Any recommendations for Samana?

[MrLee]

I can't seem to find any real info on this port, but what little I've seen is very negative. Any suggestions?

[flashdog_1]

You'll find lots of info on the Dominican Republic port of call board.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=374

[llarsen]

Go to Cayo Levantado. It's a really nice tiny island you will see from where your ship tenders in. Some ships are calling on Cayo Levandado itself (tendering their passengers there for free) But when we were there with Oceana (twice) it was a shore excursion, but worth paying for, as the town of Samana itself it pretty bad. Samana has beautiful lush foliage and palm trees, but when we were there last year and the year before- the town was filthy and disgusting. They were in the process of building some new waterfront buildings which I assume should be completed by now. But if you want white sand beach, lounge chairs and a few venders, Cayo Levantado would be the place.

[Sailing Grandma]

Can you get to Cayo Levantado on your own or do you need to take the ship's tour? The tour there with RCI costs $60 a person for five hours and does not include any food.

[Sailing Grandma]

Until yesterday, Royal Caribbean had only two excursions listed on their website for Samana. Now there are over ten to chose from which will give us more options. We are usually a little timid when visiting a port for the first time and tend to go on ship excursion for our first visit to help get an overview of the area.

 

If anyone has other suggestions, we would appreciate them.

[espmass]

We were in Cayo Levantado about 3 weeks ago on the Explorer. We didn't have much hope for Samana judging by reviews we had read but I have to admit that we had one of the nicest days of any excursion we have ever been on. The beach is just lovely and the chairs are all there ready for you. When we got off at the island they handed us a rum drink and directed us down a path towards the beach. Along the walkway are stands where they sell everything from arts and crafts to jewelery to cigars. They are quite "enthusiastic". There are several food stands with everything from a buffet to lobster to burgers and the food was good.

[Joyce From Yardley]

Until yesterday, Royal Caribbean had only two excursions listed on their website for Samana. Now there are over ten to chose from which will give us more options. We are usually a little timid when visiting a port for the first time and tend to go on ship excursion for our first visit to help get an overview of the area.

 

If anyone has other suggestions, we would appreciate them.

 

Hi,

 

We were there this past Oct. for the first time. I'm not a beach person so, we took Royal's Discover Samana Tour..not worth the $32pp so save your money. I did hear WONDERFUL feedback about the beach excursion.

We will be coming back in April. We are planning to walk to the flea market area & will be back on board for lunch. Not planning on doing much else.

Safe Travels & ENJOY your cruise.

 

Joyce & Of Course Harvey