Nonnie

they are 2 meters, or 6 1/2 feet long

Well I don't have a lot of left overs from my wedding, but I have chair sashes in a multi-coloured organza. They appear royal blue, aqua, green or yellow depending how the light hits them. Usually they are an aqua colour. The nice thing about this is that they blend into their surroundings nicely, which for a DW you won't always have much control over I have 40 sashes, 1 small tablecloth (good for a cake table0 and some odds and ends (I used a strip with my bouquet). They pack down very light and small I'm also throwing in 17 star fish, 7 like the one in the picture of the sash, and 10 spider star fish. Asking price: $70 plus shipping and handling or best offer The sashes: the star fish I prefer paypal. Please PM me

OMG, this is the best thread ever My brother got engaged (dated 3 months) a few months after I did, and then got married a few months before I did. Basically 'stealing my thunder' in the process as well as his wife's sister who was also getting married. anyway, I am a BM and the day of the rehearsal I realise that no one knows where they are supposed to be and when the next day. I spend most of the rehearsal dinner figuring this out for myself and the rest of the bridal party. I did no even know the name of the salon where the bride had booked my hair appointment. Next day I go and get my hair done, it was expensive, and no offer from the bride to help with the cost, ok, fine I get that they don't have a lot of money. Groomsman had to pay for their rented vests, shirts etc, fortunately my mom made the BM dresses so they were cheap. I find out from my hubby (a groomsman) that the Best man got a call early in the morning to go and pick up car decorations because my brother forgot to. He spends several hours running around and finally finds some (the are terribly ugly). My brother never pays him back The walking down the aisle gets terribly awkward when the bride misses her entrance, the musicians star to play again, she misses it again, and then finally appears. My poor brother, he thought she's done a runner! The whole thing was also very religious, a prayer with every speech, and no booze at all (except what we could smuggle in). My brother kept wondering why no one was dancing, and I pointed out that no one was drunk enough. Then the 3rd song in is a piece called "pump it" by a local band, and the lyrics are clearly about masturbation. Fortunately by this point most of the guests had either gone home or gone outside for a smoke and fresh air. Their wedding was the perfect example of why wedding coordinators are a good idea. also, it's been 5 months now, and still no thank you cards from either the wedding or bridal showers. I am pretty sure I'll have my thank yous out before them, and I got married less then a month ago

Shanked Sounds like you are realising how non-stress free DW really are. I hope things work out for your guests booking online. The only downside would be that you won't be in nearby rooms, but my group was all spread around the Bavaro section even though we booked with a Travel agent. Resort photographer info: here is their website: JALU.US if you go to the "about us" section you will find the prices for weddings and sessions, TTD is treated as a session. The most expensive package includes a video of the whole day. All the pictures you see are from the photographer named Peter Reilly. I had a fellow named Andres who I was very very happy with.

Shanked Sounds like you are realising how non-stress free DW really are. I hope things work out for your guests booking online. The only downside would be that you won't be in nearby rooms, but my group was all spread around the Bavaro section even though we booked with a Travel agent. Resort photographer info: here is their website: JALU.US if you go to the "about us" section you will find the prices for weddings and sessions, TTD is treated as a session. The most expensive package includes a video of the whole day. All the pictures you see are from the photographer named Peter Reilly. I had a fellow named Andres who I was very very happy with.

