Carnival Cruise Line makes a much-anticipated return to Amber Cove in the Dominican Republic on the ship’s first cruise back in service. Carnival Horizon is the first vessel to be welcomed into the port today, July 6, after many months of lacking cruise ship traffic.
Carnival Horizon Returns to Amber Cove!
The opening of the cruise port and the arrival of Carnival Horizon is being attended to by both the President of the Dominican Republic, Luis Abinader and Carnival Cruise Line president Christine Duffy. It speaks volumes about the importance that Amber Cove has for Carnival Corporation.
Duffy Said:
โThe return of Carnival Vista to Mahogany Bay and Carnival Horizon to Amber Cove represent a tremendous step forward for the local community.โ
โThe resumption of service and pent-up demand for cruising translates to an immediate positive economic impact for our valued destinations partners. We look forward to bringing back the benefits and fun of cruising, while remaining committed to our highest responsibilities and top priorities of the health, safety and well-being of our guests, crew and the many communities we serve and visit.โ
The company invested more than $85 million to bring the port from a lost port of call, with no cruise traffic between 1985 to 2015, to one of the hottest destinations in the Caribbean.
The port is, of course, not only crucial to Carnival. The local economy benefits significantly from the arrival of thousands of cruise guests. The destination is open to all cruise brands under the Carnival flag and can handle up to 8,000 guests and 2,000 crew members each day.
Puerto Plata itself benefits as well, the millions of dollars in revenue from the cruise passengers enabling the city to become cleaner and more organized over the years. The mayor of Puerto Plata visited the cruise port, saying that the work between the city and the cruise terminal will “Achieve a cleaner, safer and more organized city.”
Carnival Horizon is in Amber Cove on July 6, part of her return to cruising. The Carnival cruise ship arrived at around 9:00 AM this morning and will remain until 6:00 PM.
The vessel departed from Miami on July 4 and will further call in Half Moon Cay in the Bahamas where she will be for two days on her 6-day voyage. Carnival Horizon is the second ship in the Carnival fleet to resume cruises. Carnival Vista sailed for her first voyage from Galveston on June 3.
What to Expect in Amber Cove
If you plan to take a cruise soon, you should definitely consider one that includes Amber Cove. The whole area breathes a historical vibe with all buildings designed to look like the Victorian, Colonial, and Spanish fortress architectural designs of days past. And while the buildings are great, Carnival invested heavily into making Amber Cove a great day out for the whole family.
The port features a large shopping area, a vast swimming pool and waterpark, and plenty of restaurants and bars. On top of that, the area is excellent for sightseeing, for which Carnival offers more than 40 tours. For more information in this great port of call, read our Amber Cove guide!
Taino Bay
Amber Cove is not the only cruise port in the area. Puerto Plata has been hard at work to draw in more and more cruise lines into Taino Bay. Virgin Voyages, Royal Caribbean International, Norwegian Cruise Line, MSC Cruises, Oceania Cruises, and Regent Seven Seas Cruises have expressed interest in calls to Puerto Plata.
The city transformed the former cargo pier to handle two Oasis-class ships and one smaller ship. This makes both Taino Bay and Amber Cove two great destinations for a cruise. Luckily for the guests onboard Carnival Horizon, they get to go there already now.