Dominica shore excursions

[skipper1]

New to Holland Line after NCL and Princess....booked on the Noordam for Southern Caribbean on 11/25...would like to have info on what shore excursion to book if any in Dominica...any info on the Rain forest Aerial Tram...just getting my feet wet on how to post a question...

[Old As Dirt Mom]

New to Holland Line after NCL and Princess....booked on the Noordam for Southern Caribbean on 11/25...would like to have info on what shore excursion to book if any in Dominica...any info on the Rain forest Aerial Tram...just getting my feet wet on how to post a question...

 

Hello and welcome to the CC boards, Skipper:)

 

I can't help you myself, but I can direct you to places where you are most likely to find the answers to your questions.

 

One place is the roll call for your cruise. There are already quite a few members of the Cruise Critic boards who are going to be with you on your cruise:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=251696

 

The other place is the Ports of Call section here on CC. There is a sub-forum for Dominica:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=151

 

Good luck to you, and Bon Voyage!

[Islandbuoy]

I've been there twice and we docked at 2 different ports. Last time we docked at the "industrial port"-- they had a warehouse with a straw market setup--we weren't near the shops in town.

 

We(4 couples) spent the morning drinking 7 oz shorties of Kabuli at a

beach bar (shed)

[iceman93]

My parents did the aerial tram and thought it was solidly average.

 

My wife and I did the Layou Gorge River Tubing and loved it! It was definitely exciting, but the tour guides were professional and the scenery breathtaking.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Have been to Dominica several times. The first time we were there we did the island tour which included a stop at the Emerald Pool -- lovely. Steep walk up and down to the pool.

 

There are very, very few shops in town. Most of the side streets have vendors.

[fann1sh]

Loved the Emerald Pool on my first trip, was sorry I hadn't booked a shore excursion on my second trip. Roseau is an object lesson in poverty. I bought local beer (didn't know I wasn't supposed to bring it aboard, :o , no one stopped me) and local bay rum (no, not something ELSE to drink :D - rubbing alcohol infused with bay leaf oil/scent)

[Sea King]

My favorite part of the day visiting Dominica is when the gangway comes up, the horn blasts goodby and the ship begins to move;)

 

IMO the difference between the industrial pier and the "downtown" pier depends entirely on which way the wind is blowing:D

[susietb]

When we stopped in Dominica last year, we hired a private taxi for the day. He was marvelous, took us to the falls, the emerald pool, showed us the countryside and gave us some insight to a poor, but beautiful country. We even stopped at his house to meet his family. Sometimes, you have to go off the beaten path to have a good time.:)

[Heymem]

Susietb, we are also headed to Dominica next week! And haven't made plans for Dominica. We usually like to do the "tour" with the locals thing also. Do you remember who your driver was or what you paid for your tour. Thanks for any info you can remember.

[Kathyh1313]

DH and I did the aerial tram last January and truly enjoyed it. It was quiet and relaxing. The guide gave good commentary on the ride to the tram.

 

During the ride you are looking mostly at plant life, a few birds and we saw a couple of small animals, my DH calls them "laba" but they are called something else in Dominica. The best part of the aerial tram was the short hike thorugh the rain forest across a rope and wood suspension bridge high above a river gorge, gorgeous!

 

When we returned to Roseau we asked the guide for a recommendation for lunch to enjoy local food. As it was a Sunday, none of the restaurants near the pier were open. This guide then spent the rest of the afternoon with us, walking around Roseau, showing us various sights and finally finding a restaurant on a back street in a residential section. The food was very inexpensive, large portions and typical cuisine of Dominica. Again, we very much enjoyed this. We treated our guide to lunch. It came to $15 US for the three of us!

 

I wish I could remember the name of the shop on the main street right in front of the ship. In the front room were fabulous leather goods, actually quite pricey, but high quality and lovely. In the back room was liquor, cheap,cheap and some souvenirs.

 

We are going back to Dominica this January on the Amsterdam. I think we are going to try snorkling the Champage Reef. And I am going looking for that same shop.

