Íæż½ã½ã

@wondering9 well fella

1. the porter will meet you at the carousel with a cart. The price is $10 us and worth it, they can normally blow right thru customs. Helpful if you have more than 3 bottles of wine in your luggage!! If you appear cool the customs folks will wave you thru no scanner!
2. no tip is required , it’s up to you $ 10 is a lot of money in the Dr.
3. DO NOT USE A CAB!!! They are thieves and looking for suckers!!
4. go upstairs to the departure level, call an uber, use the app , do not do any side deals for cash. Make sure the address you put in the app is where he takes you, look out for the pretend to get lost or going to the wrong address!! Use google maps while you are in the uber make sure he knows you are tracking the location destination. Tip in the app only. Do not flash cash. Say poco dinero every chance you get.
5. call the air b and b and see if you can lock up your luggage there. Slip him 100 pesos
6. take a picture of him and your luggage. Find a place to sit bar food joint a place you feel comfortable close to your b and b and wait until you can check in.
7. learn to say no no no no almost all the time.

The thieves will tell you uber is not allowed at the airport. That is a lie. Do not rent a car at the airport!!! Ever . If you need a car use full throttle agency near the blue mall. They are honest and reliable.

Outstanding post by bman, follow his advice.  I would add a few other tidbits. 

PHONES:  If you haven't already arranged for your cell phone to work upon arrival (pre-purchased a plan of some type, set up an e-sim, or whatever):

1. To get an Uber, you'll need the app. 
2. To use the App, you'll need data (at least). 
3. Easiest (and usually fastest) way to get data/phone plans is to find the Claro Mobile counter in the arrival concourse -- this is after you get luggage and clear customs/etc.   
4. You'll come through a set of doors and will go from peace and quiet to a noisy arrival concourse. 
5. Keep your bags with YOU!!  It is NOT safe to leave your bags unattended, they can/will grow legs and leave.   Either take them with you to the Claro counter (which will get crowded) OR send one person with all phones (including needed passwords) to the Claro counter, while the other guards the bags.
6. Claro counter is to the far right side as you walk down the little ramp from the customs processing area.
7. I haven't used e-sims there -- if your phone is capable, that may be an option. 
8. We've always just gotten Claro phone & data plans.  We like having a local phone #, and once you get the phone set up, the data is pretty seamless.
9. WARNING:  The Claro counter clerks usually have VERY limited English skills.  Fortunately, they are friendly and very helpful.
10. Come pre-armed with some Spanish phrases written down to use with the clerks.  Write them down on some paper or in your notebook or whatever works for you.
11. If you need to use Google Translate (or whatever app you use), you can log on to the free (or nearly free) airport wifi and get the translating help you need. Be warned, it will be SLOW. 
12. Essentially, the clerks need to know whether you want a Phone + Data plan OR a Data-only plan.
13. Data-only plan is workable if you've set up a WhatsApp account beforehand.  Use your US number as your account username, and people can call directly over data using WhatsApp. 
14. If you're not familiar with WhatApp, don't try to get it all working on your first day in country. 
15. Rather, just get a Phone + Data plan, and you'll be rolling out the doors with a fully operational phone within 15 -30 minutes.
16. The Clerks will take your phone(s), open them up, remove the old sim card, insert/activate a new sim card, and ensure everything is working before they hand it back to you.
17. ADVICE:  sometimes it takes 10-15 minutes for the network to recognize the new sim.  Be patient, sit down, get a drink from one of the several restaurants, relax and chill a bit. You want your phone to be working 100% before you go outside.  DO NOT LEAVE THE TERMINAL UNTIL YOU CAN CALL OTHERS IN YOUR TRAVELING PARTY!  If you need further assistance, head back to the Claro counter.
18. Cost will be something like $15 for a 20 day plan; HOWEVER>> Claro is constantly changing its prices and plan lengths.  Be prepared for anything.
19. They prefer to be paid in DR pesos, but will accept US Dollars. 
20. Be aware that they sometimes will NOT have appropriate change for larger foreign bills, and they may round up your charge to the amount you have available.  Prepare accordingly. 
21. TIPS:  We typically tip the Claro techs of $3-5 per phone set up at the airport. 
22. Up to you, of course, and many don't tip at all.  We think the Claro clerks put up with a lot of guff from unprepared and over-excited travelers and deserve the tip.

Now then... with working phone in hand, again RELAX, and order your Uber from inside the terminal.  Once your ride is reasonably close (you can track on the app), THEN choose to go outside.

And THAT experience special!!  Going out the terminal doors gives you rapid-fire intro to all that is good and bad about the DR!!

