LIVE from Explorer with a bad propellor 2/1/09

[megr1125]

I am curious to know why? Not much to do there? Poor shopping? We have scheduled the whale watch and a waterfall trip.

 

Again, thanks for all you have done.:D

 

IMO and it is MO only.....the shopping isn't great and the excursion we booked was NOT as advertised(accessible dominica)......now YOUR experience may well be different! we aren't big into adventure so that could be a contributing factor! I just didn't think there was much there. Yes, it may be due to being a fairly new port and stuff just isn't built yet. BUT the roads really are horrible...they do just drop off and are VERY twisty!

 

again, just my opinion..and you're welcome!

[megr1125]

Thanks Meg for the continued updates during your trip. Glad you had a good time.

We are on the 15th March sailing hopefully!!!!. We are planning on booking a private taxi to collect us from the port and take us to Manhattan. I wanted to know around what time should we ask them to collect us. It says we are due to dock at 8am.

Thanks once again for taking the time to keep so many of us informed of the propeller problem.

 

 

I would think maybe 9 or so???? we docked by 7...then they started the express walk off, then priority/wheelchair assist...so i would guess 9 at the earliest...

 

i used http://www.blackexecutivecars.com/index.html

 

VERY nice to deal with and prompt response...i would think they could take you into NYC as well!

[DianeMMHH]

I am curious to know why? Not much to do there? Poor shopping? We have scheduled the whale watch and a waterfall trip.

 

Again, thanks for all you have done.:D

 

Hi...........

 

We had a great time in Dominica. 7 CC's went together on this tour. We had arranged a private tour with a very reliable tour guide who stayed with us the entire time. He was very watchful and never left us alone. We did the Roseau Valley Treasure Tour. We went to Titou Gorge, Trafalgar Falls, Moune Bourne, the Botanical Gardens, and Champagne Beach snorkel. However, the water was very rough and our tour operator did not let us go in the water. Nor did he charge us for that portion of our tour. Levi was great.

 

You should go to the Boards that discuss what to do in Ports and find information to arrange a tour. Some tours are more strenuous than others but all the tours require walking on uneven terrain and over rocks, climbing up stairs and down. Be sure to have very good shoes......I had Keen sandals and they were great.

 

I hope you find this helpful.

 

Diane

[megr1125]

Diane and several other CCers did have a different experience than we did...again, a lot depends on what everyone chooses to do in a port......

 

i agree with Diane with regards to checking out the boards for each port....and as always, YMMV!

 

maybe had we been able to do a tour completely that was manageable for my mom, we'd have a different opinion!

 

have fun whatever you do!

[patsfan64]

I am curious to know why? Not much to do there? Poor shopping? We have scheduled the whale watch and a waterfall trip.

 

Again, thanks for all you have done.:D

 

 

Beware the whale watch my friend. We were on Explorer this last trip and 4 of our friends took that excursion. Not only did they not see whales (the explanation was the whales were shy) but the boat was held together by duct tape and the toilets were stopped up. The waterfalls are very pretty. I'd stick with that.

 

Have fun!

[DianeMMHH]

Diane and several other CCers did have a different experience than we did...again, a lot depends on what everyone chooses to do in a port......

 

i agree with Diane with regards to checking out the boards for each port....and as always, YMMV!

 

maybe had we been able to do a tour completely that was manageable for my mom, we'd have a different opinion!

 

have fun whatever you do!

 

Meg,

 

You are perfectly correct.....we did have a great time.

 

However, this is not a tour for anyone who cannot get around well.

 

Your mom could never have done this trip.

 

Diane

[patsfan64]

Another option is to hire a taxi with a few other folks. We did that last year and the driver was very kind and accomodating. You can then design your own excursion. Just get a price up front.

[megr1125]

Meg,

 

You are perfectly correct.....we did have a great time.

 

However, this is not a tour for anyone who cannot get around well.

 

Your mom could never have done this trip.

 

Diane

 

 

yeah well...some of y'all polar explorers are a bunch of robotourists!!!:D:D

 

i'm plotting out the next one!! maybe we will cheat on RC and try something else.....

[beachbuzzard]

Beware the whale watch my friend. We were on Explorer this last trip and 4 of our friends took that excursion. Not only did they not see whales (the explanation was the whales were shy) but the boat was held together by duct tape and the toilets were stopped up. The waterfalls are very pretty. I'd stick with that.

 

Have fun!

 

I personally find duct tape to be an excellent repair tool, so I'm not sure if that was meant to be a good review or a bad review! :D :D

[petesweet]

I am curious to know why? Not much to do there? Poor shopping? We have scheduled the whale watch and a waterfall trip.

 

Again, thanks for all you have done.:D

 

I LOVED Dominica! I did the Middleham Falls hike. Is that what you signed up for? If so, here are some tips:

 

1. Your sneakers will get really muddy. Don't wear your very best. Also, your clothes are likely to get muddy.

 

2. It is very strenuous, but tons of fun. I am almost 70, and I was able to do it, but many younger people would probably shy away. You cross streams and do lots of climbing up and down rocky paths.

