Samana tour or Cayo Leventado?

Will be in Samana DR from NCL Gem in Feb. Debating between Island Tour with Terry to El Limon etc or just go to Cayo Leventado Beach??? Does anyone know how far the hike to the waterfall is? My husband is too big for horseback which is included in the tour..:( Any suggestions what to do in Samana would be greatly appreciated..Been seeing bad reviews saying to stay on ship

Are you sure you're going? This appeared yesterday and while it's specifically about Royal Caribbean dropping the port, it also mentions NCL having done so: http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g147294-i1628-k6917466-Cruise_Liners_dropping_Samana_from_2014_schedules-Samana_Province_Dominican_Republic.html

Go on a tour with Terry. I have done both and there is no comparison. You could be anywhere and lay on the beach. A "Terry tour" was one of the best excursions I have ever done. :)

Are you sure you're going? This appeared yesterday and while it's specifically about Royal Caribbean dropping the port, it also mentions NCL having done so: http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g147294-i1628-k6917466-Cruise_Liners_dropping_Samana_from_2014_schedules-Samana_Province_Dominican_Republic.html

Norwegian Gem has a different itinerary later in the year, but there is no change to the OPs itinerary. The different itinerary was published a year ago, and is not necessarily any indication that they are pulling out permanently. Cruise lines have to offer different ports when the ships are sailing from the same home-port for many years. For instance, Tortola used to be one of the stops, but the Gem hasn't sailed there in a few years. Later next year, they will return to Tortola.

Go on a tour with Terry. I have done both and there is no comparison. You could be anywhere and lay on the beach. A "Terry tour" was one of the best excursions I have ever done. :)

I agree completely. Samana is an absolutely amazing port, and the locals are extremely friendly and accommodating. There is so much to see in Samana, and those who plan poorly and wander aimlessly around the pier looking for knock-off designer bags and perfume shops are the ones who not only complain the loudest, but also the ones who cheated themselves out of an absolutely amazing experience. Such a pity.

Will be in Samana DR from NCL Gem in Feb. Debating between Island Tour with Terry to El Limon etc or just go to Cayo Leventado Beach??? Does anyone know how far the hike to the waterfall is? My husband is too big for horseback which is included in the tour..:( Any suggestions what to do in Samana would be greatly appreciated..Been seeing bad reviews saying to stay on ship

Absolutely book a tour with Terry, but I would caution that the El Limon falls might not be the best bet for you. The horseback ride in is about 30 to 35 minutes, but then the walk down the extremely steep and uneven trail takes at least another 20 minutes. Keep in mind that once you see the falls and revel in their breathtaking beauty, you must then climb back up that trail, and it is very physically challenging. Once you reach the plateau you will be able to mount the horses again for the remainder of the ride out. If you do choose this excursion, be absolutely certain that you are wearing appropriate footwear. ;)

If you are looking for a less physically challenging day of fun, I would recommend either doing the ATV/waterfalls excursion (it goes to a different set of falls and the path is mainly flat) or the Culture/Beach/Waterfalls excursion, which actually will give you the best overall taste of Samana and it's people.

Don't cheat yourself out of an amazing adventure in Samana. The place is absolutely beautiful, and the locals are truly delightful. Please don't let the reports of those who failed to plan worry you. You will be absolutely fine.\;)

Tours with Terry! Great tour guide/comoany. You can tell he loves what he dies. We did the ATV's. We were the only 2 that signed up but they ran it anyways. My other friends did the family one (had 2.5y/o). They rode around on an open tour bus with Terry as their guide. Lunch was delicious and everyone met up there (all the tours including horseback).

I disagree with the earlier comment about the hike to El Limon falls. It was a fairly easy hike. There was only a few steep parts and for the most part it was over tree roots. Very short spurts. Honestly the mud from earlier rain and other (wet) hikers that returned wet was worst part. You can go swimming at the falls if you want.

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Oops never mind. I apperently mixed IP the waterfalls. The one I saw was Lulu and the previous poster saw El Limon. Sorry about that!

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Check out my text and pictures of the "Cultural" tour with Terry. Start with post # 95. This is the link to the page:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=38264687&highlight=samana#post38264687

I can not say enough good things about our tour.:)

Interesting. We have a totally different opinion. We stopped there about 3 years ago. Decided to wander around the town and see what was there...

I have travelled all over the world and this port was awful. We stayed 20 minutes and went back to the ship because we felt so unsafe. Motor bikes with aggressive teenagers zipping all over the place harrassing the tourists looking to make trouble, lots of exhaust and abandoned buildings etc.

I've travelled all over the world (including India, Morocco, Asia, and not on cruises) and this was one of the unsafest places I've been in.

Maybe the only way to go is an escorted excursion. But as far as I'm concerned, being on an excursion still exposes you to risks.

Sorry, our opinion--I'm sure there are others who have had better experiences.

We are stopping there on a cruise in December and perhaps it's changed....

