Hurricane Erika in Dominica

[ONCRUISEMODE]

We would gladly volunteer to help. There are other possible ways.

 

I recall when Haiti/Dominican Republic was hit Royal Caribbean set up (I think) some donations bins so the passengers visiting Labadee could leave school supplies for children.

 

I wonder if something like this can be set up for Dominica (not sure about details, just an idea).

 

I think that its a great idea. I am planning to keep Dominica in my thoughts and prayers and contact Celebrity to see if there is something that they are going to do. I will keep this forum posted. It takes a while for Celebrity to respond.

[TLCOhio]

Just checked late morning today with Celebrity about their upcoming cruises on the Equinox and Summit. In October, November and December, the stops for Dominica are still on and scheduled. BUT, things are being "monitored and evaluated". So, I rated this situation as a "definite maybe". We can hope that things will work out for the Celebrity ships and others to be able to visit this island. BUT, much will depend for how and when things get repaired and updated.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Did a June 7-19, 2011, cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Dozens of nice visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc. We are now at 203,621 views for this live/blog re-cap, including much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

[Carnival Queen]

For those who know Levi Baron ( Bumpiing Tours ), We have been in touch with him and he , his family and co-workers are all well and dealing with the unfortunate circumstances. It will take some time before Dominica recovers so support them however you can.

 

Thanks for this update. I was reading the posts about Dominica and worrying about Levi and his friends and family. Think I will email him now. We are returning there in February and were planning on touring with him again. So sad . . .

[Marylandteachergirl]

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2015/09/04/dominica-estimates-tropical-storm-erika-damage-at-nearly-half-gdp/

 

Island officials estimate nearly half of GDP lost.

[Bigdog72]

Helping is done in many ways, but there could be many problems with a cruise ship going there when the island is not ready. For one thing is issues with sanitation and sickness, which cruise ships already fight heavily on a day to day business. Two is port and guest security, in past disasters when rescue and emergency support and supply ships pull in, people in need of assistance can become unruly and even violent.

These are a few things the cruise lines have to think about because a ship potentially has 2000 plus passenger and more crew and their health and safety.

 

Now from the standpoint of my upcoming cruise in December that is supposed to make a stop in Dominica. I would love to still be able to visit and your the island physically. But if the island is not ready and the captain does not feel it is safe to go, I respect their decision to skip the port for health and safety.

 

it always better SAFE THEN SORRY!!!!

[ONCRUISEMODE]

Helping is done in many ways, but there could be many problems with a cruise ship going there when the island is not ready. For one thing is issues with sanitation and sickness, which cruise ships already fight heavily on a day to day business. Two is port and guest security, in past disasters when rescue and emergency support and supply ships pull in, people in need of assistance can become unruly and even violent.

These are a few things the cruise lines have to think about because a ship potentially has 2000 plus passenger and more crew and their health and safety.

 

Now from the standpoint of my upcoming cruise in December that is supposed to make a stop in Dominica. I would love to still be able to visit and your the island physically. But if the island is not ready and the captain does not feel it is safe to go, I respect their decision to skip the port for health and safety.

 

it always better SAFE THEN SORRY!!!!

 

You make an excellent point.

[hillbilly73]

I would guess the decision to stop will be made at a higher level than the captain by corporate before a ship sails. It looks like Princess has a ship stopping on October 5th with just under a month, looking to them to possibly be the first to announce if stops are cancelled. Hoping all stops go as planned.

 

Al

Edited September 8, 2015 by hillbilly73

[Lard Greystoke]

There aren't going to be riots and civil disturbances.

[katiestan1]

Did I hear correctly that their Prime Minister said that this storm has put them two decades behind where they were? Oh, I hope that is so wrong!

 

Perhaps this disaster will cause them to make some of their tourist attractions more user friendly. The steps leading to and from Trafalger Falls are not user friendly. A broken ankle is waiting to happen as far as I am concerned with those steps.

 

You should probably confine yourself to Disneyland as far as I am concerned. The place just got destroyed. Your inability to judge whether or not you should go on a particular tour with bad ankles is your problem. The island has far larger problems.

[Marylandteachergirl]

I think it's possible to have a "discussion" on a discussion board without being snarky. :eek:

[TLCOhio]

From several news sources in the past two days, here are some more media updates. From examiner.com yesterday afternoon, they have this headline: "Dominica faces half a billion dollars in infrastructure damage, airport to open".

