FutureMrsC

Hi ladies, I'm wondering if any of you have the prices handy for the videographer. I want to book him just for the ceremony -- we are bringing our photogs, but I didnt think of video!!! I emailed Perla, but haven't heard back on this yet, so I figured I'd throw it out to you all. Thanks!!

Becks - I just saw your wedding pictures for the first time (not sure if you've posted them before). Anyhow - they are stunning!!! Absolutely gorgeous .....

Shannon that video was absolutely amazing .... your videographer is very talented!!! Congratulations on your marriage, you were a beautiful bride!!

We're there almost the same time. Arriving the 22nd and leaving the 29th.

Thank you for Miguel's email address Lauren. I was trying to find it, but it was deleted from the email that I was sent yesterday from my TA. I think we'll be OK too. When do you guys arrive and depart from the PRC?

Hi girls -- checking in on the whole closings situation. FI's aunt (our TA) put in lots of calls yesterday regarding all that’s going down. I was adamant about the fact that had I wanted to use a hotel that only offered a buffet, no entertainment, etc, then I would've booked at some other random place and not spent 10s of thousands of dollars so that my guests could have the experience that I was promised by the Paradisus. I did not want a return trip, nor did I want my money back. If the nice amenities were not going to be available during our wedding week then I wanted to change locations. (Truthfully I LOVE the PRC and really want to stay!! Especially now that I have all of my wedding details in order, you know? But I tried to play the tough guy so I could get some answers). Anyhow, I finally got an email last night forwarded from our aunt. It was from Miguel Elias, the Director of Services at the PRC. He promised that by the time we come in July everything will be back in full swing and all amenities, restaurants, etc will be working regularly. Apparently, they have closed the ME Cancun which is located North of our resort, and all of their clientele is being redirected to the PRC. This should increase occupancy and allow everything to operate as it regularly does. I'm *hoping* that this is true! Really, really hoping ..... Of course the cynic in me says that they can totally just be saying that so that they don't lose out on more business, but I'd like to believe that its the honest truth. On a side note, has anyone heard from Perla? I emailed her over a week ago now and haven’t heard anything.

Hey Yamille -- I just finished reading your review (which was great -- thanks!!) and your latest post. My FI said the same thing your friend said about living in NY and being able to eat whereever whenever ... and hes right. I just wanted our families to feel special and get to see and experience all of the nice little extras that I did, which is why I booked there, you know?? Its defninitely a bummer that this silly little virus is affecting everything in such a big way (I REALLY think its totally sensationalized). It sounds like you guys had a wonderful time even without all of the restaurants though -- you said that you ate at Capri during your stay. So they opened it up for a night or something? I'm wondering if these places are CLOSED closed, or if they are just open certain nights of the week.

Hi girls, I just wanted to post about all of the restaurants/spa being closed. My fiance's aunt is our travel agent and so she gave me that information over the weekend and needless to say, like you Lauren, I was SO SO SO bummed. We are paying for everyone's stay for the week, and I was really looking forward to everyone having an amazing time with the opportunity to enjoy all that the resort has to offer -- that is, afterall, why we booked there. FI's aunt happened to have a seminar (or whatever they call it in the travel industry) with the Melia people yesterday. (Melia owns the Paradisus resorts), and her contact from the Paradisus Riviera was there. She was able to pick her brain about the goings on down there ..... The rep wasnt able to divulge much other than, of course, that they are hoping things will be re-opened by the time that we go down in July, but she would not make any promises. As of now, the Spa has been re-opened and will remain so. Should it have to close again, all spa treatments will still be available in your room, or on the beach, etc. The Japanese, French and Italian restaurants are closed as of now, and there is no guarantee as to when they will re-open. All desicions are being made solely based on occupancy, as they can't afford to run these restaurants with so few people at the resort. Of course, the rep assured my aunt that we would be given monetary compensation or a comp-ed return stay, however, I am not interested in either. I certainly don't want to go down for the week to celebrate my wedding and have to eat at the buffet every day. Unfortunately, this is the hand we've been dealt and it doesnt seem like theres much we can do to change it. I am thankful to know ahead of time, whereas if I had gotten down there and found out this information I would be pretty upset. Perla has not mentioned anything to me as of yet ... I wonder if she will. I did email her in the middle of last week regarding some details and have not yet heard back. I'll definitely keep you guys in the loop as I know things ... hopefully good things

Hey Lauren! We are getting so close -- can you believe it?!? Have you gotten everything in order? It seems like I still have so much to do!!

