Dominican Republic which port for NCL? Taino Bay or Amber Cove

[Red-Sol]

Sailing on Getaway later this year and one of the stops is Dominican Republic.I have been seeing many differing and conflicting reports as to which port will actually be used between Taino Bay and Amber Cove. Does anyone have any recent experience as to which port NCL uses now? Or does anyone know of a reliable source where this information can be found? 

Edited June 14, 2023 by Red-Sol

[kskelley40]

Taino Bay.  NCL used Amber Cove, which is Carnival's port, temporarily while Taino Bay was being built.  It is a beautiful port area with lots to do, restaurants, bars, pools, beach etc...  We were there in January and spent the whole day there.  I have read that they have recently added on to it.

[Red-Sol]

8 minutes ago, kskelley40 said:

Taino Bay.  NCL used Amber Cove, which is Carnival's port, temporarily while Taino Bay was being built.  It is a beautiful port area with lots to do, restaurants, bars, pools, beach etc...  We were there in January and spent the whole day there.  I have read that they have recently added on to it.

 

Thank You Thank You! I was hoping that was the case as Taino Bay looks to be very nice.

[Rpeter]

We were on the Getaway in April and it used at Amber Cove.  When we were on the Encore in January, it used Taino Bay.

[aroundtheriverbend]

I just looked at the timetables, for my cruise leaving 6/25 it is stating Amber Cove (also for the one the week prior at least....).

[Sand and Seas]

46 minutes ago, Rpeter said:

We were on the Getaway in April and it used at Amber Cove.  When we were on the Encore in January, it used Taino Bay.

Hmmm....my October Joy cruise just says Puerto Plata DR.  

Maybe they just aren't sure yet🤔

[Red-Sol]

22 minutes ago, Sand and Seas said:

Hmmm....my October Joy cruise just says Puerto Plata DR.  

Maybe they just aren't sure yet🤔

That is what the Getaway cruise I am taking in November says as well. My understanding about Amber Cove is that it is mostly a Carnival port and I believe there is a 2 ship limit as to docking availabilities. The date of our visit to Dominican already shows 2 Carnival ships docked there that day...so I am hoping that for us we will end up docking at Taino...it all really is very confusing and may very well be that actual docking is possibly not known until very close to the actual cruise.

[Turtles06]

1 hour ago, aroundtheriverbend said:

I just looked at the timetables, for my cruise leaving 6/25 it is stating Amber Cove (also for the one the week prior at least....).

 

Do you mean cruisetimetables.com?  If so, they make no distinction between the Puerto Plata docking options; you can't tell from that third party web site where a ship will dock for Puerto Plata.  

 

Best to keep checking the official Amber Cove port calendar (link below), and just hang tight.  (And iirc, there have been times when an NCL ship was showing on the Amber Cove calendar, but it docked at Taino Bay.)

 

BTW, the current Amber Cove port calendar does not show the Getaway or any other NCL ship there at any time from June 25 through the end of June, or in July.

 

https://www.ambercove.com/Port-Schedule.aspx

[Turtles06]

36 minutes ago, Red-Sol said:

My understanding about Amber Cove is that it is mostly a Carnival port and I believe there is a 2 ship limit as to docking availabilities.

 

You are correct about 2 ships max, and also that priority is given to Carnival corp brands (Carnival, HAL, Princess).  So if you see two of those ships scheduled there on the same date, it's unlikely NCL will be docking there, except for some last minute change.

[genealogyfan]

When I was there on the Epic in April, we docked in Amber Cove with another cruise line ship in that port. On the same day another Norwegian ship was at another port in the Dominican Republic.

[Panhandle Couple]

From previous threads last year on this subject...

 

The channel into Taino Bay is shallow at one point.  An NCL ship dragged bottom there last year.  It depends on the time of year and tide times for entry/exit.   NCL (and other lines) complained to the locals about getting that area dredged.  Not certain if it happened, but we did stop there this year on Escape in early March.

 

The port area for Taino Bay docking is tightly controlled (fenced) away from the main part of town.  It is still having additional store fronts being built.  Lots of pool areas and a lazy river, restaurants and bars and shopping.  You have a good walk through all this to get to the exit gate that leads to the center of town. We did not go into town this year, but it appeared that the walkway leading to it had been improved. 

 

We were also there in Feb 2022 and the main town is underwhelming (but it depends on what you are looking for).  The main calling card is amber mines locally, and plenty of shops selling it to you, along with a "museum" and a historical church on main square.  Lots of moped and small motorcycle traffic, uneven streets.  Not a tourist trap (yet) and only a small area of "Colonial charm". 

 

PLEASE,  use the guides who are at the end of the gated area. Orange shirts, with numbers on them and ID cards on lanyards.  They are hired by the government and free of charge, although we tipped nicely and ours was surprised.  They will tell you some of the history and take you to shops and the central plaza, and will keep you out of not so good areas.