 

Here are some of their story highlights: "Clean up alone could cost 12 million dollars as the government of Dominica continues to assess the impact of Tropical Storm Erika. The Prime Minister says that 35 people are still missing and officials say the death toll is expected to climb to 35. In an e-mail sent to Examiner.com Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit’s tourism officials detailed the status of the country 12 days after the storm. Most of the country's natural attractions such as Trafalgar Falls, Mero Beach, Cabarets National Park, and Spanny Falls, were largely unaffected. Roads are now passable but there are many temporary bypasses. Water has been restored to 70% of the island. Electricity and cell phone sites are over 90% operational. 72 of the 94 hotel and resort properties are operational through many are shut down for repairs during their annual September/October closures. All sea ports are functioning though the first cruise ship scheduled for a port of call does not arrive till October. Heavy emphasis is being placed on opening the Douglas-Charles Airport Portions of the runway were damaged and the terminal building was swamped with mud and debris."

 

From Travel Weekly, they have this headline: "Most Dominica attractions are open but main airport remans closed" with these highlights: "The ferry terminal, Roseau Cruise Ship Berth and the Woodbridge Bay Port were unaffected by Erika, Piper said. Sites and attractions unaffected by the storm include Emerald Pool, Trafalgar Falls, Jako Falls, Mero Beach, Cabrits National Park, Indian River, Kalinago Barana Aute, Botanical Gardens, Concord River pool area, Bois Colette Estate and Soufriere Scenic Tour. Minor repairs to Spanny Falls will be completed before the first cruise ship docks in Dominica in October."

 

Both of these media stories are based mostly on info from the government and/or tourism officials. Maybe the October, November and December cruise stops can happen. Good luck to people living there and hopefully those visitors can enjoy the same beauty and charm that we loved there in February 2015.

 

Full stories at:

http://www.examiner.com/article/dominica-faces-half-a-billion-dollars-infrastructure-damage-airport-to-open

http://www.travelweekly.com/Caribbean-Travel/Most-Dominica-attractions-are-open-but-main-airport-remans-closed

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

From our Jan. 25-Feb. 20, 2015, Amazon River-Caribbean combo sailing over 26 days that started in Barbados, here is the link below to that live/blog. Lots of great visuals from this amazing Brazil river and these various Caribbean Islands (Dutch ABC's, St. Barts, Dominica, Grenada, etc.) that we experienced. Check it out at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2157696

Now at 28,564 views for these postings.

[amsp]

here is an idea of how you could help. there is a ministry there called "lifeline" run by sister tina. contact her and ask what you could bring to donate. i know we took office supplies, helped with computer needs in the office and took a bunch of otc medication for her clinics. simple stuff like benedryl, tylenol, ibprofen, psuedophed, etc. are very helpful. here's the contact info:

 

http://www.stuffyourrucksack.com/lifeline-ministries

[ONCRUISEMODE]

here is an idea of how you could help. there is a ministry there called "lifeline" run by sister tina. contact her and ask what you could bring to donate. i know we took office supplies, helped with computer needs in the office and took a bunch of otc medication for her clinics. simple stuff like benedryl, tylenol, ibprofen, psuedophed, etc. are very helpful. here's the contact info:

 

http://www.stuffyourrucksack.com/lifeline-ministries

 

Thank you that is a wonderful idea.

[newxmascruiser]

Hi all, just wondered whether anyone is aware if current itineraries are making Dominica? We are scheduled for early Nov, I have a tour booked but having read through the board I am now fully aware of how bad the damage was. Would love to research whether there is some kind of 'day help' type scheme we could take part in, if we are able to even make it there!

[erniesband]

Hi all, just wondered whether anyone is aware if current itineraries are making Dominica? We are scheduled for early Nov, I have a tour booked but having read through the board I am now fully aware of how bad the damage was. Would love to research whether there is some kind of 'day help' type scheme we could take part in, if we are able to even make it there!

 

Not sure if there's anything like you're suggesting going on there, it would be a nice thing to do. Just going to the island and bringing in some tourist dollars will help keep the economy going. I would mention that using a local tour company like Bumpiing ( Levi Barron ) , Beno, Nature Isle, etc is way better for them than using a ship's tour when the ship gets a big chunk of what is charged. If you book with a local company you can also ask them if there's anything small they are having a hard time getting and bring that with you for them. We always bring packages of Burpee seeds for Levi to give to his uncle for his farm.

Edited September 22, 2015 by erniesband

[Mingus]

Hi all, just wondered whether anyone is aware if current itineraries are making Dominica? We are scheduled for early Nov, I have a tour booked but having read through the board I am now fully aware of how bad the damage was. Would love to research whether there is some kind of 'day help' type scheme we could take part in, if we are able to even make it there!

 

Here's an update from Dominica Tourism.

