Use A Travel Agent?

[Jess2112]

Hi everyone,

 

I'm new! lol. I'm looking to book my wedding in the Riviera Maya for May 2018...

 

My question...

 

Is it best to book a destination wedding with a travel agent? From my calculations, it seems it would be cheaper to book the rooms myself with the resort and have my guests book their own flights.

 

Help please!

 

Thanks,

Jess.

[TandAGetHitched]

@@Jess2112 - welcome & congrats! We are also Riviera Maya in May 2018 - have you picked a resort? 

 

yes, use a TA - they are super valuable! our TA negotiated our group rates, perks, booking deadlines, and everything to do with our group contract. Our group contract actually has much better rates for our guests than if they book themselves - so they save $$$. Plus, by using a TA and a group contract, usually the bride & groom get some free perks/benefits. some hotels don't give as many perks if all the guests book individually vs. on a group contract. 

 

Our TA is booking everyone's hotels. She is also booking flights for some guests, but most are booking flights on their own. it's great - when guests have travel questions - they can go directly to her and she'll give them all the right info. 

 

There are a lot of TAs out there - I recommend talking to a few to truly understand the benefits they can bring to you. They'll be a partner to you in the whole planning process! I found our TA through The Knot or one of those sites. 

 

good luck!  

[Jess2112]

Thanks for your response!

 

We are getting married at the Sandos Playacar Beach Resort! What about you?

[MarieSamSanchezPhoto]

Hi everyone,

 

I'm new! lol. I'm looking to book my wedding in the Riviera Maya for May 2018...

 

My question...

 

Is it best to book a destination wedding with a travel agent? From my calculations, it seems it would be cheaper to book the rooms myself with the resort and have my guests book their own flights.

 

Help please!

 

Thanks,

Jess.

 

I definitely suggest reaching out to a travel agent for your destination wedding. While it may seem that you could save money doing it on your own, travel agents will have access to special promotions and perks that you would not get otherwise. They will also be able to assist you and your guests on coordinating travel and transfers for your group -- something you will not want to deal with as your celebration approaches because you will have more than enough already on your plate.

 

I strongly suggest you reach out to one of the Best Destination Wedding forum travel agents at Wright Travel Agency who have a lot of expertise and insight when it comes to planning destination weddings -- most importantly, they'll be able to share promotions or deals currently being offered by the resorts so you'll have options to look at when it comes to your price point range. Wright Travel Agency does NOT charge a fee for their service, so you won't be paying anything extra to use them. They are a great resource and can give you a lot of advice on the best locations throughout the Riviera Maya region. Best of all these agents specialize in Destination weddings.  You can contact them HERE! Hope that helps  

[TandAGetHitched]

We are getting married at Azul Sensatori

 

Thanks for your response!

We are getting married at the Sandos Playacar Beach Resort! What about you?

[TA Patty]

Congratulations on your engagement!!  I agree with everything MarieSam stated above.  Travel agents book using a wholesale tour operator and will typically get better rates than you will get directly form the resort.

 

In addition to the experience and relationships we have with hotels, tour operators, etc... a  travel agent will handle all of the travel arrangements for your guests including , keeping you updated as guests book, handle all payments, collecting flight schedules from guests and making arrangements for roundtrip transportation from the airport to resort, answer guests questions about travel in general, the destination, the resort etc...  Our job is to take the travel portion off your stress plate so can concentrate on the details of your wedding.  We provide guests with their travel documents prior to travel and prepare them for travel. 

 

Planning a wedding should be a fun experience for you and when guests come to you with travel related questions you can simply say "Contact my Travel Agent, they're the experts and they'r happy to help you"!

 

Just click the link below if you'd like a Wright Travel TA to contact you and please let us know if you have any questions!! TA Patty 

Edited August 24, 2017 by TA Patty

[WillYouManningMe]

I've been debating whether or not to use a TA. I've always booked my trips on cheapcarribean website and they've always bee super cheap and very helpful. I've checked out 2 TAs and both wanted room blocks for a certain amount of days, we could only book certain type of rooms, and both were more expensive that cheapcarribean website. I'm unsure of what to do at the moment but I'm going to reach out to a few more TAs and if I can't find what I want, I'm just going to give my guests a few websites I trust and adore and let them book on their own.

[Heyjude]

I personally think its always easier to keep everything in-house and with an agent, rather than everyone having random flights and accommodation. That said there will be some deals to be had booking separately. I would see what your wedding organiser can advise on.🙏

[TammyWright]

For weddings you should definitely use a travel agent as there are promotions and amenities with a group block that you will not get by booking individually like comped rooms, upgrades, spa treatments, etc.