Dreams Riviera Cancun - Brides post here (new thread)

[pbjwed]

reception are on pool decl.. they are setting up..

 

tables through dec cancun with centerpieces... loved these!

[ajcuce]

I love the pictures, Ashlynn! They are very pretty :-). Thank you for sharing them! If you have any pictures of the reception I think that would be nice to see too! Did you bring pictures of how you wanted the fabric and flowers to look? Or did they give you options when you got there? Also, this is kind of random but I noticed your hair was down. With all of the wind did it go flat at all or did the curls stay nice the whole night?

[ajcuce]

Hi pbjwed,

 

I saw your pictures on Facebook and absolutely loved all of them! I was wondering, did you bring all of the fabric for the chairs and tables yourself? Did you also bring the pink and orange lanterns that are hanging? Your centerpieces are very nice, did you have to bring the vases or is that one of the options that they give you? Since the candles were kind of protected by the vases did they stay lit? Sorry for all of the questions :-)!!

[sarcrook]

Hi pbjwed...I love your pictures!  Do you have more?

 

Where was your reception..was it up by the pool or down by the ocean?  What made you pick what you did??

 

[sarcrook]

Past brides..do you have pictures of your reception location?  I'm trying to find pics of the Terrace on the beach and the Pool Deck (those were the two options they gave us) so I can compare...thanks!!

[sarcrook]

H E L P ....my FI and GM will be wearing vests - casual ...like a suit vest unbuttoned.  I'm having a REAL hard time finding something that isn't $100!  I'd like to find something very inexpensive..ANY IDEA'S????????????????

 

Thanks!!

[brookeh68]

DOES ANYONE KNOW HOW MUCH A DAY PASS FOR A GUEST IS ONTO THE RESORT? 

[BethAnne]

Alright girls.. here goes nothing!

My REVIEW of destination wedding @ Dreams Riviera Cancun- Sorry if its so long!!

Traveled from 1/15/11- 1/22/11

Wedding on 1/17/11

 

First, I'd like to say that I've been checking this forum pretty much daily for the past 8 months, and its been a big part of helping us out with alot of things for our destination wedding and resort. Its been great. I've been reading alot of stuff lately about the frustrations with the whole Dorremix thing and all kinds of small details that brides are fretting over (and I can't judge because I was so one of them too!) If it means anything to any bride out there, I truly believe a large chunk of the things we worry and obsess over completely fall away or become obsolete when you get to the resort and have your wedding there. Things just sort of snap into focus, you're in vacation mode, and its absolutely gorgeous there!! You might find yourself looking around thinking, was I really obsessing over chair sashes and centerpieces and stuff?

Anyways...

 

FLIGHT/TRAVEL AGENT

Used a local travel agent to book Apple Vacation package, resort and our wedding package.We flew USA 3000- very small plane and they sorta pack you in like sardines, but we made it! They have no room for hanging/storing a dress so i had to lay it over luggage in the overhead bin. All of the Apple reps we dealt with and the transportation to and from resort were awesome and knowledgeable- no problems here.

Theres a deal right now for certain bookings made after oct 2010 or something that you get 400$ in resort credits, but its kinda shady and isn't really what they make it out to be. Dreams lets you use only 40$ per person per visit not to be combined, only on massages- no other service in salon or spa. Theres tons of restrictions and stuff- so its not like the $400 free resort money they make it out to be. Just watch out for this.

 

ROOM/CHECK IN

 We had originially booked the pref club ocean view room, but a few months before changed our mind and booked the honeymoon suite, we wanted it to be special, and also at the time I didn't trust any of the wedding coordinators we were dealing with, the contract stated Paradise package was free only if you booked honeymoon suite room or higher for 7 nights.. but the website and travel agent stated preferred club ocean view room or higher, and we just didn't want to take the chance of being charged so much extra. Information was conflicting everywhere. Check-in was smooth and fast, we were escorted to preferred club to check in- greeted with ice cold champagne (good champagne) we were given a pager (it was 12:30pm at this time- check in at 3pm) and only waited 15 minutes and room was ready. We got a honeymoon suite on the far south end of the property 2nd floor, overlooking the palapas and a fascinating view of the beach. There were privacy walls installed on the outdoor terrace so you don't see your neighbors, it was amazing-I was upset that we didn't get an upgrade to the master suite but honestly it wasn't necessary. It was gorgeous, spacious, clean and well taken care of- and the hot tub on the terrace was just awesome, we used it almost every night when it got a little chilly. Room 1201- I honestly think this was the most amazing view on the property.

