Our First Cruise - RCCL Western Caribbean

An April 2004 trip to Western Caribbean by workout_lisa

DunnMore Photos

We enjoyed the cruise, but discovered that we prefer vacationing at resorts. Two things surprised me: One, you don't slightly feel the ship move -- you REALLY feel the ship move -- and two, while at sea, it's not just a little windy, it's really WINDY on the upper deck!

  • 2 reviews
  • 3 photos

Dunns River FallsBest of IgoUgo

Attraction | "Beach Getaway Experience with Dunn's River Falls"

Dunn's River Falls
Overview

We went on the "Beach Getaway and Dunn's River Falls" excursion while in Ocho Rios Jamaica during our cruise. The price was $115 per person. Overall I was disappointed. The boat ride

The first mode of transportation for this exursion was by boat. The crew were very friendly, and the ride included drinks.

The crew did a great job of entertaining with music and pointed out scenic sites along the coastline.

Blundel House

Blundel house is billed in the description as 5-bedroom home that was once the vacation habitat for heads of state. It is described as a residence on a white sandy beach. My expectations based on the description provided by RCCL were way to high.

The beach was very small and not big enough for a walk along the shore. The beach area was gated, which kept the beach vendors at bay, but they hung over the sides of the railing and the private beach didn't end up being that private.

Lunch and drinks were provided including rum punch, fruit punch and soda, however, I was disappointed that there was no diet soda, and the meal was only mediocre. Not what I expected for a $115 excursion. After lunch, we boarded a bus which transported us to Dunn's River Falls.

Dunn's River Fall's

When we arrived at Dunn's River Fall's we were told to leave our money behind on the bus. This was confusing, and misleading, because if you didn't have the appropriate footwear, you then didn't have money to rent the appropriate sandals. I thought my shoes would work, but it turned out they didn't, and we didn't have enough money for everyone to climb the falls. There is also several snack shops and souviner shops where money would have come in handy. Climbing Dunn's River Falls was great and the highlight of our day. The climb started at the bottom of the falls, and everyone was instructed to hold hands. There were several older or overweight people trying to climb with our group, who had a very hard time. By the time we made it halfway up the falls, the group that started with 16 climbers was down to about 6. Although my husband didn't have proper footwear (he had flipflops), the escort up the falls allowed him to join us half way up so he was able to finish the climb.

In summary....

In my opinion this excursion was overpriced. If I had to select an excursion again, I would select Dunn's River Falls and a snorkeling trip.

  • Member Rating 2 out of 5 by workout_lisa on April 25, 2004

Dunns River Falls
Ocho Rios Ocho Rios, Jamaica
+876-974-2857

Seven Mile Beach (General)Best of IgoUgo

Attraction | "Grand Cayman 7 Mile Beach"

Grand Cayman
The 7 Mile Beach on Grand Cayman is fabulous. Relaxing in the lounge chair on the beach was wonderful and I didn't want to get back on the ship. The beach is very clean.

At 8am, we drove past the beach area and noted that there were people raking seaweed and overall doing a great job of maintaining the beach, which looked wonderful when we returned at 10am to relax. The long stretch of white sand is comfortable for strolling several miles, but there are a few places you need to watch for small to mid-size pebbles.

The public area was very crowded (probably because several of the cruise ship excursions were cancelled), but not so overcrowded that you couldn't unwind and forget about your troubles. There were several areas along our mile-long stroll, where there were few to no people.

The water is crystal clear and a beautiful turquoise color similar to what one would find in St. John or Turks and Caicos. My father went snorkelling, but didn't see any fish, although closer to the other end of the beach is supposed to have good snorkelling and there were a few tours that left right from the public beach area.

I can't wait to return to the Cayman Islands in 2005 when I will get to spend a week, rather than just a portion of a day on the wonderful island.

  • Member Rating 5 out of 5 by workout_lisa on April 25, 2004

Seven Mile Beach (General)
Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands

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