Amber Cove Port Guide + Chasin’ Waterfalls in the Dominican Republic

Happy weekend, friends! I’m back again with another post from our incredible 7-day Eastern Caribbean cruise with Princess Cruises. As a quick catch up on the incredible trip we took in March of this year, our adventure on the MedallionClass Caribbean Princess began with a day of relaxation at Princess Cays in the Bahamas, then we headed south to explore a city rich with color and history in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The third stop on our cruise brought us to the beautifully lush Amber Cove in the Dominican Republic for a day that was filled with stunning sights and adventure! What I really loved about this cruise with Princess is that every stop offered a totally different experience, which is not exactly what you’d expect on a cruise in the Caribbean. While San Juan was a bustling city deep rooted in history and culture, the Dominican Republic is a haven for those seeking adventure. And boy were we in for just that! Amber Cove sits just seven miles outside of Puerto Plata, the spot where the first Jurassic Park movie was filmed, after all, so when it came to choosing our excursion in the Dominican, we decided to embrace our inner thrill-seekers and experience the Dominican Republic via waterfall on the 27 Charcos of Damajagua tour.

Click through to read all about our day chasing waterfalls in the lush rainforests of Puerto Plata, along with my tips on how to seek adventure (or spend the day relaxing!) and make unforgettable memories during your day at Amber Cove in the Dominican Republic.

Amber Cove – Overview

Disclaimer – since Cole and I chose to do the Waterfalls of Damajagua excursion, which was about 5 hours, give or take, we didn’t have a ton of time to actually do any other activities in the actual port of Amber Cove, but we did take the last couple of hours we had to explore, take photos and get an overall feel for the port, so I can definitely still speak to that!

If you’ve ever been on a cruise that stops in Grand Cayman, Amber Cove is a port that’s a lot like it. It’s the Dominican’s newest port of call and is an area that’s been carved out specifically for cruise ships and cruisers, with its own restaurants, shops, pools, beaches and more. As soon as we pulled up, I was taken away with how incredibly beautiful the port is, with pastel colored beach house-style buildings speckling the shore against a backdrop of lush green mountains. Nestled just 7 miles away from Puerto Plata, the famous spot where the first Jurassic Park movie was filmed, Amber Cove is named for the gorgeous stones that speckle its beaches. It’s a port that offers a little something for everyone, whether you just want to have a relaxing beach or pool day, venture into the island for some historical tours and local fare in Santiago City or Puerto Plata, or embrace your inner thrill-seeker and head to the rainforest for some outdoor adventure, this port offers it all. Cole and I honestly found it really hard to choose what we were gonna do on our day in the Dominican Republic, but since we had four Caribbean stops, we went for the one that was one of the more unique offerings to the area and was totally different than what we did at any of the other stops.

Depending on what you choose to do, your day at Amber Cove could go two completely different ways. If your family is the type that loves to truly relax on vacation, then you will love this port, and if your family is one that loves to seek adventure, then you will also love this port. Cole and I chose the latter, and while we’re so glad we did decide to be adventurous and chase waterfalls (quite literally!), I do have to say upfront, that excursion is for the intense thrill-seekers (keep scrolling for my full review of the Damajagua Waterfalls excursion), so if you’re wanting some milder outdoor adventure, then you can also opt for zip-lining or kayaking with manatees, to name a few.

Getting There + What To Pack

Amber Cove is another stop where the boat will dock just off the island, as you can see from the above photos. The dock is actually deceivingly long, making the walk more than just a  little longer than the short three-minute one in San Juan, so give yourself at least 20 minutes to walk to your excursion. Like I said above in the overview, the island is an absolutely gorgeous site to take in as the boat nears the dock and you see miles of rolling green mountains, so give yourself some time to enjoy your coffee on the balcony as you approach.

As far as what to bring/pack, that will totally depend on your excursion, but you can almost definitely guarantee you’ll want to either wear or pack your swimsuit + a change of dry clothes for this stop. Especially since the walk to the ship is so long, you’ll want to have something dry to change into after your finished enjoying the pool, the beach or sliding down waterfalls in the Dominican. Since almost all of the activities at this port involve the water, I would also suggest bringing a water-proof phone case like this to put your phone in so you can capture some fun photos in the water. This is an absolute MUST-have if you’re doing the waterfall excursion, which was a hard lesson I learned. Keep scrolling for more on that and more specifics on what to pack if you’re doing the Damajangua Waterfalls excursion. Also good to note – bring either cash or a card besides American Express (we made this mistake!) so you can buy drinks, food and shop in Amber Cove!

