It’s Sunday, May 28, 2023 and we had a 9-hour port call from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic.
Most of our group went on this excursion:
Excursion: BearCruise Private Catamaran Shore Excursion | 9:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. (4 hours)
Hop on board your own private catamaran as we set out on a fun-filled day of relaxation under the Caribbean Sun. It’s a 4-hour snorkel, swim, and sail expedition with lunch and an open bar!
Your day will begin as we sail from Puerto Plata down to the largest living coral reef on the north coast. As the staircase lowers into the cool sparkling waters the underwater garden awaits your discovery. Guaranteed to create memories that will last you a lifetime.
Swim among the colorful fish and vibrant coral at Sosua Bay and enjoy lunch onboard while sailing down the coast. Relax on the deck in sun before heading back to shore.
Bob and I did not go on that excursion because we took someone’s place on this cruise at the last minute, and the excursion was sold out—oversold, actually, with a couple of people on the waiting list. However, here are a few photos shared by some of the folks who did go:
So here’s the excursion Bob and I did go on:
Excursion: Puerto Plata City Tour | 9:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. (4 hours)
We had a private tour with Edwin with a stop at the Ron Macorix House of Rum distillery, where we had a distillery tour complete with a tasting of 6 rum varieties, including pineapple, coconut, and apple flavors.
We walked through Independence Square in downtown, stepping into the Cathedral of St. Philip the Apostle, seeing City Hall and the statues of Juan Pablo Duarte and General Gregorio Luperón (two important military leaders).
We took a stroll down El Paseo de Doña Blanca and the Umbrella Street. And not being shoppers, we passed on the jewelry stores and cigar shops, but we did step into a coffee and chocolate (Dominican Republic specialties) shop and made a couple of purchases.
Our final stop was at the Fortaleza San Felipe, where we did a guided tour by headphones.
BearCruise group activities
5:00 pm: Pool Hot Tub Takeover – Deck 15 (Pool Deck)
Bob and I enjoyed the hot tub, but it wasn’t during “takeover,” as the bears were not back from their catamaran trip then.
7:00 pm: Cocktails, The Dock House Bar, Deck 7.
8:00 pm: Dinner, The Dock House Bar, Deck 7; Restaurant of the Night: The Wake, Deck 6 (access from Deck 7)
This is one of the best restaurants on the ship, and our meals did not disappoint!
John’s choices:
Bob’s choices:
Table choices: Bread shared by all, twice-baked potato shared by Bob and John, and dessert of one of our tablemates.
We watched a movie in our cabin compliments of Virgin Voyages Entertainment:
| The Guilt Trip (2012) Watched: 05/28/23 Provider: Virgin Voyages 10-word summary: Cross-country road trip chronicling a sometimes-explosive, ultimately poignant mother-son reconnection. 6-word review: Well-done exposition of complicated relationship dynamics. Rating: ★★★★ Note: Starring Barbra Streisand, Seth Rogen |
Ship Shows and Activities
11:00 pm: BoomVang Nightclub and Dancing, The Manor, Deck 6
This was a ship event, and it’s hard to understand what a boom vang suggests with respect to a dance party. But from what I’ve been able to find out, it essentially was just another nightclub party. We didn’t attend it, so I don’t have any pictures.