Packing List For Guest?

[tygrrlily]

We had this on our website:

 

PACKING TIPS

What to Bring:

- Passport (with a copy safely stored)

- ID and travel documents

- Carry On Bag (pack hot weather clothes and your bathing suit in your carry on so that you can enjoy the resort even if your room is not ready yet!)

- Small bills for tipping (bartenders, transfer people).  Tips are NOT expected but they can be a great gesture when you get good service

- Wedding Attire

- White attire for our White Party

- Pants and shoes for men (Some restaurants require men to wear pants and shoes)

- Sunscreen, sunglasses and a hat

- Aloe vera and mosquito repellent are a good idea

- Drinking hat and dancing shoes

What NOT To Bring

- Beach Towels (these will be provided)

- Hairdryer and Flatiron (the Resort provides a Chi Hairdryer and Chi flat iron in every room!)

- Iron (they provide one in every room)

- Alcohol... All-inclusive! You will even have alcohol in your room

- A gift! We feel incredibly blessed to have our friends and family travel so far to be part of our marriage celebration - your presence at our wedding is your gift to us!

 

and this in our pre-wedding passports:

 

Travel and Packing Tips

• Check in is at 3pm so pack a bathing suit and essentials in your carry-on so you can enjoy amenities immediately even if your room is not yet

• Passports must be valid for at least 6 months from date of departure (Therefore June 21, 2015)

• Men should pack long pants & covered shoes assome a la carte restaurants have strict dress codes

• Remember to pack a WHITE OUTFIT for our welcome White Party and your wedding attire (please no golf shirts, shorts or bathing suits to the wedding)

• Bring lots of singles and small bills to tip the Staff

• Mexican currency is Pesos, but US dollars are widely accepted

• In December, the temperature averages 27-28 degrees Celsius during the day and 20-21 at night

• The hotel supplies beach towels, CHI brand hairdryer & flatiron, & clothing iron

• The voltage is the same as North America

[Surfingsara]

Great list @@tygrrlily!

 

Here's another guest question:

How many days should I think guest would be staying? I was originally thinking, we arrive Wednesday everyone else arrives Thursday. This way we have time to get last minute things done, have time to ourselves and meet with the wedding people. Thursday night have everyone gather together for dinner and drinks to celebrate birthdays (maid of honor and another girls birthday are within days of when we will be in Mexico). Friday be a relaxing day/ excursion day or what ever they choose. Saturday afternoon wedding. Sunday googbye breakfast and our honeymoon begins and we return Wednesday.

 

Then today I was thinking it might not be good to have the wedding and then everyone leave the next morning. So I was thinking of moving the wedding up to Friday. But then again 3 nights doesn't give people much time to enjoy themselves, especially since its a 5+ hour flight.

 

We will be there 7 nights. If we stay 7 nights, most of our wedding package is paid for. I would love to have a few days to ourselves, as we probably won't get a big vacation for a while (him getting time off is next to impossible. And even when he does he ends up getting work calls the whole time.) Plus, and I know this sounds silly, my cat! I don't know how I'll leave her for 7 days much less longer. She has special needs and is spoiled! Im already unsure how I'm getting someone to stay with her for 7 days.

 

My resort doesn't open their 2016 wedding schedule until next month, so I have some time to figure this out. Any suggestions??

 

I'm also trying to think about the amount of time people will have to take off of work. The wedding is the first weekend on June, so about a week or so before everyone would have had a long weekend with Memorial day.

[tygrrlily]

@@Surfingsara - Are you doing it at an all-inclusive resort?  I think you might be American but for Canadians all-inclusive vacations are usually cheapest packaged as 7 nights, so for us most people stayed the whole week. Do you want your guests to just stay the 4 nights?

 

For us, most people stayed Sunday - Sunday (7 nights), some came on Tuesday (5 nights) and a bunch Thursday (3 or 4 nights).  We put our wedding on the Friday with most people leaving Sunday - the recovery day was really a must!  In hindsight I kind of wish we had had our wedding earlier in the week so I could have enjoyed the time after more w/o wedding stress but we needed to have it near the weekend for people that were only coming for the weekend.  It also made our group really bond over the week so everyone knew each other pretty well for the wedding

[Surfingsara]

@@tygrrlily yes I'm American. ( I know I post a lot on the Canadian ladies boards, but y'all have opened me with welcomed arms and have shared such great ideas!)

