Cruise Port of Puerto Plata

Literally the Port of Silver In The Dominican Republic

There’s a lot of history and culture in Puerto Plata from the city’s nearby downtown area to the island’s famous rum distillery. Puerto Plata is the Dominican Republic’s oldest and most popular resort destination with miles and miles of beautiful white sand beaches.

Located within a park right at the entrance to Puerto Plata’s harbor is San Felipe Fortress, a fortress built by the Spanish in the fifteen hundreds to protect the area from the English, Dutch and pirates scouring the Caribbean looking mostly for Spanish gold. It is considered one of the most iconic colonial military structures in the whole Caribbean.

In Puerto Plata you can shop for famous Dominican amber and Larimar jewelry. Dominican amber is one of the most prized of all the world’s ambers and the pale blue stone, Larimar is the Caribbean’s most popular discovery and the national stone of the Dominican Republic.

Where Your Ship Docks

Puerto Plata features docking facilities right near downtown inside the modern cruise village of Puerto Turístico Taino Bay. It’s a beautiful facility featuring great restaurants, shops, bars and a beautiful beach area with available loungers, beach umbrellas and includes a fresh water swimming pool.

Transportation

Public transportation is sparse in this area but rental cars are readily available. To save money book your rental car for Puerto Plata at least 4 weeks before your trip in order to get a below-average price often for $19 or less per day. Off-airport rental car locations in Puerto Plata are around 23% cheaper than airport locations with Torres Santos Rent A Car being the nearest to the port.

Currency

The Dominican Peso is the local currency with about 57 DR Pesos worth about 1 US Dollar. American Dollars are usually welcome as are most major credit cards.

Attractions

San Felipe fortress – From the ships pier it’s less than a half mile walk around to the park where you journey back in time to the San Felipe fortress. Located at the entrance of Puerto Plata’s Bay, near the seawall, this fortification was constructed in the 16th century to defend the city from pirates.

Take a Cable Car up to views of Puerto Plata and the DR coast. The cable car goes up into the Isabel de Torres Mountains 2,600 feet above the city.

Popular tours offer chances to learn how rum and chocolate are made at the island’s major distillery and several area chocolate factories near to Puerto Plata.

Ciguapa Falls – Book an expedition into the countryside to visit waterfalls and experience the notch at Ciguapa–with a total of six waterfalls and twelve leaps of up to 30 feet high. Be sure and have your bathing suit with you. Venture through thick jungle to swim and dive into these amazing island waterfalls.

Ocean World Adventure Park – This is a popular attraction for families that features one of the largest man-made dolphin habitats in the world. Among the activities are swimming with dolphins, on shore reef snorkeling, swimming and aquatic animal shows. The sprawling complex also boasts a nightlife venue and a marina.