The Dominican Republic is adding more than cruise capacity. New infrastructure in Samaná, year-round homeporting in La Romana and a new destination partnership on Catalina Island are giving different parts of the country increasingly distinct roles in its cruise network.
The expansion comes as the country pushes to diversify its port offer and strengthen connections between domestic cruise destinations. Dominican port authority APORDOM says cruise traffic has risen from roughly 1.1 million passengers to more than 2.8 million, alongside a national strategy focused on modernising port infrastructure and improving destination competitiveness.
Samaná adds a new gateway
One of the most visible additions is Samaná Bayport, where the first of three development phases was inaugurated in April 2026.
Developed by Consorcio Temarsam, the terminal is designed to handle up to three cruise ships simultaneously and as many as 10,000 passengers a day, with an announced theoretical capacity of around three million passengers annually. The project was initially presented in 2022 as a private investment of more than US$22 million.
But Samaná Bayport has been designed as more than a disembarkation point. Its facilities combine port operations with commercial areas, food and beverage, a beach club, swimming pool, recreational and green spaces, visitor information and dedicated transport areas for excursions and taxis.
The FCCA’s Travel & Cruise Magazine says the project is expected to support 100 direct and 600 indirect jobs, while generating approximately US$10 million annually from cruise activity and another US$9 million from associated tourism services.
Samaná therefore adds both receiving capacity and a more structured landside product — one part of a wider effort to spread cruise activity beyond the country’s most established gateways.
La Romana moves deeper into homeporting
Further south, the development model is different.
From November 16, 2026, MSC Cruises’ MSC Opera is scheduled to begin weekly departures from La Romana, establishing the port as a year-round MSC homeport. Guests will be able to book seven-night itineraries or combine consecutive sailings into 14-night cruises.
MSC describes the operation as its first year-round deployment in the Southern Caribbean. The company estimates that the programme will bring an additional 120,000 international visitors to La Romana annually, equivalent to around 240,000 inbound and outbound air-passenger movements.
That distinction matters operationally. A port of call primarily handles passengers arriving and leaving again with the ship. A homeport also interacts with airlines, transfers, hotels, provisioning and other shoreside services required to start and end cruise journeys.
For the Dominican Republic, La Romana therefore adds a different function to the network: not simply another place for ships to call, but an embarkation point capable of feeding Caribbean itineraries throughout the year.
Catalina adds the destination layer
The same La Romana ecosystem is also expanding offshore.
In April, CTL Maritime, part of MSC Group, and Casa de Campo Resort & Villas, a subsidiary of Central Romana Corporation, announced a long-term 50/50 joint venture to operate and redevelop the beach destination on Catalina Island.
The project will upgrade food and beverage facilities, cabanas and daybeds, water-sports facilities, changing rooms, showers and other visitor infrastructure. Catalina is designated as a Natural Monument, and the companies say development will be carried out under the applicable environmental requirements.
Importantly, the island is not being presented as an MSC-only destination. It will continue to receive passengers from MSC Cruises and Explora Journeys, other cruise lines and private Casa de Campo clients. Casa de Campo, which has been involved in operating and developing Catalina for more than 25 years, will manage operations and the beach-club facilities.
The strategic link with La Romana is nevertheless clear. MSC is simultaneously establishing year-round embarkation from the port and, through another company within the group, participating in the development of a nearby shoreside experience. MSC itself links the Catalina partnership to its new La Romana operation and the additional international traffic it expects to generate.
From individual ports to a network
These developments fit into a broader direction already articulated by Dominican port authorities.
In March 2025, Costa Fascinosa operated an itinerary connecting La Romana, Amber Cove, Samaná, Catalina and Cabo Rojo before returning to La Romana. APORDOM described the operation as part of a strategy to promote the country as a cabotage destination and strengthen maritime connectivity between national ports. The authority also explicitly linked its programme to efforts to diversify the country’s port offer and develop the Dominican Republic as a Caribbean cruise hub.
That makes the current expansion less about building one dominant new cruise gateway and more about giving different destinations complementary functions.
Puerto Plata remains the country’s established high-volume cruise centre. But Samaná is adding new capacity and integrated visitor infrastructure. La Romana is moving further into homeporting. Catalina is expanding the destination product available nearby. Cabo Rojo, meanwhile, adds another emerging gateway to the national map.
The result is a cruise strategy increasingly shaped by network depth rather than a single terminal. For the Dominican Republic, the next stage of growth may depend not only on how many ships the country can receive, but on how effectively those different gateways, homeports and destination experiences work together.
Sources: FCCA Travel & Cruise Magazine, Q2 2026; Autoridad Portuaria Dominicana (APORDOM); Presidency of the Dominican Republic; MSC Cruises / MSC Group.
