Dominican Republic- Honeymoon Trip How To

[tunicata]

Hey folks,

My wife and I are finally going on our honeymoon. We will be going to DR to Majestic Elegance with their all-inclusive package.

Now, this will be my first time going anywhere outside of US save for Canada....

So I have a few queries.

1. How do I make purchases WITHOUT using my personal Debit card?
(I do not want to go with more than $200 cash, I do also have a $200 AMEX prepaid card i received as a gift)
2. If i want to buy alcohol there and bring it back to US...how do I do that? Is that legal as long as i pay taxes or something?
3. How do I avoid getting sick/what to do if I do- everyone I know that has gone to the DR has gotten some stomach illness.
4. What do I pack???- flip flops, toiletries, water suit, shorts? no jeans??
5. Is it possible to go outside of teh resort? If I do...is that something I should do by myself (my wife speaks spanish) or should i just stay on the resort (I know there is consistently political conflict between Haiti and DR...actually almost decided to cancel trip but it's already paid for like 3 mos ago and that's a lot of money to lose!)

 

[20gallonreefer]

1. Your hotel should be safe to use a debit card or your prepaid card. Or you could use a credit card since it is more safe.
2. Not sure what the alcohol limit is on a plane. I remember it being only so much you could bring.
3. Don't drink the tap water.
4. Most likely beach attire and maybe something to dress up nicely for a special occasion.
5. I wouldn't recommend going out of the resort unless it is through the hotel or very close by.

I've been to 14 different Caribbean countries, DR being one of them and unless you are in the nice resort places it's a pretty scary place.

If you have any general questions about the country itself I am going home from college tomorrow but I have a friend down the hall that's an international student from there and I could ask him stuff for you.

 

[E.intheC]

I went there in march -- Exact same hotel. My wife and I went with lots of family. My cousin got married so there were about 60 of us I think. The hotel is nice, but the food was only ok. Be careful with drinking the water... Try to only drink bottled. My wife and I got sick, but only because we drank Bacardi 151 (we thought it was regular rum) way too fast and forgot to put on sunscreen at the same time. Lol. Don't do that.

Do NOT go outside the hotel. We know a few people who used to live there and they all said the same thing. It's not worth it and not safe.

Make sure to tip early, often, and well. The workers make peanuts and are super grateful to get tips (and they deserve them).

Good luck. Have fun!

 

[tunicata]

Aw, that's sweet of you to offer to ask your peer questions for me.

I figure i'll probably just stick to the hotel/resort as you said.
It feels weird to go to a place for such a long time and not really have to know anything about it.

So, my personal credit card is safer than a prepaid amex? like a gift card?
This one isn't attached to a bank account/my name in anyway.

Eh, I have to get beach attire...i'm not really a beach person
I would have chosen to go to norway for the honeymoon....

 

[empire]

i just went to Punta Cana, melia caribe tropical in july. you should:

1.hotel should be fine to use your debit card. definitely bring some cash, but not too much. i found that tipping the staff really helped our stay- we always got what we wanted. GET A SAFE IN YOUR ROOM!!! do not book any events through the hotel, use your travel agency- you will get better rates. our resort had a number of restaurants, and i assume yours will too. with that being said, make dinner reservations at all of them!

2. i brought back a 750mL bottle of scotch, the flight attendants will ask for duty free items before you sit down.

3. do not drink the tap water!! i repeat DO NOT DRINK THE TAP WATER!!!!!!! all inclusive package will keep your room stocked with plenty of water bottles.

4. flip flops, swimming trunks, try to find a water proof credit card/cash holder. iphone lifeproof case was the best part of my trip. i was able to bring that bad boy everywhere. i brought jeans but never wore them. get swimming trunks with pockets. we wore shorts even when we went out to the clubs. this might be different for you since it is your honeymoon.

5. we left the resort but hired security to come with us. this might not work for you since you'll be with your wife. i was a part of a group of 8 guys. it gets a little boring on the resort. there's only so much drinking and hanging out in a pool a person can do! events were a lot of fun. we went on a booze cruise, jet skiing, atv, cave diving, and scuba diving.

