Taíno Bay Cruise Port, Shore Excursions — Attraction in Puerto Plata

I can't say enough about this place, it was WONDERFUL! We were on a 10 day cruise w/Dominican Republic being our last port. Prior to our cruise I had been online looking at the reviews and pictures, and as amazing as it looked it was even better in person! I took hundreds of pictures which I'll post as I go through them, but I couldn't wait to add my rave review to all of the others here! We chose to see the monkeys, and although it was worth every penny, I was somewhat disappointed not to have more time with them. The monkeys experience is about 20 minutes and you'll need to reserve a time so be sure to stop by there before anything else. A guide will lead you in (about 15-20 people per time slot) and after a short discussion, you'll be asked to sit as the monkeys climb ALL OVER YOU (which I loved!) They are squirrel monkeys so they're tiny and absolutely adorable, but they will pee & poop on you so beware. You'll get a minute to hold a bowl of fruit as the guide takes pictures of you (you can purchase the pictures but you are also allowed to use your own cameras when the guide says it's ok) We were told to remove any earrings and sunglasses when we booked the time slot, but it wasn't until we were walking in that our guide told us to remove any visible Band-Aids. I happened to have a bandaid on my leg and I removed it but since I had nowhere to put it, I held it in my fist as we walked in.. within seconds I had a monkey prying my fist open and swiping the bandaid which he then tried to eat, so please listen to the guide! The other attraction that wasn't free was the surf "pool". We didn't try that but it looked like those who did were having a great time. The lazy river was incredible and although, when it ends, you will need to wait on line to go around again, the line was either very short or at times non-existent (We were the only cruise ship there and if that's the norm, you shouldn't have any issues with lines). We didn't expect the drink prices.. although they weren't any worse than at home..but since we had drink packages on the cruise it was just a slight shock having to pay $16 for a piña colada. However, as I type this I have to admit that even if the drinks were twice as expensive, it was well worth it to just indulge in the whole experience. I left there thinking how unfair that we can't go back unless we come back on another cruise.. but if it were any other way then Taino Bay wouldn't be what it is! Posting a few random pics but I have videos that I'll go through and share. Hopefully you're reading these reviews because you're going to be...

We had an absolutely terrible experience booking a last-minute excursion through the representatives in blue shirts at the port. We were a group of nine and were immediately met with disrespect and aggression.

They demanded we sign a waiver without properly explaining what it was. When we asked for clarification, we were shocked to see that the form included outrageous language stating they had the right to record us, edit the footage however they pleased, and that we were forfeiting all rights. When we requested a copy of the form, we were told they don’t provide them. When we tried to take pictures of the document for our own records, one of the staff members grabbed my mother’s phone and yelled at her.

When I asked him to show some respect, he shouted, “You are in my country and you wanna tell me how to act?” I was absolutely stunned. It was completely uncalled for and incredibly unprofessional. You are where every single person paying you is a tourist . We are paying you and keeping you employed and you’re telling me to leave your country and shooing us away like flies as well as making threats ! That’s absolutely insane ! HORRRRRRRRRRIBLEEEEEEEEEEEE

NO CRUISE SHOULD EVER STOP HERE AGAIN! They are all scammers and frauds !

I chose to withdraw my consent by crossing off my signature and the same staff member aggressively snatched it from my hands and told me to leave and go get my money back. When we pointed out that on the ship, we always get copies of what we sign, he became defensive and said if we didn’t delete the photos of the waiver, they wouldn’t refund us.

It was manipulative, threatening, and downright appalling. The women walking around are extremely disrespectful flirting and bouncing their breasts around winking and licking her lips at men while their wives are right next to them. I could not believe the disrespect ! They were not even being discreet, I could not believe this! This was the worst excursion experience we’ve ever had.

I strongly advise others not to book with this group, and I sincerely hope the cruise line reconsiders offering this port as a stop. The behavior we experienced was unacceptable and completely ruined what was supposed to be...

Monkey Experience We decided to take the monkey experience and after paying and entering the foyer area we were informed that our valuables had to be stored in a shared box. I opted not to take the experience and stay to secure our valuables because I was not comfortable placing our valuables including passports, money, etc. into this shared storage box. Immediately I informed the attendant of my discomfort and that I will not take the experience. I also requested a refund. The attendant stated that the box will be locked. This could not take place because the box only had part of the locking mechanism. The attendant further stated he will delay the persons who were currently in the cage so we all came out together (what about the others coming behind us). Again, I stated that I was not going to take the tour. They then offered a locker for the cost of $5 which could not fit the bag because of the laptop and other valuables that was in the bag. They then offered the box free of cost. I again stated the bag couldn’t not fit and I was comfortable not taking the experience so to secure our valuables. The management and staff of the monkey experience refused to refund my entry fee even though I did not take the experience, allowing my family to take the experience. Stating that due to company politics they were unable to refund me. The Taino Bay authority even informed them that they should have given the refund to which they didn’t. I was happy to secure my valuables regardless. Taino Bay; customer communication is important, inform patrons of all policies prior to their signing up and paying for activities. My experience at Taino Bay was tainted because you failed to efficiently communicate the policies of your activities. Secondly, what if there was an unforeseen event preventing patron (s) from taking the experience?! Provide customers with safe, fair and enjoyable experiences. Thirdly, it’s the customer’s right to opt not to take an experience after paying...