Dominican Republic is not a place to wander around alone - however Police in evidence on every street corner while ship in port - felt reasonably safe as never out of sight of a police officer as long as you stay in the main areas. ...
If we had to do it again we would have taken an excursion. Not much to do within walking distance and I can't say that I would feel safe walking by ourselves. ...
This is a horrible port. I ALWAYS get off the ship at port, but in this case I would recommend staying on. We paid $5 each for a bus into town, which ended up being a tourist trap market where you were bombarded at every turn. There was no where else to go, because of traffic problems and crowding it didn't feel safe. I would have stayed on the boat. There was no beach or anything else ...
You can take a shuttle to Altos de Chavon if you are not interested in the beach. The information booth directed us to the cab, but the shuttle is much cheaper and comes every 20 minutes. I believe it is $8 round trip and is about a 20-minute ride. It is a recreation medieval village and is very picturesque. ...
Amazing city - hard to believe it hasn't been there for centuries. The dancers, handcrafts and shops are wonderful and reasonably priced. The Archeological Museum is not to be missed.
Also - take the opportunity to go into La Romana itself. The vendors in the town square are selling the usual wares - nothing special.........but........if you're interested in eating good, local food hire a local ...