General Info

Thanks guys just picked up a ticket for 588 out the door on delta which is a dam good deal

BARCELO HOTEL A++ Hidden Gem.

I just came back from SD and stayed 4 nights at the Marriott and I tryed the Barcelo for 1 night. This Barcelo is the best hidden secret in SD. I have stayed at the Hilton which I always rated as number 1 except for bringing in chicas but the Borcelo is right up there with being an up to date newly renovated hotel. The whole hotel smells new. I had the Premium room for $102 inc. Tax and use of the 9th floor free Wireless and free local calls. Read previous posts on the 9th floor. Everything you want for free. I could have had the regular room on floors 2-7 but it was $20 more to get the premium. I probably won't go back to the Marriott which is $149, but I use 15K points per night. When you go to the Barcelo website and sign up for a Rewards card they give you a 10% discount that brings the price down to this price. If you can't book online, call there 800 number they will give you the discount with the coupon number over the phone. You can cancel right up to arrival time. Also, the security does not vother you. I was hanging around the first night and talking to him. He is easy to get friendly with, the kid I met. I could have brought anybody up. I had a chica come over in the morning at 10:30am and just got on the elevator.

They have one crazy rule when checking out, you have to wait while they check the mini bar for use. That takes 5-8 minutes. I never use them. Have it checked before when get to your room to make sure it is full. Note: The deck on the 9th floor is totally torn up so you can't use it or the hot tub. That is what I saw from the 9th floor lounge. I couldn't go out because it was raining all day. Book 1 night online if it is in your price range. $82 all in is a good price. Also, they have a restaurant near the front desk that has a buffet or a regular menu. I am not a buffet person, but I had it and it was unreal. They have a chef always cooking on a grill you can see fresh chicken, pork, and many fishes and the salad bar is great and the other selection of hot vegetables is superb. Also soups and a dessert bar. If you like fresh bread you are in heaven. Loaves of differant breads that you cut from the loaf. Ah! A++ I ordered a diet coke and the total bill was about $18. 00USD. Not bad for the selection. Enjoy!

Does anybody knows what is the Max you can withdraw from Scotiabank?

[QUOTE=Stebo419;1262088]Does anybody knows what is the Max you can withdraw from Scotiabank?[/QUOTE]Depends how much is in your account, but their ATM in Sosua allows 10, 000 peso withdrawals. If this is less than the daily maximum from your home bank, you can make more than one withdrawal, but you will pay another 112 pesos ATM fee.

Has anyone had any success at getting discounted fares on the AA 979/978 route from Miami to Puerto Plata via Priceline, and if so what kind of discounts on the advertised fares?

[QUOTE=Manizales911; 1260285]I have flown all over the world on every major airline a zillion times and with the exception of Spirit (I won't fly with them) my last thought is which airline. Price, connections, layovers and departure / arrival times are my priorities because those are the things YOU control in choosing a flight. You can have a shitty or great flight on any airline on any given trip regardless of airline and my experience has not shown one airline to be worse than another with the exception of Spirit, they just plain suck. This of course is just my opinion but I have done a shitload of flying for both business and pleasure.

But to answer your question Grandnash I have flown Delta twice to the DR without any issues.[/QUOTE]Interesting comment. Could you explain why you will not fly with Spirit. I have used them and prefer them to AA. Leaving aside considerations of flying at inconvenient times in the middle of the night, what is the downside?

[QUOTE=Frannie;1262776]Interesting comment. Could you explain why you will not fly with Spirit. I have used them and prefer them to AA. Leaving aside considerations of flying at inconvenient times in the middle of the night, what is the downside?[/QUOTE]Uncomfortable seating on it's airplanes, by far the worst customer service, rude flight attendants and because I always bring both a checked bag and a carry on the price difference is minimal and in some cases their price is higher. I no longer travel for business, all my travel is for pleasure and I don't need to start my trip off with an uncomfortable, inconvenient flight just to save a few pesos. I have flown AA more than any other airline with the exception of maybe Avianca and I have had very few bad experiences with them. In my opinion one can have a good or bad flight experience with any airline at any given time, the only airlines I have found to be consistently bad are Spirit and Aieres before they were bought out by Lan.

And yeah, Spirit's flight schedule sucks balls.

[QUOTE=Frannie;1262775]Has anyone had any success at getting discounted fares on the AA 979/978 route from Miami to Puerto Plata via Priceline, and if so what kind of discounts on the advertised fares?[/QUOTE]I am curious to see if anyone has gotten any discount on this flight also. One of my DR wingmen flies to POP from Miami and pays almost as much as I do coming from BOS. I doubt there will be much of a discount if any because the MIA-POP route is almost always sold out so I can't see why they would discount it but then again we are talking about an airline that hasn't found a way to make a profit in a looong time.

