SDQ to FLL on Spirit Help Requested

[anng3]

First time flying on Spirit out of SDQ in Mid August and would appreciate help from others who have taken the 8:54 AM flight:
1. What time do we need to get to the airport?
2. Planning on staying overnight in Santo Domingo before. Considering staying at Marriott Courtyard or Colonial zone. What time should we get cab to airport?
3. How much should cab cost?
4. Are there any airport hotels?


Thanks in advance for your help.

 

[augustus]

Thirty dollars US, for the taxi from town....

 

[Hillbilly]

Gedt to the airport three hours or 2 1/2 hours ahead of time. The processing is a long boring period of standing in line, waiting, standing in line and waiting. The you get to take off your shoes and anything that might set off the metal detectors and walk through and get dressed again...

Then you go buy an overpriced meal and wait, and wait.

Quick Question:
Where are you coming from that you need to overnight??

Santiago offers this flight ( STI-FLL) at the godawful hours of 3:30 in the morning..But you get a full day in at your destination..

HB

 

[pyratt]

What HB said

 

[anng3]

Coming from Sosua. I didn't want to do a 3 am flight so that's why we're flying from SDQ. Does it really take 2 1/2 to 3 hours at SDQ? We're spoiled flying from POP to the states but the fare from SDQ roundtrip is cheaper than 1 way on American from POP.

 

[Hillbilly]

If you are in Sosua, then it makes PERFECT sense to take the early morning flight from STI....Think about it:
You leave Sos?a at 10:30 pm, get to STI at 12 or so, check in go to the very nice waiting area, nap until they call your flight!!

Versus:
Drive down to Santo Domingo (hours and hours on the road, plus the wonderful traffic of SDQ itself.
Then you shell out major bucks to rest up, and leave a 4:30 a.m. call and hope you set your cell phone just in case the guy at the front desk forgets....they you get a taxi ( at least $30 at that hour of the morning...prolly a bit more with your bags),
Then you take that "lovely" drive out to the AILA/SDQ....
Then you check in...Yes,3 or 2 1/2 hours ahead of time...

come on,,,,is there really any reason to go to SDQ.????

HB

 

[edm7583]

I agree the STI-FLL flight is the best choice if you are in Sosua. Why go to the capital and pay for a hotel then an expensive taxi?

Take the last Caribe Tours bus from Sosua, get off at the bus station in Los Jardines, take a 500 peso taxi to the airport.

You'll have a few hours to kill at STI, but there's no problem hanging around there late at night, it is actually busy there at night with Jet Blue flight coming and going from New York at 1am and again at 5am. There is free wifi


If you still want to go to SDQ, yes you should be there about 2.5 hours before departure time. A fair taxi price will be about 1000 pesos if you call a local company, much more if you use a gringo taxi.

And remember, Spirit will begin charging for carry-on baggage on August 1

Spirit Airlines - cheap tickets, cheap flights, discount airfare, cheap hotels, cheap car rentals, cheap travel

 

[anng3]

I take the bus and there aren't buses that late. I prefer to ride and fly during daylight. Just a preference. Next time will probably just choose a later flight out of SDQ and do it all in one day. This will be a learning experience that we might not repeat. Rooms in Santo Domingo aren't that much. Will give us a day to go to Ikea, Ilumel and the Colonial Zone.

 

[zoomzx11]

me too

I have often been tempted to take the cheap flights to Fort Lauderdale but when I added up all the aggravation involved versus the amount of money saved it was just not worth it.
I am not comfortable traveling in the DR at night. Learned this the hard way after "everybody" warning me.Good luck to you!

 

[peep2]

I would arrive at the airport two hours before your flight. If things are running slowly and you haven't made it through all the lines, I have seen them take people out of the cue and expidite them through the check in and immigration to make sure they catch their flight. I'm sure it helps if you are seen to have made a reasonable attempt to get there a couple of hours ahead of time.