 

Check to see status of stargasm (sp) seaweed if possible before booking a beach excursion.  It is supposed to be thick this year, and can be unpleasant if it is too thick, both on shore or in the water. 

[aroundtheriverbend]

32 minutes ago, Turtles06 said:

 

Do you mean cruisetimetables.com?  If so, they make no distinction between the Puerto Plata docking options; you can't tell from that third party web site where a ship will dock for Puerto Plata.  

 

Best to keep checking the official Amber Cove port calendar (link below), and just hang tight.  (And iirc, there have been times when an NCL ship was showing on the Amber Cove calendar, but it docked at Taino Bay.)

 

BTW, the current Amber Cove port calendar does not show the Getaway or any other NCL ship there at any time from June 25 through the end of June, or in July.

 

https://www.ambercove.com/Port-Schedule.aspx

Thank you, yes, that was the site I was looking at. Good to know that info, I somehow missed it! We are on the Escape leaving Miami, 25 June.

[mking8288]

FWIW, on the Getaway this January & we were at Amber Cove, nice Carnival owned port that's open & a shared with other cruise lines when not in use. Taxis to town & back, TB is pricey compared to other Caribbean ports, not walkable. TB is supposed to be done with deeper channel by now, making it safer for mega ships to sail & navigate without running into the bottom, i.e. Escape in 2021. 

 

Nice duty-free shops at AC with prices lower than St. Thomas, USVi. 

Edited June 14, 2023 by mking8288

[Turtles06]

1 hour ago, mking8288 said:

FWIW, on the Getaway this January & we were at Amber Cove, nice Carnival owned port that's open & a shared with other cruise lines when not in use.

 

And you've just reminded me of one of my fun memories from this January on the Gem, when we were docked at Taino Bay (Jan. 31) while the Dawn was at Amber Cove.   @Ken the cruiser was aboard the Dawn, and we wound up "talking" to each other via Cruise Critic, as I could see the Dawn leaving Amber Cove.  Some pics and info re Taino Bay for those who may be interested:

 

 

 

Edited June 14, 2023 by Turtles06

[Turtles06]

Here's a map from this winter of the fenced in "keep the guests safe and happy" Taino Bay playground.  We were docked much further from the entrance to this area (shown at the top right).  It's definitely walkable, but can be very sunny and hot.  There were free little open car shuttles (holding about 3 guests) that quickly took people from the ship to the entrance and back.  (Tip the drivers! 🙂 )

 

They do not make it easy for you to get to the street exit if you have booked a guide (as we had) or intend to walk into town on your own, or pick up a guide or taxi at the exit. 

 

 

 

Edited June 14, 2023 by Turtles06

[omahabob]

We docked at Amber Cove on May 3rd.

[BirdTravels]

We were on the Encore in April an called at Taino Bay, which is NCL”s primary port. 

[Barney Gallagher]

We are on the Norwegian Breakaway next week and will be at Puerto Plata on Tuesday May 21, 2024.   We have seen some reports that we will be at Amber Cove, not Taino Bay.

 

If that is the case, would it be worth getting a taxi to Taino Bay since its appears newer with more amenities, including a wave machine for surfing which our son wants to do?

[UKstages]

what an interesting question.

 

but i'm not sure you can do that.

 

yes, you can get a taxi from one area in puerto plata to another, but aren't the amenities within the port area reserved for the folks who are docked there? can others crash? i'm not saying you can't... i'm just questioning the logistics as to how you might be able to do that. the port areas are not public spaces.

[Jordan61]

On 5/15/2024 at 12:00 PM, Barney Gallagher said:

We are on the Norwegian Breakaway next week and will be at Puerto Plata on Tuesday May 21, 2024.   We have seen some reports that we will be at Amber Cove, not Taino Bay.

 

If that is the case, would it be worth getting a taxi to Taino Bay since its appears newer with more amenities, including a wave machine for surfing which our son wants to do?

 

For what it's worth, I'm on the Breakaway right now and we stopped in Taino Bay.

[kochleffel]

A booking that I have for December is scheduled to dock at Amber Cove.

 

[BirdTravels]

4 hours ago, kochleffel said:

A booking that I have for December is scheduled to dock at Amber Cove.

 

NCL calls at Taino Bay. 

[zqvol]

28 minutes ago, BirdTravels said:

NCL calls at Taino Bay. 

But occasionally at Amber Cove

[BirdTravels]

18 hours ago, zqvol said:

But occasionally at Amber Cove

Specific ship and date?

[kochleffel]

To say that the situation is annoying would be an understatement!

 

Taino Bay claims to publish its ship schedule for the current month only -- but doesn't really. Even the one for this month is blank.

 

The sites I would usually consult don't acknowledge the existence of Taino Bay. They list only "Puerto Plata/Amber Cove," but on some days they show five ships there, which I believe is more than Amber Cove's capacity.

 

On the date in my booking, Carnival has two ships at Puerto Plata and NCL has two. Each Carnival ship has more passengers than the two NCL ships (Gem and Jewel) combined.