Here is what I paid Symbolic wedding: $580USD, includes ceremony, reception, bottle of champagne at the ceremony, really nice cake, one large centrepiece, bouquet and matching boutonnière musical trio: $75 USD open bar for after party: $9 per person sound system and DJ: $200 hair styling (no wash, dry or cut): $80 (includes 20% discount you get at the spa the day of the wedding) platinum photography package with resort photographer: $750usd, includes small digital book, 90 pictures on CD (both edited and original versions) we also got 10 printed pictures at no charge and the other 20 pictures he took (we had a total of 110) for $60 video of just the ceremony: $200, we made a special arrangement for this, the package offerded is $400 for the full day

I just got back a few weeks ago from my DW in Punta Cana and we did some excursions segway tour of Playa Blanco: $60 each, 3 hrs. If you have ever wanted to try a segway, this is the way to do it. You get to see a pretty neat beach/celebrity hotspot and an ecological reserve. One word of caution though, when they tell you how NOT to use a segway/ get off a segway, listen. My Father in Law tried to step off the side and ended up in the Bavaro Hospital for 3 days with broken ribs. Missed his flight home, fortunatly has good travel insurance Trip to Santo Domingo: Ok, I will make this short and say if you want to go to the capital arrange a trip for just you and your group with a knowledgeable driver through the hotel. There is lots to see and if you charter your own driver you won't have to waste time seeing things that don't intrest you (ie the very dirty boring financial district) and spend more time on this worth while (the old city and cave of the 3 eyes). I believe that there was a way to have an 8 passanger van for $400 usd. We used Hotel Bed's tour and it was terrible Manati Park, $30 pp: a fun way to spend 3 hours, but any more then that and you will be bored it's a zoo with some great seal, dolphin, parrot and dancing horse shows. The Taino village they have though can only be described as politically incorrect.

I used the one of the resort Photographer's, Here is a webpage of one of them (Named Peter) JALU PUNTA CANA PHOTOGRAPHY but I used a fellow named Andres Cantera. You can get into contact with their head office here: [email protected], the office guy is names Jose. All the work I saw from any of the photographers was great and my Husband (an avid hobby photographer) was impressed too). I thought about doing a TTD session, but then my dad got sick and could not come to the wedding, so I wanted to save my dress to wear for him later. I believe the cost is the same as a typical photo session (info on the website above). So it is very possible. I would not recommend upgrading to the Royal suites ahead of time. If you want your own space ask about transferring to another resort section. They are as follows: Bavaro, then Punta Cana and then the Palace, then the Royal suites. So you can still find a far away section and as long as your FI mom is not one of those people who is going to spend hours hunting you down you won't get to see her much, it's a huge resort. I expect a trade between sections like this is something you can decide once you get there. Find out if you are being upgraded for no charge, and if not ask about changing sections for your 2nd week.

All the Grand Palladium resorts share restaraunts and a wedding coordinator. It ends up being like one big resort. I had my dinner on the patio area of La Arrecife (Steak and Seafood) under a thatched roof. Carolina never gave me much options, she said our group was too small (18ppl) for La Uva, which I orginally wanted. I am happy she put us were she did, since the spot was nicer then any of the other restaurants in my opinion. Only problem is that I had to pick of the la arrecife menu and we had some non-seafood people in our group which made this difficult

I just got back, so I have some up-to date answers to your questions, but not #1 2. If you are doing a renewal of vows, then Sunday should be OK. Carolina (the WC) will get back to you, but right now I believe she is on vacation. You will feel like she is slow to respond to emails, but once you get there you will realize why, she is extremely busy. Once you are there she will amaze you. Also, the way they do renewal of vows is so close to the real thing even you will be convinced. 3. I did a beach ceremony, you can see pics here: Flickr: Nonnie31's Photostream It was everything I dreamed it would be! I highly recommend it. I also recommend using one of the resort's photographers, especially if you are on a budget, or don't want to worry about putting down a deposit. All of the work I saw of theirs was wonderful. 4. If you stay a 2nd week there is a good chance you will be upgraded to the royal suites free of charge. However, I would NOT encourage anyone to pay for this upgrade. My husband and I spent $360 to spend our last 3 nights there and were terribly disappointed. we were in one of the Romance suites in the Bavaro section before the move, and felt our royal room was not as nicely set up and we missed our hammock and large jacuzzi. We also felt that the service was worse, slower and not as fun as in the Bavaro section. The Royal section is also very quiet. We did like the gourmet restaurant you gain access to though. Hope that helps, if you have any questions feel free to PM me

