looking for local tours in La Romana

[mara93]

Would someone know the cost of a taxi to Dreams?

[JUST TRIPPIN']

Best guesstimate...last time I heard it was approximately $40 roundtrip PER TAXI. Dominican laws state you can have a maximum of 5 passengers. So having said that, as long as you share the ride, not expensive at all. Personally, I think $40 each way may be the correct answer as it is between 20-30 minutes to get there. Think of what you would pay where ever you are.

 

This port has such little information even with regards to transportation. I am sure there is also vans that could take more but I must admit, I don't know that for sure.

 

Do only take legitimate taxis. I hear that there is a " taxi boss " at the gates, so this shouldn't be an issue. When we stayed at the hotel, we were offered private rides from unregistered drivers for a lot less. The hotel manager who we got to know advised against it.

 

For those wondering how to get in touch with the Dreams Resort in La Romana, this is the email address you can use. groups.drelr@dreamsresorts.com The woman in charge is Shirley Sanchez. This is her info...

 

Shirley Sánchez

Groups & Conventions Manager

Dreams La Romana Resort & Spa

Playa Bayahibe, La Romana

809 221 8880 Direct Line 809 285 8883

[Paumavista]

We researched a variety of options.....what to do in LaRomana.......we love the beach and water activities but there wasn't alot of information here about the port.

 

We settled on a fishing and snorkeling day with the Bayahibe fishing center after reading about them on TripAdvisor www.bayahibefishingcentre.com

 

They had a driver meet us at the port....right outside the gate and take our family of six in a van to Bayahibe where we met our chartered boat. We fished (my son caught a 45lb Wahoo :D), snorkeled where the starfish are, and had time for a little more snorkeling at the end of the day. They fed us sandwiches and provided drinks & snacks.

 

I wish we had done more snorkeling but there is only so much time in the day.

 

I am so glad we decided to get off the ship and explore some of this area! We had a really good day and recommend you check out the link and this company on TripAdvisor. We were on the Carnival Miracle and were in port from 9am to 5pm.

 

If you have specific questions, Panamoka1958 at Yahoo dot com

Judy

[6pajank6]

I am planning a cruise next month on Carnival Valor for 24 adults. I had heard mixed reviews about the Dom. Republic, but after reading this thread, I have already contacted Dreams and have gotten a $60/day/person day pass. Thanks so much for the information!

[sallyb]

My friend called Dreams this morning and they said they don't do day passes! How did you contact them to get one?

[AmandaKaye79]

We booked this tour for our July cruise. It has great reviews on trip advisor. I emailed them and they replied within the day. I hope it ends up being as fun as the reviews say it is... I copied the info straight from their website.

 

Saona Carnival Special

 

 

 

"Isla Saona - Eco-Adventure"

 

</B>

 

The perfect tour for Carnival cruise passengers, wedding parties and larger families.

 

</B>

SeavisTours is considered the no 1 attraction in Bayahibe by the reviewers of Tripadvisor.com. Our Saona Crusoe VIP is considered the best boat excursion in the whole of the Dominican Republic (please read the reviews). The Saona Crusoe VIP is available for passengers of Mein Schiff 2 and AIDA, docking in La Romana. For the passengers of the Carnival ships we have developed the Saona Special: based on the same principles as all our tours: small groups, expert guiding and care for the environment. On request of numerous passengers of Carnival we have shortend the tour a bit: WE WILL BE BACK IN BAYAHIBE AT 03:15PM.... You will be back in time on the ship.</B> For the ships that arrive at 10:00am the time table on the left shifts with 1 hour.

The Saona Special combines the main attractions of the area and has something for everybody: great snorkeling, nature, artisan shopping, beach time and a nice lunch. All with an incredible scenery. The Saona Special fits the time-table of the ships and avoids the longer boat trip of our regular excursions. Guests from the resorts in Bayahibe, Dominicus and Punta Cana can also book this tour. The guiding will be in English and German. This tour explores the attractions in the National Parque del Este in a relaxed way.

Click here to open the slide show.

Itinerary:</B>

</B>We will meet in our visitors center in Bayahibe from where we board the motorboat and the adventure begins. After leaving Bayahibe we proceed along the coastline of the Parque Nacional del Este (National Park of the East) until we get to the rocks of Penón</B>, once home to the aboriginal Tainos. When lucky, we see iguanas in their rocky playground which can be 2 feet long. The guide will tell you about the history of the Parque Nacional del Este.

