Wednesday: It's here...our trip home

I received my response from JetBlue tonight about getting a refund after our travel disaster. They gave us both $100 credit (at least that's what the email says...I haven't verified it). So I have a great offer for you...you can have our credit for a reduced price. Maybe $75 each? Or really the first offer that we get. I figure that enough people travel JetBlue that they must have some good luck. Anyway, without further ado, our story. Oh, there is further ado. Sorry it's so long. I had a lot of time to write it while waiting. And Ben and I might not agree exactly with the time frames...I really only checked my watch a few times.

Well, I'm sad to say that I have had my worst travel experience. We were sitting in the airplane (there was ac at least) and heard that the doors were going to close in five minutes. Ten minutes later, there was a big hydraulic leak in the landing break. Then the flight was canceled. period. They led us back to the terminal and left us at gate two. This felt like the middle of no where, especially since we had left from a completely different section. They told us to sit anywhere and listen for the announcement. do they not realize how hard it is to hear announcements in an airport? we tried finding out information and standing in lines that didn't move for the next two hours, while hearing rumors that we would be bused to Santo Domingo. But nothing was done in those two hours...there was just mass confusion. a whole plateful of people that were confused.

finally they said that they were going to take us back to the checking area and we could choose one of two options...to stay in Punta Cana and try to get a flight tomorrow (no guarantees) or take a bus 3.5hours to Santo Domingo to try and get a flight. Emphasis still on try. ok, we formed a line and started moving again. No problem. We got to immigration and since they had to check every passport, our line got lost. No one knew where our bags were going to come out, nor where to go after we got our bags. Someone said carousel two, a bit later they changed to carosel two. someone was trying to help at this point at least.

Then we ran to check-in, where tempers were starting to flare. Not that it really mattered...the computers were down and so no one was rebooking anything. one more line to stand in that didn't move. The person in charge then said that there were 60 seats (for about 130 people) and we were going together on the bus in an orderly manner. Ha. He tried, I'll give him that. Ben and I barely made the last bus, but he had to play the pregnancy card (although he had said pregnant people could get in the first bus). Three cheers for the kid.

The bus ride was nice. our driver drove quickly and caught up with the first bus. And we got to see a lot of the country...a big church, a big bridge, cows and birds grazing in a field, tobacco (we think), and stores in several cities. then all the stations at the Jet Blue counter were manned, which was nice. tempers were still a little high, but after the ride in an air conditioned bus, people were doing a lot better. the airport was almost empty, so customs and such went very quickly. the power went out briefly, but luckily turned back on after about thirty seconds.

Well, this flight ended up leaving 2.5 hours late. I think they delayed the plane by thirty minutes for us, but we would have been fine anyways. There were paperwork problems, so by the time we got to NY and were waiting for our luggage it was 3am. Oh, the nice attendant at Punta Cana did give us one of the seats with extra leg room though, so that was nice.

Then we went to check back in and I was disgusted at the service. The attendant said "no" to our request for food vouchers without even checking anything. (As a side note, we were so late that we didn't ask for a hotel. Some other people we talked to later got a $50 voucher...there is no place near the airport where the voucher will cover.). Then the manager came over and we told her the story. In the meantime the attendant is rather rude and surprised that we are going through NY to get to Chicago...but that is how connections work. TWENTY minutes later we finally get a food voucher for $8 a piece. I'm not sure how $8 can be considered a good compensation. We went pretty conservative on food (but still got a meal) and had to pay an additional $10.

Then to top everything off Ben's tray table didn't work on the last flight and we werent sitting together, so he had to stay awake to hold his drink.

We got in 12 hours late. Twelve hours doesnt sound too bad, but when you consider that we were now required to drive home after little sleep (I.e., no motel for the night) and the terrible service, it all adds up to the worst traveling I've ever done.

Saturday: review

I'm in the plane, so I thought I'd take some time to write a review of the resort.

As a disclaimer, I had a lot of fun there and would definitely do the trip again.


