Destinationweddings.com And Room Block Contracts

[acw271011]

Gee that sucks! That's truthfully the first time I've heard of that. Maybe it's because others have actually done the deposits so they haven't mentioned anything about a 30 day deadline. At least here in canada they'll generally give you a good 90 days if not more for booking.

 

Hope you get it all worked out!! Good luck and happy planning!! I hope too that you'll be able to get future help from Wright Travel!!

[Tatimrivera]

-acw271011 hi.. I actually booked with my TA four years ago before I knew anything about our wedding other than we wanted a DW. I don't regret not looking around but I do wish I was more knowledgable on sites like this one.

Sabes44 hi, on average for 4-5 days my guest paid $950 per person. When you include flights most averaged at $1300. All depends on length of stay and flights. But one thing I had to emphasize to my guest was that the resort is all inclusive (most have not travelled). Once I explained that most did not have an issue with the resort prices (but an FYI I live in NJ and rooms in Atlantic City run for up to $350 a night and you still have to buy food and drinks).

I chose to not do the block because ppl are too indecisive and I rather spend my money elsewhere lol

[TAkathy]

The challenge you could run into if you don't front the deposit for the block is that the rooms won't be available when the guests get around to committing.  Then they may be forced to book at other properties and have to pay extra to attend your wedding.  And you will not get extra amenities for the bookings you could have had.

 

The other thing to consider is generally, the deposit $ you front is usually applied toward your reservation so you are really not losing anything and, in the long run, you'll be better off.  When your guests book the rooms they pay their own deposit.  It is a tight time frame but if it's the property you really want, you are not the only one so I would weigh the decision carefully with the end result in mind.

 

If you were doing a stateside wedding, there would be more costs and deposits.

[Sabes44]

Thank you everyone for your feed back!  My finace didn't think it was that big of a deal.  We are trying to get the deposit to go towards our room or otherwise we won't get it back till after the wedding next year.

[NicoleF]

Sabes44 -- I'm using destinationweddings.com for a May 2015 wedding in Mexico (ALSO at Excellence Riviera Cancun!).  My TA is wonderful.  She's very attentive.  Even after we went through all the buzzy activity of narrowing down resorts, getting quotes, and finally making a selection, she still calls me once every few weeks, just to check-in.  I figured I wouldn't hear from her again until payments were due - but nope, she calls and asks how we're doing and how dress shopping is going, etc.  

 

That being said, I did not agree to do the room blocking contract.  It put way too much financial obligation on us for guests who may or may not decide to book.  I felt like we'd have to chase folks down and force them to book their rooms, which is definitely not the sort of overall "vibe" we want for our wedding!  If they want to come, they can book through our lovely TA.  If they don't want to come, that's ok, too!  If they want to internet search for cheaper pricing and book through Orbitz or whatever, they can do that, too.  Most importantly, when we had a zillion questions for our TA regarding the contract, she gave us thorough answers, helped us weigh the pro's and con's, and didn't pressure us one way or the other.  

 

Depending on the resort you've chosen, maybe there are better incentives for blocking the rooms upfront.  Our resort did not offer significant discounted pricing - only room upgrades for me and my fiance for every 10 rooms booked.  If there was some sort of across the board, significant discount on pricing that was shared with all of our guests for blocking the rooms in advance, then that would have been different.  

 

So far, I'm still happy with our decision(s).  My guests like the special attention when they contact our TA for quotes and they definitely appreciate the payment plan.  The DW website is also very convenient for sending save-the-dates, tracking bookings, and sending mass-communications.  Anyways, fingers crossed & good luck!

[Sabes44]

Hi @@NicoleF thank you for your detailed response!  We did end up signing the room block agreement (after asking a million questions!) surprisingly my fiance wasn't overly concerned about potentially fronting the money as I was.  Hopefully a good amount will book within the 30 days so we don't have to front too much.  We did get some really good prices and even the lowest room block was decreased by over $40 per person per night.  

 

What date is your wedding?  Mine is May 29, 2015

[TheBHolders]

@@Sabes44 I have been working with TA Teresa, she didnt mention anything to me about the 30 days, she just said we needed to do a room block. I also saw one TA who allowed us to "hold" rooms for 2 weeks and whatever guests paid within those 2 weeks were less rooms that we needed to block for. I'm not sure why we werent given any other option. My guests are also not comfortable doing credit card authorizations and wish to do online payments. I truly want to work with Teresa, I think she's awesome, but I have to put my guests first too

[MarMig]

Hi everyone! I am currently working with destinationweddings.com and wanted to know what was your overall experience with them. I am so-so with the specialist that was assigned to me. She is not as tentative as the ones that I read in this website. I am constantly sending her emails. I also emailed the hotel (Catalonia Riviera Maya) and pretty much, i'm on standby. I hate not being in control of things, it is driving me crazy. 

I did have to pay the $50.00 upfront and now we are fronting the room block deposit (because of the holidays). 

 

Your help/opinion is much needed!

 

Thanks!

[rebeccarpeck]

When did you ladies start talking with travel agencies? I want to give my guests the most notice I can, but I want to also give them the best estimate of prices. Did you get room quotes before airline prices & schedules were released? I *think* I've narrowed the resorts down, but would also be open to advice from a TA. Thank you!

 

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[Sabes44]

I started talking to travel agents right away.  We reached out to all our guests about a year in advance and sent the save the dates out 9 months in advance.

Hi everyone! I am currently working with destinationweddings.com and wanted to know what was your overall experience with them. I am so-so with the specialist that was assigned to me. She is not as tentative as the ones that I read in this website. I am constantly sending her emails. I also emailed the hotel (Catalonia Riviera Maya) and pretty much, i'm on standby. I hate not being in control of things, it is driving me crazy. 

I did have to pay the $50.00 upfront and now we are fronting the room block deposit (because of the holidays). 

 

Your help/opinion is much needed!

 

Thanks!

I used them and everything went fine.  On a price comparison with Wright Travel it was about the same.  Just make sure you are happy and comfortable with who you pick because you and your guests will do a lot with them!