Amber Cove (Puerto Plata), Dominican Republic Port Reviews

I've got to say this was our favorite port! I think it was more our state of mind by then, than the place... It was a pretty and clean port. I had fun on the Zipline! But what we really enjoyed was relaxing at the skybar (amazing strawberry lemonade) where the weather was perfect, the view was incredible and we simply did nothing but drink it all in, talk, laugh and relax!!! No agenda, island time, letting go is HIGHLY recommended!!!!!!! WOW!!! Enjoy!!!!

We just got home a few days ago from our cruise. One of our stops was Amber Cove, Dominican Republic. We wanted to do an excursion that allowed us to see past the cruise port. After hours of looking through excursions, this was the one we decided to go with and book in advance. This excursion will truly show you the real Dominican Republic (town and countryside). You will meet at a specific zone once you get off of the ship (8:30 AM for us). Once everyone is there you will proceed to another area where you board the bus. NOTE - if you have mobility issues, it could be a little difficult to get up the steps. However, they were wonderful with older guests and making sure they got on safely. Our first stop was at a local school. Unfortunately, it was brief, but the kids are so sweet and friendly. If you want to bring toys/supplies for the kids, it's very much welcomed and appreciated. You will also get the chance to take pictures with the kids if you wish. We then went through many backroads of the rural area and was able to see real life in the Dominican Republic. Seeing everyday life in this country was truly one of the best things about this whole excursion. We then proceeded to a village and was able to tour a local home, see how many things are grown and produced, and we were even allowed to try some of the fresh products. They let us sample homemade bread, fruits, coffee, chocolate, and much more. You are able to purchase the coffee and chocolate! Afterwards, we headed to another area for lunch. The food was amazing and there was plenty for everyone. Drinks (non-alcoholic & alcoholic) are included with this excursion. After lunch you are able to explore the shops and change into your swimsuit if you need to. We then proceeded to the beach. It's not the greatest beach, but it was still gorgeous and we enjoyed the hour we spent there. Just a FYI - it costs $4 per chair at this beach, and a umbrella is included with that price. There are a few ladies who offer massages while you are at the beach, and it's included with your excursion! I did not get one personally, but my boyfriend did and he said it was great! Just tip them a few extra dollars when they are finished. Once the hour is up you will proceed back to the cruise port. Riding through the city going back to port was very interesting and eye-opening. Our tour guide, Eddy, was so entertaining and gave us tons of info. Our driver (Ramone I believe) did a wonderful job as well. The traffic is extremely crazy here, and he did a great job navigating us safely. We never once felt unsafe with any part of this excursion. Hands down this this was one of the best excursions I've ever done. Thank you Outback Adventures for our wonderful day!

Ok, Amber Cove has its pros and cons. I have cruised to Puerto Plata many years ago back when the ships actually docked in Puerto Plata and now I have been to Amber Cove. When visiting Amber Cove, you may stay at port and have a great time at the pool area and shops, all hassle free. Now if you feel comfortable about getting out and seeing the true town of Puerto Plata, take a taxi into town. Your taxi driver turns into a tour guide all in one. They will take you on a tour of the town that consists of the Amber museum, walk you down town to the center and let you go into a church where they talk about the history and a gift store that has everything but beware of the owner, he will watch over you as if your stealing from him but I just told him that I can shop myself or I’m leaving with nothing. He backed off. Than we went to the fort, beautiful area for photos. Than we went to a so called resort / bar on the beach. You can swim eat drink until you are ready to go back to port. All of this was about 20.00 dollars a person. I would suggest that you go as a group and stay as a group. Well worth it in my opinion. We still had plenty of time to shop at port as well.

I had a ball on the port from zip lining to drinking at the cool restaurant with the nice breeze and hassle free shopping a wonderful family spot second city I’ve visited in the Dominican Republic the people are so kind and welcoming

Great experience! We ported 6/13/2019. We were never rushed. The weather was great, the water was clear, and the people were friendly. We all need to remember we're on vacation and not nit pick on the little things. Make it your best experience. Have fun and rememver you're on vacation.

