milakd

We got married April 2011 and maybe managment of Excellence Punta Cana had changed since you were there but our wedding was ruined and there is nothing that could be done to take it back. We went to Excellence Playa Mujeres this past March'12 and the rooms were much nicer. The resort did not have the same feel as Excellence Punta Cana. We trully enjoyed Excellence Punta Cana before our wedding day. The grounds at Playa Mujeres were ok but the wedding gazeboo was tiny. We were there for a week and did not see a single wedding. Just FYI. Happy planning!

Hello Brides considering getting married at Excellence Punta Cana, We got married last year (2011) at Excellence Punta Cana and I decided to wait and calm down before I write this review. I will be happy to answer any additional questions but to save you the trouble and deep disappointment for the rest of your life- LOOK ELSE WHERE! Our wedding was a complete disaster. We booked the honeymoon suite with ocean view in the Excellence club and that was great room at first until I had to get ready for the ceremony. We had 40 people come for our wedding and unfortunately most had to change rooms because of mold smell in rooms or AC not working properly. I would give anything to go back in time and do my wedding in a different resort. The day of the wedding the hairdresser and makeup artist came to our suite. The power went out 9 times (due to short fuse) in 2.5h while I was getting ready in the room. We were running really late and it was very stressful. But this was the beginning of the troubles. The management on duty was very disrespectful to our wedding guests during the actual wedding activities and they interrupted the music in the middle of the reception (dinner time) although we had paid for our DJ from outside the resort so it was not their employee. The whole situation got really out of control and very ugly. We were expecting a 5 star service and we had guests from Europe, South America, North America and Asia travel to be there with us. We had two practicing lawyers in different continents as wedding guests which was a bad mistake for the resort cause the resort management and employees did too many illegal things and even breaching security. The memory and disappointment was so deep and the moment is ruined forever. The wedding coordinator was really nice and attentive but powerless to resolve and situation. The next day the General Manager was really apologetic and tried to cut a deal with us because it was resorts fault from the beginning till the end and on top of that they disrespected such an important moment in our lives. They offered a hefty settlement so we don't sue the resort. We spent next few days in the resort and then months after that trying to recuperate from that day but it will never go away. It was our wedding day being ruined. We had a priest and judge in our wedding ceremony so this was THE ceremony. If you choose to go for your vacation or honeymoon to the resort- GO for it. We had an amazing time at the resort before the wedding. Everyone was really happy with the organized activities and facilities. Food was excellent. If you are debating whether to do your wedding at the resort- LOOK ELSEWHERE, there are no guarantees same incidents won’t happen to you. Best of luck planning your special day! Mila

We had 49 guests- Excellence, Punta Cana, DR but I was hoping for 80-100 as we have a lot of friends. It was great group and we spent quality time with all. Everyone stayed at least a week. It was alot of fun but we did not have any time to ourselves. We got up early to have breakfast with the early risers and stayed late with the party crowd. For the entire week we did not manage to have lunch even once because we were too busy talking and drinking with people. It was fun and I would not change it for anything. A small wedding is great! I can't imagine having a wedding of 400-500 people.

We found the bags in a local store. Similar bags online were $40 and we needed 25 of them.

We had few single guys and we got them Addidas string bag that they can use going to the gym, beach etc. The guys started using them immediately so we knew it was a hit as guys will never use something that it is too gay or not comfortable.

The bags are straw so they are very light, i filled up (3) card boxes with wedding content and taped them well. Friends took them as second luggage and we paid for that. Shipping costed way too much and we had only (3) months to plan all details so i did not have enough time to consider shipping. Also it is way more expensive and I was concerned with getting lost. I did not want to worry about table settings or guests getting their gifts. We left everything in the resort. I didnt care to have the table runners, sashes, etc. So it was easy one way luggage. The STRAW BAGS were a HUGE HIT. Everyone wore them and people reconized each other being part of the wedding as most guets stayed for a week with us. The bad are actually really nice and have pocket inside and lining.

I recently found out that cheapest prices are Tuesday to Tuesday. Friends paid same amount for 7days Tuesday to Tuesday as others for 4-5 days Thursday to Tuesday.

We set up all kids of registries and Travelers' Joy was on top. It was the first one to be fulfilled and we had to add twice as many items. Our friends loved it becuase they felt like they are contributing to timeless memories. The fee is alittle high since they are just hosting the site but we love it! Excellence Resort, April 17' 2011 49 guests booked including bride and groom

Thats is great info. Thank you!

