Royal Suites Turquesa at Grand Palladium 4/16/10

[beachbum]

We are back, and married!!! We stayed at the RST April 11-18, 2010, and were married Friday, 4/16. We had 40 guests travel down to Punta Cana for the wedding. Finally I've gotten around to writing a review.

 

Delta Airlines - B

When we went to check in, we asked since there was a first class cabin, if it was possible for them to hang up my dress. Jayson, the Delta employee, goes, "well, you're not traveling in first class". To which I replied, I know. And we just left it at that. We figured he wouldn't be on our plane anyway. We boarded, asked the flight attendant about hanging it up, and she said the closet wasn't long enough and to use the overhead bin. It ended up working out fine because my dress bag had its own bin and laid out flat. They did have TVs on the plane and I ended up watching two movies on the ride down.

 

April in Punta Cana - A- We had rain a little bit every day, sometimes up to a half hour. The day of the boat cruise it was fine, but then it poured for 20 mins straight. The rest of the time it was sunny and HOT!

 

Check in - B

The computers were down and the resort lost power when we checked in, but, i was too excited to even care!

 

Royal Suites Turquesa - B+

All of our guests booked in RST for the duration of their trip. We were in a honeymoon suite in the old section, 5241. The honeymoon suite was larger, but had no special perks other than the jacuzzi tub was outside instead of in the room. My parents and a few others were in our section (closer to the beach), but the majority was in the new section (farther from the beach, with its own pools across the little road). While it was a pain that everyone wasn't together, the furnishings and the look of the new section, especially those with swim up suites, was much nicer. Everyone liked the rooms. The butler service was spotty - some found it great, others it took a really long time, and same goes with room service.

 

Wedding Coordinator Carolina - B- I give her a B because I think both her and her assistant Kenia have way too much on their plates and there are too many weddings each day. I also asked to have the chair sashes I brought down back, and by Sunday, we had to leave, and they never gave them back to us. We also had to call the lobby and the wedding coordinator multiple times to get my inlaws' suitcase back so they could pack stuff in it to go home! it's a good thing my mom remembered to get the cake topper i also brought off of the cake once they cut it for us. I was under the assumption that Carolina provided menus (we had paid for a private reception at El Arrecife), and there were no menus on the guests' place settings. I could have printed them off Vistaprint so easily had I known she wouldn't make them!

Carolina was supposed to call our room to get me and the bridesmaids, and we ended up going to the lobby and getting the butler to take us in the golf cart because it was getting close to 4 pm, when the ceremony was supposed to start.

 

Hair and make up - A- While the spa is pricey, I did like both my hair and makeup. I prepaid on paypal, but i don't recommend it since i think if you go the first day you are checked in to make the appointment, you shouldn't have a problem. I had to skip my hair trial and they were gracious enough to let me reschedule, so that was great. Sometimes there was a little language barrier, but it ended up fine, one of the other girls would come over and help decipher what the hairstylist was trying to do and if I was ok with it. I brought down false eyelashes with me, and ended up not using them, because they put this goop on them - if you want to use them, you either need to bring the glue as well, or, apply them yourself.

 

Ceremony - A- Priest Jean LaCaille - A Everyone loved the ceremony! We had the catholic package. He gave a nice sermon, it was short, no complaints there. We were in the old gazebo, which just isn't as nice as the new one, but its the only outdoor location for Catholic ceremonies. GP is not going to perform catholic ceremonies outdoors going forward, as the diocese just renovated the church.

 

Dominican Trio - B I wasn't expecting the accordion player, and it drowned out the other two guys (guitar and something else, i guess some percussion instrument). It was $100 for the trio, but I think a CD or ipod would have been just as nice.

 

DJ Mannia - A++ We met with carlos two days before, I didn't really prepare a song list, but the small list we gave him with the essentials (our song, father/daughter, etc.) he had everything and more! We got multiple compliments on the music selection, and he seemed to "read" our group perfectly. Completely would recommend!!!

 

Shavon's wedding silks - A We used Shavon for our flowers, and they were perfect! We saved a lot by not buying one of the fresh flower packages for all the bridesmaids at the resort. My mom carried the complimentary bridal bouquet down the aisle.

 

Wedding Boat Punta Cana - A++ We took all of our guests on the wedding boat as a "rehearsal dinner" the night before. We had a little bit of rain when we were getting on the boat, but it made for some great stories! We chose the mixed seafood grill, and it was delicious! This was one of the best meals we had while in DR.

 

HDC Photography - A++ We had Milan from HDC shoot our wedding, and a videographer as well. Both were fantastic, we got pictures back the next evening, and by Sunday (two days after the wedding), we had our photos and CDs for all the prints! I can't say enough about Arnaud and his staff, check out the HDC thread on the DR thread, because there are a lot of us happy brides out there!

