This was a great adventure and a must do in Ocho Rios, but the people can make it a little overwhelming so be prepared.
We went as part of a cruise tour excursion. There were a lot of us going up together. We had 2 guides. One who was filming us the whole time and one who held on to everyone's cameras and took pics at certain points. He was amazing being there in waterfall and helping people yet never getting those cameras wet!
At the end, they both want to be tipped and well deserve it.
They will also want you to buy the video for $40. I said no and he offered $20. I took it. Wasn't great, but our climb is recorded for posterity. :) (You'll have to go through the craft village to get the video and it all looks a little shady and the crafters try to get you to buy, but just move along.)
Yes, you'll need to bring water shoes or rent them there and lockers are available.
The climb is not easy but a lot of people did it (one for whom the ambulance was called with a bad shoulder)
There is a point about half way that you can exit if you wish.
DON"T let the guys out front of the park put those darn bead necklaces on you, they say they are free but then they hound you to death for a donation. (that part was the one real downer)
How often do you get to climb a waterfall? Enjoy!

We booked our excursion of Dunn's River Falls and Tubing with Phil Lafayette instead of through the ship and it was GREAT!! Phil was a very intelligent and informed man who was obviously very proud of his country. He was a lot of fun too!! and kept us safe while ensuring that we had a wonderful experience in Jamaica. He knew exactly how to avoid the crowds and make sure we enjoyed a full day of fun without the hassle. The other real benefit of booking with Phil is that he does not require money up front but rather payment upon completion of the excursion. You can't be any more fair than that!!! His price was about half that of the cruise ship. The place that he took us 'river tubing' was beautiful and very quiet and scenic.

Thanks Phil for the GREAT TIME from the "Group of 11 from Oakville.

I just returned from a tour of the Dunn's River Falls and had a great time. Awesome experience and guides were great.

One word of caution - Do not buy the video for $40.00 We werer harassed all the way back to the bus and paid the money. The video was to be waiting for us at the port and never arrived. The guide was right next to him the whole trip and never cautioned us about this scam.

We just finished a Hooves Jamaica beach ride. Another couple in our group was headed to Dunns River Falls, and encouraged us to join them. I knew from reading reviews online what it was about. I was hesitate to do it, because my 3 and 7-year-old daughters already had a big day with a horseback ride. But, we decided to go for it, and are so glad we did!

We started at the bottom and were quite concerned when we looked up and saw what we needed to climb. So, we took the path back up and joined the falls at the the first place that climbers from the bottom could exit. I'm guessing it was about 1/4 of the way up. All four of us loved this climb!

The guides on the falls were great. They helped my family a lot. We were there on our own and not part of a group, but they still helped us out a lot. They do ask for a tip at the end.

At the next point where you can exit, my family decided to keep going. They didn't want to quit! My husband and I were both stressed that the 3-year-old would fall and hurt herself. But, she did great. Between the two of us, we had no trouble helping her up the falls. We climbed to the very end and all of us loved it. This was indeed a highlight of our trip!


Tips:
You must wear footwear. The rocks are surprisingly not slippery. But, you need shoes of some sort. Two of us wore water shoes. One wore sneakers and one wore leather dress and sandals (with a heel strap). All were fine and no damage was done to the sandals or sneakers. They do rent water shoes at the top, but we skipped that. We did rent a locker to keep our stuff. It costs $8, but they give you $5 back when you return the lock.