Antours?

[NitaBcruising]

I'm really glad you posted. It didn't discourage us, but it did cause me to email Antours for clarification because it is not fun to get blindsided like that, even if it is only $5 per person. When you have a larger group, that starts to add up.

 

I was very satisfied with the explanation from Antours and I was also pleased with his explanation that the drivers should tell you about the additional fee and that he would verify that his drivers were doing this.

 

Thanks again for sharing your experience.

 

And I'm glad you contacted Antours for the clarification. We felt a bit blindsided, because our driver hadn't said something in advance. He just said Philip would be our guide and we didn't know we were expected to pay extra, until afterwards. I do feel it was worth it, but would rather have known in advance. Maybe your contact will help others in the future! Their explanation makes sense.

 

Enjoy your tour this March! :)

[NitaBcruising]

We visited Dominica on 14th December and had pre-booked river tubing with antours and already paid via paypall.

We were picked up from the pier, visited the Emerald Pools and a good guide of the island but unfortunately they had experienced a lot of rain and we were unable to do the river tubing. We were obviously disappointed but we had a wonderful tour and the driver was very friendly. I was a bit concerned that, as we had not river tubed, we had made an expensive island tour, but on returning to the ship, and checking my pay pal account, I had already received a refund that I was more than happy with.

Should we return to Dominica we shall certainly try to do the river tubing again!

Sue:)

 

 

Good to know they did the right thing, without being asked! Sorry you missed your tubing, but glad you enjoyed a tour.

[CincyCruiser22]

How is the water on the river? Is it freezing? We will be there in one week. I have heard the water in the Emerald pool is very cold. Anyone been on this tour recently? Thanks!

[alwalaska]

How is the water on the river? Is it freezing? We will be there in one week. I have heard the water in the Emerald pool is very cold. Anyone been on this tour recently? Thanks!

 

You may want to start a new thread with your question.

 

We haven't been yet, but one of the first reviews I read said that the water was fairly cool and their daughter was upset by the temps. This was part of the reason we decided to do a different tour (plus - I am not a water adventure type person). Everyone else since that review has said they had a blast but have not mentioned temps. Good luck finding out.

[epixx]

How is the water on the river? Is it freezing? We will be there in one week. I have heard the water in the Emerald pool is very cold. Anyone been on this tour recently? Thanks!

 

We did the Antours Emerald pool/river tubing trip 12/30/08 and had a fantastic time. The water at the Emerald pool was cool, not cold, but because the pool is located in a very shady spot I suggest bringing a towel to dry off after you leave the water. The river water was also cool but didn't feel so cold because most of the river is directly in the sun.

[alwalaska]

We toured with Antours in March of this year. We had a wonderful day and enjoyed our tour with Henryford in a nice van with A/C with plenty of room for all 6 of us.

 

We saw the twin falls (Trafalgar I believe) and the Emeral Pool. We aslo stopped at a wonderful fruit stand and were able to try a lot of different island fruits as well as salt fish. Mr. Nice was closed the day we were there, but this other stand was wonderful as well.

 

Henryford (that was his first name) was very nice and a wealth of information. Since we had a private tour, he adjusted to tour to fit what was most important to us.

 

We didn't really care to spend a lot of time on a black sand beach, but my son was collecting sand for his chemistry teacher. HenryFord pulled over and took my son and the others interested over to collect the sand and take pictures. We were all amazed at how hot the sand was when my son got back to the van.

 

The only slight negative was that the windows slid in such a way that not every row had windows that would open. Since I have the oldest and cheapest camera, I took a row with a non-opening window and gave my husband and our friends on the tour with us the rows with the windows that open. Several of my pictures have reflections in them, but DH has some great shots. Since we had this issue with vans on more than one island, I think it is just the way they are made and there isn't any way around it.

