Amber Cove Damajagua Waterfalls

[my2monkees]

Kelsey - about how long did the 27 falls take? We are going in November and my son hink8ng of doing this but we are only in port 7:30-3:30(so back on board by 2:30). Is this enough time?

 

[Kelsey D]

1 hour ago, my2monkees said:

Kelsey - about how long did the 27 falls take? We are going in November and my son hink8ng of doing this but we are only in port 7:30-3:30(so back on board by 2:30). Is this enough time?

 

I estimate that we were onsite about 4 hours from drop off to pick up by taxi, and it’s about a 30-minute drive each way. You should be fine getting back on board by 2:30 if you 1) get off the ship relatively early and 2) don’t anticipate that your group will need frequent breaks. We only took one break during the 45-minute hike, and we made good time getting down the falls. I would go for it!

Edited April 4, 2019 by Kelsey D

[Marauder40]

How about drinking water?  Do you have to bring your own water for the hike or what?  

[HangryGrl]

44 minutes ago, Marauder40 said:

How about drinking water?  Do you have to bring your own water for the hike or what?  

 

The guides will give you a bottle of water during the hike but will take your trash before you start the actual falls as there is no where to store it and it would be hard to hold onto while climbing around and jumping.  I'm guessing they don't want the area littered with plastic bottles also.  I'm not sure about the Carnival excursion but ours included lunch after and they provided drinks (water, lemonade, rum and cokes).

[Kate P.C]

We did this tour just a week ago. We have never been to Amber Cove before so we decided to give this a try. The tour lasted around four and a half hours, and to be honest I was expecting much more. The bus ride is about 30 min, once you get there they give you a helmet, a life jacket and water shoes. You can take your camera if it is waterproof and you have to make sure it's well attached to you, because you are going to be doing a lot of jumping and sliding. All your personal items ( bags, backpacks and shoes) are in a pile with the rest of the group's things, behind a counter, but they should be safe, coz there is always someone there.

 

No need to bring water, as they give you a bottle before you start your 30 minutes (kinda strenuous hike if you are not fit), the guides take photos of you (which we found out to be blurry later on),  and before you get to the jumping you get rid of the bottles (coz you can not jump with them). Make sure you are in swimsuit only, coz it's unpleasant jumping and sliding in clothes. I didn't find the tour to be 100% safe, but no one can guarantee your safety so you sign a weaver before getting into the bus. Once we got back there was a buffet, but we didn't wan to rush eating so we got a coconut instead from the man at the corner for $1. The photos and videos cost $50.00. And you may not be in all the videos where you make your jumps...

 

This is what I felt about the tour, but I am sure some people, younger than me, enjoyed it very much.

Edited April 7, 2019 by Kate P.C
Grammar mistakes

[Marauder40]

Does anyone have any personal experience with this excursion and bad weather?  I assume that they aren’t as inclined to cancel based on weather as if it was a US based tour (due to how sue happy people are.)  

 

Not sure about a 30 minute walk in the rain then fast moving currents with my 11 year old kid.  Does this tend to be an excursion you can wait until last minute to book after you are sure weather will be good or what?

[HangryGrl]

Mama Iguana will cancel the tour and give full refunds if you miss the port, if the weather is bad or if the water is too high/ current too strong according to their web site. Not sure about Carnival or any other vendors. Our guides were really amazing and we never once felt unsafe. Even if you looked like you were struggling a little bit they were right there to help. Our tour guide told me at one point "I am your personal bodyguard today!". I think it would be hard to book the tour after you get to port because carnival does not let outside vendors come into the port area. 

[Kate P.C]

On 4/6/2019 at 9:22 PM, Marauder40 said:

Does anyone have any personal experience with this excursion and bad weather?  I assume that they aren’t as inclined to cancel based on weather as if it was a US based tour (due to how sue happy people are.)  

 

Not sure about a 30 minute walk in the rain then fast moving currents with my 11 year old kid.  Does this tend to be an excursion you can wait until last minute to book after you are sure weather will be good or what?

Yes, I forgot to mention! On the last jump it started raining, and it was raining all the way back to the starting point. We were wet anyways, so we didn't mind the rain. You are in a rain forest, after all 🙂  The terrain was not slippery, the water shoes are great for that type of terrain. The walk back was easier and faster , compared to the walk to the waterfalls, which was mostly inclined paths.

