Hi, I am new to this chat area. My wife and I leave Friday for a cruise to the Western Caribbean with Royal Caribbean. (We have cruised several times before). We are in our early 40's and both in great physical shape. Here is my question/dilemma. I want to climb Dunn's River Falls. However, my wife is concerned about having an unexpected accident (slip), that would ruin her cruise. (We have talked to several people that have witnessed people getting hurt. Nothing serious, but enough to put a damper on your vacation). So.....I thought a compromise would be that we could grab a cab and do a tour of the different areas of the island. (And at least stop at Dunn's to take a look and photograph the falls). My wife is concerned about taking a cab on our own. We have had people share mixed experiences about taking a cab and not doing the "structured" excursion. Is the cab option safe? Should I be concerned about taking a cab on my own? I don't want to just sit on a beach. I like to see different sites. Any advice would be appreciated.
I would not recommend that you grab a cab from the port and venture off on your own. While some of the drivers are totally reputable, there also a lot of unsavory locals that lie in wait at the cruise terminal. Best to book some kind of a private tour here. I can recommend Carolyn Barrett (http://www.barrettadventures.com). She put together a customized tour of the island for just my husband and myself that was wonderful. I believe the cost was $20 per hour -which was well worth it!!
Cindi
We took a tour car outside the portarea and the prices were not really cheap. They brought us with a bus to the Falls. We had some time to do the falls or not and then we had to wait a very long time in the sun (no shadow-places) for the same bus.
We were molested by men, trying to sell drugs and other men trying to sell sex. They did it, even when our husbands were close to us and I must honestly tell you, that we were happy being back on bord the ship.
So I would recommed a guided tour and even there, you can meet people like we did.
Marita
Honestly, I think you have just as good of a chance getting hurt by slipping and falling on the deck of the ship as climbing Dunn's River Falls. My wife and I are also in our early 40's and we went there with our children (12, 10 and 8) last year. Honestly, it was one of the best shore excursions we've ever been on. The falls are beautiful and fairly easy to climb. All of us made it without a problem (and I'm a fairly paranoid father). If you do decide to go the the falls, do it on your own. You do not have to wait for a guide (no matter what they say).
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