We were here with the MSC Orchestra last week! We had tried to book the catamaran sail and snorkel, but the shore trips desk onboard the ship said NO!! They said it was awful, and wouldn't book anyone.... soooo we figured we would make this a beach day.
We had to get tender tickets, and were in line 30 minutes early... hardly anyone there... We got number 2... we ended up being on the first tender off... we used life boats from the ship.
The NCL Jewel was in port just a little behind us and had a roped off area for their beach portion... We walked by that... and got a great spot of 8 chairs right up front on the beach by the water! The chairs under the trees were rather grimy, with black mold (it appeared to be) on the backs... ours were clean! The water was quite rough with nice waves... and refreshing, not cold, not hot...perfect! The boys rented snorkel equipment and went off... there was quite a current however... but they were fine. There was quite a drop off about 20 feet off the beach. We saw the sealion for the encounter... but we didn't book it as it was $96 per person... yikes! Anyway... the adult beverages in the pineapples are a must... the coconut one, not quite as yummy... The food was reasonably priced... and tasted pretty good...
I bought DR coffee (by the way, it is the best I have ever had, blows Jamaican Blue Mountain out of the water!)... I wish I had bought more! Anyone going to Cayo want to pick me up about 6 packages? They are $6 each, lol. I got vanilla... and dh got Rum... son didn't want anything... little one got a necklace.
Near the end of the day...the people in charge of the sealion swim, walked along the beach and said you could have a picture with him. Soooo, Ally and I did... then Ally had her picture taken with a green and yellow monkey sitting on her head... I think they got us for $20 or $25 for all three... lol.
We had a lovely day.. and would return back with no complaints!
It is great to know that other ships are allowed to send passengers there if there is a MSC ship in port. It was my understanding that Cayo Levantado is MSC's "private" island.
We have been to Cayo Levantado twice and will continue to go there when possible. It is a great day at the beach.
i love animals and i always get sucked in with the picture of the parrot and stuff. the first time that ever happened i had no idea the guy was going to ask for money. it was a homeless guy on the beach in hawaii walking around with a parrot!!!! started talking to me and the next thing you know i'm paying money to get a picture with a parrot. by the way, the pictures didn't even come out good.
While Cayo Levantado is very pretty, it's also very tiny and once you're there, you're captive. There are other beaches outside Samana which you can reach by cab. The closest is Anadel. It’s long enough you can get a little exercise and choose from a few Dominican run restaurants. About a half hour away you’ll find Las Galeras, which has THREE nice beaches, all within walking distance. You can go to the main beach/bar/restaurant at the end of the road, or walk from there (and beyond) to the all-inclusive about a mile away, or go to La Playita (The Little Beach), once of the prettiest beaches in the country. There you can rent snorkeling equipment or lounge chairs, eat freshly caught fish and drink pina coladas from a pineapple, or hike for a long way in several directions.
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Centrum Deck
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Dominican Republic
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Cayo Levantado
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Thanks Delores!
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