i will be travelling to one of the barcello resorts the week of Easter and heard rumours that there will be a ban on watersports and possibly a restriction on alcohol service during this time
My husband and I travel to the Dominican Republic every year at Easter and although, there is a ban on water sports, there is never a ban on alcohol! They stop the water sports as it can become quite dangerous as many of the local partake in the Easter celebration with a lot of alcohol and it is safer for the tourists. Easter Friday is the most celebrated day. By Sunday or Monday everything is back to normal.
As debbie says, don't worry about getting a drink. They may call it Holy Week (Semana Santa), but it is a time for beach and booze. Santo Domingo and the other big cities empty; everyone that can goes to the "country" to party.
It really depends on the resort. Many of the excursions that include boats of any kind are usually cancelled on Friday and Saturday. They might allow you to use sporting equipment that is not motorized.
I certainly do not hope that it rains all weekend as I want to enjoy as much of the beautiful beaches as possible. You would think that people whether from the city or towns would all take pride in their country and not polute it. We here in Canada form groups that clean our beaches, towns and cities as we take great pride in the cleanliness of our beautiful Country.
You could be! It depends on the amount locals the resort gives access to. Also the resort is usually pretty full of tourists as many do not leave the resort on that weekend. Usually it has not been anything wild as the locals that are allowed in are related to people who work there. Last year we did not find the easter weekend any wilder than any other weekend at the resort. The public beaches would be much wilder as most of the locals go to there to party!