[brookeq]

On 4/6/2019 at 9:22 PM, Marauder40 said:

Does anyone have any personal experience with this excursion and bad weather?  I assume that they aren’t as inclined to cancel based on weather as if it was a US based tour (due to how sue happy people are.)  

 

Not sure about a 30 minute walk in the rain then fast moving currents with my 11 year old kid.  Does this tend to be an excursion you can wait until last minute to book after you are sure weather will be good or what?

Iguana Mama definitely cancels for weather.  They canceled their tours a few days before ours due to high water levels.  

[Judyrem]

On 3/23/2018 at 8:18 AM, Kelsey D said:

My family did all 27 waterfalls last week, and I estimate that we were onsite about 4 hours from drop off to pick up by taxi. The hike itself was 45 minutes and well worth it. We paid $100 USD round trip for a taxi and about $14 USD per person for the tour. We did not purchase the lunch.

 

I’m so glad that we did all 27. We had the first 15 to ourselves, and when we hit the wall of people at 12 (there had to be over 100 people waiting in line for their turn to jump), our guides led us to the front of the line. Here are some pictures.

 

 

 

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I want to do this so very much, but my sister in law is not adventurous and is not into water activities.  Would she be able to just walk with group or should I just do a beach day with her😔

[Kelsey D]

1 hour ago, Judyrem said:

I want to do this so very much, but my sister in law is not adventurous and is not into water activities.  Would she be able to just walk with group or should I just do a beach day with her😔

There are alternative ways down some of the larger waterfalls, but you definitely have to get wet on this tour. If my daughter was given the option to avoid the water, she would have taken it. However, there was no choice but to take the plunge, and she was so glad that she did. If your sister-in-law feels strongly about not getting in the water, I don’t recommend bringing her along. I don’t think that she can avoid the water, and she won’t enjoy herself. If she only THINKS that it’s not for her, like my daughter, she may love it if she can let go of her fear. It was an amazing adventure. I hope that you get to experience it. 

[Judyrem]

I hope I do too.    It looks  like so much fun and I LOVE waterfalls!  I will forward a link to her explaining it and see what she thinks.

[cpayne]

On 6/5/2018 at 11:31 AM, serrah1998 said:

I did exactly what was shown below in the previous post on Saturday, and I got my onboard credit on Tuesday! My credit was $56.10 per person because Carnival was charging $110.99, and Shore Excursioneer was charging $59.99 with the special they had. So, the difference plus another 10% due to the price guarantee... IT WORKED! Thank you for sharing this HUGE money saving tip!

 

I can't wait to share with everyone once I am back from the cruise what this shore excursion experience is like.

 

I had NO idea the cruise lines offered an excursion price match guarantee!! Is this only a CCL thing or do other cruises offer this too?   We haven’t sailed CCL for some time so this is new to us!  Can you send them a price quote for the approval to match from any tour operator or only from certain operators?

 

thanks

[cpayne]

I spoke with DSSR this afternoon re: their 27 Falls tour.  They will pick up/return you to the cruise ship pier.  27 Falls Tour is $50/pp and that includes everything including lunch!  The only thing this does not include is photos and tip.  The van is an air conditioned, has wifi and a cooler full of drinks.  For 2 people this would be the most cost effective.  For 3 people this would still be a really good deal b/c lunch is included and beverages to/from the pier.   For 4+ people a taxi at $100 total RT + $14/pp park entrance = $156, but that price would not include lunch, lockers, etc...... 

 

Hope this helps someone trying to decide whether to do book a guide or grab a taxi and head directly to the park. 

[serrah1998]

On 6/8/2019 at 5:45 PM, cpayne said:

I had NO idea the cruise lines offered an excursion price match guarantee!! Is this only a CCL thing or do other cruises offer this too?   We haven’t sailed CCL for some time so this is new to us!  Can you send them a price quote for the approval to match from any tour operator or only from certain operators?

