Amber Cove - Cable Car?

[iriecruising]

I am looking for something to do while our Carnival ship is in port at Amber Cove. Other than the waterfalls, none of the ship excursions look particularly interesting so I started looking outside the cruise line. Several operators include a cable car ride to the top of a mountain at Isabel De Torres National Park and now we are thinking of grabbing a cab and going to the Fort and the Cable Car. I find it kind of odd that the cable car is not part of any ship excursions and it made me wonder if it is still open post hurricanes or if it breaks down a lot so the ships don't want to take a chance on you getting stuck etc. Seems like it would be a nice little trip but the fact it is not included in any ship tour makes me wonder if it is a little sketchy or something. We are not afraid to go out on our own but want to make sure we are not making any mistakes in our choices. I posted this on the DR port board but this board gets a lot more action so I am hoping to find some past carnival cruisers who have gone on the cable car. If you have any input on this I would really appreciate it. Thanks!

[beachbum53]

I am looking for something to do while our Carnival ship is in port at Amber Cove. Other than the waterfalls, none of the ship excursions look particularly interesting so I started looking outside the cruise line. Several operators include a cable car ride to the top of a mountain at Isabel De Torres National Park and now we are thinking of grabbing a cab and going to the Fort and the Cable Car. I find it kind of odd that the cable car is not part of any ship excursions and it made me wonder if it is still open post hurricanes or if it breaks down a lot so the ships don't want to take a chance on you getting stuck etc. Seems like it would be a nice little trip but the fact it is not included in any ship tour makes me wonder if it is a little sketchy or something. We are not afraid to go out on our own but want to make sure we are not making any mistakes in our choices. I posted this on the DR port board but this board gets a lot more action so I am hoping to find some past carnival cruisers who have gone on the cable car. If you have any input on this I would really appreciate it. Thanks!

 

At any island that Carnival goes to, there will be excursions offered through the cruise line, and others that are not. If you're thinking of choosing an excursion that is not offered through the cruise line, do your research first. Read any customer reviews and comments you can find. The same holds true for those excursions offered through Carnival. If an excursion we're considering doesn't have at least 4 stars, and has a lot of negative comments, we pass on it. Key things to look for: Is the excursion worth the cost? How safe is it? Does the tour operator make every effort to get the passengers back to the ship on time?

[cjcrowder]

I am looking for something to do while our Carnival ship is in port at Amber Cove. Other than the waterfalls, none of the ship excursions look particularly interesting so I started looking outside the cruise line. Several operators include a cable car ride to the top of a mountain at Isabel De Torres National Park and now we are thinking of grabbing a cab and going to the Fort and the Cable Car. I find it kind of odd that the cable car is not part of any ship excursions and it made me wonder if it is still open post hurricanes or if it breaks down a lot so the ships don't want to take a chance on you getting stuck etc. Seems like it would be a nice little trip but the fact it is not included in any ship tour makes me wonder if it is a little sketchy or something. We are not afraid to go out on our own but want to make sure we are not making any mistakes in our choices. I posted this on the DR port board but this board gets a lot more action so I am hoping to find some past carnival cruisers who have gone on the cable car. If you have any input on this I would really appreciate it. Thanks!

 

 

 

We went to top of Mt. Isabel by the cable car back in 2016. It was a great trip. We just grabbed a taxi and went in our own. They have a bronze version of Christ the Redeemer at the top.

 

 

 

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[whitneypb85]

We went this past December on the Teleferico in Puerto Plata (Amber Cove)! We got off the Carnival Magic and just walked to where the cabs were and told them where we wanted to go. They took us to the cable car, the fort, and a nice beach. Much cheaper than going through the cruise line. We were back in plenty of time to catch the ship. I felt very safe doing it this way and would do it again if we ever stop at Amber Cove again! If you have any other questions, let me know! :)

[marshhawk]

It is due to the size and the amount of folks that can be moved by the cable car, that the cruise lines, choose to omit it as an excursion. Now if the cable car moved 50 people at a time, that would be a different thing. It looks lovely, have a great time.