 

I'm looking through my pictures now wishing I had taped his tour or at least somehow noted what I was taking pictures of. Other than the banana trees and a few others, I can no longer identify all of the trees we saw and photographed. :rolleyes:

[Cleocruiser]

We just returned from doing the tubing tour. We had Henry Ford as our guide. He was great. He would stop and give us history and facts about all sorts of things. He stopped and pulled lemon grass for all of us to pass around and smell. We stopped at a waterfall. We also stopped at Mr Nices fruit stand. The tubing was a blast. Lots of rocks. We had older kids with us and they did fine, but try to get the yellow/red tubes. They take on the rocks much easier than the blue ones. The guides on the water were kepy very busy keeping all of us out of trouble.

[Sailor Gal]

We (group of 6) just returned from this tour week of April 5-12. Henry Ford was our driver as well. He did a wonderful job narrating on the way to Emerald Pool and we learned a lot about the island. We loved Emerald Pool but wish he hadn't told us not to take our cameras. Take your cameras (just take a plastic bag to put it in if it rains). It did not rain and we had no pictures. If it rains just stick your camera in your bag. After Emerald Pool too much time was allotted to stroll through the vendor stands and our whole van was ready to leave 20 minutes before we did. Tourist trap! Mr. Nice fruit stand was the same way. Fruit was ok and he expected big tip. Obnoxious guy. Did not care for this stop - also 20 minutes of wasted time. Our river tubing was awesome and the guides were fantastic. Highlight of the trip!!!! Because we wasted so much time along the way we did not have time to visit Mero Beach (black sand beach) which wasn't good. All in all this was a good trip but didn't like so much tourist time activities at the expense of beach time.

[Jan_In_Maine]

We will go on a tour with Antours in August ... glad to see people posting about their tours.

 

Thanks for the info on cameras ... I think we will bring a throw away underwater camera for this stop! Jan

[alwalaska]

We will go on a tour with Antours in August ... glad to see people posting about their tours.

 

Thanks for the info on cameras ... I think we will bring a throw away underwater camera for this stop! Jan

 

I would take your good cameras and a zip lock bag like Sailor Gal explained. It is a rain forest and can start raining at any time, but if you have the zip lock, you can get protect your camera and get great pictures. I do not like the quality of pictures we get from the disposable cameras as well as even our cheapest/oldest digital camera.

 

We booked a private tour and when we were finished looking through the shops, we had one of the other guides hanging around Henry Ford and we left immediately.

 

Sailor Gal - We were there on a Saturday. Mr. Nice is not open on Saturday due to his religious beliefs, so we went to a different fruit stand and the woman was soooo nice. Although there was a sign about leaving a tip and Henry Ford (all his first name, I can't remember his last name) suggested leaving a tip, she never said anything about it. She kept encouraging everyone to try stuff and when we were finished, we left immediately. Maybe it was because we were on a private tour.

 

I would recommend you email Antours with your opinion on your tour, I am sure they would appreciate knowing. If this happens a lot, they will probably change their stops.

 

We ended up missing the beach as well, but that was our choice because we went to see something that had not been on our original tour, but that I had heard about. We did stop by another black beach (not Mero) and you didn't really miss what you would normally consider beach time. The black sand is extremely hot and from what I understand, there are no beach chairs, water sports, or anything else at Mero like you would find at beaches on other islands.

[dz63]

I just posted a review on my cruise which included river tubing with Antours. I would do it again in a heart beat. I'll include the part about the tour in here.

 

Tuesday: Dominica, We had booked privately with Antours for river tubing. There were only 7 of us on the tour. It was amazing to say the least. We started out with a tour of the island with several stops along the way for pix. Our guide was Henry Ford and was a wealth of knowledge. We went to Emerald Falls, it was a short hike, but for those of you who are not sure, you go down down down to a beautiful set of falls then back up, up, up, up. (I’m a big person and coming back up was a little tough, didn’t kill me, but I felt it but certainly glad I did it). DH went in the water and said it wasn’t cold, it was refreshing. We stopped at Mr. Nice for some amazing fruit. We tried several different fruits and some real yummy coconut desert dish. We then went tubing, it was so much fun. They suited us up with helmets and life jackets and we had 6 young men to keep us moving and safe. The water was rough in several spots and I even got dumped in the rapids once. (dragged across some rocks and got several bruises, but it was sooooo much fun, I would do it again in a second). We had a break part way through tubing and went swimming in a deeper area. When we were done, we had some great papaya rum punch and headed back to the ship in plenty of time.