 

[tunicata]

Great Eric!
It's good to know that this place is good and safe to go to.

We are good tippers in general and considering the socio-political atmosphere of the country, will tip well with that in mind!

So, if I want an alcoholic bev. that's not straight liq. or bottled/canned beer, i.e.
FROZEN MARGARITA (my fav drink, mango flav. or a strawberry daquiri) should I ask if the ice was made from tap water?

I don't want to be rude either...

 

[20gallonreefer]

The prepaid amex is the safest but a credit card is next after that because you could always call up and dispute the charges if something goes wrong and the credit card company takes the favor of the buyer most of the time.

Aw, that's sweet of you to offer to ask your peer questions for me.

I figure i'll probably just stick to the hotel/resort as you said.
It feels weird to go to a place for such a long time and not really have to know anything about it.

So, my personal credit card is safer than a prepaid amex? like a gift card?
This one isn't attached to a bank account/my name in anyway.

Eh, I have to get beach attire...i'm not really a beach person
I would have chosen to go to norway for the honeymoon....

 

[empire]

Great Eric!
It's good to know that this place is good and safe to go to.

We are good tippers in general and considering the socio-political atmosphere of the country, will tip well with that in mind!

So, if I want an alcoholic bev. that's not straight liq. or bottled/canned beer, i.e.
FROZEN MARGARITA (my fav drink, mango flav. or a strawberry daquiri) should I ask if the ice was made from tap water?

I don't want to be rude either...

your resort will use filtered water.

 

[edd]

as mentioned don't leave the resort. we had to take a bus from the airport to hotel after what you see on that ride you won't want to leave the resort.
we went to punta cana was nice all inclusive even scuba diving.
we didn't drink the water even brushed our teeth with bottled water.
not to worry you but my wife and daughter had the runs for a week after we got home.
my son and i were fine. they only allow a limited amount of duty free alcohol per person and it has to go in checked luggage. enjoy

 

[JARRETT SHARK]

Great for you to go away
The #1 question Now who is watching the tank

 

[tunicata]

lol, thank you for asking about that.

I only thought of it a few days ago!!!

I have a friend that I trust with my keys and my car. She'll be taking over both.

I'll have to show her what to do this week before i leave.

The tank is pretty self sustainable honestly.

I do have an ATO (I could set it up tomorrow night and watch it the rest of the week to make sure it's not doing anything funny).

I am going to do my WC mid week so that I do all my major husbandry stuff right before I leave.

Also, make up an extra 42 g of fresh water, and have 2-3 easy to carry 2-5g batches for her to carry or for her to simply lift the water line and place in a full container as evaporation uses it up (I can have a total of 20g of water buckets in front of the tank as ATO res.

Lights and heater work on the Apex- I'll turn the house heat off, but it still shouldnt get colder than 68 or so in my building/apt.

I will disconnect the filter socks for the week and set the skimmer on dry skim so it takes the longest amount of time.

She can feed the tank some pellets. My electronic feeder fell in the tank last week and I havent replaced it yet.

She will also water and feed my cat

 

[NL146]

My auto-feeder fell into the tank a couple of times. Fortunately, after cleaning it with alcohol and letting it dry thoroughly it still works.

 

[skene]

Good advice here...

Get a prepaid card and use that for purchases.
Don't drink the water... LOL!!! That should be a given... stick to alcohol. Even if you need water... bottled or just do beer. Safer.
Stay on hotel grounds... Safer...
Do not... and seriously I will slap you if you do this.... DO NOT BRING JEWELRY... anything that shines even if it's silver should be left at home. People get mugged getting right out of the airport.
Oh did I mention use a prepaid card... and carry minimal cash.
Tips go a long way in an all inclusive.... so just use your cash for that.

 

[E.intheC]

+1 on leaving jewelry at home. No need for it. Even wedding rings..