[Organized Chaos]

A while ago I had asked how far the cable car is from the port and someone told me an hour. I didn't think to do it at that time, but some time later, I looked on Google Maps and it said about 15 minutes by car. Can anyone verify that? Also, do taxis hang out at the bottom so you don't have to wait to go back? Thanks for the info. We'll be there in June and, like the OP, the excursions don't interest us. Looking for something besides the pool/bar area at the port.

[iriecruising]

We went this past December on the Teleferico in Puerto Plata (Amber Cove)! We got off the Carnival Magic and just walked to where the cabs were and told them where we wanted to go. They took us to the cable car, the fort, and a nice beach. Much cheaper than going through the cruise line. We were back in plenty of time to catch the ship. I felt very safe doing it this way and would do it again if we ever stop at Amber Cove again! If you have any other questions, let me know! :)

 

Thanks for the information. Another poster mentioned that it does not move very many people at once and so now it makes total sense why the cruise ships would not promote it. I was wondering how much your cab cost and if they stayed with you throughout the day. I heard there are some nice gardens to walk around at the top of the mountain. I am trying to figure out how much time to plan for the Cable Car trip. How long did you spend there? Thanks again for the info it has been very helpful!

[iriecruising]

It is due to the size and the amount of folks that can be moved by the cable car, that the cruise lines, choose to omit it as an excursion. Now if the cable car moved 50 people at a time, that would be a different thing. It looks lovely, have a great time.

 

I had never thought of that and it makes perfect sense! Thank you!

[iriecruising]

A while ago I had asked how far the cable car is from the port and someone told me an hour. I didn't think to do it at that time, but some time later, I looked on Google Maps and it said about 15 minutes by car. Can anyone verify that? Also, do taxis hang out at the bottom so you don't have to wait to go back? Thanks for the info. We'll be there in June and, like the OP, the excursions don't interest us. Looking for something besides the pool/bar area at the port.

 

Another good question. I hope someone answers for you too. When you get back let us know what you thought. We don't cruise until November so will be interested in your feedback. BTW, I did hear you should go early in the morning to avoid the fog! Our ship gets in at 7:30am so I am hoping to make this our first stop.

[whitneypb85]

Thanks for the information. Another poster mentioned that it does not move very many people at once and so now it makes total sense why the cruise ships would not promote it. I was wondering how much your cab cost and if they stayed with you throughout the day. I heard there are some nice gardens to walk around at the top of the mountain. I am trying to figure out how much time to plan for the Cable Car trip. How long did you spend there? Thanks again for the info it has been very helpful!

 

I believe our cab for 4 of us was between $60-$70. It included our driver for the entire day. You did have to pay a separate fee for going up in the cable car. We had a guide take us on the cable car and up to the top. There are beautiful gardens up there as well as the replica of Christ the Redeemer statue. We were able to spend as much or as little time as we wanted at the top. We went first thing in the morning and had beautiful weather, by the time we were descending it was very foggy. Our cab driver, Luis, then took us to the middle of Puerto Plata to look around the downtown area before we headed to the fort. We spent about 20 minutes at the fort as we didn't really care to go inside as there were many tours taking place. The grounds around the fort along the ocean were very nice. After that we went to the beach where we spent about an hour. We had a full day of fun and still had enough time when we got back to roam around the port of Amber Cove. Hope that helps!

[iriecruising]

I believe our cab for 4 of us was between $60-$70. It included our driver for the entire day. You did have to pay a separate fee for going up in the cable car. We had a guide take us on the cable car and up to the top. There are beautiful gardens up there as well as the replica of Christ the Redeemer statue. We were able to spend as much or as little time as we wanted at the top. We went first thing in the morning and had beautiful weather, by the time we were descending it was very foggy. Our cab driver, Luis, then took us to the middle of Puerto Plata to look around the downtown area before we headed to the fort. We spent about 20 minutes at the fort as we didn't really care to go inside as there were many tours taking place. The grounds around the fort along the ocean were very nice. After that we went to the beach where we spent about an hour. We had a full day of fun and still had enough time when we got back to roam around the port of Amber Cove. Hope that helps!

 

Thanks so much, This is exactly what we were thinking about doing so all your feedback has been great!! Can't wait to do it ourselves!