macmancape

Hi, thanks for your reply. I would just take a regular boat to see the whales there, and avoid the discomfort of the rib boat.

Dave

Domenica Whale watch on a painful Rib Boat (Celebrity Cruises shore excursion). 2/18/14

Our 3 member family took part in a whale watch while visiting the island of Domenica today on the "Flying Fish".

A few things to know about it:

First, wear a swim suit. You will get wet, riding in this small inflatable "rib boat". It's wide open to the sky and we all got pretty wet from a few rain showers as well as the spray thrown at us as the boat churned along at a pretty good speed. I have a nice Canon DSLR which I kept in a case, but still worried about the whole time. The seats on this boat can be lifted up to reveal a storage compartment to stow your gear. However, the seats are *so* tightly packed that it's difficult to unearth your camera quickly. Bring a point and shoot cam instead.

Second, the boat rides low in the water, an advantage when/if the whales and dolphins show up. For us, we zoomed around for almost three hours before seeing anything. But, of course, that's the chance you take, just like fishing for anything. The fish appear when they feel like it.

Third, and most important, the seating is extremely tight and uncomfortable. The front half of the rib boat offers seating in rows of two. Not too bad. This gives you ample legroom side to side. However, those in the rear as we were, were crammed into rows of three, with knees squished hard against each other for three hours and *nowhere* to move or get comfortable.

In addition, the seats are like narrow saddles, spaced very close to the person in front of you, almost like sharing a seat on a motorcycle. There is a rounded chrome tube that doubles as a seatback for you and a handle for your neighbor behind you, giving them something to hang onto while the boat zooms along over the waves. Yee-hah! Actually kind of fun if you go for that sort of thing.

Bottom line: after three hours in this rib boat, you will love coach seating on any airline out there. My wife said she hadn't endured this much pain since giving birth to our daughter 30 years ago, and she is not one to complain.

All three of us complained of sore tailbones. And, men, think of how your crotch feels after three hours on a hard bicycle seat on bumpy roads. Not enjoyable. Barely room to stand up and stretch to relieve the pain in your posterior, knees and legs.

Oh yes, we finally did see 2 whales plus a few dolphins. But to be honest, the pain in the tail that this boat is...was not worth it. Avoid the rib boat and choose a different type of vessel.

Dave Doolittle

Sent from my iPad Air

http://www.capecodphotoalbum.com

http://www.europeanphotoalbum.com

http://www.vacationphotoalbums.com

http://www.teachthechildrenwell.com -14,000 educational sites for elementary students, handpicked by a teacher (my wife ;)

"Cooking Caribbean" with Daria on Dominica

http://experiencescaribbean.com/joomla/cooking.html

Here is the website for "Cooking Caribbean" with Daria and Michael Eugene. Had a difficult time finding the site. The business card Daria gave me Feb. 2014 was out of date; the site listed on it isn't there.

That said, we had a wonderful time and would highly recommend this to anyone visiting the lovely island of Dominica!

We have taken some 15 cruises and this side trip was the most unique and enjoyable of all of them.

First, the cooking class is held in the open air kitchen (under a solid roof) of a lovely private home, up high in the hills overlooking the water. The owner and hostess, Daria Eugene, is a lovely gracious lady who welcomed our small group of eight to her home.

We all assisted her in preparing several native Creole style dishes, all of which used local fresh ingredients, all of which were absolutely delicious. Among them: Creole Fish, Rice & Beans in Coconut Milk, and Fried Plantains dipped in fresh coconut. There was also a unique rum drink using puréed pumpkin... Different and delicious!

All recipes were emailed to us later the same day. Email address: jtasexperience@gmail.com

Once the cooking was done, we all sat down to share the meal and chat for an hour, a delightful adult experience, that is, not one to bring children to. Doesn't mean that children aren't welcome there but this is not food or an experience for little kids or picky "I want fries!" eaters. It is for those who are a bit adventurous in their culinary lives... and generally, that means adults.

All of us agreed that it was the most pleasant three hours we'd spent anywhere and would highly recommend it to anyone who wants to learn about local culture firsthand in a genuine, non-touristy setting.