2013 Gran Caribe Real/ Royal Cancun Brides

[joannaleigh]

In Cancun it is $60 per person.
 

[txbrideinmexico]

So I got a quote back from the resort on custom cakes and was told $15USD per guest! That is over 3x the outside vendor quote. I was expecting it to be high, but that is just obnoxious. Ugh.

[Emily11386]

I really feel like they nickel and dime you for everything! We are basically spending $1100 on nothing. Outside vendor fees for photographer and florist at $350 each Then the $400 "sunset ceremony fee". I think it's crazy. And when I asked about canapés I was told we could pick cold ones only, and if we wanted hot canapés it was an additional $5pp. I feel like every time turn around there is an additional fee!

[Billandstina]

I feel the same way...if you ask a question or show the slightest hint of interest in anything they jack up the price!!

[txbrideinmexico]

Originally Posted by Billandstina 

 

I feel the same way...if you ask a question or show the slightest hint of interest in anything they jack up the price!!

Exactly! I usually try to be nice when I'm working with difficult people because it obviously gets you further than being a jerk, but yesterday I actually wrote a message back basically saying that was an unacceptable quote and that I am offended by it considering the amount of business I'm bringing in to the resort. Also, I'm considering depending on their response, pointing them to this thread and how much business they will lose out on if potential brides are reading these posts. At this point I would definitely not recommend working with GCR.  I don't expect to be given anything free of charge or any special treatment, but we don't deserve to be taken advantage of either. Of course you also don't want to make people mad if they are responsible for your wedding, so they have us stuck there too....

[Emily11386]

It's funny because I was talking to my mom the other day and she asked me if I could go back to the beginning of the planning would I still do a destination wedding. My answer was: I would definitely still do a destination wedding but I wouldn't chose this resort. It makes me sad to feel this way, but it's true. Communication is terrible and I always feel like they act like they are doing us a favor by letting us have our wedding there. Some resorts like the Palace Resorts offer incentives based on how many rooms or room nights your wedding guests book. At least they are attainable numbers and they are offering some kind of incentives for having your wedding there. At Real Resorts you have to have 25 rooms booked to get any incentives. I think that is a little crazy. We have 35 guests and we aren't going to hit 25 rooms. I'm sure a lot ofpeople don't hit the 25 room mark.

[Billandstina]

I actually had to write a letter to that effect. I'm a very calm and easy-going person but I agree with the "privilege of having our wedding there" feeling they give me sometimes. My letter was written when I asked for a reduced rate or no day-pass rate for the 8 guests I have coming who live in Cancun! I think it's absurd to pay the day pass rate when they aren't coming to use the facilities (plus we'll be getting married on the beach so basically the fee is for the privilege of walking through the restort to the beach...they may as well walk down the beach to arrive to save that money) and its not like they're staying at a competing resort (which I could then slightly justify paying the resort fee if they were coming to relax for the day before the wedding). I had to remind these people that my party is booking over $55,000 worth of rooms!! That's not even any money we're shelling out for the actual wedding which of course is starting to cost a fortune especially with 8 locals who cost us almost double the price! Absurd!

[justchrissy]

@billandtina Did your letter help at all in dealing with them? Did they budge AT ALL on anything. I havent had a opportunity to talk much in here bec my life is CRAZY right now, but I DEFINITELY read the posts and I feel the same abt the prices for EVERY LITTLE THING. I am getting married at the royal cancun n November 2013. I read ALOT of concerns abt the photographer they use and I am wondering who everybody else is using or who you all may have found that is reasonably priced?? Does anybody have anybody they can suggest and possibly share some photos by chance? The vendor fee on top of the cost of a photographer is RIDICULOUS by the way!! All help will be greatly appreciated!

I actually had to write a letter to that effect. I'm a very calm and easy-going person but I agree with the "privilege of having our wedding there" feeling they give me sometimes. My letter was written when I asked for a reduced rate or no day-pass rate for the 8 guests I have coming who live in Cancun! I think it's absurd to pay the day pass rate when they aren't coming to use the facilities (plus we'll be getting married on the beach so basically the fee is for the privilege of walking through the restort to the beach...they may as well walk down the beach to arrive to save that money) and its not like they're staying at a competing resort (which I could then slightly justify paying the resort fee if they were coming to relax for the day before the wedding). I had to remind these people that my party is booking over $55,000 worth of rooms!! That's not even any money we're shelling out for the actual wedding which of course is starting to cost a fortune especially with 8 locals who cost us almost double the price! Absurd!

[txbrideinmexico]

Originally Posted by justchrissy 

 

@billandtina Did your letter help at all in dealing with them? Did they budge AT ALL on anything. I havent had a opportunity to talk much in here bec my life is CRAZY right now, but I DEFINITELY read the posts and I feel the same abt the prices for EVERY LITTLE THING. I am getting married at the royal cancun n November 2013. I read ALOT of concerns abt the photographer they use and I am wondering who everybody else is using or who you all may have found that is reasonably priced?? Does anybody have anybody they can suggest and possibly share some photos by chance? The vendor fee on top of the cost of a photographer is RIDICULOUS by the way!! All help will be greatly appreciated!

The reviews on this website are great to find a photographer. If you go back a few pages many people names who they are using. I booked Sascha Gluck, but Del Sol is one of the others I remember looking into and Claudia. All the photographers I emailed were about 100x more responsive and helpful than the resort. I'm also having a good friend who is trying to break into wedding photography do some extra portraits and stuff for me, but I am definitely not mentioning this to my WC, lest they try to charge me!

 

@billandtina, I'm also curious as to whether that helped. I'm waiting on reply to my note, but I don't think she will do anything about it.

[Billandstina]

It helped in that they dropped the day pass fee since they were locals (but keep in mind that this was after about 3 emails explaining this to them and then THE email about how much money my group was bringing to their resort with over 60 people attending)... They of course said that the local guests would only be allowed to come 30 minutes prior to the ceremony and leave 30 minutes after the reception. Fine by me!! There was no way I was paying for them to walk through the resort!! Of course it's still annoying that they charge more for non-Royal guests! It's an all inclusive and we're ready paying per person on top of everything else so why not have it be the same for my locals and the guests that are staying there? Thievery!! Lol