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Carnival Cruise Lines - Port in Maimon
it is a rip off to charge 75 to 125 bucks (as suggested) for a tour of a campo that is POP.
Truth is I wouldn't spend the Caribe Tour fare to see the dump of Puerto Plata. I have seen POP a few times and that is enough for me ................................. BUT I am not a tourist. A tourist won't see POP for the dump it is but will see POP through slightly tinted rose colored glasses. Get my drift?
Yes, $125 is steep, $75 but throw in some perks. Free beer, some Brugal top shelf, let the kids make some trinkets and give them away free when they visit la abuela.
Clear your mind and think "tourist". I was raised a city boy in the states. When I first came to la rep dom to see chickens walking freely was a sight to behold. You have to think like a tourist in a new land...............
i take my visitors on a "tour" of POP, i know what is there to see and do. you are forgetting that only a handful of people have deep interest in something, anything. for example i went on a special tour of brugal, from degustation with master ronero to checking the whole plant. i asked about 1000 questions, i like to learn. people who were with me desperately wanted me to shut the fcuk up because they were bored out of their brains. i took my guests to teleferico, their first question was when can we go back down because BORING. i wanted to take them to gregorio luperon museum which rocks, but "no BORING, TAKE US TO THE BEACH".
so while it may be possible to find a handful of folks who would be interested in seeing POP up close and personal it's not gonna attract crowds, you know.
so while it may be possible to find a handful of folks who would be interested in seeing POP up close and personal it's not gonna attract crowds, you know.
......... you are forgetting that only a handful of people have deep interest in something, anything......
I am NOT forgetting anything, too early in the day for a senior moment. I never said the entire ship would want the more personalized tour. Just sayin' alfiefan has a good idea for the very few who may want this tour and willing to spend "their" money for it.
You took your guests on a city tour but they wanted the beach from the get go ............ si?
no, they wanted to go around. they just found it boring.
Maybe if they had a better tour guide? LOL
i took my guests to teleferico, their first question was when can we go back down because BORING.
With all due respect I partially agree with bigbird here, as as a comparison, we (5 adults (all between 27-33 of age), 2 kids, me being the only non-Dominican, all living in POP full-time since years) visited Teleferico a few weeks ago (last time was like 5 years ago), spent in total close to 3 hours and had great time. Nobody was bored for one second.
We spent time looking at the view, walking through the park (?), etc. etc.
Again, all due respect, I find visitors who say something is boring immediately, disrespectful, as I?m sure by you taking them to all these places, you were actually thinking of them and that they had a good time...
I know that for example my own dad belongs to the group bigbird describes, he finds close to nothing boring, but takes all in with interest. That?s NOT saying he pays whatever they want, he?s very careful with anything to do with money, and is smart.
i like teleferico but few dr1ers here commented that it is boring, nothing to do and so on. to each their own.
so far the most obnoxious and disrespectful guest we ever had was an american boyfriend of one of my friends. he refused to leave home because DR is a "land of apartheid" and would not eat any local food regarding it as "suspicious". on the other hand we had a great time with one of my pal who was equally excited about a drive in a countryside as about a trip to la isabela.
again, opinions are like anuses. we cannot all like the same stuff.
back on topic now, if we may. :classic:
so far the most obnoxious and disrespectful guest we ever had was an american boyfriend of one of my friends. he refused to leave home because DR is a "land of apartheid" and would not eat any local food regarding it as "suspicious". on the other hand we had a great time with one of my pal who was equally excited about a drive in a countryside as about a trip to la isabela.
again, opinions are like anuses. we cannot all like the same stuff.
back on topic now, if we may. :classic:
And lets not forget the folks in Maimon who went to the trouble of building a nice gift shop area for the tourists to visit and buy souvenirs, only to have Carnival build a wall to block access and keep them out of sight.
