When it comes to choosing a shore excursion, I always have trouble deciding. During our recent Eastern Caribbean cruise with Carnival, we stopped in the Dominican Republic. There are many Amber Cove shore excursions, and lots to do in the port complex too. Here are 8 reasons why we love Amber Cove Cruise Center, and why you will too!
Amber Cover Cruise Port
Amber Cove is a privately owned cruise port in the Puerto Plata Province of the Dominican Republic. The all new Amber Cove Cruise Center was designed to rejuvenate the north coast of the Dominican Republic, and renew the ability for cruise lines to reach Puerto Plata. Before Amber Cove, it had been 30 years since cruise ships had docked there.
Amber Cove Shore Excursions
There are lots of things to do in Puerto Plata, from historical tours, to private beach excursions. Each cruise ship will provide you with a list of what’s on offer during your cruise. Visiting the Damajagua Park Waterfalls, ATV off road adventures, city sightseeing, VIP cabanas, zip-lining, and even horseback riding are all options.
OR you can just enjoy all that the Amber Cove Cruise Center has to offer:
Staying within the Amber Cove offers some crazy-great amenities, activities, relaxation areas and food options. If you just want to relax during your Amber Cove shore excursion, this is the place for you. And best of all – other than food, drink and a small charge for the zip lines, it’s all free!
8 reasons why we love Amber Cove Cruise Port:
1 – The Views
Amber Cove sits on the beautiful Bay of Maimon. I think the views alone are worth a visit. It is one of the most lush and tropical locations that we visited in the Caribbean. Carnival invested $85 million dollars to build the Amber Cove cruise terminal, which opened in 2015. It was money well spent. Everything about Amber Cove is beautiful. I took more pictures here than any other stop we made.
2 – The Pool
The pool is large and beautiful, and has a swim-up bar. It is big enough to accommodate the large crowds from the cruise ships, and the water is a welcome relief from the heat of the Caribbean. Everything was clean, orderly, and very modern. The pool area at Amber Cove is very family friendly and felt safe for our 9 year old daughter to explore and play.
3 – The Waterslides
There are two waterslides at Amber Cove Cruise Center. One is open air and the other is enclosed. John tried the enclosed one and said it was too scary for him. But Payton loved the open one and went on it countless times during our visit.
4 – The Lazy River
Swim your way down the lazy river at Amber Cove; or grab a float and drift away. John and Payton enjoyed relaxing on the lazy river between trips down the water slides. It is extra nice that it is connected to the main pool so there is no reason to get out of the water!
5 – The Zip Lines
The zip lines at Amber Cove are one of the few things that you have to pay to do. It’s $12 and you get to ride it as many times as you want all day long. Anyone that has zip lined before knows that $12 is a very small fee for this kind of activity.
6 – The Sky Bar
Playing in the water works up an appetite and the Sky Bar is the perfect place to grab a quick bite to eat. This observation area offers incredible views out over Amber Cove, and is a breathtaking place to eat. There are many steps to climb to get to the top, but it is worth each and every one.
You can see the ships that are docked, the pools, the waterslides, the ocean, and beyond. The ocean breeze, the sunshine, the tasty food, and the 360 degree views make this the best option for lunch while you’re at Amber Cove.
7 – The Shops
Like all cruise terminals, there are lots of shops at Amber Cove! We love to bring home souvenirs from everywhere that we visit. The shops at Amber Cove Cruise port were nice and clean, with a large variety to choose from.
Most of them also included free WiFi, so we were able to spend a few minutes checking in with home. The area around the shops is beautiful as well. The lush greenery is the perfect backdrop for taking family photos. By the end of the day, Payton was giving me that “Mom, not another photo” look.
8 – Amber Cove is free!
Ok, maybe not completely free, but almost!
Like I mentioned earlier, there is a small fee for the zip line and of course you pay for your food and drinks. However, the pool, the waterslides, the lazy river, and the lounge chairs are provided at absolutely no cost. And there is no admission to enter the area. You can’t ask for much better!
We all know that the cost of shore excursions can add up quickly, especially on a seven day cruise that includes four ports, so Amber Cove is a great option to keep costs down.
Are you cruising from Port Canaveral? Why not utilise the Park & Cruise hotel options!
8 reasons why we love Amber Cove Cruise Center
I love the fact that Carnival provides Amber Cove for their guests to enjoy without spending a large sum of money. It provided us with a day of fun, activities for Payton, relaxing areas for me, and plenty to see and do during our port time. If we return to the Dominican Republic again with Carnival, it will be an easy decision to spend our shore excursion at Amber Cove. Have you done an Amber Cove shore excursion? If so, I would love to hear about your experience!
Other stops included the beautiful island of Grand Turk and the old town of Old San Juan!
Let us help you plan your next cruise,
with our full service Travel Agency!
Copyright © Endless Family Travels – all rights reserved. Photos and content cannot be used without express permission.
Endless Family Travels is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.
It looks beautiful, thank you for the info! I love a good zipline 🙂
I was just there last thursday and unfortunately, we didnt get to that side of Amber Cove. We took the Monkey tour and it was fun. We did get a drink at the Skybar and it was great. I cant wait to go again!
I bet the monkey tour was awesome as well! At least you were able to visit the Skybar! The views from there are amazing! I hope you are able to go again soon and if you need help booking that, let me know!
Can you tell me what month you were there? We will be there mid-March and hoping the weather will be warm enough to swim then! Thanks !
We were there the middle to end of February and the weather was awesome! We stayed in the water! March should be wonderful!
It will be!
We were just there mid-Feb and it was in the low 80’s. It was beautiful.
can you give me some info on the bungalos at Amber Cove? Do they rent out daily? Is this for cruise only passengers? Thanks
The over the water cabanas are available for daily rental. Prices start at $344 for up to 8 people. I think they are available to just Carnival guests but I could be wrong.
Do you remember what the ages were for the zipline? I keep seeing $20/adults and $10/kids, but then that it starts at age 14, which is a teen, not a kid…
I’m sorry but I don’t remember the ages. It’s been over 2 years since we visited.