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Topic: NEXT YEAR, if there is a PF '10 (Read 3559 times)
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Doris
Lifeguard
Posts: 832
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We love both places! But, our first love is Iberostar....that is where we went for our first holiday in 1999 and that is where we will continue to go when we want an all-inclusive holiday. Since we can't afford a month at Iberostar, Isla is our choice for a long, budget holiday, but Iberostar is where we like to go to celebrate special events like anniversaries or graduations.
From our personal experience over the past 10.5 years, we couldn't be more happy with the staff, service and surroundings at Iberostar. Although the staff has changed many times in those years, we've always been treated very well and we appreciate the pampering. Our holidays have always exceeded our expectations, and we are grateful for all the wonderful memories that we have, including PF 02, 04 and 05.
Doris 
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mark in mckinney
Olympian Gold
Posts: 2695
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I've been digesting some very interesting takes on everything. ..
Miguel... never felt eating without AC was "low rent" ... it just felt like Mexico to us and it was our choice to go in July... but having experienced dining in July w/ a little help from the Great Mayan God Freon..... it would be hard to go back in summer. i wouldnt flinch one bit about returning to the T/Q in February.... that was an awesome trip- feeling a cool breeze in teh mornings and evenings and laying on the beach without almost passing out.
my only real gripe with IB* is they really priced themselves out of my budget....and basically, they can.. they have an amazing package all the way around and supply and demand allows them to continue to have multitudes of repeat visitors... who yes... replaced most of us... AT ALL RESORTS ( although there are some incredible packagest to teh Del Mar Beach this fall)
While i agree with your "dance " comment. Im a white male and no one really enjoys dancing with me anyway ( usually even the one that brings me). We did have some nice holidays while Sonja and Philipp were around. It was cool. We felt like we were a part of building something nice for the rest of the world... yes, that is quite a stretch, but those 2 made you feel like such a part and while they were in charge. They asked questions, listened and a lot of times made changes based on your comments, AND the entire staff focussed heavily on the patrons.. I never really saw that flex, but when Philipp left, I did see the quality of the food change, etc.
Now, anytime you go to a resort 12 times in a row without any change in between ( as we did ) the magic will evaporate. That was even so for my daughter who said, "its not special anymore, it still great, but its just something we do... ) and its only taken me a few years to feel that way about the Barcelo complex, so for it to take IB*,12 times... even 9 really ... with someone as severely ADD as I am speaks well for the big gold starfish.
i honestly think if we were going to expect the kind of special service the IB* use to have and literally craving to provide service that we use to feel at IB* in the late 1990s ( and not pay for The Grand), we would need to go to another "evolving" resort destination, as Playa was, with an "evolving" resort chain... as you remember the T/Q was the IB*s first attempt to reach the US Market. and Paraiso evolved based on feedback from teh T/Q, then from the guests at teh B/DM, etc...
Vacationing with my buddies and my sweet daughter is hugely important, and hell... I think it would be fascinating to see Actran's suitcase full of shoes  ... but i personally cant do the Grand and probably wouldnt feel it very "mexico-ish" and Im getting close to Ancient, so I want to try something different... a lot. I've never stayed at a RIU, or Melia or whatever it was Dave and Joni stayed at, or much else besides IB*, Barcelo, comfort inn, and most of the Marriott products, so I really would like to branch out ( maybe not to St. Louis... ) but want to start seeing other takes on the "American's in Mexico doing the all inclusive thing..." formula.
I have a short list of requirements
1. Beach and Pool with bar service
2. Havana Rum ( 7+ anos)
3. Box Springs if at all possible
4. ocean view, if i can afford it
5. refried beans and jalapeno omelets on the breakfast bar
6. Close to a town unless the resort is so FREAKING SPECTACULAR that this A.D.D brain can handle being 24x7 in one location for a week.
7. Last but not least... a happy and healthy group of low maintenance, festive friends to share some new and old memories with.
Simple enough, right....
And that concludes my Monday Morning musings prior to my second cup of coffee!
Love you guys!
Marcos
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Doris
Lifeguard
Posts: 832
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Hey Marcos! Good anaysis! I understand what you say about a resort not having that special feel anymore, but somehow, I still manage to have my breath taken away when I arrive at the Del Mar lobby. Maybe an Iberostar in the DR for a new experience?
By the way, based upon your wish list....if you really want to 'branch out'....Isla Mujeres has all of that! For the price of an all-inclusive week, you could go for a month!  Buuuut....it is way too hot there in the summer, so you'd have to go in, say, February or March. 
Actran....I hear ya on the pain of turning 50....but when the day arrived for me, it was just another day. Just buy a new pair of shoes and you'll soon feel better! I wish we could stay at the Grand....it really is pampering to the max, but the Del Mar is just 'home' for us, so we're happy to be there. Let's keep in touch and see what happens!
Doris
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mark in mckinney
Olympian Gold
Posts: 2695
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Doris,
I appreciate the thought on Isla, but I think i would not survive the rusticness that you and vince do. Im mostly an all inclusive guy. I work too hard during the year and like to have a week with no worries...including finding breakfast, lunch and dinner, etc.. I like to let go one week and be a spoiled brat.
miguel - well said... but talking about Cronyism, does anyone know for sure what resort Sonja is at?
