chrissik82

@ KPT and breeze: I was talking to Karelia (the manager for USA reservations for gran bahia) today and I was asking her a few things that really helped me understand their system... I was a little skeptical about this whole deposit stuff and the weird forms they send you to fill out (credit card authorization, etc.)... about the packages: they provide them in order to get an idea about what people want but actually you could change everything you want... so what I did was to choose the cheapest package (renewal of vows for $700 because we will get married in the US before we go there to avoid all the paper work)... I did that because of several reasons: 1. getting a marriage license and getting married before in your own country is way cheaper and so much more uncomplicated 2. you can really enjoy the wedding without thinking about all the legal paper work, you dont need to go back and forth to sign papers, etc., you can stay the whole day with your guests and just relax :-) 3. the renewal package is cheap and the deposit of 25% is only $200 which secures you the date, the time and the venue Karelia explained to me that as soon as you put down a deposit you get a confirmation sheet which tells you your date, time and package choice so that you have something in black and white in case something goes wrong.... she also said that it actually doesnt matter which package you choose, you can still upgrade or change it. @kerrij: I am surprised you didnt need to pay that deposit... somehow I think its cool :-) but somehow I just want to have some kind of proof that I booked something..

wow, I am starting to get addicted to this forum... so my travel agent called me back after I forwarded her the email of karelia... I asked her if the price for the room rate I got would drop down even more if we book it through her (I mean $105 per night is difficult to underbid if you consider that people use their ammenities, sleep in a suite, can eat and drink 24h, get their rooms cleaned everyday, etc. but I was curious)... and guess what... she told me, it will be "around that price, but it all changes so fast and nobody can predict when the hotel raises the price".... isnt that incredible?!?!? I told her that if people start to put down their deposits they definitely cant just raise the price and she had to agree... so... well... I am sorry I have to start cursing now but... wtff is going on?!? and then, after I explained to her that I really like the fact that people have to put down "only $100" to reserve their rooms (according to karelia), she said: NO, there is a $150 deposit required... what on earth makes her say that?!?! does the travel agency keep the other $50 per person or what?! that is lots of money for doing nothing... at the same time I was waiting for her to get details I gathered a million more information by doing it myself.... she had no clue what is going on.. instead she just disagreed with everything Karelia told me... the funny thing is, she suddenly got a "very important and urgent call" and hung up, telling me she would call me back after that... it is almost 3 hours ago.... that makes me a liiiiittle sceptical...

@ jules: wow I am impressed. this offer sounds great... I think it would be nice to have a private location for our guests, but I am also tempted by the gazebo dancefloor... hmm.... maybe it will be possible to do both, but then it is kinda weird to send people back and forth, from the gazebo to the restaurant, from the restaurant to the gazebo and then maybe back to a bar, when it closes at 11pm... tough decisions... oh well... about the flowers.. I am not sure, but I think with the different packages you can probably choose the color theme, the flower combinations and all the decoration stuff, they provide on this funny website taiflora.com I looked through their pictures, I dont know if I am so crazy picky but their decoration didnt sweep me off my feet. but I think you can still combine different possibilities and make it your own style... if they charge you a lot for that is the other question...

Hi kerrij, here is the email address of karelia: [email protected] she is the manager of USA reservations. but I am sure she can help you with the roomrates... so sorry that you had to deal with those horrible travel agents... I know exactly how it is... everybody just tries to make the most profit... and wedding people are just too easy to rip off because of course everybody wants a special day... thanks for all the communication, girls... it is really helpful

@breeze: thats actually pretty funny. my travel agent tried to convince me to go with Iberostar because they have so good connections, bla bla... but I never saw a great picture of a wedding venue even though they promised to send me some of the possibilities... I am so in love with the gazebo at GBJ that I think my travel agent wont be able to convince me to choose Iberostar, unless they provide me with crazy cheap rates... but of course I gave her the possibility to get back to me with a comparison... lets see... as far as I compared the prices on expedia, Iberostar is way more expensive... it is just annoying when travel agents try to keep up their relations with resorts in order to get the most advantages for themselves... I dont know what they think is more helpful and profitable for them: the customers who actually book and pay the travel and who spread the word about good experiences with this travel agent or the resort which uses the travel agents as a marketing strategy... oh well... I will keep you posted as soon as I get more information

oh... something else... did you figure out yet how the whole reception process works? I mean, isnt it kinda weird to share a room with tons of other all inclusive guests and not to have a private, separate location? and what about the entertainment stuff, do they provide something like a dance floor or whatever? I dont really understand their system... I am more than willing to pay for the dinner for each person, even if it is $90 per person, I dont care, I just dont want my guests to say: wow, she chose an all inclusive resort to save the costs for a dinner reception... maybe you can share your plans to help me understand their system... thanks :-)

Hi girls, so one of the ladies at Gran Bahia (her name is Karelia) came back to me with a crazy low room rate for our guests. it will be $105 per person per night. I am still waiting for my travel agent though, she obviously takes her time which really starts to annoy me... I have the feeling I could move forward in a faster way if I would deal directly with the people from GBJ. I dont know but I still hope the prices for our guests will be lower than the ones you´ve mentioned (@Kerrij, tim-juleswed)... I know the flights are already included but it just sounds so much to tell: oh hey guys, you have to put down 2 grand for the wedding just to be there... :-/

@ kuteliya: wow that dress is absolutely beautiful.... I am really impressed... it looks like the original and just perfect on your body... sorry I didnt follow the whole conversation but which website did you use?

this is the dress on the webside I´ve mentioned A-line sweetheart embroidery multi-levers lace whi - Wedding Dress ShopinDream

Hi girls, does anybody have experiences with "shopindream.com"? I tried my dream dress at sadies bridal store and its from the designer Bonny ($846) 853 while I was looking online to ensure that this was really the "dress of my dreams" I found it online for $199 at shopindream.com so now I really think about buying it online. it is exactly the same picture. has anybody ever heard about this webside?

Hi Jule, I want to have my wedding at the same resort but December 2010. let me know about your group rates, maybe we can compare them. I will get mine soon too... oh and do you have the email address of your wedding planner? I had contact with a lady called Karelia, she was very nice on the phone but now I am waiting for her email response for a while already. Would be great if we could share some experience about the planning, thanks, chrissy

Hi there, my name is chrissy and I just got engaged 2 months ago. My fiancé and I plan our destination wedding on December 4th, 2010 in Jamaica and we decided on the "Gran Bahia Principe" Resort. Does anyone have experience with this place? Cheers, Chrissy