Jump to content
Cruise Critic Community

Port of call; La Romana Dominican Republic

tazprey

By tazprey,
in Dominican Republic

 Share

Recommended Posts

tazprey

tazprey

Posted
Posted (edited)

Sailing on Carnival Breeze at the end of March, one of the ports of call is La Romana. Having difficulty deciding on doing an excursion or staying on the ship. Most of the reviews that I've read mention that the guests stayed on the ship instead of doing an excursion. We've narrowed it down to two; Taino Indian Cave and Catamaran sail and snorkel. Has anyone taken either of these? Were they worth it? Should we just stay on ship? Is there any other excursion we should consider?

Edited by tazprey
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Tapi Great Review Rare

Tapi

Posted
Posted (edited)

There are two types of passengers that visit La Romana: those who don't do any research, don't go too far from the pier and hate it, and those who do some research, explore beyond the pier and love it.

 

We were in La Romana on our honeymoon cruise, and due to an itinerary change, we ended up docked in La Romana for 2 nights!! :eek:

 

What some may have considered a disaster, we considered to be a blessing in disguise. We were forced to do some research or be stuck on the ship.

 

We spent one day in Altos de Chavon, a beautiful artist village which was built as part of a movie set, but now greets visitors with its shops, architecture, open air auditorium, and great views.

 

On the second day, we took a horseback riding tour at the Casa de Campo resort grounds. Wonderful! It was very laid back and relaxing, with great views of the ocean as well as the hills in the area. The tour guide was excellent, offering insight about the things we saw along the way.

 

Finally, we took a day tour to Catalina Island (comparable to a day at Half Moon Cay or other private beaches). Great day to relax on a powder white sand beach with water sports, a little bit of light shopping, and an outdoor barbecue in a pavilion.

 

We did a little bit of walking around the area right near the port, and we understand why La Romana gets bad reviews from people that don't venture beyond this area. It's run down, ugly, and crowded. There are some hidden stores which offer bargain prices, but they are not for the tourist who doesn't feel comfortable getting away from their comfort zone.

 

Have a great time. La Romana is a wonderful place!

Edited by Tapi
Link to comment
Share on other sites
momof4boys

momof4boys

Posted
Posted

LOVED La Romana!!!!! Our group of 13 did the Seavis Tour Private Saona Island tour. Beautiful Island, great food, amazing natural beauty and the best part.....the Star Fish bed!!

 

My 23 year old son told a friend about this port. He investigated it and booked his honeymoon there at an AI.

 

Do not miss this port. It ended up being our favorite all time port!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
bucks724

bucks724

Posted
Posted

I am DEFINITELY in the LOVE La Romana group. I almost stayed on the ship that day too, but didn't want to waste a warm day in the Caribbean. I did my research on the Port of Call board and found Seavis. I can't WAIT to go back and do it again. Just email them through their website and reserve the Seavis Saona Special and tell them when you're coming. You won't regret it.

 

Also, don't waste your time on the catamaran sail & snorkel excursion. Those people looked bored when we passed them on our speedboat! :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites
K&P Luv2Cruise

K&P Luv2Cruise

Posted
Posted
Sailing on Carnival Breeze at the end of March, one of the ports of call is La Romana. Having difficulty deciding on doing an excursion or staying on the ship. Most of the reviews that I've read mention that the guests stayed on the ship instead of doing an excursion. We've narrowed it down to two; Taino Indian Cave and Catamaran sail and snorkel. Has anyone taken either of these? Were they worth it? Should we just stay on ship? Is there any other excursion we should consider?

 

We were in La Romana in November 2011, and signed up for Carnival's Sail and Snorkle excursion. We were truly disappointed, as the catamaran used was run down, and their snorkle equipment was sub standard (we had brought our own though).

 

The boat had a very difficult entry back on board, as the ladder only had one step lower than the hull, which caused it to be difficult to 'step-up', and we were only taken to 1 site where not a lot of sea life were.

 

Would definitely not take this excursion again. However another member of our group went off with others from the ship to do some shopping outside of the cruise area, and had a blast.

 

Do your research, but as others have stated, you may have more luck on the ports of call board here on CC.

