Would you visit Dominica again?

[Sugar*Magnolia]

Another vote for Yes! Typically not a nature or hiking type of person, Dominica is one of my top 2 favorite islands. Having been there a few times, only as port stops on cruises, I would love to go back. This is not your port to shop in, and you will not find white sand beaches. I can go back again and again and still not see or experience everything.

[bowbiter]

So low water affects river tubing everywhere - not just in Dominica.

 

Part of our group wanted to go river tubing with Antours but Antours was nice enough to actually tell us that the river was washed out from a storm and water levels were too low (because so much silt/dirt/debris went into the river). Antours stopped offering the tubing excursion because of this. Legit companies should tell you when conditions aren't conducive to a good tour.

[OCruisers]

:rolleyes: Guess we're one of the few so far who really do not enjoy Dominica and have been there several times ... and we love most Caribbean ports.

Whatever, make sure you take some sort of excursion there!

[Kimjergen]

Hi, Kim! Yes, what I've listed there was done over the 2 visits. ;) For a first-time visitor, I would recommend the Emerald Pool (so beautiful!), Mr. Nice Fruit Stand (fun, and some local flavor) and Trafalgar Falls, if there's time to do this as well as Champagne Reef. We did use a local guide both times, as we had such a great time on our first tour. We used Reyno Tours http://www.reynotours.com/ Reyno has modern vans with good A/C, and he provides a guide with his tours, which is a very nice touch. We had Rosalyn both times. She is a lot of fun, but also very informative in pointing out places of interest along our drive and plants and flowers along our hikes.

 

Thanks so much RjsScott, I truly appreciate it! Can't wait, we leave next week;)

[MonkeyBiz]

i just got off serenade of the seas yesterday. we went to dominica a few days ago. we did a great tour with kerwin from reyno tours. it was a wonderful tour, we saw some neat stuff, but i wouldnt rush back. it was kinda scary in town. i'm glad i went, but i probably wouldnt go again

[Carolyn R]

I have been to Dominica three times in the last five or six years. It is a very impoverished nation with a very low almost nonexistent crime rate. The people are very friendly. Yes, it is necessary to take a tour or do some advanced planning and hire a taxi to get to the interior where the beauty of the rainforest is exceptional. I loved the Screw Spa, a very different experience especially in the Caribbean. The native Caribe people weave the most beautiful delicate baskets that they sell for very little money. On one of my visits on a Princess cruise our roll call members donated school supplies to the children of the island. Would I go back again?...definitely yes.

[NewCrewzer]

We were in Dominica in 2008 and will sail there again this coming March. We had a nice catamaran snorkel tour, but our short walk around the town (main street and 1 block in) made us quite uneasy. This time we'll just call it a bonus sea day!

[bowbiter]

Dominica is really a place where you actually have to go into the island. Into doesnt mean a 5 min cab ride out of the port area. The port area (like many other port areas) isnt well developed. But that is partly why there is still natural beauty on the island. It hasnt been completly destroyed by the tourists yet. Roads in dominica are much better than some other popular cruise ports. Yes they are still tight and curvy but thats what you get with mountains.

 

But fyi, for now stay away from river tubing. The main tubing river was washed out by a storm and hasnt recovered yet. Its shallow and dirty and has lots of debris.

 

Id recommend a tour to screw spa, one of the waterfalls, a hiking tour or canyoning for the more adventurous. Tours probably should be booked in advance so this isnt a "wing" it type island.

[suesie]

We just returned from our trip and had a great time in Dominca.

Pre booked a trip with Martin Alexander of Exodus tours. http://www.exodustoursdominica.com

We did the champagne reef, Titou gorge and the hot Springs.

Absolutely brilliant. Martin was very kind, knowledgeable and couldn't do enough for us. It was my birthday when we were there and he sang an impromptu song at the road side where we had stopped.

Can thoroughly recommend booking him.

Will use him again next we go to Dominca.

Susan:)

[Sugar*Magnolia]

I have been to Dominica three times in the last five or six years. It is a very impoverished nation with a very low almost nonexistent crime rate. The people are very friendly. Yes, it is necessary to take a tour or do some advanced planning and hire a taxi to get to the interior where the beauty of the rainforest is exceptional. I loved the Screw Spa, a very different experience especially in the Caribbean. The native Caribe people weave the most beautiful delicate baskets that they sell for very little money. On one of my visits on a Princess cruise our roll call members donated school supplies to the children of the island. Would I go back again?...definitely yes.

 

Id love to hear about Screw Spa. Both times we were in Dominica it was closed..

[seashinesunshine]

Yes, I'd gladly go back. It is a wild and beautiful island and I only scratched the surface on our first visit.