 

Yes, the island is poor and not up to US standards. Don't judge it by standards it cannot and should not possibly meet. Accept the people and the island for where it is at and you might be pleasantly surprised

 

Enjoy, Kathy

[newmexicoNita]

I think I would suggest you check the ports a call: Dominica is one of our favorite islands and there are only a couple we haven't cruised to or visited. The people are friendly, the island very pretty and there are lots of things to see. I think we booked with a company named Ken tours, but it has been about 4 years so I may have the name wrong. He let us decide what we wanted to see. If you preferred he would do the intinerary for you or you can personalize it. The only problem it ran a little long and I was afraid we would not get back to the ship. Good luck

 

 

NMnita

[GMoney]

My favorite part of the day visiting Dominica is when the gangway comes up, the horn blasts goodby and the ship begins to move;)

 

IMO the difference between the industrial pier and the "downtown" pier depends entirely on which way the wind is blowing:D

 

Wow, that's really too bad. I love Dominica; it is my 2nd favorite Caribbean island given its unique and striking topography, and b/c it's not laden with shops and Margaritaville type places.

[RlrCstr]

My wife and I did the Layou Gorge River Tubing and loved it! It was definitely exciting, but the tour guides were professional and the scenery breathtaking.

 

We did River tubing in Layou gorge and had a lot of fun.

I would recommend it.

 

We even have talked about another Southern Caribbean cruise just to go to Dominica again.

 

Enjoy!

[newmexicoNita]

Wow, that's really too bad. I love Dominica; it is my 2nd favorite Caribbean island given its unique and striking topography, and b/c it's not laden with shops and Margaritaville type places.

GM, it is too bad that some have different ideas about what a islnad should be like. Many cruisers do not realize how low the standard of living is on some of the Caribbean Islands. Like you, we loved Dominica and did not find the standard of living nearer as bad as many of the others. For us, one our least favorites was St Lucia and others rave about it. We didn't do a tour and had a rather bad experience. That was enough for us: taking a tour or hiring a driver always makes the stops more interesting don't you think?

 

Nita

[EMTRa]

Wow, that's really too bad. I love Dominica; it is my 2nd favorite Caribbean island given its unique and striking topography, and b/c it's not laden with shops and Margaritaville type places.

 

 

I agree..we have been to MANY ports and this is one of our favorites.

We have been to Dominica twice now..even our kids say it was the best.

Beno took us up to the Emerald Pool, back to Trafalgar Falls (we made it up to the pool at the bottom of the falls twice..what a thrill!) also stopped at Mr. Nice's fruit stand ..there is just so much beauty to see on that island - I can't wait to return! (Destiny pics are linked below if you want to see our Dominica day.) Also, there is so much more info on the Dominica board. Let us know what you decide.

[VPGPH]

My favorite part of the day visiting Dominica is when the gangway comes up, the horn blasts goodby and the ship begins to move;)

 

IMO the difference between the industrial pier and the "downtown" pier depends entirely on which way the wind is blowing:D

 

Wow, I have to admit that Dominica is by FAR our favorite island to visit. We were there in Feb. and we were impressed with the natural beauty. It is untouched by tourism and you really get an idea of the life on the island. On the contrary to St. Lucia and the Bahamas, the locals as friendly and they are not trying to sell you stuff the minute you set foot on land. We visited the falls and took a tour of the island which was impressive. We are going back to visit as soon as possible!!!

[newmexicoNita]

Wow, I have to admit that Dominica is by FAR our favorite island to visit. We were there in Feb. and we were impressed with the natural beauty. It is untouched by tourism and you really get an idea of the life on the island. On the contrary to St. Lucia and the Bahamas, the locals as friendly and they are not trying to sell you stuff the minute you set foot on land. We visited the falls and took a tour of the island which was impressive. We are going back to visit as soon as possible!!!

