Honeymoon help!!

lulu4150 · February 2012

i'm getting so confused on where to go. My fiance and I have never been out of the US so I really don't know where to go. I've been looking in the Caribbean but not sure where a good honeymoon location is. We also don't have a ton of money. We have about 3500 to spend for everything for between 5-7 days. Guessing with that budget it will most likely be 5. Anyone have any suggestions on place to go and where to stay? I'm also not sure if we want to do all inclusive. I can see the pros and cons of both.

Thanks!!!

rswan412 · February 2012

I must suggest taking a cruise...you can see multiple places in the Carribbean for an affordable rate that includes food (way easier to budget! I prefer cruising the southern caribbean and eastern opposed to Western. We cruise on Royal Carribbean and love it, but we have done Princess, Holland America, Norwegian and Disney before. All were great except Norwegian!!

That being said, i just looked at your date and it's October 14- this is near the end of Hurricane Season. Cruising during hurricane season is typically cheaper- and the boat just avoids the storm- so it doesn't really effect you unless you had your heart set on one particular port.

The southern carribbean is awesome in October, because hurricanes do not *typically* go near there (aruba and such)

GOOD LUCK

LaurenG1986 · February 2012

I agree with the cruise idea!!!

lulu4150 · February 2012

I thought about it but I went on a cruise a few years back and didn't enjoy it that much. I felt like I would've rather stayed in one place for a week.

rswan412 · February 2012

In that case, check out the southern Carribbean, it's beautiful around that time and I'm sure you can find something affordable!

Whtara10 · February 2012

I didn't want to cruise for my honeymoon because I want to sit on a beach and relax without being on someone else's schedule. We are going to Cozumel Mexico. It's the number one honeymoon spot in Mexico. We got an all inclusive 8 day trip with air for $2000. If you don't care about all inclusive then I would also check out Aruba. We wanted to go to Aruba but they don't have a lot of all inclusive options and we didn't want to worry about budgeting for every single meal. If you want to price out different options or get opinions fantasy vacations gave us good rates.

cdbishop · February 2012

We went to an all inclusive in Jamaica last year and I believe we spent $2000 total for 5 days. Check out some travel deal websites, like cheapcarribean.com, travelbyjen.com also usually has some good ideas.

Just remember that you may need passports if you are going out of the country.

MoonlightSilver · February 2012

Ditto CheapCaribbean.com!! We booked our honeymoon to Riviera Maya through this website, and were able to actually upgrade our rooms because it came out under budget! We're staying at the Valentin Imperial Maya, which is all inclusive and adults only.

I actually just looked up for a 6 night tip starting October 15th, and with airfare from Bradley its $2,304.56 - and if you sign up for their emails, you get a $50 off promo code right away. You can also try Bookit.com.

There are some other things to think about, though. Any extra excursions will cost money (snorkling off site, for example). You need to pay to get from the airport to the resort. At many resorts, tips are expected.

A great idea is to look at tripadvisor.com. People leave very honest reviews there, and you can see if a place is really worth the price they are charging you.

Good luck!!

Whtara10 · February 2012

Also check out bookit.com. When I found my honeymoon on there for 2300 fantasy vacations got it for 2100. Also if you are worried about the excursions costing money you can register for them.

MoonlightSilver · February 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_connecticut_honeymoon-help?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:65Discussion:43ffd7d4-765d-4129-a9a3-428ff17e6c67Post:4d0a37bc-b7e7-45cb-a94a-285663c0398c">Re: Honeymoon help!!</a>:
[QUOTE]Also check out bookit.com. When I found my honeymoon on there for 2300 fantasy vacations got it for 2100.<strong> Also if you are worried about the excursions costing money you can register for them.</strong>
Posted by Whtara10[/QUOTE]

<div>I wouldn't suggest registering for your honeymoon, or even parts of it. Many of the companies that do honeymoon registries just give you cash when everything is said and done, except they take a fee. So really, you're getting less money than you would have if you just kept a small registry and told people you were saving for the honeymoon. Plus, it's technically against etiquette and frowned upon in some places. </div>

c_meahan · February 2012

I'd check out Aruba. Our flights were direct flights, round trip $500 each. Then we rented a timeshare with a full kitchen living room, patio, etc for $1300. So travel and accommodations were only $2300. Then we'll bring spending money obviously but can defintiely do it for 3500! And we're staying 7 days.

markandlaura112 · February 2012

My FI and I are like you, we've never been out of the US except for a couple of cruises. But, same as you, we want to stay in one place for our honeymoon. We've been looking at all inclusives at the Sandals resorts. I think we've narrowed it down to St. Lucia, and for 5-6 nights its under $4000 with airfare included (depending on the room you choose).

Good luck!

Katred08 · February 2012

$3500 is really a pretty good budget, you have lots of options! I'd recommend checking Apple vacations for good deals on all-inclusives...packages will include airfare. FI and I did 4 nights in Mexico the week after new year's for only $2000 total. Also check out the honeymoon board for specific AI recommendations, lots of those ladies have been to several and can give good feedback.

I know other people have also recommended watching Groupon and Living Social travel deals.

calindi · February 2012

That's a very fair budget. Keep an eye on TravelZoo (sign up for the email blasts) and CheapCarribbean. Those are the two I'd most recommend, as the other ladies mentioned! Also, American Airlines often have combined packages that discount airfare and hotels, so you can check through their website, too.

The sweet-spot for planning a trip like this is usually 3 months ahead of time. That might sound like you're waiting until the last minute, but if you're flexible on which hotel or island, you'll be able to get the best deal and save the most money while probably going to a much nicer place than you could otherwise afford.

For example, we're going on a cruise next weekend. We've been talking about it for awhile, but waited for a really good deal because we didn't want to spend over $400 per person for a 3 day trip (taxes & gratuity included). We got an email from TravelZoo on Tuesday for a cruise next weekend on one of the nicer cruise lines for only $149 per person, which works out to be $210 per person taxes and gratuity included. We are so excited!

lulu4150 · February 2012

thanks everyone! all great ideas

calindi · February 2012

Oh, and if you're planning on leaving the country, you might want to get your passports processed now.

SB1512 · February 2012

I also vote on checking out travelzoo, groupon getaways and living social escapes. LS and Groupon usually do not have packages that include flights, but they do come around every once in a while. Travelzoo puts out there top 20 every wednesday and I've seen some awesome deals on there. Also i'm not sure what type of honeymoon you want, but maybe look into going to Buenos Aires? I went there in 2008 with a friend and not only did we have so much fun, but the value of the dollar was excellent!! We ate meals fit for queens that worked out to cost no more than $60. And that was the total, not $60 per person. I'm not sure how things are now with our economy being in the dump, but it might be worth looking into.

Honeymoon help!!

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