Dunn's River Falls excursion - so many ?'s

[BlondieinFL]

We are cruising soon, and will be doing the Dunn's River Falls excursion in Jamaica, along with Mystic Mountain. I have a few (several) questions for any experienced DRF people - how wet do you get? Do you have to get your head wet, or is that avoidable while climbing the falls? Are you able to enter and exit the falls on the way up, to use the staircase, or are you stuck on the falls once you are on them? Are very basic, thin-soled water shoes fine, or should we have Keens (or similar)? Is there a place to keep our stuff while we climb (regular shoes, backpacks/purses, etc.)? Or, should we use a waterproof backpack, and if so, any recommendations (I'd prefer smaller)? Will we have a tour guide with us (this is a DCL excursion)? Will we have to hold hands? Also, this excursion leaves early - does anyone know how early Cabanas is open for breakfast - or, what do you do for breakfast? Finally, does anyone have a waterproof camera recommendation?

Thank you!!

 

[DISNEY FANTASY]

I have walked up it, my wife choose to go by the walkway and steps next to it. I was waist down in the water most of the time, our group held hands all the way, some left the group.

It's enjoyable, the water quite cool, quite strong, some sand some slippery stones, but a wonderful experience.

So you enter near the bottom, and walk up, not too tough. You as said can leave st set points, it's like a bit up on stones like steps, then a pool to wade through then more going up. Parts you can leave, parts you can't, the guide will explain.

As for Cababas, it will open before any scheduled DCL tour, or port arrival time, so you can get breakfast early.

 

[sabrecmc]

Did this a couple of weeks ago with my daughter (10). You can get as wet as you want, but the deepest it was on me was about waist deep. You can stand under the water and get splashed, dunk yourself, that kind of thing, at the deeper points. Most of it is pretty shallow though. Once you start up, there is a chicken exit part of the way up if you didn't want to keep going up the falls, but you'd have to do at least some of the falls to make it that far. There are lockers for rent by the falls. We both wore regular water shoes and it was fine. Do take a waterproof camera, as your guide will be happy to take photos at various points. Also, take some money to tip your guide. Knowing what I know now, I'd have taken a little waterproof wristlet thing with some dollars and my camera in it (as it was, I shoved the camera and a wad of cash, ah...between the "girls"). Each guide was taking a small group of maybe 8 people, and yes, at points, you form a human chain with your group (trust me, you will want to do this). Your guide will tell you exactly where to step and will help where you need an extra pull or something.

Note that we did the excursion on our own (with Courtney Taylor tours...also visited Blue Hole), but the DCL group was right behind us and it seemed to work exactly the same for them, though it just took more waiting b/c it was such a big group to get sorted. We were done and some of them hadn't started yet. It was really fun! I do think you need to be relatively fit to do it, particularly free of knee issues.

As the previous posters said, Cabanas was always open early enough, at least for a continental breakfast. You can also schedule room service to bring breakfast if you have an early departure.

 

[BlondieinFL]

Did this a couple of weeks ago with my daughter (10). You can get as wet as you want, but the deepest it was on me was about waist deep. You can stand under the water and get splashed, dunk yourself, that kind of thing, at the deeper points. Most of it is pretty shallow though. Once you start up, there is a chicken exit part of the way up if you didn't want to keep going up the falls, but you'd have to do at least some of the falls to make it that far. There are lockers for rent by the falls. We both wore regular water shoes and it was fine. Do take a waterproof camera, as your guide will be happy to take photos at various points. Also, take some money to tip your guide. Knowing what I know now, I'd have taken a little waterproof wristlet thing with some dollars and my camera in it (as it was, I shoved the camera and a wad of cash, ah...between the "girls"). Each guide was taking a small group of maybe 8 people, and yes, at points, you form a human chain with your group (trust me, you will want to do this). Your guide will tell you exactly where to step and will help where you need an extra pull or something.

Note that we did the excursion on our own (with Courtney Taylor tours...also visited Blue Hole), but the DCL group was right behind us and it seemed to work exactly the same for them, though it just took more waiting b/c it was such a big group to get sorted. We were done and some of them hadn't started yet. It was really fun! I do think you need to be relatively fit to do it, particularly free of knee issues.

As the previous posters said, Cabanas was always open early enough, at least for a continental breakfast. You can also schedule room service to bring breakfast if you have an early departure.

Thank you - so, do you "have to" get your head wet, or is that optional? How much tip should we plan to give?

 

[sabrecmc]

Thank you - so, do you "have to" get your head wet, or is that optional? How much tip should we plan to give?

Totally up to you on if you get your head wet, absent an errant splash or something. You might get some spray, but not bad. I had $8 on me after paying the entrance fee, so that's what I gave him. I'd have liked to give more, but that just happened to be the cash I was carrying with me at the time. I didn't really know to bring tip money, but he definitely deserved it! Was really good with my daughter and making sure she got up safely and had fun. Took lots of pictures. So, yeah, tip your guide!

 

[Fuhnuh]

Thank you - so, do you "have to" get your head wet, or is that optional? How much tip should we plan to give?

We did DRF and lunch last May with a DCL tour and I totally forgot about getting altogether wet. From what I remember, there were three different main paths going up with different groups all holding hands. Some routes looked like they may have been easier than others. Our guide was great but strongly encouraged us to have fun (dunk ourselves etc), I imagine to make the photo/video package more enticing. I remember it being more than waste deep in several spots we went through, but don't remember if this was during sanctioned "frolic photo" time.
We all wore Keens and the slippery rocks were still pretty slippery. DW fell at one point where the water was pretty fast and the man in front of her and my 90lb DD15 were the only thing that kept her from being swept down into a little drop off. I was second to last in my group with DD in front of me and a very large man behind me (he was below me and still taller or my height for much of the climb). We must have looked like nesting dolls in a row. I found the handholding more of a hindrance, but DW and DD15 found it helpful. It may have been the height/weight difference between me and my linemates. Some of the rocks have been scrubbed, so they are not as slippery. The guides are helpful in pointing these out, but if you are number 7 or 8 in line, it can be a little like playing the telephone game in kindergarten, sometimes the right spot to step can get lost in line. I was surprised how difficult I found it because other than DW's slip, both she and DD15 and everyone in our group seemed otherwise. I am glad that I did it, but if there were and easy way to a chicken exit at a couple points, I might have taken it. I certainly don't want to make it seem more difficult than it is because I haven't read or seen anyone else find it that way.
We kept some stuff (no valuables on the bus) and carried waterproof zip locked cash IDs and DD15's phone with us.