Scoop on Dunn’s Falls (Falmouth)

[DisMommyTX]

Climbing up the falls requires you to know the right places to plant your feet. Lots of rushing water over slippery rocks. If you are all particularly athletic or experienced, maybe you could figure it out and recover your balance each time you slip, but my family would have never made it without the guide showing us where to step.

 

[fredandkell]

If you do it definitely do it with a Disney excursion. We did an all-inclusive resort near Dunns River Falls and the minute we left the property just to go to a convenience store (our hotel was sold out of sunscreen) we were approached by a man on a bicycle trying to sell us drugs. Um no thanks!! Also when we got to the falls we took one look at and were like heck no. Husband and I are both very physically fit and we both thought there was too much risk in doing it. I realize thousands of people make it up the falls successfully every year so I’m not saying that it can’t be done, I’m just saying for us the assessment of risk was too great as I had no desire to ruin my honeymoon by falling down a waterfall and having to visit a Jamaica hospital. I would strongly advise you to watch videos of the experience on YouTube so you can decide if it is appropriate for your family. An experience we very much enjoyed there was a horseback ride on a coconut plantation. Very tame horses, good for beginners.

 

[Capt_BJ]

Here we go again ....

If you do DRF from a ship excursion they will take you in as a group, walk you down the stairs to the beach / base of the falls area .... put you in groups of 20 or so .... have you hold hands and walk you up a mostly prepared path to the top of the 'allowed area' .... then they shunt you back to the bus and you're done.

I first visited DRF in 86 and have been back many times both with my ship's crew and family. No one has ever been hurt altho I'll admit it is possible. I can get hurt in the pool in my backyard too.

If you visit on your own know:
- admission to this national park is for THE DAY ... there is no fee to climb the falls once in the park
- guides work for tips
- a guide is NOT required to climb the falls but for a first timer might not be a bad idea. Take a guided trip once .... then do it again on your own!!! (an excursion WILL make you stay with the group)
- the Jam' way of doing business is usually perceived as 'in your face' by Americans .... example the pursuit of a tip or sale in the market. A polite 'no thank you' is usually enuf to stop their bantering. It is just their way of doing business.
- might you get offered 'stuff' to buy that you should NOT buy? YES but that happens all over Jam' and with the ever increasing legality in US should be dropping I'd imagine . . .
- OPINION: the group thing is to hold hands to stay together .... if someone trips, holding hands can turn a simple soft sit down into 3 or more people falling . . .

Here's family climbing DRF about 1/3 of way up about to go under bridge where road crosses. We're going 'up the middle' with no guide. See the folks on the left? A tour/excursion on the 'path' ....



there are pools along the way .. we stop and play .. see the hand holding line passing us by? Tour group ....



UP THE MIDDLE

 

[Capt_BJ]

oops?