This post may contain affiliate links. We may earn money or products from the highlighted keywords or companies or banners mentioned in this post.
Carnival Corporation today announced it will begin welcoming guests at its newly developed Amber Cove port in the Dominican Republic beginning October 2015.
Six of Carnival Corporation’s nine brands will call on Amber Cove along the country’s Amber Coast – a partial filming location for the original Jurassic Park movie – to give cruise passengers another exotic location to explore as part of their vacation experience.
With the opening of the new Amber Cove port, passengers will be able to make stops along the Dominican Republic’s north Amber Coast, which has not been regularly visited on cruise itineraries since the 1980s.
It will open expanded itinerary options in the Caribbean, the world’s most popular region for cruise vacations, and will pair with the company’s Grand Turk Cruise Centre only 100 miles to the north to anchor new central Caribbean itineraries for Carnival’s nine global brands.
In looking to the future, the port is strategically located to be incorporated into itineraries featuring potential stops in Cuba.
The new $85 million facility represents the largest cruise industry investment ever made in the Dominican Republic, and will feature a two-berth port able to accommodate the largest cruise vessels in operation today.
Carnival Corporation has monitored the various stages of the port’s construction progress with the use of drones, an innovative development that is being used for the first time as part of the company’s port development process.
The facility, a joint project between Carnival Corporation and the Rannik family of Grupo B&R, is expected to host more than 250,000 cruise passengers in its first year of operation.
It will provide approximately 430 local jobs.
“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,” said Francisco Javier, tourism director of the Dominican Republic.
“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.”
The port will open with a visit from Carnival Victory from the company’s Carnival Cruise Line brand on October 6th, 2015.
Following this inaugural visit, five additional Carnival Corporation brands are scheduled to make calls on Amber Cove – including Cunard’s Queen Mary 2 on November 22nd, P&O Cruises’ (UK) Azura on December 5th, AIDA Cruises’ AIDAvita on December 11th, Costa Cruises’ Costa Deliziosa on December 31st and Holland America Line’s ms Eurodam on January 19th.
As the world’s largest cruising market – representing more than 37 percent of the global cruise business – the Caribbean is a strategic geographic region for Carnival Corporation and the overall cruise industry and is highly popular for vacationers.
This new port facility in the Dominican Republic underscores the company’s focus on creating great vacation experiences, as passengers sailing the Caribbean will have an exciting new destination to visit.
“There are several markets that are becoming increasingly important to the cruise industry, but today the Caribbean is the single largest share of our business,” said Giora Israel, senior vice president of global port and destination development for Carnival Corporation.
“We are constantly looking for new ways for our guests to enjoy their cruise experience, and it is always exciting to add new destinations to our itineraries, especially in the Caribbean where many of our passengers have been before.
“We are confident that our guests will love visiting Amber Cove, which we believe will quickly become a very popular port of call for our guests.
“And because Amber Cove is easily accessible, it will give our guests a convenient gateway to the Puerto Plata region, which is spectacular.
“And importantly, Amber Cove will allow us to offer our guests a new option in our Caribbean itineraries.”
