Dominica with a 3 yr old???

[ladeeesquire]

I posted this on the ports of call for dominica but received no responses so I thought I'd try here. Any advice on something to do with our dd? It seems like many of the excursions require a lot of hiking. We don't mind a walk but hiking would never work.

 

thanks in advance!

 

susan

[rebeccalouiseagain]

Make it a ship day!

[mary_228]

We had a family with two young children on our recent 6 hour tour in Dominica. Much of it ws impossible to do with a child that age. Water over their heads, slippery rocks, etc. You can go to Trafalgar Falls, but don't expect to go below the viewing platform carrying a child. Very slippery rocks. You and your spouse could take turns if there is time. That's the coolest part of the tour. Perhaps one of you can stay on board while the other takes a short excursion and then relieves you for your excursion. It's a really beautiful island! A highlight of our cruise, but probably not so much for the family wth the kids.

[mrspjotter]

I tend to agree we did Dominica on our 1st cruise with twin DD's aged 5 and DS aged 8 - we did a tour of the island but the main sights e.g trafalgar falls and emerald pool weren't easy to navigate for the girls at that age.

 

We were back in Dominica in Feb again and even though our kids are 3 years older we just got off the ship to go round the market and then spent the rest of the day on the ship.

 

I have to admit I do find it one of the most intimidating ports I have been to when it comes to the taxi drivers trying to get business!

[khm1]

]I did a tour with DD 3 1/2, my Mom, and my Dad. We went with Levi Barron on the Roseau valley treasures tour. We went to Titou Gorge first. Not very much walking involved here. DD could not go in the Gorge, too cold and too rough. My Dad did not want to go in the water, so he stayed behind with her....no problem. You could take turns with DH if necessary. The guides were very accommodating.

 

Next was Trafalgar falls. Some hiking was involved. I did not feel that it was particularly difficult if you are in reasonable shape. It was pretty easy going to the platform mentioned by PP. It got harder on the way down to the thermal pools. We had some help from Garey, our guide. We just got in a line and helped each other and passed DD down each rock. It was not a long walk at all. It was very beautiful and DD loved the warm water.

 

We took a drive through the botanical gardens. We skipped the optional snorkeling at Champagne reef. DH and I had done this on a previous trip and it was DD's nap time. We got back to the ship at about 2 pm. We really had a great time. It was pretty low-stress. I would do it again in a heartbeat.

 

If you do this, take plenty of snacks for LO. We took pre-packaged nuts, cheerios, granola bars, and boiled eggs. If you keep my DD fed, she is usually pretty easy.

 

Here is the link to the tour we took. I am attaching photos of us at Trafalgar falls.[/img][/img]

[khm1]

I don't know what happened to my pictures. I will try again. I am not very good at it, I guess. :o

[ehough]

We also chose to make it a ship day. My kids were a bit younger and I wasn't comfortable having them on a bus all day, and I hear the roads are not great. We had a very busy itinerary so we got off the ship to look around the market and then went back to the pool. It was the only day we sent DD to camp, because we were otherwise so busy.

[Carolin]

I don't know if its still offered but there is a ariel tram tour through the rain forest. Its a van ride to the site and then a very nice ride up and down the mountain through the lower canopy and the upper canopy.

[khm1]

We also chose to make it a ship day. My kids were a bit younger and I wasn't comfortable having them on a bus all day, and I hear the roads are not great. We had a very busy itinerary so we got off the ship to look around the market and then went back to the pool. It was the only day we sent DD to camp, because we were otherwise so busy.

All of the roads that we drove on our Bumpiing tour with Levi Barron (in January of this year) were good. As a matter of fact, they were working on some parts of the roads that we drove on. I have been to Dominica 3 times, starting in 2003. The roads have improved markedly since the last time I was there. They were much better than some roads that I have seen in St. Thomas and several other islands.

 

To the OP: Please do not stay on the ship! You will miss a fantastic port! It is hands-down my favorite port that I have been to over 7 cruises!

[ehough]

All of the roads that we drove on our Bumpiing tour with Levi Barron (in January of this year) were good. As a matter of fact, they were working on some parts of the roads that we drove on. I have been to Dominica 3 times, starting in 2003. The roads have improved markedly since the last time I was there. They were much better than some roads that I have seen in St. Thomas and several other islands.

 

To the OP: Please do not stay on the ship! You will miss a fantastic port! It is hands-down my favorite port that I have been to over 7 cruises!

 

Thank you for clarifying! I honestly have heard nothing but negative things about the roads there, so it's good to hear they have made improvements. That would impact our plans if we ever end up back on Dominica!

[mary_228]

]I did a tour with DD 3 1/2, my Mom, and my Dad. We went with Levi Barron on the Roseau valley treasures tour. We went to Titou Gorge first. Not very much walking involved here. DD could not go in the Gorge, too cold and too rough. You could take turns with DH if necessary. The guides were very accommodating.

With regard to Titou Gorge and the idea of taking turns going through, that would have seriously delayed our party as there were many groups coming in after us and there is a feeling that we should hurry along to get to the next spot before the bigger cruise ship tours arrive. I would have been disappointed if we had had to linger there, as it takes 20-30 minutes to get through the gorge. I feel the guides should discourage families from bringing children under 8 unless one adult is willing to stay behind at the gorge, at least.

[khm1]

With regard to Titou Gorge and the idea of taking turns going through, that would have seriously delayed our party as there were many groups coming in after us and there is a feeling that we should hurry along to get to the next spot before the bigger cruise ship tours arrive. I would have been disappointed if we had had to linger there, as it takes 20-30 minutes to get through the gorge. I feel the guides should discourage families from bringing children under 8 unless one adult is willing to stay behind at the gorge, at least.

Once we finished going through the gorge, we spent about 10-15 minutes waiting while some brave members of our group jumped from a ledge into the water. There would have been enough time to swim at least a little ways into the gorge. The day we were there, we only got to the first waterfall. The water was too high and fast to get beyond that point.

[DALSAL]

Thank you for clarifying! I honestly have heard nothing but negative things about the roads there, so it's good to hear they have made improvements. That would impact our plans if we ever end up back on Dominica!

 

Its not that the roads are not good, but there is nothing they can do about the very sharp turns...drivers have to honk their horns before going around some. I love Dominica, but I must admit, the drive at times were a little nerve racking! It pays to have a good tour guide!

[ladeeesquire]

I realized I never came back and thanked everyone for their replies. I'm not a stay on the ship kind of girl so that would probably never be an option for us. I'm going to look at the excursion discussed and see what I can figure out.

 

Thanks again! susan

[khm1]

I realized I never came back and thanked everyone for their replies. I'm not a stay on the ship kind of girl so that would probably never be an option for us. I'm going to look at the excursion discussed and see what I can figure out.

 

Thanks again! susan

 

Thanks for posting. Please come back and let us know what you ended up doing.