RCCL cruisers--Did you do Aerial Tram or Aerial Tram & Trafalgar Falls tour?

[skiiergirl]

If you have recently sailed on a RCCL ship and did one of the aerial tram shore excursions through the ship...please give us your comments. Tell us whether you did the excursion that included Trafalgar Falls or did the excursion that only included the tram portion.

 

Please give us your likes and dislikes, etc. Did you feel safe? Did you feel safe on the tram? What kind of transportation did you have from/to ship? Did you feel safe travelling to the sites?

 

Any information will be greatly appreciated.

[skiiergirl]

Anybody? Please share your experiences! What did you see on the way to/from aerial tram (in the bus, van, etc.).

 

Thanks.

[Lady Chew]

We are just back from Adventure, we were on Dominica last Friday, 2/12.

 

We did the Trafalgar Falls & Aerial Tram excursion through the cruise line. We really enjoyed it.

 

We had a group of 9 on our bus, plus the driver & guide. They can't do large buses on Dominica because the roads are too steep & winding & narrow.

 

Just driving around was an adventure! as I mentioned, the roads are very steep & winding & narrow, but in good shape for the most part. We drove by several places where work was being done for drainage and general road improvement. There were one or two places where we had to stop and pull over a little bit because there was only room for one vehicle to pass through. We had an excellent driver.

 

We drove a little ways through the city, got a little history & background, then started going up up up to Trafalgar Falls, our first stop. It was beautiful - very steep in places going up (and back down!) and very crowded. Then we continued going up up up to the freshwater lake that feeds Trafalgar Falls (sorry can't remember the name) ... also beautiful, and no one else there except for us. Wonderful photo ops.

 

Also, good restrooms at each stop.

 

Then on to the rainforest tour. We did have to wait in line for about 30 minutes to load onto the trams. They seat 8 passengers with a guide in the back. Four benches that seat 2 people, I guess a child would fit in with the parents. The ride up the mountain goes 15-20 feet above the jungle floor. We had an excellent guide. At the top, you can get out and take a short hike, and go across a suspension bridge (weight limit pp is 350 lbs) that is several hundred feet above a gorge. Spectacular scenery! After crossing you walk a ways back down and get on the tram for the ride down the mountain. If you don't want to take the hike over the bridge, you simply ride the tram back down to the station and meet the returning hikers. The ride down is another 15-20 feet higher than the ride up, since you are going through the canopy. The entire trip up & back, with the hike, took about 90 minutes. Then we had lunch, featuring sandwiches from Subway, rum punch or fruit punch or water, and local chips - banana, breadfruit or plaintain. They had excellent restroom facilities, and a very small gift shop.

 

Then we drove back down the steep & winding roads to the city, drove around a little bit more, got a little more history & background, and back to the ship.

 

The excursion lasted just about the entire day. We had a great time!

 

I'm not sure what you mean by feeling safe ... safe from criminal activity or safe in terms of steep pathways and you might fall? Either way, we felt safe and had no problems getting around, and up & down (and we're not in the best shape anymore, unfortunately!)

 

I'll check back here tomorrow in case you have more questions.

[skiiergirl]

We are just back from Adventure, we were on Dominica last Friday, 2/12.

 

We did the Trafalgar Falls & Aerial Tram excursion through the cruise line. We really enjoyed it.

 

We had a group of 9 on our bus, plus the driver & guide. They can't do large buses on Dominica because the roads are too steep & winding & narrow.

 

Just driving around was an adventure! as I mentioned, the roads are very steep & winding & narrow, but in good shape for the most part. We drove by several places where work was being done for drainage and general road improvement. There were one or two places where we had to stop and pull over a little bit because there was only room for one vehicle to pass through. We had an excellent driver.

 

We drove a little ways through the city, got a little history & background, then started going up up up to Trafalgar Falls, our first stop. It was beautiful - very steep in places going up (and back down!) and very crowded. Then we continued going up up up to the freshwater lake that feeds Trafalgar Falls (sorry can't remember the name) ... also beautiful, and no one else there except for us. Wonderful photo ops.

