Punta Cana VIP Airport Service – Is It Worth It?
Sarah McClure
5.27.21
Valuable, Worth It, Necessary, Helpful? Every service or product is deemed valuable or not by the purchaser. That value is always a matter of opinion! The most important way to decide if a product or service is valuable, worth it, necessary or helpful is to do your research and compare your findings with where your priorities lie.
My husband and I visited Punta Cana, Dominican Republic for our 25th wedding anniversary. This is a trip we had been planning for a long time. We wanted everything to be special, unique and wonderful. We wanted to try new experiences and spoil ourselves, while staying within our set budget.
While researching resorts, excursions, flights and other services, I came upon suggestions for the VIP Services at Punta Cana International Airport. This is a service where guests are greeted by an airport representative upon arrival and receive personalized, seamless service throughout their time at the airport. As a couple, we decided that we’d like to try the VIP Services, that we had room in our budget and in hindsight, are very happy with our choice!
The VIP Services include:
* personalized meet and greet – at the gate when your flight arrives and at the airport entrance on your departure day
* guided services with front-of-the-line access through customs, baggage claim and ground transportation for your arrival day
* guided services with front-of-the-line access through airport check in, baggage check, Covid test results, customs and immigration and security for your departure day
* access to a VIP Lounge with drinks and snacks for arrival and departure day
* luggage service
* direct and private access to ground transportation on arrival day
The current pricing for arrival VIP Services is US$75.00 per person for 2 guests or US$60.00 per person for 3 or more guests.
Pricing for departure VIP Services is US$125 per person for 2 guests or US$100.00 per person for 3 or more guests. This was a total of $400.00, plus gratuities, for the two of us. While I did find this to be an astronomical pricing, the bottom line is that I did find significant value in the services we received!
Even before we left on vacation, the communication from VIP Operations was clear, consistent and friendly. We received email confirmations of our reservations and reminders the day prior to our services. Initial reservations are just that, reservations. Payments are made upon arrival at the time of service via cash or credit card.
As soon as we debarked from the airplane, we were greeted by a representative holding a sign with our names. This offered a huge sense of relief, as I then knew that I was going to be taken care of! Our guide took us straight to customs, where she led us to the front of the line and handled all of our paperwork to the customs agent. We were then allowed to relax in a small VIP Lounge and enjoy a drink (soda, water, beer) while our guide collected our luggage using our baggage claim stubs and a photo of our bags that I provided. This is where we made payment for the arrival VIP Service.
Travel Tip – take a photo of your luggage prior to your departure. If it is lost, you can use this for help in finding your bags. I was able to show our representative a photo of our bags, which helped her process be more efficient.
Once our bags were collected, our guide led us to a private area for ground transportation where our private shuttle was waiting to take us to our resort. A total of 25 minutes had passed from the time our plane touched down and we were on our way to an amazing, luxury vacation in Punta Cana!
After a week of relaxation and phenomenal adventures, it was time to return home. Again, we received a friendly email confirmation for our VIP Service prior to our departure day. We let our shuttle driver know that we had the VIP Service and he dropped us off right at the terminal doors where a luggage porter was waiting to assist with our bags. He took us directly to our VIP Service representative who guided us through the airline check in, proof of negative Covid test results, baggage check and customs – all with front-of-the-line access!
Our friendly guide then escorted us to the VIP Lounge. This is an upper-level lounge with 180° views of the terminal, with a balcony and views of about 5 gates. She explained that the lounge was a “quiet space”, and flight announcements were not made in the lounge. We would need to watch the time for boarding and head to our gate with enough time to board when our row was called by the airline representative. Payment for departure day VIP Service was collected at this time.
In the meantime, we were able to enjoy snacks, drinks, private restrooms and a quiet space to relax before a long flight home.
In all, did I find the VIP Services at Punta Cana International Airport valuable, worth it, necessary and helpful?
Valuable – Yes! The friendly representatives, the time saved with efficient service, the stress eliminated and the ease of navigating multiple aspects of international travel was of very high value to us!
Worth it – Yes! To have a stress-free, quick and easy experience was definitely worth the money spent!
Necessary – No! Each day, thousands of people navigate the Punta Cana airport without problems, and you do not need to spend a few hundred extra dollars at the airport. If you are nearing the top of your travel budget and have other tours or excursions you would like to experience, definitely spend your money on that.
Helpful – Yes! The representatives knew exactly where to take us for each step in the airport process. They knew the forms, documents and identification needed at each stop and were very helpful. Our time at the airport, for both arrival and departure, was seamless.
I am glad that we had such an easy, relaxed airport experience and I would do it again, if my budget allowed! My hope is that this information has been helpful in deciding if the VIP Service at Punta Cana International Airport is right for you.
When you are ready to travel, please contact me to receive concierge travel planning services!
801-231-9038
sarahmc@wishesfamilytravel.com
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