Samana-whale watching excursion or something else?

Looking for suggestions on what to do when our cruise ship anchors in Samana Bay in a few weeks. It is whale season so we are thinking of doing an excursion on a smaller ship to whale watch. However, I've read that the Bay can get very rough and that too many boats search the elusive whales and the boat traffic can be too much. Now, I'm wondering if our cruise ship is at anchor in the bay, might we be better off whale watching from our veranda?

We spent a week in DR but it was a few decades ago. Perhaps there is something else that is a "must see". the national park? a waterfall? We are from Florida so beaches normally aren't thrilling to us.

Thanks for your thoughts!

If you do decide to do a whale excursion, I strongly recommend Kim Beddall's Whale Samana. http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g811253-d1006744-Reviews-Whale_Samana-Santa_Barbara_de_Samana_Samana_Province_Dominican_Republic.html

The smaller boats are overcrowded, get too close to the whales, are not very well maintained and, frankly, are downright scary. Made that mistake once. Never again!!

We took the excursion to Los Haitises national park including seeing the caves. It was about a 40 minute ride one way across the bay. The caves were interesting, a bit hard to see all the drawings. No flash allowed for photos. One thing to remember if you are there on Sunday, lots of businesses are closed.

Thanks for those responses. I contacted Kim Bedall and unfortunately we cannot go on whale watch with them. They leave at 10 and again at 2. Our cruise ship arrives at 10 and leaves at 5 so neither on will work for us :-(

We are there on a Monday so will consider the National Park etc. Any other ideas?

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.

Looking for suggestions on what to do when our cruise ship anchors in Samana Bay in a few weeks. It is whale season so we are thinking of doing an excursion on a smaller ship to whale watch. However, I've read that the Bay can get very rough and that too many boats search the elusive whales and the boat traffic can be too much. Now, I'm wondering if our cruise ship is at anchor in the bay, might we be better off whale watching from our veranda?

We spent a week in DR but it was a few decades ago. Perhaps there is something else that is a "must see". the national park? a waterfall? We are from Florida so beaches normally aren't thrilling to us.

Thanks for your thoughts!

Hi Sansterre! We believe you already traveled to the Dominican Republic, but thought we would answer your questions for others with the same question. Whale watching in Samana Bay is absolutely breathtaking and well worth participating in. We have included a link below, so you can learn more. Alternatively, if you or anyone reading this are considering Puerto Plata, we have added some links to features about the area, cruising and activities below.

WHALE WATCHING IN SAMANA BAY

http://wp.me/p5zQ06-4a

CRUISE SHIP VISITORS

http://wp.me/P5zQ06-Je

FIRST TIME VISITORS

http://wp.me/P5zQ06-IQ

TOP 10 THINGS TO DO IN PUERTO PLATA

http://wp.me/p5zQ06-GE

VOLUNTOURISM WITH A TWIST: FATHOM™ IMPACT TRAVEL COMES TO PUERTO PLATA

http://wp.me/p5zQ06-CY

TAKE A CRUISE TO PUERTO PLATA: HERE’S HOW!

http://wp.me/p5zQ06-ei

DISCOVERING PUERTO PLATA'S 27 WATERFALLS

http://wp.me/p5zQ06-9k

BIRDWATCHING IN PUERTO PLATA

http://wp.me/p5zQ06-rp

SNORKELING AT CAYO PARAISO IN PUERTO PLATA

http://wp.me/p5zQ06-jM

PUERTO PLATA’S BRUGAL RUM DISTILLERY

http://wp.me/p5zQ06-7T

PUERTO PLATA WITH KIDS

http://wp.me/P5zQ06-JJ

KID FRIENDLY IDEAS IN PUERTO PLATA YOUR CHILD WILL LOVE

http://wp.me/p5zQ06-da

Has anyone done HAL's whale watch excursion? We will be on Oosterdam, and it looks like timing won't work for Kim Bedall's tour. HAL's tour sounds like the boats are small (no bathrooms). Reviews on HAL's tour page are mixed, some good, some horrendous.