Mexico Pricing friom Vancouver? Over $2000???

[McLecker]

I'm wondering if any other Vancouver brides are astonished by the prices for some of the travel packages for winter 2012! I have asked for the cheapest week (looks like it will be November 2012) and for Dreams Riviera Cancun - it is $2000 with Air Canada Vacations, and even more for West Jet Vacations! I just can't imagine asking my guests to pay $2000 for Mexico. Prices for the Dominican Republic are better ($1800) but you have to fly on the red eye to Toronto and then down to DR then next day since there are no direct flights. Plus, the standard of the DR hotels just doesn't seem to compare to 5* in Mexico. Has anyone had any of these challenges?

[lashesforever]

Are you by chance using a travel agent for these quotes?? November is supposed to be the cheapest time to go, that's what we have chosen.  I have not looked into pricing yet, as our wedding is in November 2013.  I did look on the travel sites, and they are outrageous.  If you find a TA, they have connections, and can get you free rooms and stuff, and they do all the work. ( which is fine by me) I am in Vancouver also, and we are using Blue Petal Weddings if that helps at all.  Their pricing is is totally worth it to us.  

[McLecker]

Hi! Yes we are using a travel agent through our wedding planner that we hired (also from Vancouver). The planner has been getting quotes for us - and despite what we had thought (that November was supposed to be the cheapest month) - prices are coming back way higher - and they are apparently up significantly over just last year. I just can't ask guests to spend $2000 for Mexico when we can so often get flights for much less. If you or anyone has any insight into if this is normal, or to be expected, I'd appreciate the help bc right now I'm just stunned and questioning this whole thing!

[lashesforever]

Wow, that is not what I had expected to be asking guests to pay either.  I was thinking the most to be $1500.00 flight and hotel. I love West jet, but have they also looked into Sunquest, or Air Transat?  That's what our TA will be looking into, and she said that also Air Canada will charge the deposit to save seats for your guests for only 30 days. Then you have to get out your STD's and 30 days is just not enough time.  The other one's I mentioned give you 60 days for guests to put their deposits down.  Something to think about.  Hopefully I do not come across these kind of prices when we start looking.  I would ask more questions of your TA and see what else she can find.  Also, maybe shop around, and see what a few others come out to.

 I found one TA, and she tried to talk me out of the hotels we wanted, and to choose her hotels, also to maybe question the wedding site we have chosen.  I think she gets some serious kickbacks.  We have since gone with someone else.   

[McLecker]

 

I know! Trust me- I was so shocked! We were totally expecting in the $1500 range. Wrong! But you have lots of time so you will be able to get the best prices hopefully. Our planner is working with a travel agent and she often uses the AI properties (and Dreams in particular) - even she was shocked. She says she prefers not to use Sunquest and Air Transat bc of their policies around changing and cancelling flights without notice. She says that with a normal trip - sure, go with them.... but with a wedding, it isn't worth risking it and apparently the cost differentials aren't much more (according to the TA). I'll be curious to hear what you get back when you start getting your pricing!

 

Oh and about the 30 days - appararently that can be somewhat flexible. But what we did when we decided that we were going down south, we sent an email to everyone on our invite list and told them that we were planning a destination wedding, that a Save the Date would come in the next couple of months once a locale had been picked, but a deposit would be required shortly after that time so we wanted to give advance notice. The email was really well received and actually, a lot of people wrote back (which helped us do an estimation of our numbers, and number of kids too).

 

Good luck with your planning! And let me know how it goes for you!

[lashesforever]

Thanks, 

 

The email sounds like a great idea!

Ill have to talk to my TA to find out the best way, because I do not want anything being cancelled out of the blue! 

Good luck with your planning as well! let me know if you guys find some better pricing than that!  

[Moments That Matter]

Congratulations and welcome to the forums! Just out of curiosity... what hotels in the Mayan Riviera are you looking at booking? Maybe I can be of some help for you choosing a resort that has everything you need as well as a fantastic location?

Let me know if I can help!

Linkn

[JayKay]

Good luck with your decision.  We first looked into Mexico and were pretty shocked with the prices for some of the resorts.  We found it cheaper to go to Jamaica.  What about looking at different properties and honeymooning at that resort?

[Nora NandCPhoto]

HI McKeller, 

 

Because you are in Vancouver, there is some awesome travel agents from Vancouver called Blue Petal.  TA Becky on the forums here.  They are awesome.  We love shooting weddings in Mexico also, so if you have any questions, feel free to ask us. 

 

xo

Nora and Chris

[boscobel]

I'm going to move this thread to the proper subforum (Mexico) rather then the newbie one.  If this was your newbie thread, you might want to create another one introducing yourself since this won't be here anymore...

 

And $2k sounds like a hella lot to me, but I also have no concept of airfare from Van. to Mx.