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Amber Cove

The Gateway To Puerto Plata Where Fathom Begins

Por CHRIS OWEN

04 de September de 2015

more than a destination

As man-made “island” destinations go, cruise lines have done an amazing job in the Caribbean creating interesting places to park their ships for a day. Amber Cove in the Dominican Republic looks to be no exception to that rule.

a gateway

When the new facility opens in October, passengers coming ashore from ships run by the Carnival Corporation family of brands should find plenty to do. Just the features of Amber Cove alone, let alone the Playa Plata area of the island, have experts predicting nearly 100% of passengers getting off the ship, if not just out of curiosity.

what you would design

An unexpected bonus; the Carnival Corporation investment has energized the North shores of the Dominican Republic in a rather interesting way. It’s just what the cruiser ordered.

massive open spaces

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free water park and pool

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the largest pool at a cruise destination

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a beautiful place to have it

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That avid cruiser is tired of the same places in the Caribbean. Cruise lines have all developed their own private sanctuaries, dotting the islands of the Bahamas and Haiti for decades. Readers who have been on 3+ cruises, preferably on more than one line, have a good idea of what to expect on any given sailing. The Embarkation Process, Handling Gratuities, Relevant Onboard Programming. Top Deck “Gee-Wiz”* features.

Already the playground of all-inclusive land resort and time-share travelers, Puerto Plata have a healthy vibe. Construction is happening at a record pace, largely due to the Amber Cove development. Compared to the south side of the Dominican Republic where a number of areas seem frozen in time with development started decades ago but never completed, Puerto Plata is alive and well. On a tour of the Amber Cove facility, we saw a first-class cruise destination nearly complete and ready to receive its first visitors.

On day one of our visit to Puerto Plata, we toured Amber Cove and were impressed with what we saw. Had we left the Dominican Republic at that point, the trip would have provided a nice overview of what cruise travelers can expect; a preview of sorts. But this trip, the first time we experienced a cruise destination before it opened, is providing far more than some photo opportunities and list of features.

We began our day with a sampling of places visitors might visit on one of an impressive array of shore tours. Aptly titled Panoramic Puerto Plata and the Brugal Rum Factory Tour our first two stops of the day brought experiences along the lines of what one might expect from their titles.

more than a rum tour

With one giant exception: infused into each was an element of the Dominican Republic’s culture that gave what might otherwise be a standard tour a depth we don’t normally find on cruise ship tours.

they want us there

More commonly the experience gained by making an independent, local connection on our own, the shorex wiz kids at Carnival Corporation have enabled the addition of a local, interactive element that is undeniable. They have taken the next step in the world of cruise ship shore excursions. This is something no one else we know of is doing. Not a big surprise really, we noted a focus of this sort not long ago in Carnival Corp Brands Intensify Destination Focus. On this visit to the Dominican Republic, we are seeing that focus in action. Promise delivered.

the whole town showed up

Another stop on our sampling of what Puerto Plata has to offer cruise travelers was the town’s city center, familiar turf enjoyed in cities around the world. As one might expect, local merchants were on hand selling handicrafts and unique items made from local resources. A band played, local dancers and singers entertained us and the day was declared all about tourism by the government of the Dominican Republic.

This is a place that wants us here, is supportive of the Carnival Corporation effort and appreciates the opportunity to welcome cruise travelers.

fathom this

When we first heard about Fathom travel, the new cruise line from Carnival Corporation, some cruise industry watchers wondered: “Who might want to spend their vacation helping others in hard luck parts of the world?” Dream cruise vacations were more the stuff of umbrella drinks, Jimmy Buffet songs and lazy days at the beach. Go the Caribbean a few times and cruise travelers have their favorite places, a routine of what to do when they get there and little use for shore excursions. After experiencing just a tiny, itty bitty taste of what new Fathom Travel has to offer I am totally embarrassed to have even considered the nonsense of those comments. Let me tell you why.

and fathom brings everything full circle

Big ship cruise lines have done quite a service to the world of travel, enabling many who might not otherwise have left the comfort of home to get out and see the world. In the safe and secure closed environment of a cruise ship, travelers see amazing places around North America in an easy and affordable way. Take the jump to international travel and seeing the rest of the world by cruise ship is an equally palatable experience to behold. But that easy way of traveling can also lull us to sleep, let us think all is well around the planet and for the most part insulate us from a real world we quite frankly don’t want to think about on vacation. We know better but for those 7 days away we want to leave the entire real world behind.

Or do we?

We came to the Dominican Republic to see Carnival Corporation’s $85-million Amber Cove cruise destination and did just that the first day. Impressive.

we taste of fathom, find it delicious

On our last day in the Dominican Republic we toured with the people who have put together Fathom, the new impact travel cruise line and brand for Carnival Corporation.

WE ACTUALLY CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE

Pausing at a local school, we saw how interaction with English speaking tourists (us) can help kids learn to read and speak English, a valuable commodity in an island nation where tourism is a major industry.

WE CAN DO THIS AND ENJOY IT

It was right about there that it hit me. What Fathom proposes is to get us involved in changing the world and this is exactly how that is done, one tiny step at a time. Better yet, anyone can do this.

In reality, those traveling with Fathom will receive immersive instruction on the way to Puerto Plata and the opportunity to help in a number of ways once there with unique included offerings. They might spend a day or half-day doing these things and come away feeling a bit different, perhaps a bit changed.

Not really a talking point of Fathom, the end result brings everything the cruise industry has done up to this point full circle, condenses it and injects us with an entirely new, different and exciting feeling. In other words; Carnival Corporation has our number and knows which buttons to push that will enable a fabulous travel experience. At first glance.

Looking deeper, the people who have put together every part of this Amber Cove/ Puerto Plata/Fathom trifecta of travel wonder have serious backgrounds in what they do. The people who built Amber Cove cruise destination do that sort of thing all over the world and are a family-operated business.

The red carpet rolled out to cruise travelers in Puerto Plata is backed by solid support from the government of the Dominican Republic, devoting a huge amount of resources to insuring a good experience for travelers. Fathom is staffed by people who have spent time in the Peace Corps and other organizations that solidly know what they are doing in parts of the world that need help.

We need more of this.

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