Dunns River falls for 50+ yr old

[dirtgirl]

We had a great time 3 weeks ago! :D DH is 51 and I am in my forties, and we had no problem. Mind you, we are fitness fanatics! I did slip a couple of times, and I was wearing water shoes, but I did not hurt myself. After the falls, we had Ionie McBeam take us to the White River for river tubing. That was also excellent!

 

Even though we were apprehensive about coming to Jamaica, it was our best port excursion-wise. The kids (14 and 11) loved it too.

[cruisingnewyorkers]

We did a couple years ago and we were in our mid fifties, and I was overweight at the time and we didn't have any problems.

[HayPrizz]

My DH and I were at DRF for our 25th anniversary (2002) (50+). We were lined up hand-in-hand to go up the falls. The girl in front of me slipped on a rock and let go of my hand. I slipped and fell on the rocks; as a matter of fact the scars on my legs are still visible. My dh wanted me to stop right then (we were a little over 1/2 way) but I was determined to finish. They have a quasi-medical area and cleaned my wounds. I also had my wounds checked when I returned to the ship. No stitches required. Would I do it again? Only if the hand-in-hand was man-woman-man (more supportive, I think).

[Gramsk]

Can anyone give me advice on taking the Dunns River falls excursion. I'm 50+ yrs old and in pretty good shape. I've read positive and negative about climbing these falls. How hard is it to climb the falls? How safe is it to climb the falls? Is the falls a "must see". Thanks for your help!:confused:

 

I'm 61 in fairly good shape, twenty pounds overweight and I just climbed Dunn's River Falls September 6, 2006, it was awesome, Challanging, sometimes a little scary, but mostly fun. I wore water slippers and they worked great.

At the top of each falls there is an exit, I climbed up to what I think was the third falls and got out where my husband was waiting for me. There was only one more falls to climb. I only slipped once and of course that was on the flat area in front of my husband, I didn't go down. I saw probably 4 or 5 more people slip in the same area. I positioned myself between two young men and they were wonderful in helping me.

 

I would like to go back to the falls to spend more time taking pictures and watching everyone else climb. Would I do it again, yes if a friend needed the encouragement.

[gibbsgirl]

Go ahead and give it a try. But here's a hint ---- there are 2 pathways up the falls......If you're standing there looking at the falls, the path on the left is the easier climb!!!!

Enjoy.

[ottmar]

We did the falls when I was 71 and my wife was 70, that was four years ago. We gave our camera to one guide who had about 20 cameras around his neck and he too a lot of picture of us, how he kept the cameras linked to the people is still a puzzle to me. We wore our water shoes and it was not difficult at all. Also they took video of the groups and they deli9vered it to the ship before we left. We also have taken the Martha Brae bamboo river raft that takes you down a placid river for about an hour, great.

 

...Ott

[WeirdEyes]

You will LOVE it! I did and had the best time. I agree with whomever said that it should be man-woman-man, etc. That's the way we did it and we all loved it. We had several people with us over 50. They loved it also. I'd do it again tomorrow if I could.

[truffles2]

We did the falls when I was 71 and my wife was 70, that was four years ago. We gave our camera to one guide who had about 20 cameras around his neck and he too a lot of picture of us, how he kept the cameras linked to the people is still a puzzle to me. We wore our water shoes and it was not difficult at all. Also they took video of the groups and they deli9vered it to the ship before we left. We also have taken the Martha Brae bamboo river raft that takes you down a placid river for about an hour, great.

 

...Ott

 

I was amazed at how they remember whose camera belonged to whom too...and how they knew how to operate all the different cameras and camera functions. Our guide said they took periodic camera training.

[rebel55]

My Mother who is 69 did it this last January and she says she would have went up it again right then and there! She loved it.

[travel07]

We went to the falls but did not climb. There was a woman on our ship who broker her leg on the last step down it was so slippery. She had to get a cast and was stuck in a wheel chair for the rest of the cruise.

[cruizie]

I say GO FOR IT!! My dh, dd (2 yr old at the time) and myself did it 2 years ago. DD & I only went up about halfway since we were carrying her. I think it is a definite MUST DO in Jamaica. My biggest complaint was how long it took to get there but I think we docked in Montego Bay. I would love to go back b/c it is just beautiful.

[bajsf]

I was 52 last Oct when we did the Falls. Was glad I done it, would NEVER do it again. Its hard footing, very slippery rocks and the force of the water can really make it difficult.

 

 

 

Barbara

[Cachecara]

It's a beautiful site to see. Only you can answer whether or not you can climb it. For some people age and fitness are more of a variable than others.

I did this 18 months ago. I got 3/4 of the way up and then quit. I kept worrying about slipping and hurting myself badly enough it would ruin the rest of the cruise.

In my case it was not a matter of age or fitness, but a matter that I was so consumed with hurting myself I totally did not enjoy the climb and so opted out. Once off the falls themselves, I was able to take the path next to the falls and enjoy them! :)

[Gypsea]

If this sounds like too much you could try the tubing down the river...It's a bit adventurous and yet many people do it. After the falls we could have gone but the kids were ready to go back to the ship. I was a little disappointed as I had planned to tube all along after the falls. I hope to go another time.

 

I recommend booking with Peat. He's practically famous and provides transportation wherever you want to go, back to the ship for lunch and out again if you like.

