What they don't tell you about DW's!!

[Billisa]

I just got back from ROR Jamaica and while I had a lovely wedding in many ways...I had a number of hurdles to clear and bumps in the road. I don't know if I would do this again, knowing what I know now!

 

Here is why I think this. With the hopes I don't sound too much like Debbie Downer...

 

1)SO MUCH ROOM FOR ERROR - trying to get a large number of people together on a flight is just asking for trouble. So many things can go wrong. For us, SunQuest was disastrous - 2 of our wedding party members were not on the plane list! They were told if their names were not on the list they could not go. This caused a major upset in the airport, let me tell you. My mother was one of them, the other person who was in her 60s was ALREADY afraid of flying and an inexperienced traveller. This, after spending $1700 each!

 

2)PEOPLE WITH TODDLERS – are not going to enjoy their trip as much as you hope they will if the weather is bad. The ROR did not have a lot of choice for daytime activities, from what my sister in law told me…and most of the time she was tending to a crying child. This may have a lot to do with her parenting skills, or the weather…which brings me to my next point…

 

3)YOU ARE STUCK WITH THE WEATHER FOR A WEEK (INSTEAD OF JUST A DAY FOR NORMAL WEDDINGS) – for us, it rained most of the time at the ROR. I’ll be totally honest here…it was depressing as hell. Every day the staff would tell us “tomorrow there will be sun†and every day there was rain and/or clouds. It rained on my wedding day, and after my little cry in the morning I made the best of it and had a lovely ceremony anyway. They still do a great job, regardless of the weather. Still, we were not able to have our beach wedding, which to this day saddens me.

 

4)YOU ARE STUCK WITH YOUR WEDDING GUESTS FOR A WEEK – and if you’re at all like me, you worry that everyone is having a good time…if it rains, you may as well forget it and just go to the bars and drink! No matter how you try and sugar-coat it, people are there for the SUN, and if there is none, be prepared for people being disappointed. Tell yourself it’s not your fault and it’s nothing you can control.

 

5)MAKE SURE EACH GUEST GETS THE SAME TYPE OF ROOM – 3 couples were not in the same “wing†as the rest of us and therefore did not get junior suites. We offered to help them change their rooms but they didn’t want to bother with moving. Their problem, right? WRONG! They felt disjointed and left out from the rest of the group as a result. I blame Sunquest again for this…why on earth wouldn’t they get the entire group together? We all paid the same amount.

 

 

I feel a little guilty about even posting this, because everyone else has been so gushy about the ROR. I can't say it was a dream wedding for me...I would have loved to see the ROR in sunshine and to see everyone on my trip happy and enjoying themselves. I really do hope that no one has the same experience as I did. It's just the build-up is so great about DW's but I had no Option B planned in my mind as I had no clue it could rain that much during their non-rainy season.

 

Debbie Downer out!

[jplovesme]

Wow. Thanks for sharing (I will definitely stay away from SunQuest). Makes me rethink the date we chose for our wedding day, which is around the same time next year. I'm sorry you had to deal with the weather and worries for your guests. I'm sure it's still a memorable experience for all that was involved. I think that after some more time passes, and you see the photos, the negative stuff will fade away...

 

But congratulations on your union!!!!

[Billisa]

Oh definitely...and everyone said is was a beautiful wedding and one of the best they've been to. I'm just writing this from my own perspective, as the bride.

 

As for your wedding date (very cool by the way!) I see you are getting married in Mexico...you have a FAR better chance of it not raining!!! And January is supposed to be the best time of year to visit Jamaica so I have no idea what happened.

[svetayasofiya]

Well that sux plain and simple. I am pretty worried about the weather already, but it's not like I can control it. Once the dissapointment fades I hope you'll be able to look back on your wedding with happiness and fond memories.

 

What ended up happening at the airport? I have never even heard of that before!

[svetayasofiya]

Oh and btw- I don't know what it is about the ROR but a co-worker of mine went in November and came back early because she was so miserable. She is also a pretty half is glass empty miserable person already but... still. She really didn't like the ROR.

[Billisa]

Quote:

Originally Posted by svetayasofiya Well that sux plain and simple. I am pretty worried about the weather already, but it's not like I can control it. Once the dissapointment fades I hope you'll be able to look back on your wedding with happiness and fond memories. What ended up happening at the airport? I have never even heard of that before!

I do look back fondly but also glad it is over too. The best day and night by far was my wedding day. So that is all that matters, in the end!

At the airport we ended up getting everyone on board. Sunquest (operated by SkyService) is INSANE. At one point, they told us that my SIL's baby was actually written down to sit with my FI...I'll never forget the look on her face when FI went over to her and said I have to board with your daughter, pass her over. LOL !!! That got straightened out too, but not before keeping us waiting on pins and needles for 30 minutes.

[svetayasofiya]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Billisa I do look back fondly but also glad it is over too. The best day and night by far was my wedding day. So that is all that matters, in the end! At the airport we ended up getting everyone on board. Sunquest (operated by SkyService) is INSANE. At one point, they told us that my SIL's baby was actually written down to sit with my FI...I'll never forget the look on her face when FI went over to her and said I have to board with your daughter, pass her over. LOL !!! That got straightened out too, but not before keeping us waiting on pins and needles for 30 minutes.

O.M.I.G.O.D.......... dude, you have to admit, you have some pretty friggin funny stories that will keep you laughing for years. I was home over the holidays and expressing some of my 'concerns' with my dad, and you know what he said? 'whatever happens, it's all part of the experience...' and this is coming from someone who is pretty high strung, lol

[amygirl1169]

So sorry to hear of your experience!

I actually heard a similar thing from a girl who got married in the Mayan just as I was starting to plan my DW... it really scared me at first.

Her main issue was trying to make sure everyone was having a good time and everyone coming to her when they had an issue.

 

I really hope I don't have to deal with this, but even already with our booking people have been coming to me anytime they have a problem instead of talking to the TA (and worst of all, it's my MOH/younger sister that stresses me out the most!).

 

Thanks for the honest post. It's good to have a realistic outlook on what to expect!

[Sylvie143]

*BIG HUG*

 

I am sooooo sorry to hear about your whole experience and I really want to thank you for sharing because honestly you made valid points and I honestly haven't thought of these issues. You are not being a Debbie Downer at all, you are sharing your experience to give us insight on what can and in your case has gone wrong.

[KRama]

Thanks for the honest review! Sounds like you got a bit of bad luck. The kind of stuff all us DW'ers fear! I can totally see how the weather could really dampen the mood (pun totally intended). No one wants to go on vacation and have to sit inside all day! And what a nightmare with Sunquest! I just don't understand how things can get that screwed up!

 

Sorry to hear it wasn't your dream wedding week but it sounds like you had a great wedding day anyways!