Taino Bay DR port is open!

[Javajitterz]

https://www.porttainobay.com/en/#llegada

Our ship is showing on the calendar for January. The calendar hadn't been populated until last night. At least -for now- we have at least ONE port we might actually make!

[mscdivina2016]

1 hour ago, Javajitterz said:

https://www.porttainobay.com/en/#llegada

Our ship is showing on the calendar for January. The calendar hadn't been populated until last night. At least -for now- we have at least ONE port we might actually make!

I was there with MSC 2 weeks ago. 1st ship to call there. What a dump. They are putting lipstick on a pig. In 10 years it might be good but right now its a dumpy area with massive renovations going on. Military everywhere to protect people. Tourist police cars all around.

 There is a little over priced brand new area just at the port. I was not interested in anything as there was not much at this time. As time goes by it will get better.

[ggTexasGal]

13 hours ago, mscdivina2016 said:

I was there with MSC 2 weeks ago. 1st ship to call there. What a dump. They are putting lipstick on a pig. In 10 years it might be good but right now its a dumpy area with massive renovations going on. Military everywhere to protect people. Tourist police cars all around.

 There is a little over priced brand new area just at the port. I was not interested in anything as there was not much at this time. As time goes by it will get better.

😬

[bookbabe]

We were at Taino Bay with Encore on Tuesday and thought the new port area was quite nice.

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2821452-taino-bay-at-puerto-plata/

 

[mscdivina2016]

2 hours ago, bookbabe said:

We were at Taino Bay with Encore on Tuesday and thought the new port area was quite nice.

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2821452-taino-bay-at-puerto-plata/

 

It was nice and but very small.  I would not waste 2 cents there while we were in YC and get it all for free.

We did walk to the little fort that you could see. That was a waste overall.  I miss the old DR port at Samana where they had many excursions to choose from.

 

I am glad you enjoyed your time there as each person has their own likes and dislikes. I think many older people would not want to venture out of that guarded compound.

Give it a few years and it will probably be good.

[bookbabe]

1 hour ago, mscdivina2016 said:

It was nice and but very small.  I would not waste 2 cents there while we were in YC and get it all for free.

We did walk to the little fort that you could see. That was a waste overall.  I miss the old DR port at Samana where they had many excursions to choose from.

 

I am glad you enjoyed your time there as each person has their own likes and dislikes. I think many older people would not want to venture out of that guarded compound.

Give it a few years and it will probably be good.

lol  You're right about different people having different likes and dislikes.  We aren't older (early 50's) but really liked the port area since we only had an hour or so before our off-road buggies excursion, and we aren't really shoppers so thought that what was open was fine for killing a bit of time.  
 

It would also be good if you just wanted a no-hassles lounger in the sun by the ocean or a quick dip in the pool with a drink you knew wasn't going to poison you.  We saw a number of families with kids taking advantage of that pool area, too.  The kids all looked happy enough with it.

[chillyw]

If I wasn't on an excursion, not sure I would've gotten off the Encore personally.

 

The port is a brand new tourist trap area. Not my thing, although the restaurant looked nice.

 

Couple pretty neat streets in Puerto Plata (umbrella Street was pretty cool).

 

Not many excursions and they're still trying to figure out what they're doing. We took one that, quite honestly, sucked. 

 

It's a developing city in a developing country, with a brand new cruise port, and all the good and bad that goes along with it. I wish them the best figuring it out.

 

[Heyref]

Are the loungers, and pool access free. Or is there an extra fee?

[Back to school]

10 hours ago, bookbabe said:

We were at Taino Bay with Encore on Tuesday and thought the new port area was quite nice.

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2821452-taino-bay-at-puerto-plata/

 

Virgin Scarlet Lady, Same location?

[bookbabe]

13 hours ago, Back to school said:

Virgin Scarlet Lady, Same location?

No idea, sorry.  On our day there, Encore was the only ship there as far as we could tell.  