 

Hi, we are considering taking this tour with Antours. Is this the Emerald Pool and River Tubing combo tour? Do you remember how long this tour took? What time did they pick you up from the ship and then take you back again?

How common is it to fall out of the tube? Are the tubes opened at the bottom or closed?

Thanks for your help!

[kyriecat]

This is the itinerary that I got from Antours:

 

-Welcome by Antours Rep at the pier at 9.00am

-Visit the Emerald Pool & Waterfall in the Rain Forest Reserve. Option to swim and have a great massage under the waterfall - 10.00am to 11.00am

-Stop at Mr. Nice for enjoying freshly-harvested fruits and other delicacies - 11.15am to 11.30pm

-Tubing on the Layou River - 11.45am to 1.00pm includes drink after tubing

-Visit Mero Beach. Option to swim. - 1.10pm to 2.00pm

-Drop off at the pier - 2.30pm

 

I was on the tour April 16th. We had some people on our tour running late that morning so we didn't get started until around 9:30. We basically followed the itinerary except for the beach stop. We were told after the tubing that we would skip the beach stop if anyone did not want to go. We had 10 people on our tour and 2 of them decided they wanted to go back to the ship. The other 8 of us wanted the beach stop, but we didn't get it because of the 2. :( We were told the decision to go to the beach had to be unanimous. :rolleyes: We were taken by a beach (not Mero) to see the view but not allowed to get out. We were back at the ship by around 1:45.

 

The tubing was fantastic and the guides very professional and kept busy keeping us off the rocks. Emerald pool is pretty but too cold for swimming. I felt a little cheated since I didn't get to go to the beach, even if the stop was going to be under an hour, but I enjoyed the tour. It sounds like several people on other tours also missed the beach stop so I guess you shouldn't count on getting one.

 

The tubes are open bottom. They have handles for you to hold on. Only one person in our group fell out of his tube, but he wasn't holding the handles like he was supposed to do.

[dz63]

This is the itinerary that I got from Antours:

 

-Welcome by Antours Rep at the pier at 9.00am

-Visit the Emerald Pool & Waterfall in the Rain Forest Reserve. Option to swim and have a great massage under the waterfall - 10.00am to 11.00am

-Stop at Mr. Nice for enjoying freshly-harvested fruits and other delicacies - 11.15am to 11.30pm

-Tubing on the Layou River - 11.45am to 1.00pm includes drink after tubing

-Visit Mero Beach. Option to swim. - 1.10pm to 2.00pm

-Drop off at the pier - 2.30pm

 

I was on the tour April 16th. We had some people on our tour running late that morning so we didn't get started until around 9:30. We basically followed the itinerary except for the beach stop. We were told after the tubing that we would skip the beach stop if anyone did not want to go. We had 10 people on our tour and 2 of them decided they wanted to go back to the ship. The other 8 of us wanted the beach stop, but we didn't get it because of the 2. :( We were told the decision to go to the beach had to be unanimous. :rolleyes: We were taken by a beach (not Mero) to see the view but not allowed to get out. We were back at the ship by around 1:45.

 

The tubing was fantastic and the guides very professional and kept busy keeping us off the rocks. Emerald pool is pretty but too cold for swimming. I felt a little cheated since I didn't get to go to the beach, even if the stop was going to be under an hour, but I enjoyed the tour. It sounds like several people on other tours also missed the beach stop so I guess you shouldn't count on getting one.

 

The tubes are open bottom. They have handles for you to hold on. Only one person in our group fell out of his tube, but he wasn't holding the handles like he was supposed to do.

 

Thanks kyriecat!

 

We booked the Emerald Pool and River Tubing excursion with Antours.

