Would you visit Dominica again?

[vivavegas]

Lovely unspoiled island that I would certainly visit again!

[EithneMay]

I cannot wait to go extreme canyoning again! Loved Dominica very much.

[sightseersalso]

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!!

 

Wow, it is so great to have ideas from people that have already experienced the island and not doing the regular cruise ship excursions, but having different experiences. We are already planning with your wonderful and helpful suggestions. Thanks for your time.:)

[sightseersalso]

I cannot wait to go extreme canyoning again! Loved Dominica very much.

 

Would love to do canyoning, but don't know if I can. Do you need a lot of upper body strength? I had stage III breast cancer and the lymph so I am not to lift anything heavier than a milk carton w/my right arm. Can lift w/ my left arm. Is it just controling the ropes w/those metal mechanic 'things' as you repel down? Do they help the tourists? We saw pictures and want to do it soooo much. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.:)

[EithneMay]

Would love to do canyoning, but don't know if I can. Do you need a lot of upper body strength? I had stage III breast cancer and the lymph so I am not to lift anything heavier than a milk carton w/my right arm. Can lift w/ my left arm. Is it just controling the ropes w/those metal mechanic 'things' as you repel down? Do they help the tourists? We saw pictures and want to do it soooo much. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.:)

 

Your arms are your breaks, so yes, you need upper body strength. It was no picnic, and the next time I do it I am taking climbing gloves. You use ropes and carabeaners. There are no guides to "lower" you down, it is all you!

 

 

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[mckrob1981]

This island is B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L but the best part for me was the people. None of them have much but to them they are the richest people in the world. They are so thankful for what they have and are so nice to talk to. This may not have been my favorite stop since we didn't go to the beach which is what I like to do most BUT it is by far the most friendly of the places we were and as I said, it is amazingly beautiful.

[Kryssa]

Yep, the diving is fantastic !

 

Gosh, I know this is from last year, but if you check the thread, can you tell me more about the diving on Dominica?

[texancruzer]

Gosh, I know this is from last year, but if you check the thread, can you tell me more about the diving on Dominica?

 

Sure :) This was actually a last minute trip for us - not a lot of time to research and prepare and book. So - booked our dives thru the cruise line. Dove in two areas (fairly close to each other) one being Champagne Reef. Dives were both really nice. Dive boat nothing fancy but adequate as was the equipment. The dive masters were friendly and helpful. We thought the our decision to dive here was a good one altho the island is stunningly gorgeous and there are other "things" to do here.

 

As a side note: we also dove in Bonaire this trip. Very nice !

[greenscooter]

Dominica is a true nature island with so much to see and do. My husband recommends Al Dive in Dominica. He went diving twice with them: nice boat and beautiful dive sites. Last cruise to Dominica, he went diving and I went sightseeing. We met each other back at the ship around 1-2 and took a taxi to Screw's Spa (hot springs). It is very relaxing and beautiful there (check out their web site). We even had time to do a little shopping at the vendor stalls set up in a warehouse next to RCI's pier.

[sightseersalso]

Your arms are your breaks, so yes, you need upper body strength. It was no picnic, and the next time I do it I am taking climbing gloves. You use ropes and carabeaners. There are no guides to "lower" you down, it is all you!

 

 

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Thank you so much for the information and your time. :)

[GiannaD]

We would definitely return to Dominica. The natural beauty of the island is just amazing.

 

We did a private tour for eight and were a group in our sixties. We booked with Pepper who was wonderful. His website is http://www.sweetdominica.com. He has apartments, cottage and personally runs private tours. He can customize a tour to meet the group's needs and seems to know everybody at every stop. His knowledge, friendliness, and love for his island made our experience really special.

 

Gianna