- Thread starter Conchman
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Carnival Cruise Lines - Port in Maimon
Will landlubbers be allowed on the property?
i can foresee preoccupations about security issues. i mean, you cannot simply exclude a guy because him and his buddy roll up on a Yamaha Jog, and his shorts are down by his knees. he will remind you that you just let in Ms Bournigal..
i promise to take photos this week. in the meantime here is a short article about current state of the road: http://noticiaspop.com.do/avanza-ampliacion-carretera-maimon-puerto-plata/
they started in june, i believe. over 3 months later they are only at 60% (60% my tush, but that's another thing). i hope this explains my skepticism better. but they truly lucked out with the weather because they can work day in, day out.
they started in june, i believe. over 3 months later they are only at 60% (60% my tush, but that's another thing). i hope this explains my skepticism better. but they truly lucked out with the weather because they can work day in, day out.
Will landlubbers be allowed on the property?
how is it done in other places? i was told by a crew member from royal caribbean that common folks cannot enter ports of call. passengers, crew and port workers only.
how is it done in other places? i was told by a crew member from royal caribbean that common folks cannot enter ports of call. passengers, crew and port workers only.
letting people just saunter into the port facilities would present a logistical nightmare. there would have to be some sort of screening process, or the environs would be crawling with pickpockets and other upstanding members of the community.
From my limited experience, passengers have tamper proof wrist bands, employees have ID cards hanging around their necks or clipped to shirt and visitors are prohibited. Passengers must meet their non-passenger friends outside the fence.
makes a lot of sense to me. the place would be overrun by touts, pimps, and other miscellaneous hustlers.
All the hustlers will be just outside the gates. Cruise ship piers are irresistible to them.
One thing in the news now is that the Carnival Liberty caught fire in St Thomas. No one was injured but it is bad press.
They are also reporting that a Royal Caribbean ship caught fire in July in the same story.
One thing in the news now is that the Carnival Liberty caught fire in St Thomas. No one was injured but it is bad press.
They are also reporting that a Royal Caribbean ship caught fire in July in the same story.
All the hustlers will be just outside the gates. Cruise ship piers are irresistible to them.
One thing in the news now is that the Carnival Liberty caught fire in St Thomas. No one was injured but it is bad press.
They are also reporting that a Royal Caribbean ship caught fire in July in the same story.
What is the big deal about fires on a cruise ship? After all there is water all around them to put it out.
I am just kidding.
As for the hustlers. Do you think they will be allowed to loiter outside the gates?
All the hustlers will be just outside the gates. Cruise ship piers are irresistible to them.
One thing in the news now is that the Carnival Liberty caught fire in St Thomas. No one was injured but it is bad press.
They are also reporting that a Royal Caribbean ship caught fire in July in the same story.
stationing themselves outside the gates is pointless. the passengers will be whisked past them in the tour buses.
Good point. I forgot cruisers won't leave the gates on their own. I've never understood the appeal of cruises. It's just not my style.
i understand cruises. people who go on them do not go to see other countries. the ship is the destination. it is Disneyland, Atlantic City, and Las Vegas on water. the facilities and attractions on the ship are far superior to anything most destinations can provide. i laugh when POP builds an ampitheater, and thinks it will have tourism value. the guys are just getting off a ship with professional entertainers of all types, playing to them in leisure and comfort, yet they are going to watch some amateurs playing to them in blistering heat. they do not give a rat?s behind about some local restaurant, when they can have prime rib three times per day, already paid for. most cruisers probably would not be the least perturbed if a message came across the public address system announcing that the ship could not stop in a certain port, because of weather, or some such inconvenience. they could not care less. if you are the last stop on the itinerary, they already have all the duty free goods they planned to buy. they will do fine without one more straw hat, or a wooden parrot. checked luggage is costly these days.
no need to stay outside the gate. maybe 300 meters west is a lovely village of maimon. according to the posters at the entrance to maimon the plan is to have a raised sidewalk separated from the road with a metal barrier/fence. it's definitely walking distance. while the passengers may not want to venture, the crew might. again, quoting my royal caribbean pal: many crew members go to land, do excursions (they have discounts), meet with their families (who might have traveled form a different country, even). and according to frank12 the crew will also want booze and punnaney so whoever can leave ship, definitely will.
they do not give a rat?s behind about some local restaurant, when they can have prime rib three times per day, already paid for.
my understanding is that prime rib is extra. all inclusive is not exactly true on cruise ships (again, using royal as an example). upon entering the ship one needs to leave their credit card details. better food - and the booze - cost money. miesposo was on a cruise in march/april and forked out extra cash on various things. heck, i still have the bottomless coca-cola cup he paid 20 bucks for in order to have unlimited access to refrescos.
so there will be peeps interested in langosta and shrimps in maimon as they would be charged extra on the ship. now, the question is, will salpicon de mariscos still cost 300 pesos, like i paid not too long ago? or will it cost 800?
You typically do have either a menu selection and/or a buffet for free and the quality of that food is decent.
I was once on a carnival cruise and dinner had steak (filet mignon) on one day and lobster on another one. Both were pretty much OK (had much better ones, but none of it was chewy or wrongly cooked, you could get your steak however you wanted).
There are some restaurants where you can go instead of the included dinner (steak, sushi) but the included dinner is by far from
subpar. At no point at the cruise did I feel the need to pay for one of the specialty restaurants.
Booz is extra, Carnival eg had a 'all you can drink' pass for 50bucks/day (not kidding), or a soda pass for 10-20USD/day (cant remember, didn't take it)
Its rather amusing to see the development here, I lived in the Cayman's not long ago and they have been discussing if they should built a port to increase capacity (3-5 cruise ships per day currently). Pretty much everyone is against it, besides the shops directly at the pier. Contrary to here tough the port is in the center of George Town and not locked up outside.
Also, IMO all ports are completely exchangeable. They could just go around one Island, build four ports on this island and tell the passenger it would be four different Islands. The attractions never have anything to do with the country and are completely exchangeable (does it really matter if you swim with dolphins/turtles/... in country x/y/z, or if you zip-line in country x/y/z).
There is one thing Puerto Plata has for it, Isabel de Torres. While some islands have mountains/volcanos, I don't know anyone that offer a view that high. All the rest is commodity.
I was once on a carnival cruise and dinner had steak (filet mignon) on one day and lobster on another one. Both were pretty much OK (had much better ones, but none of it was chewy or wrongly cooked, you could get your steak however you wanted).
There are some restaurants where you can go instead of the included dinner (steak, sushi) but the included dinner is by far from
subpar. At no point at the cruise did I feel the need to pay for one of the specialty restaurants.
Booz is extra, Carnival eg had a 'all you can drink' pass for 50bucks/day (not kidding), or a soda pass for 10-20USD/day (cant remember, didn't take it)
Its rather amusing to see the development here, I lived in the Cayman's not long ago and they have been discussing if they should built a port to increase capacity (3-5 cruise ships per day currently). Pretty much everyone is against it, besides the shops directly at the pier. Contrary to here tough the port is in the center of George Town and not locked up outside.
Also, IMO all ports are completely exchangeable. They could just go around one Island, build four ports on this island and tell the passenger it would be four different Islands. The attractions never have anything to do with the country and are completely exchangeable (does it really matter if you swim with dolphins/turtles/... in country x/y/z, or if you zip-line in country x/y/z).
There is one thing Puerto Plata has for it, Isabel de Torres. While some islands have mountains/volcanos, I don't know anyone that offer a view that high. All the rest is commodity.
i will also add that miesposo was on cheap-ass short term cruise. he did not eat out of AI all the time but he said the "free" food was average at best. so maybe the quality of meals depends on the quality of a cruise? the ones scheduled to arrive here are not particularly pricey...
ditto regarding teleferico. nice trip.
ps if soda pass is whatever amount of bucks a day, what are the refreshments included in the price? water?
ditto regarding teleferico. nice trip.
ps if soda pass is whatever amount of bucks a day, what are the refreshments included in the price? water?
ps if soda pass is whatever amount of bucks a day, what are the refreshments included in the price? water?
water plus some kind of lemonade (orange or so, cant remember. most likely some kind of mixture of food coloring, sugar and artificial flavors, but half of the stuff in the US is composed like that)
Cruise ships are pretty much like Casinos. Everything's on board is a sales pitch.
Once you are in they close the doors behind you and (if they could) wont let you leave until they have your last penny.
Not my style of vacation, did it once from Ft. Lauerdale, never again.
Once you are in they close the doors behind you and (if they could) wont let you leave until they have your last penny.
Not my style of vacation, did it once from Ft. Lauerdale, never again.
according to frank12 the crew will also want booze and punnaney so whoever can leave ship, definitely will.
It will be ironic if the only economic benefit that Sosua gets from the cruises will be young male crew members that come for a day of drinking and whoring.
It will be ironic if the only economic benefit that Sosua gets from the cruises will be young male crew members that come for a day of drinking and whoring.
what will be more ironic is if the guys in Maimon do not build a topless bar , replete with chicas and a few short stay rooms.