The Carnival Union of Puerto Plata (UCAPPLATA) and the Municipal Government announced that every Sunday during February  afternoon there will be celebrations full of colorful activities performed by local people and their folklore. Providing more details UCAPPLATA president Dr. Janko Souffront said carnival evenings will take place in the area of the pier where awards will be held every Sunday for the most creative and colorful costumes and parades. 

He explained that already works are being done tirelessly to organize this cultural festival that characterizes Puerto Plata, in a unique way, where tents and ramps will be installed so that citizens enjoy the carnival festivities. Dr. Janco Souffront said the carnival gala will take place this Saturday January 26 in Playa Dorada Celuisma where Momo will be crowned the king; on this occasion the young entrepreneur Roque Garcia (Roquelito) will be the chosen one, plus the choice of the queen, and princess.

ECONOMIC CONTRIBUTION
The mayor of Puerto Plata, Meyreles Walter Musa, said that despite economic cuts in the institution they will provide a million pesos for this event carnival. Meyreles Musa handed over a check containing the first RD$ 500,000.00 to be invested in the awards for best costume parades, both collective and individual.
 
CARNIVAL FOR CHILDREN
 Also, the Department of Culture of the Municipality run by Ricardo Vilma (Aunt Vilma), organizes the children's carnival which will be staged at the Plaza Independencia and will  be enjoyed by the whole family. The details about the various activities that will take place in Puerto Plata Carnival 2013 were featured in a press briefing held in the Chamber of the local council by Rafael Balbuena Faringthon, the local council.

The photos depicted here were taken on Sunday February 24th, 2013.

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PUERTO PLATA. - About 400 travelers will arrive this Friday, March 8th at the port of this city,  aboard the Cruise Ship "HAMBURG" from the German company Plantours & Partner, said Deputy Minister of Tourism, César José de los Santos.
 
This cruise ship will arrive at 12:00 noon to the local port of Puerto Plata, thus making it his first visit to the Dominican Republic. Deputy Tourism Minister César José de los Santos revealed that Shipboard "HAMBURG" will be held reception in which the ship's captain will greet various city officials in a special ceremony.

The ship is a massive 145 meters long and has a crew of 170 to serve 197 cabins from Junior to Master.

 
The cruiser "HAMBURG", is exclusively dedicated to the German cruise travel market by the operator Plantours & Partner, and it was built by the shipyard Schiffswerft GmbH in Wismar, Germany in 1997, and has already Nassau Bahamas flag and port of registry. This large boat has 145 meters long, 21.50 meters to 5.100 meters sleeve draft, has 170 crew and consists of 197 cabins and 8 suites.

The arrival of the cruise "HAMBURG" to the pier of Puerto Plata is expected to gather the authorities of the Dominican Port Authority (APORDOM), Ministry of Tourism (MITUR), City Hall, Provincial Government, and others. Preparations include government agencies that coordinate efforts to enable and adjust the local port to provide a proper reception to the tourists coming in the ship.

Boasting deluxe restaurants and high end owner suites, the MS Hamburg is considered one of the best luxury cruise ships worldwide.

The German cruiser "HAMBURG" is the second tourist cruise ship to visit the port of this city in recent times, as last December 13th, 2012 the boutique cruise ship "The World" paid a visit to Puerto Plata and re-started a tradition that was common 2 decades ago when the North Coast was the top destination in the island and the Caribbean.

MS Hamburg is a 15,000-ton, 420 passenger, luxury cruise ship owned by the Hapag-Lloyd cruise line; but is now operated by Plantours. She was built in 1997, in Wismar, Germany.

Given the hotel rooms and private villa rental offers now available in the area, this can be a great opportunity for the North Coast to provide jobs to many that were laid off due to slower tourism in the past few years. Cabarete, Sosua, Cabrera and Cofresi are now considered top destinations in the island given the beauty of its beaches and the varied landscape.

For more information:

http://www.plantours-partner.de/hamburg/index.php?PID=
http://www.shipspotting.com/gallery/photo.php?lid=1577192
http://www.cruiseabout.co.nz/cruise-ships/hapag-lloyd/ms-columbus-2#!prettyPhoto

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Cabarete is known for its wide selection of towering apartment buildings bordering its windy bay, where most of its travelers find lodging or retirement living. Private villas are scarce near the bay, and while there`s a few clusters of small villas in the kite beach area ( Bahia de Arena, Nanny`s Beach Houses, Olas De Oro ) those are mostly small scale units and almost always booked up because demand is higher than supply.

Almost all of the large scale, high end luxury rentals of Cabarete are found in gated communities, like Perla Marina, Sea Horse Ranch, Hideaway Beach, Playa Laguna and Lomas Mironas ( in reality, the best ones are in the second and third option ). It`s rare to find a large, luxury rental villa close to the bay and the night life, because most of the prime land is reserved for buildings.  In late December 2012, a classic beach front house was introduced to the rental and real estate market, opening a new door to those seeking to rent or buy a villa close to the heart of Cabarete:

http://www.goldenkeymanagement.com/spc1048.htm   as a rental

http://www.goldenkeymanagement.com/spc1049.htm   for sale

Once just a family beach house rarely used by its owners, it has now been opened to bidders who can afford its daily rental rate of US$550/night, providing 4 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms ( the 5th is closed ) and promising great family vacations, wedding venue celebrations by the beach and even corporate retreat and meetings. The sale price is a generous US$1.3 million, low by any standards for a property of more than 600 square meters of construction (over 6,480 sq ft ).