I found personalized lip balm for $1.30 w/out SPF and $1.60 w/ SPF at http://www.beau-coup.com/personalized-lip-balm-wedding-favors.htm We got them last week and they look great. Also the Christmas Tree Stores have organic sunscreen lotions on sale for only $3.99. Mila and Alberto Excellence Resort, Punta Cana, DR April 17, 2011 49 including bride and groom and counting

Hi Dimitri, Thank you for the information. I wish things were cheaper in mid April. Initially we did extensive research and typ. prices were a lot lower after 15 April lower. I was quoting 650/700pp per ticket- not including hotel accommodations. Our resort charges $80/pp/day. Excellence Resort, Punta Cana - 49 guests (including bride and groom) and counting

We got the 5% discount from AA and United but it is not dignificant enough. We found a travel agency that gave us great prices when booking a hotel. It was cheaper than online and inclded return airport transfer. Also when booking through Orbitz.com you can enter "orbitzvacation" in coupon location to get additional $40 off. Coupons change all the time so you can go to google.com and enter in search menu "orbitz coupons" for latest available offers. Those are the best deals we found for our guests.

We wanted to give OOT bags that could be used afterwards. We looked into disountmugs.com and they had great options of jute bags and tote bags that can be personalized. You can order individual samples if you may wish to see the quality. We just ran into our perfect (2) Color Orange/Yellow straw bag in the Christmas Tree Shop. It is only $5.99 and we are getting one bag for each female that is coming to our wedding. These bags are avaialble in red, green and blue colors. Excellence Resort, DR - April 17 th'11- 49 booked (including bride and groom) and counting

Our color scheme is orange so we loved the look of the bag. We purchased one to make sure we like the quality. It turns out that the bag looks darker and there is not orange in it. The fuscia is still there. We were really disapointed because we loved the detail. We were going to buy 30 of them. As the picture online does not accurately match the product they refunded us the full amount of the purchase and asked us to keep the bag which was very generous of them. Their detail is great though but just be aware that colors on the website might not be 100% accurate.

I got a dress online http://www.weddinggowns-dresses.com/beach-wedding-dresses-20091024220229-wgd-bwda-141.html. I bought it for $269. It took about 5 weeks to be delivered on my doors step.I got it last Friday (March 05'11). In the mean time I found another dress that I fell in love so I purchased than one as well. I will be happy to sell the dress for $100 plus shipping. I am a size 4P. Let me know if you are interested.

I love your idea. Thats a great find. I just got mine as well. Our color is orange and we wanted to give our guests bags tehy can use again. I found orange/yellow once at the Christmas Tree Shop for $5.99each. They have linign and a pocket inside. It is more than we wanted to pay but they are really cute. We got one for each girl coming to the wedding.

I am looking for sashes that are yellow, orange. Anyone has some, I'd like to purchase them from you? Thank you

We booked our wedding on April 17, 2011 at Excellence, Punta Cana. Currently we are struggling with ticket prices. Apparently it is a peak time and cheap tickets are booked way in advance. Our guest are looking at 650-700$ /pp which is rather too much for Punta Cana. It is cheaper to go to Paris! Half of our guests are still waiting on drop in ticket price. Does anyone have any experience or knows if tickets will go down in price? Do they open more flights if flights get booked? Thanks Mila

Hi Michelle, I am sorry it took me some time to reply. My FI family was quite upset with us for excluding kids and somehow they forgot that this is our wedding and it is our choice. Anyhow, I have few friends coming that are leaving kids with relatives for 4-5 days- grandparents and sisters/ brothers. Another couple is staying in the Dreams Hotel which apparently is a little bit cheaper and only 5 min away. Dreams Hotel (not Dreams Palm Beach) has explorers club where they entertain kids, babysitters are also available. We are struggling with ticket prices now. Apparently it is a peak time and cheap tickets are booked way in advance. Our guest are looking at 650-700$ /pp.

We are using ourweddingchannel.com; We already emailed save tbe date and all our guest were thrilled with the information. We do not have to mail out save the date cards and everything was answered on the website. We translated the website in several languages as well for relatives in dofferent countries.

We considered ME but changed our mind because of alcohol restrictions ( we are having around 70 people coming). Majestic was not responsive enough for us and we read that quite few people changed location of wedding last minute. The other drawback for ME is that you cannot book the resort less than 5 nights. We did not want to put that restriction on our guests. Then we went for Dreams Palm Beach but there were too many complaints about people getting sick. Someone compared it to Vegas in Punta Cana. We ended up booking in Excellence Punta Cana- 17 April 2011. They are cheaper than Dreams Palm Beach and better service than Majestic. The only drawback is that kids are not allowed so family and friends with kids cannot stay with us. We arranged for two of our friends to bring their teenager kids. They will be babysitting while the adults are at the wedding. Some of our family members are coming for vacation without kids. We have family/friends coming from Asia, Europe, South and North America. Everyone loves the resort. If you go to tripadviser you can check more information about. Good luck!