Our resort is all-inclusive and is expensive. What I was figuring, 3 nights with flights was going to be about $1200 a person. Of course this is just an estimate, as they don't have flight prices for June 2016 yet. This pricing is also from going through the resorts website. I meet with a travel agent this week, hopefully they can get better pricing. -the whole travel agent things is another long story, I'm still not 100% sold I'll go with a travel agent.

 

I would like time to recover after the wedding, and im sure everyone else will too. Yet I know I'll also want some alone time with my finance after the wedding as well. Like I said before, we probably won't have another real vacation after this for a while. Since I'll have just graduated only weeks before the wedding, I'm hoping to have a job when I get back. And since I'll be the new person, I'm sure I won't get much time off. If we were able to stay longer than 7 days I think it would solve a bunch of problems. But as it is right now, leaving the cat 7 days is going to be hard. Also I feel bad asking people to take this much time off of work. I know of a few people who can't come due to their work schedules.

 

Plus, by about day 4 of vacation I'm usually ready to go home. I've been told it's because I haven't had good vacations. This might be true. I've never been to an all-inclusive resort before.

 

That's a good point about everyone having time to bond, thankfully the majority of people coming know each other well or knew each other from growing up and going to the same schools together.

 

Did the people who came 3-4 nights feel they had enough time?

[calgarybride2015]

Personally for me and my experiences with AI in tropical destinations is that 3-4 days wouldn't be long enough. If that's all the time you could get- sure, but otherwise people will want the 7. You need time to arrive, unwind, figure out the resort and excursions. Not to mention have a wedding day, so I say 3-4 wouldn't cut it.

 

I also felt bad asking people to take 7 days off work but you have to remember this is a vacation for them too. They can say no if it doesn't work for them.

 

I would highly suggest a TA for many reasons - flight and resort pricing should be better, deals at the resort, they do all the work and answer all questions for the guests.

 

I have already accepted mine won't be a load back relaxing vacation. We will do a honeymoon after.

 

Saturday arrive before dinner and have welcome drinks at 730 pm.

Sunday hair trial

Monday wedding meeting 11am

Tuesday rehearsal dinner in evening

Wednesday wedding

Thursday day for hubby and I.

Friday free

Saturday come home

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[tygrrlily]

Yes I tend to agree with @@calgarybride2015.  The people that came just 3-4 nights basically just came for our wedding, and I don't think they had as good a time as everyone else, to be honest, because they were less bonded.  The 7 night people treated it like a vacation for themselves as well which is what we wanted and I don't think anyone regretted staying the 7 nights.  It let people do excursions and side trips, try out restaurants, and do more than just our wedding - related things.

 

We offered 7 night, 5 night and 4 night packages (priced out all by our TA) and people chose what was best for their budget and work schedules.

 

Agree w/ Kim, if you're only going for 1 week I'd almost say don't plan for it to be a relaxing vacation haha - I'm sorry .  As the bride and groom, you also kind of always running around and making sure everyone is having a good time.  I do wish we had booked a few more days over just the 7 nights - even like 3 days would have been great to relax a bit more and take a mini honeymoon.  I know a lot of the ladies here book another solid week of just them and their hubbies. Another idea is if you want some time alone w/ your husband but can't do the extra time, maybe consider switching hotels? We thought about this but my husband didn't want to leave our guests ultimately and I agreed, so we're not doing our honeymoon until the spring sometime

Edited January 3, 2015 by tygrrlily

[Brandii]

Here is what I came up with for a packing list. I have it in a pretty document, but I can't seem to get the document to upload to this site so here are the words I used:

 

Personal Documents:

**Please make two copies of all documents. Pack one in your luggage (separate from what you will carry on the plane), and leave the other copy with someone who is not traveling with us. Also, contact your bank and credit card companies to notify them of your travel plans.

 

· ID

· Passport

· Credit Card

· Copy of Travel Insurance

· Airplane Tickets (be sure to check the TSA website regarding specifics on baggage requirements.)

· Confirmations for pre-booked Excursions and/or Spa Treatments

· Cash (Small bills for tips)

Travel Aids:

· Reading materials

· Gum

· Electronic devices with chargers

· Headphones

· Hand sanitizer

· Anxiety / Motion Sickness meds.

· Empty water bottle (to fill up one you have passed TSA screenings)

Toiletries:

· Toothbrush/toothpaste

· Make-up

· Hair care items

· Shampoo & Conditioner

· Soap

·  Lip balm

· Nail file

· Shaving needs

·  Glasses, extra contacts

·  Prescription medications (in original containers)

· Sun Screen*

· After sun care (Aloe Vera)*

· Insect repellent *

· Pain relievers*

·  Band-aids*

· Stomach medications*

*We will have extra of these if you need them, they are expensive at the resort, so it’s always a good idea to bring them with you.

