Did you use a travel agent?

[sunset78]

I started off using one... One from dw.com, but she kept telling that she couldn't get pricing for Canadians until a certain time which was being pushed out further and further (July of this year was going to be time she going to be able to get prices). Anyways, I stopped using them then went AMA, but they would only give me prices for Air Canada, and the pricing they were giving me were $2000 more than other packages I could find.

 

So I basically I gave people quotes (gave the websites, and phone numbers as well) from Air Canada, American Airlines, Book.com, and Continential. Let them pick there own packages with who they wanted to travel with.

 

It worked better for us, people saved money, and never really have any problems.

[ldeavila]

DIAMONDPOOCH,

Is it possible for you to share a copy of the informational email that you sent to your family and friends? I am currently trying to compose one and i'm having writers block :-o

[diamondpooch]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ldeavila DIAMONDPOOCH, Is it possible for you to share a copy of the informational email that you sent to your family and friends? I am currently trying to compose one and i'm having writers block :-o

Absolutely! It's nothing special and I'm certainly no writer, but it did the trick!




Friends/Family:

Well, the wedding is only 8 months away now, can you believe it! As many of you know Brian and I have decided to do a destination wedding in Riviera Maya, Mexico! The new date is May 29,2009 (Memorial Day weekend so everyone had an extra day off). We've decided it's important to us to have only our closest friends and family there and we hope you want to be a part of our special day! (Plus, get a pretty awesome vacation out of it!)
I've searched and searched and after two weeks and many phone calls, I've found the best deal out there for everyone.
A little about the resort we have chosen: It's called Barcelo Maya and on that one property sits five different hotels. Ranging in price from lowest to highest are: Beach, Caribe, Colonial, Tropical, Palace. The hotel is All-Inclusive which means all your food and drink is included. We will be staying at the Palace, the nicest one, along with our entire family and we assume most of our friends. The price difference between the lowest and the Palace isn't enough to justify NOT staying at the Palace. However, you are welcome to do what you like and the Travel Agent, Kelly, will be more than happy to draw up a quote for you individually. The way the resort works is that each hotel has it's own amenities. Upon arrival, you'll get a wristband that states where on the resort you are allowed to go. If you stay at the Beach, you can ONLY go to Beach amenities. If you stay at the Caribe, you can go to the Caribe and the Beach. If you stay at the Colonial, you can go to the Colonial, Caribe and Beach. If you stay at the Tropical you can go to the Tropical, Colonial, Caribe and Beach. If you stay at the Palace you have free reign of the entire resort. Obviously, we hope all of you stay at the Palace so we can spend as much time together as possible. Hopefully that wasn't too confusing. Basically you can enjoy the amenities of your hotel and all below it.
The quotes below are a starting point for you to get an idea, and you can call Kelly directly if you want to stay a different number of nights or at a different hotel. The BLOCK of rooms (discounted group rate) is for the Palace ONLY. If you choose to go with another hotel on the property, Kelly will have to draw you up a quote and it takes her all of two hours Keep in mind, it may sound like the resort is 10 miles wide, but you can walk from hotel to hotel with ease. I recommend visiting www.barcelomaya.com or typing Barcelo Maya in the search engine on TripAdvisor.com is you wanna research it more. Also, don't forget to visit our website at www.brianandjacqui.wedsite.com. Lots of helpful hints there! I've included Beach quotes as well, just so you can get an idea of the difference btw the cheapest and the most expensive.
The following prices include: Air, hotel, tax, and transfer (ride from airport to hotel and from hotel to airport upon return). The flight is a bulk charter flight we got through USA3000. The air is a non-stop to Cancun (nearest airport) and it takes all of 2 1/2 hours and you are there! This is the way to go people! You won't find a cheaper flight and you certainly won't find a flight with NO layover. Trust me!

Palace Quotes: based on Double Occupancy
4 nights from STL: $1085.94 per person
7 nights from STL: $1395.94 per person

Beach Quotes: Based on Double Occupancy
4 nights from STL: $895.94 per person
7 nights from STL: $1140.94 per person

Remember these include airfare, taxes, transfer and rooms at an all inclusive resort! You don't have to spend another dime once you pay if you don't want to. (Other than tipping your awesome Mexican waiters and housekeepers

This is how this works: The BLOCK of rooms is held till Tuesday, September 29, 2009. That's NEXT Tuesday! After that, the block comes off and our great rates go away and we may not be able to get those prices again. All it takes for you to hold your reservation for your room and your airfare is $100 a person. That's it. Then you can make payments over the next few months until you pay it off. That's the beauty of dealing with Kelly rather than booking directly through the hotel and airlines separately. You can budget. We are!

So your next step is to call Kelly at Chi Chi Travel. Her number is 314-678-0501. Let her know you are with the Monday/Jewett wedding and that you need to get a quote from her. Let her know when you want to depart, how long you want to stay and at which hotel on the resort property. She can advise you and give you a quote in minutes. Once you have a quote that works for you, put down your $100 a person and lock in your reservation. Now, all you have to do is make payments (with no interest) and Kelly will do the rest. Call her tomorrow! Don't wait till the block goes away thinking you're going to get a better deal, cuz you're not! I've looked!

Let me know when you are booked so I know for sure! Once again, keep in mind that if you do go with the cheaper hotel you won't be able to have free reign of the entire complex. Of course you will be allowed over for the wedding festivities, and the pools are common ground, but some of the beach isn't and some of the restaurants aren't. I just want you all there, so whatever works for you!

We will be having a rehearsal dinner Friday night for family and those in the wedding. The wedding is at 2 pm on Saturday the 29th of May with a reception to follow at 6 pm with a possible cocktail hour in between while we are taking pictures.

Brian and I are SOOOOOOOO excited and we can't wait to share our special day with you! How often do we get the opportunity to have a mini vacation together like this anymore. We're gonna have a blast!

Please visit our website and check out some pics! You'll get excited, trust me

Love each and every one of you (Can you tell I'm in full fledged wedding mode.......tear tear.......),

Jacqui

[ldeavila]

Thanks for sharing Jacqui. Now to writing I must go!!!!!!!!

[heartbeat]

DIAMONDPOOCH,

 

Thanks for sharing as we recently decided not to use a TA either mainly because we are having our wedding at such a small resort and paying for are bridal party to come and parents. My FH is from Jamaica so most of his family is already there we just decided that it was the best option for us! I’m sure I’ll get plenty of ideas from your letter I thought it was great.

[CancunBride71010]

I'm using a travel agent. Much less stress for me.

[Sheree10]

Quote:

Originally Posted by CancunBride71010 I'm using a travel agent. Much less stress for me.

Yes, we are too! Same reason... one less thing to stress about.

[IrishgirlinNY]

Sounds like its split. We are planning to visit a local one just to check out possibilities. Thanks again everyone for all your input!

[aprilmay]

Hey guys, when you use a TA and get a group booking, does everyone have to leave from the same airport at the same time?

[Sheree10]

Quote:

Originally Posted by aprilmay Hey guys, when you use a TA and get a group booking, does everyone have to leave from the same airport at the same time?

I used group booking only for the resort since all of my guests will be leaving and arriving at different times and from different locations. We signed up for the Wedding Program with American Airlines which give guests a code to buy their air tickets for a discount.