We felt the same: we had a couple of problems with St Lucia, one being the islanders trying to sell us everything in sight. We talked to a few people who had done tours and said it was the same there. One couple we talked to said they did a sail boat tour and actually had locals approach them while they were sailing, trying to sell them pineapples. We had another situation that really ruined St Lucia for us. As for Bahamas, the people there as well as those in St THomas and Tortola just plain don't like us, or that is the impression we get. Another awesome island is Barbados. NMnita

[diboja]

One of our stops in January is Dominica and we are going to book the "Rain Forest Drive & Emerald Pool" tour - one tour is for 8:30AM and the other is at 1PM

 

I would assume that the 8:30AM would be better because of the heat - my wife has a mild heart condition and the cooler the better...

 

Your advice would be appreciated...

Thank you.

[3 Fan]

It's about a half mile hike to the Emerald Pool. The path to the pool is fairly smooth but the steps are uneven and wet. My wife stops part way at an observation point.

[newmexicoNita]

One of our stops in January is Dominica and we are going to book the "Rain Forest Drive & Emerald Pool" tour - one tour is for 8:30AM and the other is at 1PM

 

I would assume that the 8:30AM would be better because of the heat - my wife has a mild heart condition and the cooler the better...

 

Your advice would be appreciated...

Thank you.

That is very similar to the one we did, but we had a few other things thrown in so ours was much longer. What you are doing is perfect. As for your wife and her heart; I too have a mild heart condition, it is slightly enlarged. I got through the rain forest fine except the walk we took was very long and it was the second nature walk we had done. By the end I was a little out of breath. When we got to the water fall hike, I choose to just stay in the van and read. It was fine; I rested, didn't hold everyone else up and enjoyed myself. If I were to do it again, I would do what you are doing and just hike about 1/2 way I think. NMnita

[diboja]

Thanks 3Fan and NMNita....

 

Good tips - appreciate the info.

[GMoney]

One of our stops in January is Dominica and we are going to book the "Rain Forest Drive & Emerald Pool" tour - one tour is for 8:30AM and the other is at 1PM

 

I would assume that the 8:30AM would be better because of the heat - my wife has a mild heart condition and the cooler the better...

 

Your advice would be appreciated...

Thank you.

 

I agree with what others have said about the E Pool tour. It's not very taxing or long, but it can get a bit slippery. You can pace yourself. I would strongly encourage the early tour b/c there will likely be fewer people there, which would make for a better experience. We got a quick start on our last cruise and went to E Pool in a taxi, getting there before the other cruise ship folks, which was great. Overall though, I was not too impressed with E Pool; Trafalgar Falls though were incredible.

[GMoney]

GM, it is too bad that some have different ideas about what a islnad should be like. Many cruisers do not realize how low the standard of living is on some of the Caribbean Islands. Like you, we loved Dominica and did not find the standard of living nearer as bad as many of the others. For us, one our least favorites was St Lucia and others rave about it. We didn't do a tour and had a rather bad experience. That was enough for us: taking a tour or hiring a driver always makes the stops more interesting don't you think?

 

Nita

 

I agree. I understand why some people don't like Dominica, but I love its unspoilt nature.

[michmike]

If you are headed for Dominica. go to the ports of call board for Dominica and read the reviews of tours offered by Beno, a local driver. We had a GREAT tour with him in January. He is very professional and accommodating. You will have a FAR better experience than taking a ship's tour.

 

Contact info for him can be found on the ports of call board so you can e-mail him.

[Gummie]

DW and I were there in March and will be back in December. We love the island (enough to daydream about buy a home there). The proverty that many see is a standard of living that many in the US would remember from the rural South in the early Fifties. The people may not have much, but they are very self-sufficient. They grow most of their own food (in fact some of the other islands in the Caribbean get a lot of their food from Dominica.

 

We went on the Carib Indian Culture & History tour. It is six hours long, you get fed a traditional meat at while watching the Carib Indians perform their dances. You will also see a lot of the interior of the island and your guides are Carib Indians.

 

If you are into history etc., don't miss this. There is also a long walk back through the rain forest to a waterfall. If you have trouble walking, sit in the local bar and have a beer or soft drink while the rest hike back to the waterfall. It is quite a trek, but worth it if you have never been deep into an undevelped rain forest.