Destiny Review Dec. 9-16 Part 3

[ECP]

Dominica

December 11, 2007 - 6:30AM: Arrh! Same alarm clock, same time. The docking was different from the other islands, Roseau has a single wooden dock large enough for a single cruise boat. Again a walk/run/shower before going to the Lido buffet for breakfast where we meet up with Sonya and again tried to plan our day before leaving the ship. We all agreed to meet at the dock exit at 9:30.

 

 

Heading back to our room I quickly took some photos of the ginger-bread Christmas display the kitchen had made but I had been too busy to photograph earlier. You may notice that it looks a little broken up, that is because kids would keep stealing pieces to eat. However, while the ginger-bread/frosting is real (a staff member told me this) it has a coat of shellac to preserve it. But kids will be kids and there is a new batch of them every week so the damage does not surprise me.

 

 

By the way, this was when I notice my first sign of anything broken on the Destiny. As you walk out to the Lido deck from the starboard side of the lobby you will notice the cover plate for a AC power socket is broken and hanging loose. On the other-hand since I plug my laptop *inside* my cabin for recharging I decided to let this fault pass just this once but it must make it a pain to to vacuum the floor in that hallway.

 

Anyway, we get back to the cabin, make preparations to go ashore and take a few more looks from the balcony, only to find crew members *CLEANING* the boat and it's windows, this of course goes against all the negative reviews I have read about dirty windows where they claim the windows are *never* cleaned! But who are you going to believe, all the negative claimants (who never come back with the photos they claim to have) or myself and my links to:

http://www3.sympatico.ca/earlcolby.pottinger/Review/IM000497.JPGhttp://www3.sympatico.ca/earlcolby.pottinger/Review/IM000498.JPG

http://www3.sympatico.ca/earlcolby.pottinger/Review/IM000499.JPG ?

 

Just before disembarkation we debated buying one of the Carnival water bottles and carriers, we did not do this as I had already refilled two bottles of water with ice and lemonade on the Lido deck, but considering the later problems in carrying them and keeping them insulated it would have been better to get the bigger Carnival setup on the first day of the trip and refill that everyday on the Lido deck.

 

Getting ashore like I said was a snap, and don't fully believe the comments about no shopping in Dominica. What is there is very limited in amounts and range, but there is a busy marketplace right in front of the ship's dock and some things were interesting. I love the shirts I bought there, similar to other islands but definitely not the same.

 

 

Lee meanwhile went to the local CIBC bank to get more money ( Bank of Nova Scotia? CIBC? Face the facts, Canada Rules! :) ) While I checked out the tours being offered by the guides who swarmed the area. One guide offered an air conditioning van plus a number of points we were interested in without taking too much time so we agreed with him, about $25 each for three hours.

 

Please note: I am leaving out a lots of details given to us as we drove around, if I posted it all this review would never get off this island.

 

Warning! Warning! Warning! Do not doubt all the scary reviews about the roads. Lee and I grew up in Jamaica, we were used to roads like these, Sonya had driven the logging roads in the Canadian Rocky Mountains, she also had no problems. Not so the people who clearly had lived most of their lives on flatter terrain. Every time we had to drive with a sheer drop down a cliff just a foot or two away from the car, bamboo sticks as safety posts on the side of the road, a hairpin turn with signs of a rock slide on both sides, you could not help to hear all the moans and prayers to God to live one more day.

 

All the time the attendant gave us facts and figures on the history of the island (complex), education (high) and crime rates (low). Then threw some facts(?) about how their culture affect the relationship between men and women on the island, some I did not believe (men/women ratio), some I think she puffed up a little, but the festivals where young women and men show they are available sound like they can get real interesting. The added note that Carib Indians like women with stout legs went over well with the older ladies.

 

The drive to Trafalgar falls was a real pain once you get to the power plant, there is not enough room for two busses to pass each other on the road leading to the tourist center about a mile further up the hill, so batches of busses go up, then batches go down in turns, of-course someone had to try to come down out of turn and then you end up with gridlock with a deep ditch one side on one side of the road and a sharp cliff on the other. That was not fun.