And for Doris and Andrea, you guys look closer to turning 40, so embrace that you are both doing so very well! congrats!
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actran
SurferDude
Posts: 433
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Doris - well, I'm sure turning 50 is going to be so traumatic that it will require a week at the Grand to deal with it. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. Shoes will help too - they always do. Let's see what happens with our plans. I always enjoy meeting the people I "talk" with on these forums. I still need to coordinate something with Dan and Steph!
Tami - I mentioned the IB Paraiso cause it's got the different price points, so people who are on a budget have the Beach and Del Mar and those with a little more to spend have the Lindo, Maya and those of us that cash in our retirement funds have the Grand - LOL. But it definitely sounds like the majority don't want to return to IB. We love the familiarity of it, knowing where we are going the minute we hit the door, knowing which restaurants we like.
I hear those of you who feel the upgrade system is unfair. And I will admit, it really made me crazy last year when we were at the Lindo and I asked for a room in Building 50 or 51 and was told no because we had booked a standard room, and then I found out someone who had also booked a standard room was given rooms in those buildings without asking AND it was our 4th visit to IB and their first visit. But I have always said there is no consistency about the whole upgrade thing and I won't let it bug me (or not too much anyway). For now iberostar provides what we are looking for, so I expect we will return.
Mark - I'm with you on wanting a week of no worries. And a big fat kiss for saying we look young. 
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Keith in Carrollton
SurferDude
Posts: 363
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I grew tired of IB* favoring some guests over others. Preferred rates, frequent upgrades, and to top it all off cheap rates and upgrades. That is just wrongheaded behavior in my world. I got what I paid for but felt that cronyism was prevalent. I am not in the minority in feeling that way either.
 Mike
Hey hey Mike.....you are correct Sir! You are not in the minority.
Upgrades: If you get em....I say YEEEEEEEEEHAWWWW and more power to ya! I truly think it is fantastic when people arrive on a vacation and get much more than they expected  Totally Fabulous thing to happen and I am sincerely happy when I see it happen to people.
Our beef with IberoWorld is mainly about pricing and loyalty. After 10 consecutive trips...never less than a 7 nighter (and more commonly 9-10), we had always eroneously believed that someday, somehow, we would get some sort of pricebreak...something different than the "Supply and Demand" price that any first time visitor would recieve. That never ONCE became reality.
When you think of the dinero here and all the years....this eventually became a mind boggle for us........and it became an insane mind boggle knowing that other 'longtermers' were riding a gravy train that didn't have a stop anywhere Near "Supply and Demand Lane"! If you get my drift here! (think Motel 6 v. Marriot with regards to pricing).......wink wink.
Why the Heck would such a popular massive Resort Chain not have some formula....a uniform formula...with regards to mega year repeaters? Where is the return love? Huh Huh??? lol!
Anyway, we only have ourselves to blame. Nobody held a gun to our head. We were happy with the product and we were Iberoaddicts along with many other people, but we eventually had to say No Mas!
We always thought we would spend the rest of our lives recommending IberoWorld (hey! 10 years is a big chunk out of one's life!)....but in retrospect, we will only likely feel a 'warmth' for the great friends we made there.
Goodwill works Bothways.....and in the end....Iberostar did not earn ours.
I am convinced that MANY other resort chains would treat a ten year run like this differently, but there aint no way I am testing the theory! Like Marcos, I am getting old and I need to explore now!!!! ha ha
Sorry for my rant!
The Bright side is that we have a wonderful board like this one....where we can actually express opinions.....unlike some others.
Gracias Tamz!
Peace
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Karen in NYC
Olympian Gold
Posts: 2189
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After about 15 times to IB (including 1 year 3x to Lindo)....I never got more than the floor/building I requested, and the ability a couple of times to make dinner reservations by email. I always mentioned in my emails that I was a past guest (and how many times I had been there). I think these are things that a lot of people were able to do.
I DID get an upgrade once, but that was nothing to do with frequent guest status. I was at Lindo, my room wasnt ready, they offered 2 other rooms that were not acceptable, so I said "You could upgrade me to the Maya, at no additional cost"....and they did.
But after PF06, I was getting tired of the food and they were pricing themselves out of my range (until Tami found me a GREAT deal for 5N at Grand last Dec 08).
I was "iberostar-ed out"....but if I could go back to Grand...I would...>Or Royal Playa del Carmen (bec. of proximity to PDC.)
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mark in mckinney
Olympian Gold
Posts: 2695
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Tamicita... I think it must have been another Mark calling you old. Not sure those words were ever typed from the feeble old hands of mine... and if they were it was Colby... some times he gets on here and posts nonsense!
Now... i would specifically like to hear from Barb about the IB* in JAmacia and if it was sonja's or phillip's resort. AND lets get some RIU reviews in here!!!!!
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I am definitely needing an Ib* fix next year. Not sure about late July, but let me know your plans for later in the year. We would be happy to ring in the 50th with you and have a delayed celebration for our 50ths....which happened this year. We would be at the Del Mar, but I'm sure we could come and visit with you at the Grand! 