We'll start with the hit and miss items.
1. The food. Most of it was just ok, although we had some bad things and some very delicious things. For the most part it seemed to be substance rather than carefully prepared, although everyone had found some favorites by the end of the trip.
2. The service of the restaurants. Some days we were waited on promptly and never lacked for anything. One night we waited 45 minutes to place our orders and one morning I never got anything to drink at the buffet.
3. Towels. They usually had towels in the morning for the beach, but when we wanted them in the afternoon they were often out. They usually got more within an hour.
4. Housekeeping. One day our toilet didn't get cleaned (and it needed it) and we only had one bath towel. However, about twelve hours later housekeeping brought more towels and remade the bed after our nap. Besides that It was fine...nothing special nor anything bad.
5. Key cards. Everyone in our group had their key cards turn off a day or two before they were supposed to leave. I don't understand why, but it was rather annoying.
6. Room location. We had asked that all four rooms be close together and that was completely ignored. They couldn't have been further apart. I'm not sure if we could have asked sooner to prevent this or if they just ignored the email.
7. The Bulter. Some of our group had a very attentive butler, while we had a slightly hard time getting a hold of ours. He told us about the room service, but then didn't give us a menu.
8. aroma therapy. At the beginning they ask what aroma therapy you want in your room. Ben and I got something once, but no one else got anything.

And we'll end with the good things.
1. Grounds. They were beautiful, well maintained, and clean.
2. Rooms. The rooms were nice...a large open area, nice bed, sitting area, and balcony. The showers had a head on top and some side spouts. We could fit eight people in the room pretty easily.
3. Restaurant seating. I don't think we ever had to wait more than five minutes to be seated with a party of eight.
4. Things to do. We only attended a few shows at night, but between the shows and the daily activities there was no reason to be bored.
5. The beach. It was beautiful. The ocean bottom was a nice sand. there was some seaweed, but it wasn't bad. There were kayaks, boogie boards, and snorkel gear to use. (Although there wasn't much to see by our beach)
6. The special elegance club. This extra part was worth it. There were some snacks close to the beach and pool that you could just grab. It gave you access to close bars and emptier pools. It also provided a nice air conditioned area where eight people could play games.
7. The street vendors. If you negotiate well, you can get items much cheaper than the gift stores. However, they were only there one day for a limited time
8. Drinks. Drinks were easy to get.

Review: Calabash Cove, St. Lucia

Well, I'm on the plane returning from St. Lucia and thought I'd write a quick review...just in case anyone else out there was curious. The resort we stayed at was Calabash Cove. We were in one of the villas. (Follow this link for blog posts starting at the beginning of the trip.)

Overall, it was a great vacation. I'm going to post a few "negative" things, but they really are greatly out weighed by the positive things.

Downside:
1. There were a lot of steps. We only went up and down them once or twice a day, but if you're not in a villa and like the beach it could be more.
2. The one time we took a taxi somewhere "on our own" it seemed rather expensive. (Also check with your hotel about prices getting to/from the airport...if not included they might need to be included in your budget.)
3. A few of the light bulbs were burned out. (I know, now I'm stretching to find things.)
4. The door to the shower was hard to open because the wood had warped.
5. There were a few food inconsistencies...we would order these delicious chocolate pastries for breakfast and never knew how many we were going to get.
6. It was a little hard to find shade in the late afternoon. There were a few places, but sometimes we just ended up going inside for a bit.
7. There was no clock/alarm clock...we woke up an hour too early for one excursion because we had the wrong time zone.

Upsides:
1.The food was delicious.
2. Room service didn't cost extra.
3. House keeping came twice a day with fresh towels.
4. The view was gorgeous.
5. There is snorkel gear at the front desk (and fish to see by the pier).
6. The excursions are very well organized...you get a ticket with where to meet and when. The taxis were always on time. The same taxi picked you up at the end.
7. The excursions we went on were very fun.
8. The villas have their own little pool...we used ours a lot. The pools were kept clean.
9. There weren't many pesky bugs (at least compared to my backyard in upstate NY).
10. The tap water is safe to drink (which saves a lot on bottled water costs).
11. There were kayaks that we could use at the resort.
12. The private dinner was very romantic.
13. There was free wi-fi. I know it sounds dorky to want to be connected to the Internet, but it helped keep us occupied.
14. I could swim and read at the same time...what can be better?
15. The villa had an outside bed, outside table, outside hammock, inside sitting room, and air conditioned bedroom. There were plenty of places to sit depending on my mood.
16. The outside shower was a lot of fun. During the day I could look out on the ocean. During the night I could watch lizards.
17. There were lizards all over the place! They were fun to watch.
I'm sure there are more things, but I can't think of them right now. :)