 

Beach/pools/grounds

These far exceeded our expectations. The grounds were amazing, always a worker out fixing something or doing little cosmetic touches. When it rained, within seconds they were out squiging the walkways so people didn't slip and fall.The place at night, something out of a movie to me.. it was gorgeous. The beach was great, always cleaned up, not alot of seaweed or debris- the ocean was a little rocky in spots, but nowhere near enough to not enjoy a dip- we went in several times- it was great. 4 pools- one was the activity pool (which we participated in water volleyball-super fun!) the kiddy pool, and two main pools- all were great, kids pretty much stayed in the kiddy pool, and the main pools were heated. We always wanted to swim at night, but it was unclear whether pools were open or not... signs list no hours, but the brochure in your room says "we advise against swimming after closing because the pools are being treated" but no one could ever say when they closed... but it wasn't a major concern. We used to two main jacuzzi's every night- which were great- could have been hotter for my personal preference, but relaxing for sure. One or two nights late, like after 10pm, there were a group of small kids jumping and playing and being obnoxious in the jacuzzi with no parents around.. even though signs clearly state no kids allowed in jacuzzi- we didn't see any staff taking care of the issue- but again not a huge deal.

 

RESTARAUNTS/BARS

Wasnt sure exactly what to expect, as this was my first time at an All Inclusive, but I was surprised.

The only bad food we experienced here was at the french restaraunt..the steaks were pretty horrible.

Other than that.. great. Very small portions, so we doubled up on lots of stuff, or ordered several courses. The world cafe had great breakfast selections, and decent lunch buffet. Be careful though, I got extremely sick one night we were there- they have a pasta bar where the sauces sit out, not refridgerated, until you order it and then they make it. I got the alfredo sauce not even thinking it had been sitting out so long.... I was violoently sick for an entire night, almost needed to go to the resort Dr. Room service was good.We had a great experience at the hibatchi restaraunt, fried ice cream balls for desert were outta this world, and the Tepanyaki Dinners were amazing! Italian and Mexican were great also. We ate at seaside grill almost every day for lunch- which was awesome (Shrimp tacos, burritos, chicken wings, and BLT!) We never waited at all.. maybe that was because the resort was at 60% capacity while we were there. They do randomly close down a restaraunt for dinner here and there, thats just how they operate i guess. Bars were great... waiters always coming around at beach and pool getting you drinks. Drinks seems strong to me, never watered down like i've heard some people day. The lobby bar ended up being our favorite, theres some nice guys workings there, they are open late, and theres usually singers and bands playing at night, and its just gorgeous scenery there at night. Jose makes the best Frozen Amaretto Sours. =)

 

WEDDING COORDINATOR

like most brides on here im sure, I was frustrated and at my wits end with how the communication was going during the planning. We had Veronica, who was the 3rd coordinator to handle our wedding. We were slightly disappointed she didn't work to get us a room upgrade, but in the end it was no big deal. We met with her on the day we arrived, and I came prepared with every single e-mail printed out and papers and conversations we had written down, i was prepared to have to fight our case lol, but I was surprised. She was very upbeat and happy and professional, seemed to genuinely want our wedding to be great. Gave her our sand ceremony stuff, a homemade centerpiece for the table under beach altar, an ipod with our ceremony songs, and a copy of our personalized ceremony script and vows- and she took care of the rest. We had a smaller more intimate group for my wedding, so it was me and my husband and 6 guests- so I didn't even think about bringing down extra decor or chair sashes or any of the that stuff, it wasn't necessary and the scenery there is all you really need anyways. Also with Veronica we took care of the day passes for our guests staying at other resorts and also the day pass for Juan Navarro, our photographer. Overall, I think she knows what she's doing and is a genuinely nice and honest person. She was semi-organized, but still had all our stuff written down, our wedding day went down pretty successfully without any major problems.Veronica was acutally the one who calmed me down when she was walking me with my parents to our waiting spot- she gave me like a 30 second pep talk... i dont even remember what she said, but it made me feel better! To other brides having bigger weddings and receptions here, I'd definately plan your own decor because their prices are INSANE, and don''t count on using ANYTHING previous brides have left... theres one storage room in their office which isnt very big, and the only stuff in it was decor for that days weddings and the next days weddings. She made a comment about throwing alot of stuff away because they have nowhere to put it. Which is true because we went to El Patio for dinner after ceremony- and she had my homemade centerpiece delivered to our table and also i had made my maid of honor a homemade bouquet (which was gorgeous, and i spent alot of time on it) the next morning we realized we left both on the table the night before so we went right to Veronica who said the managers at El Patio threw everything away except for the glass vase the centerpiece was in. I was so upset =(

 

