Should Dominica be a ship day.

[stprdi]

The more I read...the more it sounds like Dominica isn't really a great stop. We're on Carnival Destiny in August. What's your opinions on which excursion if any we should book.

[pholter]

The more I read...the more it sounds like Dominica isn't really a great stop. We're on Carnival Destiny in August. What's your opinions on which excursion if any we should book.

 

I sincerely must disagree with those things you have heard- wholeheartedly! This is absolutely the most beautiful island I have had the opportunity to visit personally. You may not feel that way if you got off the ship and shopped along the street and never experienced the island.

 

Please take an island tour, you won't be sorry! reynotours@hotmail.com

[kely53]

I totally agree with pholter. Dominica is a beautiful lush island, unlike any other island we have ever seen. The area near the port is not particularly nice. We had a wonderful tour there with Beno. benox265@hotmail.com

 

From the reviews I have read, Reyno and Beno have very similar tours and you cant go wrong with either.

[Sayyadina]

My husband and I loved Dominica. It was the the island that was the least built around the tourist trade, and the most rustic. If you want a lot of touristy stuff (ah, St. Thomas) you won't like it. But lush rain forests, stunning views, waterfalls, oh boy. I'd go back in a second.

 

We took a ship-based 4-hour driving excursion around the island and to the Emerald Pool. It was very very worth it.

[Loriana]

We booked with reyno tours reynotours@hotmail.com and loved it!!!!!!!

We will do it again if we ever go back to Dominica.. Call Reyno and he'll meet you at port.

 

Dominica is like no other island....a lush, natural beauty. No preservatives in the food here folks....

 

DO get off the ship...this unspoiled island is a must see.

 

Lori;)

[whale-watcher]

Dominica is our favorite caribbean port...we would love to return for a week or two!

[lmmn]

The more I read...the more it sounds like Dominica isn't really a great stop. We're on Carnival Destiny in August. What's your opinions on which excursion if any we should book.

Plan ahead and go on some type of excursion in Dominica. It's not a port, like most, that has a lot to do right as you get off the ship. It is beautiful. I went on a hike last year and Titou Gorge. The hike was through the rainforest and was challenging and beautiful. I will be going in another week and we are signed up for the adventure park and tubing. Since there is not much written about these on these boards, I will write a review when I get back.

[momtorres]

Please don't stay on the ship. At a minimum, book a tour and spend 4 hours seeing the countryside. It is the only way to do it, in my opinion. You can easily walk off the ship and find a van ready to go if you decide at the last moment.

 

This was the most memorable stop on our cruise. The tour guides all seem to have a similar routine of where to take the visitors and are great at pointing out the lush tropical vegetation, sharing the history of the island, and are very friendly. This port is not developed for a walking type of tour. This won't be like this very long - enjoy it while it is still undeveloped.

[caribbean dreams]

I must agree with the above posts, Dominica is a beautiful island, take a trip to the rainforest and sit in the hot sulfer springs, you will quickly fall in love with the Island.

[sdirector77]

Just returned from the Destiny and would comment that Dominica was one of my favorite stops. We did not plan ahead but upon leaving the ship and getting past the first group of cabbies just beyond the gate we met Worrell and arranged our day. We wanted an island tour but we did not want to be crammed on a bus with 25 people. Worrell arrange a private tour and our driver was Alvin. We toured the Emerald Pool, stop at Mr. Nice's fruit stand, various interesting stops along the way, Trafalgar Fall and Sulfur Springs. We negoiate our own price and stayed ahead of the large tours. THis worked our perfect. Worrell can be reached at w_stj@hotmail.com.

[sdirector77]

Here is the email address for Worrell, worrelstjean@hotmail.com. Thanks:cool:

[wirefoxpup]

Just returned yesterday from the Destiny and Dominica was our favorite island. Prearrange an island tour, we chose Beno who is excellent. Only 6 people in the air conditioned van all day. Went to the Emerald Pool, Mr Nice's Fruit Stand and Trafalgar Falls, drove thru the Botanical Gardens & stopped at a little outside gift area for a few minutes of shopping. All very beautiful. Be sure to take a rain poncho if you don't want to get wet, as it does rain in the rain forest!, (helped to cover our camera) and old shoes or water shoes for hiking. All was absolutely gorgeous! Beno knows the answer to just about anything you ask about the island and is highly recommended!

[Kpstill]

DITTO!

 

Dominica is the most wonderful island I have been to. Definately take a tour. Beno was the highlight of our trip!

[palmtre2]

What does a typical tour -Emerald pool, the fruit stand, Trafalgar falls, etc cost pp???

[pholter]

What does a typical tour -Emerald pool, the fruit stand, Trafalgar falls, etc cost pp???

 

With Reyno Tours, it's $30 pp, but that price may have recently been adjusted as most of them might have due to fuel costs. I would bet on $35 for budgeting purposes. It's an incredible value for a 5+ hour tour.

[K8sMom]

Is there a web site for Reyno tours and Beno Tours? All I can find in these discussions are e-mail addresses.

[SockMonkey]

Definitely go see the island. It's unspoiled and beautiful rainforest. Don't miss it!!! Who wants to sit on a ship when you can see the rainforest!? Save the ship for the sea days and go on a tour!

