RachelD

RachelD, they do have a pasta station at lunch. It is pretty nice. Sometimes, we just like to be served and have a quiet lunch. Think you will enjoy it.

Is it a pasta buffet, or do you order what you want from a menu? (Kind of like Olive Garden....)

Thank you so much pinkrosesdeb for replying!!!:D

Maybe someone here can help a girl out......

I had heard from my SIL, who is also sailing on Liberty, but not until December, that there is a pasta bar in the dining room on sea days for lunch......is this right? We have never eaten lunch in the dining room and thought this might be a nice change of pace.

Rachel,

Thanks again for the info. :) We booked this tour mostly for the tubing. The falls are just an added bonus. We went tubing in Texas & had a blast. The funny thing is, I was raised very close to a river in NC, but had never been before. I have one more question about Phil's tour. I have read that the place he takes you to for lunch isn't very good. Is this true? What was it like? It's not that big of a deal, because we plan to stop by Margaritaville afterwards, & I love the conch fritters. :D

tarheelmjfan~

We did not have time to eat at the restaurant ( I forget the name of it). He did bring us there earlier in the morning to get to a private beach area behind the restaurant, but we did not eat there. Because there was a cruise ship that arrived in Ocho Rios before us, Phil had to change our schedule to accomodate the amount of people at the falls, so he brought us here to cool off and just relax before heading off to the falls. He did a really great job of keeping us away from crowds. When we arrived at this beach we were the first ones there and when it was time to leave, it was just starting to fill up.

Just let Phil know what you want to do for lunch and he will accomodate you. Enjoy your conch fritters!!!!:)

Will we have a problem leaving the chain at some point in the tour, if necessary? How would we meet back up with the group? Also, would it be possible for DH & I to follow along behind the group, but not be in the chain? :o Thanks again :)

tarheelmjfan~

No, you can leave the chain when you want, but the guides do try to keep everyone together (they really want that tip!).

As for meeting up with the group, you could just tell the others in your group (Phil's group) that you will meet up with them at the van at the designated time. (Phil does give you a time frame to get back to the van so that you move on to the next destination.) Our group did split up after the falls, as one family wanted to get ice cream, one couple went to the bathroom and we wanted to purchase a couple of souvenirs. We all met up at the van, no problem.

My suggestion is to not hold hands with others... it is very difficult to climb the falls without your hands. We actually let go after a few minutes when we realized how difficult it was. It was much easier using our hands and railings when necessary. Don't worry too much about it... Phil will not leave you if you trail behind.

Honestly though, we enjoyed the rivertubing more as it was less rushed and more relaxed. When you rivertube, it is just your tour and it is more personal. At the Falls, we felt like we were ushered through like cattle and did not get the chance to just hang out there as there were sooo many people there. It was still an experience to remember and it was fun, we just liked the tubing better.

You will love the tour with Phil... he is so nice and will answer any questions that you have. If you have concerns, tell him... even send him an email about the questions that you have. Maybe he will let you know about this. Who knows?

My DH & I have booked the Falls & Tubing tour with Phil Lafayette. I too have arthritis in my back & knees, along with a deterioating spine. I really want to do this though, & don't hesitate to push myself to experience new things. What DH & I want to do most, is sit in the pools under the falls. We're going for the romance factor. ;) Anyway, if I can't climb all of the falls, will we have plenty of opportunities to sit together under the falls. Another question: How many guides are available to escort guests? Would it be possible to offer a guide a sum equivalent to what they would receive from a group, but have them only help the 2 of us? I'm thinking with a guide in front & DH in the back, I should be fine. If so, how much should we offer them? Thanks for your help. :)

We also took this tour with Phil. He is great! Before you get to the Falls, Phil tells you and your group to stick together like family so that no one gets lost. Phil will escort you into the entrance and set you up with a guide. (Phil will wait for you until you are done) There are 2 guides for about 50 people. You are ushered down to the falls and instructed to hold hands as you climb up.

The guides usher you up the falls and if you are in a group, there is not a whole lot of time to sit under the falls. There are moments that you can sit there, but as far as romance... well, there are lots and lots of people around you.

You can talk to Phil about the chances of getting a private guide and he will let you know if it is possible. One thing that you will find in Phil's tour is that you look out for each other in the group. You may find that there is another couple in your group who could help you as you go up the falls. In our group DH helped the lady and her daughter who was behind him, and there was another woman who helped me at times climbing up.

I know that we gave the guides a $5 tip for DH and I in our group of about 50, so I don't know what they would expect from you alone. Either way, have fun and don't worry...it is pretty slow paced and there are lots of people who will help you out. Just remember that there are stairs on the side if it does get too hard.

I am climbing the Dunns Falls in November. Can anyone tell me what would be the best type of shoes to wear whilst climbing.

 

 

Also from when the first person starts the climb until the last person finishes how long does it take?

Your best bet for shoes is a cheap watershoe that encloses your foot. I think WalMart has them dirt cheap. A lot of people wear these. I had bought a pair of those cheap ones, but never wore them as I forgot them on the ship. Oops! I wore my Tevas walking up the Falls, which actually worked fine for me.

The problem with the Falls is that there are these little pebbles that can get caught in your sandal and can be more of an annoyance. DH had bought a pair of Keens and they did not work well for him at all. His shoe kept filling up with rocks and he could not shake them out like I could with my Tevas. This really bothered him.

As for the time it takes to climb the falls, it all depends on how many people are there at that time. When we got there, it was packed and wspent more time waiting for the lines to go. It took us more than an hour, and I know that we could have done it faster if there were less people. It was still fun, just expect lines.

DH and I prefer Late seating to Main seating. It gives us time to relax before dinner, maybe even take a nap. If we get hungry we can just grab a quick bite somewhere beforehand.

For our next cruise we have Main Seating which hopefully will be changed when we board the ship (Which is Saturday!). When we purchased the cruise back in January we were given Main Seating; Late seating was not an option. They said to talk to the Maitre 'D once we boarded to see if we could switch it. Wish us luck!

Hi. I hope someone can help me with the best type of snorkeling equipment to buy for my kids. I want them to practice in the pool before we cruise in August.

 

I went to Target today and they have the basic mask (child size) and snorkel or a mask that the snorkel attaches to, or the mask, snorkel and fins. What do I need to get for them? What will be the easiest for them to use? Do they really need the fins? :confused: Is Target ok for the basic snorkeling equipment? I really don't want to spend a fortune for their stuff but I want them to be comfortable and have a good time.

 

Thank you for your help!!

Melb1127~

Be careful when buying snorkel masks for kids. Some of the sets that you get at Walmart/Target can be really cheap. My mother bought our boys some from Walmart and they are aweful. The sides of the mask do not suction to the face, so water just flows right in. They are basically a waste of money. Definately have your kids try them on in the store and check the straps and the suction aroung the face.

We bought our set at BJ's and they are a great. I saw the same set at LLBean for double the price. If you don't have a wholesale store, check out a sports store... they have youth sizes and your kids can try them on.

Most of the good snorkel sets have an attatchment for the snorkel on the mask. Make sure that it does attach to the mask though, or they will get water in their snorkel, which can be really scary for beginners.

You will want to teach them how to purge their snorkel for when the water does get into the snorkel beforehand so that they do not freak out.

Good luck and happy snorkeling!:)