 

The walk to the falls was medium hard, do not try it if you are very out of shape, one man's knee gave out on him half way to the falls and he barely made it back to the bus in the time it took the rest of us to get to the observation platform and back. There is not much wildlife to be seen, and December does not seem to have much in flowers either but Sonya got some colourful pictures of small land crabs that live in the forest. You really don't see much of the falls from the platform, but the path to the falls past this point is suppose to be very rough, I doubt 50% of my fellow travellers could have made it.

 

Coming out was just as bad a drive, just expect it and concentrate on taking pictures of what is around you. The next stop were the sulphur springs (not to be confused with the sulphur pool which is more impressive but harder to get to). When you arrive there is again a small market area with a number of vendors, keep an eye on your guide and follow them down the path in the grass tunnel that is behind the market stalls. Sonya and Lee did not and walked what they thought was the proper path, it leads to a nasty cliff. However, they soon joined the rest of us.

 

Walking to the sulphur pool I noticed a spur of land where I was able to take photos without fighting the crowds on the observation platform. And as I started to return to the trail I noticed a farmer's path leading up the slope, this in turn leads to a dirt road/trail that links back to the start of the market stalls. Try to find it if you can, while the grass tunnel makes for some interesting shots, the sulphur pool does not. However, this trail leading back has a number of flowering plants, including one that looks very like a banana plant to me but is suppose to break out into a huge bloom in season. Sonya, I know found lots to photograph as we worked our way back the market and our van.

 

The botanic gardens were next, what we had not been told before we set off is that we were not leaving the van, this was good because of the sudden downpours that happened while we were there, but also very bad, you don't get good shots taking photos thru a window covered with rain drops. The garden is has a large number of label tropical plants and I would far rather walked thru the gardens getting wet while also get great pictures. ASK you tour operator before accepting if you get out here. I did get one fun shot:

 

 

No-one was in the bus at the time this happen, and it was easier to leave it where it was than to remove it.

 

 

We were also taken to a high point where items of interest of the town of Roseau itself were pointed out to us.

 

 

We were then taken back to the entrance to the docks, splitting up we all did a little extra shopping. The only problem salespeople were the children from different schools, each selling these paper flowers - the money to go to their schools. I bought none, Lee bought one, but Sonya caved to those sweet little kids and bought three!

 

When we returned to the ship and our cabin Lee complained about the room being too cold. Looking around I realized the control for the air-conditioning is built right into the vent on the ceiling, and it turns out to be very stiff so some people may end up thinking it does not turn and adjust the air-conditioning. It does turn and you can adjust from 'zero air' to 'turn the room into a freezer'. I think that explains a good percentage of the complaints about room temperatures, too many people don't think to look up to adjust it. Check http://www3.sympatico.ca/earlcolby.pottinger/Review/IM000758.JPG to see what it looks like.

 

Looking at the map of Roseau that I had on my computer, I realized that we could have easily taken a taxi even just a long walk to visit it ourselves and taken some follow-up pictures. Better would have been for the tour van to drop us off at one gate and pick us up at the other one. Another lesson in how important it is to research your tours before-hand.

 

If my memory is not failing me, this was the first formal night. I was prepared! I had bought a tux just because I knew this trip had two of them. Hey, I found my capers! This was both The Formal Night and The Captain's Formal Cocktail Reception, the tux did double duty that night, and free drinks did not hurt either. It is not that I am a drinker, but it was interesting try something new.

 

Dinner was great too, while I have seen some claiming the lobster is very small, you can just do like myself, order another, it's free. Plus they was the most tender ones I have ever eaten. Plus I am at a table with my girlfriend and another female friend both dressed in their best, life is good.

[dforeigner]

Awesome format. Thanks for taking time to write a review.

[CorbinCatFan]

I can't wait to read the next part.

(Looks like I have to do more work on my treadmill for the excursion in Dominica.)

[CosmicCruisingKiwi]

Thanks ECP - these have been fantastic reviews!!!