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Will Carnival change Amber Cove for another port?


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Airlines are starting to allow people to cancel their flights to DR without any fees. Do you think this will be the tipping point for Carnival to change this port.

 

I was excited about going to Amber 

Cove but since I am traveling with little ones then I rather be more cautious and skip the port. And I am sure that more people will be skipping this port if things stay unclear about what is happening.

 

 

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In my humble opinion, NO WAY.  I was just there last month and this port that Carnival has built is a big beautiful fenced off compound.  There really is no need to even leave if one so chooses.  If terrible thinks start happening to guests while they are in that port compound, Carnival probably would by pass the port stop but only until it is cleared up as to why things are happening.  This is my guess.

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1 hour ago, dulcemariamar said:

Airlines are starting to allow people to cancel their flights to DR without any fees. Do you think this will be the tipping point for Carnival to change this port.

 

I was excited about going to Amber Cove but since I am traveling with little ones then I rather be more cautious and skip the port. And I am sure that more people will be skipping this port if things stay unclear about what is happening.

 

Are you planning on leaving the port complex? If not, as the others have said, it's perfectly safe. Only cruisers are allowed inside Amber Cove. We were there last year and they posted security at two different checkpoints to check S&S cards upon reentry. One at the exit off the highway and another at the gate. There's nothing to worry about there. The food & drinks sold within the port are all purchased from reputable vendors that Carnival has been doing business with for many years. There's been no reports of anything harmful at Amber Cove. The unfortunate deaths have been occurring in and near La Romana. That's a 4-5 hour drive from Amber Cove, over 150 miles as the crow flies.

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I don't believe this port should be an issue. We stopped their our last cruise and like others have said security was tight. If your still concerned buy your water on the boat before exiting and only drink from your bottle. Don't buy any outside food or drink and you will be fine. We did the zip line over the bay and had a Great time. Someone once said "Don't worry be Happy"

Edited by phoneman69
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2 hours ago, Organized Chaos said:

 

Are you planning on leaving the port complex? If not, as the others have said, it's perfectly safe. Only cruisers are allowed inside Amber Cove. We were there last year and they posted security at two different checkpoints to check S&S cards upon reentry. One at the exit off the highway and another at the gate. There's nothing to worry about there. The food & drinks sold within the port are all purchased from reputable vendors that Carnival has been doing business with for many years. There's been no reports of anything harmful at Amber Cove. The unfortunate deaths have been occurring in and near La Romana. That's a 4-5 hour drive from Amber Cove, over 150 miles as the crow flies.

True, and while I'm not up to date on all the tragic illnesses and deaths, they seem to all be in the resort areas on the eastern end of the DR, far from Amber Cove and Puerto Plata. We were on a ship sponsored tour last year to Puerto Plata and had no issues of any kind - an informative stop at a museum covering the DR's independence, lunch at a pretty up scale restaurant, a visit to the town square and a stop at the Macorix rum factory (very tasty!). As others mention, if there's concerns about safety or illness, just stay within the Amber Cove compound area.

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We love this port, stayed in the compound and enjoyed the pool and the local beer.  The pool area has as I recall a nice area for the kiddos.  I honestly wish all the ports that Carnival goes to were this nice.  

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Edited by Kentucky816
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What's happening in the DR is horrible, everyone agrees. Another one today from Colorado where a bump on his leg turned to death. The tourism ministry needs to get a handle on this ASAP. 

 

As to the DR, we have taken 2 land trips, one to Punta Cana and one to Puerto Plata, both A.I. We had a fabulous time at both resorts. Our last cruise to amber Cove we went to the taxi stand and asked for an English speaking driver and an island tour, yes we are adventurous. We agreed on $50 for 1/2 day. This was one of our best tours. He took us to the Rum factory mentioned above, a cigar rolling factory, the local Farmer's Market, he took us to the rich locals area and then the 3 of us had lunch at a local place our driver liked. The lunch and beers were excellent, local fish sandwich. We left the ship around 10, returned around 2. We gave Javier a $20 tip and it was a $70 well spent. 

