Taxis at Amber Cove

[koss78b2]

Like to ask if one can get a taxi from Amber Cove? as i am thinking of going to the Cable car and some other places on own. would i be able to get one there?

[parson33]

I am also interested in this and would love to know about how much it will cost to go to Puerto Plata and if any of the Taxi's take credit card.

[koss78b2]

hi this is what i got

"Again as in your other post the fares probably will be regulated by the cruise company and port.

 

However is should not be more than $10-15 each way."

 

depends on how carnival regulates where the cabs sit.

 

but figure i post in case others are interested, i am thinking cable car up and then maybe get taxi to brief city tour then go to a nice beach, any interested people?

[wanderingjew]

Taxi is 35 each way for 1-5 passengers I saw the prices yesterday

[wanderingjew]

I am also interested in this and would love to know about how much it will cost to go to Puerto Plata and if any of the Taxi's take credit card.

 

I have not seen a Credit Card machine in any cab in Puerto Plata I usually sit in the front seat i always pay in pesos but cabs accept dollars

[wassup4565]

I don't know a specific answer as to how much to pay, but my advice is to bargain hard - the Dominicans are hard bargainers and love the contest. Don't take the fist price offered. Everything is negotiable in the DR. My most successful strategy is to bargain for one thing, and then at the last minute switch. Like this: Okay, it's 50 USD to take 2 people in your cab to Puerto Plata. How much for 4 people? (Think math here - if you can get 4 people to PP for $75, you win.). Or, okay, we'll pay you $50 to take us to the cable car and wait for us.

Now what if you took us on a tour of the Malecon (seafront) on the way back? Would you do that for $60?

 

Dominicans have no problem with USD. You can negotiate anything in USD.

[wassup4565]

I love the DR and get along very well with Dominicans, but I would never give a Dominican taxi driver my credit card. I would also never use an ATM in that country. Pay with USD - everybody takes that currency.

 

No disrespect, but these are people who are willing to risk to try to tap into high voltage electricity lines (and string the wire back to their house) to get out of paying for their power. How good do you feel about the ATMs? Just use USD.

[Blue Mudshark]

I love the DR and get along very well with Dominicans, but I would never give a Dominican taxi driver my credit card. I would also never use an ATM in that country. Pay with USD - everybody takes that currency.

 

No disrespect, but these are people who are willing to risk to try to tap into high voltage electricity lines (and string the wire back to their house) to get out of paying for their power. How good do you feel about the ATMs? Just use USD.

 

Well, people are known to do that in my own home country (and likely any country) but I still use the ATMs here.

 

I wouldn't use an ATM in the Dominican Republic for a more practical reason. They deal in Dominican pesos only, and my USD would be adequate for a day in port.

[parson33]

Taxi is 35 each way for 1-5 passengers I saw the prices yesterday

 

35 USD each way seems expensive for a cab ride to the city. Where do they drop you off? What if you want to have them give you a private tour? It would be more than 70 dollars total? Dang.

[koss78b2]

anyone on the Victory for first week of November in Amber Cove want to taxi to the Cable car ? as i will be one person. and no tours with carnival go there, have to go independent or taxi on own

[waywyrd]

35 USD each way seems expensive for a cab ride to the city. Where do they drop you off? What if you want to have them give you a private tour? It would be more than 70 dollars total? Dang.

They'll take you wherever you want to go. There are cabs lined up at the port, and a price list is posted for popular places to go (I wish I had a picture, but didn't think to take one). Complain about the price, they'll probably knock it down a bit. We asked to see the Central Park and the fort, and he took us both places and waited for us to wander around and take pics. We had also paid to go to the Teleferico - you have to pay extra to go up on the cable cars, but it was worth it. We got some excellent shots on top of the mountain.

 

Be warned, every time we stopped somewhere they tried to pass us off to another "tour guide"...if you don't want one, you have to be forceful and send them off.

[Bob7]

35 USD each way seems expensive for a cab ride to the city. Where do they drop you off? What if you want to have them give you a private tour? It would be more than 70 dollars total? Dang.

Seems like a lot to me too, it's only about 6 mi /9 Km, takes about 13 minutes on Google maps to the mountain. Anywhere else in the Caribb that would be about $10-15. We want to take it to the cable car and hike up Mt. Isabel. I saw somewhere that as usual, the cabs at the dock are expensive, and if you walk outside the dock area they are much cheaper. That's the way it was in P. Valarta, cab to town was $10 at the dock, $5 about 1/3 mile out at the highway plaza, and locals/residents even got it for $2 from the Walmart plaza there. The Riu Resort complex right next to the Amber Cove dock probably has lots of cabs. Has anyone else checked out the cabs?

-Bob

[parson33]

Seems like a lot to me too, it's only about 6 mi /9 Km, takes about 13 minutes on Google maps to the mountain. Anywhere else in the Caribb that would be about $10-15. We want to take it to the cable car and hike up Mt. Isabel. I saw somewhere that as usual, the cabs at the dock are expensive, and if you walk outside the dock area they are much cheaper. That's the way it was in P. Valarta, cab to town was $10 at the dock, $5 about 1/3 mile out at the highway plaza, and locals/residents even got it for $2 from the Walmart plaza there. The Riu Resort complex right next to the Amber Cove dock probably has lots of cabs. Has anyone else checked out the cabs?