I posted up more pics: Flickr: Nonnie31's Photostream

Quote: Originally Posted by sungoddess_08 Thanks for the support!!! I'm just angry, and feel like they should just be there -- it's family after all. It wouldn't be a question of me missing their wedding. My fiance and dad both tell me it's their loss. I guess they are right. Did you call after your lunch to see if you can add the extra week? I can't imagine how upsetting that must be Keep in mind that the rates will likely drop significantly a month before the trip. Advise you sister and brother to try and book vacation time anyway, then watch expedia and other travel websites for a price drop that makes the trip affordable for them. It's important they (or you) keep a daily eye on this, since once the prices drop, the remaining seats fill up really fast. It may not work out for you, but it's worth a try

Quote: Originally Posted by beachbum I have 34 total. The reason I'm asking is I'm trying to figure out how many tables I'm buying centerpieces for, since I don't want the long table. I wanted to confirm that it's 8 to a table and the tables are long, not round. How are the buffet restaurants set up? ours will be held at El Bohio. we had square tables all put together, but I know they have round tables at the a La cartes, they sit about 5 people each, but we squeezed in 6 on a regular basis I don't think I went to El Bohio, but the buffets are usually set up like a cafeteria, some are in an L shape. I am sure Carolina will try to set you up in an area by yourselves

well Mark and I probably worried about wedding stuff more the first week then other brides will You will have 2 meetings with Carolina, 1 the day after you arrive, and one the day before your wedding, they are roughly 1/2 hr long, but it seems to dominate you day anytime you need to be anywere at a certain time we also met with the photographer because we had some questions about the packages and Mark's folk's ended up paying and wanted to meet with him We then had a meeting with the videographer to arrange a ceremony only video package. We also had guests arriving on 2 other days then our arrival, so that again ate up some time in terms of waiting around to greet them in the lobby

Quote: Originally Posted by sungoddess_08 I loved seeing your pictures!!!! I forget - did you stay for one week or two? If one, did you feel like it was enough? I am so excited! June can come right now! lol I stayed 2 weeks at the Palladium. I was going to stay one week then go to another area of the DR for my 2nd, but we changed our mind. If you can take 2 weeks take 2 because your first week will just be worrying about wedding stuff and the days fly by really fast there. 2 weeks was perfect, 3 would have been too long

Quote: Originally Posted by beachbum Nonnie, thanks for the great review!!! Congrats! do you know if you have a large group, how many people they seat to a table? i am trying to avoid the one large table because i think we;ll have too many guests...I;m trying to encourage the "mingling" within our group. I had 18 people total and Carolina set us up in one long table, which worked perfectly. People mingled at the party after and mingled a lot the week leading up. I don't think she would hold a dinner with over 20 people the same place we had ours, the thatched roof area on the ocean side of La Arrecife was just the perfect size for us. how many people do you have?

ok, double post sorry But... I have some pictures up on Flickr now. I am going to put more up, for some reason it seems to only let me do a certain number a day or something like that Flickr: Nonnie31's Photostream

Quote: Originally Posted by sungoddess_08 Has anyone had the renewal of the vows? We want our guests to think it is the real deal, but I'm not sure if we'll be able to pull it off. ALSO - lol sorry...did anyone stay/or going to stay an extra week for their honeymoon? Our TA recommended moving over to the Royal Suites Turquesa? My FI mom will be at the punta cana part for the majority of our honeymoon, but the TA mentioned that she would not be able to come over to that part...but we could go over to her part. Any info on this? a realistic renewal of vows was very important to Mark and I, and Carolina really pulled it off! I wouldn't worry about it, it will be so realistic, even you'll be convinced I ended up staying a 2nd week and spent the last 3 nights in the royal suites. Apparently couples who do stay the 2nd week usually get upgraded for free to the royal suites, but it is sort of "surprise, you're upgraded" rather then something you know in advance. I WOULD NOT recommend paying for the upgrade unless you go for something better then a standard royal suites room. The Romance suite in the Bavaro section were we were for the first week was much better then what we paid $360 for. Yeah, not happy... As for come and go privileges for your family, I never saw anyone check bands, but the royal suites section is for gold bands only (or silver, the bands turn silver over time from the ocean water, kind of weird).