Electronics:

· Camera with charger or extra        batteries

· Cell Phone- remember to put in         airplane mode so you don’t incur roaming charges

· Laptop/ Tablet- Resort has free WiFi

 

Women:

· Swim Suits (2 or more)

· Beach Cover Ups

· Comfortable walking shoes for         excursions

· Sandals & Flip Flops

· Dressy shoes for dinner and wedding reception

· Shorts and T-Shirts

· Sundresses & Skirts

· Long paints and/or jeans

· Cardigan or light jacket for cool nights and for the airplane

· Wedding Attire

· Undergarments

· Sleep clothes

· Jewelry, Accessories, Sunglasses

· Hat

· Small purse or wristlet

· Beach bag

Men:

· Swim Suits (2 or more)

· T-Shirts, shirts to wear on the beach or during excursions

· Comfortable walking shoes for excursions

· Flip Flops

· Closed Toe Shoes/ Shoes for dinner *

· Nice shirts for dinner*

· Long Pants* and Dress Shorts*

· Wedding Attire

· Undergarments

· Sleep clothes

· Watch, Accessories, Sunglasses

· Hat

*Per resort’s dress code

This is fantastic, thank you!

[Tezuka]

Great list. Thanks for sharing! I added sunglasses and water shoes for our destination.

[SusanMarie813]

great lists!

[acw271011]

I put this on our website - some are geared for our resort and reviews I had read on trip advisor (marble slippery, etc.) 

 

Resort 'Good to Knows'

We have compiled a list of 'good to know' information regarding our research of this resort, as well as trips we have taken in our past.

1. If available, bring water shoes. Some points of entry into the ocean can be rocky due to broken coral.

2. Snorkelling equipment is available on site, but if you have your own you should bring it. We hear the snorkelling there is fantastic.

3. Men need to have long pants for the A'la Carte restaurants. A casual pair of shoes would be helpful, as well as an extra 'golf' shirt that wouldn't be classified as a t-shirt.

4. Sunscreen, sunscreen, sunscreen! The sun can be relentless.

5. If you are able to bring more than one bathing suit I highly recommend it. With the humidity your swim suit will most likely not dry over night. 

6. Women should consider a swim-suit cover-up. Makes it easy to leave the beach and have lunch, etc. Usually they won't let you into the buffets in just a swim suit.

7. Flip flops are perfect, but if you plan to do some walking you should bring some casual shoes/walking shoes. Also some A'la Cartes would expect women to have 'fancier' flip flops for dinners.

8. Tipping isn't mandatory, but we tip some while on vacation. Have USD or Mexican Pesos on hand. Nothing over the top!

9. BUBBA's!! (can't believe I left this until #9) The weather is hot, the drinks are flowing, and their cups just aren't big enough! They have no problems filling any sort of insulated beverage mug, which keeps your drink cold and cuts down on trips to the bar!

10. This can be considered a large resort, so be prepared to walk some.

11. You aren't advised to drink the water in Mexico. They provide bottled water for drinking and for brushing your teeth! Most ice cubes and machines on site use filtered water for us, but to be safe I tend to travel with pepto, immodium, and possibly an rx from the doctor.

12. Lots of marble at this resort that can be slippery when wet. Also keep an eye on the integrity of the balconies before you lean on them!

 I also made sure on our pre travel brochure to speak about passports, ID's, travel documents, using the in-room safe, etc.  Sunglasses, hats, etc. (I also told them to bring these to the wedding as they can't get back to their room easily as we are in a secluded area)

I also mentioned numerous times to bring enough sunscreen, aloe, shampoo, etc. as it's pricey on the resort.  Also to bring stuff in case you get an upset stomach/diarrhea, etc. LOL!!!!

 

Good deal Kim. You covered everything I was going to mention. Bathing suit will definitely not dry in the humidity. And guys usually are required to wear long pants and a "collared" shirt to the a la cartes. I did read here somewhere that one resort they were letting guys in wearing shorts but don't count on that. Most we've been to enforce the proper dress rule. Which means you will not be allowed in wearing a bathing suit even with a cover up. Ladies will need a skirt, dress or dress slacks. The buffets are a lot more casual but I believe they still require you to wear a cover up.