 

Also, good restrooms at each stop.

 

Then on to the rainforest tour. We did have to wait in line for about 30 minutes to load onto the trams. They seat 8 passengers with a guide in the back. Four benches that seat 2 people, I guess a child would fit in with the parents. The ride up the mountain goes 15-20 feet above the jungle floor. We had an excellent guide. At the top, you can get out and take a short hike, and go across a suspension bridge (weight limit pp is 350 lbs) that is several hundred feet above a gorge. Spectacular scenery! After crossing you walk a ways back down and get on the tram for the ride down the mountain. If you don't want to take the hike over the bridge, you simply ride the tram back down to the station and meet the returning hikers. The ride down is another 15-20 feet higher than the ride up, since you are going through the canopy. The entire trip up & back, with the hike, took about 90 minutes. Then we had lunch, featuring sandwiches from Subway, rum punch or fruit punch or water, and local chips - banana, breadfruit or plaintain. They had excellent restroom facilities, and a very small gift shop.

 

Then we drove back down the steep & winding roads to the city, drove around a little bit more, got a little more history & background, and back to the ship.

 

The excursion lasted just about the entire day. We had a great time!

 

I'm not sure what you mean by feeling safe ... safe from criminal activity or safe in terms of steep pathways and you might fall? Either way, we felt safe and had no problems getting around, and up & down (and we're not in the best shape anymore, unfortunately!)

 

I'll check back here tomorrow in case you have more questions.

 

Thank you so much!!!!! By safe I meant....safe in the tram and safe in the van/bus on the roads.

 

A couple of more questions....which pier did you dock at? The one in the industrial area or the one "downtown" at the vendors market area? How far was the walk from the ship to get on the van?

 

Thank you so very, very much for coming to this thread and for giving a detailed review. I certainly appreciate it and I'm sure others will also!

[Lady Chew]

We felt perfectly safe in the van, in spite of the steep winding roads. We had a very good driver. Mr Chew actually sat in the front with him, because the van roof was higher up front (Mr Chew is very tall) so he had a bird's eye view. It was strange driving on the left side of the road, but once we were up out of the city there wasn't a lot of oncoming traffic anyway. Even though we were way up in the mountains, we never felt close to the edge of the road.

 

The tram was very well maintained and very sturdy. If you have a problem with heights you might feel uncomfortable, but the tram itself was fine. It was a wonderful way to travel through the forest.

 

I'm not sure at which pier we docked. Our guide mentioned that the Princess ship we saw was docked at the "main" pier, I guess that means we were at the "other" pier ... didn't see an industrial or commercial port area anywhere, but there were a dozen or so vendor stalls & tents nearby. There was a small bay area nearby with many small craft anchored, but it wasn't a marina. The vans were all right at the end of the pier, very close to the ship. We drove by the product market which was only a few blocks away from the pier.

 

Hope this helps!

[skiiergirl]

We felt perfectly safe in the van, in spite of the steep winding roads. We had a very good driver. Mr Chew actually sat in the front with him, because the van roof was higher up front (Mr Chew is very tall) so he had a bird's eye view. It was strange driving on the left side of the road, but once we were up out of the city there wasn't a lot of oncoming traffic anyway. Even though we were way up in the mountains, we never felt close to the edge of the road.

 

The tram was very well maintained and very sturdy. If you have a problem with heights you might feel uncomfortable, but the tram itself was fine. It was a wonderful way to travel through the forest.

 

I'm not sure at which pier we docked. Our guide mentioned that the Princess ship we saw was docked at the "main" pier, I guess that means we were at the "other" pier ... didn't see an industrial or commercial port area anywhere, but there were a dozen or so vendor stalls & tents nearby. There was a small bay area nearby with many small craft anchored, but it wasn't a marina. The vans were all right at the end of the pier, very close to the ship. We drove by the product market which was only a few blocks away from the pier.

 

Hope this helps!

 

This helps a bunch!

 

Thank you ! Thank you ! Thank you!

[Lady Chew]

You're welcome, you're welcome, you're welcome!!

