CTI: The right place for us?

[MrH]

My wife and I are on the verge of pushing the 'Book Now' button on the Couples.com website for CTI. However, before we do it...we want to make sure that it's the right place for us. So, we made up a list of a couple of questions, and I was hoping someone could help us out here

1) We are looking at staying over the Christmas Holiday (December 21st to the 27th). Is there anything we should be aware of regarding the holidays at the resorts?

2) Dress Code: I've seen that a couple of the resturants have dress codes, which is understandable. But in general, can you walk around the resort in shorts and a t-shirt and be fine, or is there a resort wide dress code?

3) I've had a friend go to an All Inclusive resort before, and the only complaint they had about food was that snacks and sodas were extra (everything else strangly was covered). If at 2pm I get the urge to get a candy bar and a Pepsi...is that possible here? I didn't see anything that told me one way or the other.

4) Activities: It looks like they have plenty of activities, but how much of a 'push' is there for people to do them? My friends who went to another place stated that sometimes they just wanted to sit and relax and the activities coordinators were a bit pushy in trying to get people to do things. I sort of feel if I want to do something, I'll show up, if not...don't bother me. Anything to be concerned there?

5) Night Life: My wife drinks wine, I don't drink any alcohol. Neither of us are into big party type settings. I did read that CTI has more of a night life then some other places, so we're a bit curious if it would be something that might impact our stay in a negative way.

6) Rooms and Buildings: We're looking at one of the Ocean rooms (Superior, Deluxe, or Premium, haven't settled yet). Any suggestions on asking for a particular room or building?

7) And lastly, booking. I know we can book through Couples.com. Is it possible to book through other sites? Does anyone have any experience with any of those?

Thanks for the long read. I know it's a lot of questions, but we like to try to be as informed as possible before we go somewhere

Jon

[jon1963]

My wife and I are on the verge of pushing the 'Book Now' button on the Couples.com website for CTI. However, before we do it...we want to make sure that it's the right place for us. So, we made up a list of a couple of questions, and I was hoping someone could help us out here

1) We are looking at staying over the Christmas Holiday (December 21st to the 27th). Is there anything we should be aware of regarding the holidays at the resorts? ??? Never been to Couples during that time

2) Dress Code: I've seen that a couple of the resturants have dress codes, which is understandable. But in general, can you walk around the resort in shorts and a t-shirt and be fine, or is there a resort wide dress code?Shorts and tees are fine in the morning and during the day. The only time people dress up is for dinner.

3) I've had a friend go to an All Inclusive resort before, and the only complaint they had about food was that snacks and sodas were extra (everything else strangly was covered). If at 2pm I get the urge to get a candy bar and a Pepsi...is that possible here? I didn't see anything that told me one way or the other.
Pepsi is included, but not candy bars, you can get hamburgs, chips, and lots of other food from the beach bar and vegi bar at 2pm

4) Activities: It looks like they have plenty of activities, but how much of a 'push' is there for people to do them? My friends who went to another place stated that sometimes they just wanted to sit and relax and the activities coordinators were a bit pushy in trying to get people to do things. I sort of feel if I want to do something, I'll show up, if not...don't bother me. Anything to be concerned there?Couples is not pushy, you have to show up and become part of it. They will not come looking for you.

5) Night Life: My wife drinks wine, I don't drink any alcohol. Neither of us are into big party type settings. I did read that CTI has more of a night life then some other places, so we're a bit curious if it would be something that might impact our stay in a negative way.CTI is not a big party place, they have a band in the patio area at night and a piano lounge. After being out in the sun all day most people are not up to staying up all night drinking. Some do, but it is not a problem.

6) Rooms and Buildings: We're looking at one of the Ocean rooms (Superior, Deluxe, or Premium, haven't settled yet). Any suggestions on asking for a particular room or building? We like the Premium rooms, but we have stayed in the deluxe before and loved it. Any ocean view room is nice. The new building two is real nice or buildings 1,3,4

7) And lastly, booking. I know we can book through Couples.com. Is it possible to book through other sites? Does anyone have any experience with any of those? You can book using a TA or other online service. It all depends on what you want. We like to book direct with Couples for two reasons.
1) We can change if a better deal comes up or we have to make a change 45 days in advance. Couples does not charge you, most online services and TA do.
2) When we book direct, we know that we have a reservation because we are paying them directly. No issues because of a bad TA not paying the bill.

We also book the air direct with the airline.

Thanks for the long read. I know it's a lot of questions, but we like to try to be as informed as possible before we go somewhere

Jon

Enjoy

Enjoy

[Amy]

1) We are looking at staying over the Christmas Holiday (December 21st to the 27th). Is there anything we should be aware of regarding the holidays at the resorts? They will more than likely be at full capacity because this is their most popular season. But no worries, you won't even notice!

2) Dress Code: I've seen that a couple of the resturants have dress codes, which is understandable. But in general, can you walk around the resort in shorts and a t-shirt and be fine, or is there a resort wide dress code? Nope, you'll be fine. From breakfast until dinner, everyone is in a swimsuit and cover-up.

