Taino Bay is the newer of Puerto Plata’s two cruise terminals. It opened in December 2021 on the city’s own bay, next to the old commercial harbour and directly below the historic centre. Ships tie up at a long pier that can take two large vessels at once; at its landward end is a purpose-built "port village" with a pool, a lazy river, bars, restaurants and shops, and beyond its gate the real Puerto Plata begins.
Taino Bay or Amber Cove — which port is my ship using?
This is the question that causes most confusion, because cruise lines list both simply as "Puerto Plata". They are different places about 12 km apart by road.
| Taino Bay | Amber Cove | |
|---|---|---|
| Opened | December 2021 | October 2015 |
| Developed by | ITM Group, a private port developer | Carnival Corporation |
| Where | Downtown Puerto Plata, on the city bay | Maimón Bay, west of the city |
| Walk into town? | Yes — fort and old town 10–15 minutes on foot | No — taxi or shuttle, about 15–20 minutes |
| In the port | Pool with swim-up bar, lazy river, shops, bars, restaurants | Pools, lazy river, water slides, zipline, shops, bars (some attractions paid) |
| Lines that typically call | Norwegian, MSC, Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, Virgin Voyages and other non-Carnival lines | Carnival, Princess, Holland America and other Carnival Corporation brands |
The list of lines is a rule of thumb, not a guarantee — berths are swapped when one port is full or a pier is under repair. The reliable sources are your cruise documents and the cruise line’s app, which name the terminal. If the itinerary says "Amber Cove", most of this page still helps: just add a 15–20 minute ride whenever we say "walk".
What is inside the Taino Bay port
The port village is free to enter for cruise passengers and is designed so that you could spend the whole day there. Expect:
- A large free-form pool with a swim-up bar, loungers and umbrellas. Use of the pool has been free; cabanas and premium loungers are rented.
- A lazy river looping through the gardens — the feature families remember.
- Bars and restaurants serving Dominican dishes, burgers, seafood and a great deal of Presidente beer and rum punch. Prices are resort-level and in US dollars.
- Shops: duty-free, amber and larimar jewellery, cigars, rum, coffee, chocolate and souvenirs, laid out as a colourful Caribbean street.
- Entertainment: merengue and bachata bands, dancers and, at times, small animal exhibits with birds and monkeys.
- Tour desks and a taxi stand near the exit, plus tourist information.
Wi-Fi is sometimes offered with a purchase at the bars; do not count on it being fast. Bring a towel from the ship. There is no natural swimming beach at the port — for sand and sea, see Playa Dorada.
From the ship to the gate
The pier is long — allow a good ten minutes on foot from the gangway to the village, more in the midday heat. Shuttle carts have been provided for passengers who need them; ask the crew or port staff as you disembark. You then pass through the village (it is built so you cannot miss the shops) to the exit, where you will find the official taxi rank, tour operators holding signs and the road into town. From gangway to gate, plan on 15–20 minutes.
Bring your ship card and a photo ID; you will be asked for the card to get back in.
Walking into Puerto Plata
Outside the gate you are at the western edge of the old city. Two short walks cover the essentials, and they join up into a loop of about two to three hours.
Walk 1: the fort and the Malecón (10–15 minutes each way)
Head for the headland of La Puntilla, which you can see from the ship. Here are Fortaleza San Felipe, finished in 1577, the 19th-century iron lighthouse and a seafront park. From the fort the Malecón — the seafront avenue — runs east for kilometres, past a statue of Neptune on a rock offshore.
Walk 2: the central park and the coloured streets (10–15 minutes each way)
Walk inland up the main streets to Parque Independencia, with its Victorian gazebo and the San Felipe cathedral. Within two or three blocks are Umbrella Street (Calle de las Sombrillas), the all-pink Paseo de Doña Blanca and, a little further, the Amber Museum. Details are on our old town page.
Taxis and getting around
Official taxis wait at the port exit. They are unmetered and work to a fixed tariff set by the local taxi association, displayed on a board at the rank and quoted in US dollars. Because we cannot verify figures that change, we do not print them here — read the board.
- Agree the total before you get in: the price, whether it is per person or per vehicle, one-way or return, and how long the driver will wait.
- Round trips with waiting time are the norm for beaches, the cable car and the waterfalls. Pay at the end, not the beginning.
- Negotiating is normal for longer hires and for groups filling a minivan; it is less effective for short posted fares on busy ship days.
- Pay in small US notes or pesos; drivers rarely have change for large bills.
- Ride-hailing apps operate in Puerto Plata, but pickups directly at the port gate may be restricted — you may need to walk a block or two.
- Motoconchos (motorbike taxis) are how locals get around. They are cheap, helmetless and not something we recommend to visitors.
Rough driving times from Taino Bay: cable car station 10–15 minutes; Costa Dorada and Playa Dorada about 15; Ocean World at Cofresí 10–15; the Damajagua waterfalls 30–40; Sosúa 35–45; Cabarete 50–60.
How much can you do? 4-, 6- and 8-hour plans
Count your usable time from the moment you can actually leave the ship to one hour before all-aboard. A call advertised as 8 am–5 pm with all-aboard at 4.30 pm gives you roughly seven usable hours.
About 4 hours ashore
- On foot: the fort and lighthouse (45 min), the Malecón, then up to the central park, Umbrella Street and the pink street (1 h 30), a coffee, and back for an hour in the port pool.
- Or one short excursion: a two-hour ATV ride or zipline, or the three-hour seven-waterfall tour if it starts soon after you dock — then straight back.
About 6 hours ashore
- The classic: Damajagua waterfalls in the morning (3–4 hours door to door), lunch, then the fort or the old town on foot for an hour and a half.
- Culture day: a four-hour city tour with the rum and chocolate factories, then the port pool and lazy river.
- Beach day: taxi to Playa Dorada for three hours, and the old town on the way back.
8 hours or more ashore
- Waterfalls plus: a combo with ziplines, buggies or the monkey sanctuary (4–5 hours), then the old-town walk.
- The mountain: a six-hour city highlights tour with the cable car and lunch — if the summit is clear.
- The sea: the six-hour catamaran and snorkelling trip from Sosúa.
- Do-it-yourself: cable car first thing by taxi, Playa Dorada for lunch and a swim, the fort at four o’clock when the light is best.
Ready-made options for each plan are on our best shore excursions page.
Accessibility
The port village itself is modern, flat and step-free in its main areas, with ramps and accessible toilets, and the shuttle carts help with the long pier. Beyond the gate things are harder: pavements in the old town are narrow and uneven with high kerbs and few dropped crossings, and the fort has steep steps and rough stone. Wheelchair users will find the Malecón promenade and the park around the fort easier than the inner streets. The Damajagua waterfalls are not accessible to anyone with limited mobility; the cable car involves steps and standing in the cabin. If you need an adapted vehicle, arrange a private tour in advance and state your requirements in writing — do not rely on finding one at the rank.
Safety at and around the port
The port is a secure, controlled zone. The streets between the gate, the fort and the central park are busy on ship days and patrolled by the tourist police (Politur). Petty theft and overcharging are the realistic risks, not violence: leave valuables on board, keep cash in a front pocket, agree prices first and stay in the central area in daylight. More in the travel guide.
