Aha, I've now worked out that this is Carnival's Fathom.org, which combines a cruise with people working to make a difference by helping in local projects. Apologies if this has already been discussed to death on DR1, I personally haven't noticed it yet. I do wonder how it will work with nearly 1000 people descending on local projects in the Puerto Plata area and trying to help, is this going to be overkill? Time will tell I guess.
- Thread starter Conchman
- Start date
Carnival Cruise Lines - Port in Maimon
When I first read this I was a little confused... but that is correct Playa Alicia will be closed off to anyone OTHER than Cruise Ship Passengers. I guess so they can carefully guard and protect their little golden eggs. ( but I wonder if this is when a ship is coming into Port , or only when they actually arrive by Bus ? how will this be controlled)
... So it looks like they are in fact making Alicia the official Sosua Beach.. until the main Public beach gets the " Bulldozer" treatment as was alluded to earlier.. Changes are a comin, thats for sure.
The playing for real now.
DL reports that turistas spent 100,000 bucks: http://www.diariolibre.com/economia...-de-100-mil-dolares-en-puerto-plata-EJ1487341
I speak as a cruiser, looking for something interesting to do in the six hours I have in your port. The cruise ship excursions are usually well over $100 pp for a full-day excursion, on a bus with people who are using walkers. So people on Cruise Critic band together, looking for a local provider who can give them a good day in a small van. Say, you can put 10 people in the van at $75 pp for a six-hour outing. Give them a cooler of beer and pop, and take them to some nice places. Make sure the van is not a pig-sty, and take them to see a waterfall, a mountain village, a banana plantation, and then a beach for a swim. They are gonna be happy as long as you get them back to the ship on time. They will also tip the guide and the driver cash.
If you give 4 people a personalized taxi ride for $200 for three hours, they will be happy if the car is clean and the driver takes them to some pretty places, talks fair English, and gives them some explanation. They will also cash tip at the end.
HOWEVER, these people have to be able to book this online. They plan their trips before they board the ship. If they can't find an alternative online, they will book the over-priced excursions the ship offers.
This is the opportunity. I am sure Dominicans can rise to it.
If you give 4 people a personalized taxi ride for $200 for three hours, they will be happy if the car is clean and the driver takes them to some pretty places, talks fair English, and gives them some explanation. They will also cash tip at the end.
HOWEVER, these people have to be able to book this online. They plan their trips before they board the ship. If they can't find an alternative online, they will book the over-priced excursions the ship offers.
This is the opportunity. I am sure Dominicans can rise to it.
I must also say another thing: Dominican entrepreneurs must understand the terrible and positive power of Trip Advisor. This is a huge website that allows travellers to post their experiences, and millions of people read those reviews. One bad review on Trip Advisor can kill your enterprise. We have had staff in restaurants beg us to give them a good review - that is the power of Trip Advisor.
Dominican tourism entrepreneurs can make a lot of money from this new cruise ship port, but they should be very honest about making sure every tourist has a good time and feels they received value for money. If they stiff people, grab the money, deliver them to their cousin's place and try to use an excursion to flog bad jewellery and crappy food...well, that will go on Trip Advisor lightening fast, and the news will be all around the world.
Dominican tourism entrepreneurs can make a lot of money from this new cruise ship port, but they should be very honest about making sure every tourist has a good time and feels they received value for money. If they stiff people, grab the money, deliver them to their cousin's place and try to use an excursion to flog bad jewellery and crappy food...well, that will go on Trip Advisor lightening fast, and the news will be all around the world.
i hope that it's not going to be messed with. but local press informs today about shooting at teleferico this morning: http://www.puertoplatadigital.com/verNoticia.aspx?Id=20040
they are concerned about exactly the same thing, that someone will fcuk it up for everyone else.
ps i swear it was not me.
they are concerned about exactly the same thing, that someone will fcuk it up for everyone else.
ps i swear it was not me.
the writer of the article seems to think it is on topic: Este hecho que ha sido calificado como un atentado a tiros, se registra en apenas horas de que llegara a esta jurisdicci?n el primer crucero repleto de turistas, luego de unos 24 a?os de ausencia de un barco trasatl?ntico en el litoral marino de Puerto Plata, por lo cual a trav?s de las redes sociales muchos ciudadanos advirtieron a las autoridades que se pongan las pilas para evitar que esta clase de incidentes se vuelva a producir.
Al opinar sobre este tiroteo en el telef?rico, el joven Rub?n G?mez Del?ncer asegur?: “Ya comienzan a querer hacerle da?o a las cosas que con tanto sacrificio se ha logrado levantar... Los enemigos de Puerto Plata que no soportan su progreso”.
Al opinar sobre este tiroteo en el telef?rico, el joven Rub?n G?mez Del?ncer asegur?: “Ya comienzan a querer hacerle da?o a las cosas que con tanto sacrificio se ha logrado levantar... Los enemigos de Puerto Plata que no soportan su progreso”.
Advice from another cruiser
Teleferico tram is very good. Costambar beach at the "Catamaran" is very good. Beautiful beach and funky cute bar with huge menu....shade trees and lounge chairs for customers. Big Lees on the Malecon is very good.....and is on the Malecon beach of Puerto Plata. These three are within reach of Maimon. 6 hours is too short to do all three. I am a sailing cruiser here for many months now, so thought this might help you. Trip advisor has these all but the "Catamaran" which is an excellent choice for a small group of 8-10. There also are other little bar venues near it...such as ElCarey, etc. on Costambar beach.
Do not let the local guides and drivers choose where to take you....they get kickbacks at certain places and you get a dumpy destination. been there done that. Cheers!
Teleferico tram is very good. Costambar beach at the "Catamaran" is very good. Beautiful beach and funky cute bar with huge menu....shade trees and lounge chairs for customers. Big Lees on the Malecon is very good.....and is on the Malecon beach of Puerto Plata. These three are within reach of Maimon. 6 hours is too short to do all three. I am a sailing cruiser here for many months now, so thought this might help you. Trip advisor has these all but the "Catamaran" which is an excellent choice for a small group of 8-10. There also are other little bar venues near it...such as ElCarey, etc. on Costambar beach.
Do not let the local guides and drivers choose where to take you....they get kickbacks at certain places and you get a dumpy destination. been there done that. Cheers!
ha ha ha, catamaran is not "funky and cute". the appearance may come as a shock to first time visitors (like all other establishments on costambar beach) but i love the place. the food is good, the beer is cold and the host is nice and accommodating.
back to cruise ships now
back to cruise ships now
ha ha ha, catamaran is not "funky and cute". the appearance may come as a shock to first time visitors (like all other establishments on costambar beach) but i love the place. the food is good, the beer is cold and the host is nice and accommodating.
back to cruise ships now
Paul is a great guy, and he does serve some nice food. i just wonder about the reactions of the cruisers to the appearance of the facilities, especially the kitchen. it is a sweet place to hang and shoot the breeze.
i stand corrected. it would be a spend of roughly 40 dollars per person, which is well within the normal numbers. as a matter of fact, a little low. i am not sure if Maimon is the last stop on the itinerary, because if it is, that would partially explain the low figure.
From my observations and from talking to people who were inside Amber Cove all day, about half the people from the ship took excursions or left the port on their own accord. About 150 taxis were used in the morning, as the taxi parking lot pretty much emptied after being full. Some excursions are actually sold at a cheaper price than rack rate, because Carnival negotiated cheaper rates to get volume and some excursions were tailored to fit a tighter schedule or fit more people. A lot of people stayed at the port because of all the facilities that are offered, such as swimming pool, restaurants, zip line, water slide, etc. Many of the stores were not open, due to construction not finished or licensing issues. The flow of people was pretty smooth, due to the experienced design where taxis are in one place, busses in another. The port is well designed to get a lot of people out of the port smoothly, but its also designed to keep people there. In 2020 Carnival will have 4 ships with 6900 passengers each coming out of the ship yards, and two of these monsters will be able to dock at Amber Cove at the same time.
today, miraculously, money spent stands at 166k.
http://www.citysantiago.com/2015/10...il-dolares-paso-por-puerto-plata#.VhaFlflViko
ok.
http://www.citysantiago.com/2015/10...il-dolares-paso-por-puerto-plata#.VhaFlflViko
ok.
No , the Article clearly spells out Dollars..
but
Maybe they mean $160K was Changed at the Cambios, (they mentioned exchange rate, so thats where my assumption comes from) and thats the only way they would be able to Track it like that.. Im sure they want to CONTROL the CAMBIO very tightly... Easy way for them to Skim some money before the Cruisers even get started on Spending it.
And some of that money probably got changed back to dollars ( which they not gonna count) , and some is still in passengers pockets, and some their kids will play monopoly with.. I guess if you call making Change " Revenue", then that could be accurate..
How else could they possibly track what someone spent on a pasta Carbonara lunch special, washed down with 3 Presidentes sitting on Cabarete Beach ?
but
Maybe they mean $160K was Changed at the Cambios, (they mentioned exchange rate, so thats where my assumption comes from) and thats the only way they would be able to Track it like that.. Im sure they want to CONTROL the CAMBIO very tightly... Easy way for them to Skim some money before the Cruisers even get started on Spending it.
And some of that money probably got changed back to dollars ( which they not gonna count) , and some is still in passengers pockets, and some their kids will play monopoly with.. I guess if you call making Change " Revenue", then that could be accurate..
How else could they possibly track what someone spent on a pasta Carbonara lunch special, washed down with 3 Presidentes sitting on Cabarete Beach ?
So the CESTUR is going to kick a Gringo tourist off the beach when the passengers visit? I do not see this happening.