Flying MCO-SDQ on a JetBlue Airbus A321; Van Shuttle to Port La Romana, DR

March 25, 2019

LA ROMANA, Dominican Republic – I flew from Orlando (MCO) to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, (SDQ) early this morning, then took a van shuttle a little more than an hour to the Port of La Romana, where I’ll be boarding Costa Pacifica for a 17-night Caribbean and trans-Atlantic cruise to Barcelona, Spain.

It sure is nice when the planet aligns with my erratic circadian rhythm. Went to sleep about 4:30 yesterday afternoon, woke up at 12:30 a.m., and rode Village Airport Van to MCO fully rested and ready for my 5:55 a.m. flight to the Dominican Republic.

My van picked me up at 3:14 a.m. (29 minutes tardy) at Mom’s house in The Villages, Florida. The ride to MCO took a bit more than an hour. Upon arrival, I weighed my large suitcase before checking in with JetBlue. It weighed 73 pounds! Holy crap. I took 13 pounds out and put in my blue fold-up tote bag to carry aboard as a second item. I was still 10 pounds over the limit, but thankfully the check-in agent didn’t make a stink about it.

TSA Pre-Check was speedy. Took the Automatic People Mover to remote A Concourse, then saw my flight is delayed to 6:22. The plane just arrived late from Aguadilla, Puerto Rico.

I received Even More Space Seat 5C on JetBlue Flight 1705, an Airbus A321 from MCO to SDQ.

We departed 42 minutes late at 6:37. A flight time of 2:02 was announced. It is so nice to be able to fly nonstop! The only thing is the airport at La Romana is tiny and has few flights, so I have to fly to the DR’s capital and then take another van to the small cruise port.

Flight 1705 arrived 35 minutes late at 8:55. I made my way through immigration, baggage claim, and customs into the arrival hall. Found a man holding a sign with my name on it. Followed him to the parking lot.

He had Hotel Colonia as my destination instead of the cruise port. I’ve had ongoing issues with my shuttle booking through Holiday Taxis, so this didn’t surprise me. It’s my first time using Holiday Taxis.

I booked a shared van from SDQ to the Port of La Romana but ended up being the only passenger in the seven-seat van! Nice. I can’t believe how early I’m gonna be at the pier! Wonder what time I’ll be able to board.