WEDDING DAY

 It was pretty great lounging on the beach and playing in the ocean on the morning of my wedding. If I were at home, i'd be spazzing out all day and it wouldn't be pretty. Due to their capacity, they let us have the complimentary room for the groom on the day of the wedding to be used up until 4pm (the time of our ceremony) so that was good, I got ready in our room and we didn't have to see each other. They were supposed to pick up my dress and his shirt saturday to be pressed and said it would be ready by monday- of course no one ever came and we had to get in touch with Veronica.. she said she'd have a rush put on it and that they'd pick it up monday morning (the day of my wedding!) and promised to have it done in time. So after reading what other brides have went through on here of course I started to freak out- but really they came back a few hours later with my dress looking better than it did after it was pressed here in the U.S. They hung it up and put a sheet over it, just incase the groom came in and saw it. My flowers were delivered, gorgeous and exactly what I expected, but unfortunately were already wilting and browning halfway through our ceremony- they didn't last long. Everyone we came in contact with who were delivering stuff and helping with our wedding day were very pleasant and saying congrats seniorita!! over and over again. It was pretty great.

SPA- Now- i'm a licensed hairstylist and have been doing hair for 8 years... and i also specialize in Bridal Parties.. so usually im the one of the other side of the chair doing brides hair- but for some reason I got this bright idea that I wanted to feel pampered and not mess with it myself on my wedding day- also, its hard to do an updo on yourself. I have to say it was a complete disaster!! i brought pictures of what i wanted and the woman spoke well enough english to understand me, so im not sure what went wrong, she even said she does several of the brides that come through there- i was ripping out bobby pins in the elevator on the way up to my room so i could try to fix it, but there was no time, so i ended up wearing it down and somewhat curly- but due to the humidity it fell sorta flat and for pictures, my lord it was awful, it was so windy and my hair kept blowing in my face and sticking to my lipgloss when i was trying to say my vows! lol so all in all i regret making the decision to have the spa do my hair, but i could just be extra picky because i do hair and I'm experienced with it- I dunno I've seen pictures of other brides coming out of there looking amazing. Other brides may have an extremely great experience, who knows? The day prior to the wedding i had a french manicure at the spa, which was great and looked great, but only lasted a few hours before it chipped.

CEREMONY

The music tech did everything pretty much just as we specified. the sound quality wasn't too great though, sorta sounded like a radio, and even with the microphones, it was sorta still hard to hear. We had a non-legal ceremony and brought our own ceremony script we wrote, and our own sand ceremony stuff. Officiant spoke english, but she had a super strong accent, so it was hard to understand what she was saying. But she did follow it word for word and was professional about it. Our ceremony was on the beach, on the south end by the palapas...they moved some boats out of the way...it was very quiet over there and I think much more private than the gazebo would be.I saw a couple weddings at the gazebo there, and people just congregate by it in their bathing suits and stare, watching your wedding like their one of your guests.. i dunno just takes away some of the intimacy for me, and its tacky. The beach was just an awesome romantic spot to get married- and in our opinion doesnt need much extra decor at all. the beach as backdrop and the white linens on the altar with our simple home made centerpiece- it was awesome. They had a guard blocking people from walking through our wedding too, which I thought was really generous of them. They had cold champagne waiting when the ceremony was over.

CAKE-

We chose the tres leches cake, we were excited because all the reviews of this cake were so great. They had it delivered to El Patio where we were having dinner, they brought it out after we ate and we got to cut it and all that- it wasn't that great at all unfortunately, and our guests agreed. It was very plain and not sweet, kinda tasted like cardboard. We had them pass the cake out to all the other guests and staff in the restaraunt because we didn't want it, we would have thrown it away. We didn't choose any specially decorated cake or bring any decor or topper for the cake, so they just did their thing- it was white with a few red carnations on the top- boring, but still looked cute.

 

DINNER

El Patio was great, and they treated our group awesome- helped us with the menu choices and brought out a few extras. Even though we weren't having a separate private reception we didn't feel we were treated any different.. I mean why pay all the extra when we only have 6 guests, and we're all paying for the all inclusive anyways? Plus we're having an at-home reception this weekend in my hometown with 150 guests, so that'll be fun! We were kinda the star of the show at the restaraunt, and it was great. We're glad we did it this way.

 

After dinner we hung out in the lobby bar area and there happened to be a band playing that night, my dad requested a song and an announcement from them and they agreed- so they announced our wedding over the loud speaker and played a song that we had our first dance to, right in front of all the other guests! they were clapping and hollaring. It was sweet and romantic and sorta completed our wedding day. =)

 

When we came up to the room they had champagne and glasses, and fruit, and little petit fours deserts on a plate, with rose petals and candles in the shape of a heart on the floor in front of the bed, along with the honeymoon banner on our door. It was a nice touch.

