J-Co's Honeymoon Disaster

Well, this has taken me a long time to write about but I wanted to get their permission first; plus, now I heard  that they were denied any reimbursement from travel insurance and that really ticks me off!

So here's the story, in brief (my version):

Jimmy and Courtney booked a honeymoon through Apple Vacations Travel Agency to the all-inclusive Dreams Punta Cana resort in the Dominican Republic. Their agent passed along rave reviews of the place, plus it was rated "4 apples" (whatever) by Apple. They flew in Sunday morning after their Saturday night wedding, and the 45-minute-plus drive from the airport to the resort gave them a glimpse of a third-world country with starving livestock and people living in cinder block houses. When they arrived safely (to their amazement), they went to their room to find a filthy, humid environment in which the bed sheets themselves were damp, the shower was so dirty they wore their shoes to bathe, and nothing was as pictured on the website. They went to one of the resort restaurants for dinner and were disgusted with the low-quality, unrecognizable food. What's worse, Jimmy spotted a mouse running through the restaurant while they were eating, and when the staff was notified, they killed the mouse but left it there, stating, "We'll clean that up later." The waiter even had the nerve to ask Courtney what her problem was. They were so disgusted that they left that place and tried another, in which they ordered hamburgers... that tasted "game-y" and disgusting. Jimmy and Courtney were pretty sure they were eating the half-starved brahmas they saw on their way in.

So back in Texas that night, Chris' cell phone suddenly lights up with several texts from Courtney's phone, asking us to call them asap. We did, and they asked us to find and book them a flight home as soon as one was available. They were so disgusted and frightened that they wanted to get off that island immediately. Jamie found one out the next day, so Monday morning Jimmy and Courtney checked out, citing a family emergency. They didn't complain to management or anything because they knew they would be harassed and possibly not permitted to leave, or at least coerced into trying another room or resort. They had already gotten glimpses of other rooms and overheard other Americans complaining about the situation, so they knew it couldn't be remedied. Sure enough, when they found the Apple representative at the resort and asked for a shuttle to the airport, he gave them a hard time for leaving and then told them they couldn't get a shuttle out of there until the afternoon. After waiting around, Jimmy managed to find another shuttle driver and slip him a twenty to get them to the airport in time for their flight.

Meanwhile, (this really is just a summary), I was in contact with Jimmy's travel agent. Chris had called and left a message for her on Sunday night when we heard from them, but she didn't return the call until Monday. In short, she was much more concerned about her own reputation and recommendation of the place than she was about Jimmy and Courtney's plight, and she criticized the way they handled the situation. She kept insisting to me that the place came highly recommended. Come to find out, Apple Vacations owns the resort! Conflict of interest, much? She ended up pretty much throwing in the towel as far as helping Jimmy and Courtney get some money back when they returned. She was not interested in helping resolve their terrible experience.

Before picking them up at the airport Monday night, Chris, Stephanie and I wanted to give them a bit of a laugh when they returned home, so we decorated their apartment. The theme was inspired by their honeymoon! Here are some pictures:

Ratatouille the movie, in honor of their dinner guest

A "rain" theme, since they said it felt like it was raining in their room at the resort

A few American-themed decorations welcomed them home to the good ol' USA 

Chris made me put this Team America quote (and I made my own adjustment)

We left some furry friends around to keep them company

We wanted them to feel like the honeymoon continued! (not really.)

We also took labels off the cans we stocked in the pantry and gave them our own labels! (Makes cooking more exciting...)