Beware in dominica beware in antigua

[Ready 4 the next 1]

Dominica is also one of my favorites. Really enjoyed jumping into the Emerald Pool and seeing the waterfalls there. One day I would like to spend more time there so that we can do the hike to the steaming lakes.

[Karysa]

I know that 99.9% of the time taxi excursions like this are OK, but it only takes one time for you to either miss the boat, get mugged, stranded or whatever and that is enough for me to stick with the ship's excursions.

 

Hopefully you were not on the ship excursion that got robbed in St Lucia a couple of years ago. Sure the ship will wait for you but it would be terrifying. These bad guys want lots of money and ships excursions have more people than the private tours so I can't see how you would be safer on a cruise sponsored tour and I actually think that it is possible that you are instead in reality less safe because you are a bigger target.

[Minoushka]

were you on a private tour with Pepper in Dominca when this happened?

 

Yes we were . Pepper knew me from a previous tour .He told the woman it was not any of ours . She crawled in the car so fast she actually pushed Colin out WE were sure she was PEPPERS wife the way she got in the front seat ...The whole thing smelled od scam

To be fair PEPPER defended us. The whole incident was almost making us late for our return to ship WE were the last ones at exactly 5;30 under stern looks by staff on dock

I did write to him AFter ...he apologized and said sghe no longer worked in the port ...Mmmmm?

[Bilge Rats]

We just visited Antigua last June. We booked a tour with Lawrence of Antigua. He showed us the whole island, including a 2-hour stop at the beach, and got us back to the ship about 2 hours before we had to be onboard, which left time for some shopping in the port. The island was very beautiful and we were glad to have had a chance to visit several places while we were in port. At no time did we feel threatened...everyone we met on Antigua was friendly.

 

We did a lot of research online (here at Cruise Critic and also websites like Trip Advisor and Yelp) before we booked. We've planned several excursions with independent tour operators this way and have never been disappointed because we've only contacted those with lots of positive reviews. We are headed to Dominica in December and have already requested information from a private tour operator there.

[jarboon]

Has anyone ever been to Purle Turtle Beach in Dominica? How long of a taxi ride is it from where the cruise ships dock?

[Snail_Pace]

Has anyone ever been to Purle Turtle Beach in Dominica? How long of a taxi ride is it from where the cruise ships dock?

 

Allow for an hour actual travel time each way. While it's about 26 miles by road, the average speed on the roads is low. When you see them you will understand.

 

Dominica isn't the place to be going to the beach. But if you must, Mero is a better choice. You will actually have time to be there. Both beaches are minimally developed. I have been to both.

[jarboon]

Thanks for your response. I did mean Purple Turtle Beach and I'm sure you figured that out. From all that I read last night, I've pretty much settled on Mero Beach.

[jarboon]

Snail Pace - I have another question about Mero Beach. When you are ready to leave are there taxis readily available to take you back to the cruise ship or do you need to arrange return transportation with the driver who takes you there? Are there bars and restaurants at Mero Beach? I read some horror stories online about unscrupulous taxi drivers who either overcharge you and leave you stranded on the beach. We were almost stranded once on a beach in Curacao so I'm a little nervous about being stranded. I did read where Mero Beach was recently refurbished with bathrooms and services. I'd appreciate your comments.

[Snail_Pace]

Don't expect to find a taxi waiting for the return trip. You might find someone, then you might not(probably won't). I recommend anyone making a day trip on Dominica to prearrange the itinerary and cost. It's not worth a potential disaster trying to save a few dollars.

 

Food and drinks would be at Connie's http://www.connies-beachbar.com

[RQINFL]

We were a little intimidated in Dominica also. I woke up sick and we were trying to find a pharmacy to get OTC meds. We weren't able to find anything and ventured into areas that weren't really tourist friendly. While we ran into some local folks who were friendly, we saw areas that we didn't feel safe in. We ended up in what I will assume was a local grocery store.

 

Wow, those are the places we love to go into ~ and have others have mentioned have met the most wonderful people in Dominica.

[jarboon]

We are going to have Antours take us vto Mero Beach and back.

[calenita]

Ship's excursion in St Kitt's was held up at gun point in November so I guess that anything can happen any time any where.

Ontario Cruiser

 

What happened?