We stood for the sand ceremony, pics to come. the sand ceremony happened very quickly that I did not notice any trouble "herding" people back to their seats I used the spa for my hair, that was all. The prices are quite high in my opinion, but I managed to have them just style my hair (no cut, no wash) and that cost me $80. That is with the 20% discount that brides get the day of the wedding.

If I remember correctly we did ceremony, then they moved the table over for signing, then set up the sand ceremony on the same table, then moved that over to make room for the cake which they had to take away quickly after the picture so it would not get sand on it.

Quote: Originally Posted by caribbeanLover I've only gotten through half your review lol I just wanted to comment on the rooms- I book the royal suite (duluxe suite) and we are only paying $200 p/p more. SO I will consider myself lucky. I hope it'll be worth it. I am sure I'll have a lot more to say later on. I am so happy you had an amazing wedding you came out happy!! Also happy you enjoyed your vacation/honeymoon) since you booked the delux suite I'm sure it will be worth it. You will find that area of the resort to be very quiet, so if you want to join in some of the Animation team fun you'll want to head over to the next 'regular' section's pool or beach area. It's a huge resort, but nothing feels too far away

Quote: Originally Posted by caribbeanLover I am doing my own music. I am putting it on my Ipod (I bought for the wedding) and will buy a loud speaker/docking system. But I am consider one thing. If it's going to cost me 150$ or more to get a decent enough docking system. And there will be the chance it wont be loud enough. So do I just hire them to set up speakers which is $200. Or do I just get the dj for 3 hours for $250. I just don't know. I will take a look at that on boxing day. for $200 USD I got both the sound system and the DJ. I think they adjusted the price recently because in early November you had to pay more then that to also have the DJ. Perhaps they realized it was risky setting up the equipment and not having someone who understands it working it.

thought I'd give an update now that I am back home My wedding was still wonderful, best day of my life I am sure. I did get a little weepy during the ceremony when my father in law read the sand ceremony I wrote for my dad. He mentioned it was meant for my dad to read and that set me off. Ironically we Got some nice pics from my little moment though since Mark did a wonderful job consoling me. I still feel a little upset when I look at the picture of Mark and I with our folks, since my dad is so clearly missing. My dad is much better now, when my mom got home he was given a weekend pass, then he ended up only needing to be in the hospital during the day, and just yesterday he was discharged. he is getting ECT therapy, which has resulted in some temporary memory lose which has become a bit of a source of humour for him and others. It's good that he can laugh at the situation. My mom is trying to plan a time when we can go out for dinner in our wedding clothes, maybe including some dancing and then pictures at a nearby greenhouse. It won't be nearly the same as having him at my wedding, but it will be something

