Best things to do in Roseau, Dominica

how old are you - if you don't mind sharing...

 

we'll be celebrating my 50th birthday - not ready to lay down and die but also not able to do what I could do 20 years ago....

Oops didn't see this question. I'm in my 30's but there was a wide range of ages in my tour group. If you are comfortable walking on rocks or hiking you will be better off than me. The walk back up was the most strenuous. The down part was easy.

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We will be stopping in Roseau, Dominica in February 2015. Not sure I want to commit to a booked excursion. I want something short in duration and easy to do. Maybe visit some falls, a beach, or the Gardens. Old posts of Roseau here say that there are plenty of taxis around that will provide lots of reasonably priced options when you arrive. Anybody been recently?

I'll be visiting Dominica in February. It will be Carnival the day we are there. Has anyone been on the island during Carnival? What did you do and what would you suggest?

I love Dominica but it is the type of location where planning ahead is best. If you are the type if cruiser that doesn't like "dirty" islands you may not enjoy it as much. But I love the untouched beauty and nature

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I'll be visiting Dominica in February. It will be Carnival the day we are there. Has anyone been on the island during Carnival? What did you do and what would you suggest?

Lucky you!

We were there for Carnival on our Summit trip in 2014. We had originally planned on going snorkeling but decided to enjoy the day in town instead.

There are numerous parades throughout the day with fantastic costumes and lots of loud music. There doesn't seem to be set times that they come by and some went around the route twice. There will be food and drinks sold all over town with lots of partying going on.

You should savor this true Caribbean experience.

I would love to post some pictures but I can't seem to figure out how to make them small enough to post here. I'm sure if you go to Google images you'll get an idea of the costumes.

Lucky you!

 

We were there for Carnival on our Summit trip in 2014. We had originally planned on going snorkeling but decided to enjoy the day in town instead.

 

There are numerous parades throughout the day with fantastic costumes and lots of loud music. There doesn't seem to be set times that they come by and some went around the route twice. There will be food and drinks sold all over town with lots of partying going on.

 

You should savor this true Caribbean experience.

 

I would love to post some pictures but I can't seem to figure out how to make them small enough to post here. I'm sure if you go to Google images you'll get an idea of the costumes.

Thanks Monicajay,

I am so excited and really looking forward to this experience. I was looking for someone to tell me that hanging out in town was the best thing to do in order to enjoy the day. Sounds wonderful. Hope you had a good time, I plan to.

Thanks again.

Thanks Monicajay,

I am so excited and really looking forward to this experience. I was looking for someone to tell me that hanging out in town was the best thing to do in order to enjoy the day. Sounds wonderful. Hope you had a good time, I plan to.

Thanks again.

I see you are on the Summit and will likely be docked right in the center of town. We were a bit leery of eating 'street food' so re-boarded for a quick lunch and then continued to stroll around town. No worries for the street beer though.

We spoke with many on board who had booked tours and didn't even realize it was Carnival day. They had no idea what they'd missed. Planning an island tour this time.

The odds of booking a ship that ends up there on Carnival day (it changes annually) are rare so I really believe you should enjoy it.

I'll be visiting Dominica in February. It will be Carnival the day we are there. Has anyone been on the island during Carnival? What did you do and what would you suggest?

what date is the carnival there

what date is the carnival there

We will be there February 17th

Is there a catholic church close to cruise port? I will be there on 2/17/15 as well.

Is there a catholic church close to cruise port? I will be there on 2/17/15 as well.

I think there is a very old cathedral nearby. There are some great web pages about Dominica that give details... I'd google it. [emoji6]

~Jacey ]

I think there is a very old cathedral nearby. There are some great web pages about Dominica that give details... I'd google it. [emoji6]

 

~Jacey ]

Oh yeah, I did find one really close to port. So close, in fact, I believe you can probably see it if you were to watch it from the observation deck as your ship comes in. If anyone else is interested, The church name is Our Lady of Fair Haven Cathedral, and it is walking distance from pier. Kim

JerseyGirl,

You and I are on the same sailing. We also had a tour booked but then I a) realized the tour included a lot of beach/snorkel spots- and I'm not that enthralled by snorkeling/diving (I luckily grew up on the water so a beach is a beach is a beach for me) and b) it was going to be Carnivale when we were docked.

We plan on enjoying this to the fullest. We didn't even book the trip with that in mind, so I feel it would be more awesome to see something like that. The tours will be there when we come back- but it might not be Carnival again ;)

Roseau is my favorite city in the Caribbean. It is completely non-touristy. It is a bustling, vibrant town with lots to see as long as you're not looking for tourist attractions.