 

thanks

 

I forgot to update my post after I did this last year.  It was such a cool experience!  To begin with, I don't know if any other cruise lines offer price match except CCL.  I usually sail on NCL and RCCL, and I never saw that.  CCL will do a price match as long as the excursion from a third party is the same as what CCL offers, which I believe there may be several tour companies that offers it.  I played it safe, I believe, and went with the recommendation that was posted.  

 

The excursion with CCL was exceptional.  To begin with, we went with our 9 and 8 year old sons.  They weren't good swimmers, but we figured they have the vest and helmet on, and they should be ok.  They were a bit scared throughout the whole process, but THEY LOVED IT SO MUCH!  We did keep a very close eye on them at all times and the tour guide helped us as well as they were the only kids in our group.  

 

Once you get off the ship, there are signs everywhere to show you the meeting place.  You are then on an air-conditioned bus (we were there in June).  The guide tells you everything you need to prepare.  Once you get there, they give you a locker to put your bags in (I forgot if we had to pay... everyone was running around like a maniac trying to get their stuff in the locker, put on the vest, get helmet, etc).  Try not to bring too much stuff in the bag because the locker is small, and you can't bring them on the excursion anyway.  I recommend just sunscreen, bottle of water (they do give you one for the trip), and a towel (you can share with the family because by the time you are back on the bus, you are pretty much dry).  Do bring credit card and keep it on you if you want, otherwise I think it's pretty safe in the locker.  You may want to buy the pictures when you are back.  

 

Don't forget to bring your Go Pro if you have one.  You just have to be careful but we took some really awesome videos and pictures!  

 

Once you are suited up, you start the tour.  You will be carrying a bottle of water that they give you, and you will really appreciate that you brought that.  We actually brought another 2 bottles for ourselves and we needed it.  It was really hot and tiring going up the mountain.  You will have to finish all of the water before you start the descent (when you start jumping off the cliffs).  

 

The first one is the tallest and probably the scariest one.  It's probably more than 30 feet tall?  They show you this little spot to jump into, and next thing you know, you are in the deep cool water.  It feels really good once you get over that initial shock.  After that, you go through various natural water slides and falls that you've seen people posted.  Take the time to take pictures if you can, but please do not hold up the line.  There are a lot of people on these tours.  

 

One thing to keep in mind, please listen to the tour guide on how to position yourself when you go down these slides.  My son got scared and swung his arms out... and got a big cut on his arm.  Didn't look pretty, but there was first aid station really close by, so he was well taken care of quickly.  

 

We tipped the bus driver and the tour guides.  It's up to you how much you want to tip.  I think we gave more to the tour guides than usual because they were helping us with the kids.  We also bought the video with the pictures they took along the way.  We felt it was a bit of waste of money when we actually viewed it at home... there were almost no video and pictures of our family.  I think it cost us $40 or so to purchase it.  We got such better quality from our Go Pro.  

 

Hope this helps everyone!

 

 

[AKR2011]

On 3/23/2018 at 11:14 AM, Kelsey D said:

As a beach bum, this wasn’t her preferred excursion, but she kept up and enjoyed herself, opting for the easier route a few times. My 14 y/o is scared of heights but did it all without hesitation. He said that if he would have thought about it too long, he would’ve chickened out once or twice. My 9 y/o did great but opted for the easier route occasionally with his sister.

I know this was an older post, but if you're still around Kelsey, what was the "easy route" and what was the difference? I am nervous but definitely interested in booking this.

[Kelsey D]

2 hours ago, AKR2011 said:

I know this was an older post, but if you're still around Kelsey, what was the "easy route" and what was the difference? I am nervous but definitely interested in booking this.

It’s difficult to remember all of them, but here’s what I recall. I chickened out at the biggest jump, so I climbed down a ladder to bypass the jump. I remember my daughter choosing not to jump into the first one of the 27, which we had to swim into and climb onto a rock to jump in. She simply stayed at the base of the waterfall and got started at 26. I remember when given the choice of sliding or jumping, she always chose to slide. I also remember the guide leading her around a jump or two to a shorter drop where she could just slip into the water. My daughter is not adventurous at all but could do this. But you do have to be willing to get submerged. That’s inevitable. 

Edited July 5, 2019 by Kelsey D

[georgiafan]

Thanks for the price matching tip that was on the 1st page as I was able to save $33 per person booking directly with Carnival. So as of 9-18 it still works.