 

Cocktail hour - A+ The food was excellent! We paid for the $6 pp menu, and it was SOOO worth it! The guests were hungry, people enjoyed the spread, and it was delicious! I wouldn't say the food is great in the buffets, but, this food was extra good. We had tempura shrimp, prosciutto, a bunch of things, I just can't remember.

 

Wedding - A There were minor things that bothered me, but, they were so minor that it's just a special day where we became husband and wife. It was a great decision to have a destination wedding and spend a few days away with our family and friends.

We chose the Grand Palladium complex because we could have the adults only aspect of RST, while my aunts and uncle could stay at the Palace Section with teenagers. For the price point, more guests were able to come, which makes us glad we did choose that resort. However, I waffled between GP and both Dreams, and I think I would have had a great wedding at any of those. You do not receive any special treatment at RST because you are a bride, because there are just so many.

 

Dinner reception - A The servers were friendly, and the food was great! Even the chef got in the conga line towards the end. The food we served were the caprese salad (it was alright), the beef medallions (delicious!) and then fruit and wedding cake. The cake we had was vanilla, but then it also had a layer that tasted like mocha? It was whipped icing, and we love buttercream, so the cake was a bit of a disappointment. I gave them blue ribbon to match our colors which they used, but, the cake layers were so thin the proportion looked a little bit off. I'm probably the only one who would notice it!

 

Feel free to PM me if you have questions!

[Cindy*]

Congrats on your wedding. Thanks for the review.

[destination_diva]

Thank you for the review. Congratulations on your wedding!

[orionandmari072510]

Quote:

Originally Posted by beachbum We are back, and married!!! We stayed at the RST April 11-18, 2010, and were married Friday, 4/16. We had 40 guests travel down to Punta Cana for the wedding. Finally I've gotten around to writing a review. Delta Airlines - B When we went to check in, we asked since there was a first class cabin, if it was possible for them to hang up my dress. Jayson, the Delta employee, goes, "well, you're not traveling in first class". To which I replied, I know. And we just left it at that. We figured he wouldn't be on our plane anyway. We boarded, asked the flight attendant about hanging it up, and she said the closet wasn't long enough and to use the overhead bin. It ended up working out fine because my dress bag had its own bin and laid out flat. They did have TVs on the plane and I ended up watching two movies on the ride down. April in Punta Cana - A- We had rain a little bit every day, sometimes up to a half hour. The day of the boat cruise it was fine, but then it poured for 20 mins straight. The rest of the time it was sunny and HOT! Check in - B The computers were down and the resort lost power when we checked in, but, i was too excited to even care! Royal Suites Turquesa - B+ All of our guests booked in RST for the duration of their trip. We were in a honeymoon suite in the old section, 5241. The honeymoon suite was larger, but had no special perks other than the jacuzzi tub was outside instead of in the room. My parents and a few others were in our section (closer to the beach), but the majority was in the new section (farther from the beach, with its own pools across the little road). While it was a pain that everyone wasn't together, the furnishings and the look of the new section, especially those with swim up suites, was much nicer. Everyone liked the rooms. The butler service was spotty - some found it great, others it took a really long time, and same goes with room service. Wedding Coordinator Carolina - B- I give her a B because I think both her and her assistant Kenia have way too much on their plates and there are too many weddings each day. I also asked to have the chair sashes I brought down back, and by Sunday, we had to leave, and they never gave them back to us. We also had to call the lobby and the wedding coordinator multiple times to get my inlaws' suitcase back so they could pack stuff in it to go home! it's a good thing my mom remembered to get the cake topper i also brought off of the cake once they cut it for us. I was under the assumption that Carolina provided menus (we had paid for a private reception at El Arrecife), and there were no menus on the guests' place settings. I could have printed them off Vistaprint so easily had I known she wouldn't make them! Carolina was supposed to call our room to get me and the bridesmaids, and we ended up going to the lobby and getting the butler to take us in the golf cart because it was getting close to 4 pm, when the ceremony was supposed to start. Hair and make up - A- While the spa is pricey, I did like both my hair and makeup. I prepaid on paypal, but i don't recommend it since i think if you go the first day you are checked in to make the appointment, you shouldn't have a problem. I had to skip my hair trial and they were gracious enough to let me reschedule, so that was great. Sometimes there was a little language barrier, but it ended up fine, one of the other girls would come over and help decipher what the hairstylist was trying to do and if I was ok with it. I brought down false eyelashes with me, and ended up not using them, because they put this goop on them - if you want to use them, you either need to bring the glue as well, or, apply them yourself. Ceremony - A- Priest Jean LaCaille - A Everyone loved the ceremony! We had the catholic package. He gave a nice sermon, it was short, no complaints there. We were in the old gazebo, which just isn't as nice as the new one, but its the only outdoor location for Catholic ceremonies. GP is not going to perform catholic ceremonies outdoors going forward, as the diocese just renovated the church. Dominican Trio - B I wasn't expecting the accordion player, and it drowned out the other two guys (guitar and something else, i guess some percussion instrument). It was $100 for the trio, but I think a CD or ipod would have been just as nice. DJ Mannia - A++ We met with carlos two days before, I didn't really prepare a song list, but the small list we gave him with the essentials (our song, father/daughter, etc.) he had everything and more! We got multiple compliments on the music selection, and he seemed to "read" our group perfectly. Completely would recommend!!! Shavon's wedding silks - A We used Shavon for our flowers, and they were perfect! We saved a lot by not buying one of the fresh flower packages for all the bridesmaids at the resort. My mom carried the complimentary bridal bouquet down the aisle. Wedding Boat Punta Cana - A++ We took all of our guests on the wedding boat as a "rehearsal dinner" the night before. We had a little bit of rain when we were getting on the boat, but it made for some great stories! We chose the mixed seafood grill, and it was delicious! This was one of the best meals we had while in DR. HDC Photography - A++ We had Milan from HDC shoot our wedding, and a videographer as well. Both were fantastic, we got pictures back the next evening, and by Sunday (two days after the wedding), we had our photos and CDs for all the prints! I can't say enough about Arnaud and his staff, check out the HDC thread on the DR thread, because there are a lot of us happy brides out there! Cocktail hour - A+ The food was excellent! We paid for the $6 pp menu, and it was SOOO worth it! The guests were hungry, people enjoyed the spread, and it was delicious! I wouldn't say the food is great in the buffets, but, this food was extra good. We had tempura shrimp, prosciutto, a bunch of things, I just can't remember. Wedding - A There were minor things that bothered me, but, they were so minor that it's just a special day where we became husband and wife. It was a great decision to have a destination wedding and spend a few days away with our family and friends. We chose the Grand Palladium complex because we could have the adults only aspect of RST, while my aunts and uncle could stay at the Palace Section with teenagers. For the price point, more guests were able to come, which makes us glad we did choose that resort. However, I waffled between GP and both Dreams, and I think I would have had a great wedding at any of those. You do not receive any special treatment at RST because you are a bride, because there are just so many. Dinner reception - A The servers were friendly, and the food was great! Even the chef got in the conga line towards the end. The food we served were the caprese salad (it was alright), the beef medallions (delicious!) and then fruit and wedding cake. The cake we had was vanilla, but then it also had a layer that tasted like mocha? It was whipped icing, and we love buttercream, so the cake was a bit of a disappointment. I gave them blue ribbon to match our colors which they used, but, the cake layers were so thin the proportion looked a little bit off. I'm probably the only one who would notice it! Feel free to PM me if you have questions!

