Punta Cana as a Cruise Port?

We are on Oct 28 sailing HAL Neiuw Amsterdam. Found what looks like a good private tour with Puntacana Mike that takes in cigar factory, chocolate factory, rum factory and a visit to a school with lunch on the beach. Got good reviews on trip advisor

Our November 4th cruise on HAL Rotterdam was changed from Saint Maarten to Cap Cana, and yes, there are no excursions listed yet. I am sure it takes time, and there will be offerings on board, if not sooner.

Hello,

My DH and I are also on the 11/4/17 sailing of the Rotterdam. We went to the HAL excursions (generic version) for Cap Cana, since we don't have specific excursions listed yet. The HAL 5-hour Sail & Snorkel Adventure looks good to us.

I tried to determine which vendor HAL is using for this excursion, but wasn't able to determine that. It would be nice to know the vendor and their reputation. I considered booking privately on one of the top-rated vendors on TA, but I've read that tendering at Punta Cuna can be "iffy," depending on the wind and swells.

Apparently, all or almost all cruise line excursions that end at a beach day (not the catamaran or snorkel excursions) go to Juanillo Beach. My back-up plan would be to try to get a taxi to Juanillo beach, since it is "open to the public." Apparently, ID may be requested. That may be just for vehicles entering the beach area (that ID is kept by the guard station until the vehicle leaves) or it may be requested for everyone. In reading comments on TA, it appears that they are trying to keep "riffraff" out.

Can anyone visiting Cap Cana before Nov 5th give us answers to the following?

• How far is it to Juanillo beach from the tender dock at the Cap Cana marina?
  
• Is it easy to get a taxi both ways? What was the fare? Other options?
  
• Who is the vendor for the 5-hr Sail & Snorkel Adventure?
  
• Was anyone successful in booking and participating in private snorkel excursions? (Details, please)
  

Thank you!!

Diana

Following.....we've been changed to this port too.

Our upcoming cruise has been diverted from our originally planned port stop in San Juan due to the damage from Maria. We will now be stopping in Cap Cana, Dominican Republic. .... I'm wondering if I should consider booking a dive in Cap Cana. I do not know much about the port area there, what the diving is like, or about any dive shops located near the port. ... What do you think?

I patrolled this area on and off for over 10 years .... this is the Mona Passage with Punta Cana on the eastern tip of Dominican Republic ...... more at:

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=40

The (or some) HAL excursions for Cap Cana have been posted on the HAL site for my 11/4/17 Rotterdam sailing. There are no snorkeling or catamaran excursions listed--yet.

These are the excursions offered:

• Blue Lagoon Eco-Tour & Juanillo Beach
  
• Cenote Las Ondas & Juanillo Beach
  
• Countryside Experience
  
• Countryside Horseback Adventure
  
• Deluxe All-Inclusive Beach Resort Getaway (Iberostar Bavaro Suites Hotel)
  
• Flavors of Cap Cana
  
• Juanillo Beach Escape
  
• Monkeyland & Plantation Safari
  
• Zip-Line Eco-Tour
  

You can find descriptions of these in the generic listings on the HAL site as mentioned yesterday.

I tried to see if there were additional excursions offered on the 10/28/17 sailing of the Nieuw Amsterdam, via plan a cruise by itinerary, but the site just hung when approached from there.

Hope this helps.

I sure would like to know if there is a DIY option for just going to Juanillo Beach. I suspect I could get a taxi to the beach, but not sure about the return.:D

Has anyone else had their cruise line excursions updated yet?

Diana

Hello, here is Celebrity Equinox in Cap Cana (Punta Cana) on September 1st.

https://www.facebook.com/cruisecapcana/

Hello, here is Celebrity Equinox in Cap Cana (Punta Cana) on September 1st.

https://www.facebook.com/cruisecapcana/

Thank you for posting!

Diana

In this link you can also find pictures and videos of Oceania's Riviera, Holland America's Veendam and Celebrity Equinox. In the pictures you can see the location of the ships and the landing area which is at the Fishing Lodge in the Cap Cana Marina.