I wandered around there for 3-4 hours one afternoon rubbing shoulders with the locals who were very pleasant to a goofy white guy from the states. You can eat curried goat too!

Tropical gardens? Has anyone gone up to the tropical gardens on foot and how much is it to get in? Info seems limited but tripadvisor reviews good.

Thanks

I recommend Levi Baron, of Bumpiing Tours, too. We've taken 3 of his excursions and are booked for a fourth next January.

I do not recommend Levi Baron of Bumpiing Tours! I was just mentioning this story, so came here to see if he were still around.

Five years ago, after reading several recommendations on CC and afraid that we would miss out on the best guide, I booked Levi a full year in advance. After several more emails confirming, he informed me at the last minute that he could not take us out on a private tour for 2 because of a prior commitment. Thanks to CC, I know that we were bumped shortly before the cruise when he had the opportunity to make more money on a larger group from our ship. Naturally, he did not bother to respond when I told him how unethical this was.

So beware. Levi Baron is not to be trusted.

I absolutely adore Levi and Dominica. It's absolutely my favorite island. I've toured with him the previous three times I've visited the island and will tour with him again in December if/when I can decide what I want to do and see. He's been nothing but professional. Last time, I wasn't going with him (had him as my driver the first two times), but I walked up and before I could give him my name to check in, he reached over and gave me a hug and mentioned my not snorkeling at Champagne Reef a year earlier Given how many hundreds of people he'd probably dealt with over the course of that year, I was pretty impressed. And when you have limited vehicles and drivers, I can see why taking a full van of paying customers would make sense for a vendor.

Anyway...

I've had some others asking about Woody. Do you have to email him to find out what he offers? Anyone have any recent feedback about him?

And when you have limited vehicles and drivers, I can see why taking a full van of paying customers would make sense for a vendor.

Any businessman would PREFER to have higher paying customers, but an ethical person would always honour a commitment.

Now, imagine yourself going back again next year. You book today and can't wait to tour again with Mr Wonderful. Shortly before your cruise when all the other guides are booked, someone offers him more money and he dumps you, leaving you on your own and ruining your plans. Would you still feel that this behaviour was ok?

I'd never book a private tour for 2 with a vendor who takes large groups. But if I did, and the tour operator cancelled, I'd ask for a recommendation of someone with a taxi/jeep who could provide what I wanted (and who didn't need to fill a van that carries a dozen passengers)!

We don't all have the same expectations or experiences. I'm not saying what happened to you didn't happen or was the best outcome. I'm saying I wouldn't hesitate to book with Levi yet again and I continue to refer people to him on a regular basis.

My personal experiences dealing with him (May 2009, November 2013 and November 2014) have been great.

I absolutely adore Levi and Dominica. It's absolutely my favorite island. I've toured with him the previous three times I've visited the island and will tour with him again in December if/when I can decide what I want to do and see. He's been nothing but professional. Last time, I wasn't going with him (had him as my driver the first two times), but I walked up and before I could give him my name to check in, he reached over and gave me a hug and mentioned my not snorkeling at Champagne Reef a year earlier Given how many hundreds of people he'd probably dealt with over the course of that year, I was pretty impressed. And when you have limited vehicles and drivers, I can see why taking a full van of paying customers would make sense for a vendor.

 

Anyway...

 

I've had some others asking about Woody. Do you have to email him to find out what he offers? Anyone have any recent feedback about him?

I had a disappointing experience with Woody in 2014. I actually cancelled a few days before we left home despite having booked many moths in advance because of a "bait and switch" type of maneuver he did. I found that many of the guides in Dominica try to fill up their vans and thus make others who have booked in advance wait around till they do. That happended to us and we lost almost 2 hours waiting for 2 other ships to drop off passengers that our guide hoped to pick-up while making us wait. We were really disappointed and angry. Another couple just walked out of the van and back to the ship. We will be in Dominica in January and will consider using a ship tour to avoid this experience again.

One thing though-Dominica is a beautiful, unspoiled island but it lacks the same infrastructure as other islands so their tourist skills are not as developed. And since fewer boats dock there on a regular basis, they try to capitalize on those that do. That's why we had the experience that we did.

Go to screw spa! Very relaxing hot sulphur pools in the rainforest. It is awesome.

Does this natural spa smell like eggs?

Does this natural spa smell like eggs?

Not to us. Loved, loved, loved this place and hope that they are still open after Hurricane.