CCL and La Romana, Dominican Republic Good or Bad?

[alreadypacked]

because this was a new port, our family opted for the AI 'Bayahibe Beach break' thru Carnival. It was probably the most disappointed I've ever been in an 'all inclusive' resort. No food was included, but all you care to drink...IF you could get a drink...and when you DID manage to get a drink, whether you asked for liquor or not, it didn't seem to make a difference. Others booked the Dream AI privately and had a wonderful time.

 

The area is currently under massive amounts of rebuilding, and you really have to drive to go anywhere..If I were to do the Aruba/Curacao/LaRomana itinerary again, I'd opt for staying on board rather than spend what we did to 'enjoy' the day.

 

 

here is a copy/paste from what I wrote about Bayihibe when we returned.. this is the letter I sent to Carnival:

 

On 10/20/2010, we took part in Carnival's 'Bayihibe Beach Break' in La Romana, DR. We paid approximately $64 per person ( x 4) for an 'all inclusive' excursion. While the resort was beautiful, we feel that the resort could have done a much better job in servicing guests. At one point in the day, we were approached by a merchant who offered us a bottle of rum to purchase for $50. We were able to barter down to $25, but upon returning home, we found this rum to be available for less than $20. I understand 'caveat emptor' but this was a bit disconcerting that a resort such as this would be out to 'pull one over' on Carnival guests, or ANY guest for that matter. There was only a single bartender on duty, and he really seemed indifferent to any guests that were at the bar area. He would serve only ONE drink at a time, even if asking for a non alcoholic drink. ( My children were not going to order drinks for themselves, naturally)

 

In regards to 'all inclusive'....when in the Carribbean, most folks want to kick back and enjoy themselves, and for $65, most would expect a fair amount of alcohol to be put in each drink they order. This was NEVER the case in any of the 3 drinks we had thruout the day. The fact that I was charged that price for a NON DRINKING minor (x2) was a disgrace. It was joked that the price I paid for the kids would make up for the alcohol that my husband and I would drink..it was amusing at the time, but given that they were putting less than a finger's width of alcohol in an iced 10 oz glass, it would have been difficult to even come close in the course of a 3 1/2 hour stay. I really got the feeling that the resort couldn't have cared less that they were hosting cruise ship guests for several hours, and I will be hard pressed to book an excursion like that in the future..

 

Many people booked outside of Carnival at the DREAMS resort...perhaps Carnival may want to look into that resort in the future. Apparently, they understand a good value, and treated guests very well.

 

 

This was the response back from Carnival:

 

 

Thank you for contacting Carnival Cruise Lines. We appreciate the opportunity to be of assistance.

 

 

We take pride in giving our guests the best time in every port we visit. That is why we are sorry to hear of your disappointment with the Bayihibe Beach Tour. Carnival relies on the information provided by the tour operators as these excursions are independently operated. It's not often that we have problems with our contractors and while the operators generally provide services without flaw, like anything else, there are times where glitches may occur. We want you to know that this situation is not what we would have wanted you to experience and trust that this did not color your opinion of us. I assure you that our management will review this matter internally and will take any action necessary to prevent a recurrence of this nature in the future. We hope that you will give us another chance to earn your business.

 

 

Thank you again for choosing us as your leading cruise line. We'd love to see you again soon.

 

Thanks for the detailed info!:) Question: What is the name of the AI resort that the Carnival Bayahibe Beach Break excursion goes to?

[CruzCrazy]

While on this itinerary we went to Dreams Resort in the DR and loved it. I'd happily go back there any day. I think alot of the people that weren't happy with this port were expecting a more typical cruise port. There was little to do in the very confined port area. If you ventured out on your own you could haggle with the drivers for a tour for the day etc. Most people that loved it had a plan in place when they got there and knew what they were going to do. I'd either book directly with the ship, plan an AI like Dreams or negotiate with a driver to take you to various places of intrest. The cab rates were really high if you did not negotiate which is another turn off for many people.

