.

Thanks!

[tunaandocean]

Hi!

When I talked to the wedding planner in Mexico for our wedding over the phone within 2 weeks), she said if Marvin drops at the concierge, there would be no fee. If he comes into the resort and help decorating, there would be some fees. 

Contact your planner, and make sure that you have some sort of written confirmation over email.

Good luck! 

 

Originally Posted by qgirl2 

I have a question about flowers. I would like to use Marvin for my centerpieces and bouquet and some other bulk flowers(my mom's best friend is a florist and is putting together the bridesmaids and the boutonieres and decorating the beach area) Has anyone else used Marvin and not been charged a vendor fee for using him? And if so when and how? Marvin is stating that if delivered to the lobby the resort will charge me the $300.00 frickin fee which is ridiculous! Please let me know how you did it with avoiding the fee as many of you on here have used him and stated that you avoided a fee.

Thanks!

 

[qgirl2]

Who is your wedding planner? Just curious. I left ana a message but in a previous message she said any delivered flowers will be considered and outside vendor fee..Who did you speak to on the phone?

Originally Posted by tunaandocean 

Hi!

When I talked to the wedding planner in Mexico for our wedding over the phone within 2 weeks), she said if Marvin drops at the concierge, there would be no fee. If he comes into the resort and help decorating, there would be some fees. 

Contact your planner, and make sure that you have some sort of written confirmation over email.

Good luck!