Booking Travel:
To book a hotel room, please contact Teresa Stauring at Vacations 4 Less (tstauring@vacations4less.com) or (1-800-200-2423 Ext. 202). She is avaialble to you to simplify the booking process and to ensure that you receive the best rate possible. Teresa has had a 14-year relationship with the resort, and has negotiated a rate much lower than you can find if you try to book it yourself, through another agent or online. The resort will not consider you as part of the wedding group if you try to book a room through another means. By booking with Teresa, it also ensures you will have better protection and flexibility should your travel plans change at a later date. She is also available to help you with transfers to and from the airport, and can assist you with booking airfare if necessary. However, if you would like to book your own airfare and handle your own airport transfers separately, that is entirely up to you. Many people have frequent flyer miles they’d like to use, and unfortunately, there are not enough people flying out of the same airport on the same day to receive any kind of discounted group airfare rate. If you feel you can get the best airfare rate on your own, please feel free to shop around. A warning: booking airfare this far in advance on a general travel search engine like Expedia or Orbitz will offer you virtually no flexibility if any changes need to be made at a later date. You should use your own agent or book directly with the airlines if you plan to utilize Teresa’s services for room bookings only.
Rates:
Teresa has secured a rate of $324.00/night at Vallarta Palace. This rate covers an all-inclusive stay for two people, and is based on an assumed double-occupancy. Teresa has additional rate information if you have one, three or four people in a room instead. The $324 rate covers a room with two double beds or a king-sized bed, along with all meals, beverages (alcoholic and non-alcoholic,) several tour options in the Nuevo Vallarta and Puerto Vallarta areas, and taxes and gratuities for two people.
Timing:
You will need to put a deposit down on your room with Teresa at Vacations 4 Less by January 31, 2009. All rooms must be paid in full by March 30, 2009, so the resort can start planning event and reception accommodations for our group. You are more than welcome to join Russ and Kelly early in the week, or you might just want to come for the weekend – the length of your stay is up to you!
Passport Required For Travel To Mexico:
Current passport rules apply to people traveling to Mexico, as all persons traveling by air outside of the United States are now required to present a passport or other valid travel document to enter or re-enter the United States. At this time, on its website, the Passport Services Office claims it is processing routine applications in less than four weeks from the time of application. (We have heard some people received their passports within a couple of weeks of submitting an application, while others took eight weeks.) If you don't already have one, you should apply for a passport as soon as you decide to travel to Mexico. Most people will need to apply in person to obtain a passport. Here are the links you will need to help you go about getting a new passport: