Puerto Plata Taino Bay with 4 Year Old and 10 Month Old

[jthayek]

Recently returned from a Royal Caribbean cruise and the first port was Puerto Plata. I thought I'd share what worked for us in case others are going in a similar situation. We were traveling with a 4 year old and 10 month old. 

 

I believe all Royal Caribbean ships go to the Taino Bay port. I think this is preferable over the other one. 

 

We did not schedule an excursion; we just decided to stay in the port area, as I had done some research on it beforehand. 

 

There are some tuk-tuks that will drive you down the pier from the ship exit to the port area. It's free plus tip, or you could walk it. Lines for a tuk tuk could be long. 

 

The port area has shops, restaurants, bars, sidewalks, a pool, lazy river, birds, Flowrider surfing thing. If you don't plan an excursion, there is plenty to do in the port for a few hours. 

 

Top on our list of things to do was to go to the Monkey Island experience. So we went here first. It's within the port area, a 5 minute walk from the ship. They only allow 10 or so people in at a time, so get there early and get on the list. We waited about 45 minutes until it was our turn. It's not cheap - I think $25 per adult and maybe a little less for kids. You enter a fairly large caged area where the monkeys live. There are probably 20 monkeys in there. They're small, about the size of a squirrel. They'll come right up to you. The workers will show you what to do and how to get the monkeys on your head and in your hands. You can bring your phone for pictures, and the workers will also take photos and try to sell them to you later. It's a pretty quick experience - we were in there about 15 minutes. My 4 year old did not enjoy having a monkey on her head, but the baby was surprisingly OK with it. Overall, fun and memorable experience. The workers are not super friendly but they're fine. If you're a huge animal rights person, you'll probably have some issues with this. The monkeys are not mistreated, but they are in a cage. But if you're looking to get some good pictures with some monkeys, this could be worth your time and money. 

 

Other things for kids in the port area - the pool and lazy river. Both free. The pool is a little more of a party scene. DJ with thumping music. But super nice pool, plenty of chairs and some shade. The lazy river is super fun too. It's a little more quiet over there but there are chairs and a little less shade by the lazy river. Drink servers are always walking around for the adults. 

 

We ended up snagging some comfy chairs under a bar cabana in the shade. I stayed in the shade with the baby while my wife and 4 year old went swimming. That worked well, and the bartenders were totally fine with us being there even though we weren't actively ordering drinks. 

 

As you walk around, you'll see some super cool tropical birds just hanging out in the trees. You can get close and take pictures. There are bars everywhere, lots of shops but not tons of food options. We did buy a few coconuts for drinking. 

 

Credit cards are widely accepted. 

 

If you have young kids, staying in the port area is perfectly fine way to spend a few hours. You could do it without spending any money. Just splash in the pool, play in the lazy river, and then head back to the ship for food and naps.