 

Enjoy your cruise !

Link to comment
Share on other sites
tazprey

tazprey

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Thanks for all the information! We are definitely not interested in the Dreams resort thing (just not our thing) however great information posted and is getting us a little more interested in checking out this port. I keep hearing about this Seavis tour so will definitely look into it. Thanks again.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
HuntsvilleCruiser

HuntsvilleCruiser

Posted
Posted (edited)

We'll be there Sept 3 and will definately look into the Seavis tour. We've never been to La Romana, but as far as the Carnival Sail & Snorkel tours go, we've now done several at various other ports never been happy with any of them. I am finding that booking a private excursion provides the best for the money. Yes, there is that outside chance if something goes wrong you may miss the ship - but the ones that are reputable will get you back no problem.

Edited by HuntsvilleCruiser
Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • 3 weeks later...
lifesabeach123

lifesabeach123

Posted
Posted

Here's a list of reputable, independent, excursion companies who cater to cruise ship passengers docking at La Romana Port. Most will be based in Bayahibe, a small, safe fishing village 15 minutes from port. They are all used to dealing with cruise ships so will get you back to port in good time!

 

Seavis (Saona Island boat tours) http://www.seavisbayahibe.com

 

Bayahibe Fishing Centre (also do Saona Island boat tours) http://www.bayahibefishingcentre.com

 

ProExcursions (Saona tours) http://www.proexcursionsbayahibe.com/snorkling-tours/index.aspx

 

BayahibeSUP (stand up paddle boarding, Bayahibe has perfect condtions for SUP) http://bayahibesup.com

 

Diving Dom Rep http://divingdr.com

 

Wild Ranch Canopy (zip lines) http://www.wild-ranch-canopy.blogspot.com

 

You can read their reviews on Trip Advisor under the Activities tab http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g663484-Activities-Bayahibe_La_Altagracia_Province_Dominican_Republic.html

 

Have fun!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • 3 months later...
Smallbore

Smallbore

Posted
Posted
We are doing Seavis in May!

 

Hey, Mizzouaholic, how did you like your itinerary and Seavis in May? We are from Nixa as well and my wife and I as well as a large portion of her family are doing the same one in November.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • 3 months later...
Mizzouaholic

Mizzouaholic

Posted
Posted (edited)
Hey, Mizzouaholic, how did you like your itinerary and Seavis in May? We are from Nixa as well and my wife and I as well as a large portion of her family are doing the same one in November.

 

I just saw your post and since you haven't sailed yet I guess it's not too late! We absolutely loved the itinerary and Seavis was great! Book Seavis independently instead of through Carnival. If you'd like I can email you some pics of the Seavis tour(jthomp05 at yahoo dot com). Aruba was awesome as well. we did the jolly pirates there and had a fabulous time snorkeling, drinking the free rum, and swinging off the rope swing on our pirate ship. We booked a tour through Irie tours in curaçao and I can't remember the exact price, but it was really cheap...like $15 or so for an island tour, all the beer and soda you could drink and then you visited a curaçao liquor factory and then spent time at a beautiful beach. I bought my wife a fairly inexpensive massage on the beach in grand turk($30 for a half hour) and we hung out at the pool in margaritaville.

Edited by Mizzouaholic
Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • 4 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...
lifesabeach123

lifesabeach123

Posted
Posted (edited)
Are there vans or shuttles to rent when you get off, we have a group of 11 that would like to go to the Taino Indian caves and also just see the country. Is this possible?

 

At La Romana port there are taxis/minivans. The Cueva de las Maravillas is about 35 minutes west of the port. See http://explorelaromana.com/en/ecological-adventures/#28

 

They are open Tues-Sun entry adults: 200rd ($US5) kids: 50rd ($US2). Flash photography is not allowed inside the caves.

 

Taxi price will depend on your negotiation skills. For a group of 11 expect around $US15 pp round trip.

Edited by lifesabeach123
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
 Share
Go to topic listing
  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • ANNOUNCEMENT: Set Sail Beyond the Ordinary with Oceania Cruises
      • ANNOUNCEMENT: The Widest View in the Whole Wide World
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Cruise Critic News & Features
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...