[DancerOT]

No they dont have websites. But I would definitely get off the boat. We went on a tour with Reyno tours in December and it was fantastic. Except a day delay on your email correspondence as email isnt as easy to access in Dominica - but Reyno did always get back to us. The 12 year old in the group said that he had a good time - which is great praise if you think about the attention span of a 12 year old boy. You will truly enjoy the Dominica and all of the natural beauty it has to offer.

[twomikea]

I guess it all depends on who you are!?

 

We got back Monday - and it was cool meeting several of CC's in Dominica on Beno's tour.

 

He was as good as advertised. I'm talking to him about spending more time on that beatiful island in the near future with him as a guide. He is so gracious!

 

Augustine Beno Pascal <benox265@hotmail.com>

 

The 3 big things I love the most are:

 

1. Great scuba diving

2. Volcanoes

3. Waterfalls

 

In our 2 trips there off a cruise ship we had the BEST diving of the 26 islands we have been to. We saw the most beautiful waterfalls ever. And great rainforest covered volcanoes (but no running lava like our 2 trips to the Big Island - Hawaii).

 

Did it rain? You betchua.

 

Did I melt - No, I never felt so clean and refreshed in my life.

 

Our 17 year old is a city kid and he said it was his favorite also. Better than scuba in Barbados, parasailing in Aruba and snorkeling in St John.

 

So it all depends on who you are - it's not man-made fake stuff. It's the real Caribbean that used to be. It is the exact opposite of some other built-up islands that you will see on the same cruise. If you don't like wonderful real people on a paradise island then stay on the ship and do a spa treatment - get your hair done, whatever! I don't mean to sound inflammatory - but some people don't like of the beauty of nature and that's their choice and loss.

 

We can't wait to go back for a week or 2 - but we hope that the secret doesn't get out and spoil this island like so many others!

 

Mike of:

Mike & Leesa From Texas

 

6/11 Carnival Destiny Southern Caribbean Cruise

 

Big Red Boat 1994 - Infiniti 2001 - Rhaspody 2002 - Sea Princess 2002 - Grand Princess 2003 - Carnival Spirit 2003

[coolsista]

The more I read...the more it sounds like Dominica isn't really a great stop. We're on Carnival Destiny in August. What's your opinions on which excursion if any we should book.

 

 

If you're looking for white sandy beaches it is not the stop for you, that would be Barbados, but if you really love nature you will love Dominica, I really loved it there. I would recommend you take the trafallger falls emerald pool tour, I took that tour with bumpiingtours, and it was great.

[augie]

The 3 big things I love the most are:

 

1. Great scuba diving

2. Volcanoes

3. Waterfalls

 

In our 2 trips there off a cruise ship we had the BEST diving of the 26 islands we have been to. We saw the most beautiful waterfalls ever. And great rainforest covered volcanoes (but no running lava like our 2 trips to the Big Island - Hawaii).

Mike - how did you arrange to dive and see the island also? On our only previous stop in Dominica, in '98(!) we were with non divers and did the hike to Middleham Falls, which we LOVED, but I'd like to try and combine a dive or two with some of the rest of the island this time, if possible (we'll be there from 9:00AM to 6:00PM).

[twomikea]

That would be tough to both - if you have the energy you could probably do both. We dove with Nature Island Divers back in 2002 and did a very wet Emerald Pool/Trafalgar falls tour with Beno last month (I love the rain in warm sheets). We wanted to do did the hike to Middleham Falls, but the rest of the family could not have done it.

 

I suppose you could do a 3-4 hour rainforest in the morning and set up diving in the afternoon. The fastest and best way would be with Nature Island Divers as the are 5 minutes from the islands best dive sites - think pinnacles. Email them and see what they think - the Soufriere is a 20 minute taxi ride from Roseau. I see on their site they do other things, too. They are wonderful people, we loved them, and everyone we mentioned their name to this last trip spoke highly of them.

 

Let me know how it works out! You can email me at twomikea@yahoo.com

 

http://www.natureislanddive.com/

 

Mike of:

Mike & Leesa From Texas

 

6/11 Carnival Destiny Southern Caribbean Cruise

 

Big Red Boat 1994 - Infiniti 2001 - Rhaspody 2002 - Sea Princess 2002 - Grand Princess 2003 - Carnival Spirit 2003

[voltron61]

The more I read...the more it sounds like Dominica isn't really a great stop.

Lying between Guadeloupe and Martinique, Dominica, with its volcanic mountains clothed in rainforest and veined with rivers and waterfalls, is, in fact, not unlike Depp's Sparrow: charismatic, beguiling, unknowable. And for just those reasons, it was chosen as a location for both Pirates 2, which opened this week, and, coming next year, Pirates 3. "We selected Dominica because it's beautiful and virtually untouched - and totally undiscovered by film-makers," said producer Jerry Bruckheimer.

[voltron61]

Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominica and Panama complete the top five in the Happy Planet Index, compiled by the British think-tank New Economics Foundation (NEF).

[7x5090g]

Have only visited Roatan and from reading the descriptions to Dominica. Sounds similar (undeveloped and therefore not as commercialized like Grand Cayman/Cozumel). I am really interested in the rain forest tour.

 

I am travelling with my 3 year old on the Noordam (Oct 14 out of NYC), my parents and my in-laws (7 of us) Would one of these 4 or 5 hour tours be feasible given our party's demographic? For one, I've never been to a rain forest and my son would love it.:)