 

[duromega]

1. How do I make purchases WITHOUT using my personal Debit card?
(I do not want to go with more than $200 cash, I do also have a $200 AMEX prepaid card i received as a gift)

a Prepaid card is a good idea
if you want take a few with you $100 each but yes, you will need some cash
try not to use your credit cards , or bank debit card if you DO make sure they swipe the card in front of you.

2. If i want to buy alcohol there and bring it back to US...how do I do that? Is that legal as long as i pay taxes or something?

yes you can get what ever you want in the airport and you can bring it back, I think US CUSTOMS won't allow more than 6 bottles

3. How do I avoid getting sick/what to do if I do- everyone I know that has gone to the DR has gotten some stomach illness.

only drink Dasani Water, and don't eat anything outside the hotel
if you were Dominican , tap water and outside food wouldn't make you sick but you not used to the food and water

4. What do I pack???- flip flops, toiletries, water suit, shorts? no jeans??

all the above and yes, you will need jeans, NO JEWELRY

5. Is it possible to go outside of teh resort? If I do...is that something I should do by myself (my wife speaks spanish) or should i just stay on the resort (I know there is consistently political conflict between Haiti and DR...actually almost decided to cancel trip but it's already paid for like 3 mos ago and that's a lot of money to lose!)

you probably will get bored inside the resort, and you look from another country, whatever is happening with HAITI right now you won't even notice that.. you will be in a tourist area, in the hotel you will be safe and Puta Cana is one of the safest place to be in DR, just DON'T GO ANYWHERE by yourself if you are going to get out the Hotel is recommended to do it in group, people there is very friendly, but I won't say to trust everybody

 

[Jenna X]

I went to DR a few times, the last for our anniversary a few years ago with no issues at all using my cc or debit (we used it for everything; especially for the group excursions). It's good to take a decent amount of cash, because the few times I took out money from an atm in the hotel, the fee was ridiculous. I did not bring any valuables but I did bring an ipad since I was obsessed with work email. Make good use of the safe in the room.
As everyone mentioned remember to tip generously and avoid the tap water. Whatever you do, don't forget the basics i.e. sunblock. Enjoy!

 

[Bry17nyc]

Good advices so far. One more thing... if you get bored at the hotel and want to discover the country a little more the resorts I've been to in the Dominican Republic always have excursions to caves and tourist areas. Just ask the front desk desk about anything you're trying to do in the country and they will advise you.
Sometimes they have big tour busses that take a bunch of people and bring you back...just ask

Have fun

 

[masterswimmer]

Great advice. One more thing to do, contact your credit/debit card issuers to inform them you'll possibly be using your card outside of the USA. If you don't, you might find they freeze your account because of a possible fraud alert, especially since you said you never travel outside the US. Would suck to run out of cash, need your card, and have them restrict your funds. They might try to call your home # to confirm the transaction and you'll obviously be in the DR.

BTW, congrats and have a great time.

 

[JimmyR1rider]

Great advice. One more thing to do, contact your credit/debit card issuers to inform them you'll possibly be using your card outside of the USA. If you don't, you might find they freeze your account because of a possible fraud alert, especially since you said you never travel outside the US. Would suck to run out of cash, need your card, and have them restrict your funds. They might try to call your home # to confirm the transaction and you'll obviously be in the DR.

BTW, congrats and have a great time.

+1000

Been there done that. Went to Costa Rica on vacation and didn't call. Well my card got declined when I went to make my second purchase at the hotel gift shop, a bottle of sunscreen. An Irishman in Costa Rica in July and no sunscreen is NOT a good combination.

Took me a while to get it straightened out because they needed me to call from a number on file. It was a major pain in the butt. Save yourself the hassle and call ahead to inform them.

 

[duromega]

what I do , I swap my credit card in the airport JFK a few times, so the bank SEE I'm traveling as soon as I get to my destination sample: SDQ I swap the card 1-2 times and I have-never had a problem :usa1: