Dreams Riviera Cancun - Brides post here (new thread)

[chirorach]

Quote:

Originally Posted by SDbeachgirl You're welcome! Hopefully it is helpful. You can probably reserve the chairs under the palapas if you get up at 6am in the morning! However, would you keep them reserved for the entire day? Maybe Ana can put up signs that say private event (). I did see a sign off to the side that is obviously used for the reception and/or cocktail hours so that you do not have random people joining you. Maybe there is a way to keep people off of the chairs. It is only for 20 mins (maybe a total of 40 mins while guests are sitting down etc). Also, like I said, people may start to get ready for dinner around this time. Everyone wants to take advantage of the dinners and since there are no reservations it is good to get there early. I'm hoping to see more and more photos of the ceremony's so that I can make sure that I am happy with my decision.

Thank you so much for th review! Glad to here about all the great reception/cocktail locations. I will have to rethink mine! Bumer about the lack of privacy for the ceremony. Looks like there will be no way around it. I had set mine to start at 5pm but maybe 6pm is better... fewer people on the beach. Did she give you an option of a time? Another bummer about the chair saving. That is my least favorite part about traveling. But I think people just need to be aware that this is a very common problem at many resorts, not just DRC. Just make sure your guests are aware of it ahead of time!

Just curious but I am assuming they were not enforcing the no kids at the infinity pool policy? I had been reading this on Tripadvisor. I am REALLY not happy about this. I really wanted an adults only resort but had to compromise with my family. I was hoping the pool would be a quieter escape as 98% of our guests would not have kids with them. I wonder if it is something worth posting about on the Facebook fan page?

Hope you had a great holiday :-)

Rachael

[*JillD*]

So glad you enjoyed your trip Jen! Your wedding is going to be beautiful, I bet you can't wait to go back!

[SDbeachgirl]

Quote:

Originally Posted by chirorach Thank you so much for th review! Glad to here about all the great reception/cocktail locations. I will have to rethink mine! Bumer about the lack of privacy for the ceremony. Looks like there will be no way around it. I had set mine to start at 5pm but maybe 6pm is better... fewer people on the beach. Did she give you an option of a time? Another bummer about the chair saving. That is my least favorite part about traveling. But I think people just need to be aware that this is a very common problem at many resorts, not just DRC. Just make sure your guests are aware of it ahead of time! Just curious but I am assuming they were not enforcing the no kids at the infinity pool policy? I had been reading this on Tripadvisor. I am REALLY not happy about this. I really wanted an adults only resort but had to compromise with my family. I was hoping the pool would be a quieter escape as 98% of our guests would not have kids with them. I wonder if it is something worth posting about on the Facebook fan page? Hope you had a great holiday :-) Rachael

Rachel,
Your wedding is in October so I don't think you should have your ceremony much later than 5pm. You can ask Ana what the best time would be for pictures. She should know. You might also just want to find out what time the sun sets during that time of year.

Did you read somewhere that the infinity pool is supposed to be adults only? I have heard people complain about that but have also seen responses that it is not adults only. I didn't see any signs when I was there. That would be very nice if it was! I feel the same way. Most of my guests will not have kids with them but I wanted to go to a family resort so that we could invite those with kids. I honestly thought we would have more kids coming. Otherwise, I might have chosen an adults only resort. Oh well...it is a lovely resort, just a different feel to it because of the kids. As I said, I really don't mind. I'm more concerned about what my guests' experience is going to be.

[Princess402]

Quote:

Originally Posted by chirorach Just curious but I am assuming they were not enforcing the no kids at the infinity pool policy? I had been reading this on Tripadvisor. I am REALLY not happy about this. I really wanted an adults only resort but had to compromise with my family. I was hoping the pool would be a quieter escape as 98% of our guests would not have kids with them. I wonder if it is something worth posting about on the Facebook fan page? Rachael

This is actually something that's been been discussed fairly heatedly on the Facebook fan page! Apparently the infinity pool is not adults only (not sure how the rumor got started that it was) but the swim-up bar is only for adults to sit at.

I personally am having kids at my wedding and am totally fine with having kids at the resort, but would have LOVED if there was an adults only pool. I too would have liked one "quiet" place. I'm disappointed that there's not, especially since there's so much other stuff for the kids there. Hopefully it won't be a problem. I heard that there are two hot tubs and people have been asking if maybe one of the hot tubs could at least be adults only, so I'm hoping that maybe someone at Dreams will act on that suggestion!

