Jump to content

braces43

Members
  • Posts

    35
  • Joined

Posts posted by braces43

  1. We just returned (1/29/22) from our cruise with a stop in Grand Turk.  There was no longer anyone trying to rent chairs - all of them are free and first come, first serve. As you walk from ship towards land, the chairs to the right are amidst palm trees, so there is quite a bit of shade.  There is also a small, wooden pier you can walk on, a massage area,  and a cool, large  whale statue / art piece in the sand.  It is the best place for an awesome view and a quiet day.  If you go to the chairs to the left of the dock, there is less shade and more activity.  All chairs are free until you see the sign about local village this way - then you have left the cruise port area and entered the privately owned area where they charge for chairs.  This is a great place to go for a walk on the beach and to swim and snorkel.  We got back on the ship for lunch, then came back out and hung out on the beach until all aboard.  A beautiful, easy, and cheap beach day!

    • Like 5
  2. We just returned from our cruise (1/29/22) and I wanted to give a summary of Amber Cove.  It is a cruise passenger only (owned by Carnival I believe) stop. We did dock (not tender) and the dock is medium in length -  5-10 minute walk depending on speed.   There is not much at the port itself.  There are, of course, the usual shops and a couple of bars.  There is a large pool with a couple small slides and plenty of free lounge chairs, but not much shade.  There is NO beach - not even for walking or snorkeling / swimming.  The water is lined on all sides by large boulders with no access.  There was even a guard making sure no one tried to climb on or over the boulders.  There were some taxis on the road if you exited the protected cruise port area, but nothing within walking distance. It is about a 25 minute ride into the nearest town - Puerto Plata. We however, went on a Carnival excursion and were very happy we did.  We usually avoid the ship's excursions, but here you really need to plan something to do if you don't want to sit by a pool all day.  We did the Mountain Views and City Sights tour.  It was great.  It was only $50/pp - it says 3.5 hours, but ours was 5 hours.  We were on an open air mini bus that was only half full (14 people on tour).  We had a great guide.  It is a beautiful, lush, mountainous island and I definitely recommend you try to see some of the island.  Our tour went to the top of a mountain where there is a beautiful botanical garden and the famous Christ the Redeemer statue.  After about 90 minutes on the mountain, we headed back down and into Puerta Plata where we did a nice drive beside the beach promenade, a walking tour of Plaza Independencia including the cathedral, and walked down Umbrella Street with a stop for local chocolate and homemade ice cream. We also did a drive by of  Fort San Felipe.  It was a great time.  We were back to the ship for lunch (1:00) and then still had time to get back off and walk around the Amber Cove port area before our all aboard at 3:30.  

     

    • Like 17
    • Thanks 9
×
×
  • Create New...