Excursion Help: Amber Cove and Grand Turk

[tallylass2]

My husband and I are currently booked in a 7-day cruise on the Magic, Oct.2016 to Amber Cove, San Juan, St. Thomas and Grand Turk.

 

Starting to do some research on excursions because we really want to try something a little different at each port and want to spread out the costs.

 

Have decided that in San Juan we will do the Old San Juan Food Tour. In St. Thomas we are going to do the Champagne Catamaran Sailaway.

 

Really need advice for Amber Cove and Grand Turk. Amber Cove I realize is still so new so my have to wait a little while, but have been thinking about the All Inclusive Coconut Grove Beach Break or Lifestyle Serenity VIP Resort Getaway. The pool with the lazy river sounds fun, but am worried about crowds and am not clear if this is a booked excursion. (We are in port 7 hours.)

 

For Grand Turk we were considering a pool cabana, but reconsidering the expense since nothing is really included. Now just thinking of maybe heading to Jack's for a quick drink then making our way to Barefoot Cabana. (We are in port 6 hours

 

Suggestions?

[Viv0828]

We are renting a golf cart on grand Turk and will zip around the island. We did this on Catalina island in California and had a blast!

[misslucy01]

Was on The Fantasy at Amber Cove last week. The Aqua Park at the port is free and there is a LOT of loungers. Top of the line pool. We loved it. We also did the panoramic view tour of Puerto Plata. Lasted 3 hrs @$29.95 per person.

[Jenhem31]

We love Grand Turk. It's just a beach day for us when we visit. It's about a 10 minute walk to Jacks. Beach chairs are free and umbrellas are $10.

 

The cabanas aren't for me as I want to be at the beach, not pool. I hear they are really nice.

[Manilow fan]

Was on The Fantasy at Amber Cove last week. The Aqua Park at the port is free and there is a LOT of loungers. Top of the line pool. We loved it. We also did the panoramic view tour of Puerto Plata. Lasted 3 hrs @$29.95 per person.

 

Will be at Amber Cove at the end of December:). Stll haven't made up our minds of what to do there - I know the port hasn't been open very long but very little feed back is coming from people who have already docked there. Are there taxis' waiting at the port to take passengers on tours like other Caribbean ports? Any recommendations? Who did you do your tour with?

[LuckyZ]

My husband and I are currently booked in a 7-day cruise on the Magic, Oct.2016 to Amber Cove, San Juan, St. Thomas and Grand Turk.

 

Starting to do some research on excursions because we really want to try something a little different at each port and want to spread out the costs.

 

Have decided that in San Juan we will do the Old San Juan Food Tour. In St. Thomas we are going to do the Champagne Catamaran Sailaway.

 

Really need advice for Amber Cove and Grand Turk. Amber Cove I realize is still so new so my have to wait a little while, but have been thinking about the All Inclusive Coconut Grove Beach Break or Lifestyle Serenity VIP Resort Getaway. The pool with the lazy river sounds fun, but am worried about crowds and am not clear if this is a booked excursion. (We are in port 7 hours.)

 

For Grand Turk we were considering a pool cabana, but reconsidering the expense since nothing is really included. Now just thinking of maybe heading to Jack's for a quick drink then making our way to Barefoot Cabana. (We are in port 6 hours

 

Suggestions?

 

My recommendation is for Amber Cove. Your best bet is to Google "Marysol" Tours and get a hold of Francisco. He offers many interesting and well priced tours out of Puerto Plata

 

We are on the same itinerary as yours in December on the Sunshine and we have ours booked

 

I don't think we have anything planned for Grand Turk as we're only there for a short time on New Year's Day (might not even get off ship)

Edited October 25, 2015 by LuckyZ

[misslucy01]

Will be at Amber Cove at the end of December:). Stll haven't made up our minds of what to do there - I know the port hasn't been open very long but very little feed back is coming from people who have already docked there. Are there taxis' waiting at the port to take passengers on tours like other Caribbean ports? Any recommendations? Who did you do your tour with?