 

3. A backpack is the best way to carry your stuff since you'll want both hands for grabbing things to hold on to. I had a bag and hung it around my neck, which almost strangled me sometimes.:)

 

4. Some had planned to take a dip at the base of the waterfall as described in the brochure, and they carried a towel and dry clothes through all that hike, but it was not as easy as just jumping in. You had to climb down a rocky area (I didn't even go down far enough to look at the entire descent) before getting to the water. And, of course, what goes down must come back up. A number of those who had planned to swim did not.

 

Very strenuous, but so glad I did it.:D

 

And one other caution: I see they have a tour called "High Ropes, High Ropes." I do not have any personal experience with this one, but in view of the dilapidated infrastructure I saw, I would not trust myself to ziplining in Dominica.

[mo&fran]

Beware the whale watch my friend. We were on Explorer this last trip and 4 of our friends took that excursion. Not only did they not see whales (the explanation was the whales were shy) but the boat was held together by duct tape and the toilets were stopped up. The waterfalls are very pretty. I'd stick with that.

 

Have fun!

Hi there,.........I was on that whale watch excursion! I really had no expectations about seeing whales and I figured the boat would not be luxurious:D...They would stop occasionally and drop literally -a plastic salad bowl covered with duct tape,a hole in the middle of it so a small mic could fit.It was then attached to a stick with zipties. The mic cord was connected to what looked like a transistor radio from the 60's. After awhile it was just plain comical and the darn thing kept falling apart during each use:eek:........This was the only excursion I booked with RC and the reason I did this is because I had heard about the road conditions there and I have a fear of heights...........................

So if I ever go back I would try something else I am just not sure what though!!..................Have fun doing what ever you decide on.

Maureen

[lynn247]

I LOVED Dominica! I did the Middleham Falls hike. Is that what you signed up for? If so, here are some tips:

 

1. Your sneakers will get really muddy. Don't wear your very best. Also, your clothes are likely to get muddy.

 

2. It is very strenuous, but tons of fun. I am almost 70, and I was able to do it, but many younger people would probably shy away. You cross streams and do lots of climbing up and down rocky paths.

 

3. A backpack is the best way to carry your stuff since you'll want both hands for grabbing things to hold on to. I had a bag and hung it around my neck, which almost strangled me sometimes.:)

 

4. Some had planned to take a dip at the base of the waterfall as described in the brochure, and they carried a towel and dry clothes through all that hike, but it was not as easy as just jumping in. You had to climb down a rocky area (I didn't even go down far enough to look at the entire descent) before getting to the water. And, of course, what goes down must come back up. A number of those who had planned to swim did not.

 

Very strenuous, but so glad I did it.:D

 

And one other caution: I see they have a tour called "High Ropes, High Ropes." I do not have any personal experience with this one, but in view of the dilapidated infrastructure I saw, I would not trust myself to ziplining in Dominica.

 

 

I love DETAILED tour reviews. Sometimes I'm on the fence on which one to take. Information like your's help ALOT. I still don't know what to do in Dominica.:rolleyes:

 

Thanks again for that bit of information.

[megr1125]

as an aside..........i heard MANY people complainging about RCs excursions in Antigua...specifically the taste of antigua (i think it's called that...) it's about 90 bucks PP and is supposed to have a cooked to order luncheon.....i was behind a guy in line at Explorations and he was irate....and the people behind me in line had the same issue....

 

Not sure if any CCers did that, but the consensus among the pax was that the Shore Ex manager needs to take that tour anonymously!

[pumpkin 11]

hope the explorer is in good shape. we are sailing on her in late summer. i have one question. do the standerd balcony cabins glass or steel?:confused:

[hazz24]

hope the explorer is in good shape. we are sailing on her in late summer. i have one question. do the standerd balcony cabins glass or steel?:confused:

 

Only deck 6 has steel on the balconies the rest are glass. Deck six aft are glass also.

[Homebody]

Deck 6 is all steel. The rest are steel bottoms with glass top, about 1/2 and 1/2.

[CruisinMommas]

AS far as the whales in Dominica on the excursion we were told we had a 95% chance of seeing whales. The listening device was just as described above, probably in a wee bit better shape a few months ago. We had spent about 3.5 hours chasing up and down the seas after they listened for whale sounds. Actually another sea going vessel happened to spot them first just a short distance from shore. Well we did see the whales. It was almost as if you could have reached out and touched them. It did make the trip to Dominica really great. We did venture in the streets of Dominica b/c my dh wanted to look for a certain t-shirt. There was a lot of walking on unlevel ground. The year before we went on a cooking tour in Dominica where we helped to prepare the meal. Both of these were ship excursions.

I will be right back with another picture.

[CruisinMommas]

 

One more whale shot, you do have to walk down some steps to get to the boat.

