Newb - Feeling Discouraged - Is Dec. Impossibly Expensive?

[beachbeth]

Hi all! 

I am REALLY hoping to do a mexico, cuba or dominican republic wedding. We are from Ontario and fiance is a teacher, so we are looking at December during Xmas break our March break, 2017.  

I started getting quotes from Sunwing for Dominican Republic travel+stay for Dec 31-Jan7, and the rates are roughly $2000 per adult, $1300 per kid, taxes included.

 

I knew it would be a lot in high season but, damn - I feel like this is just an impossible ask for our loved ones.  We were looking at about 50 people coming and I thought the group discounts would be more impressive.  I am almost ready to give up already. Have people been finding anything any more reasonable for that time of year from Canada? Is D.R. just super expensive? Are we screwed

 

Did any of you fine folks find some way to get something more reasonable for your group during high season?

 

Thanks

[dreamweddings]

@@beachbeth,

 

 

Have you tried a different location?  Mexico might be cheaper. Seeing that Dec is the beginning of high season in most places with the Christmas. The owners of this page have some Travel agent in Canada, I would reach out to them to get a second opinion.  

 

Don´t get discouraged start by checking your options.

 

 

Happy Planning!

[acw271011]

@beachbeth  Congrats and welcome!!

 

Unfortunately you're looking at the peak season for sure. You mentioned a date that includes New Years Eve, which is absolutely the high time to travel. So many people want to celebrate NYE at a beautiful tropical resort. That's actually probably a decent quote for the DR. Mexico will likely be even more expensive and even Cuba will be up there in price.

 

March break costs will be insane! The reason there are no big group discounts is because they don't need to offer them. Both are times of the year that sell out so there is no incentive for any of the charters to offer discounts, even for a wedding group.

 

Have you considered June? Not sure what grade your fiance teaches - high schools usually let out earlier than elementary schools - but if you could get away mid June, you could likely get a better travel rate than what you've beem quoted. It's warmer for sure compared to December/January or March but it's not unbearable. There have been a lot of June brides here so it's a time of year that is much more common than before, namely for cost and if kids are part of the equation, time away from school. We actually have a bride to be right now that has a June 7th date in Mexico. Just something for you to think about.

 

Good luck with your planning! Keep us posted on what your decision ends up being!

[calgarybride2015]

Hello!

 

I second what all the ladies above said.

 

If you have your heart set on December I recommend getting quotes for Jan 1.2.3 or 4 as your departure date. You'll find they should drop some! I say this because we just returned from our first anniversary trip. We travelled Jan 2-9 to Cuba and the prices were more than $1000 less than having our trip fall over NYE. We are in Calgary though but just something to keep in mind. Good luck

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Edited January 15, 2016 by calgarybride2015

[TinkerSofi]

Maybe try Cuba or Mexico as options. I know the Dominican can be a little more expensive than the other two. December is usually quite a bit more expensive, especially during the time when your fiance will have his vacation time. Fares usually become cheaper after kids return to school, for obvious reasons. I went to Mexico a few years back, left around Jan 4th but still paid $1700 for an ok resort. I know prices have gone up a little since then because of our dollar but search around and get a few quotes. Maybe talk to a TA to see what their opinion is, this is what they do for a living and they're able to see patterns more clearly than us. In my opinion, it's possible to find a resort in your price range at any time of the year, however, you might have to give something up. For example, when we went in January, we paid the same as we did when we went in August, but the resort wasn't as nice. 

 

Something to consider is getting married in the summer. We got married in August and it really wasn't that bad. Yes, it was hot, but the weather was extremely nice and I don't regret it. We all had a blast. Our ceremony was short (about 10-15 min) and after the sun goes down the breeze really helps if you're doing an outside reception.  We were able to get a really nice resort for a decent price. Maybe don't wait until August, but perhaps late June is not too hot yet and your fiance will have time off  

[Moments That Matter]

Welcome to our forum community beachbeth and Congrats on your dw next year!!! As you can already see, you'll get lots of great advice, support and suggestions from everyone here, so well done getting off to a great start

 

For some added inspiration, here are some magical beach wedding moments that matter to balance some frustrations you've said you're feeling.....hope these help you visualize how great your beach wedding could be......enjoy!!!

 

....taken from our TImeline Photos Album:

 

 

 

 

Wishing you happy research, and that you find the right solution for your planning challenges - cheers!!! team MTM

Edited January 15, 2016 by Moments That Matter

[TADarci]

Hi! Try not to be discouraged, the ladies here have given you wonderful advice! There are other tour operators than Sunwing to get quotes from as well. Are you currently working with an agent/agency? If not please feel free to reach out to myself..I'm the TA in Canada . I would be happy to work out some pricing for you if you are feeling frustrated. Congrats on your engagement.

[beachbeth]

Thanks for all the advice! I haven't given up - it has been quite a tough year and I would like to be my family's excuse for a vacation .  

[deecol]

Hi @@beachbeth!  Don't feel discouraged, like the ladies said you just need to find the right agent.  This was the hardest part of the process for me so far and I'm 3 1/2 months away from my day.

 

We used Total Advantage Travel & Tours in Toronto and they were able to beat our original quote by $130 for each guest. Making my guests travel only $1259 pp incl tax from April 26-May 3.  I know it's not the season you're looking for but it's worth reaching out to them for a quote.

 

Good luck and keep us posted!

[beachbeth]

Hi @@beachbeth!  Don't feel discouraged, like the ladies said you just need to find the right agent.  This was the hardest part of the process for me so far and I'm 3 1/2 months away from my day.

 

We used Total Advantage Travel & Tours in Toronto and they were able to beat our original quote by $130 for each guest. Making my guests travel only $1259 pp incl tax from April 26-May 3.  I know it's not the season you're looking for but it's worth reaching out to them for a quote.

 

Good luck and keep us posted!

Thanks I definitely will. Everytime I think of planning one at home I just "Nope!" right out of there. I know the beach is the way to go!!