I love the forum as well, but I am usually just a reader, not much of a poster so the point thing is a huge bummer because a lot of times you can open things that you'd like to see or whatever. As far as the dress code goes, I was sure to notice how people were dressed at the restaurants at night because FI's family (God forgive me) are not the best dressed people on the planet and I know it'll be a chore to get them to get dressed everynight. I noticed mots of men wearing sandals with long pants and few wearing shorts. All the ladies seemed to be dressed similarly - sundresses and sandals. So, I am making sure to stress the fact that everyone needs to be DRESSED at night. This way there is no trouble. Does anyone know what the policy on children is? I have 2 12 year old boys traveling with us and I wonder if they will be allowed to wear shorts at night? Thanks!

Quote: Originally Posted by egsarah Dana the review was fantastic! It sounds like you had a really good time and you've reassured me that we chose the right resort. Thanks for the heads up on the dinner reservations too. Good to know that you can set them up for your whole stay at one time. I always lose track of time when I'm on vacation. On the palpa could it be used as a rain back up? It sounds so beautiful but I've always dreamed of getting married on the beach. However, I would prefer something somewhat outside if possible even in the chance of rain. You'll have to post some pictures when you get some time. Thanks! I would love to post the pictures -- do you know how? Also, I'm sure it could be used as a rain back up. I dont know if you have met Perla as of yet in person, but she seems really accomodating and I'm sure would hook you up if it rained.

Quote: Originally Posted by egsarah Dana the review was fantastic! It sounds like you had a really good time and you've reassured me that we chose the right resort. Thanks for the heads up on the dinner reservations too. Good to know that you can set them up for your whole stay at one time. I always lose track of time when I'm on vacation. On the palpa could it be used as a rain back up? It sounds so beautiful but I've always dreamed of getting married on the beach. However, I would prefer something somewhat outside if possible even in the chance of rain. You'll have to post some pictures when you get some time. Thanks! I would love to post the pictures -- do you know how? Also, I'm sure it could be used as a rain back up. I dont know if you have met Perla as of yet in person, but she seems really accomodating and I'm sure would hook you up if it rained.

