Spirit 11/27 Review - PART 4 - Last 3 ports S. Carribean

[MOMofONE]

Shhh! Don't tell my Mom I'm ditching work today and this is one of the "more important than my job" chores I'm attending to. :rolleyes:

 

Grenada: We prearranged a tour with Ian of Sunsation Tours for as long as he would have us. We invited along members of our CC Roll Call and so filled the van with a group of 8. Ian charges $20 per hour for a private tour and we agreed it was a bargain for his personal attention and extensive knowledge of everything from fauna to spice production to politics & the education system of Grenada. Ian, by the way is an English gentleman and former teacher who transplanted to Grenada 10 years ago and obviously loves the island and it's inhabitants. Emphasis is on gentleman here because later one of us inquired about fuel prices, and despite the outrageously high increase, Ian insisted on remaining obligated to his tour price quoted prior to rise in fuel cost.

At our request he picked us up at pier and dropped us off at the weekly Saturday open air market in the middle of the port city of St. George, while he tried to find a parking place on the very busy and narrow streets, catching up with us 20 or so minutes later. The vendors were pleasant and easy to bargain with and we all left with spices in little straw gift boxes and other trinkets heading to Annandale Falls first. We only viewed from the top & took photos as there was a few dollars charge to walk down the path to the falls' destination and none of us were interested in a swim just yet.

Along the apparently common winding & narrow Caribbean roads, Ian stopped for views and imparted knowledge of local life. His tour even included "the dump I & II"; with seemingly endless discarded twisted remains of metal roofs, concrete and wood buildings thanks to hurricane Ivan. Later headed up and into the rainforest we would see mountainsides with bare trunked trees and Ian pointed out where vast areas of nutmeg trees once were and no longer existed (the hardest hit victim of Ivan and a blow to the spice trade economy). But overall, I commented on how very little damage remained visible except for occassional reroofing etc.

Ian honored another one of our requests by taking us next to a spice processing plantation where he shared his knowledge of every detail of the spice samples laid out, and the process from tree to table. The spice plant (free) and rum distillery we visited later ($3pp incl tour) were my favorite parts of the day as the ancient buildings, equipment, wares (incl a sample of 150 proof rum!) and workers just reeked of the true heart of the Caribbean.

 

Among our stops that day, we went to Helene's (in I think Gouyave or maybe Soffriere) which was a little restaurant serving local fare; 3 tables inside, sm counter and 2 outside tables in shaded open air alcove/patio. As Ian had called ahead with reservations, while we feshened up Helene was already busy laying out a family style meal of 3 main dishes: fish, chicken, & turkey, rice with peas, salad, vegetables, and fruit along with pitchers of homemade juice that was a blend of orange, lime & passionfruit. I encouraged our guide to join us. Everything was delicious and when one member in our group expessed a concern about some severe food allergies, she served her something from the kitchen, refusing to have her sit unfed and assuring her of its contents. This was followed by tea or coffee and choice of ice cream or fresh fruit. The total was $55 + tip for our entire group!

Other stops included Caibe Leap and the Crater Lake but we realized we lingered too long in some places to do the Grand Etang Rainforest Hike we requested at a leisurely pace. Although I looked forward to this most, I guess it was for the best considering my family wasn't at peak performance level post-banana boat.

We drove along coast for some more lovely views and made a very brief stop at Grand Anse beach for a quick dip which was nearly deserted this late in afernoon. On the way back to the ship, we were blessed with a rainbow over the sailboat dotted bay.

Grenada was a quaint and interesting port to visit and Ian was great though perhaps too academic for some people's taste. Of course, we could have requested more time out of the van, or different activities during our long 9 hour tour but I think everyone was feeling quite mellow by the time we hit this, our fourth port in a row, and so chose to let Ian lead the way. With a good tip it was only $28 pp plus about $10 pp for lunch and admissions and we felt we got more than our money's worth. Ian has that great English wit and obviously enjoys his role as tour guide. BTW - we crossed paths with the Mandoo tours many times during the day. Ian spoke highly of him and reported he gets the majority of cruise ship business while Sunsation has a contract with a German travel industry and caters to hotel guests. So, Ian was thrilled to have us share our cruise, American & Canadian tales with him, in exchange for the many personal stories of Grenada we enjoyed.