In this area there are shops and ocean front several restaurants and bars. Upon disembarking you will find an Information center to help you get around !!:)

https://www.facebook.com/cruisecapcana/

The (or some) HAL excursions for Cap Cana have been posted on the HAL site for my 11/4/17 Rotterdam sailing. There are no snorkeling or catamaran excursions listed--yet.

 

These are the excursions offered:

• Blue Lagoon Eco-Tour & Juanillo Beach
  
• Cenote Las Ondas & Juanillo Beach
  
• Countryside Experience
  
• Countryside Horseback Adventure
  
• Deluxe All-Inclusive Beach Resort Getaway (Iberostar Bavaro Suites Hotel)
  
• Flavors of Cap Cana
  
• Juanillo Beach Escape
  
• Monkeyland & Plantation Safari
  
• Zip-Line Eco-Tour
  

You can find descriptions of these in the generic listings on the HAL site as mentioned yesterday.

 

I tried to see if there were additional excursions offered on the 10/28/17 sailing of the Nieuw Amsterdam, via plan a cruise by itinerary, but the site just hung when approached from there.

 

Hope this helps.

 

I sure would like to know if there is a DIY option for just going to Juanillo Beach. I suspect I could get a taxi to the beach, but not sure about the return.:D

 

Has anyone else had their cruise line excursions updated yet?

 

Diana

UPDATE ON HAL EXCURSIONS FOR CAP CANA

Good news for the Nov 4th sailing of the Rotterdam. I called the HAL excursions office this morning about ship excursions in Cap Cana and St Kitts. HAL will be adding more excursions to those ports soon. She said that all of the excursions should be sorted out by the end of next week for our sailing.

Cap Cana has the following excursions “active,” but not yet showing on the website for our specific sailing:

• Sail & Snorkel Adventure
  
• Deluxe Catamaran & Snorkeling Experience
  

Cap Cana has the following excursion listed as being available for the port call but not yet “active” or showing on the website for our specific sailing:

• Altos de Chavon & River Boat Cruise
  

Thank you, DR Cruiser, for the information above! That is very helpful. I like to know my options. Even if I'm on a ship's excursion, I like to know the "lay of the land".

Our 11/8 sailing on HAL Koningsdam had the St Thomas stop changed to Cap Cana on 11/16. I try to not book ship excursions but couldn't find anything available otherwise, so I've booked the Flavors of Cap Cana.

Hello,

My DH and I are also on the 11/4/17 sailing of the Rotterdam. We went to the HAL excursions (generic version) for Cap Cana, since we don't have specific excursions listed yet. The HAL 5-hour Sail & Snorkel Adventure looks good to us.

 

I tried to determine which vendor HAL is using for this excursion, but wasn't able to determine that. It would be nice to know the vendor and their reputation. I considered booking privately on one of the top-rated vendors on TA, but I've read that tendering at Punta Cuna can be "iffy," depending on the wind and swells.

 

Apparently, all or almost all cruise line excursions that end at a beach day (not the catamaran or snorkel excursions) go to Juanillo Beach. My back-up plan would be to try to get a taxi to Juanillo beach, since it is "open to the public." Apparently, ID may be requested. That may be just for vehicles entering the beach area (that ID is kept by the guard station until the vehicle leaves) or it may be requested for everyone. In reading comments on TA, it appears that they are trying to keep "riffraff" out.

 

Can anyone visiting Cap Cana before Nov 5th give us answers to the following?

• How far is it to Juanillo beach from the tender dock at the Cap Cana marina?
  
• Is it easy to get a taxi both ways? What was the fare? Other options?
  
• Who is the vendor for the 5-hr Sail & Snorkel Adventure?
  
• Was anyone successful in booking and participating in private snorkel excursions? (Details, please)
  

Thank you!!

Diana

I am also interested in response you receive as we port there on eurodam after your sail

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Cap Cana Shuttle

MVPinBoynton just posted this on the roll call for the 10/28/17 sailing of the Nieuw Amsterdam:

The shuttles that leave every 15 minutes are $20 pp to Juanillo Beach and $15 to API Beach round trip.

I'm guessing that we will have the same option.

Diana

One of the HAL excursions people told me a few weeks ago that there would be two snorkeling options:

• Sail & Snorkel Adventure
  
• Deluxe Catamaran & Snorkeling Experience
  

However, only the Deluxe excursion is available. My DH and I had decided that we preferred the Sail & Snorkel Adventure, which they are apparently not offering on our sailing.

