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Amber Cove-a home run

brichar499

By brichar499,
in Dominican Republic

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brichar499

brichar499

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Arrived for a day at the brand new port of Amber Cove in the Dominican Republic last week with daughter, two grand kids and my sister. What a facility!

 

I've been to all the private islands (Half Moon Cay is my favorite) as well as to the cruise industry developed ports at Grand Turk and Falmouth. Clearly, Carnival has taken what was learned at those two (as well as Costa Maya) and improved the model. (Ok, I know, there's no beach like at Grand Turk.) Frankly, the ball was dropped at Falmouth as there is little to do except excursions and the town itself is uninviting. I would not seek out another itinerary that included Falmouth.

 

The planning and attention to detail during the development at Amber Cove is fantastic. The landscaping is ample and well done. The pool and water slide will occupy the kids all day. My daughter enjoyed the zipline ($12 all day). My sister (mid sixties) did the swim with the dolphins excursion and was impressed with the transportation and organization.

 

The staff is plentiful, uniformed, and very well trained. While there is an occasional English language challenge, the staff attitude is service oriented and enthusiastic. The quality of the crew at Amber Cove was perhaps my biggest positive surprise.

 

If you have booked an itinerary that includes this new stop, you are in for a treat.

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momonthego17

momonthego17

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Glad to hear you and your family had such a positive experience! My DH and I will be in Amber Cove end of May, so reviews like this get me excited!

 

Did you purchase any food at the pool? If so, what did you think of it? Was it easy to find loungers around the pool? What time did you arrive at the pool?

 

Thanks in advance for your info and thanks for posting your review!

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brichar499

brichar499

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Didn't buy food - it's a ten minute walk back to the ship and all the good, free food you can eat. However, did consume a couple of bottles of Presidente.

 

We got in at 10am and immediately got off the ship and went to the pool area. There were loungers available all day however shade is a premium. Umbrellas can be rented. We were the only ship in port. It can accommodate two but I don't think they have done a double yet.

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momof3cruisers

momof3cruisers

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Can you tell me if there are any chairs other than the loungers at the pool. My friend can't get up from the low loungers due to bad knees. Do they have the higher, folding chair height chairs to use also?

I didn't see any when we were there, but there are some tables with regular chairs outside of the bar area.

Are there bars at the pool? Are they overpriced like mville?

 

Sent from my XT1080 using Xparent Pink Tapatalk 2

 

There is a very big bar right at the pool and waiters pass by the loungers frequently. We just got Cokes, but they were a bit less than on the ship as I recall. We also got sides of fries for a snack. They were very good and IMO inexpensive for the serving size.

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brichar499

brichar499

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Beer was $5 a bottle for the DR-brewed Presidente which is very good.

 

Yes, you can buy the local beer in many places like convenience stores for much less but the pool is really terrific and worth the premium - and it is still less than on board.

Edited by brichar499
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momonthego17

momonthego17

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Beer was $5 a bottle for the DR-brewed Presidente which is very good.

 

Yes, you can buy the local beer in many places like convenience stores for much less but the pool is really terrific and worth the premium - and it is still less than on board.

 

Did you use your sign and sail card to buy the beer at the bar or did you need a credit card/cash? Thanks!

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dulcimergirl

dulcimergirl

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We were there at the same time! We rented a poolside cabana, and it was beautiful. Well attended, food and drink available anytime. Very comfortable area to get out of the sun, and keep an eye on the pool at the same time. Food was delicious, and plenty of "free" food that came with the cabana. Next time we will rent an ocean side Cabana, for sure.

I will be happier when they get in a bit more shops.

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im4golf

im4golf

Posted
Posted
Arrived for a day at the brand new port of Amber Cove in the Dominican Republic last week with daughter, two grand kids and my sister. What a facility!

 

I've been to all the private islands (Half Moon Cay is my favorite) as well as to the cruise industry developed ports at Grand Turk and Falmouth. Clearly, Carnival has taken what was learned at those two (as well as Costa Maya) and improved the model. (Ok, I know, there's no beach like at Grand Turk.) Frankly, the ball was dropped at Falmouth as there is little to do except excursions and the town itself is uninviting. I would not seek out another itinerary that included Falmouth.

 

The planning and attention to detail during the development at Amber Cove is fantastic. The landscaping is ample and well done. The pool and water slide will occupy the kids all day. My daughter enjoyed the zipline ($12 all day). My sister (mid sixties) did the swim with the dolphins excursion and was impressed with the transportation and organization.

