New Caribbean Port Opening in October

The Caribbean will benefit from another cruise ship-standard port opening later this year. Amber Cove in the Dominican Republic will open in October giving Caribbean cruisers the opportunity to visit another exotic location in the region.

The project is a joint venture between Carnival Corporation and the Rannik family of Grupo B&R and six of Carnival’s nine brands are pencilled in for a visit to the location. Located on the Dominican Republic’s Amber Coast, passengers will have the chance to visit a region which hasn’t received regular cruise ships since the 1980s.

With the opening up of access to Cuba, the port is due to become a regular fixture of itineraries to the formally embargoed country. At a cost of more than £55million, the port represents the largest ever investment in the Dominican’s cruise industry.

Francisco Javier Garcia, tourism director of the Dominican Republic, enthused: “The construction of the cruise port at Amber Cove has been an incredible project for our entire country, as well as the Caribbean region as a whole. Carnival Corporation’s investment in Amber Cove has already proven beneficial to the economy, and we expect the investment to have a positive long-lasting economic impact.

“The new port  will also give cruise passengers an opportunity to see another part of the Dominican Republic, our Amber Coast, which hasn’t been available as part of cruise itineraries in nearly 30 years. This is a very exciting development.”

Ships which are scheduled to visit the port after its grand opening on 6 October 2015 include Cunard’s Queen Mary 2, P&O Azura and Holland America Line’s Eurodam. Carnival Cruises will send a number of their own ships to the port including the Fantasy, Splendor, Valor, Sunshine, Conquest and Breeze.

Visitors to Amber Cover will be able to enjoy about 40 excursions including beach visits, Watersports and culinary experiences. The nearby Ocean World is one of the world’s large marine adventure parks – offering visitors the chance to interact with a wide variety of marine animals.

Images sourced via Flickr Creative Commons. Credits: Camera Eye Photography, Joe deSousa