Private Tour for Amber Cove

[amy2313]

We will be cruising to Amber Cove and the DR for the first time so we want to make the most of our limited time there and see as much as possible. We tend to like booking private or small group tours (similar to say Victor Bodden in Roatan or Marva Shaw in Jamaica) where you can customize your day.

 

Considering we have never been to the DR before we'd love to get a feel for the area and culture, maybe do something a little adventurous, have time for one of the beaches and still make sure we take in the port area of Amber Cove.

 

I know Amber Cove is fairly new, but for anyone that has been there if you could recommend a tour guide and possible itinerary for the day we would appreciate it! Would love to hear recommendations and suggestions. M

Thanks.

[lizardhowson]

If you browse the existing threads, you will find a few options.

 

Here is one thread http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2260195

[amy2313]

If you browse the existing threads, you will find a few options.

 

Here is one thread http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2260195

 

 

Thanks for the info. I actually saw that thread but there was only one tour operator listed (maybe two) so I thought if i explained exactly what we were looking for it might help others give a recommendation.

 

Thanks for the help!

[amy2313]

I tried emailing the two excursion companies mentioned in another post (IguanaMama and Marysol) but unfortunately I still have not heard back from Marysol in about a week. They seem to get positive posts and mention of quick responses. Has anyone had any experience with either of these companies?

[taylorette]

We have not used them yet but our planning on it for our Feb cruise. We have been emailing back and forth this past week and Francisco has been quick to respond. Sounds like perhaps your email got lost in the shuffle? He has been very helpful with us.

[amy2313]

We have not used them yet but our planning on it for our Feb cruise. We have been emailing back and forth this past week and Francisco has been quick to respond. Sounds like perhaps your email got lost in the shuffle? He has been very helpful with us.

 

 

That is good to know. I will try emailing again then!! Thank you!!

May I ask which tour you will be doing with his company?? And I'd love to hear your thoughts when you return.

[LuckyZ]

We just returned from Amber Cove from cruising on the Sunshine.

 

We booked Marysol. Our original tour arrangement was for a trip to Paradise Island but we changed our plans when we found out it would take 1 hr and 40 min one way by bus to get from the pier to their boat.

 

Francisco then set up a tour on a yacht to take us to both a snorkeling location and a beach. Food and drink included.

 

We did have some issues with the tour but main problem was we were delayed in being able to start the tour for 2 hours due to (a) ship arrived 1 hour late due to rough seas, and (b) chaotic disembarkation by Carnival employees which meant another hour trying to get off the ship.

 

So when we got off the 50 minute bus ride to the boat, we only had less than 2 hours for the yacht tour which only went to 2 snorkeling locations. It was very rushed but we made the best of it.

 

Marysol is a good company and Francisco is very helpful. I just hope that you don't get delayed into Amber Cove if you visit.

[taylorette]

We are doing the 27 Waterfalls excursion with Marysol. He gave us the option of doing 7 or 12 waterfalls. We decided to go with the 7 so we'd have time to tour the local areas as well. I'll be sure to report back after the trip!

[Bob7]

Just got back from Amber Cove, CCL Breeze. A warning not to book FiveStarDriver Tours (Luis, driver, and Venice, owner I think), we pre-booked with them and Luis did not show up. The taxi dispatcher was very helpful and phoned Luis (we had his #), and he said he was not coming, he had other people. So the dispatcher got us another taxi who did a great job, Jose Paulino, good English, very accommodating, Transporte Turistico, josepaulino24@hotmail.com First to the cable car up the mountain, then to the fort at the ocean in Puerto Plata, then we walked the boardwalk in Puerto Plata while he waited at La Sirena, then to the shopping district (not worth it, shop at the port), then back to the ship with some interesting things to see on the way, took most of an afternoon, $70/couple.

[amy2313]

Just got back from Amber Cove, CCL Breeze. A warning not to book FiveStarDriver Tours (Luis, driver, and Venice, owner I think), we pre-booked with them and Luis did not show up. The taxi dispatcher was very helpful and phoned Luis (we had his #), and he said he was not coming, he had other people. So the dispatcher got us another taxi who did a great job, Jose Paulino, good English, very accommodating, Transporte Turistico, josepaulino24@hotmail.com First to the cable car up the mountain, then to the fort at the ocean in Puerto Plata, then we walked the boardwalk in Puerto Plata while he waited at La Sirena, then to the shopping district (not worth it, shop at the port), then back to the ship with some interesting things to see on the way, took most of an afternoon, $70/couple.

