This April, some 67 vessels are scheduled to make a stop at some of the country's ports.
SANTO DOMINGO – The cruise industry continues its upward trend in the ports of the Dominican Republic. During the first quarter (January-March), approximately 275 ships arrived with more than 866,829 passengers, according to a report presented by the Planning and Development Directorate of the Dominican Port Authority (APORDOM).
Puerto Plata, La Romana, Samaná and Santo Domingo stand out as the ports that received the largest number of vessels in the last three months, with a cumulative total of 210 calls.
During this period, Dominican port terminals received ships from various parts of the world. Of the 275 cruise ships that arrived, Taíno Bay in Puerto Plata was the busiest, receiving 101 cruise ships and approximately 332,334 tourists, followed by Amber Cove with 71 ships and 317,694 passengers.
The statistical report also shows that La Romana received 52 vessels with 158,079 visitors, Santa Bárbara in Samaná, 18 with 32,334, while Santo Domingo Ferry received 18 ships with 4,725 passengers.
These terminals are the most attractive to tourists and have maintained their popularity in recent years as favorite destinations for cruise companies that choose the Dominican Republic as their main location in the Caribbean.
Jean Luis Rodríguez, executive director of the Dominican Port Authority, expressed satisfaction and excitement for the figures recorded in the first quarter of the year and at the same time highlighted that this demonstrates the momentum of the industry on Dominican soil.
"As director of the Dominican Port Authority, I am very proud of the work we have done together with other institutions in the country to make the Dominican Republic the Cruise Hub of the Region and the preferred destination for travelers in the Caribbean," said Rodríguez.
The port management report also includes a comparison with the first quarter of 2023. According to the data, approximately 801,878 passengers arrived in the country during the months of January-March 2023, compared to 866,829 in 2024, representing an 8 percent increase.
Of the 866,829 visitors who arrived on Dominican soil during the last few months, 266,632 were arrivals and 600,197 were transit passengers; while 299,911 corresponded to crew members and 69,994 were departing passengers.
The cruise season in the country begins between October and December, and ends between March and April.
Flints
With the arrival of the Nieuw Amsterdam, a Holland America line ship, Port Cabo Rojo received its second cruise ship with 1,935 cruise passengers on board and 838 crew members. This brings the total to 4,491 tourists and 1,870 crew members who have arrived in the border province since the port opened.
April cruise calendar
This April, approximately 67 cruise ships are scheduled to call at various ports in the country. Seventy percent of these vessels, or 53 of the 67, will arrive at the Amber Cove and Taíno Bay terminals in the heart of the tourist city of Puerto Plata, better known as the Bride of the Atlantic.
La Romana and Santo Domingo are the other ports that will receive cruise ship passengers during this month of April.
Among the ships expected to visit Dominican shores by April 30th are: Carnival Magic, Scarlet Lady Pop, Adventure of the Seas, MSC Seascape, Carnival Sunrise, Norwegian Getaway, Norwegian Breakaway, Carnival Magic, Carnival Mardi Gras, MSC Seashore, Carnival Horizon, Carnival Vista, Norwegian Jade, Norwegian Prima, Carnival Horizon, among others
