Roseau ?

[MamaMicki]

hello all,
I was looking over destinations and i wondered where this place was located and what it was like. Thanks for your time. We are looking at the Noordam.

[kakalina]

Isn't that Dominica? It sounds familiar.

[NYCsurfer]

hello all,
I was looking over destinations and i wondered where this place was located and what it was like. Thanks for your time. We are looking at the Noordam.

Capital of Dominica. Visited there on our Jan. '08 Noordam cruise. It was definitely one of my favorite stops. Then again I prefer seeing the real world when I travel not the Disneyesque facade. Roseau, Domenica is not a typical cruise port. The island is a volcanic island largely covered by tropical rainforest. We did a tour of the island with Levi Baron which I heartily recommend. He is incredibly informative, flexible and personable. You can reach him at www dot bumping dot bumpingtours dot com.

[seafun]

I spent a lovely day there and have very fond memories of the beautiful island and it's lovely people.

As noted, it has not been "Disney-fied" and there is a lot of poverty that you will see -- ramshackle houses. I forget the exact numbers, but several years ago a hurricane blew away something like 70 per cent of all the houses.

Take a shore excursion -- it's beautiful all over! Here's a link to the Dominica board:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=151

They filmed parts of the "Pirates of the Caribbean" movies there, if that gives you an idea. Big greeen mountains, rain forests, waterfalls, birds singing in the trees.... :D

[HamOp]

Here is a photo of Roseau I took from the Noordam in 2006.

[RlrCstr]

Agreed. This is the real Caribbean.
Dominica is a beautiful island.
We were there during Carnival 2 years ago.
Loved it.
So much energy and joy.

Go river-tubing. Best tour we have done in many islands.

[Toad]

Been there at least four times, and loved evry moment. The river tubing is great fun and also gives you a ride to the river allowing for some good scenery.

[JunPOA]

I loved Dominica (not DR) enough to return there for 2 land based holidays.
Beautififul people, very safe, gorgeous vistas, reminds me of a little Hawaii. You must get out of the city and visit the valley's and if time allows the southern town of Soufriere Scotts Head - that's the area for best snorkeling and a famous place called Champagne known for its underwater bubbles. Dominca is a volcanic island by orgiin - you can learn a lot form the ports of call board about Dominica.

leah, RN

[Krazy Kruizers]

We have been there quite a few times.

Emerald Isle -- lush and green.

Have done the rain forest drive, visited the Emerald Pool, the Trafalgar Falls -- all must sees.

There are only a couple of stores here -- but plenty of vendors by the pier.

[Seavoyage]

Hi MamaMicki:
The following was from my review of our 10 day Southern on the Volendam in November of 2006....go to DOMINICA it's amazing to say the very least - cannot wait to go back!

One of our stops on this cruise was Roseau, Dominica. If you are a rain forest loving, thirsty for all that plant earth has to offer in the way of nature, then Dominica is for you! The residents there are both welcoming and accommodating. As this was one of the highlights our trip I cannot help but focus on this amazingly beautiful area.

Thank you “Cruise Critic.com!” Your site allowed me to find Lester Pond and Alwin Hill. These gentlemen run a tour operation in Dominica. I never would have thought to go on our own in such unfamiliar territory however it was one of the best decisions we made. I read about Lester’s tours from a few other Cruise Critic “posters.” I e-mailed Lester and he quickly responded. A few e-mails back and forth - I felt as though we would be in good hands during our time in Dominica.

When our ship arrived in port we were quickly greeted by Alwin. Alwin asked what we wanted to do and even suggested a few other stops “off the beaten path.” What a time we had! Joey was our tour guide. As requested, we went with just the four of us. We were in an air-conditioned van that had large windows for sight seeing. By the way, I think Joey is one of the BEST drivers in the world! Caveat: The roads are very narrow in Dominica. I mean very very narrow, as in one car wide narrow, and while traveling up, up, up, up, up and up into the rain forest areas they even get narrower and you’re really really high in the clouds with no guide rails! Thank you, thank you Joey, best driver:-)!

We visited the following areas:

1. The Emerald Pool – even had a chance to swim in it so make sure you wear your bathing suit and bring a couple towels and underwater camera.

2. Ti Tou Gorge – swam in that too and there is a cave you can swim in as well if you can handle the cold water. Note while taking a small hike to the gorge, which is located in the rain forest, it was poring down rain and yes it was magical! If you’re not presently a huge rain forest advocate, you will be by the time you leave this place!

3. Wotten Waven – because of the volcanic nature of this area we saw water that boils up from the ground, steam rising from the earth and felt rocks from the ground that were so hot they could not be touched! Amazing really amazing! A nice gentleman named “Mr. Tall” advised that some people boil eggs in the water as it is that hot! Mr. Tall also showed and explained to us the different type of flora and fauna in the area.

4. Mr. Nice and his wonderful fresh of the trees fruit stand. Mr. Nice’s motto is “It’s nice to be nice!” I know this sounds hokey but honestly he was so so NICE! Free fruit for all, all he asks for is a smile! How can you beat that? (but- I also suggest a tip so you may want to bring some cash and there are also a few stands to pick up local items).

Joey was very, very knowledgeable and sincere about his island. He showed and explained to us some of the local trades such as the banana plantations, the avocado and cacao trees and pineapple farms. Joey also showed us the best views within the rain forest, as well as the views of the Caribbean ocean from many, many vantage points, the rainbows, over the mountains - there were so many rainbows! Waterfalls, rivers, oh my! It was spectacular!

While on our tour we came upon a large painted sign that read “Look what God has created!” I truly consider myself so fortunate to have graced eyes upon this magical place and recommend you do it with the BEST people that I now consider my friends…

This was the contact info I had for Lester and Alwin Tours-
Lester Pond - e-mail: stopperb 5@hotmail.com (stopperb%205@hotmail.com)
Alwin Hill - e-mail: alwinhilltaxi@hotmail.com (alwinhilltaxi@hotmail.com)
I hope it is still current.

[Roz]

I loved Dominica! What a beautiful, unspoiled island, with friendly inhabitants. The only remaining Carib Indians (where we get the word "Caribbean" from) live there on a reservation. I bought some handwoven baskets from a Carib lady.

After arid, cactusy Aruba, Dominica was a delight.

Roz

[theodoron]

As everyone has mentioned, it is the capital of Dominica. Lovely island and have been there a couple of times. Most recently on Noordam December 2007. This last time we did a tour called "Caribbean Cooking Tour" - booked through ShoreTrips. It was great and we had an opportunity to meet a local family and cook and eat local delicacies. I would highly recommend it if you want to do something different on this beautiful island.:)

[michmike]

If you are on an itinerary that includes Dominica be sure to go to the port of call board for there and read the reviews about a tour guide named Beno. He did an excellent job for us when we there a couple years ago.

[knitlady037]

Totally agree about Beno. We used his services twice. Joseph was our guide both times. Great guy and very helpful.

[Sayyadina]

I loved Dominica (not DR) enough to return there for 2 land based holidays.

We've talked about this, too.

We were there on the Maasdam in April '06, and we just loved it. It was a bit more rustic than the other islands that we visited. We would go back in a heartbeat. Beautiful greenery everywhere. They say they have a river for every day of the year. :D

We did the Emerald Pool excursion; be advised that there is a significant climb down to see it, then back up again. Stairs, but if you have mobility issues it is nice to know. They didn't tell us.

[senator6]

Agree with others about tours with Beno. We have been to Dominica several times, last year on the Maasdam we booked a tour with Beno. He was excellent and we thoroughly enjoyed our tour with him.