Amber Cove

[realnurse2]

is Amber Cove up and running yet ? If so ,has anyone been there and what is it like?

[Essiesmom]

Check on the Carnival board. There have been several threads there. EM

[ClevelandOhio]

Apparently Amber Cove is operational. We are going there on the Queen Mary 2 on January 22 at the beginning of the World Cruise.

[Essiesmom]

Pictures start on post 70 on this thread:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2285914&page=3

 

Lots of tiny pictures on this thread:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2287395&highlight=amber+cove

[cruz chic]

Pictures start on post 70 on this thread:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2285914&page=3

 

Lots of tiny pictures on this thread:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2287395&highlight=amber+cove

 

Thx for the links.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Thank you for the links.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Pictures start on post 70 on this thread:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2285914&page=3

 

Lots of tiny pictures on this thread:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2287395&highlight=amber+cove

 

 

When I opened the first link, I thought "Oh No -- this place isn't for us -- all the cliff climbing, walking trials, jumping into the water, etc.

But the second link had many more pictures of what to expect and it is a place I can handle with a Rollator.

Thank you again for the links.

[Essiesmom]

If you scrolled a bit back, you would see they were on a private excursion...EM

[sail7seas]

Thanks for the links. I've been wondering about Amber Cove.

 

[ithaca gal]

A manufactured, sterile shopping plaza. The coffee shop has wi-fi. They can keep it.

[fourkittys]

From what I have heard and seen, I have no desire to go there.

[cruz chic]

A manufactured, sterile shopping plaza. The coffee shop has wi-fi. They can keep it.

 

I spent two weeks in the Dominican Republic several years ago. The place is a hole. Give me sterile, manufactured place any day. I've never known the Caribbean to be a cultural experience, nor do I expect it to be.

Edited January 2, 2016 by cruz chic

[foodsvcmgr]

I think many may be missing the point that this is a new docking facility with shopping and some other attractions and activities within its confines, but it is primarily a drop off point for excursions into Puerta Plata and the surrounding region of D.R. rather than just remaining within the port itself.

[iriemon]

We were there in December only the 10th ship to dock there. It is still new with some empty shops but really nice. There is slso an area with bars loungers and a beautiful big pool. It was one of our favorite stops

[sail7seas]

In the 70's, we used to go to Santo Domingo every winter with a big group of friends. The weather was fabulous every visit, we had great food, nice hotel and tons of fun. We found the people very friendly and perhaps because we 'brought our own party with us, we always had a fabulous time. We stopped in Santo Domingo years later as a port stop on our Millenium Christmas/New Years cruise on Rotterdam and we couldn't quite find what it was we remembered from those past visits. :D I suppose it was a combination of us becoming more sophisticated and far more traveled throughout Europe etc.

 

Edited January 2, 2016 by sail7seas

[ithaca gal]

We were there in December only the 10th ship to dock there. It is still new with some empty shops but really nice. There is slso an area with bars loungers and a beautiful big pool. It was one of our favorite stops

 

It is new and clean and sterile, yes. But you can't walk around outside of the manufactured area on your own. I would not recommend looking for transportation outside of the area other then on a pricey shore excursion. I found it to rate an absolute zero as far as a cultural experience. I can now say that I have been to the Dominican Republic but only technically.

Edited January 2, 2016 by ithaca gal
Typo

[hshowalter]

My wife & I were at amber cove in November 2015 while on the Qm-2. It is brand new & the prices were so high very few people bought anything. uite a few empty stores.

[JessWright]

I was on the Eurodam when it stopped at Amber Cove in December. I took the 2 1/2 hour city tour. It was boring! Our first stop was the downtown plaza at the big church. The guide split us into 2 groups. He led one group to the restrooms, while the rest of us were told to wait in the church. We waited, and waited. Eventually, people started to leave the church and followed a group across the street to a flea market. The rest of us headed to the waiting area for the bus. I was glad to get back on the bus. We then rode to a fort, and were able to wander around the grounds near the Atlantic Ocean. However, there is an EXTRA cost to go into the fort. We were not told of this during the tour. I expressed my concerns about this tour in my survey to HAL, and received a response that they were relayed to the planners and would be looked into. Generally, most, of my feedbacks have been positive, so I was glad to know that someone does take notice. Yes, there are still a number of empty stores in the gated area, but I am certain they will open before the year is out. There may be other tours that are more interesting. Hopefully, the city tour will be refined.