Any 2011 Brides out there?

[missy&eric2011]

Wow...how are you getting them to lock rooms for you!?  Our TA said that the our resort won't do that so people need to book as soon as possible to guarantee a room?!!!

 

Plus...she is getting us the same price as what I can get going through the funjet website...are the prices that your TA's are giving you way different from any prices that you can find yourself??

[murmel]

 

 

Originally Posted by abbie32 

 

Hey girls,

 

I had the craziest day yesterday!! Everything just happened so fast and I was so excited! As I mentioned earlier, I felt bad because I was "cheating" on my travel agent and looking for another one to give me some quotes.hehe I was feeling bad about it until yesterday. I found the best travel agent literally 10 min from my house. She was able to get me and my guests a direct flight from Halifax and Toronto to Cancun for a full week for $1100 plus taxes so it works out to be $1342!!!!!   That was an AMAZING price,.so my FI and I booked right away! I can't believe we're finally booked to go it's very exciting! I feel like I've been researching and planning forever but nothing was actually happening. haha  I finally feel like it' s real and I am getting married. haha

 

We have 15 more people booking today! I'm trying to get as many people as I can to book by September 3rd, 2010 as they locked in the rates for me. SO EXCITING!!! 

 

Barbiegirl ......check with your travel agent today!! There was a drop in prices yesterday. The TA said they could be up again today.

 

I told my guests that obviously not everyone has to book by September 3rd, 2010. It's just a deposit of $250 so I think they would be crazy not to, however, they still have the choice to wait. Some people aren't sure if they can go yet. I just wanted to make sure I got the message out to as many people as I could and encouraged them to book because I could definitely not guarantee we would get that price again. I can't see them getting it any lower than $1100 plus tax. I almost died when she told me the rate. I was so excited!! It has been very stressful trying to get quotes, especially when they are not what you were hoping.

 

Good rates are starting to appear so we can breath a sigh of relief! :-)

That's fantasitic Abbie! I am glad all your running around paid off! We had a hard time too, and finally got a great price. Hopefully most of your guests who are going will take this great offer, and not wait for the last minute.

 

 

 

Originally Posted by missy&eric2011 

 

Wow...how are you getting them to lock rooms for you!?  Our TA said that the our resort won't do that so people need to book as soon as possible to guarantee a room?!!!

 

Plus...she is getting us the same price as what I can get going through the funjet website...are the prices that your TA's are giving you way different from any prices that you can find yourself??

 We did a group booking, so we had to put a deposit down to hold seats/rooms. But for the price we got we were happy to do it. I think this is the only way to hold rooms for you, mind you, if people don't book by the specific date, you will likley lose your deposit.

 

As for pricing. We just kept trying....our TA would get an updated price every week, and finally we got a great price. I know it's frustrating, but keep trying. (We starting price shopping in Feb, got our price locked in late May, and the wedding is in January) Good luck! And if you're using Funjet, try Apple vacations....

 

 

 

[abbie32]

Our situation is the same as Murmel's......

 

My travel agent initially said there was no way we get it for under $1600 so I was a little disappointed. She told me she would call and try to get the best possible rates she could. Good deals always come with a catch but they are worth it with the prices that are out there right now. Most of our family and friends have known that we were doing a destination wedding for over a year so we knew some people who were eager to book and who had all their money saved for the trip already. In order for us to lock in the rate until September 3rd and for them to hold seats/rooms, we needed 10 people to put down on a deposit by today at 4pm and I found out yesterday am! So we had to move fast to get these rates.

 

Last night, I tried to reach as many people as I could through various modes of communication. I updated our website with the new travel information, and my FI and I made a Facebook group so people would receive posts we put on there. 

 

I originally was getting married at a different resort and sent in my deposit and everything and had to cancel our wedding there because our first TA was less than truthful and the prices she promised us were completely unobtainable and way too high!! This was my third travel agent I've worked with to get me this prices. If you're not happy with the quotes and prices you are getting....keep looking with someone else.

 

Good luck! :-)

 

[Lindobride14]

That sounds accurate, Missy.  TA's typically will book with whatever wholesaler (Apple, Funjet, Travel Impressions) that is the cheapest available at the time of booking.

 

Funjet seems to have the lowest rates available right now, so that's why she's quoting you the Funjet price.  Apple's are currently about 100 bucks higher in my experience.

 

Our current rates are Funjet's as well.  And I've checked with two different TA's to make sure mine is doing her due diligence.  All have returned Funjet prices.

 

The lowe

Originally Posted by missy&eric2011 

Wow...how are you getting them to lock rooms for you!?  Our TA said that the our resort won't do that so people need to book as soon as possible to guarantee a room?!!!

 

Plus...she is getting us the same price as what I can get going through the funjet website...are the prices that your TA's are giving you way different from any prices that you can find yourself??

[Nicyx]

Hi to any new brides... welcome :-)

 

Great site Michelle, Thanks hun x

 

So much catching up to do, not been very active the last few days x

[primavera]

Are all of you who are getting quotes booking packages? Flight + hotel, or are the different quotes you get for the rooms only? I think my TA will only give me one quote for the resort and that is pretty much it, take it or leave it.

[ashley1316]

OMG

So i went to my TA yesterday to possibly lock in on a quote. Only to find out that sunwing only flys out June 30 and July 7...my wedding is July 8th.

So thats means my FI and I would have to leave the 30th, because we need to be there 3 days before hand, and there is NO way my quests can leave on the 7th because then i dont have time for rehersal ect.

 

I am in a pickle! I dont want to change my wedding date, dont even know if the WC would allow me at this point. So my TA is now looking thru other carriers. But they dont offer a package "diamond" for my resort. Sunwing only does......argh.

 

This is my 1st real stress of this whole planning a wedding thing.......

 

I hope my TA can find some carrier that flys out the 3rd of July. That would be perfect.

 

thank god for a place to vent. lol

[Hanna20]

 

 

Originally Posted by Lindobride14 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hi Hanna,

 

I'm getting married Jan 22nd at iberostar paraiso lindo. Which iberostar are you getting married at? The Del Mar? Good to see more IB brides on here:)

 

We tried going the group route rate and ran into the same issue, it was like a $10 discount or something laughable. Individual bookings are the way to go IMO. I'd suggest going with a TA that specializes in DW's too if u haven't already. Most have pricematching policies, so u can book now at the higher rate, and then if and when room rates come down in the winter, your room rates will be adjusted. It's a good idea to purchase airfare sooner rather than later as the air will only increase in price.

 

Our rates are still relatively high at about five months out. Right now most of the "deals" out are targeting Sept-Nov because it's their down season. I am thinking that in Oct some lower rates will come out for Jan. Since your wedding is in May, I think you'll see some deals come out in Feb/March.

 

If you want to tell me the current rates you were given (you can PM me if you prefer) I'd be happy to let you know if I think it sounds high, reasonable, etc, based on our experience.

 

Hope this is at least a bit helpful to you. I know it can be stressful wanting to get your guests the best rate possible.

 

Any other IB related questions, fire away!

 

 

 

 

Hi Lindobride14,

 

I am getting married at Paraiso Beach as it was the most affordable for our guests (or so I thought!). Thanks for the info.... I have been to that part of Mexico a few times so I am pretty confortable with knowing the prices etc. A quick piece of advice for you.... I went to a wedding in the Mayan Riviera in January (wedding was Jan 27, 2010) and I booked my package in Oct just like you said. That was definitely the best time to book pricewise because others who booked about a month later ended up paying more. So my suggestion, based on my experience is that Oct would be your ideal time to book. The only thing is that you risk your preferred travel date being sold out. I guess these are the joys of a destination wedding right?

 

[murmel]

 

 

Originally Posted by primavera 

 

Are all of you who are getting quotes booking packages? Flight + hotel, or are the different quotes you get for the rooms only? I think my TA will only give me one quote for the resort and that is pretty much it, take it or leave it.

Your TA should be able to give you prices for BOTH- a package deal, or hotel only rates. If they are only giving you hotel rates, look around for another TA who can be more helpful.

 

 

 

 

Originally Posted by ashley1316 

 

OMG

So i went to my TA yesterday to possibly lock in on a quote. Only to find out that sunwing only flys out June 30 and July 7...my wedding is July 8th.

So thats means my FI and I would have to leave the 30th, because we need to be there 3 days before hand, and there is NO way my quests can leave on the 7th because then i dont have time for rehersal ect.

 

I am in a pickle! I dont want to change my wedding date, dont even know if the WC would allow me at this point. So my TA is now looking thru other carriers. But they dont offer a package "diamond" for my resort. Sunwing only does......argh.

 

This is my 1st real stress of this whole planning a wedding thing.......

 

I hope my TA can find some carrier that flys out the 3rd of July. That would be perfect.

 

thank god for a place to vent. lol

Sorry to hear about this. I know it would be really hard to change your wedding date, but could your TA call the resort and see if another date is available for your wedding (just in case there is not another flight)? Hope the TA finds another carrier who will work for you!

 

 

[missy&eric2011]

Thank you so much!  Your information is so helpful and comforting!  I guess I did forget to mention, in her defense, that she is getting us a wedding discount based on the value of each reservation...it's at least $50 and every little bit helps!  I just feel bad because no one is locked into a price until THEY book...I wish we could do the footwork, watch the prices and book ours when it reduces and allow everyone else to reap the benefits of that!

 

Another worry on my mind though is that the resort isn't blocking off rooms for us and we seem to have a lot of procrastinators in our group...but our agent still said that if the majority have their deposits down by October (the wedding is in May) that we are in good shape!?  All of you ladies seem to have so many booked already!
 

Originally Posted by Lindobride14 

That sounds accurate, Missy.  TA's typically will book with whatever wholesaler (Apple, Funjet, Travel Impressions) that is the cheapest available at the time of booking.

 

Funjet seems to have the lowest rates available right now, so that's why she's quoting you the Funjet price.  Apple's are currently about 100 bucks higher in my experience.

 

Our current rates are Funjet's as well.  And I've checked with two different TA's to make sure mine is doing her due diligence.  All have returned Funjet prices.

 

The lowe