OK here is my massive review Air Travel: C Air Transat from Edmonton to Punta Cana Our group at this point was unhappy with air transat, they drastically lowered the price of our trip as soon as we paid our fees, and despite letters and emails sent did not do a thing to compensate us or at least acknowledge how frustrated it made us feel. At this point I would have given them a D. The flight was cramped, the fact Mark is on a work permit with a dutch passport was a HUGE fuss (for a moment I thought they were not going to let him on the flight!). Mark and I had to insist on our perks (champage, free drink etc) to get them. The seats were terrible, and the aisles so narrow it was impossible to get passed people. One at the resort things were much better. Mark and I were upgraded to a romance suite (fantastic!) and the Imperial club concierge (Waldin) was the most helpful wonderful guy we met there. He even worked to arrange group dinners for us even though half our group were not with the imperial club. Come the end of our week at the Palladium Mark and I were supposed to go to La Romana for our second week and were strongly regretting this decision since he hardly got to visit his friends he had not seen for 2 years, same with his parents and we had grown very fond of the resort. We mentioned our feelings to Waldin, who said it would be possible to change our minds and set us up with the Air Transat rep. Long story short, we were able to stay, but it cost us $110 for half the taxi ride that we had to cancel, and $200 in contract breaking fees and administrative fees. We are happy we did it though, and Air Transat made us feel much better about them then On the way home we had to fight for the privileges we had on the way home, though I think this was more the airport's fault, it was very frustrating. Hotel rooms Romance suite A- This room was fantastic, outdoor side room area with a hammock and a shower, big jacuzzi, etc. bed was hard though, but we slept alright. Bit far from the lobby were our group tended to meet, but it helped me burn off some Pina Colada calories. I would give it an A+, but the night before we were going to leave for La Romana, sewage started backing up into our tub and shower. YUCK!!! Initially we thought it was clean water, then soon it was clearly worse then that. What a stench! We went to the front deck to complain and they handled it very very very well, and we got a gift as an apology, a basket of coffee, rum, a candle etc. They cleaned the room up well so we stayed there when we arranged to remain at the resort. Another problem, our AC seems to leak. My Grandma's leaked worse and unfortunately they were full so she could not change rooms and at one point slipped. I wish they did something about that. I cut them some slack since those buildings are probably not easy to maintain and the resort was full. Hotel amenities/entertainment Bavaro Section A The hotel is beautiful! The pools were wonderful, the bars fantastic, the beach incredible! We got glimpses of several other resorts when we went on excursions and the Palladium is by far the nicest. The animation team was fun, but be warned that if you start playing games with them it will eat up your afternoon. They can also be a bit annoying around the pools when they are trying to start something. The disco was fun, the 70s 80s night was the best since animation team was all dressed up. All ages welcome, even my 74 year old grandma had a bast. The theatre shows were varied in type and quality. The Magic show was real fun, and the brazillian circus group incredible but some of the dance shows seemed to lack in terms of the technical work. I work in theater so it really bugs me when the lights and sound are bad or when dancers are out of sync and start to undress for a quickchange before they have left the view of the audience. Mark mentioned that the shows are “meant to impress half-drunk tourists†so I needed to keep an open mind. I think he is right. Food B Generally the food quality was touch and go and both the buffet and a la cartes. Usually the chicken was dry at the a la cartes and not cooked well enough at the buffet. It was better then I expected though and there was lots of choice. My favorite was the Italian and Mexican. The Brazillian was terrible and the spanish mains were not so good (the beef filet could have been made into shoes). If there is a problem, complain and they will deal with it. I tended to eat just cold stuff for lunch which was the 'safer' choice. Hotel staff A Wow what a great group of people. I mean sometimes you'd get someone having a bad day, but they all seemed very kind and happy. I felt well taken care of anytime I dealt with the staff. Btw be prepared to be flirted with, especially in the disco, it's kind of cute. Outside vendors guys by pool with tables of stuff, excursion sellers, photo session sellers D Gah, this guys got annoying fast! My suggestion learn “No Gracias!