A new cruise destination takes shape in Dominican Republic

PUERTO PLATA, Dominican Republic — Cruise fans are just weeks away from having somewhere new to go in the Caribbean.

Amber Cove, a new port development along the north coast of the Dominican Republic, is well on track to open as scheduled next month for the first of what is expected to be more than 100 cruise calls a year.

Under development by cruise giant Carnival Corp. at a cost of $85 million, the 25-acre complex near the town of Puerto Plata is being billed as one of the biggest Caribbean port projects of the past decade and will feature a large area of bars, restaurants and shops -- all of which appeared near completion this week during a sneak peek for cruise writers.

Amber Cove also will have a sprawling pool area with a swim-up bar, water slides, zip lines and private cabanas that also are quickly coming together.

First look: Inside Amber Cove, the Caribbean's newest cruise port

Still, the complex's main role will be as a gateway to the region's many historic sites, beaches and adventure activities. Nearly half of the site's acreage is devoted to a massive transportation hub where cruisers will find taxis and buses to take them to area attractions. More than 40 organized shore excursions will be available from the port, and Carnival executives say they expect an unusually high percentage of cruisers to sign up for the outings.

"Amber Cove, the port, is not the destination," David Candib, the Carnival Corp. manager for the project, stressed during the tour. "The region of Puerto Plata really is what the cruise port is about."

Long a tourist destination with resorts and timeshare developments, the area around Puerto Plata offers a wide array of attractions including beaches, golf courses, and wild areas that can be explored by horseback and ATV. It's also home to one of the first Spanish forts in the Americas; one of the best-known rum distilleries in the Dominican Republic; a marine adventure park where visitors can swim with dolphins and sharks; and a museum dedicated to amber, which is mined in the region (hence the name Amber Cove).

The government of the Dominican Republic has been working with Carnival Corp. to prepare for an expected cruise boom to the region over the coming year. In a private tour of improvements under way around Puerto Plata's historic district, the country's vice minister of tourism, Julio Almonte, showed USA TODAY upgrades in the works to a waterfront area that connects the historic Fortaleza San Felipe to the town's central square. The government also is widening the road from Amber Cove to Puerto Plata to make transportation to the historic district more efficient.

Almonte said locals are excited about the arrival of ships full of thousands of vacationers. "We've waited almost 30 years for a project like this," Almonte said. "The future of Puerto Plata is ... with Amber Cove."

The north coast of the Dominican Republic hasn't seen cruise ships since the 1980s, when the typical passenger vessel was much smaller than today. The main port for the region, in Puerto Plata, isn't big enough to accommodate today's larger vessels.

Located on a mountain-ringed bay about six miles from Puerto Plata, Amber Cove features a 1,280-foot pier with a channel dredged to 36 feet that is capable of handling two of the largest ships in the Carnival Corp. fleet at once. Candib told USA TODAY it even could handle vessels as large as those in Royal Caribbean's Oasis class -- the world's biggest cruise ships.

Amber Cove is expected to draw 350,000 cruisers in its first year in operation from such Carnival Corp. brands as Carnival, Holland America, Princess and Costa. It'll also be the destination for bi-weekly "social impact" cruises to the Dominican Republic from Miami planned by Carnival Corp.'s new fathom brand. The trips start in April.

The first ship to arrive at Amber Cove, on Oct. 6, will be the 2,754-passenger Carnival Victory.

Located just 679 miles southeast of Miami, Amber Cove will fit into a wide range of Caribbean itineraries, including shorter-than-seven-night sailings from Florida, Candib said. It's just 100 miles from Carnival Corp.'s port on Grand Turk and 276 miles from San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Among already-announced itineraries that include the port are seven-night Carnival sailings from Miami to the Eastern Caribbean that also include stops in San Juan, St. Thomas and either Grand Turk or Half Moon Cay, a private island in the Bahamas.

Carnival also is selling an eight-night Eastern Caribbean itinerary from Miami that features calls at Amber Cove as well as St. Maarten, Antigua and St. Thomas. Another eight-night Carnival itinerary from Miami to the Southern Caribbean adds Amber Cove to stops in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic; Curacao; and Aruba.

For a peak inside the new Amber Cove development, scroll through our first-look tour at the top of this story.