Samana a Joke on US????

[seaweaver1]

Samana may or may not be heaven/hell on Earth. I will render my opinion in approximately six weeks. I have, however, traveled quite a bit (please don't base my travel experience on my CC profile as I'm about to go on my first cruise).

 

For some people, such as my 73 year old father who has suffered a stroke, perhaps Samana is not the right choice for them. I'd also be reluctant to set my beautiful 19 year old daughter free to explore on her own there. For my husband and me, however, we welcome the adventure that Samana may bring. We know a bit of Spanish and are always looking for new adventures. We know that the majority of the inhabitants of our planet, as in the case of Samana, are not as fortunate as we are and certainly don't begrudge them the opportunity to eek out an existence.

 

To discount an entire region because it doesn't suit some tourists is not fair. For some people it will be wonderful. Please don't call it a "Joke on US"; it makes "US" look bad.

[luckyprincess]

I can't wait to read your review when you get back. I sail on March 15th and all I am looking for is a nice beach in Samana and how I get to and from that nice beach.

 

No problem! I look forward to writing it and at least having that info out there...especially after learning that NCL (I think that's who) only charges people a $14 tender ride to go to Cayo Levantado...

[Mark_K]

No problem! I look forward to writing it and at least having that info out there...especially after learning that NCL (I think that's who) only charges people a $14 tender ride to go to Cayo Levantado...

Yes, but you have to sail NCL to get it, so it evens out. ;)

[luckyprincess]

Luckyprincess:

 

I am trying to figure out how to see whales without going on one of those little boats and not paying for the expensive ship excursion to a hotel where you may or may not see whales.

 

I wonder whether the hotel would let anyone on to their grounds?

 

I know it's called Vista Mare Hotel and here is the number is you think you could get an answer from them :D -866-539-0036‎

[luckyprincess]

Yes, but you have to sail NCL to get it, so it evens out. ;)

 

Lol, cute! :p

 

 

Although I'd LOVE to sail on Epic or Breakaway to test them out...

[cantwaitt]

I'm surprised NCL doesn't charge $14 for their tender to their private island, or have a toll booth in the middle of the ship.

 

They have gotten ridiculous. I loved their free style at first. But now everything that is included--which is very little compared to their early days--has gotten worse. Will never sail NCL again.

 

As fir Vista La Mer, I tried calling them three times and they don't answer. Once they answered in Spanish and when I tried to speak in English, they hung up. Never experienced that in a tourist hotel.

 

But, thanks for the lead. I figured that was the alternative. Was hoping to hear others.

[laseiber]

we stopped in Samana in November, cabin mates across the hall from us had a terrible time in port, they got fleesed by con artists at restaurant, and then when taking taxi, they were driven to bad area and asked to be taken immediately back to dock, taxi driver stopped taxi , pulled woman from cab and she was struck by uncoming traffic, which was a motorcycle, I saw first hand her injuries, broken arm and broken leg and many cuts and abrasions to face. My husband went into town, he said he could smell weed before arriving at dock, and only ventured 2 blocks from dock which was enough for him. Not a safe place. Others that took cruise sponsored trip to beach did have good time. Just my opinion, they should pull this stop from itinery until Samana makes and effort to clean up act, making it a safer place. Other cruise ships have boycotted other ports due to poor ssecurity.

[luckyprincess]

This is neither here nor there but I read it when I was doing research on Samana so I'll put it out there. (I tend to over research when I'm going somewhere new)

 

People of Samana would never steal. They are dependent on tourism and if they were caught, the government would throw them in jail with no mercy. However, they do enjoy gaming (cheating - my words) people. Not resetting the gas gauge to zero when pumping gas, shortchanging, etc.

 

So basically, as always, when you're in a different place, pay attention and be aware of your surroundings.

 

Research your destination and plan accordingly.

 

I loved Samana and hope to go back someday.

 

Not picking on you at all as this was something you had read but the bold things are in complete opposition. Not resetting the gas gauge to zero and shortchanging people is totally stealing in no uncertain terms.

[laseiber]

They still have guards patrolling some beaches in Antigua, love Barbados, some areas of Jamaica are not safe either, you just have to be watchful, and know before you go to ANY place out of your own neighborhood. On the safe side, I do not wear any jewelry while traveling, except a cheap watch and cheap earings, only costume jewelry for me. Who do we need to impress anyway?