 

Dominica: Taking pics from forward deck 13 as we approached Dominica at sunrise, the island hinted at the distinct differences this country had awaiting for us in comparison to those we visited so far. Off to the east there was an eerie yet enchanting huge swatch of low mountian mist hugging the coastal valleys. Here and there, pastel colored hilltop homes formed zigzag rows before being swallowed up by the rainforest, only to appear again when the next mountain appeared in view as the ship neared the port of Roseau. As the sun rose it revealed endless shades and textures of green in huge expanses revealing now the thin roads those houses hugged from port city to destinations yet unknown to me. At that moment, Dominica reminded me very much of our recent visit to the Hawaiian islands and later, after exploring a few corners firsthand and enjoying the view again at Sailaway, my intuition would be confirmed.

We gladly accepted the offer from Ted & Marsha (fellow Pennsylvanians - small world!), as did another couple from our CC roll call, to join them on their prearranged tour with Lester Pond for $35 pp and $20 for my 12 yr old DD. We found them on the other side of the gate at the pier - apparently a designated area for tour guide pick up. We filled the van and headed off with our guide duo up into the rainforest. The guides had little to say on their own accord but accomodated any questions.

First stop was Titou Gorge, and accompanied by a light drizzle, the rocky inclining footpath required watching your footing but was not treacherous. We passed a vendor who coveniently set up shop just prior to the short cable bridge over the southbound mountain stream, and reached another vendor set up in a shaded platform outside the gorge entry. If not for the vendors, I suspect we would not have known where we were going or when we arrived! The gorge has a few concrete steps into shallow water but is otherwise well hidden from view around a rocky jungle encroached steep embankment. The only other sign of civilization up here were huge 3-4 ft diameter water pipes leading down from the gorge into "holding tanks" that our guide explained was the back up source for the turbines that supply power to the island inhabitants.

I was one of only 4 in our party who braved swimming into the dark passage that was the gorge and I suspect my fractured ribs had little to do with the heart stopping effect of the frigid water! The gorge was just awe inspiring - perhaps less than a 1/4 mile swim to the deafening and powerful waterfall via alternately shallow and deeper water with some sizeable and slippery rocks underfoot. Sheer rock walls loomed all around me, jungle vines dangling far overhead and large leaf fauna clinging to the edges, permitting only occassional beams of sunlight through; the effect was a rock cathedral of sorts, certainly not for claustrophic inclined adventurers. The icy water was the only, yet persitent, factor urging me back the way I came but my short time in the gorge left me with one of those mind boggling sensations like a toddler who asks why God made the sky so blue. :D

To the left of the path, just before reaching the path, is a little hot spring pool my DH was so kind to lead me to so I could quickly defrost before we headed back to the van. He walked up the trail to the top of the gorge which he related was a bit treacherously slippery but offered a great view of the waterfall raging into the gorge, (however the gorge top was too narrow to see down to the water where I swam). One dissapointment is that no one in our group brought a water camera so I would much appreciate it if anyone reading this could share some pics of inside the gorge to supplement our otherwise complete photographic journal of our Caribbean trip.

Next stop was Trafalgar Falls and yet another hike into the rainforest for an encounter with the wet side of nature. This tourist destination was crowded and had a large combo National Park Dominica info & display room/bar/snack stand and restroom facility. Tshirts and other wares were for sale under a thatched awning outside near parking lot. You must purchase a ticket in advance just as at any other Nat'l Park owned facility in Dominica but I forget the price ($2-3 pp?). The hike was a bit long and slow due to the many trekkers going there or back on a sometimes narrow but maintained natural path.

A huge shaded platform with benches afforded a view and photo op of the twin falls. I didn't notice if the path split to each one as I scrambled after my DD who eagerly trotted ahead of us old timers, and eventually ended up at one of them with her. Again, before reaching the cold water pools of the falls, there was a hot spring pool off the path and I found it intriguing that water of two extreme temperatures bubbled in such close proximity and from the same earth!