 

The internary that I got from Antours said pick up at 10:30 and return to the pier at 3:30

-visit the Emerald Pool--1 hour

-stop at Mr. Nice for fresh-harvested fruits and other delicacies

-tubing on the Layou River--1 hour 15 minutes

-visit Mero Beach option (if it's raining a lot, chances are we skip the beach)

 

This sounds like a fun day!

It is too bad that you couldn't go to the beach just because of two people! I would feel somewhat cheated too if I couldn't go to the beach--afterall it is listed in the excursion description as your option--not that it has to be a unanimous decision!

You would think that Antours would drop off those that wanted to go the beach and return the other two to the ship, then come back--that's what many other tours do. It doesn't seem fair that the majority on your tour wanted to go to the beach and couldn't. Hopefully we won't encounter this situation when we are there! If we would I would send Antours an email complaining about this!

[DCwom]

I chickened out of Antours for the tubbing... We were ready to go with them, and I emailed asking about the return time to the pier. I got a nice quick response with a bunch of info about pick-up but not about drop-off, then this flu thing came up and I heard about the Mariner of the Seas being re-routed to Canada from Mexico. So after some discussion we decided to book through RCL for the peace of mind; no more fretting over missing the boat, or canceled ports. In exchange we help RCLs bottem line:rolleyes:

[alwalaska]

Thanks kyriecat!

 

We booked the Emerald Pool and River Tubing excursion with Antours.

 

The internary that I got from Antours said pick up at 10:30 and return to the pier at 3:30

-visit the Emerald Pool--1 hour

-stop at Mr. Nice for fresh-harvested fruits and other delicacies

-tubing on the Layou River--1 hour 15 minutes

-visit Mero Beach option (if it's raining a lot, chances are we skip the beach)

 

This sounds like a fun day!

It is too bad that you couldn't go to the beach just because of two people! I would feel somewhat cheated too if I couldn't go to the beach--afterall it is listed in the excursion description as your option--not that it has to be a unanimous decision!

You would think that Antours would drop off those that wanted to go the beach and return the other two to the ship, then come back--that's what many other tours do. It doesn't seem fair that the majority on your tour wanted to go to the beach and couldn't. Hopefully we won't encounter this situation when we are there! If we would I would send Antours an email complaining about this!

 

Hi! We did not do the beach either, but we chose to skip the beach so we could visit Morne Bruce. I'm not sure if you can do this with the tubing added to the adventure, but there were 4 of us and we scheduled a private tour. It was only $5/person more than the public tours and then we weren't restricted by someone elses choices. We ended up adding two more people from our roll call and the 6 of us had a great time.

 

Most of the people who go to the beach are disappointed because it is a black beach and doesn't have much (if anything) in the way of concessions from what I have heard. This may be why Antours requires a unanimous decision to go to the beach. I do think they should advertise that up front though.

 

Have a great trip.

[alwalaska]

I chickened out of Antours for the tubbing... We were ready to go with them, and I emailed asking about the return time to the pier. I got a nice quick response with a bunch of info about pick-up but not about drop-off, then this flu thing came up and I heard about the Mariner of the Seas being re-routed to Canada from Mexico. So after some discussion we decided to book through RCL for the peace of mind; no more fretting over missing the boat, or canceled ports. In exchange we help RCLs bottem line:rolleyes:

 

Antours takes their payments through PayPal and refunds quickly through Paypal if the ship cancels the port.

 

Personally, from experiencing the customer service through Antours and hearing reviews from people on the ship tours, I would recommend going with Antours even though things can change.

 

Also, Antours was very careful to have us back to the ship in plenty of time. If they miss the ship, their reputation will be shot. They understand how important word of mouth is to them.

[dz63]

Most of the people who go to the beach are disappointed because it is a black beach and doesn't have much (if anything) in the way of concessions from what I have heard. This may be why Antours requires a unanimous decision to go to the beach. I do think they should advertise that up front though.

 

Have a great trip.