 

I would LOVE to go back again and again and again. Beautiful Island! :)

[ynp1]

Yes would go back in a minute. Beautiful island, we just were there a few weeks ago and did a tour with Woody. It was awesome!

[smoore8807]

We just returned from our trip and had a great time in Dominca.

Pre booked a trip with Martin Alexander of Exodus tours. http://www.exodustoursdominica.com

We did the champagne reef, Titou gorge and the hot Springs.

Absolutely brilliant. Martin was very kind, knowledgeable and couldn't do enough for us. It was my birthday when we were there and he sang an impromptu song at the road side where we had stopped.

Can thoroughly recommend booking him.

Will use him again next we go to Dominca.

Susan:)

 

I can recommend Martin also, spent a nice a day on tour with him. It seems everyone on the island knew Martin, and even though he had a cold he still sang us a song.

[STARFISH*4]

GLAD to read all the positives for this port which will be on our itinerary next November.:)

[annecrv]

My sister and I are not big hikers either. What do you recommend visiting? Did you book through the ship or local?

 

Thanks.

[Rachie B]

i must admit i wasnt looking forward to going here,but the rainforests and waterfalls are stunning ! would definitely go back

 

river tubing / kayaking looked fun too

[CruisinCanine]

Such a lovely unblemished natural island! OMG! I loved it for the fact that it was untouched generally by commericalism and everything is so lush and lovely. The people are very nice, sincere and welcoming-our tour guide was like 'the guy next door' in a very good way! Saw amazing stuff, great 6 hours of fun and exploring and likely the highlight of my cruise. Would I go back, yes!

If you like to shop, like as in St. THomas shop, than this island might not appeal to you.

[amsp]

Dominica is really a place where you actually have to go into the island. Into doesnt mean a 5 min cab ride out of the port area. The port area (like many other port areas) isnt well developed. But that is partly why there is still natural beauty on the island. It hasnt been completly destroyed by the tourists yet. Roads in dominica are much better than some other popular cruise ports. Yes they are still tight and curvy but thats what you get with mountains.

 

But fyi, for now stay away from river tubing. The main tubing river was washed out by a storm and hasnt recovered yet. Its shallow and dirty and has lots of debris.

 

Id recommend a tour to screw spa, one of the waterfalls, a hiking tour or canyoning for the more adventurous. Tours probably should be booked in advance so this isnt a "wing" it type island.

 

just back from there and drove along the layou a couple times. it is looking better and wacky rollers has started doing tours again (according to a taxi driver friend). the storm actually washed away "miracle lake" and it wiped out a huge area. the road is in the process of being rebuilt. i noticed an improvement in the times i saw the river...over just a week or so period.

 

your guide should be able to tell you if it will be a good time or not.

[amsp]

Id love to hear about Screw Spa. Both times we were in Dominica it was closed..

 

we spent an evening there about a month ago. it was very nice!! you can't tell when you drive up but the place is huge! you walk down a bunch of steps...2 or 3 stories worth. then there are these gigantic pools that are parts of the river that have been dammed up. the top one is the hottest and they get progressively cooler as you go down river. you can actually swim in these - they are that big.

 

the landscaping is wonderful. screw has built waterfalls and pools and there are lots of nice lights (which you probably won't get to enjoy during the day).

 

it was a wonderful way to end a day!!

[amsp]

My sister and I are not big hikers either. What do you recommend visiting? Did you book through the ship or local?

 

Thanks.

 

are you swimmers/snorkelers? if so, i'd go down to champagne or scott's head.

 

if you want beautiful views and like history, try the carib indian village up in the carib territory. see if you can get your driver to take you on a drive on horseback ridge. not a drive or ride for the faint of heart, but WOW!!!! red rocks in calibishie is only a short walk from the car (a football field or so) and you get to the most breath taking sites you can imagine. you could even do emeral pool on the way up or back. or jaco falls has a fruit stand and very easy falls viewing. if you want to get closer, it requires a lot of stairs, but you could probably use a wheelchair to get to where you can see the falls.

 

another option would be to take a drive up to portsmouth and walk around fort shirley and then take a row boat ride on the indian river. there are some nice beaches way up there, and on one i even found some sea glass.

 

i loved the "country side" of the island...the south east. there are lots of rivers and we spent time watching the waves crash in rosalie bay. not a swimming beach. we also had fun seeing the south coast of the island. grand bay was incredible! we walked around the catholic cemetery and had a look at the 280 year old cross there - the oldest on the island.

 

i thought that the east side and south side made better pictures. but it could have just been the weather on the days i was there.