 

Glad I could help! :)

[laycj18]

Thanks Lady for the review - we are also considering this tour for our upcoming cruise. DH will be 4 weeks out from shoulder surgery and we think this will be a low impact tour that he will be able to handle - as opposed to river tubing or kayaking.

[Lady Chew]

I guess if your hubby is in good shape otherwise, he should be able to manage this tour. The hike up to the suspension bridge has some very steep places, though, but there are railings. Of course as I mentioned he can stay with the tram and meet the bridge hikers on the way down.

 

We really enjoyed our day on Dominica.

 

Hope you have a great cruise!

[Joanne G.]

We are just back from Adventure, we were on Dominica last Friday, 2/12.

We did the Trafalgar Falls & Aerial Tram excursion through the cruise line. We really enjoyed it.

 

Thank you for the detailed description. My sister and I just booked this tour for our Serenade cruise in spring. I have a couple questions:

 

Were bugs an issue? Wondering if we should bring some type of insect repellent.

 

What kind of footwear would you recommend, given the short hiking portion of the excursion? We are thinking sturdy sandals, the type often called "trekker" style.

[Lady Chew]

None of us noticed any bugs anywhere.

 

Mr Chew & I wore our athletic-type shoes, SIL & BIL wore sturdy sandals. I would not recommend any types of zories or sandals with heels over an inch, no matter how sturdy.

[skiiergirl]

Thank you for the detailed description. My sister and I just booked this tour for our Serenade cruise in spring. I have a couple questions:

 

Were bugs an issue? Wondering if we should bring some type of insect repellent.

 

What kind of footwear would you recommend, given the short hiking portion of the excursion? We are thinking sturdy sandals, the type often called "trekker" style.

 

Joanne....When are you and your sister going on SR?

[dive4pam]

Great tour off Celebrity- do both- don't expect much for lunch- its subway but hey you eat too much on a cruise anyway. We didn't see many birds but still fun. One of our problems was people talking incessantly on our tram (and loudly) instead of watching for wildlife. The roads are VERY winding and twisting so if you are a person who gets car sick- demand a seat up front- they are in bad shape but the island is working on them. wish we had more time for exploration in Dominica- it really is a beautiful island. the tram is VERY safe- and so is the swinging bridge so no worries.

[skiiergirl]

Great tour off Celebrity- do both- don't expect much for lunch- its subway but hey you eat too much on a cruise anyway. We didn't see many birds but still fun. One of our problems was people talking incessantly on our tram (and loudly) instead of watching for wildlife. The roads are VERY winding and twisting so if you are a person who gets car sick- demand a seat up front- they are in bad shape but the island is working on them. wish we had more time for exploration in Dominica- it really is a beautiful island. the tram is VERY safe- and so is the swinging bridge so no worries.

 

Thanks for the info!

 

What type vehicle were you in? How many people did your vehicle hold?

[Joanne G.]

Joanne....When are you and your sister going on SR?

 

We are going in mid-May. We booked it a year ago and are getting excited. (I am not, however, excited to hear about bad, winding, twisty roads! :eek:)

[skiiergirl]

We are going in mid-May. We booked it a year ago and are getting excited. (I am not, however, excited to hear about bad, winding, twisty roads! :eek:)

 

We are going in April so I will let you know when we get back what we thought of it. We were supposed to do it in December but it got cancelled. I wouldn't just go get in a taxi for that exact reason....I had heard the roads are really bad. So we shall see what happens this time!

[skiiergirl]

Well we have returned after another great cruise! We did the Trafalgar Falls and Aerial Tram tour through RCCL.

 

The falls were pretty to see but not as spectacular as some we have seen elsewhere. The walk to/from the falls is very uneven with rocks/dirt path and uneven rock steps. Once back on the ship we heard that a couple of folks (that had taken a taxi there...not on ship's tour) went further toward the falls (past the viewing platform where the tours stop) and were injured. One had a broken wrist but I can't remember what the other injury is. I am not in great shape but not bad shape either and I was able to do the walk/climb but wouldn't have made it had it been much further or much steeper. (No wheelchairs/strollers, etc.)

