Our Amber Cove "beach day" Budget friendly

[dharp]

Just got back from the Breeze. Nice trip. Researched before the trip and even though the Falls would be cool, didn't think the Hike would be something I'd want to do. I've been to the Blue Hole in Jamaica , and it was awesome, so we have that memory. So to Amber Cove, thought we'd just hang by the $85 Million pool area that Carnival built. We did start at the pool. It was nice, (tip: When you get off the ship and go thru the shopping area, hang a right. You can see the Cabana's on the water as you walk off the pier.) So we walked more towards the "lazy river" and bathrooms. We put our stuff down and was going to make a day out of it. For us, we'd rather be on a beach if we are cruising. So I left the family and went for the 10 minute walk to the taxi's. So for $2 pp they will take you to the beach that is right beside the pier. (beats the hell out of walking!) They want to take you to another beach that is in town for $50 round trip. We just stuck to our plan. 

So for a $4 snack from the pier. 

We brought our own water and snorkel gear

$2x3 plus tip total = $10 Nobody really hassles you . Guys want you to order drinks from them, some people were, we didn't. The guy who talked with us and led us to our chair, wanted us to buy from his shop. We didn't buy anything, but he had some decent stuff. He also let us know we could get Wi Fi free from the Resort that is right there.

Also Massage girls came buy. Seemed like the price was right $35 for an hour and they have a place besides the beach to do it. Then some lady came buy who was cheaper, but we declined. 

So for us, not just staying at a pool, this beach was fine! Had a tree line for shade, it was not rocky, and you could walk far out with no waves so perfect for kids. 

I did tip the dude $6 just because we didn't buy any drinks or stuff from his shop. He seemed fine. The taxi was right there to get back to the ship. 

$30 beach day, and we went back to the ship to eat. 

(You can see the beach from the Cruise ship if you look to the left of the pier. There's a few chairs and you can see the Resort buildings. It's nothing to make you say WoW, but for us, it was nice and relaxing. We'd do it again. 

[awtorrey]

Thank you so much for the information.  We will be there in February.  My husband and have been there before... we did a snorkel excursions... but we don't want to do that again.  This time our daughter and granddaughter will be with us so I'd like to do something beside hang out at the pool.  The only thing I would really like to buy there is amber.  Did you see any at the beach?  Or maybe I should as the taxi driver where I would go for some? 

[forwardho]

Dharma do you recall the name of the resort that was near the beach you used?

[lilchief27]

Did you not like the Carnival pool area? We are thinking about doing this for our Oct 5 cruise. We have done the waterfalls and are not really interested in other excursions at this time. We will have a beach day at Grand Turk so we were looking forward to checking out the Zipline at the pool area. 

 

Was there a way to walk to this beach without a taxi?

[Jules Vacations]

On 8/25/2019 at 6:50 AM, dharp said:

Just got back from the Breeze. Nice trip. Researched before the trip and even though the Falls would be cool, didn't think the Hike would be something I'd want to do. I've been to the Blue Hole in Jamaica , and it was awesome, so we have that memory. So to Amber Cove, thought we'd just hang by the $85 Million pool area that Carnival built. We did start at the pool. It was nice, (tip: When you get off the ship and go thru the shopping area, hang a right. You can see the Cabana's on the water as you walk off the pier.) So we walked more towards the "lazy river" and bathrooms. We put our stuff down and was going to make a day out of it. For us, we'd rather be on a beach if we are cruising. So I left the family and went for the 10 minute walk to the taxi's. So for $2 pp they will take you to the beach that is right beside the pier. (beats the hell out of walking!) They want to take you to another beach that is in town for $50 round trip. We just stuck to our plan. 

So for a $4 snack from the pier. 

We brought our own water and snorkel gear

$2x3 plus tip total = $10 Nobody really hassles you . Guys want you to order drinks from them, some people were, we didn't. The guy who talked with us and led us to our chair, wanted us to buy from his shop. We didn't buy anything, but he had some decent stuff. He also let us know we could get Wi Fi free from the Resort that is right there.