 

 

We did our tour thru Carnival. Carnival made an announcement that the taxi's were very expensive. The port is behind a closed gate. They opened the gate and closed it again when our bus went out. We passed o e group of protestors holding signs expressing displeasure with the port being built. When we arrived in Puerto Plata, there was a lot of excitement and celebrating the arrival of the various excursion busses, but there was also a heavy presence of Police and Security. We left there to travel to street vendors set up at a location to see the statue of Neptune out in the ocean. We then saw we had a Police vehicle following us and the officer stood outside the bus for the visit. We travelled on to Fort Felipe and there was several armed guards and the same officer followed us and waited outside our bus while we visited the fort. With all this being said, we never felt unsafe but I don't know if we would trust independent tour guides yet.

[SocialZealot]

I live here in Puerto Plata (Cabarete). I have been here 4 years and I love Iguana Mama Tours: http://www.iguanamama.com/blog/amber-cove-puerto-plata-shore-excursions-things-to-do

 

As far as the armed police and security, I think our province is super happy to host some tourism since Punta Cana has been the subject of most of the advertising campaigns for the past several years. This is a big deal to us and I think the intention is to make tourist feel safe, but maybe they are being a bit overzealous in the name of not screwing it up. I have never felt unsafe here. I knew no one when I moved here from the US and the Dominicans are beautiful people. We could learn a lot from their culture actually. I digress. :p

 

You should feel totally safe when you are in this country, but as with any place in the world, be smart. You probably want to do your research and book a tour company with at least a website.

 

There is an entire section dedicated to transportation at the port and it is highly regulated, so presumably you should be able to trust the transportation you find there.

[misslucy01]

I live here in Puerto Plata (Cabarete). I have been here 4 years and I love Iguana Mama Tours: http://www.iguanamama.com/blog/amber-cove-puerto-plata-shore-excursions-things-to-do

 

As far as the armed police and security, I think our province is super happy to host some tourism since Punta Cana has been the subject of most of the advertising campaigns for the past several years. This is a big deal to us and I think the intention is to make tourist feel safe, but maybe they are being a bit overzealous in the name of not screwing it up. I have never felt unsafe here. I knew no one when I moved here from the US and the Dominicans are beautiful people. We could learn a lot from their culture actually. I digress. :p

 

You should feel totally safe when you are in this country, but as with any place in the world, be smart. You probably want to do your research and book a tour company with at least a website.

 

There is an entire section dedicated to transportation at the port and it is highly regulated, so presumably you should be able to trust the transportation you find there.

 

 

Thank you for the reassurance. As I mentioned, we never felt unsafe but on the same note, all the police left us wondering. The people we met were very friendly toward us. Could you elaborate as to what the protests are about with regard to the port. We are returning in February.

[SocialZealot]

Thank you for the reassurance. As I mentioned, we never felt unsafe but on the same note, all the police left us wondering. The people we met were very friendly toward us. Could you elaborate as to what the protests are about with regard to the port. We are returning in February.

 

I totally know what you mean. When I first moved here I was a little caught off guard by military with huge guns around their necks. It's actually kind of normal here. There are military stops all over for reasons of fruit and livestock checks, etc. It was the same when I went to Jamaica. At the airport there were military people everywhere with AKs hanging from their necks.

 

I hadn't heard of specific protests, but there is a video and talks that the port displaced a lot of locals. That is a pretty hot topic here in this country because it is technically 3rd world, so there is a delicate balance between creating tourism and displacing poor people. It is for sure something to think about as a tourist. I don't want to get too deep into my personal views on that, but this country is a very political country. It is election season and just like in the US, people use hot topics to make their points during election times.

 

I would for sure suggest venturing out a little and shopping local when possible. I know we all like to feel safe and there are time constraints with the crusies, but making sure the locals benefit is important. So keep that in mind. It's easy to do if you do your research and are smart. I mean, you would do the same for visiting NYC, right. So, the same goes here. I can see you are trying to do that, so I am not saying YOU as in YOU YOU, but rather collectively YOU. :) I just live here and love it here and I want everyone to experience the culture a little. I have made a strong connection with the locals, something I would love for more people to get to know and appreciate.