 

find a driver who will do what you want to do, don't let them push you into their molds. i can't hike for medical reasons. feel free to contact my friend andy - aymatthew75@hotmail.com after spending a week with me, he is a pro at finding good views with short walks. just let him know in advance what your needs are.

[sightseersalso]

Wow Amsp, sounds like wonderful experiences. We have been to Champagne, Screw, Titiou Gorge and Soufriere. How long would you allow for the other locations that you mentioned? Is it doable on a cruise visit? Your wealth of info is giving us new insight to the island. How much would you spend for a taxi for the day if there are 2 of us? Thank you for any help.:)

[amsp]

Wow Amsp, sounds like wonderful experiences. We have been to Champagne, Screw, Titiou Gorge and Soufriere. How long would you allow for the other locations that you mentioned? Is it doable on a cruise visit? Your wealth of info is giving us new insight to the island. How much would you spend for a taxi for the day if there are 2 of us? Thank you for any help.:)

 

if you tell me what kinds of things you like to do, i'd be happy to help you plan a day.

 

if you want a driver for a whole day, i would guess in the $110-125 plus tip range - the more miles you cover, the higher the price (so it could go higher). the price of the cab tends to only increase about $5-10 per person so if you can find others to share the ride with the price per person can go down. your roll call is a great place for finding someone to share the ride.

 

their gas prices are spiking worse than ours...we were paying $5.50 u.s. or more per gallon (end of feb.) and that was before the spike here. so, they may be up to $6-7 at this point. most drivers either have minivans or mini buses. so, if you want to keep it small, look for a driver with a small van - then 2 couples could go comfortably. you will pay more if you have a driver with a 16 seat minibus and you just want 2 or 4 people in it.

 

so, say you want to do indian river and relive the river boat scene from pirate's 2. there is extra cost for your site pass and river guide (they take you down on row boats). you could also spend a short time at a beach or 2 for picture stops and maybe even stop by fort shirley and explore the area. i'd go straight to indian river to get the big thing out of the way, and then meander my way through the rest of the day, keeping in mind what time i want to be back at the dock. do any shopping you want to do at the crafts market before you go, that way you won't be disappointed if they are closed up when you get back or if you only have 5 minutes to get back to the ship. (not that i'd ever be the last person back on board - lol!!!)

 

any area of the island is doable if you keep your times spent at the locations simple and don't make a lot of stops. let's say it takes about 1 - 1.5 hours to drive to portsmouth from roseau. about 2 or so to calibishie (we made a lot of stops, so i'm guessing). that would be straight there, no stops. if you go to the north east side (carib territory or north) then there is a a bar that is a must stop! you get a beer (kubuli) or a shandy and go out back and have a beautiful view of the atlantic and castle bruce beach/river. i believe it is called the islet bar. it has woven palm leaves and is just magical inside. also, great for a bathroom break!

 

from the ship one year we did the northern loop. we went to portsmouth then across the neck to calibishie and back down through the carib territory. but, we had to make short stops and fly on the way back. luckliy, there is a pretty good stretch of road between castle bruce and pont casse. we also had to pay extra since it is a lot longer.

 

the southern loop (a guess here since i went north to riviere cyrique and south to delices, but didn't travel the road in between those points) would be maybe 3.5 - 4 hours. the roads are twisty-turny and there are some high mountains in the area.

 

my friend andy is a driver, you could contact him if you would like. aymatthew75@hotmail.com he has a minivan that can seat 7 passengers very tightly or 5 quite comfortably. i have total confidence in his driving capabilities. i think he knows the location of all of the potholes on the more driven routes. if you want a hair raising and breath taking ride...ask for horseback ridge. that is in the carib territory and it is a narrow ridge that you can see for miles into the valleys below.

 

don't forget to eat your way through the island. the lunches are cheap and good. get bakes, pelau, stewed chicken lunch, cassava bread (if in the carib territory), grilled or fried chicken...yum!!!! no reason to break the bank or go hungry!!

[LDIdeals]

Just returned from an 11 day cruise and Dominica was one of the stops; we had been there years ago but I don't recall much about it that time but we pre-arranged, via email, a private tour with Reyno and could not have been more happy about it! Don't miss a chance to sit in the mineral spas at Wotten Woven and if you like snorkelling, go to Champagne Reef at the Soufrier/Scott Head Marine Reserve... easy off the beach snorkelling:) Also, went to Titou Gorge and what a beautiful sight of a lifetime... and thankfully we decided to do the swim in the Gorge which I highly recommend... and use a buoyancy belt that they have for $2.

[war_eagle99]

Best place we have been in the Caribbean and second place isn't close.

[LucasBeanWood]

The island was lovely; the people were charming; the tour I took only whetted my appetite to go back!