The boat then goes along and through the Mangroves</B> into the Bay of Calderas. The mangroves are the nursery of the ocean through the protection and food they provide. We will see a lot of baby fish, more starfish and, on occasion, nurse sharks and big stingrays in a very serene environment. In the Bay of Calderas you will be able to observe frigate birds and pelicans nesting in the mangroves and soaring overhead. You can almost touch them.

 

Next we cross the Catuano Channel to the Island of Saona</B>. We arrive at Catuano Beach</B>: a beautiful beach lined with palm trees and gifted with cristal clear water and pure white sand.

Those who want can join the snorkel tour at "the Piers"</B>. In front of Catuano beach there is an old pier, destroyed by a hurricane. The remaining concrete pillars are teaming with fish and a heaven for snorkelers. Our guide will give snorkel instruction to those who want and he will guide a tour around the Piers. The dept of the water ranges from 3 ft. to 20 ft. (1 to 5 meters). Experienced snorkelers can explore the pillars by themselves. You have never seen so many fish in all their shapes and colors.

The beach has beach chairs and hammocks and we will enjoy a traditional Dominican buffet lunch, with grilled chicken, pork chops, a tuna salad and an array of salads, pastas and fruits. You can enjoy the beach, swim or scroll along the little artisan - souvenir shops. </B>

On the way back to Bayahibe we stop at the "Piscina Natural"</B>, the famous natural swimming pool. This large sand bank is well-known for the indigenous starfish which really do live there! You enjoy a drink on the sand bank in the middle of the sea and can see the starfish in their natural habitat among the grasses. The water is shallow -even far from the shore it will never be more than waist deep- and the colors of the water are incredible turquoise and blue.

In the afternoon, the boat returns to Bayahibe, a 30 minute thrill-ride away!

For cruise passengers: the transfer from the cruise port to Bayahibe:

The taxi fares from the cruise port to Bayahibe (25 minutes) and back will be arranged by "TAXI CASA DE CAMPO". As soon as you leave the ship, you'll see the coordinator of the taxi association with a sign "TAXI CASA DE CAMPO". Please report to the coordinator and she will make sure you will be in the proper taxi. The costs for the round trip taxi fare is $15pp, payable in cash to us on arrival in Bayahibe. We'll make sure the taxis are on time for the return fare, so you don't miss the ship...

Here you view a Google Earth image with the view of the Cruise Port:

La Romana Cruise Port View; the Taxi coordinator should be on the indicated spot. If she is not there for some reason than please follow the arrows to the Taxi Information Building (left top corner of the parking).

 

Here you can download a PDF with the directions to our Seavis Visitors center in Bayahibe; you can also show this to the taxi driver if necessary.

For resort guests: the transfer to Bayahibe:

The transfer from the Bayahibe and Dominicus resorts is included in the price. The pick up for Iberostar Hacienda Dominicus, Catalonia Gran Dominicus and Oasis Canoa (Be Life Canoa) is at 09:30am in the reception. Guests from the Viva Wyndham Palace and Beach resorts meet in our office in the shoppings street of Dominicus at 09:30am. Dreams La Romana guests can walk to our meeting point in Restaurant Leidy in the bay of Bayahibe, we meet at 09:45am. Guests from Punta Cana are picked up at 08:00am in the reception of the hotel, for Punta Cana guests a transport surcharge of $25 pp is applicable.

SeavisTours is the no 1 attraction Bayahibe:

A quality excursion and personal attention are guaranteed. All of our tours are led by multi-lingual and knowledgeable guides.

 

For guests of the Bayahibe / Dominicus resorts: check also the Sunset Tour.

For more information and reservations: seavistours@yahoo.de

 

[sallyb]

We are also looking at this tour for our Valor cruise in 2 weeks. It's between this and Dreams.

[Jules~Marie]

Thanks for the info AmandaKaye79. Do you know how much the tour is? I'm thinking this is probably a better place to go to instead of the Carnival sponsored Bayahibe Beach Break...