 

We also went to Dreams LaRomana and loved it. Alexis the bartender was spectacular in his service and went out of his way to entertain/serve the guests. This was one of our favorite stops this past March. It is better to get a group together for the cab ride because it's a lot cheaper per person with a full van. The grounds were very nice, and there were 2 large pools, one with a swim-up bar. There was an expansive buffet-style lunch. They provided towels too. There was a beach area, but we stayed by the pool. We would do this again if ever back in LaRomana. Actually, we even are keeping it in mind as a fly-to AI vacation in the future.

[Morebeer]

On the La Romana cruise critic site there's nothing but positive reviews in regards to the Seavis Sanoa Island special geared to Carnival cruise line guests. After reading so many positive reviews and comments booked with them for our July 17th day next month arrival. Usually stay with ship sponsored excursions but with so many positive comments about Seavis tours and so many others on our roll call going with them as well decided to give them a try for our La Ramona port day.

[USA41018]

We did this excursion through Carnival in October 2010. We were disappointed in it too. The drinks were horrible and the service was slow. The pool was very nice as was the resort but it was not worth the price.

 

I believe the resort was the Oasis Canoa at Bayahibe Beach

[golfadj]

We did this excursion through Carnival in October 2010. We were disappointed in it too. The drinks were horrible and the service was slow. The pool was very nice as was the resort but it was not worth the price.

 

I believe the resort was the Oasis Canoa at Bayahibe Beach

 

Spending so much time at La Romana screws up the timing for the rest of the cruise.

 

Have to leave GT very early and get to Curacao at 2 pm.

 

Wish they would have made this a sea day.

[Aplmac]

Carnival, Are you listening to this??

I've heard Dominica is really nice, could be a good swap for Dominican Rep.?

Carnival dropped Dominica from their VICTORY Southern Caribbean route

quoting fuel costs as the reason/excuse

despite the fact they now sail right past the island every Tuesday-sea-day

on their South-bound leg, en route to Barbados! :cool:

 

Gotta be more in the mortar than just the pestle on this one...

the real reason may have been excessive Port charges?

Problems with local tours? Local politics?

'Other' local problems? - Who knows?

 

 

 

Dominica is a rain forest Nature Island -not a beach island (save that for St.Thomas or Barbados).

Folks either love it madly because it's just raw Nature

-or dislike it quite strongly (too 'backward')

 

Guess we'll never know what bean-counter factors were involved in skipping Dominica

but the locals weren't happy to lose the cruise tourism business

and they're a hekuva lot more friendly than what I'm reading here, about the DR-ians!

.

[DEBnGAB]

We also went to Dreams LaRomana and loved it. Alexis the bartender was spectacular in his service and went out of his way to entertain/serve the guests. This was one of our favorite stops this past March. It is better to get a group together for the cab ride because it's a lot cheaper per person with a full van. The grounds were very nice, and there were 2 large pools, one with a swim-up bar. There was an expansive buffet-style lunch. They provided towels too. There was a beach area, but we stayed by the pool. We would do this again if ever back in LaRomana. Actually, we even are keeping it in mind as a fly-to AI vacation in the future.

 

 

Thanks for that info! A bunch of us on the Breeze in Nov are looking at heading to Dreams. Any pictures?

[FloridaGram]

Spending so much time at La Romana screws up the timing for the rest of the cruise.

 

Have to leave GT very early and get to Curacao at 2 pm.

 

Wish they would have made this a sea day.

 

I agree! Can you hear us Carnival? Dump DR and get to Curacao for an entire day. My bad, but I did not realize until after I booked the cruise that we did not get into Curacao until 2 PM. I had been looking at HAL and now and sorry I did not book with them. Curacao is the island I want to spend the most time on not the least. The shops close at 6PM, ship in port or not. So what are we supposed to do at night in that port?