[Ocean Boy]

They still have guards patrolling some beaches in Antigua, love Barbados, some areas of Jamaica are not safe either, you just have to be watchful, and know before you go to ANY place out of your own neighborhood. On the safe side, I do not wear any jewelry while traveling, except a cheap watch and cheap earings, only costume jewelry for me. Who do we need to impress anyway?

 

Watch out. The fashion police can smell blood from a long way off!;):D

[RichYak]

Hi! I've been asking the same thing but I don't particularly want to do an excursion. I'd rather find a beach but not pay $30-50 a person to get there :( It seems most people spend money on tours or excursions but I'm going to use info I got from a Samana tourism site and look for a public boat to take me to Cayo Levantado for $10 pp round trip. It says it leaves from the Main Dock. Because there is such a poor amount of information on here about Samana and what to do without spending a fortune I'm going to do a thorough review including pictures (I'll be sure to get pics of the dock and any seediness if there is indeed any) and prices of public boats to the beach for everyone. :)

Here's my recollection about what you're planning as I looked into this a few years back. Cayo Levantado is private and has an arrangement with cruise companies to accept their passengers. I recall reading about public boats, but they weren't allowed to drop passengers at Cayo Levantado. Perhaps they are allowed when there are no cruise ships in port. Perhaps things have changed since then. I can only tell you what I recall.

 

I can tell you this for sure. I did the Cayo Levantado excursion. If I ever find myself on a cruise that calls on Samana again, I'll treat it as a sea day and stay on board. I didn't feel safe, even on the cruise excursion.

[TPKeller]

Here's my recollection about what you're planning as I looked into this a few years back. Cayo Levantado is private and has an arrangement with cruise companies to accept their passengers. I recall reading about public boats, but they weren't allowed to drop passengers at Cayo Levantado. Perhaps they are allowed when there are no cruise ships in port. Perhaps things have changed since then. I can only tell you what I recall.

 

I can tell you this for sure. I did the Cayo Levantado excursion. If I ever find myself on a cruise that calls on Samana again, I'll treat it as a sea day and stay on board. I didn't feel safe, even on the cruise excursion.

I'd just like to make an observation or two.

 

Samana has only been a cruise port for a few years. I strongly suspect that things have changed significantly over just these few short years.

 

I will start by saying I don't know any of this as fact, but here are some thoughts that make sense to me.

 

Regarding a cheap boat to Cayo Levantado, I suspect this poster I've quoted is right on the money. Before the cruise ships had established a routine, or better stated as a business deal with the folks on the island, there probably was a boat that would go over. Why wouldn't there be, in the absence of any other way or even reason to get there? Then along come the cruise companies, who make a deal with the folks. Things change.

 

Same thing with the behavior of the local elements. Sure, when this place first started attracting visitors, there were no influences to alter their behavior. Our tour guide told us that crime involving tourists is very rare, and the simple fact is that everyone knows, whether they've figured it out themselves, or they've been told in less pleasant terms by those whose financial interests are more directly related to the cruise passengers coming there, that if tourists continually report bad experiences with crime and harassment by the locals, they will stop coming. Someone earlier questioned that one would be jailed for simply stealing from a tourist... I can honestly believe that yes indeed, very harsh punishment could be the result, because they would not simply be stealing a wallet from a passenger, they would be risking the willing wallets of thousands of passengers in the future for everyone there.

 

I wouldn't want to say there is any sort of an organized crime element at play - partly because what we might think of such organizational activities may not even be a crime there... but I think we would be naive to not realize that those who provide many of the tourist-related services - and the employment opportunities that come with those services - have a significant amount of influence over the entire region. And it would be remiss to not point out that this is probably the case in MANY other cruise ports throughout the Caribbean and Mexico as well. It's just one more piece of the product that lies "behind the curtain" out of view of the passengers.

 

My point is this...do research. Make sure your data is current. Keep your head about you, as you should do every day you leave your house anyway. I suspect the odds will be in your favor to have a very good day, even in Samana.