[video=youtube_share;OKhGm6hc3fQ]https://youtu.be/OKhGm6hc3fQ[/video]
When did they build that wall ? Im curious because I dont remember if it was there or not in early Sept, and the Vendors were rather Upbeat and Optimistic about the Cruisers who would come to their Shops..
Its the same street as the RIU entrance but all the way at end of the road . with that small beach... Its a nice little spot.
It looked like NEW construction, many units still EMPTY.. (maybe because some people had inside info)
But here is a PERFECT example of the " DREAM" the Dom People were sold, and then its Snatched away from them..
Next ship that comes in, perhaps the Cruisers get to smell Burning Tires ( sarcasm).. get a taste of the real DR.
As somebody who has parents that have been cursing with friends for over 20 years this post is wishful thinking. Most of you just by living here cant think like somebody on a cruise ship, you have completely different mentality and acceptable risk level.Okay, I am going to try again to explain what cruisers want, and how the DR can respond. Bear in mind I have 10 cruises on my resume, most in the Caribbean, but some in the Med and Europe/France. On a ship with 3,000 passengers, there are very different needs and interests. Some will not get off the ship at all - they will use the facilities of their floating hotel. Some will get off and wander around the captive compound the company built, and get back on the ship after buying a local beer and a souvenir. Some will book the tours the cruise company offers, because they don't trust the "locals" and they are scared they won't get back to the ship on time. But many will want to get off the ship, and after a couple of cruises, they realize that the cruise company's tours cost more and mostly consist of sitting on a large bus all day shuffling on and off at the speed of the slowest person. Some will get off and hire a taxi to drive them around for a couple of hours.
So even if you subtract two-thirds of the pax (as a rough estimate, and which I think is very pessimistic), you are still left with 1,000 people who are looking for something to do when the ship is in port. Of those people, some don't care where they are, they only want to rip around on ATVs, zip-line, zoom around on a boat...stuff like that. And they won't find that rock em sock em stuff in any of the ship's excursion offerings, so there's one opportunity.
And some pax want to try to understand how this place is interesting, different, historic, cultural...like that. They want to be in a van or small bus, with someone who speaks understandable English, who is knowledgable, and who has carefully planned the day's activities. They have only a few hours in this place - they want to feel they spent their time well.
Gorgon scoffs at my price suggestions, but she is wrong. We usually spend about $75 per person (we're a couple) in Caribbean ports for a tour of around 4 or 5 hours, on a bus with no more than 16 people. That price doesn't include lunch. If we got a meal, we'd pay $100 each, and not be unhappy, in the Caribbean. If it was six hours, with lunch, we would not blink at paying $125 each. Recently, in the Faroe Islands, we booked a taxi for 3 people, English-speaking guide, for 4 hours, for $425 (no lunch). On any ship of 3,000 people I would guess (conservatively) there are 400 or more who are willing to spend this amount of money for this kind of experience. That's an opportunity. That's 25 small buses of people. If you add the rocket sockem crowd, you're up to 50 or 60 small buses per cruise. That's not chump change.
But it's not just banging them into a bus, driving around, taking their money and dumping them. Trip Advisor reviews will kill operators who do that. These people need to have a good experience, learn something about the country, eat some local food, maybe learn to dance the merengue - feel they are seeing the real Dominican. Is that so hard?
As for the dismissive comments about a tour of Puerto Plata, please - failure of imagination. It's got lovely Victorian architecture, a sweet walk along the Malecon, a fort, La Sirena (can you imagine how interested tourists would be at seeing this Dominican Costco?), that pretty little downtown square. Oh for Pete's sake, take them to a little league baseball game so they can see the wannabe stars. Really, this is not my job, making up a day tour of Puerto Plata. You have to see what is good and interesting in that place.
And yes, cruisers want to have their tours all booked before they get on the ship, and they want to do it online. If Dominicans can offer them alternatives, believe me, some passengers will be looking at anything that will get them away from an over-priced cruise company excursion.
I love the country, and hope this port will give it a boost.
Lindy
1) No... many will not wonder about PP by themselves. It just not going to happen folks. Their number one fear is missing the boat that's why they book with that guarantee. Cruisers are the least adventurous people you will ever meet. They arent going to wonder around the city by themselves. Not to mention Carnival doesnt want it.
2) No...they dont care about trying to understand how this place is interesting, different, historic, cultural. They want to swim with Dolphins or zip around on some zip line. Read the cruise forums.
3) No way any cruiser but the anomaly like you drops 425 to just drive around the city much less around 400 people (13%)a ship which you describe as conservatively.
4) You really think cruisers want to see La Sirena..cmon
People need to stop propagating this crap it isnt doing anybody any good.
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As somebody who has parents that have been cursing with friends for over 20 years this post is wishful thinking.
1) No... many will not wonder about PP by themselves. It just not going to happen folks. Their number one fear is missing the boat that's why they book with that guarantee. Cruisers are the least adventurous people you will ever meet. They arent going to wonder around the city by themselves. Not to mention Carnival doesnt want it.
2) No...they dont care about trying to understand how this place is interesting, different, historic, cultural. They want to swim with Dolphins or zip around on some zip line. Read the cruise forums.
3) No way any cruiser but the anomaly like you drops 425 to just drive around the city much less around 400 people (13%)a ship which you describe as conservatively.
4) You really think cruisers want to see La Sirena..cmon
People need to stop propagating this crap it isnt doing anybody any good.
I concur 100% ..
How many of us have been to AI's , and met even YOUNG people who NEVER left the compound.. for like a WEEK... shocking to some of u, but normal for them.
I have even met retired Germans who were in the AI for like 5 weeks and NEVER left the Gates,. they were so happy to see new faces every week, coming in. That was their ONLY Excape, meeting new people, inside, ..but certainly not interested in the Dominicans outside.
Why on earth would we then assume Cruisers would be MORE Adventurous than AI stereotypes ? especially if they are Senior Citizens ? Its not going to happen..
One would Rationally think that 99 % would want to disembark at least . and not even THAT holds true..
These Cruisers are definitely in a demographic of their own, and Adventure is NOT in their Vocabulary.
I agree.I concur 100% ..
How many of us have been to AI's , and met even YOUNG people who NEVER left the compound.. for like a WEEK... shocking to some of u, but normal for them.
I have even met retired Germans who were in the AI for like 5 weeks and NEVER left the Gates,. they were so happy to see new faces every week, coming in. That was their ONLY Excape, meeting new people, inside, ..but certainly not interested in the Dominicans outside.
Why on earth would we then assume Cruisers would be MORE Adventurous than AI stereotypes ? especially if they are Senior Citizens ? Its not going to happen..
One would Rationally think that 99 % would want to disembark at least . and not even THAT holds true..
These Cruisers are definitely in a demographic of their own, and Adventure is NOT in their Vocabulary.
To most riding a cruise ship itself is an adventure.
I know quite a few cruisers, and I've never heard any of them say they used excursions that aren't booked through the boat.
They are pumped full of fear. I've actually had one tell me that they've heard "stories" of '"unapproved" guides not taking people back to boat on time unless the paid more money. Cruisers have more urban legends than AI tourists. Their fear of local water is near paralyzing. An open tap would probably send them running for the boat.
I think the Alfiesfan cruiser is the rare exception. Every time I hear about cruisers leaving the boat and port area, I'm always reminded of Costa Maya. I've never been there, but I've spoke to many that have. They built a pier and port facility to build up tourism in Mahahual which is 2 miles from the pier. Now, they are building "New" Mahahual at the port facility. If cruisers are so out and about town, why did they have to move the town to them?
They are pumped full of fear. I've actually had one tell me that they've heard "stories" of '"unapproved" guides not taking people back to boat on time unless the paid more money. Cruisers have more urban legends than AI tourists. Their fear of local water is near paralyzing. An open tap would probably send them running for the boat.
