FAO Keith

[Lisa1976]

Evening Keith

I've got some more questions for you if you don't mind, just tell me to go away if you are getting fed up with me

Before you booked the wedding with Disney direct, did you consider booking it with someone like Virgin?? What made you go through Disney direct?

I am just finding it increasly frustrating at not being able to speak to someone face to face.

Simon rang them this afternoon and they have quoted us $4,492 which includes 4 nights in AKL, that seems extremely high to me, am i just being tight???

[Keith]

hiya!

Not fed up at all ask away!

In terms of booking through Virgin, I'm hoping redkop will come along and comment because I know he booked through them for a wedding at cypress grove I think?

When I looked, virgin offered exactly the same disney package as disney themselves. In other words, they just booked it with disney as I would.

I did get their brochure and called them but it was clear to me that although they'd done a few in the past and so had that kind of knowledge, any questions I asked would be passed onto disney who'd explain to them and then they'd explain it to me. Just another layer of indirection

If it had been much cheaper or offered different inside Disney options then I may have considered it.

ALSO, I had got to the stage quickly with Disney were they'd knocked off the 4 days I didn't need, they'd got me a special photographic package much more cheaply and better for my needs etc... I was in a much better place to get that kinda stuff than if I'd booked with a third party.

I sympathise SO completely with you on the face to face bit! I had a heck of a time with Disney weddings sigh. The lady just rushed through the options over the phone as if I was buying a chinese takeaway and was very much "your options 1,2,3,4. choose now please"

I ended up complaining three or four times all the way to the head of disney events who was actually the first person who I felt either understood what I was on about or was able to pretend well enough to convince me.

BUT at the same time I don't want to put you off them :/ because strange as it sounds, the wedding was SO fantastic and everything was spot on. I just didn't feel very looked after by the weddings team really. Considering we're in the uk I expected them to understand that and be really re-assuring and helpful.. brimming with alternatives and "how about this and that" and they weren't.

You're going to have the opportunity to meet them in March I guess too which I didn't have... although I know you'll probably want to book your day before then to be sure.

4492 inc AKL sounds right to me for Disney rack rate. Was that at the pavilion or not? and is the room at AKL savannah view or concierge etc? or standard?

We ended up doing the premium intimate package which I think was about 4200 but then we got something knocked off because I'd already booked our rooms. Then Im guessing another 1200 or so in photography. Then we stayed 2 weeks split between wilderness lodge and poly which even with annual passes cost a few thousand.

Gulp!

[Keith]

Interestingly on the virgin site they're listing the deluxe disney wedding package at £1415 without the 4 nights....(although it goes on to say there's a minimum stay required but you'd be doing that anyway)

adding 4 nights at akl prob about $1000 (less if you get a discount or AP rate... if you're allowed to book that through them)

I reckon it may be worth a call to virgin to get them to work you out a price. Looking at their website, I suspect you may get a deal on flights (and upgrades) if you go through them for the wedding, flights & hotel.

[Redkop]

hello someone mention my name , as keith said we booked our wedding through virgin at cypress grove........found it dead easy with virgin as we added it on to our holiday, a fwe days before the wedding the virgin rep came to see us and gave us our instructions to get to the court house to get our licence, they were very friendly at the court house and knew we were english (the liverpool top gave it away), the rep also asked what flowers angela wanted and sorted them out for the service, she also gave us directions to cypress grove (big help), the day of the service the minister phoned us (well woke us) to discuss what sort of service we wanted, virgin also offered us photo options and video options, but we let angela's kids do the photography and video people that day to make it a bit special......overall virgin were helpfull.......any other questions on the virgin side and i will dig out the stuff i still have

chris

[Lisa1976]

Hi Keith & Redkop

Thanks for your replies.

I am really not certain what to do to be honest. Although we would love to get married in the Wedding Pavillion it does seem really expensive.

When we mentioned that we will have annual passes and wouldn't need the park hoppers they totally changed the subject. Im just worried that we will go to see them in March and they wont budge on what we can and can't have included and we will come away not having reserved a wedding and unhappy.

The thing is we need to keep the price down as much as possible as we have to pay for the wedding ourselves and as yet we haven't saved a penny and probably wont do until we are back from our March break which gives us 8/9 months to save, not a lot of time.

The 4492 was a standard room but as far as we know included the wedding pavillion, that includes 4 nights plus the wedding package. Its just soooo frustrating not being able to speak to the face to face.

I think what we will end up doing is leaving it til we go in March and then hope we can work out a suitable package for us. At the end of the day we don't need 2 hours photography when there is only two of us, there are only so many posses we can do!!

[Keith]

completely agree with all you say Lisa! It's SO frustrating isn't it.

I wrote to the head of events after the wedding and said that I really thought they were putting people off because of their packages and reluctance to work with people to get exactly what they want. No reply of course.

I think what I'd do in your place would be... sit down and work out exactly what you want included.

So if you don't want the park hopper & 4 nights but want everything else for example. Then phone them back up and say something like thanks for all your help but I dont think we're going to be able to go for the package now It's really upsetting but since we already have the annual pass and had booked the rooms its just going to cost too much if you can't take those bits out of the package for us

See what happens, at least you'll know. I know they're annoyingly unwilling to take anything out but they CAN do it.

On the pavilion side of things yeah it really is expensive for 30mins in there. Really nice sure, but expensive. I don't think you need that.

[Lisa1976]

Thanks Keith, its nice to know you understand what we are going through.

I think what we are going to do, instead of keep running our phone bill up with all our questions, we are going to wait 7 weeks till we go to Florida and just have a chat with them then, at the end of the day im sure we will be able to have a date in December at some point.

At least if we are talking to them face to face they can't fob us off.

[Keith]

yeah that's true! and it really will be worth it in the end.

....but whatever/wherever you go for.. .if you need any help or anything, just let me know

good luck!

[joanne]

Can you not reserve the date now and sort out the extras when you go in March?
Have you been to the wedding pavilion? It would be such a special place to get married. Maybe you could compromise on other stuff so you can use the pavilion?

Joanne

[Lisa1976]

Hi Joanne

Unfortunately they would only hold it for 3 weeks without payment and we don't fly out until 4 March, our appointment is on 8th March.

I haven't seen the pavillion in person but have seen some wonderful photos of it.

We have been considering maybe having our wedding somewhere else in Florida but definately still having our honeymoon at AKL.