[QUOTE=Manizales911;1262795]I am curious to see if anyone has gotten any discount on this flight also. One of my DR wingmen flies to POP from Miami and pays almost as much as I do coming from BOS. I doubt there will be much of a discount if any because the MIA-POP route is almost always sold out so I can't see why they would discount it but then again we are talking about an airline that hasn't found a way to make a profit in a looong time.[/QUOTE]Yes, but it could be sold out because the crap seats at the back near the toilets are sold at a discount by Priceline. Anyway, it is not sold out 7 days a week all the year round. And are you saying that AA does not sell seats through Priceline on any route? I know they discontinued making flights available through Expedia, but the whole point about Priceline is that the discounted seats are NOT advertised by the airlines.

[QUOTE=Manizales911;1262795]I am curious to see if anyone has gotten any discount on this flight also. One of my DR wingmen flies to POP from Miami and pays almost as much as I do coming from BOS. I doubt there will be much of a discount if any because the MIA-POP route is almost always sold out so I can't see why they would discount it but then again we are talking about an airline that hasn't found a way to make a profit in a looong time.[/QUOTE]Does Spirit charge extra for a carry-on bag and for all checked luggage? Does Spirit charge extra if you want an aisle seat?

I have read that seating is very tight on Spirit.

[quote=manizales911; 1262793]uncomfortable seating on it's airplanes, by far the worst customer service, rude flight attendants and because i always bring both a checked bag and a carry on the price difference is minimal and in some cases their price is higher. i no longer travel for business, all my travel is for pleasure and i don't need to start my trip off with an uncomfortable, inconvenient flight just to save a few pesos. i have flown aa more than any other airline with the exception of maybe avianca and i have had very few bad experiences with them. in my opinion one can have a good or bad flight experience with any airline at any given time, the only airlines i have found to be consistently bad are spirit and aieres before they were bought out by lan.

and yeah, spirit's flight schedule sucks balls.[/quote]now i find the seats more comfortable on spirit than on aa, which just kill my back and have zero leg room. yes, you have to do the math on the baggage to see what you will pay. i rarely take checked baggage, and even so it can be cheaper to take checked baggage only one way as you can get an old bag for $5 in a charity store. i also like to fly out of fort lauderdale as the whole airport has excellent high speed wi-fi which is completely free.

Just leave on time, get me there in one piece and don't loose my luggage and I'm good! Its an hr and half flight for Christsake! Jajajaja LOL I can manage!

[QUOTE=Jaosousa; 1262805]Does Spirit charge extra for a carry-on bag and for all checked luggage? Does Spirit charge extra if you want an aisle seat?

I have read that seating is very tight on Spirit.[/QUOTE]Yes, they charge for both. $30. For carry on and $33. For checked bag if you check in online, if you check in at the airport it is $35. And $38. Keep in mind that this is per leg of your flight so in my case if I fly out of BOS double that and you have $252. In bag fees roundtrip! Yes, there is a charge for requesting ANY seat, I don't recall the charge though. The only way to avoid a seat fee is to let them pick your seat.

Frannie I can't believe that you find the seats and legroom better on Spirit vs. AA but to each his own.

MHL, I guess if I was flying out of FLL and the flight was an hour and a half and their price was the lowest I would consider putting up with their bullshit because you are correct in that a flight that short it really shouldn't matter what airline one flew on but I don't and also I was referring to my general preferences in airlines and to not just flying to the DR and truthfully most of my flying is to my namesake Manizales, Colombia these days, I haven't been to the DR in almost six months I enjoy Colombia so much more. Flying Spirit from BOS or JFK to Bogota is out of the question for me, besides they aren't the least expensive on these routes anyway.

[QUOTE=Manizales911;1262864]MHL, I guess if I was flying out of FLL and the flight was an hour and a half and their price was the lowest I would consider putting up with their bullshit because you are correct in that a flight that short it really shouldn't matter what airline one flew on but I don't and also I was referring to my general preferences in airlines and to not just flying to the DR and truthfully most of my flying is to my namesake Manizales, Colombia these days, I haven't been to the DR in almost six months I enjoy Colombia so much more. Flying Spirit from BOS or JFK to Bogota is out of the question for me, besides they aren't the least expensive on these routes anyway.[/QUOTE]Iguess I'm lucky like in this instance because CTG, MDE, CLO or BOG is all 3ish hrs for me bro. FROM MIA. So as long as the price is right I can manage. What really irks me though is that when I meet my amigos in DR for some fun they always pay less than me and the live in NYC and I live in MIA.

[QUOTE=Frannie;1262803]Yes, but it could be sold out because the crap seats at the back near the toilets are sold at a discount by Priceline. Anyway, it is not sold out 7 days a week all the year round. And are you saying that AA does not sell seats through Priceline on any route? I know they discontinued making flights available through Expedia, but the whole point about Priceline is that the discounted seats are NOT advertised by the airlines.[/QUOTE]Good point Frannie you may be correct I don't know. I didn't say that AA didn't sell through Priceline, I said I doubted that AA would discount a very popular route such as MIA-POP.