Luggage Restrictions on Flight to the Dominican Republic?

[The Knize]

This is the strangest thing and we seem to be unable to get reliable answers. I thought I would take a shot at asking here. My wife and I are scheduled to fly to the DR from Washington, DC the weekdays between Christmas and New Years on United Airlines to play golf at some of the courses around Punta Cana.

We are told there is a "luggage embargo" in effect, where we will only be allowed to have one checked bag, even if we are willing to pay more money tp check a bag, as I understand it. We are flying First Class down and Premium Economy back. I cannot tell whether this is something put into effect by the DR or by United. They make sound like a government thing. I cannot tell whether this supposed limit would apply to comng back, too. United seems to reference a baggage limit of 60 total inches, although there seem to allow golf clubs. Although for golf clubs they seem to say a hard-sided case is required. I have soft-sided neoprene.

Anyone have any experience with this? Obviously I do not want to end up being unable to check at set of golf clubs at the airport in DC, but it might be worse not being able to check clubs coming back. Services that will send clubs to the hotel are very expensive and from what I hear, unrelaible. We are booking this trip through a service that supposedly specializes in golf trips, which cannot seem to guarantee us that we would be able to rent clubs there.

We have talked to people, including my wife's golf pro, who have flown down there recently no issues whatsoever and have never heard of what we are talking about. This has not been worth the effort in general!

 

[luvmysuper]

This is the strangest thing and we seem to be unable to get reliable answers. I thought I would take a shot at asking here. My wife and I are scheduled to fly to the DR from Washington, DC the weekdays between Christmas and New Years on United Airlines to play golf at some of the courses around Punta Cana.

We are told there is a "luggage embargo" in effect, where we will only be allowed to have one checked bag, even if we are willing to pay more money tp check a bag, as I understand it. We are flying First Class down and Premium Economy back. I cannot tell whether this is something put into effect by the DR or by United. They make sound like a government thing. I cannot tell whether this supposed limit would apply to comng back, too. United seems to reference a baggage limit of 60 total inches, although there seem to allow golf clubs. Although for golf clubs they seem to say a hard-sided case is required. I have soft-sided neoprene.

Anyone have any experience with this? Obviously I do not want to end up being unable to check at set of golf clubs at the airport in DC, but it might be worse not being able to check clubs coming back. Services that will send clubs to the hotel are very expensive and from what I hear, unrelaible. We are booking this trip through a service that supposedly specializes in golf trips, which cannot seem to guarantee us that we would be able to rent clubs there.

We have talked to people, including my wife's golf pro, who have flown down there recently no issues whatsoever and have never heard of what we are talking about. This has not been worth the effort in general!

I would call the airline directly, and see what they say. If anyone ought to know, it would be the carrier.

 

[The Knize]

I would call the airline directly, and see what they say. If anyone ought to know, it would be the carrier.

One would have thought, but we seen to be getting contradictory information! The whole thing seems bizarre!

 

[The Knize]

thanks for the empathetic sad emoji, Phil! First world, rich people's problems. The hassles of modern life. Everything turns out to be a major research project, with uncertain results. Nice to have the resources to do the research!

 

[DesertIguana]

thanks for the empathetic sad emoji, Phil! First world, rich people's problems. The hassles of modern life. Everything turns out to be a major research project, with uncertain results. Nice to have the resources to do the research!

This is because some people do not do their job in customer service, they let the customer figure it out. So they can do less work.

 

[The Knize]

This is because some people do not do their job in customer service, they let the customer figure it out. So they can do less work.

not sure it is that. I do not think United has given clear guidance to its employees. at this point that works for me. I am just going to show up and assume I can do what I want to do, and whoever is taking bags will let me do it regardless of supposed rules

 

[DesertIguana]

I do not know what is special about the DR, it is a third world country, with poverty, crime, and some places on the island I would not go as American who value my life.

Dominican Republic does make some great Cigars, but I can buy them locally or online and not have to go to DR.

 

[luvmysuper]

I do not know what is special about the DR, it is a third world country, with poverty, crime, and some places on the island I would not go as American who value my life.

Dominican Republic does make some great Cigars, but I can buy them locally or online and not have to go to DR.

Ahhh, but you can't play rounds of golf on a Dominican Golf Course locally!!

 

[DesertIguana]

Ahhh, but you can't play rounds of golf on a Dominican Golf Course locally!!

That is good point about Golf, and I wish I realized that if you are good at game, get on pro tour.

You can make great money playing Golf.

My Uncle was into Golf big time, he played game all over world.

After retiring to FL, he played 5 times a week.

 

[Doc4]

We are booking this trip through a service that supposedly specializes in golf trips, which cannot seem to guarantee us that we would be able to rent clubs there.

Ahhh, but you can't play rounds of golf on a Dominican Golf Course locally!!

Yeah, but no need to buy a golf course there and bring it home to the US since you can also find golf courses locally.

it is a third world country, with poverty, crime, and some places I would not go as Canadian who value my life.

Sounds like California.

 

[The Knize]

I frankly do not know what the big draw is of the DR. Lots of people seem to be going there these days. They say it is scenic. Beautiful. They have sunshine and nice resorts, and good golf, they say, which is what we are after this time. The sunshine as much as anything. Winter coming on is getting depressing and we do not live in all that bad a place winter-wise. I will play golf when it is pretty darn cold. So what I have to wear another down vest. My wife, however, will not! And do not get me wrong, we are not looking for top professional quality golf courses any more than we are looking for double black diamond ski trails. I sure could not make any money playing golf! If the course is too hard that is not going to be fun for us, but my impression is we will be okay. I do not know how the DR got to be such a big golf destination but it seems to be.

