HELP!!Dunn's River Falls and dolphin Cove tour OCHO RIO ?

[elifnena]

I'm thinking of booking this excursion thru NCL for OCHO RIO, the description of the tour states that we will go to dunns river and then to dolphin cove and will not be swimming with dolphin just go to the park. My questions is how is the park, the tours also stated that there other animals in the park to see like bird and other? Can you take pictures of the Dolphins, sharks ect.has any one done a similar tour with NLC or any other Cruise line?

 

 

thanks

 

elinena

[bright&beautiful]

A coupple of years ago we went to the Dunns river falls and dolphin cove! First the falls were amazing!,but at times difficult to climb! The view was breathtaking and the weather was great! Just remember to bring your towels from the ship ! We went with carnival on the freedom and they didn't tell us to bring anything! You WILL get wet and u don't want to spend the rest of the day soaked ! Also bring water shoes they are a necessity when climbing the falls! As for the park it was okay... It was cloudy when we got there. There is a beach with chairs you can lounge on and a cupple of shops to see. The dolphins are fun to watch too, there were also exotic birds, a shark and a stingray that was open for viewing. So yes you can take pictures. However for the birds it costs money if you want one to sit on your shoulder :)

All in all it was a great experience! I would book it !!

[ocean12ny]

We loved Dunn Falls! Had a great time. We did not do the dolphin place just the river cruise /falls.

[RobinSie]

We did Dunns River Falls a few years ago. It was very cool...and a very long climb, but I would do it again. One thing, unless it has changed, be prepared for a "village" of shops at the top. The "sales people" were pretty aggressive and we could hardly wait to get out of the area. If we had known what was awaiting us at the top, it wouldn't have been quite so shocking.

[jdvmd]

Make sure you hire one of the guides who will help you climb up the falls. Best $5 I ever spent.

[elifnena]

any more reviews are welcome.:)

[Sandyrella]

We did this tour through Carnival about 6 years ago and loved it. We were one of the first tours of the day so when we arrrived it wasn't too busy. We had a great guide leading us up the Falls. He had us singing Hot Hot Hot, etc. So much fun! The downside, as someone else pointed out, is the village at the top that they direct you through on your way out. The vendors are SO agressive and can turn a little nasty if you don't want to pay for their "gift" to you or if you try to return it. This part left a very bad taste in my mouth. We found out later that there is a path that goes around the shops where we could have avoided being hassled.

 

Dolphins Cove was really nice. We were able to take pictures of the dolphins and their interaction with the guests. I don't remember any other animals but we did have a snack and a drink. There were also some shops hear but even when we were browsing, they did not bother us at all. Because we were on an early excursion, we made it back to the port in time to spend a couple of our at Margaritaville and do some shopping in that area as well. Again, no bother...the only place where we felt harassed was at the Falls. With that said, we would absolutely do this tour again, but just try to slip out the back of the Falls.:rolleyes:

 

Enjoy!:)

[terrymtex01]

I swear I am the only one in the world who I ever hear say this.. (or write it) but I would NEVER go back to Dunns River Falls again. We went there several years ago while on a Carnival cruise and it was literally the worst experience of any travel we have ever done. Yes, the falls were beautiful. However after we left the falls we were trying to get back to our vans and we were herded into this "shopping" area. They were so aggressive they literally separated us and one vendor cornered me in the back of his shop. Finally Doug was able to get away from the guy who had him cornered and came and got me. Finally we made it out to the van area and, while all of the tour company guides standing right next to us, some guy literally threatened us with a knife because we would not buy pot from him. The tour company did NOTHING to get us away from that guy or to try to protect us..

 

I have had people who doubted the validity of my story, and honestly I don't care if anyone ever does. It happened to us and so I know it's true. It was a nightmare and it was so bad I will never step back on that island again.

[Cruisin4]

I agree, the falls are amazing. The first time we climbed it, our children were small- about 6 and 9 years old and it was lightly raining and we still had a blast. BRING a disposable camera that is water proof- the guides will take pictures for you of you and your team or family climbing the falls.

 

We did not find them difficult to climb, people hold on to each others hands and go up in a chain formation. DO WEAR aqua shoes.

 

I agree: The view was breathtaking and the weather was great on 3 of our climbs. Do bring a towel.

 

There is a lovely beach at the bottom of the falls - a nice place to snorkel. What they do not tell you, is once you are admitted to the park, you can climb the falls more than once if you want (of course you need to tip the guides each time)..

 

As far as the vendors - just look them squarely in the eye and so NO Thanks and move on and they will leave you alone.

 

Once I needed to use the first aide facility at Dunn's River and they were most accommodating. Go the the Falls, everyone we have brought on it has loved it and often one of the pictures will wind up being your Christmas card or Holiday card picture.

[irishfive]

We really enjoyed the excursion we booked for Dunns River Falls. We actually did an open water kayak trip to get to the Falls! We loved the kayaking, and our group was lots of fun. We had not met any of them, but were all good friends after kayaking, and then climbing the Falls together. Not crazy about holding hands...I felt more secure doing it without hand holding...but all in all a very fun day, beautiful location and so glad we did it!

Water shoes are a must! We bought some at the place where we went to use the kayaks, and they will now go with us when we head back for another Caribbean cruise! We had towels, etc. which we put in lockers at the Falls (sharing with others in our group), and although there are many vendors at the top of the falls...we just walked past them...it wasn't a problem!

[SMSACE6]

I have not been to Dunns River Falls, as I am not up to it physically, so have never even tried. Went to Ocho Rios on Carnival three years ago, and took a ship tour which went to a plantation,and then to Dolphin Cove. Our tour also did not include swimming with the dolphins, and while I do love them, and like to see them, I am a real wimp when it comes to that sort of thing. It took a lot for me to get in the sea with the stingrays in GCM, but I did it reluctantly....anyway, about Dolphin Cove. yes you do see the dolphins, and there is a show at certain times, but we didnt see it, as our time was very short there. You walk down through the trees on a pathway, and there are birds in wired off enclosures. Then you get to go through a gift shop, before you come out at the beach area, and we did see a shark in a natural pool, not sure what kind it was. The beach area is small and was quite crowded to us, and we didnt have time to swim. There was a lunch included in our tour, and it was jerk chicken, hotdogs, some salads. Nothing elaborate, but ok.

have a great cruise!:)

[cruisefanatic2713]

We really enjoyed the excursion we booked for Dunns River Falls. We actually did an open water kayak trip to get to the Falls! We loved the kayaking, and our group was lots of fun. We had not met any of them, but were all good friends after kayaking, and then climbing the Falls together. Not crazy about holding hands...I felt more secure doing it without hand holding...but all in all a very fun day, beautiful location and so glad we did it!

Water shoes are a must! We bought some at the place where we went to use the kayaks, and they will now go with us when we head back for another Caribbean cruise! We had towels, etc. which we put in lockers at the Falls (sharing with others in our group), and although there are many vendors at the top of the falls...we just walked past them...it wasn't a problem!

 

I know this is a really old post but do you remember what company or group you did the open water kayak tour to the falls with? I've been looking all over and can't find anyone who does this. thanks -Alyssa

[clarkmar624]

We have done Dunn's River at least 4 times and have always enjoyed it. We always booked through Peat Taylor and he always made it enjoyable. I think his son may run run it now. Just Google Peat Taylor and something should come up. The blue hole is also fun if you enjoy swimming and jumping from cliffs. Good luck and have fun.;):cool: