Our next port of call for this 8-day Southern Caribbean cruise on the Carnival Horizon is La Romana in the Dominican Republic. The Sugar Breeze Cruise Terminal gets its name from the history of the city which was once known for its sugar manufacturing industry. A quick Google search will bring up a bunch of things for you to do and see in La Romana, but unless you’re booking any of those as a shore excursion through the cruise line, there isn’t much to do.
The ship arrived around 11:30 am and once docked it’s just a short walk into the port’s shopping area which has the typical duty-free store, local crafts, and plenty of junk to buy and bring home only to shove in a drawer and never see again, and a few bars to grab drinks. Up until recently, that was all there was to do. However, there is now a pool with plenty of lounge chairs for guests to enjoy for free.
If you’re looking for a beach, there isn’t one. If you’re looking to explore the town, it’s important to remember that the Dominican Republic is a third-world country and unless you’re in one of the tourist areas like Puerto Plata, you can’t let your guard down. If you’re inclined to do a tour of the area either through an excursion or by taxi, you will see how the locals live and it can be a bit of a wake-up call. The best advice I can give you – don’t venture out on your own.
With not much to do, I didn’t spend a whole heck of a lot of time wandering around the port. However, I did pick up two boxes of Dominican cigars. Some of the vendors here are pretty hard sell – including the cigar tent people. They lured me in with a free cigar and well… they earned a sale.
All aboard was 5:30 pm and we sailed out just around 6:00 pm as a local group of musicians serenaded us as we headed out.
A few notes about the cruise so far. Let’s talk weed first. Haven’t smelled it so maybe the dogs at the port and the dogs on the ship are really a deterrent. Second, shade. If you’re looking to pull up a lounge chair and enjoy a shady spot, good luck. There really isn’t much shade to be found on the ship’s upper decks and if you do happen to find some, you’ll have to get creative moving chairs around to take advantage of it. On Deck 5, the Promenade deck, you can find shady spots but there are no loungers, just tables and chairs. And while I’m talking about the Promenade deck, it’s not one you can walk completely around. The forward portion of the deck is reserved for crew and the aft portion is only accessible to those staying in the Havana-class staterooms which use the Promenade as a lanai for those rooms as well as housing a private pool.
For dinner, my traveling companions and I decided to head back to Cucina del Capitano, the ship’s Italian restaurant for a second time. This $18 per person restaurant previously told us that the tomahawk pork chop on the menu took 45 to 50 minutes to prepare, but were later told that wasn’t true, so we set out to see what the correct answer was.
I started off with the Arancini, rice balls stuffed with cheese and served over tomato sauce. Crunchy, cheesy, and not bad.
Others in the group tried the fried calamari which received an “OK” rating and the Nonna’s Meatball – a singular, small meatball with sauce which also got a “just OK.”
Next up was the pork chop, which when we ordered, there was no mention of an extended prep time, so still confused over all that. Three of us ordered the chops and since they were billed as one of the restaurant’s specialties, I think we all expected them to be great. Mine was dry, devoid of flavor, but big on the disappointment.
Those of us who didn’t get the pork chop got the Cavatelli which got two thumbs up, and Pappardelle pasta with shrimp (3 of them) which was given an “OK” as well.
Another unexpected twist came with the sides we ordered. Three of us ordered a side of spaghetti. Only two were brought out with one going to one person, and the other going to me and my friend sitting next to me. When our server placed it down between us, she said, “And this is for you to share.” Huh? What?
Anyway, on to dessert where most of us got the Apple Crostata which was basically a whole lot of really dry dough with some apples inside and a scoop of ice cream. The dough was pretty much like eating sand so this was not a hit at all.
The other desserts ordered included the polenta cake and the biscotti cookie sandwich that I ordered the other night. The polenta cake was enjoyed, but the cookie sandwich got thumbs down.
While this restaurant, with a much different Olive Garden-type menu, is free on Carnival Celebration and Mardi Gras, it does have that $18 service charge here on Horizon. Is it worth it? Well, for $18 it’s worth a shot to see what you think.
Our next port of call is just a short trip to another part of the Dominican, Amber Cove. A Carnival-created destination which isn’t a real city and also doesn’t have much to do… but more on that tomorrow!
Fun Times for Day 6:
The Fun Times for September 7, 2023, can also be downloaded as a PDF by clicking here.