Distressed Bride2be -- Please help! : (

[taratoons]

Hi!

 

I'm a Dreams Punta Cana bride, getting married in April 2010. I personally have visited the resort, and loved it! Most of the things you mention you're probably going to encounter at most resorts in the Carribean. I've seen ants at several resorts (though not in rooms, necessarily), I've met one of the wedding coordinators (Sharron) who is British and therefore quite easy to communicate with, people always get sick at resorts, I think because they somewhat forget that this is a third world country, and you do have to be careful, and in my opinion, who really cares about the room decor, how much time do you plan on spending in your room!?! In terms of price, a major factor in our decision to go with DPC was the fact that it's a great hotel for an affordable price. We didn't want our guests to be too put out in terms of cost. My fiance works for a Canadian tour operator, and therefore has visited and has inside info about many resorts, and he was all for booking at DPC.

 

I also personally think that 79% of people recommending this hotel is pretty damn good. I bet if you searched the top 10 resorts in Punta Cana (the Iberostar Grand Bavaro which is #1, got 92% recommendation), or anywhere else, for that matter, there would be some bad reviews. It all comes down to personal opinion, and a lot to do with attitude. As hockeymom said, there are definitely some people you just can't please, and sometimes people have a bad experience through no fault of the resort itself, and then their entire trip is ruined by their attitude thereafter, and they see the negative in everything.

 

You also have to pay attention to how many reviews there have been. There were 92 reviews on the Iberostar, but 989 for Dreams Punta Cana. That could be part of the discrepancy. I also agree that people are more likely to write a review of a negative experience, than a positive one.

 

Anyway, as I said, I think attitude is what's going to determine how good a time you have regardless of where you go. I'm obviously a fan of DPC, but it totally depends on what's important to you. I visited Dreams Palm Beach, and I LOVED it as well. If you have any specific questions about the Dreams resorts in Punta Cana, or want some pictures, just let me know!!!

 

Tara

[CrystalandTyler]

Dreams Punta Cana was one of our top 3 resorts. We ended up going with the Gran Bahia Ambar but were pretty set on Dreams for awhile. The price seems very reasonable to me. Our guests will be paying $2000 per person for a week.

 

Like everyone has said, take bad reviews with a grain of salt. I've read reviews for places that i've been before that were awful and I had an amazing time. People are much more likely to write a review when they had a bad time vs a good time.

[eloping789]

I was on an excursion with a couple staying at Dreams Punta Cana and they said it was wonderful - no problems whatsoever, nice rooms, comfy beds, good food and entertainment. I think it was either a honeymoon or vacation (not a DW), but they seemed very happy with Dreams.

 

In the end, like the other ladies have said, the bad reviews you do have to take with a grain of salt. There's nothing wrong with checking out other resorts, but if Dreams PC fits your needs the best then I don't see any reason to switch based on the complaints you mentioned.

 

Good luck!!!

[ebredhawk]

that price is pretty comparable to what my guests are paying for my april DPC wedding. i also think everyone pretty much hit on the fact that a lot of times people are more likely to complain about the things they didn't like than talk about a trip that had no problems at all (since this is what we usually expect!).

 

as far as communication with the wedding coordinator, it's important to realize the demands on all of their time. there are 3 of them and they are pretty much doing a wedding every day or two days, so they don't have a ton of time to respond to emails. while this may seem inconvenient, consider the things that you need to do ahead of time with them... there isn't much. you pick out flowers, reception location, food, etc. all at your meeting on site a few days before the wedding. i've also found that the little things i have questions about, the past DPC brides are really great about answering for me. also, there is a forum on the dreams resorts website... one specifically for DPC and one for weddings and there are always people there to answer your questions if you aren't getting immediate response from your WC.

 

i hope this helps you out some! good luck making your final decision and let us all know what you decide!

[Glamourina]

I haven't been to Dreams Punta Cana but I have been to Dreams Los Cabos, and I found the hotel amazing! I don't think you will be disappointed if you get married at Dreams Punta Cana

[ACH2009]

We had our wedding at Dreams Punta Cana in June. I know I had read some really bad reviews before our trip. I got to the point where I stopped reading the reviews because they made me so nervous. We had 40 guests attend our wedding and not one person complained. We all really enjoyed the resort and had a wonderful time. Don't let any negative reviews bother you, it's a beautiful place.

[Bride2B2010]

I narrowed down my choices to the 2 dreams resorts and the 2 majestic resorts. After talking with my TA she informed us that the Majestic resorts are pretty new (1-3 years) and they are pretty much identical in price. I have not been to the DR before but just the idea of going to a "newer" resort excited me!

Just play ennie, meanie, minie, moe! =) Kidding, hope it works out!!

Andrea

[Jenn&Kraig]

Like a lot of the ladies said, you can't always go by trip advisor, some people are waaay to fussy! And exagerate the situation, from what I have read on that resort, many brides have gone there and were happy, and as you can see from the threads here many brides are still going to it, its a 5 star resort!

 

I depends on what you are comfortable with though, if it really bothers you, look into another resort?

 

Have you contacted the wedding coordinator there? The could be a decision maker for you, if there a prompt in getting back to and answer your questions that kind of portrays the level of serivce you can expect of the resort...

 

Best of luck on your search!!

[cogswellgray]

I stayed at dreams last year for my sisters wedding and it was beautiful! i didnt have anything to complain about. we had the times of our lives. My sister loved her coordinator Maria, although i hear now she left. Im pretty sure i will be having my wedding there next year as well!! we had so much fun @ the swim up bar! entertainment was soo fun! i loved the staff. if ud like pictures i can send you them!

[pjeanette9289]

Hey Jennierin, how did you make that website?? I really like it!