Waterfalls question (Amber Cove)

I heard about the Waterfalls excursion after my PVP went to Amber Cove. She loved the excursion. I like to book with private companies to save money and have smaller groups. I need some suggestions about private companies. Also, is the excursion safe? I am definitely not going but if I plan an excursion for 4 members of our family, I sure don't want to book one that is dangerous. 3 are young adulta in their 20's and 30's and one in 60's. One more question. Do you definitely need to book with a company instead of taking a taxi there. Seems like I read someone took a taxi but then I assume you would not have a guide with helmets, etc. Thanks for any suggestion and information you can give me!

I was on the 2nd cruise ever to Amber Cove back in 2015 and I did this excursion with my parents and a friend. We did not find it to be unsafe, but it surely was a high adventure excursion, which involved up-hill hiking for 30 minutes beforehand, and fast trips down a waterfall, as well as an optional 25ft jump. I have not heard of anyone taking a taxi there, but we booked it using Iguana Mama, which at the time was the only company we could find other than through Carnival, and we did all 27 Waterfalls (they have an option now to fdo only 12 and start at the midway point. Here is the link : http://www.iguanamama.com/full-27-waterfalls.html I have never heard of anyone taking a taxi there, but that was the only time I have ever been to Amber Cove, so I haven't really tried to plan another visit to consider other options.

I would definitely recommend the trip, it was one of my favorite cruise activities. However, the port of Amber Cove, is so plastic to me. There is nothing to do other than a big pool and all of the cruise line regulated shops, which jsut suction money out of you. It is such a cookie-cutter, failed attempt at recreating Grand Turk and Mahogany Bay, and without the free beach, it really is not a very good port stop in my opinion. However, I would easily book another cruise there, for the reason that the Dominican Republic is one of my favorite places in the world, and the northern Amber Coast is a beautiful area of the country. So, if the waterfalls arent your speed, I would definitely recommend getting out and going into Puerto Plata, up the Teleferico Cable Car, to a nearby beach resort or to a public beach, a bus tour, etc. Something, as long as you get out and see this beautiful area! Enjoy your trip, I'd be happy to help with anything else.

I was on the 2nd cruise ever to Amber Cove back in 2015 and I did this excursion with my parents and a friend. We did not find it to be unsafe, but it surely was a high adventure excursion, which involved up-hill hiking for 30 minutes beforehand, and fast trips down a waterfall, as well as an optional 25ft jump. I have not heard of anyone taking a taxi there, but we booked it using Iguana Mama, which at the time was the only company we could find other than through Carnival, and we did all 27 Waterfalls (they have an option now to fdo only 12 and start at the midway point. Here is the link : http://www.iguanamama.com/full-27-waterfalls.html I have never heard of anyone taking a taxi there, but that was the only time I have ever been to Amber Cove, so I haven't really tried to plan another visit to consider other options.

 

I would definitely recommend the trip, it was one of my favorite cruise activities. However, the port of Amber Cove, is so plastic to me. There is nothing to do other than a big pool and all of the cruise line regulated shops, which jsut suction money out of you. It is such a cookie-cutter, failed attempt at recreating Grand Turk and Mahogany Bay, and without the free beach, it really is not a very good port stop in my opinion. However, I would easily book another cruise there, for the reason that the Dominican Republic is one of my favorite places in the world, and the northern Amber Coast is a beautiful area of the country. So, if the waterfalls arent your speed, I would definitely recommend getting out and going into Puerto Plata, up the Teleferico Cable Car, to a nearby beach resort or to a public beach, a bus tour, etc. Something, as long as you get out and see this beautiful area! Enjoy your trip, I'd be happy to help with anything else.

Thank you for the information. I will look at the other things you suggested besides the Falls also. I know the Falls would be something 2 or 3 of our family members would want to do. I am glad to know it isn't dangerous! That was my main concern about the Falls. I was afraid of someone slipping on the falls and being injured, or getting hurt jumping down 25 feet. I would be too scared to do it myself. The only other excursion I had been looking at was visiting an orphanage and seeing how the locals live. Thanks again!!!

Thank you for the information. I will look at the other things you suggested besides the Falls also. I know the Falls would be something 2 or 3 of our family members would want to do. I am glad to know it isn't dangerous! That was my main concern about the Falls. I was afraid of someone slipping on the falls and being injured, or getting hurt jumping down 25 feet. I would be too scared to do it myself. The only other excursion I had been looking at was visiting an orphanage and seeing how the locals live. Thanks again!!!

