Just back from Samana/Cayo - basic information

[SouthernSparkler]

Was sailing on the Explorer of the Seas, and we tendered at Samana, Dominican Republic.

 

If you take the tender from the ship to the drop off point in Samana, please be advised that there is not much to do there unless you have booked an excursion either thru the ship or independently. I heard quite a few guests grumbling that they tried to get the "cheaper" way over to Cayo rather then pay the RCI excursion price ($45/each) and were not allowed to disembark the local tender at Cayo.

 

That said, Cayo is a stunning beach and well worth the excursion price.

Some information:

 

It is a short walk to the beach during which you pass thru a small shopping area. Vendors are friendly, not-harassing and the shopping is actually better then what you would find if you took the local tendor to Samana.

 

There is no fee to rent beach chairs or hammocks.

 

There is no umbrellas available for rent as there is quite a bit of shade provided by the palm trees.

 

There is a volleyball net set-up, as well as plenty of places to get alcohol

 

2 places to grab a bite to eat: There is a stand selling burgers, fries, hotdogs, etc - prices are very reasonable. $2-fries, etc. Pick & choose your lunch. There is also a "local buffet" that is $15/pp a bit farther down the way.

 

You can book parasailing, snorkeling, or rent various other non-motorized water sports once you get over there based on half hour, hourly or daily rentals.

 

There is no jet skiing available.

 

There is an excursion to swim with sealions which i absolutely LOVED! It includes a fun orientation, then 15 minutes in the water (all the people on the beach can see it). Class sizes ranged between 7-12 participants. Mine had only 5 of us!

 

Tenders back to the ship start running around 12:30 pm and run about every 30 minutes. The trip back to the ship takes less then 10 minutes.

 

Hope this helps as there is not much info out there about this port of call!

[Perfect Stranger]

Thanks for the info!

 

How much was it to swim with the sea lions?

[SouthernSparkler]

Thanks for the info!

 

How much was it to swim with the sea lions?

 

 

It was $135/pp :)

[cruisingbooboo]

Was the beach very crowded? Do you know if there were other ships in port that day? Any chance to snorkle? Do you know the prices of beers?

Thanks