 What To Do – Cabana Day

If your family is one that likes to truly relax on vacation (or if you’re traveling with a little one…always thinking like a mama these days!), renting one of the many private cabana options at Amber Cove might be just what the doctor ordered. Similar to the cabana options at Princess Cays, Amber Cove offers multiple private cabana options for your family to enjoy, whether you want a view of the port from high above in the hillside cabanas, one that’s in proximity to the pool at the poolside cabanas or be near the beach in an ocean cabana. All cabanas are air-conditioned, include drinks and snacks + waiter service, and the hillside ones even have their own jacuzzis on the porch! If we’d been traveling with Everly on this cruise, these would have absolutely been our first-choice!

What To Do – R&R at The Pool or Beach

As I previously mentioned, Amber Cove is a relatively new port at the Dominican so all of the amenities are SO nice, especially the pool. Cole and I were sure to stop at the pool for some photos and videos before we had to head back on the boat and we were so impressed with how nice everything was. The resort-style pool is free to all guests and includes a swim-up bar, an AquaZone for the kids and water slides too! Plus, there’s chair-side service so you can enjoy a cold one as you take in the rays.

We didn’t have time to enjoy the beach, which is also located right within the Amber Cove port area, just walking distance from the ship, but we saw from afar and heard that it was also wonderful if you’d prefer a day beachside, with drink in hand. Also, if you’re wanting to venture a little further to a beach with a little more local vibe, there’s a few excursions that will take you to do just that.What To Do – Shop Til Ya Drop, Have a Cold One + Take in Incredible Views

In case you want to grab a few souvenirs or do some shopping while in the Dominican Republic, there are lots of shops located just steps away from the dock where you can shop ’til ya drop. Cole and I didn’t have any time to do this, but we did take a peek into some of the stores and it looks like there was some good stuff! We did, however, have time to stop at one of the bars in the port (the one that’s located closest to the large “Amber Cove” letter sculpture sign seen above, and the drinks were really good (and the menu looked great too!) This is just another reminder to bring ash or a credit card (not Amex!) to Amber Cove because the OceanMedallions aren’t integrated here just yet.

Another thing you can do that Cole and I so wish we would have known (if not just to get photos!) is to have a drink and enjoy the view from the Sky Bar, located next to the pool. Cole and I saw the colorful bar towering above the trees, but we honestly had no idea what it was and were in a bit of a rush to capture some photos, so we didn’t get to enjoy it. You can see a photo of the bar that we took (having no idea what it was, haha!) in the photo above.

What To Do – Slide Down 27 Waterfalls (if you dare…)

Disclaimer – so one of the things I regret most about this entire trip is not being prepared with having a water proof pouch for my phone for this excursion. Cole and I did research the excursion, but I underestimated the fact that we wouldn’t just get wet, our bodies would be completely submerged in water, multiple times, so there was no way you could bring a phone without a waterproof phone pouch, so we both had to leave ours behind. Because of that, I didn’t get any instagram-worthy shots of this insanely gorgeous setting/adventure, which I was really bummed about (Cole and I miiight have gotten into a little argument about it too, haha…he’s seriously a trooper y’all!). Luckily, our group did end up purchasing the package of photos that the company took while we were on the excursion, so that’s what you’re seeing (and I apologize for the poor-quality). 

Cole and I were SO excited about this excursion. While we’re all about relaxing, we also both love a good adventure, and since we got our relaxation in at Princess Cays, we were ready to explore. So when we heard that it was possible to slide and/or jump down 27 waterfalls in the Dominican, we were both like, “YES, PLEASE!!” I read on the excursion description that it was listed as a “strenuous” activity, but thought nothing of it. As always, I’m going to be completely transparent with you…I was DEAD-WRONG. Y’all, this excursion is intense!! And don’t get me wrong – it was incredible and something we will always remember, but it definitely falls under the strenuous category by every definition. Keep scrolling for my full review of this adventurous-but-strenuous excursion, plus my tips on what I would do next time to make it even better!

The platform to the right is where you jump off and the one to the left is the option to climb the stairs down into the water.

And here are Cole and I making our first jump into the water. It was pretty high up, y’all, and I’m not afraid of heights. 

This is taken from where you jump in so you get an idea of the height.

Here’s examples of some of the other stairs/waterfall slides you go down throughout the journey. (pretty sure I scraped up my elbow and booty on this one because I didn’t lean back or cross my arms, haha!)