In Antigua the first time we had planned to take the Pirate ship, but it was canceled. So we took a tour around the island to the Dock Yard and Shirley's Heights. The next time we took a tour around the island going here and there where we got to see how nice the island was.

[CruisinMommas]

A beach somewhere in Antigua, this was one of the stops we also went to hear about herbs, saw some pottery, went to a pineapple plantation... Of course they take you there to buy something but we learned a lot and buying something was ok.

 

I do not know the name of the beach but it was beautiful.

[mo&fran]

AS far as the whales in Dominica on the excursion we were told we had a 95% chance of seeing whales. The listening device was just as described above, probably in a wee bit better shape a few months ago. We had spent about 3.5 hours chasing up and down the seas after they listened for whale sounds. Actually another sea going vessel happened to spot them first just a short distance from shore. Well we did see the whales. It was almost as if you could have reached out and touched them. It did make the trip to Dominica really great. We did venture in the streets of Dominica b/c my dh wanted to look for a certain t-shirt. There was a lot of walking on unlevel ground. The year before we went on a cooking tour in Dominica where we helped to prepare the meal. Both of these were ship excursions.

I will be right back with another picture.

Hi..........Nice photos and glad you had a really great trip there. We actually did spot a couple(hard to tell how many) way way off in the distance-not up close. It also looks like we may have had rougher water than you but hard to tell from pics. I just felt so bad for the crew as the device kept coming apart exposing wires............I had a good time,I usually do-enjoyed the ride!!

Maybe I try the cooking thing.Thanks for the info-never even considered that one.

maureen

[CruisinMommas]

Hi..........Nice photos and glad you had a really great trip there. We actually did spot a couple(hard to tell how many) way way off in the distance-not up close. It also looks like we may have had rougher water than you but hard to tell from pics. I just felt so bad for the crew as the device kept coming apart exposing wires............I had a good time,I usually do-enjoyed the ride!!

Maybe I try the cooking thing.Thanks for the info-never even considered that one.

maureen

We did the cooking in Dominica. We were high up in the mts and very curvey, scary roads. We made a dish that they would eat there. It had tuna in it, I do not like tuna, but the dish was good. AS with everything some liked it some did not. I am going to the fall this time and going to look in the churches.

[sea-cruise]

Hi Carol! :)

Just a heads up...

Every six months or so I post this so people can beware of this poisonous tree that is found on many Caribbean beaches. Most are marked with an X danger sign, but I've seen many that were not marked, and better safe than sorry.

Your photo reminded me to post it again...The leaves are broad but more pointy than those in your photo, and the fruit looks like a round apple. I'll try to find a photo.

Description and Habitat

The manchineel is a tree reaching up to 15 metres high with a greyish bark, shiny green leaves and spikes of small greenish flowers. Its fruits are green or greenish-yellow when ripe.

The manchineel tree can be found near to (and on) coastal beaches throughout the Caribbean and in Central America. It provides excellent natural windbreaks and its roots stabilise the sand, thus helping to prevent beach erosion.

How poisonous is it?

Contact with the manchineel tree can cause severe medical problems. The milky sap causes blistering, burns, and inflammation when in contact with the skin, mucous membranes1, and eyes.

• The leaves, bark, sap and fruit of the tree are all poisonous. Contact with any of these causes contact dermatitis symptomised by painful blisters.
  
• Eating the fruit, which has a very sweet smell and a pleasant taste, can be deadly. Swallowing even a tiny amount of the fruit will cause blisters and swelling in the mouth and throat.
  
• Standing under the tree is hazardous if it is raining. The water passing through the leaves and fruit will cause burns and blisters if it comes in contact with your skin.
  
• Cutting this tree will cause the sap to squirt. Contact with this will cause blisters.
  
• Burning this tree results in the sap being carried in the smoke and this will affect the eyes and skin of people in the vicinity. If sap (or smoke from the burning tree) enters the eyes it can lead to blindness.
  
• Carib Indians2 used the sap of this tree to poison their darts and were known to poison the water supply of their enemies with the leaves. As a form of torture they would tie victims to this tree and leave them exposed to the elements (especially rain).
  
• The only animal that is known to be able to eat the fruit of this tree without risk is a species of land crab.
  

Warning!

In many places the tree carries a warning sign alerting people to the dangers. In other places, a red 'X' painted on the trunk serves as a warning. Despite this, many people are treated every year after some sort of contact with this tree. Children, especially, need to be warned. After all, they can easily be fooled by the sweet-smelling, plum-sized fruit.

So if you are on holiday in the Caribbean and you see a manchineel tree - do not touch it, do not put your beach chair under it and do not shelter under it when it rains. Most importantly, do not let your children near it.

[sea-cruise]

btw...Beautiful pics of the whales!

We visited Dominica in 1994 and we snorkeled at Champagne Springs. The fish were gorgeous. :)

[sea-cruise]

[Ocean Boy]

Thanks for the info on the tree. I had never heard of that.