 

Theron

[poncho1973]

Our tour guide told us that crime involving tourists is very rare, and the simple fact is that everyone knows, whether they've figured it out

 

While probably getting more true every ship that comes into port, this is tantamount to a cruise ship telling you that cruising is the best way to spend your vacation dollars or car companies telling me that driving is way cooler than walking. Duh. The guide isn't going to tell you to tell all of your friends not to come.

[aurelius180]

While probably getting more true every ship that comes into port, this is tantamount to a cruise ship telling you that cruising is the best way to spend your vacation dollars or car companies telling me that driving is way cooler than walking. Duh. The guide isn't going to tell you to tell all of your friends not to come.

 

 

Or when a cruise ship has a shopping class telling you where to find all the "bargains" that can be had in the Caribbean. No doubt some deals can be found but it's not always the best idea to rely only on the recommendations from those who have a vested financial interest.

[crisndeefromde]

Mrs E. loved shoes. Every time we went to Belize she would leave the gated area around the port and walk to the local department store to buy shoes. She would walk past all the shady looking characters there. On the way to the store I was concerned for our safety.

 

I felt much safer on the way back. I knew if anyone did anything to endanger her new shoes she would chew them up and spit them out.

 

great little shop with shoes on that back street past all the bars....my first trip there I wouldn't go out past the bars. The second time when coming back from an airboat tour we walked those streets. We met some of the most amazing people.

 

You know Mrs. E is smiling down on you as you remember good times together. Please take care!

[luckyprincess]

It pisses me off that a beach that is listed as Public on the Samana travel and tourism website would not actually be public. As a matter of fact, I read that it is actually illegal in Samana to deny access to ANY beach, even one that a hotel is on. If anyone on the DR board that lived in the area was online I'm hoping they will answer me on that.

 

If not then it's a pretty gross misuse of local people by the cruise industry...

[Ocean Boy]

great little shop with shoes on that back street past all the bars....my first trip there I wouldn't go out past the bars. The second time when coming back from an airboat tour we walked those streets. We met some of the most amazing people.

 

You know Mrs. E is smiling down on you as you remember good times together. Please take care!

 

OMG! How did I miss that had happened??

 

EVALUATOR...... I am so sorry!:(

[Mark_K]

It pisses me off that a beach that is listed as Public on the Samana travel and tourism website would not actually be public. As a matter of fact, I read that it is actually illegal in Samana to deny access to ANY beach, even one that a hotel is on. If anyone on the DR board that lived in the area was online I'm hoping they will answer me on that.

 

If not then it's a pretty gross misuse of local people by the cruise industry...

There is one public beach and two private beaches on Cayo Levantando. Getting there requires a boat in either case. Unless the public beach facilities/restaurants/etc have improved since we were there (pre-cruise ship days), I would pay for the private hotel area, regardless.

[EVALUATOR]

OMG! How did I miss that had happened??

 

EVALUATOR...... I am so sorry!:(

 

Thanks for the kind words OB.

 

She lived with cancer, and it did get her in the end, but she would always say she was living with it and not dying from it.

[Leslie K]

I have enjoyed ports that were not all built up where Diamonds International was not the first thing you saw. It's ok with me if English is not the primary language. I enjoy getting to know another culture/way of life. However, after one trip to Samana I will not be getting off the ship next week when it docks there. Yes the taxi drivers are aggressive. I was with a spanish speaking person who made the arrangements including an agreed upon price. Unexpectedly halfway to our destination, the driver stopped at a shop in the middle of nowhere for us to buy things. I felt obligated to buy and definitely unsafe. They sold laramar and coral jewelry - I bought but have doubts that they are real. We did get to see a bit of the island - after about 10 minutes I think that was enough as it was mostly repetition. When we got back to port, the taxi driver reneged on the agreement and was demanding additional monies from us. After trying to resolve the problem with reminders of the agreed to price (and we had given a decent tip) we just walked away.

 

I've been to many ports. I have found both in DR to have little at the port site for cruisers who want to wander a town and get to know the area/people. The cost to go anywhere were some of the most expensive taxi rides I've been in anywhere in the world. Yes the beaches - if you go to the right one - are beautiful but $60 for the ride is a bit high for me. Then again, the ports are not near these beautiful beaches.