The Damajangua Waterfalls – For Thrill-Seekers, Only

Here’s the real deal – yes, you will get to slide down waterfalls, but it’s actually not even a choice, once you make the 20-something foot plunge into the water, you have to go down them all. Honestly, the hardest part to me was how freezing cold the water was. Since we were in a rainforest in the Caribbean, I was expecting refreshing-but-warm water. When I made the first jump, however, my whole body went into shock as I was engulfed in freezing cold water. And hey, I can handle jumping into freezing water every now and then…the problem was, once we jumped in, we had to stay in the water throughout the rest of the journey. It was SO.COLD. y’all! While they did provide us all with water shoes/boots and life jackets (thank heavens!!), I really wished I’d word a rash guard rather than a teeny bikini. I pretty much shivered the entire time. I do have to say, it was overcast during the entire excursion and ended up raining at the end, so I know that made it even colder, and Cole actually found the water refreshing, so if you’re hot-natured, the cold shouldn’t bother you too much!

Besides the very high jump into the water (and for the first jump, they do provide the option of climbing a ladder down into the water), the other thing that made this excursion extra intense was the waterfalls themselves. Most of them were actually quite steep, and you had to keep your arms very tightly crossed on your chest + lay completely flat or your elbows and/or butt would get pretty beat up. How do I know this, you ask?! I miiiight have come back with a few scratches and bruises after this adventure, haha. So while I absolutely would recommend this incredible adventure to all the thrill-seekers out there, I just want to be 100% honest about expectations! Keep reading for more on the waterfalls + my tips if you do decide to experience the 27 Charcos of Damajangua.

A shot of some of the trail up the mountain to get to the waterfalls.

Here’s a shot of some of the views along the way up the mountain.

A very close and very awkward low-angle shot of Cole and I as we climbed up some of the many stairs to get to the waterfalls, haha.

This was taken towards the very beginning of the walk, and is perhaps the reason you’ll need your water shoes before you get to the waterfalls. 

The Damajangua Waterfalls – The Trek

The trek to get to the waterfalls was actually something that I personally really enjoyed, but I did want to mention it because its not exactly a short hike, or an easy one. With your water boots and lifejacket on + helmet in-hand or attached to your jacket, it’s about a 35 minute walk to the waterfalls. The walk offers beautiful views of the rainforest, and promises some interesting flora and fauna along the way, but much of the journey is uphill, so be prepared to work up a little sweat and climb lots of stairs too! We did stop twice along the way and they offered water bottles for us all, which was really nice! Cole and I were actually glad to enjoy some exercise during our trip, and I suppose it did make the extremely cold water a little better (just wish I was more prepared for it!)
 Damajangua Waterfalls Tips

As I said before, Cole and I were so glad we decided to do this excursion because it was an adventure unlike we’d ever done or probably ever will have the opportunity to do! I do wish I’d done a bit more research and prepared before, so before I wrap up this extra-lengthy post, here are a few tips to make your day of chasing waterfalls in the rainforest of the Dominican Republic as amazing as can be!

For this excursion, you’ll meet in the parking just outside of the shops in Amber Cove, so leave the ship at least 2-25 minutes before your excursion time. You will be able to bring a bag/backpack along on the bus, so plan to take at least one large enough to put your families belongings in. You’ll probably want to pack a change of clothes, although we just wore our wet bathing suits on the walk back and were okay (I was still a bit cold), we did change once we got back to the Amber Cove port. Like I said, the walk to the ship is pretty lengthy, so you’ll want to be prepared to have whatever you’d like with you in port after the excursion if you plan to spend any time there.

Once you get to the waterfalls, they provide lockers for everyone that you can leave your belongings in that you don’t want to get wet. I would also pack some cash – there are souvenirs and refreshments available, plus, our excursion came with a meal that was served up by some locals and it was really delicious!  Like I mentioned, DEFINITELY be sure to buy and pack a waterproof phone pouch and/or a GoPro before you leave for the cruise and take it along for the adventure if you want to document your adventure (and who wouldn’t?!) Also, I would definitely wear a rash guard and/or the cost covering swimwear you can buy or already have. It would save your from freezing and help protect from any scratches and scrapes you might get along the way.

Phew! I think that’s all, y’all!! You can read all of my posts about our 7-day Eastern Caribbean cruise with Princess here, plus stay tuned for my guide on the last STUNNING stop on the cruise in gorgeous Turks and Caicos!

Fair-well xx,

**Thanks so much to Princess Cruises for sponsoring this post. All opinions are my own.