Casa de Campo- Cueva de las Maravillas - Excellent

[BarryOtt]

Hi:

 

We returned from a Millennium cruise of Feb 18 - 25, 2007. We were in Casa de campo, DR on Tuesday, Feb. 20.

 

I had heard about the Cueva de las Maravillas caves and thought that might be the best excursion. A comedian on the ship said that "Casa de Campo" meant "stay on the ship" in Spanish.

 

I had asked here and on the ship about the Caves, with no response. My wife and I went (there were two excursions from the ship that day...one had 20 people the other had 40...according to the Shore Excursions staff.) We got the last 2 places.

 

About 1/2 hour ride through the city (Romana) to the caves. The caves are beautiful! It is like walking through a beautiful ballroom.

 

You walk on lit concrete paths. There are steps (not too steep...not too many) so the caves are not wheelchair accessible. All the paths are in excellent condition. and lit..but there may be puddles of water on some of them. Don't wear sunglasses in the caves. It's not nearly as bright as outdoors. But not dark either, see below.

 

You ride back up to the surface via an elevator.

 

There are a few bats fluttering around, but they were quite far from any of us. At least about 20 feet, in my opinion. Most of the bats are sleeping. Our guide (and all the trips are guided and strictly regulated) said that the bats we saw he called "Exhibitionist Bats" because they should all be sleeping. My feeling is that that are of the DR produced so many great baseball players is the proximity to the bats.:rolleyes:

 

There may be a bit of dripping, I think I got hit about 5 or 6 times in the entire (I think) 1/2 or 3/4 hour tour through the caves. Guide: If the drip is cold, it is the cave blessing you. If it is warm, it is a bat.... (warm doesn't really happen).

 

Temperature is relatively warm. Cooler than that on the surface, but not cold. If you are worried, take a light sweater. People in light shirts were sweating. But it is not strenuous.

 

There is no crawling...you walk upright. Tall people may have to duck their heads a few times.

 

NO photography inside.

 

Now on to the views. Wonderful! The caves website (you have to wait for the slideshow to begin) shows it beautifully: http://www.cuevadelasmaravillas.com/

 

The petroglyphis are interesting, but the beautifully lit (on motion sensor controls) environment is fantastic.

 

If you cannot get to the Postjona Caves in Slovenia (http://www.postojnska-jama.si/?cat=6&lang=en) then Cueva de las Maravillasis the cave to see. See Cueva de las Maravillas even if you do see the Postjona caves.

 

It's probably the best thing to do in Casa de Campo (from what others say about Casa de Campo). This is my first visit.

 

After the cave visit, we stopped at a shopping area, then back to the ship. My wife and I are not shoppers.

 

I do recommend the Cueva de las Maravillas.:D

[Sunny AZ Girl]

Thank you for the review. We are scheduled to go there on the Explorer next year. From what I have read there isn't too much to be excited about. Now you offer one possibility......

 

I am hoping to see some more positive reviews of excursions at this port now that RCI has just added it to their schedule.

[Toni's Mom]

My husband and I were on the Feb. Feb. 4 sailing and also took this tour. It was as OP described, but the highlight for us was our tour guide, Jesus de la Cruz. He was very knowledgeable, not only about the caves, but about the history of the Dominican Republic, and pointed out many places of interest to us on our journey to and from the caves. I highly recommend this tour.

[renroc13]

We leave on March 11th. Thank you for the post. We have been on the Millenium and in Casa in the past but thought we might just stay on the ship until we saw the caves listed. It might have been your post asking for information that I saw weeks ago but there did not seem to be anyone to give feedback.

I am fine with the walking and some steps but thought it might be too much climbing for me. Since I climed uphill a mile in Australia 2 summers ago I guess this is doable for me.

 

We did a tour of the town and sites the 1st time we were in the DR and sat on the ship the 2nd. Thank you for your post. Hearing that there is a lift to get out makes it much more desirable for me.

Sue

[shirleygr]

I just booked the Explorer for next February and this is the first thread I've read about this port. I think I already know what I'll do there. We went to the crystal caves in Bermuda and my girls just loved it. I think they'll enjoy these caves as well. Thanks for posting the information. :)

[PACURN]

From what I am reading you all booked your tours thru the cruiseline. Does anyone know if there are any private tours available to take us to the caves. I'm not a fan of ship tours.

Thanks

[daju22]

Hello,

Thank you for recommending this tour! My husband uses a scooter or a wheelchair. He can walk, but slowly. This seems great for us as he can walk down the steps and I can bring the wheelchair down. I can push him (once we get down) to keep up with the tour. I was looking at the pictures of the caves and it looks like there are ramps by the elevator and the possibility that he could use his scooter to get down.

 

Does anyone know if the ramps would provide access to the bottom where the steps are located?

 

Did they use buses that have storage underneath for baggage?

 

Thank you for any information you may have.

Judy