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concerned about cruising to samana...

scrapbags

By scrapbags,
in Dominican Republic

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scrapbags

scrapbags

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I was wondering if someone could tell me if Samana is a good port to cruise to? I am concerned because I have heard both good and bad but mostly bad. I know they have a whale watching excursion (not even sure about THAT excursion...mixed reviews, also) but it doesn't sound like there are many options to choose from. My DH and myelf like to see nature and history and some shopping. Oh, and we would be going on the NCL Jewel if someone has any opinions about that, also! Thanks!

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ike97756

ike97756

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If you read or search through the posts for toursamanawithterry.com you wil find many good experiences. Samana is our favorite port and the tour we did with Terry was very enjoyable. We did the low impact excursion and are doing the El Limon next week.

Visit his website and you can get a nice description of his various tours.

Trip advisor has many customer reviews for him as well.

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houlacruiser

houlacruiser

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We just came back from Samana and did the whale watching tour with Terry. The whale watching really depends on when you'll be there. I would say that Samana is NOT a port to just get off the ship and wing it, you should have a tour booked IMO. If you have questions let me know!

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ike97756

ike97756

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I was thinking about bookng through the cruise line instead of venturing out on our own. Is there a big difference?

Ihave not done the ships tour, but reading their description and comparing it to what I have experienced with terry I would go with terry every time.

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hpreece

hpreece

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I was thinking about bookng through the cruise line instead of venturing out on our own. Is there a big difference?

 

Yes there's a big difference. Ship tours usually require a lot of waiting and always have a lot of people on the same tour. For example their ATV tour has about 20 ATVs and doesn't last near as long as Terry's tours. I talked to someone onboard who told me about her experience with the cruise line Jeep tour.

I can't say enough good things about Terry's tours or Samana.

Samana isn't a shopping port...at all.

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scrapbags

scrapbags

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We just came back from Samana and did the whale watching tour with Terry. The whale watching really depends on when you'll be there. I would say that Samana is NOT a port to just get off the ship and wing it, you should have a tour booked IMO. If you have questions let me know!

We are planning to go the early part of March. I have heard that it's a good month to go. I just hate spending my money and not getting what you pay for. ( I know, with wildlife, nothing is a guarantee). Did you happen to see any whales?

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cheapboxer

cheapboxer

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Why spend money and take the chance of rough seas on a smaller boat to do the whale watch? You can see the whales from the ship when leaving port with a frozen drink in hand. We saw a bunch without even trying to look for them.

 

We were on the first tender off the ship walking to the meeting area for our ATV excursion with Terry. What I would do next time is wait for more tenders/cruise people to populate the area before wandering off.

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scrapbags

scrapbags

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Why spend money and take the chance of rough seas on a smaller boat to do the whale watch? You can see the whales from the ship when leaving port with a frozen drink in hand. We saw a bunch without even trying to look for them.

 

We were on the first tender off the ship walking to the meeting area for our ATV excursion with Terry. What I would do next time is wait for more tenders/cruise people to populate the area before wandering off.

Can I ask what month you went? We are going in early March so I was told that was a good time to go. You really saw whales from the ship? We will be in a rear facing aft cabin. Maybe we will get lucky! Did you like the ATV excursion?

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cheapboxer

cheapboxer

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Last week 2/20-2/27

 

We were sitting on our balcony and saw at least a dozen. The closest was about 100 Yards away. There are plenty of areas on the ship to view them from and from my experience it will not matter where you are. If they want to come up for air they come up.

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crazymom107

crazymom107

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Last week 2/20-2/27

 

We were sitting on our balcony and saw at least a dozen. The closest was about 100 Yards away. There are plenty of areas on the ship to view them from and from my experience it will not matter where you are. If they want to come up for air they come up.

Wow! I am so jealous! I was on the NCL pearl the same time as you and we didnt see any whales from our balcony (aft Facing). Last year I was on the same cruise, in the same room and we saw dozens. Thats why I was so disappointed I didnt see any this year. I guess its just luck if you are in the right place at the right time.

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crazymom107

crazymom107

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Can I ask what month you went? We are going in early March so I was told that was a good time to go. You really saw whales from the ship? We will be in a rear facing aft cabin. Maybe we will get lucky! Did you like the ATV excursion?

I saw whales from my aft facing balcony last year when I cruised during presidents week. This year I didnt ,although from what I read others did.

When we were in St Thomas our taxi driver said that St thomas has alot of whales during the month of march.

When we were in samana we went to cayo leventato.We went there last year too. Its a little pricey .I think I paid $49 per adult and $29 for my daughter.And for your money you get a boat ride to the island and beach chairs etc.Food you have to pay for. But I feel its worth the money because the beach is so beautiful and uncrowded.You dont get harrassed by people trying to sell you things. They have a bar and the beer is pretty cheap, $3 per bottle, $2 for tap.

They have people who will braid your hair and I think they have a massage tent.They have food for sale and a little market to buy souveniers(sp?).

Anyway, I love it. Its very relaxing and it feels like paradise to me. Just my opinion.

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  • 2 months later...
jcronin3175

jcronin3175

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Just did a tour with Terry and his company with 10 friends. AMAZING! Terry truly went out of his way to show us every possible thing to see throughout Samana in the DR.

 

Lunch and drinks were provided, and to the normal person you would expect a sandwich, and maybe some water. Not with this guy. Secluded beach, with ethnic foods, made my local people. Absolutely delicious!

 

This tour group is NOT TO BE MISSED!!!!!!

 

Find and contact him at www.toursamanawithterry.com

 

Terry and group are NOT affiliated with any cruise ship, so you will not find this as part of an off shore excursion....

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