 

 

If you are interested, my friend writes a cultural blog that talks about things like this. She is Dominican lived most of her life in NYC. Also, a lot of really cool Spanish resources so you can have a little Spanish in your back pocket when you visit. That always helps! So make sure you check out the rest of the website for downloadable flash cards, etc.

 

http://www.unavainabienspanish.com/blog/

Edited October 26, 2015 by SocialZealot

[misslucy01]

I totally know what you mean. When I first moved here I was a little caught off guard by military with huge guns around their necks. It's actually kind of normal here. There are military stops all over for reasons of fruit and livestock checks, etc. It was the same when I went to Jamaica. At the airport there were military people everywhere with AKs hanging from their necks.

 

I hadn't heard of specific protests, but there is a video and talks that the port displaced a lot of locals. That is a pretty hot topic here in this country because it is technically 3rd world, so there is a delicate balance between creating tourism and displacing poor people. It is for sure something to think about as a tourist. I don't want to get too deep into my personal views on that, but this country is a very political country. It is election season and just like in the US, people use hot topics to make their points during election times.

 

I would for sure suggest venturing out a little and shopping local when possible. I know we all like to feel safe and there are time constraints with the crusies, but making sure the locals benefit is important. So keep that in mind. It's easy to do if you do your research and are smart. I mean, you would do the same for visiting NYC, right. So, the same goes here. I can see you are trying to do that, so I am not saying YOU as in YOU YOU, but rather collectively YOU. :) I just live here and love it here and I want everyone to experience the culture a little. I have made a strong connection with the locals, something I would love for more people to get to know and appreciate.

 

 

If you are interested, my friend writes a cultural blog that talks about things like this. She is Dominican lived most of her life in NYC. Also, a lot of really cool Spanish resources so you can have a little Spanish in your back pocket when you visit. That always helps! So make sure you check out the rest of the website for downloadable flash cards, etc.

 

http://www.unavainabienspanish.com/blog/

 

 

Thank you so much for the info. We are going back in Feb and will be prepared this time with plenty of $1 to share with the street dancers downtown.

[violetsmile]

I live here in Puerto Plata (Cabarete). I have been here 4 years and I love Iguana Mama Tours: http://www.iguanamama.com/blog/amber-cove-puerto-plata-shore-excursions-things-to-do

 

Glad to hear a local member of the community endorse Iguana Mama! We're excited to do the 27 Falls when we're at Amber Cove in March. I had vaguely been considering booking a Carnival excursion since the port is still new, but I hate doing that for lots of reasons. Will be happy to "shop local" through Iguana Mama!

[peppergal]

My husband and I are currently booked in a

Really need advice for Amber Cove and Grand Turk. Amber Cove I realize is still so new so my have to wait a little while, but have been thinking about the All Inclusive Coconut Grove Beach Break or Lifestyle Serenity VIP Resort Getaway.

 

Suggestions?

 

Anything with the Lifestyle folks (including Ocean World), be prepared to fend off aggressive timeshare folks all day. We went to Ocean World, and the pressure was unending. Our table-mates did the Serenity VIP and while they said the amenities were top notch, they were constantly having to say no to pushy timeshare sales people.

[joellebridgers]

We love Grand Turk. It's just a beach day for us when we visit. It's about a 10 minute walk to Jacks. Beach chairs are free and umbrellas are $10.

 

The cabanas aren't for me as I want to be at the beach, not pool. I hear they are really nice.

 

 

Agreed! Jacks Shack is a 10 min walk to the left of the port. Away from the crowds. It looks sketchy as you walk closer to Jacks, but you are in good hands. The staff there are all pleasant and the food there is amazing if your into fresh seafood like grouper and conch!

There water there was the clearest I have ever seen and their dog Topher is a riot to watch dig holes! And no pushy people trying to sell you anything!!

Edited November 17, 2015 by joellebridgers

[Shazzygo]

We are headed to Amber Cove in late December on the Glory. I prefer not to book excursions through Carnival. (Bad memories of being herded like cattle in Grand Cayman and waiting for an hour for people who missed the excursion.) Is it possible to rent a car in the port to drive to one of the beaches? Does anyone know the name of a local operator who does Beach/Columbus oriented activities?

Thanks!