[Laura22610]

Quote:

Originally Posted by SDbeachgirl I met with Ana last week while at the resort. She told me that the bouquet can be changed up from what they look like in the photos but that the flowers that are pictured are the options we have. You can mix and match the flowers that are pictured in different bouquets. If it is not in any of the pictures you would have to pay extra. So for instance, the white calla lilie is included but you would have to pay extra for a different color that is not pictured. I haven't decided what I want yet either. I thought I wanted white calla lilies but then saw some photos with bright orange bouquets that just really popped out and looked so pretty. I guess I will have to keep looking at photos to make my decision.

First of all, thank you soooo much for your review...it was really helpful!! It was so nice of you to take the time to give us all some more great information. And thank you for the clarification on the flowers. I think, unfortunately, I will probably pay extra for flowers. I really want to have orange flowers, since that is how I planned on using orange as an accent color. I was thinking of having a bouquet of orange roses mixed with orange calla lilies for myself and then have my girls carry orange calla lilies. Hmmm...I definitely have some decisions to make here!

One of the reasons I chose this resort was so my nephew, who is 8, would be able to be there for my wedding. Also, I thought that some of my friends might want to option of being able to bring there kids. It turns out that my nephew is the only child coming. I hope that they make some changes where kids are concerned. I don't mind kids at all, but sometimes it is nice to have a place to go where it is only adults.

And I am a little disappointed about the beach ceremony location I had always planned on getting married on the beach. I really don't want random people in my pictures or being up close and personal watching me get married. I agree that they should be able to save a private area for those of us wanting to get married on the beach!

I just have one question for you...Are the lights under the tables for the reception extra money? Do they light up the table? Just trying to get a picture in my head of what they would look like

[soon2BMrs.Prince]

Quote:

Originally Posted by SDbeachgirl Guests: This is one area I will have to complain about. There were A LOT of families there. I was expecting this after reading the other reviews on trip advisor. But unfortunately, I must say that having so many kids running around, makes the resort feel a little less upscale than had it been adult only. I had wanted to make sure that anyone who had kids would be able to bring them, though now it looks as though the only kids there will be the flower girl and ring bearer. It didn’t bother me that much, but most of my guests are either single or my parents age and have “been there, done that†so I am hoping that they are ok with the number of kids running around. Meeting with wedding coordinator: We met with Ana for about 3 hours one day. She was so nice and so helpful! I feel very comfortable having her coordinate our wedding. She showed us all of the ceremony and reception sites and answered some of our outstanding questions. Ceremony Locations: I will say that I am still disappointed in the location of the ceremony. Sorry, I was hoping to bring back some good news for this. There is no place for a private ceremony on the beach. The Palapas span the entire width of the beach in front of DRC and they cannot be removed. The beach ceremony site is directly in front of the palapas and the ocean front rooms. There is no privacy, unless people are not still sitting under the palapas during the time of the ceremony. Having seen the beach location, I think we have chosen the gazebo though I am not extremely thrilled with this option either. To me it looked better than the beach location. Ana did mention that the palapas that are directly in front of the gazebo will be removed very soon. There is still the possibility that everyone is getting ready for dinner around the time of the ceremony. We will have our ceremony at 6pm and the restaurants open at 6pm…so maybe that is a good thing. Reception Locations: The pool deck is beautiful! This is going to be such a lovely spot for the reception. Again, you would have to pay $$$ anywhere else to have a reception in such a beautiful location. There was no doubt that this is where we wanted it. We are going to have 4 or 5 round tables with turquoise table cloths and lights underneath the table. We will also have the turquoise ribbon around the chairs. I don’t know what the centerpieces will be yet. Ana said she could bring out tiki torches too. Cocktail hour: There were so many options for this. I think you could choose any place that you found would work (depending on the size of your party). There is a little deck above where the pool deck is. It is part of the Oceana restaurant, but Ana said that this is a possibility for the cocktail hour. I think it is a really pretty option. However, since it is right next to where I will hold the reception, I think we are going to opt for something else…just for a change of scenery. I liked the idea of taking the guests to a garden area in the middle of the resort. They would set up tall tables and if we wanted, they could bring down some lounge furniture. Also, this way they are not watching us take our photos…ha! I’m sure I will feel a little self conscious anyway. The Desires Terrace is also an option and is in a private location. However, I didn’t like the surrounding view that much. It over looked the Explorers Club and you look right into one of the resort buildings. I think if it was at night, it might be cool, but I imagine that this will still be during the daylight since you will be taking your photos during the cocktail hour. The Jacuzzi area is the same thing. It would be cool at night because there are lights in the Jacuzzi that change colors and they can put glass across the top so that you can walk across it. But not sure if it is that cool while the sun is still out. I know that was a lot of information, but hopefully it helps out. Let me know if you have any questions.