The pools were magnificent and this time I was more prepared for the cold jolt to my nerves upon entry. The many large boulders are not very easy to traverse and the rocks underneath are moss covered so slow and planned footwork was mandatory. But there are many little pools to choose from starting at the end of the path and leading back towards the falls. People with varied levels of physical fitness and courage can choose one that suits them (advisedly not too close to the many strong little falls tumbling at intervals!). We saw the youth & teen counselors nimbly heading to the farthest reaches of the landscape and I said a cheery hello, all the while saying a silent prayer that I would still have the Kids Club at my service later that evening. :rolleyes:

By the way, alot less people braved the waters than made the trip so don't let the crowds put you off. And the snack bar/drink bar is very cheap but serviced in typical slow and understaffed island fashion so allow extra time to take advantageous of their services. We thought the $1 hot dogs were an unidentifiable meat source (tho I guess that's the nature of ALL hot dogs really), and the $2 varied drinks were a bargain; though small 8 oz they were a welcomed reward for the completed trek.

Down the winding roads and to the coast we ventured; destination Champagne Beach & Reef. Best snorkeling we did in the Caribbean and I'm fairly certain NCL offered a catamaran snorkel to this spot. The beach is well, not so much a beach as a rocky shoreline - good walking shoes probably a plus over water shoes to prevent ankle turning. We walked to the furthest point upon advice of the locals as the ping pong ball to ostrich egg sized smooth round speckled rocks creaked and rolled under our weight. Coral juts out right at the shoreline and just a few feet in you will notice the rows of tiny bubbles from warm vents underwater that gives the reef it's name.

Pipe and brain coral, and others I don't know the names of jutted in spontaeous clumps from the reef, reminding me of a drive across the American Southwest since the sandy sea bottom combined with the coral variety resembled the Sargasso cacti, rock outcroppings and sand dunes of the Arizona desert landscape. Flounder (or fluke?) with their odd sideways eyeballs glided near colorful sea fans and spiny blowfish hunkered under coral ledges with their tiny fins spinning like beanie hat propellers. We must have seen at least 20 variety of fish from palm sized to fresh-dinner-for-four size!

 

We grudgingly dried off and headed back to the van at our prearranged time (I think we had an hour or a little more time), searching and finding a few pieces of sun bleached white coral amongst the round rocks to being back as souvenirs. Our guides agreed to make a short shopping stop at a mini outdoor tented flea market of sorts since it was Sunday and the stores were closed.

As for our guides, though they weren't very talkative, I will say they were very obliging, never making us feel rushed despite our tour probably being close to two hours longer than advertised. And BTW, Lester Ponds himself rang up our phone guide a few minutes after pick up to confirm with Ted that all was good to go. As we earlier had questioned the additonal cost of admissions, the guides cut the tour price $5pp to compensate which was nice and not expected (though I voluntarily paid the full $20 we agreed for my daughter and of course added a tip).

All in all, Dominica was rated our favorite port for super activities & intriguing lush destinations.

 

Tortola- Virgin Gorda: Like the majority of Spirit passengers, we looked forward to our last port of call for the opportunity to visit the Baths in Virgin Gorda. Unfortunately the 7 AM - 1 PM port time was too short to consider doing this independently so we ended up via a long and complicated process booked on the NCL Virgin Gorda Highlights Tour. You've probably heard by now about how NCL screwed up that excursion in a number of ways and offered only a 25% refund once a horde of passengers returned to voice their complaints. In a phrase, they claimed it was all the wrongdoings of, and they were at the mercy of, the tour operators and the passengers felt, regardless of the reasons, a 50% refund was warranted as compensation for having a mere 1 3/4 hrs to enjoy this awesome destination with 1/2 of that time spent walking to and from the beach and standing on line for the complimentary drink.

BTW - I heard about numerous tours being canceled due to lack of participation so IMHO the poor compensation may have been so low because they were already way below their expected shore excursion profit on this sailing. With most of the Caribbean islands being extremely easy to arrange tours privately, and at an average 30-50% below ship tour cost (that goes for all crusie lines typically), I certainly expected a better ship tour and much better treatment from the shore excursion staff than we recieved. But I guess cruise lines know that they've got you by the family jewels when there are short port calls and especially so after the fact. :(

 

