Walking in LA Romana

[topaz123]

WE enjoy walking around most ports and were wondering if this is an option here. Can you walk directly from the ship onto the streets to explore on your own? Are there things to see and is it a safe place to go exploring on your own?

[JCJR]

We were there 6/24/15 and there is nothing at the port. On our way back from Alto Chavon we had the bus driver drop us off at the Jumbo Supermarket (larger version of Wal Mart) in downtown 20-25 minutes walk back to the ship. It is in a busy part of town with not much to do.

 

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[topaz123]

Sounds like the stop in Jamaica....not ocho but the other carnival stop. You either get a taxi or tour or you are going nowhere. Thanks...

[JCJR]

Also want to add that there is a $4 pp Trolley that leaves from the cruise terminal that can catch and make your own call if you want to get off and walk on your own. I don't know if it is a hop on hop off but that is an option.

 

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[topaz123]

Hmmmm....I'll have to check that out. We love to just walk around the ports to explore.

[cah14522]

Hmmmm....I'll have to check that out. We love to just walk around the ports to explore.

 

So how was La Romana? What would you recommend doing there, now that you've visited? We're heading there on the Conquest in about a week, so we're trying to get ideas of what to do in this port since we've never been there before. Like you, we normally enjoy just walking around the ports, exploring - sounds like that might not be an option here? Thanks!

[rtap23]

Not much at the port. There is the typical port store once you walk off the ship with liquor and souvenirs. Once you pass the store there are a few local vendors and a bar. Then you have the area with all the tour buses and taxis. That is it. We rented a car through Avis which has a kiosk near the taxi stand and had a great time at Dominicus beach and exploring. We loved La Romana.

[calicostorms]

Not much at the port. There is the typical port store once you walk off the ship with liquor and souvenirs. Once you pass the store there are a few local vendors and a bar. Then you have the area with all the tour buses and taxis. That is it. We rented a car through Avis which has a kiosk near the taxi stand and had a great time at Dominicus beach and exploring. We loved La Romana.

 

Can you say how much it was to rent the car and how safe did you feel driving on your own. We are thinking of driving to Altos and one or two cigar places - wondering if that is a good idea or if we should just stick to a tour...

thanks

[rtap23]

Can you say how much it was to rent the car and how safe did you feel driving on your own. We are thinking of driving to Altos and one or two cigar places - wondering if that is a good idea or if we should just stick to a tour...

thanks

 

I believe the car rental was in the $60 range. We felt safe driving however we usually travel a lot and always rent cars. If you are intimidated driving in new surroundings I would suggest to stay away from downtown La Romana. Driving there is a bit chaotic but towards Altos is pretty much normal roads. Altos is not very far from the port so you might want to consider a taxi

[LandlockedCruiser01]

I've walked around La Romana while on a family vacation in Dominican Republic (at an AI) as a teenager. It wasn't a pleasant sight. While the old churches and city parks looked nice, there was a lot of poverty, not to mention the garbage and wastewater littering the roadsides. There were also quote a few kids begging on the sidewalks. Since I'm the only one in the family who speaks Spanish, I had to raise my voice at them to get them to leave us alone. Not to mention it was happening on a weekday during school hours.

 

Altos de Chavon (bus excursion from the AI) was really nice, though. The fake-historic architecture looked very believable. I ended up taking lots of pictures, and had a great conversations with one local artist there. He told me a lot of good stuff about his life story and his work. He also offered me to buy his crafts, but I polite declined, since there was no room to transport them back to the US.

Edited March 6, 2016 by LandlockedCruiser01

[Myscruf]

Thinking of going to the park Padre Nuestro on our cruise in July. Do you know of this park? How safe is taking a taxi from port? How is easy is it to get one back?