3) I've had a friend go to an All Inclusive resort before, and the only complaint they had about food was that snacks and sodas were extra (everything else strangly was covered). If at 2pm I get the urge to get a candy bar and a Pepsi...is that possible here? I didn't see anything that told me one way or the other. It's definitely possible. All drinks are inlcuded all the time. But there aren't candy bars. Instead, get some ice cream or other snack from the beach grill or veggie bar.

4) Activities: It looks like they have plenty of activities, but how much of a 'push' is there for people to do them? My friends who went to another place stated that sometimes they just wanted to sit and relax and the activities coordinators were a bit pushy in trying to get people to do things. I sort of feel if I want to do something, I'll show up, if not...don't bother me. Anything to be concerned there? Nope, not pushy at all! There are times when I don't even leave my beach chair. But chat with the entertainment crew - they are the best!

5) Night Life: My wife drinks wine, I don't drink any alcohol. Neither of us are into big party type settings. I did read that CTI has more of a night life then some other places, so we're a bit curious if it would be something that might impact our stay in a negative way. Not at all. We've been to all of the Couples (CTI is our favorite) and the nightlife is what you make of it. If you want to be quiet and romantic, CTI is the perfect place. If you want to be more social at the bar, CTI is the perfect place.

6) Rooms and Buildings: We're looking at one of the Ocean rooms (Superior, Deluxe, or Premium, haven't settled yet). Any suggestions on asking for a particular room or building? If depends on where you want to be located. We love the Main and West buildings. The rooms in those are Premier in the Main and Deluxe in the West. We don't like the Superior, only because they are in the South and that ocean view isn't of the island. I'd be happy to send you a resort map and room list if that would help (amy.welch@hotmail.com)

7) And lastly, booking. I know we can book through Couples.com. Is it possible to book through other sites? Does anyone have any experience with any of those? Yes, you can book through other sites, with a TA or directly through Couples. It's up to you. For year, we booked with an online TA. However, after having gotten bumped twice due to construction closures, we now book directly with Couples. Then if there were to be a problem, we deal directly with the resort.

Have a great trip! You'll love CTI!

[johnirene]

Jon and Amy are spot on with their answers - we have been to CTI every Christmas and New Year for many years (apart from last year due to alterations) and I'm sure you will love it. The holiday atmosphere is extra special and Gala Nights are held on Christmas and New Year's Eve, food includes lobster and other fantastic choices/options. They also have guest artists for the Caberet on those evenings and there are the usual balloons and decorations, etc. It really is very special. You are sure to have a great time - maybe we'll see you there as we will be returning to CTI this Christmas for the first time since the alterations and I just can't wait.

[MrH]

Hi again,

Thanks for the answers Jon and Amy. Really helps us out with those few nagging things (well me at least, I forwarded the answers to my wife, time to see what new ones she has ).

Amy, I'd love a resort map and room list. I'll shoot you an email shortly.

Thanks again...and I'll post more questions as I get them

Jon

[MrH]

And another question from the other 1/2

"What about going off site?" I know that there are a few excursions that Couples offers, but is it possible to go off on your own. Such as into town, or touring about?
She's mostly worried about safety in going off on the island by ourselves.
Thanks

[Amy]

And another question from the other 1/2

"What about going off site?" I know that there are a few excursions that Couples offers, but is it possible to go off on your own. Such as into town, or touring about?
She's mostly worried about safety in going off on the island by ourselves.
Thanks

There are definitely some places to check out off-site. For one, the craft market is across the street. If you exit the resort and turn left, walk up the road about a hundred yards, there is a local potter on the left who makes amazing pieces.

If you want to pay for a meal, ask one of the front desk guys (Byron) for a recommendation. Keep in mind though, that CTI sits just east of the town of Ocho Rios. So to go into town, you'll want a taxi.

Use the same common sense in Jamaica that you'd use at home. In other words, don't be walking around town by yourselves at midnight. The resort is great, so if you never leave those walls, that's okay. But if you do, there's a fantastic world out there

[Tommywommy]

Yes,CTI is one of the right places for the two of us.
CTI and her staff are both outstanding.
We really enjoyed our stay there this past April.
We can recommend CTI,CSS and CN to everyone.

GO.RELAX.ENJOY CTI and have a Salty Dog for me...Ruff Ruff

[MrH]

Great, thanks for all the help folks

As soon as the website is able to book airline reservations again, we'll be booking a stay at CTI

[jon1963]

MrH:

These links may help you with stuff to do on and off the resort.

Here is a link on the shopping trips http://couplesjamaica.biz/mb/showthread.php?t=2300

Here is a link with pictures of the golf course and a short review.
http://couplesjamaica.biz/mb/showthread.php?t=2281

Here is a link current list of the daily activities, restaurant information and extra cost tours http://couplesjamaica.biz/mb/showthread.php?t=2194

Here is a link of the tours and other stuff that are included. http://couples.com/01-inclusionsPage.htm

[MrH]

My wife and I appreciate all the advice you folks have given us

We've just booked our first trip down to CTI, Dec 21st to Dec 27th (we ended up taking the deluxe room instead of the premiere, figured we wouldn't spend that much time in it anyhow)