Awww, thats an adorable photo! Thanks for sharing! I really like your bouquet!

[AishaB]

Congratulations! Thanks for the review

[roxy1122]

Congrats on your wedding and thanks for the review, I am so close to picking this resort as my wedding destination but have a few questions. Did you pick a private reception dinner? I am being quoted $1000 for a private dinner and if I want open bar it is extra as well as the dance area would be extra. Did you have dancing?

 

thanks!!

[gersbja]

Congrats i am glad you had a great time   Thank you for sharing!

[Caprice35]

Congratulations! I heard good things about the Wedding Boat Punta Cana

[beachbum]

I'm sorry I'm so delayed in responding, we did pay for the private reception, and for us, it was soo worth it.  The only booze served was beer and wine though.  The bars that were open, guests would have had to walk to get hard alcohol.   We had lots of room for a big dance floor since it was only us in the restaurant.

Originally Posted by roxy1122 

Congrats on your wedding and thanks for the review, I am so close to picking this resort as my wedding destination but have a few questions. Did you pick a private reception dinner? I am being quoted $1000 for a private dinner and if I want open bar it is extra as well as the dance area would be extra. Did you have dancing?

 

thanks!!

[kitty25967]

Hey!  Congrats on your wedding.  Do you have an online album I could view?  I would love to see pics of the cake, ceremony, etc.  My fiance and I are getting married at The Grand Palladium on May 28th, 2011.  We are staying in the RST along with our guests.  We are planning on a beach ceremony, cocktails/apps, private dinner and beach party.  Good to know about the menus so I can print ahead of time.  Can you send me information about the Boat Dinner.  That sounds like a great "welcome" for the guests.  Also, did you make OOT bags for your guests?