La Romana - Vista Cruise 3/10/18

[Hogladyrider]

Well our Carnival excursion has been cancelled in La Romana, not sure why, but it really doesn't matter.

 

As this will be our first time visiting this port we are a bit lost as to what to do for an excursion.

 

We do not want an all inclusive resort such as Dreams. We'd prefer something via a boat to a beach etc.

 

Any suggestions?

 

Is this a port worth skipping altogether? We can just focus on Aruba and Curacao and we would not be too upset.

 

Thanks in advance.

[jamscckmc]

We did and plan to do again Catalina Island through Carnival. About a 30 min ferry ride. Really nice beach. Soft sand and clean water. The negatives are a hike to the bathroom. No food and only a rum punch. Vendors that come down from the shops and try and give you a free necklace so you visit their shops. It's expensive for what you get but we just wanted a clean beach to hang out at. If you want food and activities I'd look at Dreams all inclusive.

[Hogladyrider]

We did and plan to do again Catalina Island through Carnival. About a 30 min ferry ride. Really nice beach. Soft sand and clean water. The negatives are a hike to the bathroom. No food and only a rum punch. Vendors that come down from the shops and try and give you a free necklace so you visit their shops. It's expensive for what you get but we just wanted a clean beach to hang out at. If you want food and activities I'd look at Dreams all inclusive.

 

This is the excursion we booked with Carnival precruise, however, it has now been cancelled by Carnival and we have received a refund. We are just going to stay on the ship and use this port as another sea day for us.

[blue_water]

See other current threads, I've recommended the Seavis Tours excursion to Saona Island and the Natural Pool.

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2521857

 

In this thread I suggested Dominicus beach rather than Dreams.

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2608168

We've stayed at Dreams and the beach and pools can be quite crowded. The Dominicus beach is nicer IMHO, and you can see the town as well. And just $1 US/pp to take the bus between Bayahibe and Dominicus.

 

La Romana takes a little more patience when researching and many people stay on the ship and miss the natural beauty as a result. We cancelled a 2 week trip to Mexico and returned to Bayahibe on a land vacation because it is so beautiful. You can enjoy a beautiful beach, but we'd highly recommend the Seavis Saona excursion - great outfit, taxi is easy, an they monitor the Carnival port time changes closely. This one includes a gorgeous beach (Catuano Beach) with a great lunch and with snorkeling if you want that, a ride through mangroves and the rocks, and a stop on a sand bar where there are many starfish. Nice day with a great guide and staff!

Edited March 13, 2018 by blue_water