 

[ONCRUISEMODE]

Here's an update from Dominica Tourism.

 

 

Thank you that is a great site and I will share it with others on our cruise.

[norm1956]

Cruising mid-Nov and one of the stops is Dominica. Having lived in FL 20 yrs, I know firsthand how long it takes to get repairs and sanitation even with the best conditions. With the devastation in Dominica, The concern over safety and sanitation is of pinnacle concern to tourists and the people of Dominica.

 

Regarding the above article, it was written by the div. of tourism, stating the places where the tourists go were unaffected. Given the amount if devastation, I doubt this is the case.

 

I appreciate those cruisers who want to help the effort but the chance of bringing an illness on-board is real, so not feasible.

 

As a wheelchair user who has to save for this $$$ cruise, I urge the cruise ships to re-route.

[Aviator of the Seas]

I urge the cruise ships to re-route.

 

That is absurd. All that would do is delay Dominica's full recovery. Dominica s well used to this type of event due to its geographical location and topography. They're just poor and need any help they can. Turning our backs to them is no way to go about that. Are we tourists or travelers?

[Lard Greystoke]

That is absurd. All that would do is delay Dominica's full recovery. Dominica s well used to this type of event due to its geographical location and topography. They're just poor and need any help they can. Turning our backs to them is no way to go about that. Are we tourists or travelers?

 

Agree. There aren't going to be civil wars or disease outbreaks on Dominica. Just a mess and not enough money to clean it up with. Cruise ships won't help a whole lot, but hiding our heads in the sand will help a lot less.

[uglybutgoodbakery]

Cruising mid-Nov and one of the stops is Dominica. Having lived in FL 20 yrs, I know firsthand how long it takes to get repairs and sanitation even with the best conditions. With the devastation in Dominica, The concern over safety and sanitation is of pinnacle concern to tourists and the people of Dominica.

 

Regarding the above article, it was written by the div. of tourism, stating the places where the tourists go were unaffected. Given the amount if devastation, I doubt this is the case.

 

I appreciate those cruisers who want to help the effort but the chance of bringing an illness on-board is real, so not feasible.

 

As a wheelchair user who has to save for this $$$ cruise, I urge the cruise ships to re-route.

 

I agree with you completely. I don't feel any moral or other obligation to assist in their plight, although I do feel sorry for them and wish them the best. I hope they reroute to another island until they are able to properly accept visitors.

I guess that makes me a tourist, not a traveler, then.:rolleyes:

Edited September 30, 2015 by uglybutgoodbakery

[TLCOhio]

From the Jamaica Observer and a Caribbean news service today, they have this headline: "IMF delegation arrives in Dominica as Tropical Strom Erika bills increase" with these highlights: "A mission from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has arrived in Dominica to assist the government develop a macro-economic framework after Tropical Storm Erika losses and damages estimated at EC$1.298 billion ($480 million US dollars)."

 

This is information released from their Prime Minister. There is still virtually no on-site reporting from independent journalists. Most "news" is based on what government and/our tourism official release. Probably most true, but having major news reporter getting there can be challenging.

 

It was announced that the housing resettlement program is "of monumental proportions” and that over 890 homes have been destroyed or are uninhabitable. Another report indicated that their September VAT revenues have basically been cut in half during the past month.

 

In another article, it was noted that aircraft service was restored in mid September. Also, Dominica’s ministry of public works and ports stated that all the country’s roads except five are “passable,” and that 72 of its 82 resorts are operational. Nine of the other 10 resorts are scheduled to reopen by next high season. Dominican tourism officials have also reported that utilities have been restored to the majority of residents. Electricity has reportedly been restored to 97 percent of the island, water has been restored to 70 percent and telecommunications has been restored to 98 percent.

 

Full story at:

http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/IMF-delegation-arrives-in-Dominica-as-Tropical-Strom-Erika-bills-increase

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

From our Jan. 25-Feb. 20, 2015, Amazon River-Caribbean combo sailing over 26 days that started in Barbados, here is the link below to that live/blog. Lots of great visuals from this amazing Brazil river and these various Caribbean Islands (Dutch ABC's, St. Barts, Dominica, Grenada, etc.) that we experienced. Check it out at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2157696

Now at 29,247 views for these postings.

[Hoosier cruisers]

We prefer to not fly to our cruises but we are flying to our next cruise in November. We booked this cruise specifically because we wanted to go back to Dominica again.

 

Prayers for the people of this beautiful island.

 

Are you by chance going on Adventure of the Seas November 7th? if so, we'll see you there. Enjoy your cruise either way.

Dan & Sandy