Interesting. We have a totally different opinion. We stopped there about 3 years ago. Decided to wander around the town and see what was there...

. . . . Maybe the only way to go is an escorted excursion. But as far as I'm concerned, being on an excursion still exposes you to risks.

 

Sorry, our opinion--I'm sure there are others who have had better experiences.

 

We are stopping there on a cruise in December and perhaps it's changed....

I think Samana has been making progress as a cruise port. They have a small "downtown" area they did not have the last time you were there. There were several things under construction right near the pier. But, I never knew what they were . Looked like they would be restaurants and shops.

I do not think that a person will be happy getting off the ship and just walking around. There is not much at the pier. One exception is walking to the public beach. They have built a seaside walking promenade along the waterfront. It was very nice.

Interesting. We have a totally different opinion. We stopped there about 3 years ago. Decided to wander around the town and see what was there...

 

I have travelled all over the world and this port was awful. We stayed 20 minutes and went back to the ship because we felt so unsafe. Motor bikes with aggressive teenagers zipping all over the place harrassing the tourists looking to make trouble, lots of exhaust and abandoned buildings etc.

 

I've travelled all over the world (including India, Morocco, Asia, and not on cruises) and this was one of the unsafest places I've been in.

 

Maybe the only way to go is an escorted excursion. But as far as I'm concerned, being on an excursion still exposes you to risks.

 

Sorry, our opinion--I'm sure there are others who have had better experiences.

 

We are stopping there on a cruise in December and perhaps it's changed....

3 years can make a huge difference when it comes to a cruise port. Especially a relatively new one or one that isn't frequently visited. Samana is more regularly visited now.

I've travelled all over and didn't think it was any worse than anywhere else.

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Interesting. We have a totally different opinion. We stopped there about 3 years ago. Decided to wander around the town and see what was there...

 

I have travelled all over the world and this port was awful. We stayed 20 minutes and went back to the ship because we felt so unsafe. Motor bikes with aggressive teenagers zipping all over the place harrassing the tourists looking to make trouble, lots of exhaust and abandoned buildings etc.

 

I've travelled all over the world (including India, Morocco, Asia, and not on cruises) and this was one of the unsafest places I've been in.

 

Maybe the only way to go is an escorted excursion. But as far as I'm concerned, being on an excursion still exposes you to risks.

 

Sorry, our opinion--I'm sure there are others who have had better experiences.

 

We are stopping there on a cruise in December and perhaps it's changed....

It saddens me that you did not get an opportunity to experience the real Samana - which is completely different from the one you saw by wandering around the area of the pier. I would encourage you to research excursion options by reading here and on TripAdvisor, and then make arrangements with one of the tour operators there.

Being on an excursion may expose you to risks, but so does getting behind the wheel of a car, or climbing aboard a cruise ship. Taking an elevator ride and having a stranger in there with you is a risk, but that doesn't stop any of us. IMHO, by arriving in Samana without a planned adventure is the worst risk of all, because you are denying yourself a wonderful opportunity. ;)

Happy sailing!

:)

Norwegian Gem has a different itinerary later in the year, but there is no change to the OPs itinerary. The different itinerary was published a year ago, and is not necessarily any indication that they are pulling out permanently.

I think you and the OP might want to take a look at this, which appeared on Cruise Critic today: http://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=5593. It appears that neither RCI or NCL is doing Samana in 2014.

I think you and the OP might want to take a look at this, which appeared on Cruise Critic today: http://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=5593. It appears that neither RCI or NCL is doing Samana in 2014.

As much as I wish that were true we still have it as a port January 2014. We have been there numerous times twice in 2013 did Cayo and a Terry Tour. We will not be getting off the ship when we are there n 3 weeks or in January. I would love the 2015 Itinerary which opts out of Samana, I believe both RCL and NCL have not opted out until 2015.

Sorry just my opinion.

I have just started researching samana for our Feb cruise. This may be a silly question, but why are cruise lines dropping it? Is it a safety issue?

We had a wonderful local tour by a young local man called Alex Rymer at Mono Tours. 809-816-3248 email rorislamorena@hotmail.com He speaks three languages, is very accommodating and flexible and very reasonably priced. He has a very new van and great air conditioning. He went beyond the call of duty to take us to some interesting places. We drove quite a long way to Rincon Beach, mostly for a swim and for the scenery along the way, with the lagoon at one end, and a marvellous view and beach at the other end. He also took us to a local waterfall where children came out and jumped off the top into the pool below. It was nice just to see the countryside, mountains and lush vegetation along the way. We also went to his house to visit his lovely wife, son and new baby. I highly recommend him. Tell him Marilyn sent you.

I felt very safe and I think that the town has changed a lot in the past few years. I was there March 2015 and loved it. There are now rows of very colourful two storey Colonial shops and also a local market right on the waterfront. Ports change dramatically once the cruise lines sink money into the area. I have been in other ports and other countries where I felt more unsafe. As with any area, just use common sense.