Most cruise ports of call offer a variety of excursions through both the cruise line and third-party vendors. Having cruised several times, we typically book with a third party or simply explore on our own. However, on a recent sailing, we had several new islands on the itinerary…and some available onboard credit. We booked “Dominica’s Favorites” through Royal Caribbean so that we would have a nice sampling of this new-to-us island.
Dominica is known as “The Nature Island” and wow is that an appropriate description. From the moment the Jewel of the Seas pulled into port the views were breathtaking. The cost of this 4 1/2 hour excursion was $52 per person and booking was simple in the cruise planner.
Exploring “Dominica’s Favorites”
Our excursion group met that morning onboard and walked into the port area together. Transportation included a large bus and a smaller shuttle bus. We were toward the back of the group and were led to the smaller shuttle bus. This worked out well for us because we were in a smaller group of 8-10 people.
Our tour guide for Dominica’s Favorites, Dasima, was wonderful. She was warm, welcoming and full of information regarding her home. She was the kind of tour guide that you are proud to tip at the end of your tour.
Dasima shared with us that Dominica has a population of approximately 72,000 people and that the island is 99% volcanic. The capital city is Roseau and pronounced, Rose-OH. She made us all repeat it to her. 😉 Dominica has a female Prime Minister (girl power!) a ceremonial president and they are an independent nation.
Dasima also shared a bit about the devastation and horror of September 17-19, 2017, when Hurricane Maria hit their small island. Even after several trips to the post-hurricane Caribbean, the resiliency of the people still amazes us.
She pointed out that the school children wear uniforms and their age and school can be identified by the uniform that they wear. It was sweet how she conveyed that everyone in the community looks out for all of the school children. They even had two universities on the island. However, their medical school was relocated to Barbados because the buildings were destroyed during the hurricane.
First Stop of Dominica’s Favorites – Morne Bruce
Our first official stop was to a viewpoint known as Morne Bruce. There were a couple of souvenir tables positioned here but mostly it was a place to capture the tourist shot overlooking the cruise ship in port.
There were still buildings in this capital city of Roseau that were still without roofs due to Hurricane Maria. I cannot begin to imagine what it was like on this little island during such a massive storm.
Touring the Island – Dominica’s Favorites
Our driver then took us through the Dominica Botanic Garden. I saw this on the description and honestly, we weren’t super excited about this part of the schedule. I assumed it was just a big garden with a bunch of flowers but it was a pleasant surprise. It was a lovely park. It seemed to be a place available for local families to enjoy a picnic, a little hike or to play a sport.
Most tourist images from the garden are of a bus that was smashed by a tree during Hurricane David in 1979. The bus was empty at the time and no one was harmed.
So…here’s the tourist pic. 🙂
It was difficult to capture many images during this portion as we were captive on the bus. You don’t get the best quality images from a moving vehicle… through a bus window. But, this was the only destination of the tour when we didn’t exit the bus and had time at the location.
Dominica’s Favorites Continues to Trafalgar Falls
Soon after, we arrived at the park entrance to the Trafalgar Falls area. Souvenirs and coolers with water/pop are available for purchase from local vendors. If you are interested in local souvenirs, wait for this stop of the tour which offers a bigger selection than at mourne Bruce.
It was a fairly short “hike” to the falls. The terrain was very manageable but it is certainly not up to accessibility code. The majority of the walk was paved or gravel-based but there were stairs and condition changes that would exclude those with more severe mobility issues. If you are just simple concerned about your physical fitness, don’t be. You have plenty of time to go at your pace and it’s a pretty short walk.
Dasima shared with us that Trafalgar falls are known as “Father” on the left which is fed by a lake, and “Mother” on the right is fed by a river. The falls have never run dry.
Isn’t nature fascinating?
Another of Dominica’s Favorites – Emerald Pool
Included on several excursions offered in Dominica, the last stop on our tour was Emerald Pool. From where our bus parked the pool was a short, approximately 10 minutes walk down steps to the pool…all uphill steps on the way out. But, again, it’s a short walk. In fact, before booking, I found a lot of conflicting information on the excursions in both Grenada and Dominica. Some reviews commented that a hike was “treacherous” while others commented that it was nothing that would break a sweat. I will say that this specific tour was quite mild as far as a “hike”. I would estimate that 90% of it is a paved or graveled path.
There was still quite a bit of damage and rebuilding in the area. I believe there used to be an entrance path and an exit path. But, at the time of our visit, both entering and exiting groups shared the same path.
Pros of Dominica’s Favorites Cruise Excursion
- Small group size – Again, we were in the “overflow” vehicle so our group was small
- Clean restrooms available at each stop during the tour. As a worrier, this is important for me.
- Great first look and overview of a new island
- Very educational – There is so much more to this island than the fact that it happened to host filming for Pirates of the Caribbean.
- Excellent tour guide – Dasima was so willing to share information. At the end of our tour, I just wanted to give her a big hug.
Next Time in Dominica
I would love to visit Dominica again. It’s such a beautiful island overflowing with nature. Next time, I would like to experience a more in-depth hike of the rainforest. Of course, when I do, I’ll share it with all of you.
Have you been to Dominica? I’d love for you to share your experience below and be sure to join our positive and travel-loving community on Facebook.
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