1. Depending on the time of year, and if you're not used to the tropics, expect the heat to be absolutely stultifying during the summer months.  It is like someone opened a blast furnace hatch directly in front of you.
2. And oh, THE NOISE!!  You will be greeted with a massive cacophany of yelling and shouting.  Taxi Drivers (or their reps hawking rides) will promise you the MOON or a ride to Santo Domingo for "lowest price anywhere." 
3. Don't believe them. As bman stated, there are scammers that do quite well fleecing unprepared foreign visitors.  The honest taxi drivers have little chance of standing out, simply because there's so many bad ones.
4. DO NOT ENGAGE with the folks hawking taxis, tours, hotels or whatever.  Just ignore them, wave them off, say "No, gracias" and walk on by.   
5. If one steps directly in front of you, IMMEDIATELY put a hand over your billfold pocket, as they may be delaying and distracting you while a cohort picks your pocket. 
6. You need to negotiate the walking paths (marked off with barriers) to get your bags down to the curbside.  BE CAREFUL!!  There is a modest incline downward, if you're not careful, your bags on a luggage cart can get away from you.
7. If ANYONE offers to help with your bags, be aware that they will expect a tip for helping you. 
8. It is NOT just from the kindness of their heart. 
9. The nearest traffic lane is reserved for official vehicles, limos and such.
10. Then you get to the curb, or first traffic island, beyond which are three lanes of traffic with blaring horns and people yelling.  The scene will be chaotic!!! 
11. Beyond those 3 lanes of traffic, will be another, larger traffic island where some small buildings house airport offices and rental car offices.  Beyond those are parking lots.
12. UBER drivers typically will pick you up EITHER on that first traffic island, OR in the parking lots beyond the 2nd traffic island.    Be sure to message your uber driver to find out where they want to meet you.
13. If they tell you "in the parking lots," get them to specify near which rental car agency.  Aviz, Hertz, Dollar, Alamo, Budget and several more are there. 
14. If they tell you to wait on the curb or first traffic island (adjacent to the 3 lanes of traffic), look around and get a column or post number nearest where you're standing.  Give the driver your description (e.g., tall gringo wearing a red shirt and blue baseball cap) and position to help them spot you.  CONFIRM DRIVER'S NAME BEFORE YOU GET IN THE UBER!
15. If someone walks up and starts grabbing your bags off the cart to put them in the UBER, grab your bag and state loudly NO GRACIAS!  Keep repeating louder and more aggressively, if needed.  Tourist police will hear and come investigate, so the "assistant" will disappear pretty quickly.
16. If you allow them to help, at minimum they will expect a tip for assisting you.  At worst, they will disappear into the crowd with that bag.  Don't play that game.  (I speak as someone who got burned by this, once.) 
17. If you see on the app that your driver has passed you already, DON'T PANIC!  The cops force them to keep moving unless they have an actual passenger loading or unloading, so they do keep moving.  No standing vehicles allowed, otherwise.    They typically will circle around 2-4 times before giving up. 

COPING WITH HEAT:  Once you're away from the immediate terminal area, THERE IS NO SHADE!  You might consider bringing a lightweight hat or cap to wear, and you might further want to bring a change of summer-appropriate clothing that you change into inside the terminal before exiting. 

1. There are adequate bathrooms in the arrivals concourse where you change; be sure to pack your change clothes into a smaller bag you can drag with you into one of the stalls.
2. A change of clothing helps you adapt quickly and more pleasantly.
3. Personally, our flights from the USA typically have us red eyeing overnight from the Mountain West to Houston or Atlanta, then catching a morning flight to SDQ around breakfast time.
4. By the time we arrive, we're already pretty ripe due to our last shower being 24-30 hours in the past!!! And since we arrive in RD in winter months, we're wearing fairly warm clothes NOT suitable for the tropics.
5. Changing to summer-weight clothing ASAP, including undergarments, really helps one feel better as you face the heat.
6. It also saves hotel clerks wrinkling their nose as you arrive at their check-in counter.  They're not trying to be rude, they're just being human. 

A WORD ON PICK POCKETS -- As Bman says, they are certainly present and take advantage of crowds and chaos to operate. 

1. We've not been pickpocketed yet but have passed folks two different times at the airport as they discovered their wallets or purses had been "liberated."   
2. NO FLASHY JEWELRY!!  Keep your wallets/pursed secure.  DO NOT FLASH A BIG ROLL OF US BILLS!   
3. If possible, obtain local pesos before arrival, including low denomination bills.  Keep that roll of local bills in your pocket and pay expenses and tips from that. 
4. I'll be frank:  we intentionally DRESS DOWN for arriving in Latin American airports.  We fly first class, but our clothing looks a bit grubby -- nothing brand name, nothing expensive looking.  My wife fortunately doesn't care to wear jewelry much, so that's not a problem.  Since we adopted this approach, we've never had a problem with pockpockets (though there was this one time in London...).   

