We left the hotel a bit before 7:00 am and headed over for check-in. The line for security was SO LONG... literally it passed the check in counters and almost hit where we needed to go first.
When we got to our counter, there was a small error on JC's ticket so we had to walk to the other end of the terminal check-in to ask another Delta employee to fix it. We did and it was handled quite quickly but as she was finishing she said something like, you'll have to hurry, your plane boards in 20 minutes... Um, what?
Stress levels went up quite a bit! So we ran around the HUGE line at security and asked if our entire party could go through the handicap line with Sammy. Thank goodness they agreed! We made it through fairly quickly and then rushed on to our gate. We sat down with a wipe of the brow and huge sigh of relief... only to realize... the lady had been wrong. The plane wouldn't board for 30-40 minutes still, we had plenty of time. That said, had we gone through the actual security line, I really doubt we would have made it.
Sammy started getting a bit feisty with me in the airport. Perhaps she sensed my stress or maybe it was the lack of sleep and all the rushing, but I started getting pretty nervous about it.
When it was time to board, the kids asked if they could sit together. I agreed hoping that Tyler would have better luck entertaining Sammy than I might. Sammy did really well except she got a bit antsy while we waited at the front of the plane for the restroom to open up. Eventually I gave up waiting and brought her to the bathroom at the back of the plane which ended up being much larger. This is a big deal since she insisted I join her in the bathroom. Overall though it was a very smooth trip over to NYC.
It was overcast and drizzling rain when we arrived so we didn't have a chance to see much of the city or the high-rises as we landed. Once deplaned, we headed to our next gate and stopped on the way for a burger at the Shake Shack. It was one of the best fast-food burgers I've ever tasted!
By the time we finished and used the restrooms, it was time to board our next plane. The plane was a 3-3 configuration so our party of 6 took up a whole row. It was fun being able to talk and pass snacks back and forth.
The airlines schedule almost 4 hours for this flight... which includes taxiing, deicing, and the 3 hr 16 min flight time. Either way, that's a long time to be in a plane. Luckily this was a newer plane and came with the personal entertainment package in the seat back in front of you. Essentially you have a large selection of movies at your fingertips. But unfortunately, Sammy didn't like any of the 4 kid movies they had. Although eventually she did settle in and pick one.
Tyler wanted a window seat so he sat by JC and Mary while Sammy sat on the row by Scott and I. She was super sweet and snuggled in for a while when we all watched movies. She and I had made a plan ahead of time for how to help pass the time... the flight included two bathroom breaks, several packages of smarties, 2 cups of ice with a fork to eat it, small Zootopia toys that she could chose every 20 minutes. When that plane landed, uneventful, I gave her a HUGE hug and said how proud I was of her. She looked back with a HUGE smile as if she completely understood the magnitude of what she had just done. It was very sweet.
Once we got off the plane and picked up the stroller, we headed for immigration. We had filled out our forms on the plane but when we saw the line our jaws dropped. Unbelievable! Eventually we realized that one line we could skip completely since I had prepurchased our tourist cards. As we were asking random Spanish-speakers to confirm we were in the right line, we noticed a very short handicap line at the far end of the room and decided to go there. It was obviously much quicker and they did allow us all to stay together. Phew! That could have been rough! It was crowded and so very HOT in there.
Once we left immigration, we claimed our bags, made two more security stops and then walked out to find our driver. However, he wasn't there. We didn't have a local number to call so I tried the condo owner in the states. Call wouldn't go through. Next I sent a series of emails to him using every possible means to communicate... no answer. We decided to give it a bit and our driver arrived after maybe a 25 minute wait.
It was a hot one! Luis estimated it was in the mid-90s today. And since we haven't felt the sun in months, these Michiganders were hot and sticky!
Luis, our driver, was a very nice man. He lived in the US for some time and spoke English well. He works in sales in the medical field. He drove a full size van with room for all our luggage... nothing like the crazy transportation last year. On our way out of the capital of Santo Domingo, he stopped at a large grocery store. The Wielhouwers and I ran in for some food for the week, leaving Luis, Scott and the kids in the car (and the A/C).
The supermarket was very nice. It was much like you'd expect to see in the US. The produce and meat appeared slightly less than our standards, but we had no trouble finding food for the week. We stuck out like sore thumbs... sweating, white, English... everyone noticed us. Once we were satisfied with our cart, we headed to the check out. $6,447.00 later (don't worry the exchange rate is awesome!) we headed out.
As we arrived, Juan Ernesto, the property manager, met us and helped us haul our luggage and groceries up to the unit. He made sure we were settled and then both Luis and Ernesto headed out.
Ahh, we made it! Today was huge for both kiddos but they amazed us! We had absolutely NO issues. Traveling can be hard though. "Hurry up and wait. Stay close. Be quiet. Sit still." No wonder we were all so tired!!
We decided to eat on site at the pool restaurant and enjoyed the cool ocean breezes. It was 7:30 pm when we finished up and the kids begged to hit the pool for the last 30 minutes before it closed. So while the rest of the adults waited for the check and finished sharing stories, I headed up with the kids to get on swim suits and get our new snorkel equipment to try out.
We didn't have long but it was worth it! The water felt amazing and the snorkeling equipment worked great.
We headed back up to the condo and got cleaned up and ready for bed. Once the kids were settled in bed at 9:00 pm, the adults sat out on the balcony sharing stories and enjoying the sounds of the ocean. This is my favorite spot! Its relaxing and oh so beautiful!
Headed to bed around 11:00 pm. Everyone is tired after a long day of travel but grateful to be here!