I think the Alfiesfan cruiser is the rare exception. Every time I hear about cruisers leaving the boat and port area, I'm always reminded of Costa Maya. I've never been there, but I've spoke to many that have. They built a pier and port facility to build up tourism in Mahahual which is 2 miles from the pier. Now, they are building "New" Mahahual at the port facility. If cruisers are so out and about town, why did they have to move the town to them?
I've actually had one tell me that they've heard "stories" of '"unapproved" guides not taking people back to boat on time unless the paid more money. Cruisers have more urban legends than AI tourists. Their fear of local water is near paralyzing. An open tap would probably send them running for the boat.
I've been on a few cruises. I like cruises. And, that is pretty much the thinking. If you don't do tours the cruise line books, or walk outside the compound alone, you will get KIDNAPPED THEN RAPED THEN MURDERED and miss the boat. The cruise lines and fellow cruisers work very hard to instill this fear in all cruisers.
As somebody who has parents that have been cursing with friends for over 20 years this post is wishful thinking. Most of you just by living here cant think like somebody on a cruise ship, you have completely different mentality and acceptable risk level.
1) No... many will not wonder about PP by themselves. It just not going to happen folks. Their number one fear is missing the boat that's why they book with that guarantee. Cruisers are the least adventurous people you will ever meet. They arent going to wonder around the city by themselves. Not to mention Carnival doesnt want it.
2) No...they dont care about trying to understand how this place is interesting, different, historic, cultural. They want to swim with Dolphins or zip around on some zip line. Read the cruise forums.
3) No way any cruiser but the anomaly like you drops 425 to just drive around the city much less around 400 people (13%)a ship which you describe as conservatively.
4) You really think cruisers want to see La Sirena..cmon
People need to stop propagating this crap it isnt doing anybody any good.
yes, Doodle, he lost me when he said that guys who came off a cruise ship would be enthralled by a supermarket. i thought he was pulling my pud there.
you are absolutely 100% on point. people who go on cruises do not give a rats ass where the kids go to school, and how. they do not care about the health care system. they care about the beach, and the temperature of the beer. it is a different demographic than the guys who want to research the sociology.
I agree.
To most riding a cruise ship itself is an adventure.
?Koreano, i remember well the days when the cruise ship was transportation. it was just like a plane that flew on water. they would come to ports like Ocho Rios and Montego Bay in Jamaica, and a horde of people would wander through the streets to the crafts markets, buying all manner of crap like straw hats and wooden shyte. that has changed now that the ship is the destination. most people go on a cruise exclusively because of the ship, and what it has to offer. they do not need to go to some little local hole in the wall to hear music, because they have professional entertainers and orchestras on the vessel. they don?t need to wander along the malecon looking for a pina colada, because they have world class mixologists onboard. there is more entertainment on a cruise ship than you will ever find onshore. well, except for Sosua.
Have to put my two cents in. Having been on several cruises, all in the caribbean, I NEVER Take the package tours offered by the cruise lines. I research prices of local tours online, and, in all instances, they are cheaper that the cruise tours.
I typically will hire a taxi to take me to points of interest, restaurants, etc; with additional time cushioned in so that should something go awry, I still have time to reach port. Never had a problem.
I typically will hire a taxi to take me to points of interest, restaurants, etc; with additional time cushioned in so that should something go awry, I still have time to reach port. Never had a problem.
Have to put my two cents in. Having been on several cruises, all in the caribbean, I NEVER Take the package tours offered by the cruise lines. I research prices of local tours online, and, in all instances, they are cheaper that the cruise tours.
I typically will hire a taxi to take me to points of interest, restaurants, etc; with additional time cushioned in so that should something go awry, I still have time to reach port. Never had a problem.
yes, ROLL, but you seem to me to be an adventurous spirit, who marches to the beat of a different drum. most cruisers want the well beaten path...