 

PHOTOGRAPHER

Juan Navarro.

He and his assistants were great, totally passionate about what they do, and didn't stop clicking the camera the ENTIRE time we were with them. All three of them were off hiding in bushes and behind stuff to try and get the best shots at the best angles. They were rolling in the sand and not thinking about anything around them other than us and their cameras. It was the best decision we could have made. We havn't gotten all of our photos back yet, but they showed us several in their cameras and i know we don't need to worry- I felt the ceremony and day went by a little too fast and worry there are moments I will forget, or moments I missed, but I feel having his work we'll be able to look back on our day for years to come and relive every moment of it. Thats memories you can't put a price on. Plus, you get SO much more than you get with the resort photo packages.

Love this guys work.

 

PACKAGE

Unfortunately we weren't too happy with this. The website states in the paradise package the honeymoon package is included, so Veronica put me in touch with concierge who I emailed prior to our arrival to schedule the romantic dinner on the beach and all the rest of the stuff. She emailed me back and said yes it was all included and helped us schedule it. Well friday night, 2 hours before our dinner on the beach they called our room and said "we called wedding department and they say this isn't included in your package- and it will be $200 if you still want to have it" I tried explaining I had emails stating it was included and scheduled, but they would'nt hear it- just said pay us $200 if you still want to do it. We just cancelled it and went about our business. Sorta ridiculous.

Also, when we went to check out the concierge said we owed an additional 200$ but couldn't tell us why.. then printed up some sheet that said it was for day passes and sound system, but we already had taken care of that in cash with Veronica..he said we can't let you leave till you pay this and our bus was waiting to take us to the airport, so we didn't wanna be late. We tried to fight it, but had to just pay it anyways. He got on the phone and claimed he was trying to get a hold of Veronica on her cell phone, but who knows.  basically we paid twice for things because the wedding department doesnt communicate with concierge about payments and stuff. We're currently trying to straighten this out with Veronica, but again still waiting for an e-mail response.

 

OVERALL

Things went great. I think its a great place to have a destination wedding, if not just a relaxing vacation even still. I just think it may not be right for every bride.. only because if you're one to want to plan out every little detail and want things very specific, then I think you'd end up disappointed. They kind of fly by the seat of their pants here, but still get it done in the end.I can go with the flow a little more easily, so thats why i'm pretty pleased in the end. I think before with Ana running things they were just packing way too much in with not enough time or help and bad things were happening.. i think now with Veronica and the others they will straighten things out so that they have more time to give one on one attention to brides, and have a more consistant streamlined process to follow with weddings. I was a different person while here, completely relaxed and taking all of it in. All of our guests were so psyched about just how great the place was, and were in a good mood to just be on vacation.. so I dont think they were expecting quite the luxury experience us brides THINK it has to be. The place is stunning, and it was literally like i checked out of reality for a week, and hated to come back. I hope all future brides can enjoy it this much, and also maybe not fret so much over all the tiny details, that in the end don't contribute much to the big picture. Good luck!!!.. any questions I can answer you can PM me =)

[LindsayMichelle]

Great review BethAnne! Can't wait to see your pics. I am so excited that I booked Juan Navarro! Although, the resort is now trying to charge me an extra $500 fee for using him that I was not told about when I booked him months ago - very frustrating. Glad to hear that you were happy with the way things turned out that. Congrats!! 

[Ashlynn039]

Hi! I will definitely go through for pictures of my reception setup, I had it on the pool deck though - so pretty similar to pbjwed's setup

 

I brought my own table overlays/chair sashes down so I just gave her those to put on the table. I did bring pictures of the flowers I wanted, (different shades of yellow roses) - and she said no problem. If you notice in my pictures it's not all roses as I requested but it still turned out nice Definitely bring pictures of what you want! I did provide a table chart to the coordinator though, to show how i wanted the tables arranged and where to put the place cards for the seating arrangements

 

It is pretty windy on the beach and beach deck - so if your hair doesn't hold curl well that might be a problem. My hair naturally has wave to it so it holds curls well - I had no problems, but I am thankful I decided to have part of it pinned back otherwise it would have been blowing in my face all night
 

Originally Posted by ajcuce 

I love the pictures, Ashlynn! They are very pretty :-). Thank you for sharing them! If you have any pictures of the reception I think that would be nice to see too! Did you bring pictures of how you wanted the fabric and flowers to look? Or did they give you options when you got there? Also, this is kind of random but I noticed your hair was down. With all of the wind did it go flat at all or did the curls stay nice the whole night?