Hi girls! I just got back late last night from my site visit. Yes -- I decided to go anyway despite all of this swine flu hype -- and I am SO glad that I did. I have to tell you that I have been SO nervous about getting married in Mexico. I had never been to the Paradisus Riviera before (FI and I had gone to the one in the DR years ago and LOVED it). But having gone down was the very best thing I could’ve done for myself. I went with my mom because FI is a workaholic and its very tough to tear him away from his desk, and also because I thought -- who better to share something like planning my wedding with, if not my fiancé? We arrived just before 4 on Monday evening and checked in. I didn’t book us in Royal Service for this trip (for the wedding FI and I got everyone RS rooms) so we were told by the guy at the front desk that we had to make dinner reservations by 4 or we would have to eat in the buffet that evening. You have to make reservations in person, so we went over to the reservations desk and it was 3:55 and girl said she was closed. I told her the time and she was nasty and just kept repeating that she was closed. I was definitely tiffed because this was totally NOT the first interaction I wanted to have with someone at the place -- I thought everyone would be super accommodating. The next day we went back early to make reservations (they allow you to make them for you entire stay or certain days, whatever) and she was very apologetic and everything .... so that made me feel better. Lesson here is, make your reservations early and in advance - they seem to fill up quickly. Side note : the buffet was great - they had a few cook stations going so you didn’t feel like you were eating food that was sitting out all day, and the wait staff was the friendliest that we encountered. They pulled out our chairs, put our napkins on our laps, etc. Excellent. That same night we went for a walk on the beach and I got to see a wedding. I don’t think it was anyone from the board, but it was pretty. It had a similar set up to those that many of you here have used. The couple was married on the sand with white covered chairs at 5pm. took lots of pictures and then had a reception on the terrace that most brides that I've seen use. It was beautiful -- she had great weather and everyone looked so happy. The next day I met with Perla and THANK GOD I did, because she made me feel SO much better. She’s super nice. During my meeting with her actually she got a call from a bride that was supposed to be married this Saturday (tomorrow), it was going to be a 90 person wedding, and they cancelled because of swine flu. Obviously that SUCKS and I hope it doesn’t affect anyone here to that extent, but I guess a lot of her family was canceling and stuff. Perla was visibly upset, but she tried so hard to keep a good face about everything and was so, SO helpful and accommodating with us. I asked if she wanted us to come back later, but she said no, we'd go on. So my biggest concern was that I didn’t want to get married on the beach or in the gazebo over the pool. Both of which are beautiful - I especially love the look of the gazebo, but I wanted more privacy. Turns out they just built this beautiful palapa that’s set back by the RS rooms. Its a free standing structure - the floor and columns are marble, but like inside the hotel lobby, and it has that really charming palapa roof. Its really set apart from everything else - there are rooms behind the gardens around it, but Perla said we could block off access during the ceremony. I have some pictures, but I have no idea how to post them on here. Once I chose the ceremony location I was psyched and had no problem with my vision of the rest of it all ... we chose linens, chairs, centerpieces, flowers, etc. It was GREAT!!! I can completely rest assured that my wedding will be just the way I would want it to be. The next day we got to see Freckles' wedding which was beautiful - she looked gorgeous and it really looked like they all had fun. I didn’t introduce myself or anything because I just saw her from afar, but it all looked beautiful. So, overall, the food was excellent, the service was excellent for the most part (I noticed that a lot of the people working at the resort didn’t speak English at all, so get your few key words down in Spanish before you go), the accommodations were gorgeous (like I said we stayed in a regular garden suite, but Perla brought us over to the RS suites and they were to die for - Jacuzzi on the balcony and everything), the pools and beach were all beautiful and clean (there’s a lot of seaweed, but they rake a few times a day). We used the spa for massages and the gym and both were great - massages were excellent!!!!! Be excited girls, because we chose a really great place! Just as an aside, the swine flu thing is really over reported and exaggerated on the news. There have been no cases at all in the area that the Paradisus is located, and of course if you are coming through Cancun airport, just be careful. My mom and I wore scarves and masks on our faces during travel just to be safe, but even coming into New York, there was no hustle and bustle about it. Only 1 officer at the JFK airport had a mask on. In Mexico all of the airline workers did as a precautionary measure. And also remember that they've called it "swine flu" which is scary and disgusting, but at the end of the day, its a cold - you'll cough and sneeze and maybe have a fever. Its everywhere now, so don’t be super afraid of Mexico, because while I was in Mexico, a case turned up at the middle school near my house on Long Island. So just wash your hands a lot, watch your self in crowded public places - don’t get too too close to anyone, and take good care of your body. Don't let all of the media bring you down - they really REALLY over report and use scare tactics. I'm sure everyone will be just fine Sorry this was so long!! I hope it gave someone some type of good info - you guys have given so much to me!! Stay well, Dana

Quote: Originally Posted by bumbles How fun, FutureMrsC! Are you doing a tasting? If so, I'd love to hear what you like/didn't like. Safe travels! Hi Bumbles! Yes, we're doing a tasting. I have a meeting scheduled with Perla on Tuesday morning and she's supposed to walk me all around the resort and show me all of our options. I'll definitely report back -- I can't wait to get down there and meet her in person.

Hi girls -- I am leaving tomorrow morning for Mexico. I didnt feel like I could really plan the way I wanted to via email with perla so I booked a little trip. I wanted to be very familair with everything, and as our wedding is scheduled to take place the day after we arrive in July, I didnt want to have anything to worry about when we go down. I am kind of freaking out about meeting with Perla on Tuesday anyway though because I am not sure what questions to ask! I want to make sure I have all of my bases covered. This forum doesnt usually answer back right away, but if anyone reads this post and has any questions they'd like me to ask, or any reminders for my own questions, that would be great!! I'll check back before I go. Thanks girls! Oh wow!! And I just realized that I'll be there for Freckles' wedding!! How exciting!