So, we decide to go for the Retreat package. We normally prefer to snorkel and are not into beach Retreat packages, but that is what we decided to do this time. We shall see....Diana

Our Jan 6 cruise on Seabourn-Odyssey lists Punta Cana as a port of call. I hope we can tender, and I also hope the ship lists an excursion to nearby Altos de Chavón, and artist villa.

Any ideas from cruisers who have recently been here? TA is full of wonderful reviews of tours from Punta Cana, but most of them are full day tours that pick up at resorts early morning for full day trips. Would love to hear from people that have recent experience!

Is this price rt?

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Is this price rt?

 

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If you are referring to the prices for the transfers to the beaches of $20 to Juanillo and $15 to Api, I said in the post it was for a round trip. It seems like a good deal to me.

If you are referring to the prices for the transfers to the beaches of $20 to Juanillo and $15 to Api, I said in the post it was for a round trip. It seems like a good deal to me.

sorry didn't see my bad

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If you are referring to the prices for the transfers to the beaches of $20 to Juanillo and $15 to Api, I said in the post it was for a round trip. It seems like a good deal to me.

That is pretty expensive to go just about 1 mile to Api Beach since this is the beach at the marina. You can actually see it from the tender area. Juanillo seems to be less outrageous. They are both better options than the 109 price tag offered by the cruiseline.

That is pretty expensive to go just about 1 mile to Api Beach since this is the beach at the marina. You can actually see it from the tender area. Juanillo seems to be less outrageous. They are both better options than the 109 price tag offered by the cruiseline.

Api is close; but it is a seven minute drive. I guess it isn't that easy to walk to, even though it looks quite close. Juanillo is a 15 minute drive, so it is a better deal. The day we were there, the information people told me that Juanillo had been having lots of seaweed, so Api was the better beach that day. And, I considered it a good deal compared to the ship transfers. It might also be cheaper than renting a cab for one person. I didn't ask about cab prices, since the regularly scheduled trollies seemed like a better option.

Api is close; but it is a seven minute drive. I guess it isn't that easy to walk to, even though it looks quite close. Juanillo is a 15 minute drive, so it is a better deal. The day we were there, the information people told me that Juanillo had been having lots of seaweed, so Api was the better beach that day. And, I considered it a good deal compared to the ship transfers. It might also be cheaper than renting a cab for one person. I didn't ask about cab prices, since the regularly scheduled trollies seemed like a better option.

Thanks for the info. It is 3 of us so I guess we will just see what to do on that day. Our ship is beautiful so we might stay go back if we cant agree on what to do.

Thanks gor the tip about inquiring about seaweed

If anyone goes to Api Beach, can you please report back on how it was, and if there is any good snorkelling- we are stopping at this port in February

We tendered into Cap Cana and was pleasantly surprised. The are is man made for tourists nothing there authenic. There are tours you can purchase for much less than the ship excursions. Api beach looked nice from the tender, we will do that next time. Once off the tender we were greeted by performers in costumes on stilts. We went to their free performance which was the best show I have ever seen it was part circus and part cultural. The show lasted over an hour and was very entertaining

Well not to my surprise HAL EURODAM got there on the 15th and we were not able to tender to the port due to sea conditions even though it seemed calm to us ...so another sea day and rained at next port St Thomas. Not best first cruise but at least not at work

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We returned today from our 7 day Caribbean cruise on the Silhouette and one of tbe stops was Cap Cana. It took sometime to load the tenders because of rough waters but we made it on shore.

We decided to go to Juanillo Beach, which is about 25 min ride. The round trip on the shuttle was 20/person and it left ebery 15 or 20 min. A cab with scheduled pick up time was $65/car so convenient if it is more than 3 in your group. Once there we went to Little John restaurant and settled in a cabana style seats and table. Payment was consumption but you could negotiate. Beach was nice but there was a lot of seaweed and water clarity was not that great. The other option was API beach got 15 round trip per person. It looks like they put a net out in the water to prevent seaweed from getting to shore.

The shops at the marina were open but there really wasn't much to see.

The tender on the way back was much better. This is a port I would not mind missing in the future.