We did the Southern itinerary in June. We tried to do the whale watching tour, but it was cancelled - not enough people.
I didn't find the locals any more aggressive than the locals in Nassau. In fact, the only place I have sailed that I can recall not running into pushy salespeople was in Grand Cayman - presumably because they have more money.
We ended up walking around Dominica for a while and taking pictures of the landscape - a beautiful island!
I'm glad I got the chance to go there, though Aruba would be nice too.
What does it mean when the original poster stated that Roseau Dominica was removed from sailings after November, 2010? I have the Southern Caribbean itinerary booked leaving on January 16th, 2011 on the AOS and I have not received any notice.