ReggaeRoy

We have done the Bamboo Rafting on the Martha Brae River twice. It is a lot of fun and not very strenuous. You do have to walk down a small hill to get to the river and then back up about 10 stairs at the very end. The guides can be a lot of fun if you engage them and get them singing and telling stories.

That's an ambitious itinerary for only 8 hours in Jamaica. Dunns River and Mystic Mountain are both very close to the pier and within a mile of each other (as is Dolphin Cove). You can easily spend over an hour at each place (probably even longer at Mystic - especially if you want to eat, zip line, swim, or ride the bob sled ride again).

The Blue Hole is at least a 30 minute drive from the pier (over some difficult roads). The White River tubing is right there too (actually the same river). That would be fun too.

I would definitely hire a driver/tour guide for the day. He will wait for you at each attraction. Lots of them and most will take great care of you and your group. I have no specific recommendation though. Don't forget to tip your driver!

You can take a bus or a taxi. make sure the taxi has red license plates.. That means he is licensed and insured to carry passengers.

I would recommend a stop at the Green Grotto Caves in Runaway Bay. Fun for the kids and not too strenuous for elderly. Only takes 45 minutes to an hour for the full tour.

The Ultimate Jerk Center is directly across the street.

We have done the Martha Brae River bamboo rafting twice. It is a fun and relaxing trip. Only about 15 minutes from the Falmouth pier. The raft "captains" can be a lot of fun and keep you singing and laughing the whole trip. There are several locals selling wares along the way. You can stop or just keep going. The captains will also try to sell you souvenirs.

Grab a couple of cold Red Stripe beers and enjoy the 45 minute ride down the river.

I would suggest a short cab ride to Miss T's Kitchen. Miss T's has a very diverse menu - not just jerk. Lots of seafood choices. The oxtails are delicious.

There is lots to do close to Ocho Rios. I depends on how much time and cash you have. Dunns River, Mystic Mountain, Dolphin Cove, Blue Hole, White River Tubing are just a few that come to mind.

You could also spend some time at Margaritaville or the beach.

If you leave Falmouth and go towards Ocho Rios - you will get to Scotchie's first. Scotchie's is more like a cafeteria - you go to a window and place your order, then you stand at the cooking pit and watch them prepare your food order. Get your food on a tray and go find a table to sit at. The jerk is almost always ready, so wait time is minimal. I would suggest a small amount of jerk chicken, pork, and sausage. Try it all!

Miss T's kitchen is in downtown Ocho Rios. Very diverse menu - not just jerk. It is a sit down restaurant with full bar. Food is cooked to order, but service is always pretty quick. Delicious jerk - but also great fish, lobster, shrimp, and oxtails. I especially like the rundown shrimp! Several people have raved about the fried chicken.

Most places in Jamaica prepare their jerk relatively mild to keep everyone happy. But they will also give you some sauces so you can heat it up if you want!

That seems like a lot for one day...

The Blue Hole and White River Tubing are both a little over an hour drive east from Falmouth. They are close together and actually the same river. Both places are a lot of fun. Figure on about an hour at each place - give or take.

Scotchie's would be right on the way back to Falmouth. Scotchie's has great jerk and service is fast (everything is already cooked). You walk up to a window and place your order. Then you can watch the guys in the jerk pit get your food ready. An option could be Miss T's kitchen in the center of Ocho Rios. Many more menu choices but food is cooked to order (takes longer).

Doctor's Cave beach is nearly an hour west of Falmouth. So you are looking at about 2 hours form Blue Hole to Doctor's Cave. There are some beaches closer to Falmouth, but I can't remember the names right now.

We did Blue Hole, White River Tubing, and Miss T's Kitchen on a recent land based vacation. We left our villa (near Falmouth) at 10am and didn't get back until nearly 4pm.

I have been to Bamboo Beach Club twice as excursions on NCL. I have also been to Doctor's Cave Beach Club many times over my 37 years of going to Jamaica.

We did the VIP excursion to Bamboo in 2014 and 2015. VIP includes open bar and lots of food. The overall experience was nicer in 2014. Food was better as was the overall "vibe".

I would recommend Doctor's Cave over Bamboo Beach:

* Less drive time (40 minutes versus over an hour from Falmouth)

* Nicer beach (Bamboo is rocky)

* Better food and drink options

* Nicer (and cleaner) facilities.

* Doctor's Cave will be more crowded though

I really can't comment on transportation.

The Hampden Rum Tour includes a lunch of jerk chicken or pork.

