Cruise: Amber Cove
Dominican Republic: Carnival Corporation Opens New Amber Cove Port
Carnival Corporation & plc celebrated the opening of its new Amber Cove cruise port in the Dominican Republic with a ceremony on November 2 attended by: Danilo Medina, president of the Dominican Republic; Francisco Javier Garcia, minister of tourism for the Dominican Republic; Arnold Donald, CEO of Carnival Corporation; and Jeffrey Rannik, president of B&R Group.
The Amber Cove port is located along the Dominican Republic's north coast just outside the historical town of Puerto Plata, in an area discovered by Christopher Columbus in 1492. The region's amber mines are considered some of the richest in the world.
The facility consisting of a two-berth port and a 25-acre landside development will serve eight of Carnival Corporation's brands. It re-opens the Puerto Plata region to regular cruise ship visits for the first time in nearly 30 years.
The port features architectural elements that reflect the area's Victorian and Colonial past. The waterfront welcome center hosts retail offerings, including a marketplace for Dominican crafts and souvenirs, as well as food and beverage establishments featuring of specialty dishes of the north coast.
The port also features a zip line and complimentary pool area with a swim-up bar, children's splash pad and water slides. Guests can rent cabanas, some built over the water and others on a hill.
The port welcomed its first ship, Carnival Victory, on October 6. Additional ships from Carnival Cruise Line and seven other Carnival Corporation brands are scheduled to make calls on Amber Cove -- AIDA Cruises, Costa Cruises, Cunard, Fathom, Holland America Line, Princess Cruises and P&O Cruises. Amber Cove will be the first destination for the inaugural voyage of Carnival Corporation's new social impact travel brand Fathom, which is scheduled to depart from PortMiami on April 10, 2016. In its first full year of operation, Amber Cove will host 140 calls by 23 Carnival Corporation brand ships.
Amber Cove adds to the portfolio of cruise destinations Carnival Corporation has developed in the Caribbean. The others are the Grand Turk Cruise Center in the Turks & Caicos Islands, Puerta Maya on the island of Cozumel, Mexico, and Mahogany Bay on the Honduran island of Roatán.