Many on our tour decided to either snorkel or do the boulder maze with the little time they had. Hanging with Ted & Marsha again (yippee!) we decided to do a little of each quickly. The path to Devil's Beach (or boulder maze as I call it) was yet another glimpse into God's creativity and sense of humor. My DD aptly commented how the boulders looked like a giant's lego set abandoned after play. You could easily spend two hours to do this justice exploring in many different directions through the shallow water and over the sand paths and examining the many shapes, sizes and unique pock marks, cracks and colorful mineral streaks surrounding you at every turn. And just when you're finished oohing, ahhing and giggling over one formation... smack!... a gorgeous panoramic view across the Caribbean or mini glimpse thru a rock framed natural window, tickles your mind's eye yet again. It really is difficult to describe the pleasant affront to all of your senses at once with the smells and sounds of the sea wafting thru the crevices, the warm sun teasingly peeking in or washing over you, the cold smooth feel of massive boulders that seem to stamp "prehistoric" on your hand with a touch, and silly me spinning in circles like a kid overwhelmed by her first visit to Toys R US, trying to see it all at once yet not miss any detail! You just have to go and experience it to appreciate my incoherency over it.

Then, POP!...like a cork out of a champagne bottle you're at the beach and you need a moment to comprehend the 3 shades of rich blue seemingly dancing to different beats and in different directions in front of yet more house sized boulders across the lagoon that greets you. We hustle to find a semi-dry patch of sand to unload our backpacks and whip on our snorkel gear. The current and undertow is VERY strong although our appointed guides who we met briefly at the top and are now hunkered in the shade off to one side, don't venture towards the shore to warn anyone. So my DH and I do the child swap thing known to most parents worldwide - despite her size and ability it takes but a moment to realize the nearby rocks and coral would make an easy target for the wave tossed tourist. The snorkeling is very good and to my delight I spot a sting ray. I point DH in the right direction for optimal viewing under short time restraints. My DD is not saying so but apparently is aware of the dangers because is timid about snorkeling near the rocks which you have to head towards to view the coral. Marsha and Ted retreive the last of their fish food and so DD is sufficiently bribed out of her leariness to accompany me. She really gets a kick out of the mini swarm of fish drawn to the quick-to-sink food and I think in her excitement hallucinates seeing an octopus. Maybe she did and the four of us missed it. :rolleyes:

A quick check of the time reveals its time to head back up based on our guide's estimation that its a 10 minute walk up the easy alternate path to the top. About 20-25 minutes later we see a looooong line of bathers glistening in the sun as they wait to exchange their tiny paper vouchers for one small plastic cup of rum or virgin punch. We join the march towards the little thirst quenching cart and of course 1/2 of the line contains passengers from the Dawn and Spirit grumbling and dismaying over the abbreviated and therefore unfullfilling tour. A couple of the open air taxis pull out towards the ferry and a guide shouts out to all in line that we have time to retrieve and enjoy our punch but then have to immediately board a taxi, which we did.

We are one of the last two taxis to arrive apparently because the ferry driver rudely sounds his foghorn while gesturing at us as soon as our feet hit the dock!

I certainly will think twice, maybe three times before ever booking another ship tour regardless of the time in port or destination. For comparison: We did do a kayak tour thru NCL in Kauai with the same time frame - we had to eat our sandwich & chips lunch in the van while tour operator drove high speed to get us back with minutes to spare but the tour itself was not rushed or abbreviated, and exactly as advertised (except lunch to go). In both cases they happened to be our last of back-to-back port days so I mostly just don't appreciate the stress when hoping for a last glorious day on the islands. In both cases the destinations and/or activities were rated as awesome otherwise I wouldn't have booked thru the ship but, again, will think carefully whether the stress and in the case of the Virgin Gorda Highlights tour, the aggravation dealing with tour operators and shore excursion staff, is worth the cost.

 

Bottom line for us is we have Virgin Gorda and the Baths still high on our destination priority list as we literally left many stones unturned there. If you can do it with adequate time independently, don't hesitate, it would definetly be worth the trip.

[Leona1]

Tina

You must apply for a job as a travel writer. I felt as if I were reading a travel book. Great Job.

 

I just heard from the store that I bought my camera from and they are going to replace it. I asked them if they would throw in a cruise so I can get the shots I missed but they didn't go for that.

I will miss your reviews so if you think of anything more to write about the sail home we would love to hear your impressions.

Off to do some Christmas Shopping.

 

Leona

[Polish Falcon]

Well Done!

Well Written!

Bravo!!

 

(Brevity) LOL :) (Private joke) :)

[witchwriter]

Hi MomofOne:

How can I access the other parts of your review re the So. Caribbean ports of call on the Spirit cruise? particularly would like to read your comments on St. Thomas, St.Johns, Antigua, and Barbados.

Shelly