Carnival Cruises Amber Cove is one of the top gateways to the Dominican Republic, bringing millions of visitors to the Puerto Plata region each year. If you have booked a Carnival cruise trip to the Caribbean, chances are you will be touching port at Amber Cove. This port was inaugurated in 2015, built in 25 acres; it has two berths, with capacity for 2 large cruise ships with 4,000 passenger capacity. It is located in Maimon, Puerto Plata, a distance of 10 mins to the heart of town, and 35-40 minutes to Sosua and Cabarete.
The Welcome Center
Amber Cove is distributed among several areas that include the welcome center, where visitors will find the Dufry duty free store, a Diamonds International store, the marketplace, and the information booth. To the right side there is a nice walk visitors can take through the Nature Cove, which features waterfalls, local trees and a display of the island’s fauna and flora with a special display on Dominican Amber, a fossilized treasure.
Photo Gallery
The Amber Cove Aqua Zone
Going East past the Nature Cove visitors find the Amber Cove Aqua Zone, which includes the main swimming pool and loungers area; Hilltop and pool Cabanas, the Sky Bar, Zip line launch station, the water slides, the Coco Cana pool lounge, overwater cabanas, kids splash pool, crew center and water sports rentals.
The Shopping Center
Going West past the welcome center, you find a shopping plaza with a center gazebo that houses the tourism information office; wrapped by a U-shaped row of stores built with Victorian-style architecture, and offering gift shops, art, clothing, jewelry, car rental, and other shops.
The Transfer Zone
The transfer zone is where visitors grab a taxi or bus for transfer to excursions, pretty easy to find. There is also an area outside the port where external excursions pick up travelers by the Amber Cove gate next to the main highway. Transfer prices are on display for all to see in a tall board.
Weather at Amber Cove
Amber Cove usually enjoys good weather, you can tell what time the sun will be up by looking at the Wind Finder app above. Please note that some locations within Puerto Plata might vary, such as Cabarete, Sosua, Cofresi, Costambar. It is best to search a specific location within the app, and not just rely on the main city for weather reports.
Cruise Port Schedule
When you book excursions, it is important that you track the arrival and departure time of the cruise ship, and sync with the transportation distance and time. The Puerto Plata cruise port schedule page is a good reference to search using the ship’s name and arrival date. Early in the morning the distance to key locations such as Sosua is 35 mins from Amber Cove, Cabarete 6-7 more minutes. Cofresi is less than a 10 min ride, and Costambar less than 15 minutes. When returning and considering traffic, add 20 extra minutes for the two farthest locations.
Location