[chillyw]

21 hours ago, Back to school said:

Virgin Scarlet Lady, Same location?

 

I believe so from what I've seen as I was considering scarlet lady before doing Encore, but check to verify it's Taino Bay.

[CL1978]

Would someone please provide more info on which excursions they took in Puerto Plato? We are considering the Party at Sea boat. Is it worth it? Starting to consider cancelling the entire cruise if we can't figure out what to do in the ports and things don't settle down. Don't want to take the cruise to nowhere.  Spent an entire week in Aruba and there is tons to do, yet the Getaway had Zero excursions???

[big al]

6 hours ago, CL1978 said:

Would someone please provide more info on which excursions they took in Puerto Plato? We are considering the Party at Sea boat. Is it worth it? Starting to consider cancelling the entire cruise if we can't figure out what to do in the ports and things don't settle down. Don't want to take the cruise to nowhere.  Spent an entire week in Aruba and there is tons to do, yet the Getaway had Zero excursions???

We are doing the Party At Sea on the Encore Jan.11th..both St. Thomas & Tortola seem to be open, and both our excursions there are also still on...

[cruisewisely]

9 hours ago, CL1978 said:

Would someone please provide more info on which excursions they took in Puerto Plato? We are considering the Party at Sea boat. Is it worth it? Starting to consider cancelling the entire cruise if we can't figure out what to do in the ports and things don't settle down. Don't want to take the cruise to nowhere.  Spent an entire week in Aruba and there is tons to do, yet the Getaway had Zero excursions???

I did the beach break, my cruise was Dec. 12-19, and Puerto Plata was the last port that week, so after two fairly active days at St. Thomas and Tortola, I was ready for a beach day. 

 

My beach day tour in detail:   Some disorganization  at the port in getting everyone onto the buses, but it was their first time, so hopefully they've worked it out. The drive to the beach was a good one hour drive each way, over dirt roads and crossing rushing streams. More newbie issues, our guide didn't have a mic, and since I was at the very front of the open air vehicle, and he stood behind me facing the back, our row couldn't hear him over the engine. I missed the info that I was supposed to get back on the same bus for the return trip. The beach itself was nice, water very wavy and I enjoyed jumping in the waves, but maybe wouldn't have been suitable for small kids.  I had the all inclusive option so lunch was provided, at a set time, so everyone ate at once. Alcoholic drinks were included, but it was a small list of provided drinks, rum punch and a few others.

 

For the return drive, there was a bit of a fuss because I had "missed" my bus, not knowing everyone was going back with the same guide, whose name I never got nor did I get a good look at him. I pointed out that all vehicles were going back to the Encore, so surely it didn't matter? After checking with a supervisor, it was agreed I could take any of the vehicles. Overall I enjoyed the day, but given the driving time, I'm not sure I would do it again, especially if I had Great Stirrup Key as a final port day.

 

Other tours:  One person in my group did the crazy trucks, and they ended that tour at my beach, where I ran into him. So both of those tours have a 1 hr drive back to port.

 

Horseback riding and kayaking:  the person who did this was very unhappy with the tour, they had a 2 hour drive each way which did not leave enough time for the activities. She said the horses were not very well trained either, so she did not recommend this tour at all.

 

Shark encounter:  the guy who did this enjoyed it, he got back to the ship much later than the other tours, sorry but I don't know if that was due to a long drive or it was just an intensive tour.

 

 

[bookbabe]

We did the OffRoad Buggies and Beach at Puerto Plata.  Buggies were a blast.  You will get MUDDY.  That’s an understatement. Wear clothes/shoes that can get soaked.  The beach is kind of meh, limited space and seating if you’re not going in the water.

[Back to school]

On 1/1/2022 at 6:25 PM, chillyw said:

 

I believe so from what I've seen as I was considering scarlet lady before doing Encore, but check to verify it's Taino Bay.