 

This is great info! Thank you very much for posting.

[amy2313]

We are doing the 27 Waterfalls excursion with Marysol. He gave us the option of doing 7 or 12 waterfalls. We decided to go with the 7 so we'd have time to tour the local areas as well. I'll be sure to report back after the trip!

 

 

When are you doing this tour?? We are now considering this one but want to learn more about the timing of it all and how it went!!

[taylorette]

Just returned and loved the 27 Waterfalls! A word of advice though, it was pretty strenuous but very well worth it. We chose to do the 7 waterfalls but in retrospect probably should have done 12.

 

For the 7 waterfalls, you basically hike through the woods for a bit and then start at the bottom of the falls. You then swim and climb up the falls and slide and jump your way back down. Climbing up the falls was not easy. Some had stairs to climb which were just fine but others you had to use the guides to boost and pull you up the running falls. It was certainly an adventure! They had just gotten rain so the water was pretty high and the falls were running rapidly. This made climbing a little more difficult. We all made it but the guides sure worked over time that day! Not trying to scare anyone... just want to make people aware. We had a group that ranged from 15-70 and everyone managed but there were time I wasn't sure some would make it up. That being said, I know that everyone would definitely do it again!

 

If you choose the 12 waterfalls, my understanding is that the hike up to the falls through the woods is more strenuous but you then start at the top of the 12th waterfall and make your way down. No swimming upstream or climbing the falls. I'm not 100% sure on that so you'd want to check but our guides did show us the other path leading up to the 12 and 27th fall so I think that's how it works. :)

 

We used Marysol and everything went very smoothly. Elvis was our guide and was great! He made sure we were taken care of at the falls and had some delicious fresh fruit and water for us when we were finished. You can also opt to purchase a buffet lunch at the falls. I think it was $7/person. We didn't have too much time after the falls. We stopped at a location that made cigars and had a small gift shop but that was about it. We were back at the ship by about 1:30 which was perfect because the kids wanted to hit the pool.

 

All in all, great day! It was our favorite excursion and my kids are already talking about doing all 27 if we go back! Let me know if you have anymore questions.

[sxyshell]

Just got back from Amber Cove, CCL Breeze. A warning not to book FiveStarDriver Tours (Luis, driver, and Venice, owner I think), we pre-booked with them and Luis did not show up. The taxi dispatcher was very helpful and phoned Luis (we had his #), and he said he was not coming, he had other people. So the dispatcher got us another taxi who did a great job, Jose Paulino, good English, very accommodating, Transporte Turistico, josepaulino24@hotmail.com First to the cable car up the mountain, then to the fort at the ocean in Puerto Plata, then we walked the boardwalk in Puerto Plata while he waited at La Sirena, then to the shopping district (not worth it, shop at the port), then back to the ship with some interesting things to see on the way, took most of an afternoon, $70/couple.

 

I've been in touch with Jose Paulino. We are supposed to use him next Wednesday when we are in DR. He told me to email a week before the cruise. He quoted us $80 total for the whole day for 4 of us. Thanks for recommending him and I'll report back after we get back from the cruise.

[Miss Kellybean]

I've been in touch with Jose Paulino. We are supposed to use him next Wednesday when we are in DR. He told me to email a week before the cruise. He quoted us $80 total for the whole day for 4 of us. Thanks for recommending him and I'll report back after we get back from the cruise.

 

I am looking forward to your feedback. We are in Amber Cove/Puerto Plata in June and we are looking for a similar type of tour.

[sxyshell]

I am looking forward to your feedback. We are in Amber Cove/Puerto Plata in June and we are looking for a similar type of tour.

 

Our tour with Jose Fco Paulino was awesome! He was very nice, his English was good and he took us where ever we wanted to go. His email is josepaulino24@hotmail.com. He actually works for the port taxi service and has a nice newer Honda mini van. It was comfortable and the air worked great. We did the cable car which was a good choice. I didn't want to do it but my friend did so the other 3 of us who were scared did it and we were glad we did. It was $10 for the ticket. We were up on the mountain for over an hour and Jose waited for us. After that we headed to the rum factory. That was interesting. Then he suggested we eat lunch at a local place. The food was good and it was right across the street from the beach so we had a great view. He took us to the fort and a few other places. He was great and I would highly recommend him.