Also Massage girls came buy. Seemed like the price was right $35 for an hour and they have a place besides the beach to do it. Then some lady came buy who was cheaper, but we declined. 

So for us, not just staying at a pool, this beach was fine! Had a tree line for shade, it was not rocky, and you could walk far out with no waves so perfect for kids. 

I did tip the dude $6 just because we didn't buy any drinks or stuff from his shop. He seemed fine. The taxi was right there to get back to the ship. 

$30 beach day, and we went back to the ship to eat. 

(You can see the beach from the Cruise ship if you look to the left of the pier. There's a few chairs and you can see the Resort buildings. It's nothing to make you say WoW, but for us, it was nice and relaxing. We'd do it again. 

Can you please tell me where to ask the taxi driver to take us?  My ship was just rerouted and I leave tomorrow.  I would love to get that beach massage.  Thanks so much.

[dharp]

When you get out of the port, you can follow the fence line to the left a see the small beach. If It’s somewhere you’d like to stay, just let the taxi driver know. We asked how much before we got in the cab. $2 pp. Once we got in they wanted to take us to the other beach. I’m sure both places have massages, so either would be good. Depends on what you want. I think the beach by the pier is more laid back. Have fun, 

[sofietucker]

On 8/27/2019 at 10:48 AM, awtorrey said:

 The only thing I would really like to buy there is amber.  Did you see any at the beach?  Or maybe I should as the taxi driver where I would go for some? 

 

This is a very late reply, but: There is no amber at Amber Cove. It's named that for the brown-yellow (amber) color of the water there. Amber is a solidified fossil from the sap of evergreen trees like firs and spruces. It is found in the Baltic region: Russia, Poland, etc.

Edited November 18, 2019 by sofietucker

[awtorrey]

sofietucker, Thank you so much for the information.  I'm really glad you told me this, and now that I read this, I do kind of remember a LONG ago science class.  I'm also really glad that I didn't walk into a jewelry store looking for this "stone".  I guess I can cross that off my list.  Thanks again.

[MisElainieous]

Anyone know the cost of taxi for 2  from ship to Ocean World?  Also, is it worth the trip to get in the water with the dolphins?  Never have done than and this is our 21st cruise!

[Luvsnorkeling]

I saw a sign that said $20 taxi to Ocean World. Not sure if that was per person or for the entire taxi. Sorry on that point...

[MalleyCat]

Thank you! We've only been to Amber Cove once before and were less than impressed with the port-we can swim in a pool anytime. We cruise for the ocean. Our cruise last month was cancelled and our new cruise stops at Amber Cove, we were planning on staying on the ship. Now we have a beach option for a great price!

[EatonDoolittle]

On 11/17/2019 at 8:06 PM, sofietucker said:

 

 There is no amber at Amber Cove. It's named that for the brown-yellow (amber) color of the water there. 

 

Old thread, but I have to ask - where in the world did you get this nonsense? 

There may or may not  be amber for sale in the gift shops of  the actual Amber Cove compound, but there is most certainly a great deal of it available everywhere else in the DR.  Anybody who has been to that part of the Caribbean knows this.

See below.  

 

Millions of years ago, the Dominican Republic possessed the perfect conditions for creating amber. The combination of the warm climate and Hymenaea Protera, an extinct prehistoric leguminous tree, produced copious of amounts amber. Dominican amber is unique in that it is considered the finest amber available in the world.

 

 

[sofietucker]

44 minutes ago, EatonDoolittle said:

 

Old thread, but I have to ask - where in the world did you get this nonsense? 

There may or may not  be amber for sale in the gift shops of  the actual Amber Cove compound, but there is most certainly a great deal of it available everywhere else in the DR.  Anybody who has been to that part of the Caribbean knows this.

See below.  

 

Millions of years ago, the Dominican Republic possessed the perfect conditions for creating amber. The combination of the warm climate and Hymenaea Protera, an extinct prehistoric leguminous tree, produced copious of amounts amber. Dominican amber is unique in that it is considered the finest amber available in the world.