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No they won't.   It is a secure area that is supplied by a vendor who brings everything in that meets US FDA standards.  I would/dont have any issue going there, we are going in November.  If you are going to town I would not drink anything, period.  Take water with you.

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I do not understand all this worry about this port??

The deaths were not because someone was targeting tourists.

They occurred in specific resorts far from this port!

IF you don't leave the port area then what is your fear??

We intend to leave the port area as I have not heard of deaths from anyone on a tour.

Have you??

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2 hours ago, Kentucky816 said:

We love this port, stayed in the compound and enjoyed the pool and the local beer.  The pool area has as I recall a nice area for the kiddos.  I honestly wish all the ports that Carnival goes to were this nice. 

 

Carnival funded the building of Amber Cove. It adds another port to their itineraries in a location that doesn't have anything to do within walking distance. That's why AC is what it is. They're also building a new one in Freeport, one they refer to as a "mega" cruise port and is set to be the largest Carnival cruise port in the world. Scheduled to be finished by late 2021.

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8 hours ago, Organized Chaos said:

 

 The unfortunate deaths have been occurring in and near La Romana. That's a 4-5 hour drive from Amber Cove, over 150 miles as the crow flies.

Amber Cove is the DR's version of Grand Turk, so there should be no problems there.  BUT, what about the southern caribbean cruises that stop at La Romana?  Between now and the end of the year, the Horizon visits there 13 times and the Magic twice.

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3 hours ago, thesmiths said:

I have a private tour set up for just my wife & I in September when we stop at Amber Cove.

I can't wait.

Ending at a beach with a nice lunch!

 

 

 

You are braver than me. We are going to Amber Cove on a cruise that leaves tomorrow. While we will get off the ship in Amber Cove, we will not eat or drink anything while we are there. We are probably being overly cautious, but at least this way we won’t have too much to worry about. 

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50 minutes ago, PhillyFan33579 said:

 

You are braver than me. We are going to Amber Cove on a cruise that leaves tomorrow. While we will get off the ship in Amber Cove, we will not eat or drink anything while we are there. We are probably being overly cautious, but at least this way we won’t have too much to worry about. 

Philly Fans are tougher then that, come on 🙂

 

Have fun and enjoy.

 

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9 minutes ago, Maraprince said:

 

Doesn't some if not all the food/beverages come from the ship?

 

 

 

The food on Amber Cove is not supplied by the ship calling on the port. On John Healds Carnival Facebook page, (from June 24th), he wrote this about Amber Cove food & beverage.

(Below)

 

______________________________

The food and beverage operation in Amber Cove is run by a global catering company that has been in service for over 25 years and also serves many major airlines and all airports in the Dominican Republic. By law, they are required to import all their food and beverage products. All cleaning products used by the facilities operator are approved by the FDA and EPA.  

________________________________

 

John Healds entire post from June 24th reads:

 

Quite a few of you have been asking about our calls to the Dominican Republic and in particular Amber Cove so I wanted to share this important message with you.

 

The safety of our guests is our number one priority. While no Carnival shore excursions visit any of the resorts which have been in the news, we continue to monitor the recent events in the Dominican Republic and routinely review information provided by the U.S. State Department. The U.S. Embassy in Santo Domingo is actively working with the Government of the Dominican Republic and the private sector to ensure that U.S. citizens are safe and feel safe.  

 

The food and beverage operation in Amber Cove is run by a global catering company that has been in service for over 25 years and also serves many major airlines and all airports in the Dominican Republic. By law, they are required to import all their food and beverage products. All cleaning products used by the facilities operator are approved by the FDA and EPA.  

 

So I hope that helps reassure you and I know that you will enjoy this superb port of call and have a brilliant time there

 

cheers

 

☺️

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