Advice for our first time in Samana

[skidder]

Hi Everyone!

 

For those of you that have been there before, what would say is a must do or not to miss when going to Samana?

 

Thank you all in advance!

[danilynn17]

Book an excursion through the cruise line. I was in Samana several years ago - we did an excursion on bikes that stopped at a beach. Unless it has been built up in the past 2 years, there was literally nothing at the dock. Our cruise ship was one of the first ships to dock there.

 

Samana is a very poor place. We passed people who lived in shacks with no running water or electricity. It was one of those eye-opening things that really made you appreciate what you have, and guilty about the excesses of the cruise.

 

However, it is a beautiful place. There is so much natural beauty. When we visited it was very dirty, with a lot of trash. I do hope that it has been cleaned up- the tourism dollars will hopefully help with that. The beach we visited was beautiful (can't remember what it was called), but there was a lot of trash, which was a shame.

[jollycruise]

Yes, do lots of research and find an excursion that is good for you either through the ship or on the island. Samana is best enjoyed through a tour/excursion. It is a beautiful place with wonderful people. We loved it! We did the ATV tour and it was such a great time!

[mom kaplan]

We just got back from a cruise with a stop in Samana and I have to say that I would recommend staying on the ship. We booked a tour through Terry (it promised to be a great tour on ATVs but the pouring rain changed all that). It was certainly not Terry's fault, no one can control the weather BUT it was an experience not soon to be forgotten. It was not only Terry's tour that was affected but there were about 130 cruisers on a ship-sponsored excursion that lived through the same "adventure". I'm sure many other cruisers will post about their terrifying experience so I won't go into the details right now, but suffice to say, it's nothing I want to repeat anytime soon, if ever.

The "town" didn't really offer much from what we saw during our brief time there. I would not be the least bit surprised if RCI stopped offering itineraries including DR...between the Dengue Fever and what happened during our excursions, it may be best that way.

[nboubar]

We just got home from our cruise aboard the Enchantment of the Seas, Royal Caribbean. Our stop in Samana was memorable, I suggest scheduling a excursion through the cruise line. We were to do the ATV excursion, but it was canceled due to the heavy rains. In fact we were told that the ATV's were floating. It poured for most of the afternoon, it was the beginnings of Tropical Storm Bonnie. Some fellow passengers were on the 4x4 Safari Adventure and got stranded for hours in the wilds of Samana. We just walked around and got wet and looked at the immediate developing area.

[read52]

I was on the same cruise with the previous two cruisers. This is what I wrote to a friend that was thinking about a cruise to Samana.

 

Next we went to Samana, DR. Remember when you told me in Roatan not to go on shore (we did the monkey and birds). Unless you are going on a tour, there is not much to see. Even the tours were not the best because of the area. We did a discover Samama because it said we would see a whale museum, churches and some shopping. It was suppose to last about 2.5 hours. We were gone from 9:30 until 3:00pm. The whale museum had one set of bones and that is it. They stopped by a church by we did not go in. He took us in some poor, poor areas. We stopped in the middle of nowhere at a gift store. My husband bought some cigars. We also stopped at a "shopping area" but most people did not go beyond the "safe" eating place. We bought two bottled cokes, no ice. At the museum and first shopping place there were kids selling shells or just asking for money. I bought the shells at the museum from the kids and then gave each kid a dollar at the second place. I had heard that there were kids like this and so I had dollars. I know that both Haiti and DR are poor places. Now people who went on the caves and mangrove tours said those were nice. But on our way back it was raining so much that an electric pole came across the road and we were worried about getting back. But they pushed it out of the way and we got through. A group of about 118 people had gone on an ATV tour and came back about 3 hours late (it was an RCCL tour so they waited for them). There was a road that was washed out because of the rain. If you go on shore, check things out.

[bellarina30]

I believe the group of 118 were on safari/tour buses. There were a few of us on an independent ATV tour who got stuck as well. Samana is a very impoverished area. Throughout the ATV tour, we saw this extreme poverty (really makes you appreciate what you have). There were a few children asking for money, but overall the native people were very welcoming and helpful. The natives were the ones who pulled us as well as others across the flooded river (risking their own safety in the water). This is a port where I definitely would not get off the ship unless you have some type of a tour booked.

[firstrccruise]

Who do you book the ATV through?

[read52]

Book an excursion through the cruise line. I was in Samana several years ago - we did an excursion on bikes that stopped at a beach. Unless it has been built up in the past 2 years, there was literally nothing at the dock. Our cruise ship was one of the first ships to dock there.

 

Samana is a very poor place. We passed people who lived in shacks with no running water or electricity. It was one of those eye-opening things that really made you appreciate what you have, and guilty about the excesses of the cruise.

 

However, it is a beautiful place. There is so much natural beauty. When we visited it was very dirty, with a lot of trash. I do hope that it has been cleaned up- the tourism dollars will hopefully help with that. The beach we visited was beautiful (can't remember what it was called), but there was a lot of trash, which was a shame.

 

We were just there. The schools have improved but the trash is still there. We were on a bus tour and along every road there was trash. I don't think they have an organized way to get rid of it.

[lbt43]

Hi Everyone!

 

For those of you that have been there before, what would say is a must do or not to miss when going to Samana?

 

Thank you all in advance!

 

Check out http://www.casadoradoDR.com If I were you, I would book an excursion with them. If not, sure, do an excursion with the line, that won't be bad either. Not much do do in Samana other than to walk around at shops and if you venture a lil further, see some real dominican life. I have some pictures posted at my site via the link below if you want to get a taste of what Casa Dorado offers.

[mom kaplan]

Who do you book the ATV through?

 

We did our ATV tour through Terry. There is quite a bit written about his tours on CC. I would recommend him if you really want to get off the ship. Personally, I would think twice before I did that again though.

[RLM_NJ]

We did the Tours with Terry horseback riding the first week of August this year and loved it. We were 4 in my family, along with 7 others from Enchantment of the Seas. We met our guide at 10 am and got back to take the tender back to the ship at 4:30. This horseback trip was probably one of the best that our family has every done. I would highly recommend it.