 

 

Wow! Great info! It was actually a travel agent who told me that, lol. I should have done my due diligence and checked wikipedia before posting. But thanks so much; I now have learned that:

 

Amber mining in the DR is incredibly dangerous and primitive (foxhole mining)

Much Dominican amber famously has inclusions and is transparent

A great deal of the Dominican amber is young, aka subfossil copal resin--which can be determined by seeing if the surface turns sticky with a drop of acetone nailpolish. 

The hymenoptera protera tree  also existed in Africa, Indonesia and Central America, from whence copal also was exported to make varnish and resin

The blue amber is made from said tree--and so also found in Indonesia

 

Personally, I haven't enjoyed my 3 previous visits to the DR, which involved soldiers with machine guns guarding the tourists... Guess that's why I haven't learned about the amber (which weirdly, was not featured on our ship's shopping & port info, as recently as this past December). Emerald shops in Cartagena felt safer, lol. If an itinerary takes me back there, I will have to hunt down the $$$$ Amber Museum.

Edited May 5, 2020 by sofietucker

[alexmom]

On 11/18/2019 at 9:37 AM, awtorrey said:

sofietucker, Thank you so much for the information.  I'm really glad you told me this, and now that I read this, I do kind of remember a LONG ago science class.  I'm also really glad that I didn't walk into a jewelry store looking for this "stone".  I guess I can cross that off my list.  Thanks again.

Actually, amber IS available in the Dominican Republic!!  Young amber is honey colored and older amber is much darker.  In fact, if you do buy honey color amber, expect it to DARKEN over the years !  Reputable shops selling amber will have a black light for you to examine the amber under.  It will glow under black light.  I use a portable black light purchased at a pet store!  I'm looking forward to purchasing amber in December 2021on my first trip to the Dominican Republic.

[alexmom]

On 5/5/2020 at 1:26 PM, sofietucker said:

Wow! Great info! It was actually a travel agent who told me that, lol. I should have done my due diligence and checked wikipedia before posting. But thanks so much; I now have learned that:

 

Amber mining in the DR is incredibly dangerous and primitive (foxhole mining)

Much Dominican amber famously has inclusions and is transparent

A great deal of the Dominican amber is young, aka subfossil copal resin--which can be determined by seeing if the surface turns sticky with a drop of acetone nailpolish. 

The hymenoptera protera tree  also existed in Africa, Indonesia and Central America, from whence copal also was exported to make varnish and resin

The blue amber is made from said tree--and so also found in Indonesia

 

Personally, I haven't enjoyed my 3 previous visits to the DR, which involved soldiers with machine guns guarding the tourists... Guess that's why I haven't learned about the amber (which weirdly, was not featured on our ship's shopping & port info, as recently as this past December). Emerald shops in Cartagena felt safer, lol. If an itinerary takes me back there, I will have to hunt down the $$$$ Amber Museum.

Ok, just saw that someone else answered your previous amber post, but now I have a couple of questions that maybe you can answer.  Why $$$$ Amber museum?  Is admission to the museum really expensive or do they sell expensive amber there.  I make a lot of my own jewelry and was hoping to pick up several drilled stones for a bracelet and necklace.  And when was the last time that you were in DR with armed guards!  That's pretty scary when just about every post tells me how "safe" the DR is!

Thanks for any info that you can give me ; )

[sofietucker]

We have been several times; I think it was 2013 or so when we had the guards. We've not gone out "on our own" at all since then.Here's more info, current from the US.govt., rating it next to the highest level: it says "reconsider travel." 

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories/dominican-republic-travel-advisory.html

Pretty scary.

Do note that there are several, not just one, amber museum and they are all affiliated with stores. I did see that several were free or low fee. (check Tripadvisor)

 

 

Edited February 4, 2021 by sofietucker

[sofietucker]

Have you looked on Etsy for drilled amber? You can find every color, shape and size, carved or raw, etc. , at every price point. From every country that has amber... Just a thought.