 

The aerial tram through the rainforest and the walk on the suspension bridge was fabulous. Mr. Ski can't stop talking about it. He tells everyone he talks to that it is a "must do" if you are in Dominica. Again, no wheelchair/stroller for the walking part. (I'm not sure if there is wheelchair access to the tram portion or not as you must walk up probably 20 steps to get to tram and then back down after you get off tram).

 

Since we have cruised a lot we rarely take pictures of anything anymore. However, we did take quite a few pictures on this tour. (The only pictures we took all week.)

 

So if you want to see the falls then I would do that portion also but if you just want to do the tour that does the aerial tram only then that would be great too.

 

The tour with falls and tram included lunch while the tour with just the tram ride did not. Lunch was a ham and cheese Subway sandwich on white or wheat. (Subway logo on napkins, wrapper, etc. and tasted like Subway.) A bag of breadfruit chips. A little banana (the sweetest banana I have ever eaten). A bottle of water and a glass of passionfruit punch that was fabulous!

 

We had a driver and a tour guide with us the whole time. The tour guide escorted us to the falls and back. She narrated along the full drive and pointed things out all along the way. While we were on the tram/rainforest walk we had a guide provided through the tram company. (The tour guide and bus driver went to lunch while we were on this part of the tour.)

 

The restrooms at the tram location are free and fairly nice. Probably 8 stalls in the ladies' room. However, at the falls you must pay $1 to use the restroom. I believe there were two (maybe 3) stalls in the ladies' room there.

 

Our bus was a large mini-van type bus. There were 10 of us plus the driver and tour guide. The roads are very narrow and windy but our driver did a fantastic job. There is a lot of construction going on to make the roads better but they still need a lot of work. Our driver was great though and I had a lot of confidence in him.

 

I think that about covers it but if anyone has any questions, I'll try to answer.

[DrSeuss]

Thank you for your review. How many people can sit together for the aerial ride. We are 2 adults and 1 child age 9. How far from the ship would you say the aerial tram was? Many thanks.

[skiiergirl]

Thank you for your review. How many people can sit together for the aerial ride. We are 2 adults and 1 child age 9. How far from the ship would you say the aerial tram was? Many thanks.

 

There were not any kids in our group so I'm not sure about children's seating. However, there were 4 couples (two people/1 couple) per row on the tram and then the one seat for the tram guide in the back. They might allow the child in the row with you but the seats pretty much are made for two people only.

 

We made several stops on the way to the falls so I don't know about getting there but we can straight back after the tram and it was basically a 30 minute ride.

[i'llbesea-ingyou]

It was so great to hear about your detailed experiences with this excursion. I think we have pretty much decided to try it. It sounds like it really is a must do.

 

One silly question regarding the lunch. Just wondering if they had any other options besides ham and cheese sandwiches as I do not eat ham and really not crazy about cheese (believe it or not! :eek:) Wondering since this is a long excursion if I should bring my own snacks. Thanks so much!

[skiiergirl]

It was so great to hear about your detailed experiences with this excursion. I think we have pretty much decided to try it. It sounds like it really is a must do.

 

One silly question regarding the lunch. Just wondering if they had any other options besides ham and cheese sandwiches as I do not eat ham and really not crazy about cheese (believe it or not! :eek:) Wondering since this is a long excursion if I should bring my own snacks. Thanks so much!

 

Even though it was "Subway" bread/paper wrap, etc. it wasn't like having all of the Subway choices....not even all of the vegetables. So you might want to considering taking snacks. However, lunch was the very last thing right before the ride back to the pier so you might be ok with just waiting to eat when you return to the ship.

[i'llbesea-ingyou]

Thanks for the reply skiiergirl! I appreciate it. I like to be prepared and DH is diabetic so want to make sure he has stuff to keep the sugar at a good level. Great to know. :)

[skiiergirl]

Thanks for the reply skiiergirl! I appreciate it. I like to be prepared and DH is diabetic so want to make sure he has stuff to keep the sugar at a good level. Great to know. :)

 

You are welcome! Enjoy the tour and your cruise!