Amber Cove Cruise Port — Attraction in Puerto Plata

One of my favourite places when sailing by cruise ship. Picture a jungle like forest and with no road in sight. Picture a cabana on the over the water right next to all attractions with row boats connected to the dock. The terminal of Amber Cove has so much to offer. Find a shoppers dream all in Dollars and great prices. As you enter the port, you will find the duty free that offers tax free shopping. Then just to the left of the duty free exit, you will find a walk way that leads to a cul-de-sac filled with many boutiques in little brightly coloured houses to choose from, each with their own unique items that cannot be found anywhere else. There is also a small market selling hand made items from the locals with everything under 10 dollars. You will find anything from magnets to organic tea, 100% raw chocolate and real Amber Jewellery. At the end of the shopping cul-de sac to your left facing the ship, you will find the iconic giant Amber Cove sign that you can stand in or climb in and around for great family photos. To the right of duty free, you will find a water resort with a river shaped pool and two slides. There is an open slide where you can try to take in the scenery while going down, but don’t hold your breath, its a very fast slide. The other is a closed slide filled with twists and turns that will make your heart skip a beat. Mind your head and lay down flat as you never know which way you will be going. I would like to warn you that these slides are under strict rules and follow all safety protocols. No loose items, no flip flops(slippers) or swim shoes, no cameras and no goggles allowed. So on that note, brace your feet for the hot floor on they way up although there are sprinklers on the floor, it can get quite hot. This might seem harsh but it ensures guest safety and prolongs the maintenance of the slide during park hours. This park is also fully wheelchair accessible ensuring fun for everyone. There is even a special chair that will help you get into the pool. It boasts a zip line reaching from right next to the top of the slides to the cabanas below (now you can imagine how tall the slide is), although this is an additional option at an additional price. Within the water park you will find a VIP area where you can rent a cabana on the elite side of the river pool with waiters to serve your every need. To the middle of the duty free exit, there is a small nature walk that tells the history of Amber Cove and how Amber was found back in the day. There are plaques to read and lots to see, it gives a history of the island and the attraction is completely free. Stand next to the giant mould of amber with creatures fossilized into the sculpture as you would have found it in historic times, pretend to be cavemen and take a historic picture with the family. If you follow the path up the hill, you will find a Sky Bar that overlooks the entire port. This is an attraction for adults only. It is quite a beautiful design in itself, shaped like a cage straight out of the movie Jurassic Park. Its magnificent location also provides guests with a 365° view of the entire bay and all its happenings. Unfortunately like everywhere else, the menu is not free and drinks are not on the house, so don’t forget your wallet by the pool or it will be a long walk down. Also on the top of the hill and below the Sky Bar, is a dolphin attraction (additional cost). Visit the dolphins and get a few memorable snaps while meeting a real life dolphin in person. But the island has even more to offer! There are many tours to choose from although I have to recommend you can book a tour that tells about the history of dinosaurs. Interesting fact: the movie industry shot Jurassic Park on the island because the dinosaurs actually used to be there! There are many bad reviews about the Amber Cove because of many deaths on the resorts, but these are far from the terminal. The terminal is American made and run. All food and drink are imported and safe to be consumed and not badly priced either. This I why I recommend visiting...

Updates: We visited again in late March 2024 on Carnival Venezia. We did a rinse and repeat of our last time here. It was much sunnier this time and warmer. We did try out the large hammocks to the right as you walk into the pool area this time. While they were really fun and nice in the morning as the sun got it they got really hot! even though they are semi shaded with pergolas. Also added a few new pictures. Picture tip with the "Amber Cove" sign, don't get your people to stand by the signs themselves as they are so far away you can't make them out. Have them stand about half way so the people fill out the area in between the signs.

• Visited on a Tuesday in late December 2023 on Carnival Vista. • We were first ship there and arrived at 7AM. We were off the ship around 7:30. The pool itself didn’t open until 8AM. Please be aware the time on land is an hour off of ship time. • We did not buy any extras including the water slides. We were trying to do this trip relatively cheap. • It was overcast at first and kind of raining/misting. It did eventually clear up in the afternoon. We only stayed out for 4 hrs until about noon. We knew there wasn’t much shade and we had prime choice of whatever we wanted. We hung out near the bathrooms in the back. We played near the bridges in the pool to use for shade. Soon after the carnival celebration arrived it was super packed and everyone was hunting for seats. We went around the pool a couple of times but as they got a loud music playing near the bar area, we just stayed at the zero entry part and played there. • We decided it was way to crowded in the pool and were hungry, so we went back onto the ship. • We did stop by all the shops before going back onto the ship. We wanted to look for pins of Amber Cover/Dominican Republic but were only able to find a couple at one shop and it wasn’t great but we were desperate and bought it anyways. There was a huge line at this point for pictures with the AMBER COVE sign. We just stood off to the side and got a picture instead of waiting. We also got pictures at the pier where it also had a “Amber Cove” sign. • We would visit again and probably do the same thing. Not sure if we would do anything different. Maybe get the pictures we wanted first with few people around and then go to the pool. It all depends on what time your ship arrives and if there are other ships that will be in port as well. You can check the port schedule before hand for the date your cruise should be there so you have an idea of who else will be there...

We did the Waterfalls of Damajagua excursion with our Carnival Celebration Cruise Ship. Do not be afraid to take on this adventure. Yes, it involves a hike, but they take so many breaks that you don't even get a chance to become winded! They also give you two bottles of water and encourage you to save them. We all ended up giving back a whole bottle of water because we didn't drink on the way up, expecting it to become strenuous! Drink your water! We went down 7 slides and were in the water for about 20 minutes. It is chilly, so any longer would have gotten uncomfortable. I wore long Irontide shorts and a rash guard swimsuit. This really helped me not to get beaten up by the rocks. My phone remained secure & dry in my pocket. We weren't too hot hiking up because you are mostly in the shade of trees. If you wear prescription glasses, the guide will hold them for you during each slide and then give them back while you are walking in the water. You can not wear sunglasses. I have a cataract, so sun exposure is not an option. I bought transition contact lenses, and they worked perfectly. You can see the waterfalls from the zip lines, just sayin'! The guides take awesome pictures and video's and sell them for $50 after the excursion. They give you a zip drive. You have to ASK where to get your pictures after the excursion ends and before you get back on the bus. They do not PUSH that sale like they do in Mexico!! We did not take extra clothes. We dried out on the hike down. You can rent a locker with your cruise Sail & Sign card, but we didn't need one. You can wear any water shoes or tennis shoes in the water. NO CROCS, though. After our excursion, my hubby and I took a taxi into Puerto Plata Town to see umbrella street, pink street, and eat at the authentic Dominican Republic restaurant, Polanco. We had two hours. The taxi ride takes 21 minutes EACH WAY. Trust the taxi drivers when they tell you that they WILL get you back to the ship in time! I wanted to go to the port chocolate shop, buy Mama Juana, and buy a Christmas tree ornament BEFORE going on our excursion. I took advantage of the island bikes to quickly get to the Amber Cove port shops, back to the ship and back to the Amber Cove port shopping area before our excursion (yes, the cruise dock is longer than usual). I knew we would not have time to shop at the port AND go into Puerto Plata Town after...