What to do at Amber Cove

[ericrz]

Was in Amber Cove this past week on the Mardi Gras.

 

Water slides are open -- two of them, one open and one enclosed.  Umbrellas are $20 for the day.  Zip line all day pass is also $20.

 

Chairs are pretty plentiful in the first couple of hours, then at least for us got crowded.  Depends how many ships are in port, of course.  We had two others (one Celebrity and one Holland America) with us.  And being Thanksgiving week, the Mardi Gras was carrying the most passengers EVER (!!) on a Carnival ship, at nearly 6400.

 

Pool was great, there's a small lazy river and a swim up bar, and one end is zero entry,

[cruisegal40]

We will be going to AC in April.  We have a credit on our Princess account for $100.00/each for a shore excursion and I am wondering if any one has used the credit towards a cabana?  Sorry, I know it's a strange question. 

[NanaBell]

On 11/27/2022 at 12:43 PM, ericrz said:

Was in Amber Cove this past week on the Mardi Gras.

 

Water slides are open -- two of them, one open and one enclosed.  Umbrellas are $20 for the day.  Zip line all day pass is also $20.

 

Chairs are pretty plentiful in the first couple of hours, then at least for us got crowded.  Depends how many ships are in port, of course.  We had two others (one Celebrity and one Holland America) with us.  And being Thanksgiving week, the Mardi Gras was carrying the most passengers EVER (!!) on a Carnival ship, at nearly 6400.

 

Pool was great, there's a small lazy river and a swim up bar, and one end is zero entry,

A good friend of mine just got back last month and stated she paid $70. for 2 chairs and a umbrella over by the bar and  the zero entry. every other chair is free but those- because of their location. They told her that You can't pay through carnival you have to go up the the rental office. Does anyone know about these? 

[chong67]

I been to AC once. It's a nice resort, but I walk out of the gate into the jungle, along the side roads, kinda muddy at times, be care of cars. Fun experience.

[Reds4life]

We did the Ocean World excursion through HAL and enjoyed it very much. We also hired privately Ishmael for the afternoon/evening to take us to the Chocolate Factory, Amber Museum, downtown Puerto Plata, and the to Fort. I would highly recommend him. He was very reasonable and knowledgeable. 

[osborn15]

Can you go to Monkey Island from Amber Cove? 

[going to see the world]

On 11/27/2022 at 1:43 PM, ericrz said:

Was in Amber Cove this past week on the Mardi Gras.

 

Water slides are open -- two of them, one open and one enclosed.  Umbrellas are $20 for the day.  Zip line all day pass is also $20.

 

Chairs are pretty plentiful in the first couple of hours, then at least for us got crowded.  Depends how many ships are in port, of course.  We had two others (one Celebrity and one Holland America) with us.  And being Thanksgiving week, the Mardi Gras was carrying the most passengers EVER (!!) on a Carnival ship, at nearly 6400.

 

Pool was great, there's a small lazy river and a swim up bar, and one end is zero entry,

don't lazy rivers move though?

[latebuyer]

A belated thanks for your post. It seems like most caribbean cruises go to amber cove so was wondering what was there. However, i do notice most tours do say moderate. I'm not really keen to walk down a steep hill.

[adpilove]

On 2/18/2022 at 10:04 AM, wardwhitty said:

The cabana was great.  There were sodas, waters, bags of chips and that kind of thing.  You do have a private waitstaff and they are fantastic and very attentive.  The upstairs is air conditioned plus had two loungers under umbrellas and a tv.  Downstairs the hammock was comfy but we did not use it as much because it was such a gorgeous day.  They set up lounge chairs for us right in front of our cabana and brought over an umbrella. We had 4 rafts and 4 pool noodles. There were no wrist bands but the area is roped off from the other part of the pool deck area.  The bathrooms are close by.  Technically the cabana is set up for 4 snack and drink wise but there were 8 of us and they allowed us all to be together.  You will not regret it.

How much are the cabanas

[Theosprey247]

19 hours ago, adpilove said:

How much are the cabanas

$400+ depends on the location. From most expensive to least: Ocean, pool, hill or mountain (I forget what they call that one). 

[Wishing on a star]

ERIC. Can you tell us more about how crowded it is with three ships in port?

There will be two large ships when we will be there.

 

NANA....  The chairs that were rented, I believe, are in that one area..  I wonder if it is a little less busy there.  And, aren't they padded...  And perhaps have increased level of service?

 

I think we might rent an umbrella.  I see a recent sign that said $22.    And if we drive instead of fly, I can bring my nice thick exercise/yoga mat...  it makes a perfect pool lounge topper!

 

None of the beaches around this area appeal to me...

When you have Grace Bay Beach,  Grand Cayman,  Destin FL, etc...  the darker sand, less clear water in this area, and less upscale/professional vibe,  just don't do it for me.

We might head off the ship as early as possible,  hope to find a spot in Amber Cove...  And then plan to go back onboard and enjoy a quieter port-day onboard that afternoon.

 

 

[Royals Carol]

On 1/30/2022 at 2:29 PM, braces43 said:

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.  

 

Did the pool at Amber Cove have steps or does it gradually get deeper to get in?

[mrpayroll]

On 1/21/2024 at 5:19 PM, Royals Carol said:

Did the pool at Amber Cove have steps or does it gradually get deeper to get in?

One part has a walk in area. Like walking into a beach.

[Royals Carol]

Thank you so much!! My husband has a spinal cord injury and doesn’t have the balance or strength to do steps. Again, Thank you!!

[HotinHavasu]

On 5/13/2022 at 9:42 AM, Jrb8311 said:

Wardwhitty, how did you rent the cabana?  Was it through the Carnival excursion site?

Following 

[Theosprey247]

Yes. They are listed under excursions for Amber Cove. 

[Krisco]

Last week we did Mama Iguana excursion "Eat Drink and Be Merry" outside the cruiseline.  It was a blast. You have to pick up the van way outside the cruise port on the highway but not too bad of a walk of go slow.  We booked this via Viator, and the host asked us where we booked it.  He recommended getting word out to book directly on their website as Viator and TripAdvisor keep increasing their rates. When we got back this week I went to their website and it would have been about $25 cheaper per person.