 

I'm sorry - I want to like the ports in DR but I don't. If I want to go to DR I will book a hotel stay at one of the beautiful beaches. I'm really not interested in paying top dollar for a trip to a beach especially the day before or after we've spent the day at Labadee. I plan to stay on board and enjoy a reasonably quiet empty ship - except for all the others who are not visiting this port which sounds more and more.

[cruisnseas]

 

I am fine with saying 'why temp people who may be desperate and hungry'.

 

I assume you never wear jewelry anywhere then? Because there are desperate and hungry people everywhere. And by the way, being poor does not make someone a moral-less thief. Your statements are typical of the average American that knows nothing of the world around them. As someone that has worked closely with the homeless in this very country (shocking, I know!) I can tell you the vast majority would never dream of stealing. Because (and this might surprise you) they aren't evil bad-doers just because they are less fortunate than you.

 

Yes. Seriously.

 

You do not believe that flashing expensive things or wads of cash in poorer areas increases your chances of being targeted for robbery? You seem to be very naive.

 

 

Walk around Oak Park, Chicago with a few hundred dollar bills sticking out of your pocket. Walk around Harlem or Alphabet City, New York with your iPad & diamond rings. Walk around East LA singing "I just won $500 in the lotto!"

 

Get back to me when you get your results. Those results are not out of place in any poorer areas in the world.

 

 

Despite whatever guilt a person may feel because of their personal lot in life... it is not racist, nationalistic, or rude to admit that crime is prevelant in many poorer areas or cities.

 

Oh good Lord. Doing that anywhere, in any area will put you at risk. Crime is prevalent everywhere. But go on thinking poor people lack any morals. I am sure it helps you sleep better at night.

[WetToes]

I assume you never wear jewelry anywhere then? Because there are desperate and hungry people everywhere. And by the way, being poor does not make someone a moral-less thief. Your statements are typical of the average American that knows nothing of the world around them. As someone that has worked closely with the homeless in this very country (shocking, I know!) I can tell you the vast majority would never dream of stealing. Because (and this might surprise you) they aren't evil bad-doers just because they are less fortunate than you.

 

You assume wrong! Why are some of you hell bent on twisting things and inserting your assumptions? :confused:

Good for you for working with the homeless. Consider this your pat on the back. :rolleyes:

Yes ... we know not all homeless (and who brought them into this anyway?) are "evil bad-doers". :rolleyes:

 

 

Oh good Lord. Doing that anywhere, in any area will put you at risk. Crime is prevalent everywhere. But go on thinking poor people lack any morals. I am sure it helps you sleep better at night.

 

We also know that crime is everywhere. :rolleyes:

 

I sleep just fine. ;)

[Kaboochi]

I'm surprised NCL doesn't charge $14 for their tender to their private island, or have a toll booth in the middle of the ship.

 

They have gotten ridiculous. I loved their free style at first. But now everything that is included--which is very little compared to their early days--has gotten worse. Will never sail NCL again.

 

As fir Vista La Mer, I tried calling them three times and they don't answer. Once they answered in Spanish and when I tried to speak in English, they hung up. Never experienced that in a tourist hotel.

 

But, thanks for the lead. I figured that was the alternative. Was hoping to hear others.

I'm confused, what are you saying? I am not trying to be rude or fresh but I don't understand.

[cruisnseas]

We also know that crime is everywhere. :rolleyes:

 

I sleep just fine. ;)

 

Yea, ok. That's why you felt a need to single out the poor. Because you weren't being discriminatory or anything. :rolleyes: Keep living in your fantasy land. I know your type.

[ladybug1s]

We love Samana. Beautiful island and beautiful people. Have gone with Terry several times. Great tours. Went horseback riding and to the beach. Fantastic local food there. Took school supplies, baseball gloves and balls, and other goodies for the kids. I understand why Terry moved there.

 

As far as locals speaking broken English. Was their English better than your Spanish?

 

Happy Sails to You

 

OOOEEE :D:D Bob and Phyl

 

I'm glad you liked Terry, My family is planning a tour with him to the falls on horseback. He seems to be a nice man. Did you have to let Terry know you were bringing supplies for the kids, or just bring them. Did you get to see the kids before the tour?