Wow, I have to admit that I'm a bit disappointed. Did the Gazebo at least have a little privacy? I doubt it, but thought I'd ask, lol. My group is a lot like yours. We have a few kids on the guest list, including our two and my guest will want to party the night away. Luckily most are only coming for 3 nights. I'm not going to stress about it. Our weddings will be great regardless. I bet we won't even care once we get there.

What type of package are you getting? Did you say you had to pay for the pool deck? How much is it to have the reception here?

[Princess402]

I was just checking reviews on trip advisor (I know, I know, I should stop doing this...) and noticed that DRC has dropped from #1 to #4 in Puerto Morelos

 

In addition to all the complaints about kids gone wild, I also saw this in one of the reviews: "If you are planning a wedding here I would reconsider. We witnessed a wedding and the couple was beautiful but it was in the middle of a small section of beach with a bunch of us "Fat Americans" encircling them and the background was of the swim ropes and floating inflatable Climbing Wall. I could think o 1000 other much more romantic spots."

 

YIKES!!! I hope Dreams figures out a solution to some of these things! Has me worried about my choice... but guests are starting to put down deposits so I don't think there's any turning back!

[chirorach]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Princess402 I was just checking reviews on trip advisor (I know, I know, I should stop doing this...) and noticed that DRC has dropped from #1 to #4 in Puerto Morelos In addition to all the complaints about kids gone wild, I also saw this in one of the reviews: "If you are planning a wedding here I would reconsider. We witnessed a wedding and the couple was beautiful but it was in the middle of a small section of beach with a bunch of us "Fat Americans" encircling them and the background was of the swim ropes and floating inflatable Climbing Wall. I could think o 1000 other much more romantic spots." YIKES!!! I hope Dreams figures out a solution to some of these things! Has me worried about my choice... but guests are starting to put down deposits so I don't think there's any turning back!

wow. saw that today as well. i know even the best hotels get bad reviews sometimes. but i am really concerned about the lack of privacy for the wedding. i am curious what you thought jen? did the ceremony location look that bad? it sounds like Ana really didn't have any other options to put forth either. i am just so suprised that Dreams would design something like this. all of their other wedding venues look so beautiful and private. Dreams are KNOWN for weddings too. i am starting to have a bad feeling... can anyone talk me out of looking for another hotel?!?

[chirorach]

just wrote ana an email and got a response 20 mins later... quite the turn around. thought y'all might like to read it... not sure if it changes things!

 

----------To ANA

 

I have been following reveiws of DRC on tripadvisor.com as well as bestdestinationwedding.com. There have been many concerns/reviews form people recently about the location of both the gazebo as well as the lceremony. Specifically the concern is lack of privacy as both sites are surrounded by palapas and beach chairs. I was wondering if Dreams had any plans of trying relocate either of these ceremony spots, or if there are any other more private options available? I share this concern and while DRC is my first choice for my wedding I fear I may have to begin looking elsewhere if this is not addressed.

 

---------------- FROM ANA

 

Thank you for your feedback, we have the location on the beach relocated in one side of the beach, there is some palapas but is not to many people there. For the wedding gazebo there are people at the pool but is not next to the gazebo.

 

As soon as I have the wedding in the new location I will send you the pictures so you can make a decision.

[Princess402]

That's great that they are going to relocate the beach ceremony location! Well in theory anyways, we'll wait and see about the new location...

 

I just know that I really don't like the look of the weird wedding gazebo so would like to be able to opt for a beach ceremony. I'm under no delusions that it's going to be completely private, but as away from the action of the resort would be preferrred!