†and avoid them like the plague. Some were polite, but most annoyed the hell out of me. Btw if you go to shop in a nearby town have lots of energy and limited amounts of cash. Be prepared to be hassled. I am forgiving since this is how they make their money. But if they would have left me a alone I would have been inclined to shop, as is I hardly bought a thing. Royal Suites C For our last 3 nights Mark and I decided to upgrade to the Royal suites, If we had planned on staying for 2 weeks in the first place, this would have been complimentary, instead we had to pay for it. What a mistake! The furniture in the rooms was lovely, but it was very open so If I needed to use the bathroom in the middle of the night, I had to turn on a light that would wake Mark up. The Jacuzzi in this room was more bathtub sized, whereas in the romance (and Junior suites) of the Bavaro it was big enough for two. The picture on the poster advertising the upgrade showed the “Cabana suites†but did not say that, so we thought that is what we were getting, instead we got the standard room. Needless to say we were disappointed by the room. The WiFi was terrible and although the swim up room was nice it did not make up for other things lacking. The Gourmet restaurant is fantastic though! I wish we could have just paid to go there. Don't order the rabbit though, it was impossible to chew or cut (apparently rabbit is like that, I did not know). Filet Minion was the best I've ever had. Over all I would NOT recommend paying for this upgrade, for the $360 it cost us it did not feel worth it. It's rather dull over here, hence the fact I am starting my review while I'm there. Maybe you can inquire about arranging dinner at the gourmet though. WEDDING Wedding Coordination A++++ Carolina is FANTASTIC! I ended up slipped more money into her tip after the ceremony. She deals with so many couples, but I never felt like I was not special. She was attentive to the fact that I wanted my symbolic ceremony to appear as real as possible. Always reassuring to talk to and dealt with surprises very well. For example we arranged to have a beach party, but then it started raining so we had to move it under a roof and she was very good at involving us in this decision and was apologetic (even though it was hardly her fault). I think she is the busiest person at this resort. A few days later she left on a well deserved vacation Flowers A+ Once you get here Carolina will let you flip through a binder full of flower options, upgrades were less money then I expected. I paid $35 to upgrade to a white rose and orchid bouquet that was exquisite. I also paid $25 for a matching wrist flower for my MOH, and I think Mark's boutonnière came with my bouquet. We forgot to get a boutonnière for Mark's brother (Best Man) but my mom ended up making one from a flower she picked on the grounds that was lovely. The floral center piece that came with the package was all we ended up needing since we went with one big table for dinner and everyone was amazed we did not need to pay extra. There are lots of options, more then you get when you email Carolina to ask. I recommended she pdf her catalog to send inquisitive brides. Cake A Really really good cake, we went with vanilla with strawberries. It was way way more then we needed for our group of 18 ppl, so we told the staff to share the leftovers amongst themselves. Only complaint was that the strawberries were not throughout, so the piece Mark and I ended up with after we served everyone else did not have any fruit (3d layer from top) Ceremony A+ Realistic, beautiful and the afternoons entertainment for those on the beach (it was ok since there is a security guard and most ppl are respectful. It was actually fun to have a big crowd watching). After the ceremony we did a champagne toast (I'm pretty sure there was more then the 1 bottle there, but we did not pay extra) we cut the cake, much fun and did a sand ceremony that Carolina did a great job setting up (Best part of the sand ceremony was that it made the trip back home!). There were waiters before and after. Dinner B My biggest complaint about the wedding day was the dinner. Although I asked for La Uva, our group was too small so Carolina had us in La Arrecife, which was the Steak and Seafood place. She arranged for us to be on the outside area under a thatched roof close to the ocean. The place we were set up was just right for a max of 18-20 people. The location was great! Much better then La Uva and we loved it. The issue was the food. The appetizer selection was all seafood, except for an onion soup. Mark and several others in our group don't like seafood, so we were stuck with the soup. I suggested to Carolina that they figure out some flexibility. We also had to pick one main, one dessert, one appetizer for everyone. This was tough. The food tasted alright, but I have had better. The waiters were good. Party: A So our beach party had to be moved due to weather, Carolina had the staff move the dinner tables (she busied herself assisting) and we used the same location. The bar was right there (under the same roof) which was convenient, it