Ok you guys, I need the truth, nothing but the truth, sworn on your cruise addiction

[bubbles1209]

:p Now that I have your attention....Ok guys, I really need the truth here, trying to decide what to do. DH and myself are going to Ocho Rios next June. I have lots of customers that come to where I work that go on cruises as well as me, and they all tell me we simply must go to Dunn's River Falls. So my question is, what is it like to climb the falls? Scary, hard? not so bad? Slippery? Dangerous? Fun? 600 foot climb is a long way, how long does it take? DH will be 60 next July, and I'm concerned about him trying it, because when he walks for any length of time he has to take a break to rest his hips. Not to mention the fact that I'm afraid of heights, and I'm afraid of the type you climb and call fall from, looking back or down would be a big thing for me. I have this mental image of him slipping and me turning around and :eek: can't think about it, yikes. Yes, I would be the one sitting down and trying to scoot somewhere rather than leap it.:o I've read there's a trail that runs beside it you can go up if you don't wanna hike the falls, is that true? Is it an uphill hike? Any and all help is appreciated.:)

[mariemorgan]

I climbed them back in 2000. I had a lot of fun.. I wasn't scared at all. Sometimes I felt rushed to get up since it's a big line of people all trying to get up and you hold hands with each other practically. But there were times you could stop off and take pictures.

 

I believe there was a place 1/2 way up were you could get off or you could go all the way up. Yes I do believe there was a trail because I think people were watching the people walking up the falls.

[KenMo]

I've climbed the falls twice.

 

The first time, one of the people I was with was late 50's. He had no problem but he is generally active anyway.....no health problems.

 

It's 600 feet, but not straight up. Very sloping on large boulders with many pools of water. Your DH could stop whenever he wanted to rest....just let others go ahead of you.

 

Some places are slippery. Last time a man did slip and scratched his shin pretty good. Some areas a lot of people do need a helping hand up to the next boulder.

 

There is a trail alongside the falls. Of course, if you start at the top and go down you'd have to walk back up hill. But you could also just stay at the top. There are trinket huts and places to buy food/drink.

 

Here's a link to a private vendor's website with pix:

 

http://www.phil-lafayette-tours.com/Gallery.html

 

Pic #4 is the bottom of the falls.

 

Hope this helps!

[FishPunkin]

We did this as an excursion from the ship. We boarded a small boat/tender right after we debarked (that word sounds weird :p ) that took us to the base of the falls. We met our guide who had our group all hold hands. Now holding just one person's hand would have helped but having both hands held was awkward, IMO. :cool: It helps to have some type of water shoe to grip and if I'm not mistaken, they make you wear some type of shoe anyway. (Note: athletic shoes take a LONG time to dry.) Like another poster, I felt rushed. You did stop about half way up so you could sit down in the little pool of water and let the water drip over you (like in the Tom Cruise movie with Elizabeth Shue -- Cocktails). COLD!

 

I did enjoyed the beauty of it, but the thing that got me was that you pay this enormous price for the excursion, then the "guide" expected a tip at the end. :mad:

 

It's just one of those touristy things.

[GROUCHPUSS]

The climb is fairly easy, but the water is COLD!

[gypsyrose]

Bubbles, my DH is 60 with a bad hip too:( We plan on booking a private tour next year so we can hopefully beat the CCL excursions. I will NOT go up with 100 other people holding hands. Call me weird, but I want my hands free when I am trying to climb something. And.....if you start to fall, well, let's just say I don't want you taking me down with you. I have read on the Jamaica board it is so much better when you book with someone else and there's only a small amount going up. My thinking is, if it is too slick or hard, we just step off and take the steps up. At least we will get to see the falls. Go for it!

[lnew1gd1]

:p Now that I have your attention....Ok guys, I really need the truth here, trying to decide what to do. DH and myself are going to Ocho Rios next June. I have lots of customers that come to where I work that go on cruises as well as me, and they all tell me we simply must go to Dunn's River Falls. So my question is, what is it like to climb the falls? Scary, hard? not so bad? Slippery? Dangerous? Fun? 600 foot climb is a long way, how long does it take?

 

My DH and I have done the falls. I have done the falls twice and I am not a very phycially active person AND I am petrified of heights. The falls don't go staight up, it's levels. I could look back and down with no problem. Not scary at all.

 

My DH is 60 and not really that active either. He has a heart condition and a bad back. Neither one of us had a problem and I really liked the climb.

 

It is slippery --you are in water walking on rocks---so make sure that you wear water shoes for some added traction. We gave our cameras to the guide and he took pictures of us along the way. We had a blast!!

 

I am kinda short, only 5'2" and in some areas I did need a boost to get one leg up on the next rock.

 

There is a trail that runs up the hill along side the falls but that's no fun!!

 

Hope you decide to try it out. It's a nice memory!

 

Here is a pic of our family in the falls, if you look in the background you can see the "conga line" of climbers.

 

 

[CalgonCruiser]

My 5 year old granddaughter did it.

