Thoughts on new 12/2 Escape itinerary

Kind of disappointed on new Escape 12/2 itinerary. Have been to Jamaica (Ocho Rios) and Georgetown. Researching Falmouth it seems there is nothing worth seeing in the area since most cruisers who dock there head for Ocho Rios for excursions (Mystic Mountain, Dunns River Falls, etc.) Many negative comments on Falmouth which seems to be pretty seedy. Will search for something new to do on Grand Cayman. Know nothing of GSC except our UDP is good and food is free (?). With the exception of clamshells or cabanas, there seem to be little areas of shade in which to relax. Anyone have thoughts or comments on these ports? BTW - overall super pleased to be on a luxury cruise ship in these difficult times so please don't jump all over me!

Maybe they'll reroute you to San Juan, St Martin, and/or St Croix. Oh wait, those places are destroyed too. Perspective.

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One of the best excursions we've ever done was a raft trip down the Martha Brae River. It is only about 15min from Falmouth where as we came from Ocho Rios and it was a very hot, very muggy bus ride of about 2+ hrs. The captain of our raft was very knowledgeable about the area and a joy to spend an afternoon with.

Not too sure where your info regarding Great Stirrup Cay came from, but, we found it to have plenty of shade trees back from the water. Maybe take a Google maps "trip" and check out the satellite view to see for yourself. There's snorkeling, para-sailing (amazing!), wave runners, marine life eco boat tour, kayaking, paddle-boarding, stingray feeding and the list continues. Yes, it will cost you some money but so does every other excursion at every other port. It's a beautiful beach if you just wanna lay around. The barbeque lunch spread was very tasty with lots of choices.

As with anything in life, give it a chance before automatically writing any port off. You may be pleasantly surprised.

You should check out the ports forums for each stop for a better idea of what to do.

Kind of disappointed on new Escape 12/2 itinerary. Have been to Jamaica (Ocho Rios) and Georgetown. Researching Falmouth it seems there is nothing worth seeing in the area since most cruisers who dock there head for Ocho Rios for excursions (Mystic Mountain, Dunns River Falls, etc.) Many negative comments on Falmouth which seems to be pretty seedy. Will search for something new to do on Grand Cayman. Know nothing of GSC except our UDP is good and food is free (?). With the exception of clamshells or cabanas, there seem to be little areas of shade in which to relax. Anyone have thoughts or comments on these ports? BTW - overall super pleased to be on a luxury cruise ship in these difficult times so please don't jump all over me!

Stay on the ship.

We really enjoyed Falmouth. We took a tour with Marva Shaw's company (recommended on the boards frequently) and found it to be great! We stopped by a local fruit stand to try some fresh fruit, did some shopping and toured Rosehall and ate lunch at Montego Bay at a local jerk shack before heading back to the ship. Each port is what you make of it! Get a good guide and you will enjoy your time!

Kind of disappointed on new Escape 12/2 itinerary. Have been to Jamaica (Ocho Rios) and Georgetown. Researching Falmouth it seems there is nothing worth seeing in the area since most cruisers who dock there head for Ocho Rios for excursions (Mystic Mountain, Dunns River Falls, etc.) Many negative comments on Falmouth which seems to be pretty seedy. Will search for something new to do on Grand Cayman. Know nothing of GSC except our UDP is good and food is free (?). With the exception of clamshells or cabanas, there seem to be little areas of shade in which to relax. Anyone have thoughts or comments on these ports? BTW - overall super pleased to be on a luxury cruise ship in these difficult times so please don't jump all over me!

You're correct in that the UDP is good on GSC and the food is free. Shade isn't difficult to find though. If you plan on swimming I suggest water shoes. There are areas that are rocky and walking can be difficult.

Kind of disappointed on new Escape 12/2 itinerary. Have been to Jamaica (Ocho Rios) and Georgetown. Researching Falmouth it seems there is nothing worth seeing in the area since most cruisers who dock there head for Ocho Rios for excursions (Mystic Mountain, Dunns River Falls, etc.) Many negative comments on Falmouth which seems to be pretty seedy. Will search for something new to do on Grand Cayman. Know nothing of GSC except our UDP is good and food is free (?). With the exception of clamshells or cabanas, there seem to be little areas of shade in which to relax. Anyone have thoughts or comments on these ports? BTW - overall super pleased to be on a luxury cruise ship in these difficult times so please don't jump all over me!

I can't imagine anyone jumping all over you. Of course it is a disappointment. I guess, as you mention all you can do is make the most of it. The one fun thing in Grand Cayman is snorkeling if you are into it and feeding the stringrays. We have done this, really fun!!!! Climbing Dunns River Falls if you are in pretty good condition and can put up with the venders pushing their cheap crap down your throats is really a great experience. I did it once, probably wouldn't do it again but it was still a good feeling when you got to the top.

I am on the 12/02 Escape cruise, and will make the best of the ports offered... Never been to Falmouth, so I can hopefully find some great jerk chicken. Grand Cayman has beautiful beaches. GSC I will probably just stay on the ship. Nassau, well it's Nassau... Probably stay on the ship there also...

We did a great excursion from Falmouth called The Blue Hole. River tubing and jumping into swim areas along the falls. Lunch and cocktails were also provided. If you just want to stay in port there is a nice area right there where you can shop and eat. Go to the Ports of Call boards and see what everyone else suggests. Happy Sailing!

We don't sail til February, but luckily we are still outside the final payment window. If our cruise also gets rerouted to the western route or this new one, we will likely cancel and rebook a southern cruise. OF course it could be with another cruise line at that point unfortunately. We've only ever sailed with NCL, but have no interest in these new ports, so probably wouldn't spend our vacation dollars on them.

I can't imagine anyone jumping all over you. Of course it is a disappointment. I guess, as you mention all you can do is make the most of it. The one fun thing in Grand Cayman is snorkeling if you are into it and feeding the stringrays. We have done this, really fun!!!! Climbing Dunns River Falls if you are in pretty good condition and can put up with the venders pushing their cheap crap down your throats is really a great experience. I did it once, probably wouldn't do it again but it was still a good feeling when you got to the top.

You did see post #2 immediately make a comment.....

Maybe they'll reroute you to San Juan, St Martin, and/or St Croix. Oh wait, those places are destroyed too. Perspective.

You did see post #2 immediately make a comment.....

Agree. Comment #2 and 5 unnecessary, but there are always those few. Thanks for the other constructive comments. We will make the best of it but I still think we got hosed. Anyhow, if you're on this cruise, see you there!