I do not know what is special about the DR, it is a third world country, with poverty, crime, and some places on the island I would not go as American who value my life.

As I recall, the DR was a stop on a Caribbean cruise I was on in 1980, and that was the overall impression it gave then. Not a good impression at all. It is on the same island as Haiti. I do not know if it has evolved in the meantime, or it is just that major resorts have been built that isolate the tourists from the general population, but folks seem to love it these days. I am not usually a resort or cruise kind of guy! But this time we just need to get away and play some golf in the sun on well-maintained courses!

 

[Doc4]

I sure could not make any money playing golf!

The only money I could make from golf is dredging the ponds for lost balls.

 

[luvmysuper]

The only money I could make from golf is dredging the ponds for lost balls.

 

[The Knize]

well, we just got our cubs on to DR flight without incident. never could get written confirmation this would be ok.

 

[Doc4]

we just got our cubs on to DR flight without incident

 

[The Knize]

To more fully follow up. No issues whatsoever getting our clubs on the flight going to the DR or the fight coming back. No mentiion whatsoever of any "embargo." Simply checked the clubs as a regular bag, which was free going down, and cost something like $45 coming back, just the standard second bag fee.

There were some baggage and other related issues. The United rep my wife talked to on the phone said there would be no problems with golf clubs. My wife asked that she give us that in writing in an email, and the rep sent a copy of United's standard multi-page rules on baggage. Not very helpful. Also, coming back the United rep on the phone emphasized to my wife that we were all paid up on baggage and that if anyone tried to charge us more, we should refuse to do so. I do not think we managed to get that in writing either. And checking in in the DR to fly back they insisted on charging us $190 plus in baggage fees. I assume we will be getting part of that back.

Also, of interest, the golf speciallists who put this trip together for us said they reserved rental clubs for us at each of the courses. Our clubs made it through, of course, so we did not need them, but when we told the folks at the courses in person to cancel out reservations for rental clubs, they explained that rental clubs are first come first serve. They do not reserve them. The rental clubs were really nice, if rather expensive. Things like Scotty Camaron putters. Better than anything I own!

Golf was great. Beautiful, pristine courses. Caddies for $20 a person plus tip. (Not carrying and walking. Still really nice to have a caddie!)

Also, to be fair, everyone we interacted with in person in the DR in person, whether at the airport, at the holel. or at the courses was friendly and helpful, and did not seem at all uninformed. There never seemed to be an issue of dealing with people who were rude or who did not care!

Puntacana is the equilvalent of a huge gated community. Not our usual style. No sense of danger at all. I suspect there are many parts of the DR, that would feel a whole lot less safe and would in fact be much less safe. Everyone we interacted with seemed friendly and happy. Not necessarily our consistent experience across the world.

Great trip. Food could have been better, but I think mostly a matter of trying too hard at too fancy a stuff. I am sure the DR has some good native cuisine and some folkd who really know how to cook it!

 

[H4nk]

My first thought was that DR wanted you to rent clubs at their prices.

 

[The Knize]

My first thought was that DR wanted you to rent clubs at their prices.

Ha, one might have thought so, but they did not make it easy or reassuring to do that. If I was sure of being able to rent the level of clubs they ended up having for rent there, and I was still unsure about being able to get my own clubs on the plane, I might well have rented them, even though somewhat expensive.

I just got an email from United airlines saying they have added 5000 miles to my frequent flyer account for the inconveniences of this trip. I have no idea what this is supposed to be compensation for. If for the fact that we paid to upgrade to first class going down, yet because we were in the last row our seats did recline at all, maybe, given that I assume my wife is getting the same on her account. If we were actually doubled charged for checking bags, I would think a specific cash refund would be more like it. Why would I be forced to purchase extra frequent flyer miles? It cannot be hard to determine whether we were overcharged or not.

First world, rich guy problems, I know!

 

[luvmysuper]

Ha, one might have thought so, but they did not make it easy or reassuring to do that. If I was sure of being able to rent the level of clubs they ended up having for rent there, and I was still unsure about being able to get my own clubs on the plane, I might well have rented them, even though somewhat expensive.

I just got an email from United airlines saying they have added 5000 miles to my frequent flyer account for the inconveniences of this trip. I have no idea what this is supposed to be compensation for. If for the fact that we paid to upgrade to first class going down, yet because we were in the last row our seats did recline at all, maybe, given that I assume my wife is getting the same on her account. If we were actually doubled charged for checking bags, I would think a specific cash refund would be more like it. Why would I be forced to purchase extra frequent flyer miles? It cannot be hard to determine whether we were overcharged or not.

First world, rich guy problems, I know!

Sounds like being paid in scrip that's only good at the company store.

 

[The Knize]

Sounds like being paid in scrip that's only good at the company store.

Yeah, I think so. 16 tons and what to you get . . . . It is United Airlines and it seems like we use United quite a bit out of DC, so it is not so bad. And like I said, for something intangible and not of a specific dollar value like my seat did not tilt back, maybe credit at the company store is rough justice. But I would say I overpay a particular number of dollars, United does not get to issue me store credit instead of a cash refund of that amount!