Thanks, I’m going to January 9, Taino Bay!

 

[chillyw]

On 1/1/2022 at 11:37 PM, CL1978 said:

Would someone please provide more info on which excursions they took in Puerto Plato? We are considering the Party at Sea boat. Is it worth it? Starting to consider cancelling the entire cruise if we can't figure out what to do in the ports and things don't settle down. Don't want to take the cruise to nowhere.  Spent an entire week in Aruba and there is tons to do, yet the Getaway had Zero excursions???

 

I did the horseback riding and kayak and... they tried.  Really trying to be nice, but it's an hour and a half drive to a ranch, and then an hour and a half drive back, and a 30 minute horse back ride, and a 10 minute kayak ride down a pointless river, and nothing else.  

 

I'd avoid it, but I'm sure it will get better.  The horseback riding was honestly fun, and you could probably do it more than once if you wanted to because they didn't know what was going on.

 

It's a developing port with people who are trying hard so I feel bad for them.  But not worth the money.

Edited January 4, 2022 by chillyw

[chillyw]

On 1/2/2022 at 9:36 AM, cruisewisely said:

Horseback riding and kayaking:  the person who did this was very unhappy with the tour, they had a 2 hour drive each way which did not leave enough time for the activities. She said the horses were not very well trained either, so she did not recommend this tour at all.

 

 

 

ah yeah... we were on the same one.

[cruiselova67]

Bookbabe,

We would like to do the buggy tour as well. Are the vehicles gas powered UTVs?

We are on the Breakaway in May, there are no pictures of the vehicles on NCL website.

Look forward to your response.

[Bonobochick]

On 1/2/2022 at 12:37 AM, CL1978 said:

Would someone please provide more info on which excursions they took in Puerto Plato? We are considering the Party at Sea boat. Is it worth it?

I did Party At Sea via Dec 23rd Escape cruise. I enjoyed it buy it was a bit disorganized. We had bad weather the night before so a number of excursions, e.g. the beach day, were canceled due to flooded roads. We were also late docking and getting off (by about an hour).

 

Now, the hostess (Mercedes) was a fun guide. We took a van from the port to Sousa Beach, which was about 35-40 minutes. Once we got there, we took a little boat from the beach to the Catamaran. With this part I would suggest that if anyone has any mobility issues, they should skip this excursion cause getting from the little boat on to the Catamaran took effort & some flexibility. 

 

The Catamaran was fine. Lots of room cause there were maybe 20 of us. The crew supplied us with lots of beverages - alcohol, soda, water - and some light snacks of cheese, bread, + cold cuts. I didn't go snorkeling but several who did saw lots of different fish & sea life so they were happy. I jumped in to do some swimming but it was still a bit rocky from the prior night's storm so I wasn't in the water more than 10 minutes. Water was nice temp and fine otherwise.

 

It did feel a bit disorganized once we got to the beach plus rather short with us being late to the port plus the commute to / from the port but I did enjoy myself. The crew was relaxed, the drinks were strong, and the music (once I asked them to switch from country to reggaeton) was entertaining. More positives than negatives with Party At Sea IMO.

 

Edited January 9, 2022 by Bonobochick
correction

[farjar]

On 1/3/2022 at 7:10 PM, bookbabe said:

We did the OffRoad Buggies and Beach at Puerto Plata.  Buggies were a blast.  You will get MUDDY.  That’s an understatement. Wear clothes/shoes that can get soaked.  The beach is kind of meh, limited space and seating if you’re not going in the water.

We are doing this excursion in two weeks.  What was the temperature? Any mosquitos? Should we wear long sleeves, long pants? Anything you wish you would have brought (bandana for your face, hat, sunglasses, water)?  Thanks.

[bookbabe]

5 hours ago, farjar said:

We are doing this excursion in two weeks.  What was the temperature? Any mosquitos? Should we wear long sleeves, long pants? Anything you wish you would have brought (bandana for your face, hat, sunglasses, water)?  Thanks.