 

Happy Cruising, Sea YA !!!

[bacm]

This was a great excursion, but I understand your concern. I agree that the holding both hands thing was wierd, at first it was awkward to steady myself that way, but it really did help during difficult areas because I never felt like I was going to fall since I had someone holding my hand on both sides (everyone was very protective of each other). My group was in their 50's some in good condition and some not and we all had fun and we all made it. However, there was a women in the excursion group that hurt her shoulder and they had to take her off of the falls. It is very slippery in parts and the water (very cold) rushes by sometimes up to your knees or so at a very fast rate and that caused a pull on you downward as your climbing up the falls. Think of it as trying to walk up stairs under those conditions, but the stairs are slippery & jagged and not defined. You have to find a good place to get your footing before you hike yourself up. All in all this was a great experience. I was nervous & didn't know if I would be able to do it, but I had no problem. I'm so glad I decided to go because it really is an experience to remember. They sell a video of each group at the end so make sure to bring enough money. It's really nice to have it on film. We laughed and laughed when we watched it when we got home. Enjoy!

[TennisLover]

We climbed Dunns River Falls in February with family members ranging 6 yo to 70 yo.

 

I was excited about doing this but also wary as I do not consider myself adventurous at all.

 

Holding hands was actually a good thing. My 6 yo nephew was in front of me; his tiny feet found all the little crevaces and it was really helpful.

 

The guide held onto my mother (68) and father right behind her. They had actually climbed the falls with their friends years ago -- when there were no guides, etc.

 

A couple of members of our family group did not do the climb due to other medical conditions. But they were able to watch along the path on the side.

 

We used Peat Taylor (private tour) and got to the falls way before the big groups from the ship. It worked out great. My kids (11 and 14 at the time) loved it (and my 11 yo is not adventurous at all either).

 

Here's a link to a photo: http://travel.webshots.com/photo/2314182570100111171EpXPuk

 

I would HIGHLY RECOMMEND doing this! To cap off the day, relax at Margaritaville (which is near the ship). It was a great day!!

[mariemorgan]

Bubbles, my DH is 60 with a bad hip too:( We plan on booking a private tour next year so we can hopefully beat the CCL excursions. I will NOT go up with 100 other people holding hands. Call me weird, but I want my hands free when I am trying to climb something. And.....if you start to fall, well, let's just say I don't want you taking me down with you. I have read on the Jamaica board it is so much better when you book with someone else and there's only a small amount going up. My thinking is, if it is too slick or hard, we just step off and take the steps up. At least we will get to see the falls. Go for it!

 

I think whether or not you get there before carnival there still will be a HUGE group. When I went there, there was no cruise ship in port but there was ton's of people from all the resorts around the island.

[Giggles2007]

:p Now that I have your attention....Ok guys, I really need the truth here, trying to decide what to do. DH and myself are going to Ocho Rios next June. I have lots of customers that come to where I work that go on cruises as well as me, and they all tell me we simply must go to Dunn's River Falls. So my question is, what is it like to climb the falls? Scary, hard? not so bad? Slippery? Dangerous? Fun? 600 foot climb is a long way, how long does it take? DH will be 60 next July, and I'm concerned about him trying it, because when he walks for any length of time he has to take a break to rest his hips. Not to mention the fact that I'm afraid of heights, and I'm afraid of the type you climb and call fall from, looking back or down would be a big thing for me. I have this mental image of him slipping and me turning around and :eek: can't think about it, yikes. Yes, I would be the one sitting down and trying to scoot somewhere rather than leap it.:o I've read there's a trail that runs beside it you can go up if you don't wanna hike the falls, is that true? Is it an uphill hike? Any and all help is appreciated.:)

 

 

Hello Bubbles,

 

I actually climbed the falls this past April. I was great and my group had no trouble at all. I have an aunt who has had back surgery and an aunt who has had surgery on her shoulder and I believed that they climbed it better than me. Like it was said earlier, there is a half way point where you can get off but our guide kept trying to direct our attention in the other direction. He did not want us to get away:( . The water was cold but all in all although it was long, we still had fun. We figured that no one back home would believe us, so we purchased the video tape for proof!:D

[rm4778]

Last April I went on a "girls only" cruise. One of my friends and I, both in our 50's, decided to climb the falls. She loved it- went up with no problem and had a blast. I hated it-would have quit if I could have. I'm in pretty good shape, but just kept slipping off the rocks. My friend had new water shoes, and mine were very old. Don't know if my slick soles may have had something to do with it (I could be looking for an excuse). If you do go, go with an open mind, and new water shoes..lol...

[gypsyrose]

I think whether or not you get there before carnival there still will be a HUGE group. When I went there, there was no cruise ship in port but there was ton's of people from all the resorts around the island.

 

 

Actually I have read lots of reviews where people got there early and there was hardly anyone else there. Most private guides try to take you there 1st to avoid the crowds. I just think it would be more enjoyable booking private than ship tours which are usually over crowded.