was close to the bathrooms (great since some people had travelers sickness) and near our rooms. Bar tender and waitress were wonderful. We paid $9 per person We ended up using the DJ and sound system, which cost us a total of $200 USD. I am glad we did this since a surprising amount of people in our group ended up dancing (albeit, not very well). The DJ seemed to struggle with our western rock and roll (mostly 60s and 70s stuff) and kept switching to R+B which we had made it clear we did not like. There was some entertaining culture clash going on between Mark and the DJ that had resulted in a ceasefire with Caribbean music punctuated with the Beatles and other classics. SUGGESTION: do not bring all your music and first dance some on a USB stick, it is impossible for the DJ to navigate. We ended up having to go get Mark's laptop to find “Real Love†by the Beatles without going through all 8 hours of music.. Photography Resort photographer, Andres A+ The resort is paired up with a company that runs the shops and photographers. They are everywhere with their cameras trying to sell you photo sessions or taking pictures of you with lizards, parrots or a small monkey (which you buy later at their headquarters for $10 each) Anytime I saw their work I was impressed and Andres was great. We decided to go with the platinum package for $750 USD since we would get the original pictures (Mark wanted to do some of his own editing) and I am glad we did since we got a beautiful digital book for my mom to give to my dad who was hospitalized during the trip. I HIGHLY recommend these guys. You don't need to plan in advance or pay a deposit and they do great work. Rates are also cheaper then other photographers I looked at and you won't need to pay the $100 for a day pass. I'll be posting pictures on Flicker and post the link soon Videographer Resort photographers, (can't remember his name, nice guy though, usually the editor) A We were not going to have a videographer, but ended up making a special arrangement due to my father's hospitalization. We arranged to have just the ceremony filmed with minimal editing for $200usd. The package offered was $400 for the whole day (which I did not want, who wants to be videoed getting dressed?) He did a great job, used a small handheld. Did some fun interviews with the guests while they were waiting and did more editing then we expected. He did cut out some stuff in editing I would have liked to keep in. Bavaro Hospital I guess I am one of few returning brides who gets to comment on this. I don't feel I can give it a letter grade since I am not the one who was hospitalized, but I thought it was pretty impressive. It was clean, well staffed with professionals and had really nice rooms (nicer actually then the room my dad was in back in Edmonton). Apparently they have someone who will take care of rearranging flights and dealing with insurance, but my In Laws never received any help, which was dissapointing. Excursions -Segway: Fun, and you see some nice sights of Playa Blanca the nearby celebrity hot spot but make sure you listen when they tell you how to use the thing. My Father in Law tried to get off the wrong way, fell and ended up in the Bavaro hospital because his ribs fractured and punctured his lung. Nice way to end the vacation. He is doing much better now, but my inlaws now have to stay an extra week before he is good to fly (I'm not sure how much of hardship this is) -Manate Park: worth the $30 if you go to the shows. Dolphin, parrot, seal and horse show were great, The Taino show and village were a joke. The village was just more people trying to sell you stuff and the show was hardly authentic. -Trip to Santa Domingo with Hotel Beds tour company: DONâ€T GO! Our tour guide (who called herself Fat Mama) kept switching into French, even though the handfull of french people on the tour told her to do it in English (we had more dutch people on the tour then french). I could go on about how terrible this is, but this review is already way to long. Just don't, if you want to go see if you can find a reputable driver who will take you and stay with you for the day acting as a guide. It may cost a little more (we paid $80 pp) but you will have more choice as to what you spend time seeing. Suggestions -bring US cash, not Canadian. They will take Canadian, but it is a bit of a hassle -don't pay for an upgrade to the Royal suites -for Oot bags -skip the mug, hardly anyone used it -put in extra immodium in the first aid kits and big bandaids -but in talcum power/baby powder and/or blister cream -make sure your man has several pairs of trousers since you will need them for the a la cartes -bring lots of clothes, laundry is very expensive -Make sure you have travel and health insurance, my In laws were pretty glad they did. whew, done there it is. Feel free to ask lots of questions

Carolina's assistant (whose name I thought was Kenia, but I could be wrong, she may have more then 1) has taken over briefly. Carolina is on a well deserved vacation right now.