Good, then try not to overthink or micro-plan your journey. You've met People online and that's good. Contact them after you arrive and if they'd like to you can meet up with them somewhere public (with a back door) and definitely don't sponsor anyone's bus trip from the East Coast, at least not until you've been to Santo Domingo 2 or 3 times and have a feel for the place.
Plan a sightseeing tour of CZ and some of the other interesting destinations on your own after a little research which you can begin here:
http://www.colonialzone-dr.com/
Don't worry, you'll meet plenty of People along your path and some will turn out to be friends. Also, prepare to book another trip as soon as you get back from this one for 3-6 weeks out. It will be the only way to satisfy your newly found addiction.