 

 

We booked with Antours for July. They do have great customer service. They always answered emails quickly. They told me that we could buy a BBQ lunch at Mero Beach if we wanted too. I asked them the price of the BBQ lunch and they responded back saying it is approx. $8.00/person. So if the black beach you are referring to is Mero Beach--there must be something there!

[kleen1]

We were on the Celebrity Summit in April. The river tubing with Antours in Dominica and Silvermoon in Barbados were the highlights of our trip. The guys on the water REALLY worked hard to keep us off the rocks. My 10 year old felt at complete ease and he sometimes is afraid in the water. One suggestion, if you are in a tube and know there are rocks close to your bottom just push yourself up so they don't hit your tail bone. I think only 2 people fell out of their tube. It seemed the thinner you are the less chance you have of this happening. Henryford was very informative. We stopped at Mr. Nice's and tasted the sweetest bananas I have ever tasted! I highly recommend this tour.

[dz63]

We were on the Celebrity Summit in April. The river tubing with Antours in Dominica and Silvermoon in Barbados were the highlights of our trip. The guys on the water REALLY worked hard to keep us off the rocks. My 10 year old felt at complete ease and he sometimes is afraid in the water. One suggestion, if you are in a tube and know there are rocks close to your bottom just push yourself up so they don't hit your tail bone. I think only 2 people fell out of their tube. It seemed the thinner you are the less chance you have of this happening. Henryford was very informative. We stopped at Mr. Nice's and tasted the sweetest bananas I have ever tasted! I highly recommend this tour.

 

I am curious to know if you were able to get the beach stop after the tubing. There seem to be many that do not get the option to go.

[kleen1]

I am curious to know if you were able to get the beach stop after the tubing. There seem to be many that do not get the option to go.

 

We were not aware we had that option. We saw the beach and was unimpressed. We had such a great time doing everything else I did not feel we got a bad tour. They were very nice and I have no doubt if you requested to stop they would.

[HardyA34]

My husband and I just were on the Carnival Victory 2 weeks ago and went on Antours Tubing excursion. We had Henry Ford as our guide and he was the best. There were 9 of us and we got to see the Emerald Pool, Mr. Nice's, go tubing down the river, etc. It was one of the best excursions we've been on. Henry Ford was very informative and funny. After the tubing, we had rum punch and got to meet the owner Anison. I would highly suggest this tour and we would do it again. For 2 of us it cost $94.00.

[alwalaska]

We booked with Antours for July. They do have great customer service. They always answered emails quickly. They told me that we could buy a BBQ lunch at Mero Beach if we wanted too. I asked them the price of the BBQ lunch and they responded back saying it is approx. $8.00/person. So if the black beach you are referring to is Mero Beach--there must be something there!

 

Yes, that is the beach I was talking about. We did not visit it (our choice) but others on our cruise said it was unimpressive and did not have the amenities they were used to. I do remember now after your post that Antours did tell us there would be refreshments to buy. Maybe it is beach chairs, umbrellas, or maybe even water sports to rent that they were talking about.

 

We did stop briefly at a small black sand beach (not Mero) and the sand was soooo hot. I can't imagine spending a couple of hours there, but everyone has their own preferences. We were thrilled with our tour and the service we got.

 

Have a great time in July.

[bbfgator]

Well now I'm wondering, since I'm a heavier person, if I'm going to spend the entire time in the water instead of on the tube :).

[kleen1]

Well now I'm wondering, since I'm a heavier person, if I'm going to spend the entire time in the water instead of on the tube :).

I wouldn't worry too much. Out of the 20 people only 2 fell out and they only did once. They probably realized what they did wrong. The river is very shallow. It really is a great time. I kept running into rocks so they had to continually pull me out. I think I was probably the worst in the group as far as that goes:)

[tjschwalm]

We used antours over thanksgiving last year in dominica and the service was exceptional . The employees they used were just local kids . Friendly helpful and kept our teens entertained . Way worth every penny . We did the emerald pool , had an island tour on the way to rafting, what a great time .