[Wennfred]

I've climb them twice but not in the water :D There is a nice walk way that you can follow your people as they slip and slide and bust their Beep Beeeeep Beeep you know what I mean. Im the guy that gets to hold and carry their stuff. The climb looks fun, but the water is ICE cold. The rocks are slippery too so make sure you wear some good water gripping shoes and also hold on to everyone as you climb.

 

I say go for it, have fun and have someone take your pics from the sidelines.

 

 

Fred

[KenMo]

Actually I have read lots of reviews where people got there early and there was hardly anyone else there. Most private guides try to take you there 1st to avoid the crowds. I just think it would be more enjoyable booking private than ship tours which are usually over crowded.

 

 

I agree. I went with a private guide and we beat the crowds that will come later.

 

There were some people there, but nothing like the cruise ship crowd.

[Wennfred]

By the way, we took a Cab to the Falls, hired a cabbie in town and he stayed with us the whole time, even took us shopping. Saved us a grip of cash too compare to the cruise rates.

 

 

Fred

[45014]

I must be in the minority, I did not think it was wonderful. I went back a second time and still did not love it. The water is very cold and the "steps" are slippery. We have decided on our stop there, this cruise, that we will bypass the falls and find something else to do. We may even make it a stay on the ship day.

[Cruise_Monkey]

:p Now that I have your attention....Ok guys, I really need the truth here, trying to decide what to do. DH and myself are going to Ocho Rios next June. I have lots of customers that come to where I work that go on cruises as well as me, and they all tell me we simply must go to Dunn's River Falls. So my question is, what is it like to climb the falls? Scary, hard? not so bad? Slippery? Dangerous? Fun? 600 foot climb is a long way, how long does it take? DH will be 60 next July, and I'm concerned about him trying it, because when he walks for any length of time he has to take a break to rest his hips. Not to mention the fact that I'm afraid of heights, and I'm afraid of the type you climb and call fall from, looking back or down would be a big thing for me. I have this mental image of him slipping and me turning around and :eek: can't think about it, yikes. Yes, I would be the one sitting down and trying to scoot somewhere rather than leap it.:o I've read there's a trail that runs beside it you can go up if you don't wanna hike the falls, is that true? Is it an uphill hike? Any and all help is appreciated.:)

 

We did it in Oct 2005; my recollection is that it was a lot of work for a "vacation activity." For some reason I had the advance mental image of it being a lot shorter than it was in reality. It is pretty steep and slippery, and the group we were with did the "hold hands with the person in front and in back" thing, which was awkward. There are places on the way up the climb that you can use to get out of the falls and walk up the path.

 

Note that you start more or less at the top, walk down the path to the ocean level, then climb back up via the falls.

 

In the end we were glad to have done it, but don't feel compelled to go again.

 

BTW, we did the tour with http://www.phil-lafayette-tours.com/ and he was great. We did the combo with the Falls climb and the river tubing, and I have to say that I liked the tubing as much or more than the falls.

[nothomeonacruise]

Dunn's River Falls are beautiful, but they can be dangerous. Yes, there are many people who climb them, but the rocks are slippery.There is a first aid station at the falls, because of all the accidents. I didn't completely climb the falls (I didn't have water shoes), but I did go into the pool part at the bottom. We were there in 2005 and a friend of our injured his knee badly while climbing. I'd worry about someone with a knee or hip problem climbing, but that's just me. I think good water shoes with some sort of gripping material would work to help slipping. You just have to be cautious.

[laura1960]

We went to the falls, and they certainly were pretty. Also pretty slippery and dangerous, if you ask me. Two of our kids went up half way (along with me) and youngest son and DH made it up all the way. But DH was NOT happy. He said, "what were you thinking, booking this excursion?"

I would have been fine just hanging out in some of the pools, letting the waterfall hit my back. I did that for a bit, and then walked along the trail.

On the other hand, I'm glad we went, and we had a great guide in Jamaica by the name of Mark Morris.

[Birdiegirl]

What kind of medical help is available in this country if you really needed it?

 

Personally, I would walk up the side trail and skip being in the slippery water/rocks. And I am a fit 49 yo.

 

Knowing your relative already has a hip issue, I would not encourage them to do this activity.

[Grits53]

I thought I wanted to do the Dunns River falls before, but after seeing the pictures on this site of all those people, I changed my mind. I do not think it would be enjoyable to me to be packed in there with that many people, plus having to hold hands. To me, that destroys the beauty of the place. How can you look in awe at the falls, when they are covered with people?

[KenMo]

BTW, we did the tour with http://www.phil-lafayette-tours.com/ and he was great. We did the combo with the Falls climb and the river tubing, and I have to say that I liked the tubing as much or more than the falls.

 

We went with Phil, also. Have to agree.....river tubing was a blast!!

[KenMo]

You do not have to hold hands. It is awkward doing it that way.....impossible for me. We start out holding hands, then let go.