Sell me on Amber Cove

[drdisney77]

So the cruise that I booked for next October which I thought was going to Princess Cay is actually going to Amber Cove. I have never visited both, but looking at Princess Cay, I loved how it felt like Disney's Castaway Cay which I have done a few times. I also loved that they provided a bbq at Princess Cay where Amber Cove does not. 

 

Is Amber Cove good for families ? I will have my 3yo son with me so while I might go on the big boy slides, he couldn't go on those. I wanted to find out if they have a good kids area, and also where I could find some really good authentic restaurants as the one in the cove oly looked like it provided chicken fingers and other american items. I saw some restaurants online, but most if not all seemed to carry mostly fish items which while I love my wife doesn't care for.  

[mz-s]

I was there in 2016. There is a huge resort pool with lazy susan, and a swim-up bar/restaurant. Small market. You have to take a taxi to leave the port area though, it's sort of like Freeport in that there is nothing nearby the dock except the area that Carnival has built. I think long term it will turn into something like Grand Turk, but right now it has a similar feel to Freeport - except there is a very nice resort pool, and overall it looks much nicer than the Freeport port.

 

Things may have changed since 2016. I do want to go back.

Edited November 15, 2018 by mz-s

[nicole2380]

We went last year to Amber Cove and heading back there on our next cruise in two days. mz-s is correct the port area it self is small with a hand full of shops. But it does have a large pool area free of charge like Grand Turk. They do have a water slide but I am sorry to say I do not believe your son will be tall enough to go down.

[krispi]

I was in Amber Cove in September with my 3 year old daughter and 5 year old nephew. I thought it was a family-friendly port, because I didn't have to load my kid on a bus to get anywhere and pray that she was patient during the ride. That said, there isn't much to do in port other than a large pool and some basic shopping. There is a bar and I think a zip line, but we didn't try either of those. There is a kids splash pad area with some smaller waterslides that they really enjoyed. Our kids were too small for the big waterslide though.

What we did, and what I would recommend if you're in port long enough, is we stayed on the ship while everyone else rushed to get off right after it docked. We had the waterworks area and the main pool almost to ourselves all morning. We ate lunch on the ship (for free) then got off after lunch, as other passengers were starting to return to the ship. That made the pools on land not so crowded either. 

[serene56]

Princess Cay is NOTHING like the Castaway Cay.     Actually there is nothing comparable to a disney cruise  

[ABQrobin]

Amber Cove does have a specific childrens pool area, which your son will love.  It is all free.  Food is very limited at port, which is sad.  That is something I would like to see improved.  But the pool area is very nice and huge, tons of chairs, umbrellas are $20 per day and cover 2 chairs.