That's an amazing idea! I spent 10 days in the northern DR camping with the locals and doing some volunteer work in July 2016 and it was a lifechanging experience, they are definitely the happiest people I have ever met. The orphanage sounds like a great idea! I know Carnival offers some good volunteer opportunities here from the remnants of their previous brand, fathom, so definitely look into those!

That's an amazing idea! I spent 10 days in the northern DR camping with the locals and doing some volunteer work in July 2016 and it was a lifechanging experience, they are definitely the happiest people I have ever met. The orphanage sounds like a great idea! I know Carnival offers some good volunteer opportunities here from the remnants of their previous brand, fathom, so definitely look into those!

I will look into this. I had read about some people taking school supplies for them but others have said it is not allowed. Would love to hear from anyone who has done this excursion recently.

The waterfalls are amazing! Take a taxi as we have done twice and save yourself ALOT of money and have a better experience. The taxi from the port will take you there and wIt the entire time keeping your personal items locked in the vehiclee. We found a great driver from the port that we have used twice. We saved $280 plus he took us to other places he thought we would want to see. It was amazing. Those that took the ships tpur paid significantly more and only did 4 small waterfalls. We did 27 and still had time to tour the island. The taxis are regulated but you can negotiate a better price. Bring a dry change of clothes and be prepared to climb. It is beautiful. If you are physically fit you will love it

If you can do a social impact activity you should try it. They are amazing and life changing. Those activities are the best shore excursions we have ever done. It's a shame that they are not offered on all ships. Fun , interesting and heartwarming. You will get more than you give trust me!

When you take a taxi, do you pay to get in when you get there? Do they give you the helmets, etc. and a guide to help you when you take a taxi? I love the idea of saving money! We will go in January and have read that the water will be cold.

I have not heard how much damage the hurricane did in Dominican Republic! Praying for all the people in the path of the hurricane!

Hi,

Following. We would like to visit the waterfalls but are not interested in pre booking a tour (through Marysol or Iguana Mama) in case weather, anything else occurs that would cause us to miss this stop. Are there vendors at the port that offer this? Or is a taxi the only way if not pre-booked?

When you take the taxi your driver will escort you to the cashier desk at the waterfalls. There you can choose how many falls you would like to climb. After you pay for your waterfall climb, a guide will,be assigned to take you up the falls. The guide will get you outfitted with a helmet and life vest. The guide will be with you the entire day. Trust me, you will need him! You can leave your belongings locked in the taxi, which we did several times....no worries everything including our phones, purses etc were safe. DO NOT TAKE ANYTHING WITH YOU UP THE FALLS THAT CANNOT GET WET!! Everything will be soaked by the time you finish. There are showers and bathrooms and a bar at the falls. It is a lot of fun. Also, wear old sneakers or water shoes. You will be climbing on rocks, mud and in a forest. Have fun

One last thought about taxis from amber cove, we used a driver named Raphael Dias. I just asked for him at the taxi stand. He was a lot of fun and spoke English. Negotiate a price and you pay when you return to amber cove. Also, the guide at the waterfalls should be given a tip.

When i tried booking a different excursion through a company directly, they told me i could not do it if i came on a cruise line, as i can only book through the cruise? they are not allowed to book cruise passengers independently? This was for a Terra Cross excursion I wanted to do.

We are doing the Waterfall excursion in November on the Ecstasy. We booked it independently through https://www.shoreexcursioneer.com/amber-cove

We paid the deposit. It includes transportation. You do NOT have to book through the boat for any excursion. It is only a convenience. However, know that the boat excursion comes w/ assurance that if the transportation, etc runs late, the boat will accommodate that. If you go on your own and are late, it's on you. In most cases you can get the same options much cheaper by doing it independently and a lot of times that always means smaller groups.

Although we don't know at this point if the boat will sail to Amber Cove and likely won't sail to several other ports we are scheduled for ... according to the booking company, we will receive a refund IF the ship does not port there.

So if you took a taxi and then paid at the gate, what would the cost be?

Thanks.

We have booked a tour through Iguana Mama Adventure Tours. You can find reviews on Trip Advisor. It costs the same as the boat excursion but includes 12 waterfalls versus 7 waterfalls for the boat tour. You can also search this forum for Iguana Mama. All the reviews seem very positive.

One last thought about taxis from amber cove, we used a driver named Raphael Dias. I just asked for him at the taxi stand. He was a lot of fun and spoke English. Negotiate a price and you pay when you return to amber cove. Also, the guide at the waterfalls should be given a tip.

Where did you find out about Raphael?