There is a Scotchie's in both Ocho Rios and Montego Bay. Both are easy to get to from the ports.

Pork Pit is in Montego Bay as well.

Miss T's Kitchen is in downtown Ocho Rios. They have a larger menu - not just jerk.

If you are docked in Falmouth, The Ultimate Jerk Center is about a 20 minute drive away (right across the street from the Green Grotto Caves).

We have done the White River tubing twice now (never as part of cruise booked excursion though). I am over 300 pounds and never had a problem.

I've been to Mystic Mountain 3 times (never as part of a cruise excursion though). It is a bit pricey, but the bob sled ride is a blast! The trip up the hill on the ski lift is worth it alone. Up top they have a museum, some craft vendors, gift shop, humming bird sitting area, bar, restaurant, and pool. You can also add the zip line too.

My youngest was 3 1/2 the first time he climbed Dunn's River Falls. No problems at all.

You could also look into the bamboo rafting on the Martha Brae River (which is very close to the Falmouth port). Combine that with the Caves and you should have a nice day.

We are big fans of Miss T's Kitchen. We go there every trip to Jamaica. Awesome service and food!

I am not aware of any Appleton mini tour located near Falmouth.

However, the Hampden Rum Co. is located near Falmouth and does tours. I hear it is about 20 minutes from Falmouth. We are planning on going there during our March trip to Jamaica.

The Sky Explorer is basically a ski lift through the rain forest. It is a nice 6-7 minute ride up to the top (unless you are afraid of heights). They take your picture on the way, which they offer for sale.

The top is very nice.... lIke you say infinity pool (with water slide), humming bird sitting area, small Jamaican history museum, several gift shops, look out area with bar and decent restaurant. Great views of downtown Ocho Rios and the port area.

The bob sled ride is a blast!

My wife and I did the VIP Bamboo Beach excursion in October of 2014. We had a fantastic time. The beach itself is not that great (as others have said). Unlimited grilled lobster and jerk chicken. The drinks and entertainment were all excellent.

We went back on this excursion in December of 2015. Very different experience. Limited food. Wait forever for a drink. Bathrooms were filthy. We haven't gone back.

Yes, you can easily walk from Doctor's Cave beach to Margaritaville, and the Pork Pit. My wife and I did this in 2014. We took the shuttle from the pier to Doctor's Cave. I believe it was $5.00 each (the driver will try to convince you to stay on the bus and go on a tour with him). We stayed a couple hours at Doctor's and then walked the "hip strip" to M-Ville for a cocktail. The Pork Pit is very close. We had a great lunch there and then grabbed a cab back to the pier (again around $5 per person). It was a pretty cheap and fun day.

You are looking at about 60-75 minutes to get there from Falmouth. Admission to the Blue Hole is either $15 or $20 per person. Please remember to tip your guide well. They will treat you great and they rely entirely on the generosity of tourists. We gave him $10 each.

The Appleton Rum Factory is at least a 2 hour drive (each way) from any of the major ports in Jamaica (Mo Bay, Ocho Rios, or Falmouth). We have gone there twice and it is a very nice tour (land based vacations, not cruises). Nice tour, unlimited free tastings.

There is The Hamden Rum Company which is fairly close to Falmouth. We haven't gone there yet.

Local food - hard to go wrong with Scotchie's, Pork Pit, or Miss T's Kitchen.

You can certainly do both excursions in one day. They are both on the same river and only 10 minutes apart.

We have done this two times during land based vacations. We already had a driver through the villa rental company.

There are several excellent tour operators on this board. I would use any one of them.

I would highly recommend Miss T's Kitchen in downtown Ocho Rios. Very diverse menu (not just jerk), nice location, and top notch service. The shrimp rundown, fried chicken, and oxtails are out of this world. Don't forget to have a rum punch!

Turtle River Falls and Gardens is stunningly beautiful. Followed by a nice lunch at Miss T's Kitchen in downtown Ocho Rios.

We have done this excursion twice - The first time was 2014. We had an absolutely fantastic time. Here is a link to my photos. Bamboo Beach starts at post #13.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2142968

We went again in 2015 and it was a bit of a disappointment... Food was not as good. Free drinks were harder to come by. Facilities were not as clean. Service was still great though.

It makes me sad to read these recent reviews... We went there in October of 2014 and had a marvelous time. Food and service were both outstanding. The beach was okay. We liked it so much that we went back in December of 2015. It was still quite nice. I wonder what has happened over the last year? :confused: