Cost of Travel for Guests

[TRose]

atrott did you go through a travel agent for that price? that price is a better than we just quoted (2030 per couple/7 nights). We would LOVE to find a better price for our guests.

 

bikegirl .. with the quote above we would recieve 1 free person for every 20 people (or one free room for every 20 rooms) as well as 10% off at the spa for every guest plus our travel agent said we would negotiate for room upgrades for everyone

[bride2be2011]

Hello Ladies,

 

I am pricing out one week stays at Excellence Punta Cana with TA's right now and the prices are pretty high ($1800 per person w/ flight out of Chicago) compared to last year. My FI and I stayed at the Excellence in December 2009, booked 7 months in advance and paid $1250 per person for 8 nights including flight. Now when I bring this figure up with the TA's they say 'don't even use that as a benchmark' -- I'm not sure if they are telling the truth or not, but they said last year was a really bad travel year and so the deals were much better. I am super worried that our guests will end up forking out a lot more money than we initially told them.

 

For now I am just waiting to see if better deals appear online...

 

One thought I had is to have a thread where we could post our wedding date and resort, and for anyone else who will be getting married at the same resort within the same week (or two week) timeframe, to collectively go to the resort as 'one group' and see what kind of deal we could get then!

 

Any January 2011 Excellence brides out there want to collaborate with me

[bikegirl]

Travel agent told me the exact same. That a lot of the incentives offered for year will no longer be offered for next year as the travel industry is bouncing back. Good for the economy, bad for us 2011 brides!

[Amelie-Mellow]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bikegirl Travel agent told me the exact same. That a lot of the incentives offered for year will no longer be offered for next year as the travel industry is bouncing back. Good for the economy, bad for us 2011 brides!

If it makes you guys feel better we are also in your shoes- we have been quoted very high prices. Based on the recommendations on this thread I think we might wait until we are closer before agreeing to a price.

Question for everyone: Have you gotten better deals going through your TA or going directly to the hotel? (we are currently working with a TA)

Thanks again!

[BrideMichele]

We just booked our flight/hotel yesterday (using a TA) for our Oct 2010 wedding. We are leaving from Toronto and staying at the Majestic Colonial. Oct 16th to Oct 23 costs $1426 CDN (West Jet). Some of our guests are leaving from Saskatoon, SK for the same dates/location will cost them $1650 (Air Canada).

[Oryx]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bikegirl TRose, do you mind sharing what perks you got? A couple TAs I'm working with gave me prices and said their company is offering 21st guest for free but aside from that, NOTHING. I'm not sure if it's because I need to then negotiate upgrades, free weddings, etc. with the wedding coordinator directly?...or if that's something my TA should be doing for me...

Hey Lindz,

The other perks such as free wedding package and room upgrades depends on the resort. I know the Majestic has the free wedding package if you book 15 rooms for 7+ nights, plus free upgrade on the room for bride and groom (depending on availability). The TA can coordinate that and make sure it happens, but really I think the perks vary by resort and tour operator.

[aella]

Our wedding will be in Punta Cana March 2011 and it's looking like $1900 to $2100 for one week. It's a bit higher then we were hoping but feel that for the resorts we're looking at it's worth it..

[richarsd]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Amelie-Mellow We have already gotten quotes for February 2012 (which is when we would like to get married)- they quotes are pretty high at about 1900! For a week at Excellence Punta Cana including airfare from Toronto/Ottawa. We would love to find a package between 1500-1800 and still get an awesome resort. Thanks for the advice- I think we might wait until we are closer but probably not 6-9 months as I would have a panic attack by then..

Hi Amelie!

Honestly, I'd be pretty shocked if you found the Excellence for anything below $1800 in February. February (and March) are the most expensive months as they're peak season...if you wanted cheaper, you may want to consider going more off season such as prior to December or after April.

I've been scouring prices for rates in Punta Cana at 4.5 and 5 stars for the past 6 months (ever since I got engaged). In Feb, there's hardly anything around $1500 (and certainly not tax included) but it's possible if you're not too picky and wait way closer to book...which isn't really recommended for a wedding.

As for the poll, I would be putting mine in the $1400-1600 range but we're going in April to the Grand Palladium from Ottawa and Halifax.

Goodluck and happy planning!

Shan

[Miss Lighting Bug]

When you guys are quoting is that 1500-1700, etc per person or per room?

[Oryx]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Miss Lighting Bug When you guys are quoting is that 1500-1700, etc per person or per room?

Per person.