The Dominican Republic is amazing! There is so much untouched beauty. It seems as if you can see exactly where pirates would have hidden their treasures along the shore. Rolling hills covered in green with horses dotting the tops. We chose to get an excursion outside of Carnival so did not utilize Amber Cove. Though it was very large and very well kept and also very clean. There were several shops there, much like in Grand Turk though at least twice as many shops. I was able to get my passport stamped but not like in Grand Turk. The excursion we chose was thru Amber Cove Adventures. We had to walk for a ways to get out of Carnival's Amber Cove to meet our guide but it was absolutely worth the walk! Once we met our guides we were placed on an air conditioned mini bus with free wi-fi to use while we waited for the rest of our group. In all there was 12 of us but 4 did not show up.....their loss. The tour guide gave them ample time to arrive but finally had to leave without them. We were taken on a driving tour thru Puerto Plata. The area is heavily impoverished....reminding me much like the inner parts of Puerto Rico. We were told of the history of the island, Hispaniola. How it came to become Haiti and the Dominican Republic. We were taken to a town plaza where we were able to get out and walk around, exploring a little bit. There were people there dressed up to showcase the history of the Dominican Republic. You could also get your photo taken feeding the many pigeons. As well there were vendor's there selling the items that they craft locally. After this we were taken to a private beach, Playa Dorado (Golden Beach), where we had a private cabana on the beach. We were each given a Rum Punch and had a waitress who was ready to take any other orders we would like to place. We chose to have some of the fried plantains also called Tostones. Tasty! We spent 2 hours at Playa Dorado before having to pack up and head back to Amber Cove. Once back in the air conditioned mini-bus we were given another bottle of ice cold water and a package of banana cookies. We were extremely impressed with this excursion and highly recommend them to everyone. If you go and meet Milton....then you will have a great time!

Visited: Oct 13, 2018

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First time visiting Amber Cove and I fell in love. The port is super clean and new. We wanted to go to the water falls. Carnival excursions were a little on the high end, so we decided to talk to a taxi driver negotiate our price for a party of 10, to take us to the water falls and at the water falls we paid the entrance fee ($12.00 per person). With the $12 purchase that includes, helmet, life vest and two tour guides. There are a total of 12 water falls, but due to the limited time we were only able to do 7 water falls out of the 12. Once the hiking is done (it took a good hour and 1/2 to climb/hike), but once you jump in the water, you quickly know it was all worth the climb/hiking. There are natural slides with in the waterfalls, you jump off cliffs and the tour guides tell you were to jump. We have been to Jamaica, Dominica and El Yunque at Puerto Rico, but this was different and extremely fun!

Visited: May 12, 2018

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So, Grand Turk used to be favorite port....until we stopped at Amber Cove. I LOVED THIS PORT!! I would have gladly given up a port for two days here. After the slightly long walk down the pier, you go through a duty free shop. Great prices here on Dominican rum. The pool area is very similar to Grand Turk, minus the beach. The differences here: life size chess, life size tic tac toe, volleyball court, small basketball area, ping pong table. There are some hammocks (free), a waterslide (free) and a kiddie splash area. There is a zip line, $20 buys you a wrist band you can use all day. The restaurant by the pool area is fantastic, even though you just got off a ship with food this is worth it. Some items to try: Coco Loco (drink), Coco Cana sampler platter (fried shrimp, yucca fries, fried calamari, tostones cups) and the chicarrones.

Visited: Jul 31, 2018

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Amber Cove was by far our favorite. We decided to do the Waterfalls of Damajagua excursion and were thrilled that we did! The port is beautiful and the pool looked very nice. Would not reccommend leaving the port on your own, it is very different than what you see once you step off the ship. The excursion was unreal. The guides were funny and friendly and the views were gorgeous! We hiked up about 40 minutes with breaks and water in between, then made it to the first jump. I was very scared but the guides were nice and calm and assured me that I’d be just fine. Got great pictures and videos and bought the whole USB port for $55 so I had every shot and video taken. The food by the port smelt great but we wanted to get Guy’s burgers when we got back on the ship so we waited.

Visited: Jun 25, 2018

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Beautiful port. There is a water park free to the cruisers. And there are tons of shops. So that’s what I did. We decided not to book an excursion and just wing it.