Hello Everyone! Thank you so much in your interest in spending our wedding week with us in beautiful Punta Cana, Dominican Republic!
The purpose of this email is to give you all some basic information regarding our wedding: The resort we are staying at, flight information, and any other pertinent details. Below are all the links you will need in order to arrange to spend this special day with us if you so choose.
Dates:
We are getting married on Sunday, May 22, 2011 at 5pm. Vicki and Todd are arriving at the resort on Wednesday, May 18th, and staying until the following Wednesday, May 25th. You are welcome to stay for as long or as short as you would like.
Lodging:
We are staying at the Grand Palladium Bavaro Resort in Punta Cana. The Grand Palladium Bavaro is part of the larger Grand Palladium complex in Punta Cana. They have 4 resorts: The Grand Palladium Bavaro, the Grand Palladium Punta Cana, the Grand Palladium Palace, and the Royal Suites Turquesa by Palladium. (http://www.fiestahotelgroup.
Each resort has a slightly different focus (Bavaro and Punta Cana are more family-oriented, the Palace has a casino, and the Turquesa is adults-only). However, all of the resorts have access to all the amenities of the other resorts and are situated all right next to each other. You are welcome to book and stay at any of these resorts (we are booking at the Bavaro), it will not matter.
Also, all four resorts are all-inclusive. That means that the price you pay includes taxes, tips, all your meals, all your drinks (including alcohol), and most non-motorized activities for the duration of your stay.
Keep in mind that if for some reason you decide to stay outside of the Grand Palladium complex in Punta Cana, there is a guest pass charge (from $60 to $120 per person) to be allowed onto the resort grounds for our wedding (or any other day).
Airfare:
The airport you will be flying into is Punta Cana (airport code: PUJ). The airport is approx. 20 miles from the resort. Included in your hotel price is roundtrip transportation from the resort to the Punta Cana airport (Approx. 20-30 minute drive).
Making Reservations:
We are using a Travel Agent named Steve Songer (www.songertravel.com, stravel1@cox.net, 623-362-8779). Steve has been very helpful in setting up a wedding block for guests travelling to the DR for our wedding. We have set up a wedding block in order to get the best rates. In order to get the special wedding block, please make your arrangements through Steve, and mention our wedding/promo code: DW-MACEK52211. There is no booking fee and the wedding rate he can book will be the same or better than any rate you find for the resort through other channels (We've done the research, trust us...)
He requires just a $125 deposit per person for the resort at the time of booking, and can set up payments however you would like, as long as the full balance is paid 45 days prior to your arrival at the resort.
Steve can also make your flight reservations as well if you would like. But as Steve told us, if you find a good price on airfare, jump on it. If you go outside Steve for booking airfare, we recommend Travelocity (www.travelocity.com) in order to see as many different options as possible. For those of you travelling from the Midwest: Keep in mind we have found cheaper rates if you are willing to make two stops on the way to Punta Cana instead of just one. Also- Some flights we looked at had next day arrivals to the DR (If you left on Wednesday, you may not get to the DR until Thursday). That was mostly from the West Coast, but some Midwest flights were the same. Just some things to think about.
There are options to do a hotel and airfare package deal, but up to this point we have found it cheaper to book separately. Again, Steve will be willing to work with you and explore all options in order to get you the best price.
Misc. Info:
Passports: As the Dominican Republic is outside the US, you will need a passport in order to travel there. Passports can take 2-3 months to receive if applying for one, so keep that in mind. Also, the DR requires your passport to be valid six months AFTER your date of travel, so make sure you are ok there. (http://travel.state.gov/
Resort Info: Palladium Addicts (http://www.palladiumaddict.
Travel Insurance:
Steve will offer the ability to purchase insurance for the hotel part of the trip at the time of booking. The insurance is $120 per person I believe, and allows you to cancel for any reason and get your money back (excluding the insurance charge). You can also purchase Travel Insurance for your entire trip (including airfare) through Travel Guard (www.travelguard.com). Travel Guard can be cheaper or more expensive than the Insurance Steve offers, depending on the type you get.
I hope this email will help answer most of your questions and point you in the right direction for information. If you have ANY other questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.