Wear clothes and shoes that can get completely drenched in mud.  Anything you bring will be drenched in mud unless it’s in a waterproof dry bag.  They sell bandannas if you don’t have one.  You have to wear a helmet, so no hat.  Sunglasses might help prevent mud in your eyes, as long as they’re cheap ones.  Put your phone/id/money in a waterproof case like you’d wear when swimming so it doesn’t get covered in mud.  Water might be good to bring, as long as the bottle is disposable or durable and can get covered in mud.

 

Loads of fun, definitely worth it, or at least we thought so.  But wow, there was mud.  

[farjar]

5 minutes ago, bookbabe said:

Wear clothes and shoes that can get completely drenched in mud.  Anything you bring will be drenched in mud unless it’s in a waterproof dry bag.  They sell bandannas if you don’t have one.  You have to wear a helmet, so no hat.  Sunglasses might help prevent mud in your eyes, as long as they’re cheap ones.  Put your phone/id/money in a waterproof case like you’d wear when swimming so it doesn’t get covered in mud.  Water might be good to bring, as long as the bottle is disposable or durable and can get covered in mud.

 

Loads of fun, definitely worth it, or at least we thought so.  But wow, there was mud.  

We did something similar 6 years ago in Puerto Vallarta and loved it.  Would have totally forgotten about carrying valuables in a waterproof bag.  Thank you for responding.  We appreciate the information. Fortunately we will have free laundry on the Getaway. 😀

[Epic_Bear]

On 1/2/2022 at 12:37 AM, CL1978 said:

Would someone please provide more info on which excursions they took in Puerto Plato? We are considering the Party at Sea boat. Is it worth it? Starting to consider cancelling the entire cruise if we can't figure out what to do in the ports and things don't settle down. Don't want to take the cruise to nowhere.  Spent an entire week in Aruba and there is tons to do, yet the Getaway had Zero excursions???

We did the Party at Sea on the 12/27 Getaway cruise.  It's a 45 minute bus ride/mini tour to the beach and then you take a smaller boat out the catamaran.  Great snorkeling off the boat, drinks before and after snorkeling.  They bring you back closer to shore where you can swim more or lounge on the boat drinking.  It was super fun, great crew, strong drinks, good music, can recommend!

 

As for Aruba - We did Resort for Day and spent it at the Riu Palace.  Great beach, food, pool, etc.

Edited January 9, 2022 by Epic_Bear

[jbiker]

On 1/9/2022 at 8:13 AM, Bonobochick said:

I did Party At Sea via Dec 23rd Escape cruise. I enjoyed it buy it was a bit disorganized. We had bad weather the night before so a number of excursions, e.g. the beach day, were canceled due to flooded roads. We were also late docking and getting off (by about an hour).

 

Now, the hostess (Mercedes) was a fun guide. We took a van from the port to Sousa Beach, which was about 35-40 minutes. Once we got there, we took a little boat from the beach to the Catamaran. With this part I would suggest that if anyone has any mobility issues, they should skip this excursion cause getting from the little boat on to the Catamaran took effort & some flexibility. 

 

The Catamaran was fine. Lots of room cause there were maybe 20 of us. The crew supplied us with lots of beverages - alcohol, soda, water - and some light snacks of cheese, bread, + cold cuts. I didn't go snorkeling but several who did saw lots of different fish & sea life so they were happy. I jumped in to do some swimming but it was still a bit rocky from the prior night's storm so I wasn't in the water more than 10 minutes. Water was nice temp and fine otherwise.

 

It did feel a bit disorganized once we got to the beach plus rather short with us being late to the port plus the commute to / from the port but I did enjoy myself. The crew was relaxed, the drinks were strong, and the music (once I asked them to switch from country to reggaeton) was entertaining. More positives than negatives with Party At Sea IMO.