Distressed Bride2be -- Please help! : (

[JD2B2010]

Hello everyone!

 

I need some major advise. My future hubby and I have been researching locations for our destination wedding. Recently, we have decided to seriously consider Dreams Punta Cana. The est quote for Aug 2010 from the TA was $1084 for 3nt & $1500 7nt (is that reasonable??). I was very excited until I read some bad reviews on Tripadvior.com. Ppl didn't like the housekeeping, folks were getting sick because of the food, the rooms needed to be updated, bad communication between the bride and wedding coordinator, and some even had complaints about ants :/ Despite those particular bad reviews, 79% still would recommend the resort. Is it worth taking a chance?

 

So now I'm stuck. Should I stick with Dreams Punta Cana? And if not, what other resorts would anyone suggest to have our destination wedding - def around the same price range, in the Caribbean, if you consider the ones listed above to be reasonable.

 

 

Sincerely,

 

Distressed Bride2be

[Nonnie]

The price seems reasonable, I am paying more then that for the Grand Palladium, though I am less in the off season then your.

 

Trip Advisor can be deceiving, It makes things both easy and hard for us, lol. Keep in mind that when people had a great time they rarely review, but if someone for some reason had a bad time they are quick to write a scathing review.

 

The house keeping staff may seem off since their English may be poor and that makes them uncomfortable with guests, anytime people go somewhere new a few are bound to get sick because simple ingredients are not what they are used to, if may take a few days to become adjusted to.Poor communication is not necessarily the WC;s fault, they are busy people who have lots of brides to look after, you just have your wedding so it's only natural that they won't seem as passionate as you. As for the ants, it's the tropics, there will be bugs no matter how fancy the resort.

 

That all said, 78% is not tons, you may want t check out the top 10 resorts in Punta Cana and compare them.

 

What I like about trip advisor is the fact I could look at undoctored photos of the resort, beach etc which gave me a better idea of what things would actually look like.

[shellk]

i cant help you with prices in that area but i would check out some other resorts.like nonnie has said trip advisor is great but people do also go on there to vent.but i dont think 78% is very good.search on hotels in punta cana and see what that comes up with.

 

try not to stress you have time to find a great resort

[jennierin]

Dreams Punta Cana is the #12 placed resort out of 93 in Punta Cana. Believe me, that is awesome! I personally never read the bad reviews and when I do, I take it with a grain of salt. There are some people in this world that will never be satisfied! For instance, I read on a review (I forget which resort now) the traveler was disgusted that hardly any of the staff spoke English. Now, it is a Spanish speaking country...maybe THEY should have learned a little bit of Spanish since they are "just visiting". LOL. Anyway, my point being is that some of the bad reviews are just plain ridiculous. And I'm with Nonnie, most people that have an awesome time just don't write reviews.

 

As for the prices, that is an amazing price for a resort. Our guests are paying $1420.00 (includes tax) for 7 days stay. It seems about right for you since you aren't going in "off off" season yet.

 

Oh, and as a side note, remember that Dreams used to be Sunscape on the Beach before it had a renovation and update to the resort. Some of the comments about the decor may be outdated. Good luck and I hope you find the resort of your dreams!!!

[jennierin]

Dreams Punta Cana is the #12 placed resort out of 93 in Punta Cana. Believe me, that is awesome! I personally never read the bad reviews and when I do, I take it with a grain of salt. There are some people in this world that will never be satisfied! For instance, I read on a review (I forget which resort now) the traveler was disgusted that hardly any of the staff spoke English. Now, it is a Spanish speaking country...maybe THEY should have learned a little bit of Spanish since they are "just visiting". LOL. Anyway, my point being is that some of the bad reviews are just plain ridiculous. And I'm with Nonnie, most people that have an awesome time just don't write reviews.

 

As for the prices, that is an amazing price for a resort. Our guests are paying $1420.00 (includes tax) for 7 days stay. It seems about right for you since you aren't going in "off off" season yet.

 

Oh, and as a side note, remember that Dreams used to be Sunscape on the Beach before it had a renovation and update to the resort. Some of the comments about the decor may be outdated. Good luck and I hope you find the resort of your dreams!!!

[Alli]

My FI and I went to the Gran Bahia Principe Ambar last year and it was amazing. We paid $1500 taxes in. We are getting married at the Majestic Colonial in April of 2010. It is rated #4 of 93 hotels on Trip Advisor. You get a free wedding if you have 15 rooms and so far everything is going well. 3 other people I know have been married here and LOVED the place and the wedding. I hope this helps a bit....

[hockeymom97]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nonnie Trip Advisor can be deceiving, It makes things both easy and hard for us, lol. Keep in mind that when people had a great time they rarely review, but if someone for some reason had a bad time they are quick to write a scathing review.

I completely agree with Nonnie. People are much more likely to complain than they are to write a positive review. I use Trip Advisor when planning land vacations and I use Cruise Critic when planning cruises - you can go on either site and find very mixed reviews even when people were there at the exact same time!! Perfect example - we had booked a spa category cabin on a cruise and the reviews talked about how it was right under the kids club and how noisy it was, etc, as well as how slow the service was slow and the ship was dirty. We LOVED the cabin, and heard no noise at all, and the entire cruise was fabulous (and the ship wasn't dirty at all). Try looking up the reviews for a hotel or resort that you have stayed at in the past and enjoyed - and you'll see that even though you thought it was wonderful, there will be people who hated it.

And if you aren't completely comfortable with the 79%, try looking at some of the resorts that came in the top 10 and maybe you'll find a better match. I think any vacation, including a DW, can be made or broken just by your attitude. If you have a positive outlook, everything is going to fall into place and you'll have a fabulous time

[MexicoBeachBride2010]

Quote:

Originally Posted by JD2B2010 Hello everyone! I need some major advise. My future hubby and I have been researching locations for our destination wedding. Recently, we have decided to seriously consider Dreams Punta Cana. The est quote for Aug 2010 from the TA was $1084 for 3nt & $1500 7nt (is that reasonable??). I was very excited until I read some bad reviews on Tripadvior.com. Ppl didn't like the housekeeping, folks were getting sick because of the food, the rooms needed to be updated, bad communication between the bride and wedding coordinator, and some even had complaints about ants :/ Despite those particular bad reviews, 79% still would recommend the resort. Is it worth taking a chance? So now I'm stuck. Should I stick with Dreams Punta Cana? And if not, what other resorts would anyone suggest to have our destination wedding - def around the same price range, in the Caribbean, if you consider the ones listed above to be reasonable. Sincerely, Distressed Bride2be

Hello!

I'm biased here but have you considered the Majestic? I went there in May and loved it and was so glad I chose it for my wedding. Prices are very reasonable...I was quoted $1250/person for 7 nights with nonstop flight out of Newark, NJ or Philadelphia, PA. They also have many options that can make your wedding more or less expensive. Just a thought. Don't worry though I'm sure whatever you decide will be wonderful!

[lesandlynda]

There are a lot of great options in the DR - it all depends on what kind of wedding you're looking for. You may want to consider getting away from the most popular destinations if you want a more personal event where you are the only wedding during that time, and the main focus of the day. Something to consider......best of luck!

[bride7474]

I wouldn't focus so much on what people say on trip advisor. I find that it's more common for people to post bad reviews (if their stay was bad) as opposed to a good review (if their stay was good), do you know what I mean? Usually when people are upset about something they want everyone to know.