 

Thanks! :)

[sallyb]

The Seavis tour for Carnival ships is $65, plus $15 for taxi fare. Check their website, lots of good info there.

[AmandaKaye79]

Yes, it cost $65 per adult and then the taxi fee is $15 per person round trip. They handle reserving the taxi for you to make sure you are on time for the excursion and on time to get back to the ship. From everything I've read, this is designed especially for Carnival ship passengers. Their website does have some great information if you search for Seavis Saona Special, you should be able to pull up the website.

[cawagner]

We visited La Ramona back in 08' and took a Carnival excursion to Bayahibe Beach resort...there wasn't alot of information about it back then and now, three years later, we are going back to La Ramona (not by choice...we booked for Aruba and Curacao =) ) and there still isn't alot of information...when we booked this upcoming cruise we were supposed to go to Catalina Island including a BBQ hosted by Carnival and now that is cancelled...so it's back to surfing the net for an excursion.

 

Like everyone else...I Welcome ideas and past experiences.

 

Same here...I have heard some not so good things and some ok things about this stop. We may just end up staying on the ship.

[Publius1787]

We visited Altos De Chavon just after this past Thanksgiving and it cost us $7 each for the round trip bus. There is a bus stop very close to the gangplank from the ship.

 

We spent about 2 hours walking around and enjoying the beautiful scenery. There was a nice cafe that we had a beer at and many shops. It was a wonderful place to visit.

 

We did not take a tender, the Miracle docked right at the port.

[uwhuskyfan]

This is a tender port. I have been reading on tripadvisor and other forum and couldn't find anything concrete to form a plan either.

 

I think this port might be have to be book through the ship for tour.

 

I do believe this is not a tender port as some have related, but an actual dock at a pier.

[CruiseSwag]

We are on this same cruise in December and these reviews are so disappointing. I have not read one positive thing about LaRomana or the Dominican Republic. I do not know why Carnival is taking us to such a wasteland of crime, malaria, poverty and disease. Maybe their port fees are so cheap they do not care about the negative effects on the passengers. Maybe we should all write to Carnival and future cruisers will not face these same circumstances. I would just as soon skip this port all together. We are going to attempt to hire a cab to take us to the Bayihibe beach instead of paying Carnival even more money for an excursion. Do you know anyone on your cruise or hired a taxi to the resort and if so are you allowed there without buying a pass for the day? Thank you for your reviews.

 

What a disgusting comment. The Dominican Republic is a BEAUTIFUL COUNTRY that has issues just like anyone else. Why take your behind to the Caribbean? Do we really need to go through the history with how it ended up in poverty? Malaria? Seriously there aren't cases of malaria in the D.R. It is a developing nation, please don't get it twisted there are people driving range rovers, mercedes, and bmw in the D.R. Tell me a place in which there is no crime? I'll wait. Whenever there is a high percentage of poverty there will be crime, that doesn't mean that everyone is a criminal though.

 

My parents are from a small town over there and the beaches are beautiful and the area is pretty much safe. However, in the bigger cities like for example the capital yes you have to be careful but that doesnt mean that you step foot in the country and people will kill and rob you. You have to be cautious when you are in a place that you aren't familiar with.

 

You are such an ignorant fool, wasteland isn't that why Spain has churches full of gold that was stolen from my country? The Caribbean is in a messed up economic situation, you know because of who. :mad:

[lifesabeach123]

Here's a list of reputable, independent, excursion companies who cater to cruise ship passengers docking at La Romana Port. Most will be based in Bayahibe, a small, safe fishing village 15 minutes from port. They are all used to dealing with cruise ships so will get you back to port in good time!

 

Seavis (Saona Island boat tours) http://www.seavisbayahibe.com

 

Bayahibe Fishing Centre (also do Saona Island boat tours) http://www.bayahibefishingcentre.com

 

ProExcursions (Saona tours) http://www.proexcursionsbayahibe.com...urs/index.aspx

 

BayahibeSUP (stand up paddle boarding, Bayahibe has perfect condtions for SUP) http://bayahibesup.com

 

Diving Dom Rep http://divingdr.com

 

Wild Ranch Canopy (zip lines) http://www.wild-ranch-canopy.blogspot.com

 

You can read their reviews on Trip Advisor under the Activities tab http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractio..._Republic.html

 

Have fun!