Island Princess returns to Dominican Republic after 15-year hiatus

[Dolores]

Island Princess cruise ship, operated by Princess Cruises, is set to make its highly anticipated return to the Dominican Republic on 8 July 2025, marking its first visit in over 15 years. The vessel will dock at the Amber Cove terminal in Puerto Plata, a significant inclusion in the country’s busy summer cruise schedule

The mid-size cruise ship has capacity for 2,200 guests and 900 crew. It is known for its abundance of outdoor space, compared to other Princess ships of smilar size. Island Princess feels larger and quieter due to ample outdoor areas on the top and promenade decks. This provides guests with more space to relax outdoors and enjoy scenic views.

The Dominican Port Authority (Apordom) announced the news, highlighting the return of the Island Princess as a strong indicator of renewed confidence from cruise lines in the nation’s port infrastructure.Jean Luis...

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[tee]

Why post a photo of Norwegian Cruise Lines 'Norwegian Aqua', a ship built this year and is 156,000 tons (which is classed as an average size ship) and not the actual Island Princess, a ship built in 1999 that is just 91,000 tons and considered a small cruise ship?

 

[CristoRey]

15 years is quite the hiatus.

 

[melphis]

I believe the princess ship is just a day stop. If you want to do a Caribbean cruise out of the DR, Norwegian has 1 or 2 leaving from LA Romana in early 2026.
It does several stops including the ABC islands.

 

[windeguy]

I believe the princess ship is just a day stop. If you want to do a Caribbean cruise out of the DR, Norwegian has 1 or 2 leaving from LA Romana in early 2026.
It does several stops including the ABC islands.

Is that the only cruise that lets Dominicans board here in the DR?

 

[melphis]

I

Is that the only cruise that lets Dominicans board here in the DR?

I think so. Costa Cruises did it a few years ago but I'm not sure if they still do. The very first cruise we did was on Pullman Tours out of Santo Domingo about 7 or 8 years ago. It was 7 nights all in for $600 usd. It was fantastic but they have since gone broke.
If you get the opportunity I would highly recommend it.

 

[JD Jones]

I believe the princess ship is just a day stop. If you want to do a Caribbean cruise out of the DR, Norwegian has 1 or 2 leaving from LA Romana in early 2026.
It does several stops including the ABC islands.

Aren't all of these cruise ships landing here do just a day stop?