The house is built on three floors, offering 2 bedrooms in the first level, 2 on the second and a large master suite with a long balcony in the upper level. A set of panoramic windows grace the living room with fine vistas of the ocean, and a modern European kitchen sets the tone to entertain guests and family. The outdoor gazebo attached to the exterior pool side towers on top of the pool terrace and includes a brick BBQ grill and patio furniture. This property has many fine features, and the beach front swimming pool almost next to the golden sand beach is just one of the best.

The villa was "rediscovered" by Golden Treasures Luxury Rentals, and restored to bring back its grandeur and make it available for its customers. Contact us for more information on booking and visiting this fantastic beach villa in Cabarete.

Useful resources on travel to the North Coast:

Puerto Plata Travel Guide

Dominican Republic Travel Guide

Sosua Villa Rentals

Cabarete Villa Rentals

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World class MSC Cruise Ship initiated the Dominican Republic as a Caribbean hub for the cruise industry, with its first visit to get locally produced perishable goods and provisions. The Italian cruise line Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) began operations in the country yesterday with the arrival at the port of Santo Domingo of the vessel MSC Lirica, which brought 1,800 European tourists traveling to several Caribbean islands, in addition to a crew of 800 people.

The vessel arrived at 9:00 am, to depart at 11:00 pm with a  destination path that includes La Romana, San Martin, Martinique, Guadeloupe, Antigua and Barbuda and the British Virgin Islands. During a tour of the boat, the executive director of Sans Souci Ports, Jaime Jorge Castillo, said that this boat will get their supplies of various agricultural products in the country, as well as take advantage of the tours offered to enjoy the attractions of Santo Domingo, which will have a positive impact on the Dominican economy. 

He explained that the arrival of a cruise leaves the country between U.S. $ 180,000 to U.S. $ 200,000 (per day), taking into account the services that the country has to offer. He said The MSC Lirica will visit the Dominican port MSC 10 times during this cruise season. "The MSC is also very popular and has a notable influx of European cruisers, especially French nationals, with interest to know and enjoy the city of Santo Domingo," he said Castillo.

He said the Port of Santo Domingo and its terminal is ready to receive cruise ships. While recognizing that there are still challenges to face and areas for improvement, Castillo highlighted the joint effort of several public institutions to promote tourism. For his part, the ship's captain, Raffaele Iaccarino said MSC is a family cruise line, so from now on going the Dominican Republic will be part of that family. He highlighted the benefits that the country offers. During the inaugural MSC Lirica touch was the traditional exchange of plates, since it is the first time that vessel reached the port of Santo Domingo.

The tour around the boat included executives from Sans Souci Ports, the mayor of Santo Domingo, Juan De los Santos, the director of the Port Authority, Ramon Rivas, the director of the Ministry of Passenger cruise, Orfelia Salazar, the president of Maritime Dominican Karster Winder and journalists from different media. MSC Lirica. This ship has a capacity for 2,200 passengers. Among its amenities are interior staterooms with ocean views and balconies, a theater, nightclub, casino, bar, two restaurants, beauty salon, shops, spa, video arcade, swimming pools, among others.

The executive director of Sans Souci Ports called on the Dominican community for them to be good hosts of tourists visiting Santo Domingo through the cruise, to highlight the benefits and dynamism left in the city as a result of the different activities and foreign exchange generated by thousands of visitors. The island has become a focus of interest for various cruise ship companies including Royal Caribbean and Carnival Cruises. The MSC Lirica can be seen at http://www.msccruises.com/gl_en/Ships/MSC-Lirica.aspx

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The arrival in the early hours of Thursday, of the "New World" Cruise ship at the city harbor, with 223 passengers, opened a new age for tourism in Puerto Plata. The ship arrived when the clock marked 7:30 am in the morning, as planned by the authorities of the Ministry of Tourism and the Dominican Port Authority, who awaited in this city to welcome this cruise ship coming from Miami, United States.

To say that the ship caused widespread admiration among the people of Puerto Plata is an understatement, because many cried "the cruise ships are back", in reminiscence of the 80`s when Puerto Plata was the top cruise port destination in the Dominican Republic. Others, however, welcomed the presence of these cruise tourists, executives from the company that brought it to this area, the crew and officers of the liner. The "The World" cruise ship is registered in the Bahamas (Nassau), is a boutique-style boat captained by Dag H. Saevik, Senior Captain, and Antonino Cardillo, Hotel Manager, where they travel with 223 passengers, plus crew staff and other workers.

The visitors were received by officials of the Ministry of Tourism, Dominican Port Authority, government officials, hoteliers, tour operators, and other representatives of institutions linked to this activity, which welcomed these cruisers.

The cruise ship "The World" is a world-class private yacht with 165 privately owned condos and suites.

The last cruise ship to visit Puerto Plata was seen in 1986, so this visit is considered to have a strong impact on tourism for the North coast. Carnival Cruises is set to build a new hub port for cruise liners in Maimon, Puerto Plata that will start operations in 2014. Local authorities highlighted the importance of this visit, including port Administrator Juan Musa, who noted that tourists loved the natural beauty of Puerto Plata and its importance as a landmark and historical first in the Americas.

Puerto Plata was Taino land when Christopher Columbus first came to American back in 1492. It was the first of many landmarks related to the discovery of the new world, including the first Spanish settlement in the Americas. Recently, the Dominican Republic was featured as Best of the Caribbean 2012 by Caribbean Travel and Leisure. Another cruise line ( Royal Caribbean ) was in talks with President Danilo Medina about construction of a larger port in Samana.

The ship visited Puerto Plata this week and leaves on early Saturday morning.

The widespread construction of luxury condos and villas in the North coast combine with existing hotels to provide thousands of rooms and lodging units to supply the demand for accommodation in the area, specially in Sosua, Cabarete, Cofresi and Cabrera.

Related links:

http://aboardtheworld.com

http://www.cruising.org/vacation/destinations/cities/puerto-plata

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