[Jehaams]

We met our driver Alvarro at the meeting point. It was just the 6 people in our group. Had a nice, clean van to ourselves that had free wifi. Took a 45 minute ride to Sosua where we were handed off to our guide Miguel from Aqua Adventures for the day. Miguel took us out on a beautiful boat for snorkeling. Once again had the boat to ourselves and Miguel managed to take us to some nice snorkeling spots that were devoid of all but a few other divers and other people snorkeling. One member of our party became ill from the rocking boat so Miguel called for a smaller boat to come pick her up. They returned her to the beach and provided her with a lounge chair to relax until she felt better. We finished up our snorkeling then returned to a lovely traditional Dominican lunch set up in a shady spot on the beach. The food was delicious. Vendors on the beach were friendly and not aggressive. The shop owners were quick to negotiate on prices. Miguel called our driver when we were ready to retun to port and Alvarro arrived promptly. We were back to port in plenty of time to comfortably board the ship for sail away. We loved this day in port and would absolutely use iguana mama and aqua adventures again.

[hockeygal54]

Following thread for info for our mid Nov cruise on Regal Princess. Could some of the above posters say what they paid for the excursions and what kind of food they ate? Are there any concerns here about water or fresh vegetables? I've never been to DR so that's why I'm asking.

Thanks.

[Jehaams]

We paid $70 per person. Our lunch was chicken, beans and rice with a salad. All was delicious and no one experienced any adverse affects from the food. We all carry hydro flasks so we had filled them with ice water before leaving the ship that morning and the tour provided bottled water and sodas as well. They also provided packaged chips for a snack. Some of us did order piña coladas from a vendor on the beach. Once again, no adverse affects at all to the beverage, fruit (it was in a pineapple and had quite a bit of pineapple mixed in with it) or the ice in that beverage.

[tea4ular]

We met our driver Alvarro at the meeting point. It was just the 6 people in our group. Had a nice, clean van to ourselves that had free wifi. Took a 45 minute ride to Sosua where we were handed off to our guide Miguel from Aqua Adventures for the day. Miguel took us out on a beautiful boat for snorkeling. Once again had the boat to ourselves and Miguel managed to take us to some nice snorkeling spots that were devoid of all but a few other divers and other people snorkeling. One member of our party became ill from the rocking boat so Miguel called for a smaller boat to come pick her up. They returned her to the beach and provided her with a lounge chair to relax until she felt better. We finished up our snorkeling then returned to a lovely traditional Dominican lunch set up in a shady spot on the beach. The food was delicious. Vendors on the beach were friendly and not aggressive. The shop owners were quick to negotiate on prices. Miguel called our driver when we were ready to retun to port and Alvarro arrived promptly. We were back to port in plenty of time to comfortably board the ship for sail away. We loved this day in port and would absolutely use iguana mama and aqua adventures again.

 

How did you book this? Separately with each or as a package? This is EXACTLY what we want to do (minus the seasick part)

 

TIA!

[Jehaams]

We booked it as a package directly through Iguana Mama.

[tea4ular]

We booked it as a package directly through Iguana Mama.

 

Thank you!

[Miss Kellybean]

Just got back from Amber Cove, CCL Breeze. A warning not to book FiveStarDriver Tours (Luis, driver, and Venice, owner I think), we pre-booked with them and Luis did not show up. The taxi dispatcher was very helpful and phoned Luis (we had his #), and he said he was not coming, he had other people. So the dispatcher got us another taxi who did a great job, Jose Paulino, good English, very accommodating, Transporte Turistico, josepaulino24@hotmail.com First to the cable car up the mountain, then to the fort at the ocean in Puerto Plata, then we walked the boardwalk in Puerto Plata while he waited at La Sirena, then to the shopping district (not worth it, shop at the port), then back to the ship with some interesting things to see on the way, took most of an afternoon, $70/couple.

 

We just returned after a tour with Jose Paulino. I recommend him for a great tour. We visited the Amber Museum, the cable car, drove by the fort and along the beach and to a delightful local restaurant with a live band, excellent food and cold air! My family and I would highly recommend him! He quoted us $80 for our family of 4 and we paid him $100 because we liked him so much.

[Fdebar]

How much did Jose charge if you don't mind me asking

 

 

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[Blessedladyg7]

Hello There! We are considering Jose Paulino for cruise in May. 5 out of the 6 of us have already been to Amber Cove/Puerto Plata previously. We are looking at priv tour to return to Amber museum, cigar museum, rum brewery/factory, cable car with new add on of gorgeous resort to end the day. Jose offered an excellent price including entry fees. My concern relates to the van. Does anyone know if his van hold 6 women comfortably and shopping bags?

 

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