I was going to book through Iguana Mama for the 12 falls, but then read that the admission at the falls is only $12 per person. Even if we paid $100 for the taxi and then $12 pp for 4 of us it would be $148 plus tip. To go through the tour company it would be $316 plus tips. It seems crazy to pay double just to have transportation already arranged. Are there people that have done this themselves? Thank you.;)

I was going to book through Iguana Mama for the 12 falls, but then read that the admission at the falls is only $12 per person. Even if we paid $100 for the taxi and then $12 pp for 4 of us it would be $148 plus tip. To go through the tour company it would be $316 plus tips. It seems crazy to pay double just to have transportation already arranged. Are there people that have done this themselves? Thank you.;)

We will be there next month and planning on doing exactly what you are. One thing I have read is that is go you out of the gates, you can get taxi's for much less expensive and they will stay with you for the day. Either way, this is much better than booking a tour.

I would also love to hear from others who have done this.

When i tried booking a different excursion through a company directly, they told me i could not do it if i came on a cruise line, as i can only book through the cruise? they are not allowed to book cruise passengers independently? This was for a Terra Cross excursion I wanted to do.

I have had the same experience a couple of times. Carnival makes deals with certain companies to do their excursions and apparently some of those deals do not allow the companies to book cruise passengers independently. Oasis in Grand Turk is one of those companies. Not all the companies have deals with Carnival and not all the deals are exclusive.

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Has anyone taken this tour through Holland America? Would it be similar to the Carnival excursion where someone noted only you only go to 4 waterfalls? We are traveling with children who would stay on the ship while we do the excursion, so we were considering going through the ship just to be safe. Thanks in advance for any advice!

Has anyone taken this tour through Holland America? Would it be similar to the Carnival excursion where someone noted only you only go to 4 waterfalls? We are traveling with children who would stay on the ship while we do the excursion, so we were considering going through the ship just to be safe. Thanks in advance for any advice!

I just got home from this port on a HAL cruise. The waterfalls are AMAZING and I would highly recommend them, all 27. HAL only does 7, I was told by another passenger who took the excursion. They had a good time, but it sounded nothing like doing the full thing like we did. It really was the highlight of our vacation, and we brought our 12 year old daughter who loved it too.

We rented a car right at the port, drove to the falls, paid for our entrance fee, was assigned a guide and we were off for the day. I cannot tell you how much fun or how beautiful it was, I really recommend you go see yourself. If you don't want to rent a car, you can take a cab. Renting the car was less money than taking a cab and we were in control of the time to get back to the ship. We also stopped at a local fish restaurant for lunch and it was delicious. We had plenty of time, no rushing at all.

I am happy to answer any questions. I am subscribed to this thread. :)

I just got home from this port on a HAL cruise. The waterfalls are AMAZING and I would highly recommend them, all 27. HAL only does 7, I was told by another passenger who took the excursion. They had a good time, but it sounded nothing like doing the full thing like we did. It really was the highlight of our vacation, and we brought our 12 year old daughter who loved it too.

 

We rented a car right at the port, drove to the falls, paid for our entrance fee, was assigned a guide and we were off for the day. I cannot tell you how much fun or how beautiful it was, I really recommend you go see yourself. If you don't want to rent a car, you can take a cab. Renting the car was less money than taking a cab and we were in control of the time to get back to the ship. We also stopped at a local fish restaurant for lunch and it was delicious. We had plenty of time, no rushing at all.

 

I am happy to answer any questions. I am subscribed to this thread. :)

Great to hear, thanks. Where is the local restaurant you stopped at and what’s its name. Also, was the process for renting the car easy? Did they rent vans? Thanks.

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Great to hear, thanks. Where is the local restaurant you stopped at and what’s its name. Also, was the process for renting the car easy? Did they rent vans? Thanks.

 

 

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So easy! Roads were easy to navigate too.

The place we stopped for lunch was not fancy, a total local place, but that’s what we wanted. It was located right on the road to/from the falls.

We chose our fish, it was a sea bass, a whole fish cooked in coconut..our daughter had plantains and we ordered a couple of local rum drinks. So fun.

Pescaderia Los Primos, recommend by the guys at the rental car place.

The car rental was a National Alamo location, and they were really professional, helpful and friendly.

I hope you all do this, it really was so much fun!!

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We wear glasses.

Can people with glasses do this excursion?

I don't see it mentioned.

Wouldn't be much fun if we can't see...

We wear glasses.

Can people with glasses do this excursion?

I don't see it mentioned.

Wouldn't be much fun if we can't see...

Yes, you can wear glasses, just hold them when you jump, and cross your arms down the slides with them in your hands too. One gentleman that took the HAL excursion who had glasses was holding them on his face while sliding and he ripped the skin on his elbow off. He said another person did the same thing only worse. Just do what the guide says, and you will be fine.

No one got hurt on our adventure.