My Trip to Catalina Island, Dominican Republic

Last month, Jeff and I hopped on a plane to Miami and then jumped on the Carnival Vista for an 8 night Caribbean cruise in partnership with Carnival Cruise Line. It was our May trip for the 12 trips in 12 months series.

We had a great time visiting some amazing locations – Turks & Caicos, Dominican Republic, and Aruba. And today I’m sharing all the details from one of my favorite stops on the trip: Dominican Republic! We went to Catalina Island, which is a short boat ride from La Romana. And it was even better than I imagined it would be. There were little colorful houses, white sand beaches, turquoise waters, etc, etc. So good! Click through for all the details.

A little backstory… I had never been to DR before and didn’t really know what to expect. So after a recommendation from my blog buddy Michael of Inspired by Charm (who went on the same cruise a few months back), Jeff and I booked an excursion for Catalina Island. It was GORGEOUS, so naturally, I took a ton of photos.

How do you get there? From the port at La Romana, we took a super quick bus ride to the boat, and from there, the boat ride to the island is 30-40 minutes. I really enjoyed the boat ride too actually. It was cool to see a little bit of the La Romana coastline, which is very different looking than Catalina Island.

When we arrived to our beach on Catalina Island we were the only people there (another group came about an hour later but it still wasn’t too crowded), so I was able to get some photos with literally no one on the beach. Hooray!

Jeff and I sipped on the cocktails they gave us when we got off the boat, had some lunch, looked around at the shops (which are literally right off the beach – there’s a few right in a row), and then hung out in the water for the rest of the time. Of all the beaches Jeff and I have visited over the years, Catalina Island is definitely in the top five! I highly recommend it. So, if you’re in the mood for a tropical getaway of your own, head over to Carnival.com to check out cruise destinations near you and plan your next trip.

Where is the ‘ultimate’ tropical vacation, in your mind? Is it in the Caribbean or somewhere else? I’d love to hear!

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This post is in partnership with Carnival Cruise Line. All opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that help keep Paper & Stitch running.