We will have to spruce up Conde and adjoining streets for them ..I wish there were nice trees in the centre of Conde as well as the colonial type lamps ,,it has so much potential .

I hope the topic of passenger safety comes up.

There are NO cruise ships starting or ending their cruises in the DR that I can find.
Why did they spend all that money on Sans Souci?
Or did they?

pelaut ....they are betting on the future ....Cruising represents a huge economy and the powers that be want a piece of the Caribbean pie

Why would anyone want to come to the arm pit of the carribean.

Downtown Santo Domigo is a cess pool of prostitution, police corruption and panhandlers.

Now lets not forget the crooked politicians and judges and the kidnappings. Great if you are a drug trafficing policmen.

Power plants spewing out pollution, power lines that are half hanging on the ground, drinking all over the streets. Garbage piling up on the streets..

The topic should read a cruise destination that you don't want to visit.

Anybody that spends any kind of money on a cruise ship will not want to go there.

JimH ,the Hater of everything about the Dominican Republic .
Zona Colonial is registered as world heritage area and is quite unique with many buildings in various stages of renovation or decay , wonderful public buildings and three or four great hotels. It has not been tarted up as some Americans would do but remains true to its period with narrow streets and a bohemian life style .It is worth many visits .
Zona Colonial also depends on trade from the cruisers and it is great that the conference will be held in the capital of the DR

Yes Thomson Cruising starts in La Romana.

But winter season only.

http://www.creativecruising.com.au/cruises/cruise.asp?id=7581

Santa Domingo has a unique ambience and plenty of historical interest. Fine restaurants and hotels.
S.

Ah Ricardolito,
You do me an injustice.
Although your points are correct regarding the Zona Colonial,with the exception that I hate the DR my comments are also very correct it is the worst zona colonial in the world.
San Juan Puerto Rico is heaven compared to the zona colonial slum you call home in the DR.

Josean la llorona haitiana, get out of this site mofo.

abc Thomson Cruising is super cheeseball cruising ....passengers are aging limey soccer hooligans and old queens ....the bottom of the barrel

Blutarsky: You weren't here when there was a real cruise ship industry — they ruined it.
And now they've pocketed money for the Sans Souci "project" for YEARS.
Betting on the future?
Get serious. They're not.

And they (PLD) will ruin it again with their policy based on greed.

Real Cruise Industry ????? I have been around and in it for many years ......the DR is just beginning to scratch the surface ......and has never been a cruise destination of any consequence ...The reason no shopping and nobody liked to see poor people and be accosted beggars and hookers and thieving tour guides .....hopefully most of this can be fixed

Blutarsky,
This will be fixed when hell freezes over or when a real leader takes office. Neither will occur in our lifetime.

The cruise passengers I meet here in DR are well satisfied. Samana is a wonderful place to visit.
Other cruise lines will make DR a home port it's wonderful and one week in a hotel can be combined with one week of cruising.
S

JimBoy,

Still having trouble getting all that "brown-stuff off your face? We're still waiting for your stats backing up your statement that DR is getting to be as bad as Mexico. Where's the proof? Things are not 100 ok in DR, but to equate DR with Mexico, which is in another league when it comes to crimes and violence shows your lack of perspective on matters. And get yourself a spell checker, sometimes I think you aren't even American. And Blut is right, DR has never really played in this Cruise business. There are many potential gains to be made by DR, IF they play this out right. The beggars and hookers and thieving tour guides need to be checked. No one wants to have these ruin a stay in Santo Domingo.

didn't Royal Caribbean have a few Santo Domingo ports of call for 12 day cruises that went to the Caribbean and Europe?

Did that go sour?

Lots of cruises feature DR - example:

http://www.royalcaribbean-espanol....1Q8aJWm1Oa:13dljlsvq?location=PUJ
S.

ABC is a moron ....Unless the Caribbean islands collectively get together and mandate certain minimum standards.....the cruise industry will divide and conquer and they have the sharpest pencils in the world .....Playing one island off against the other .......15 years ago if you mentioned the DR as a destination port to the Big Dogs of the industry they would have laughed in your face

Crusing to Samana has had a big effect.

Also the small boats that pass.......

http://dominicanrepubliccruisingguide.com/2010/01/samana-bay/

S.

Hurricane Earl affecting Royal Caribbean ships
Hurricane Earl is starting to affect some Royal Caribbean ships due to weather in the regions that have scheduled port of call stops.

Enchantment of the Seas is skipping St. Thomas today and instead will stop in Samana, Dominican Republic. Then on Tuesday, Enchanted of the Seas will stop at Labadee, Haiti. followed by sea days on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday before she returns to Baltimore on Saturday as scheduled
Oasis of the Seas had a schedule that called for stops in St. Thomas and St Maarten in the Eastern Caribbean but will instead change to a Western Caribbean itinerary and stop in Costa Maya on Wednesday and Cozumel on Thursday.

UN SCHEDULED STOP IN SAMANA ----JACK POT!!!!!!

Sailing to Samana...........

http://www.brucesmithsvoyage.com/blog/2007/03/312.html


Of course cruise passengers can go on to make a home in the beautiful Samana region........

http://www.caribpro.com/Caribbean....rty_Magazine/index.php?pageid=764

Truly an international property hot spot.

S.