[Longhorn Cruiser]

Most people's experiences are positive. In the interest of fairness, however, you should know that my wife, who is in excellent condition, slipped at the falls and hit her head on a rock. She had a broken nose and a concussion. Like I said most people enjoy this excursion, but is not without risk.

[Smiling Cruiser]

We are over 50 and did Dunn's River Falls 2 years ago. Not the most physically fit (what an understatement!) but we agreed to give it a try. Climbed the left side and a lot of it was easy. Occasionally found the handholding difficult-in some spots I needed my hands to pull up onto a large rock-short legs! One spot looked very high and I decided to get out of the river. Walked up a few stairs and found that more tiring so I climbed back in and finished the last climb. It was a great experience. You don't get a little wet, you get very wet!!! Be prepared. At one point our tour guide had us sit on a rock, cross our arms and he gently pushed us down the rock (you slide into a pool of water) while another guide took pictures and a video. There are pools between the climbs and we did have some fun in them. The guides look for tips at the end of the climb. This is not a problem unless you forget to bring money. We didn't take anything down to the water from the van and my DH had to scramble back to get tip money. I know this is not an obligation but we felt it was earned. These guides are so proficient at climbing the rocks that it looks like they are walking on a flat surface. My biggest regret is that we didn't have a waterproof camera. We were afraid to take our digital, so no pictures. Our tour van driver didn't want to wait while DH got the credit card to go back to purchase the video. Our kids laughed when we got home. Couldn't believe we climbed the Falls-especially their Mom. Get a waterproof throw away camera and go for it.:)

[samtig]

I agonized over whether to go to the falls because I'm not one to do physically strenuous excursions. I decided to try it. We were in our mid-fifties. It was the highlight of our trip. I was fairly fit with no health problems. We held hands which was a big help to all of us, including the youngsters. We all laughed all the way up. You can tell pretty quickly which rocks might be slippery & to avoid them. If anyone had any knee or ankle problems, I would not recommend it. It is a beautiful place & I'm so glad I decided to go.

[kruiser55]

I am 51 and in average shape. I climbed the falls last Monday. It was a pretty steep climb in places, but as long as you take your time and check your footing as you go, you should have no problems. They advise you to hold hands but there are places it is easier to climb it yourself. Our guides were very good and helped those of it who needed it in places. I am only 5'4" and found there were a few places I really had to stretch my legs to get to the next level, but I had a lot of fun on the climb. My legs were a little sore the next day We also went tubing afterwards and enjoyed that as well.

[BearySweet2Cruise]

If you are able, go for it!!!:):)

[Adventure Seeker]

We climbed the falls in early September. Because we had a private tour, we were some of the first people to the falls. We climbed in a group of 8 people. Six of them were over 50 and made it up just fine. We were told that they scrub the rocks every morning to prevent them from getting too slippery. It is definitely not an aerobic workout. It just requires some strength and coordination. Wearing good water shoes will really help your climb. You can always opt out at points along the climb. My husband and I are in our mid 30's and thought the climb was a breeze. We were very glad that we went to Dunns as we thought it was beautiful. Hope this helps.

[bahami]

I was a little worried about going on the Falls because the replies seemed to be inconsistent. I went and I must say it was more gorgeous than I could have anticipated - the water was very cold but the climb wasn't near as bad as I thought it would be. I am asthmatic and not in the best shape but found it exhilarating. There were a couple of people in our group who didn't seem to enjoy it but I loved every minute of it. I will say that there were parts of the falls that were a little slippery but we had the water shoes from Walmart and they worked great. A couple of people in our group rented the shoes there and I don't think I would go that route - the shoes were yucky looking and they didn't seem to have as good a grip.

 

We took our digital camera and the guides took some photos of us - they carried the cameras the whole way. I am not sure I would do that again as it is very wet and I was worried about my camera getting ruined. I would take a waterproof camera though and let the guides take photos.

 

My only surprise was how much everything cost at the end - I hadn't anticipated it and didn't have as much money as I could have used. We wanted the video so we bought one (my sister got it copied at home); there were a lot of really good photographs that I would have bought if I had the money and then you really should tip the guides. I had brought enough money for the guides but not enough for everything else.

 

We are going again next year and this time my hubby and older boys are going with us. They didn't enjoy what they did as much as we did.

[Krispy]

bahami - can you tell me what the pricing was for the items for sale????

 

Thanks!

 

Kristina

[DayDreamer2]

I want to thank everyone for your input. After reading all the comments, I think I may give it a try. My main concern was falling.:eek: I'm not much of a water person but the "falls" sound like a it would be a great excursion. If we do the falls it will be through RCCL. I aslo feel better knowing I can opt out along the way up the falls, and we will definately try to go up on the left side.

 

Again thanks so much!!:)

[gedam]

After reading a post about the video for Dunn River Falls.

I would really appreciate to know if anyone was there when my parents climbed it (78 and 75).

 

Mother taped over the video so they have no memories.

 

We were on Voyager 8th April

[Adventure Seeker]

FYI - The DVD was supposed to be $40.00, but our guide told them we only had $30.00 on us. They sold it to us with no problem for $30.00. The beginning of the video is about Jamaica tourism. Ours was very fuzzy as though it had been copied too many times. The part where we climbed the falls was very clear.