Roseau, Dominica

[CruzingGran]

We will be going here on our 11-28-06 cruise. Does anyone have any information on this port? there are not excursions listed for this port. Thanks.

[karen2cruz]

Go to the ports of call section of this board for ideas. It is a beautiful island. Enjoy!

[bruceh4]

We will be going here on our 11-28-06 cruise. Does anyone have any information on this port? there are not excursions listed for this port. Thanks.If you have a high speed internet connection you can view the shore excursion book for the Southern Caribbean. It will show you what shore excursions are normally availablem for Rouseau. Here is the url for the document. https://www.hollandamerica.com/HALWShorex/pdf/0506SouthCarib.pdf

I would not recommend trying this on a dial up connection as the document is quite large to download.:)

[newmexicoNita]

Try the ports a call which has already been suggested or do the web search. We did a private tour with a company named Ken's I beleive. It was about 4 years ago. He will design a tour depending on what you would like to do or has standard ones. We were able to get a group together from the roll call thread. I think there were about 10 or 12 of us. We had a great time and island is beautiful. We did a nature walk (only problem, the guy leading that part) was bound and determined we would see some awesome birds: We didn't and spent too much time trying to spot them; also did one of the waterfalls etc. NMNita

[booboo29]

I would also recommend looking at the POrts of Call Boards here on CC. We chose one of the tours listed there and were picked up at the pier, had an awesome 5 hour tour of the Island, and dropped back at the ship. The Island is really beautiful and you really need to go on tour to see just how beautiful it is.

Have fun!

Frank and Jennifer

[Gummie]

HAL's book lists the following tours:

ADVENTURE TOURS

Discover the "Nature Isle" by mountain bike
Sportfishing adventure
Layou Gorge river tubing
Nature's hidden treasures & the Carib Indians
Rain forest aerial tram
Dominica by Jeep

SIGHTSEEING TOURS

Panoramic rain forest drive
Carib Indian culture & history tour
Dominica's favorites
Rain forest drive & the Emerald Pool
Best of Dominica and scenic tour

AQUATIC TOURS

One-tank certified scuba diving
Kayak & snorkel safari
Whale watch & snorkel adventure

BOAT TOURS

Snorkel excursion by boat

We went on the Carib Indian culture & history tour. It was great!

[RlrCstr]

I did the River Tubing this past March. It was really fun. The drive up to the gorge takes a while, and the drivers give you an island tour on the way. We had time after the tour to see the downtown area.
Dominica as a beautiful island and I would go there again.

[Sayyadina]

We did the Rainforest drive & Emerald Pool. It was worth it, the island is stunning. We would visit again in a heartbeat.

Keep in mind, though, the description refers to the Emerald Pool as being a short walk. It is actually down (and back up) about 100+ stairs. Many people were having problems with this.

[GMoney]

We went to Dominica on the Noordam last March and it was my first time to the island. I really enjoyed it and look forward to going back because of its relatively unspoilt beauty. The island itself is very green, lush, mountainous and rugged with many rivers and falls. Their tourism dept is playing up the island as a stop for eco-tourists - which makes sense, given the terrain and lack of infrastructure.

We chose to do our island excursions on our own. In hindsight, it worked out, but you need to be willing to take a few risks and be patient, adventurous & flexible. I originally wanted to do the river tubing, but we abandoned that idea having done similar excursions on other islands. We then tried to rent a car, but found that to be a challenge - once we found the rental place, they said they were out of cars, and you also need a special license prior to renting (we booked the cruise the day before it sailed, so the only real research we did was while at sea using the travel books in Noordam's library, which were very helpful).

Fortunately, at the dock, there are MANY taxi drivers willing to drive you around to the different island highlights. After some bargaining, we settled on a combo tour of the Emerald Pool and Trafalgar Falls. The Emerald Pool was about a 30 - 40 minute drive from Roseau. Very scenic, but a bit treacherous. If I recall correctly, the pool is designated as some special UNESCO attraction for its uniqueness and beauty. We were there for about 20 - 30 minutes, after walking through the area and taking a quick swim. The big plus was that we arrived well ahead of thge cruise ship tours. I think the value and attraction of this place would drop siginificantly if it was filled with tourists. Overall, it was a nice warm up stop.

We were then off to Trafalgar Falls, which took us back through Roseau. It was a 45 minute drive altogether. Once there, our driver hooked us up with a guide. At first, I thought this was a bit of a money-making scam; however, the guide proved to be very useful when he took us up to a higher section of falls, away from the crowds. The hike was not easy and I was ill prepared in flip flops, but after about 15 minutes, we were well rewarded with a stunning view of the falls, and an opportunity to swim the refershing pool at the base of the falls. This is by far one of the nicest places I've been on any trip anywhere, and I hope to go back someday.

You will have to pay small entry fees to both the Emerald Pool and Trafalgar Falls ($5 a person maybe? something like that), and both places have limited eating facilities selling cokes and snacks. Our taxi was $100 for the day including tip. For 2 people, and given the flexibility and speed with which we travelled to stay ahead of the cruise ship tours, it was well worth it.

If I recall correctly, the beaches and snorkelling on Dominica are limited and not that great. The island is too young to have well developed beaches. I think it is the "youngest" island in the Caribbean.

Hope this helps. Have a great time.

[michmike]

go with a private tour guide named Beno when in Dominica. He was GREAT and gava a very good tour. He's very accommodating. There are numerous testimonials about his services on the port of call board for Dominica as well as info on how to contact him.. You won't go wrong. We always do excursions on our own. SO much nicer than being hereded around like cattle on a ship's tour

[newmexicoNita]

go with a private tour guide named Beno when in Dominica. He was GREAT and gava a very good tour. He's very accommodating. There are numerous testimonials about his services on the port of call board for Dominica as well as info on how to contact him.. You won't go wrong. We always do excursions on our own. SO much nicer than being hereded around like cattle on a ship's tour
I agree about the private tour and I am sure Beno is very good,but there are several others as well. Anyone visiting the port should check out the ports a call as well as the Dominica website. NMNita

[Toad]

Ditto's on the river tubing. I was in Domenica in bot5h February and March of this year and did it both times. We love this island!

[Blue Eyes]

We've been to Dominica twice on HAL. Both times we took the mountain bike trip. What fun! You travel up the mountains by van and bike your way down. It is in a rainforrest so take a lightweight poncho. You stop by a mountain stream where you can swim across the icy cold water to a natural thermal outflow that has been made into a hot tub. Another stop is by a local fruit stand where you eat some wonderful fresh local fruit:D . We would do it again in a heartbeat. The lush tropical scenery is great!