 

The staff is plentiful, uniformed, and very well trained. While there is an occasional English language challenge, the staff attitude is service oriented and enthusiastic. The quality of the crew at Amber Cove was perhaps my biggest positive surprise.

 

If you have booked an itinerary that includes this new stop, you are in for a treat.

So did you book an excursion there? Is there a beach close to the ship?:)

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E&B

E&B

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We were there at the same time! We rented a poolside cabana, and it was beautiful. Well attended, food and drink available anytime. Very comfortable area to get out of the sun, and keep an eye on the pool at the same time. Food was delicious, and plenty of "free" food that came with the cabana. Next time we will rent an ocean side Cabana, for sure.

 

I will be happier when they get in a bit more shops.

 

 

We haven't seen much detail on the Ocean Cabanas here yet. Just curious why you say you'd definite rent one next time? Our biggest concern is that pictures make them look so isolated. How close were they to the pool? We have young adults (18, 21 and 21) and I think they'd rather be closer to the action but we all love the way the ocean cabanas look.

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dulcimergirl

dulcimergirl

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We haven't seen much detail on the Ocean Cabanas here yet. Just curious why you say you'd definite rent one next time? Our biggest concern is that pictures make them look so isolated. How close were they to the pool? We have young adults (18, 21 and 21) and I think they'd rather be closer to the action but we all love the way the ocean cabanas look.

 

They are a bit further away from the pool, but not isolated. The best part will be you won't hear as much noise from the pool area. they put on a loud show with dancing girls spraying liquor from water guns at some point and that was loud, but fun to watch.

The cabana's are absolutely perfect, I could live in one forever. Locking doors, fridge, comfy furniture, tv, ceiling fan, misting fan on the deck. Chips and dip, and cookies, and candy basket also. Bunches of soft drinks and water in the fridge. All included. Cabana has AC for a cool nap after sunning. What more could any one want?

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E&B

E&B

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They are a bit further away from the pool, but not isolated. The best part will be you won't hear as much noise from the pool area. they put on a loud show with dancing girls spraying liquor from water guns at some point and that was loud, but fun to watch.

 

The cabana's are absolutely perfect, I could live in one forever. Locking doors, fridge, comfy furniture, tv, ceiling fan, misting fan on the deck. Chips and dip, and cookies, and candy basket also. Bunches of soft drinks and water in the fridge. All included. Cabana has AC for a cool nap after sunning. What more could any one want?

 

 

Thanks! Exactly the type of feedback I was looking for.

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  • 3 weeks later...
lovevacadays

lovevacadays

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Thank you for your thoughts. My family and I are so excited for our cruise in December. We are looking forward to a fantastic cruise and can't even imagine anything or anyone that would keep us from having a fantastic time.

 

I'm not sure if we will stay at Amber Cove or venture into Puerto Plata. The more I read about Amber Cove the more I think we might just enjoy our day there. :):):)

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cruizinisthebest

cruizinisthebest

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Is it a regular bar or is it an overpriced Margaritaville?

 

Sent from my XT1080 using Xparent Pink Tapatalk 2

Well Margaritaville is already overpriced, so I doubt this place is even higher. I saw sample menus. Looked reasonable.

 

Sent from my SCH-I435 using Tapatalk

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imluvncruzn

imluvncruzn

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Well Margaritaville is already overpriced, so I doubt this place is even higher. I saw sample menus. Looked reasonable.

 

Sent from my SCH-I435 using Tapatalk

 

We were there a few weeks ago. Thought the food was reasonable. We paid $10 for chicken strips and $3.00 for order of fries. Both were good. However, mixed drinks were crazy expensive. It was $8 for a mixed drink in a 9oz plastic cup. We rented a poolside cabana (which by the way was AMAZING). Local beer was $4 each/domestic was $5 each.

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angiem0217

angiem0217

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We were there at the same time! We rented a poolside cabana, and it was beautiful. Well attended, food and drink available anytime. Very comfortable area to get out of the sun, and keep an eye on the pool at the same time. Food was delicious, and plenty of "free" food that came with the cabana. Next time we will rent an ocean side Cabana, for sure.

 

I will be happier when they get in a bit more shops.

 

 

Are there loungers and umbrellas at the beach?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

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