-Bob

 

We didn't end up taking a cab. We decided on a tour bus. But I will say, from the looks of things, I don't think you can get a cab outside of the cruise complex. It isn't like Grand Turk where they have vendors right out of the gate. Right out of the gate at Amber Cove is basically freeway. One thing you could do, if you are up for it, is walk to RIU (which is a walk of .75 miles I would guess) and then get a cab there to see if it is cheaper. That is a resort though so the prices may not be any better.

[koss78b2]

yes might be hard for cab at Amber Cove. was there in October and yes it is quite secure area to just get into. They almost make you take a tour there. if you took a taxi i think only way to get one is walk out to the highway. as there is a security post to just get into the main drive part of amber cove and u need a pass. not sure if taxis can get into there, didn't see any when i was there. so just a note to know

[becky48417]

No disrespect, but these are people who are willing to risk to try to tap into high voltage electricity lines (and string the wire back to their house) to get out of paying for their power. How good do you feel about the ATMs? Just use USD.

 

They steal electricity like that all over the US. It's not a good basis to decide on credit card use. Their ID theft rate is probably a better indicator.

[titicaa8396]

Hi guys you can take public transportation just outside the AC port. $5 pp Javilla Tours is the name of the public buses and they are safe. You can use them for the cable cars as well and to go to Santiago the next largest city in the country. when I was there we used then.

[Bob7]

Just got back from Amber Cove. Taxis are very well organized at the dock, taxi supervisors find out where you want to go, the price is $15/hour, they signal the next taxi to pull up, he hands your driver a paper with the negotiated rate on it and where you are going, and you get in. We did the cable car, then the fort, then walked the boardwalk in Porto Plata while he waited at a prearranged place, then drove to the shopping area (forget it), and then back to the ship, just over 4 hours, $70.

 

We pre-booked FiveStarDriver tours with Luis (driver) and Venice (owner I think), and they were good at emailing but stood us up at the dock, no shows, good thing we didn't prepay. Their email was fivestardr@hotmail.com The supervisor was great, called Luis on his phone, and Luis said he was not coming to get us, he found some other people. So the dispatcher set us up with another great driver, Paul, who did a good job.

[lizardhowson]

It's $35 each way for a tour of Puerto Plata ($70 total).

They will take you a few places and wait for you (we went to a hillside overlook, the beach, Parque Central and fort), driver waited while we took pictures and wife shopped.

 

Did not see any cabs outside of cruise port compound.

[Trumpster]

Seems to be a difference if views if taxis are at the port or not.

[Bob7]

Seems to be a difference if views if taxis are at the port or not.

You walk just past the port shops to a covered waiting platform like a train station, the taxis are lined up in an adjacent parking lot, and the taxi dispatcher signals each cab to pull up when he has a customer ready to go. There are lots of benches if you need to sit.

[LitchfieldParkCruisers]

You walk just past the port shops to a covered waiting platform like a train station, the taxis are lined up in an adjacent parking lot, and the taxi dispatcher signals each cab to pull up when he has a customer ready to go. There are lots of benches if you need to sit.

 

So I sounds kinda like the taxi set up in Cozumel???

[Bob7]

So I sounds kinda like the taxi set up in Cozumel???

Yes, except the taxi stand a Coz is for rookies or ppl who don't care about cost, if you walk out to the road and hail a cab they are half price. There is no way to do that at Amber Cove, but their prices are great anyway.

[Jgoodall08]

From reading everyone's responses I guess I can estimate it would cost $35 each way to go to a beach... But what if it's for 7 people? Would it require two separate taxis and cost 70$ each way or are their taxi vans that may cost less than 70$ each way? We have 5 kids and am trying to avoid spending thousands on excursions. Is the pool area near the pier nice enough to not go to a beach?

Thanks

[newcruzer2]

After reading all of the previous posts, I am unclear on the issue of weather cabs are indeed by the hour.

I ask because I once got a taxi to bring me several places in a different port city and it was the WORST , I am no lollygagger By any means but at one point the cabby took my hand and pulled me away from a plaque I was reading.

 

If indeed the cabs are by the hour I would be SO pleased , because one of my stops in Puerto plata was going to be a restaurant for lunch. And no one wants a cabbie giving them the 'stink eye' when I can't control a restaurant's speed of service.

[Juligan]

Seems like a lot to me too, it's only about 6 mi /9 Km, takes about 13 minutes on Google maps to the mountain. Anywhere else in the Caribb that would be about $10-15. We want to take it to the cable car and hike up Mt. Isabel. I saw somewhere that as usual, the cabs at the dock are expensive, and if you walk outside the dock area they are much cheaper. That's the way it was in P. Valarta, cab to town was $10 at the dock, $5 about 1/3 mile out at the highway plaza, and locals/residents even got it for $2 from the Walmart plaza there. The Riu Resort complex right next to the Amber Cove dock probably has lots of cabs. Has anyone else checked out the cabs?

-Bob

 

That is because they have to be registered to enter the cruise area to pick up patrons. Carnival has to get their piece of the pie.