Now, a completely unrelated piece of health advice:

1. If you get in an Uber (or a taxi or limo or anything) and the driver is coughing -- STOP THEM, CANCEL THE RIDE AND GET OUT OF THE VEHICLE WHILE YOU'RE STILL ON THE AIRPORT.  Give the driver a tip, they're just trying to make a living.  But get out!! 
2. We missed getting COVID until January 2024, when we caught an Uber from SDQ to Santo Domingo. 
3. Our driver displayed a persistent, mild cough the whole 40-minute drive, but I figured it probably was just allergies. 
4. Nah.  It was COVID.  My wife and I both caught it (me a little worse than her) and spent most of that trip in hotel rooms recovering. 
5. I regret not stopping that Uber immediately and climbing right out.  Coulda & shoulda.

Please, DON'T LET ALL OF THIS SCARE YOU OFF!! Just don't be surprised by the intensity of the experience and handle it all at your own pace.   It's very different from what most of us gringos are used to, and that's okay.  After a dozen+ trips there, we've come to enjoy the whole experience as the sure sign that we're back at our second home! 

I appreciate your thoughts, but for this thread I'm focused on getting from the luggage carousel to the inside of the Airbnb door. Long-term phone plans, car rentals, dealing with heat and noise, taking routine precautions against petty crime, learning to adapt to a host's culture, living tactfully and safely around people with way less money than me ... all topics of substantial interest to many people, but maybe for a different thread?

I've lived in places in and outside the US where the heat makes you feel like you're being punched in the face when you walk out the door. I confess I'm NOT looking forward to trading in my current dry heat for that more humid kind, but, you know, trade-offs \_(*°)_/  ... I'm guessing the people on this forum come from a lot of different backgrounds with different expectations and goals. I've been a gringa/haole/bilagaana/malae/PFA (person from away) and yeah it's a challenge but a fun one IMO.

I'm just not used to traveling with so much STUFF! That's why I want to edumacate myself as much as possible about this one specific short leg of the trip -- because when chaos intervenes anyway, you never know which scrap of information will be helpful. Once I get those suitcases on the other side of a locked door, I'll feel more able to ad lib.

Follow-up questions: I seem to remember that the taxi drivers had some kind of uniform ... like yellow shirts?

Any more opinions on taxi vs Uber would also be welcome. And any other insights on the original questions -- no detail too mundane!

Thank you very much, all.

You can prearrange a taxi and have the driver meet you as soon as you clear customs. They will take the luggage cart from your porter and get your bags to their car, or find you a safe spot in the shade by the curb to wait with the cart while they run to get their car. This can take a little pressure off when you arrive, knowing it's prearranged and you don't have to mess with finding a taxi. You can also use a credit card to pay the fare. We typically tip in cash - USD or DOP would be fine.

is excellent! There are many drivers who speak English and you'll be assigned one if you desire. All of their drivers are well trained by the American owner of the company. They drive like Americans - not like Dominicans! Their cars are clean and well maintained! And their rates are in line with the taxis you can hail at the curb. Contact Ken and tell him that Denise from Las Terrenas highly recommended him! or 1-305-204-6504.

If you would feel more comfortable having a few more pesos in your pocket, check with your US bank. They can typically order pesos for you (be sure to designate Dominican Pesos, I know of one person who ended up with Mexican Pesos!) and have them delivered to your local bank branch.

I also recommend Ken and Santo Domingo Taxi. I have used them a dozen times, coming and going. The driver will be there waiting and help you to get the bags to his car. SDQ to Cacicazgos

Santo Domingo Taxi $50 usd plus tip

Airport Taxi $45 usd plus tip

Uber $38 usd +/- plus tip

Good luck and enjoy

I also recommend Ken and Santo Domingo Taxi. I have used them a dozen times, coming and going. The driver will be there waiting and help you to get the bags to his car. SDQ to Cacicazgos
Santo Domingo Taxi $50 usd plus tip
Airport Taxi $45 usd plus tip
Uber $38 usd +/- plus tip
Good luck and enjoy - @huddleston1

Thanks for the quotes! I'm always headed across the island to Las Terrenas, so my fares wouldn't be comparable!

Based on that, I'd say using Ken and SDT is well worth the nominal price difference! Walking out of customs and seeing a driver with your name on a sign, who knows where you are going, and has a clean, safe car is priceless! Ken will send you a pic of the driver and his car before the pick-up.

I thought I'd just add --- I'm sure everyone here knows this, but in case someone else is curious in the future --- yes, the porters have a sort of uniform (white shirt with "servicio porter" on the back), there are lots of taxi drivers with yellow shirts (so I assume one of those would be a reasonably safe bet?), those services are pretty hard to miss once you're in the airport, including finding a cart with or without a porter attached. I would stop at the rest room before you pick up your luggage but otherwise the place seemed to me to be pretty easy to navigate even with a big unwieldy cart. And the cart fees did not seem too stiff.

And here's another satisfied customer singing the praises of Santo Domingo Taxi.

@wondering9

Glad to hear it went well! And I'm glad to hear you were happy with Ken and his team at Santo Domingo Taxi!