help with Ocho Rios excursion

[Almost Packed]

My dh & I are going with my db and his wife to O.R.

 

We want beach time and beautiful scenery. This could be the one and only time my db and dsil visit Jamaica...so what should we do?

 

I have heard Dunns River Falls (dh & I have been to Jamaica twice...DRF does not interest us)

 

I was thinking about the Bamboo beach club. I have heard it has changed/moved? I have read some info on it..but not sure when it moved so I don't know if what i'm reading is current or not.

 

We have no desire to spend the day at margaritiville either...over priced and low quality.

 

any suggestions? i have read about private tours as well...but I have no idea what we should "tour". we are all in our 30's...and want fun!

 

thanks

[bwerner317]

My dh & I are going with my db and his wife to O.R.

 

We want beach time and beautiful scenery. This could be the one and only time my db and dsil visit Jamaica...so what should we do?

 

I have heard Dunns River Falls (dh & I have been to Jamaica twice...DRF does not interest us)

 

I was thinking about the Bamboo beach club. I have heard it has changed/moved? I have read some info on it..but not sure when it moved so I don't know if what i'm reading is current or not.

 

We have no desire to spend the day at margaritiville either...over priced and low quality.

 

any suggestions? i have read about private tours as well...but I have no idea what we should "tour". we are all in our 30's...and want fun!

 

thanks

just got back from Ocho rios yesterday took a tour with Marva Shaw we picked where we wanted to go if you have no idea what you want she will help you with what is on the Island we had a tour bus for just the 5 of us went to a Beautiful garden furn valley a pottery the ocean side stopped to eat and shopping and no crowds from the ship and price was so cheap and guide so good i gave a $20,00 tip so did the other 4 friends you won't go wrong marva shaw facebook or knowjam@yahoo,com

[Almost Packed]

just got back from Ocho rios yesterday took a tour with Marva Shaw we picked where we wanted to go if you have no idea what you want she will help you with what is on the Island we had a tour bus for just the 5 of us went to a Beautiful garden furn valley a pottery the ocean side stopped to eat and shopping and no crowds from the ship and price was so cheap and guide so good i gave a $20,00 tip so did the other 4 friends you won't go wrong marva shaw facebook or knowjam@yahoo,com

 

we are considering marva shaw...but i have no desire to look at pottery and stuff....

 

we have thought about the DRF, tubing and reggae beach....DRF has not interestest us before as we have seen waterfalls before...but others in our party may enjoy it. The tubing sounds fun as well as time at the beach. Although i wish we had more time in port to enjoy my favorite little country.

[mom2sons]

Send Marva an e-mail with the things you would like to do. I highly recommend a private tour with Marva so that you can see and do all the things that are meaningful to you. It's worth the money to spend the day doing what you want to do instead of being lost in the crowd of a group tour.

 

Enjoy!!

Shara

[Almost Packed]

Send Marva an e-mail with the things you would like to do. I highly recommend a private tour with Marva so that you can see and do all the things that are meaningful to you. It's worth the money to spend the day doing what you want to do instead of being lost in the crowd of a group tour.

 

Enjoy!!

Shara

 

I sent her an email and got a prompt response back....i'm thinking this is what we are going to do. DRF, river tubing and beach. She said we could spend as much time at each place and she would make sure we were back to the ship in time. she answered all of my questions except for one lol...my biggest concern...what if we miss the boat? are they responsible if it's their tour? lol...

 

of course we pray that doesn't happen. thanks for your input.

[NutsAboutGolf]

I just got back from tubing...I had two complaints with it. You drive through some bad areas to get there, and the water was pretty cold. Any waterpark you go to has a lazy river. Also there are more scenic things to do. I''d say pass on the tubing and do something mystic mountain. Zip lining or the bobsled. Pricey but worth it.

[mom2sons]

Regarding "my biggest concern...what if we miss the boat? are they responsible if it's their tour?"

 

The answer is going to be No. If you book through the cruise ship they guarantee you will be back to the ship on time. If you go off the rails and book your own tour you're on your own. You'll also save a ton of $$ by booking your own excursion.

 

Marva will make every attempt in her power to return you to the ship on time. Honestly, if you don't make it back to the ship it will likely be becuase you tried to squeeze in too much fun in one day.

 

Marva will be able to tell you how much time to allot for each activity.

 

In our case, we had to be back on board the ship by 3:30 so we made sure Javia (her son) dropped us off by 2:30. We wanted to do some shopping right there in the port area. Although we bought nothing because it was o overpriced compared to the stuff we bought in the local grocery store (coffee, rum, etc.).

 

"Pointer" is referring to another tour company entirely so I can't speak for how reliable they are at returning you to the ship on time. But if you book with Marva she will ensure you have a spectacular, worry-free day.

 

Enjoy!!

Shara

[NutsAboutGolf]

Regarding "my biggest concern...what if we miss the boat? are they responsible if it's their tour?"

 

The answer is going to be No. If you book through the cruise ship they guarantee you will be back to the ship on time. If you go off the rails and book your own tour you're on your own. You'll also save a ton of $$ by booking your own excursion.

 

Marva will make every attempt in her power to return you to the ship on time. Honestly, if you don't make it back to the ship it will likely be becuase you tried to squeeze in too much fun in one day.

 

Marva will be able to tell you how much time to allot for each activity.

 

In our case, we had to be back on board the ship by 3:30 so we made sure Javia (her son) dropped us off by 2:30. We wanted to do some shopping right there in the port area. Although we bought nothing because it was o overpriced compared to the stuff we bought in the local grocery store (coffee, rum, etc.).

 

"Pointer" is referring to another tour company entirely so I can't speak for how reliable they are at returning you to the ship on time. But if you book with Marva she will ensure you have a spectacular, worry-free day.

 

Enjoy!!

Shara

 

Great advice. A few things I can add...Yes the cruise-line booked excursions are responsible for getting you back on time. If they get you back late, there are serious consequences including losing their contract to be a cruise sponsored excursion...A company recommend on popular sites such as here or trip advisory still thrive on tips and positive reviews. If they get you back late and everyone knows it, will you leave any tip? Doubtful. Point being, they'll do everything in their power to get you back on time. What one needs to watch out for is the DIY transportation with multiple stops. The other trend I tend to see is when there are many ships at port, especially tendering ones, and people are booked on the same excrusion...Billys ship leaves at 330 and Bobbys ship leaves at 530. :)

[Almost Packed]

i was aware that booking with the cruiseline would insure that we were back on the ship...i was just hoping that Marva would insure....and guarantee that we would be back to the ship in time...and if not, take care of us getting caught up to the ship. dh & i fly for free...so no problems for us lol...but my db and his wife would not like it lol. :eek:

[mom2sons]

..A company recommend on popular sites such as here or trip advisory still thrive on tips and positive reviews. If they get you back late and everyone knows it, will you leave any tip? Doubtful. Point being, they'll do everything in their power to get you back on time. . :)

 

This is an excellent point. If someone posted here asking about a tour operator's services and just one poster replied with a horror story about missing the ship it could ruin their business. Tourism is their livelihood.

 

Same thing applies to reviews on trip advisor. No tour operator wants to take a chance like that and have a guest leave a bad review or post a horror story about their experience.

 

 

No worries with Marva. She will have you back at the ship in plenty of time.

 

If you still have concerns drop her an e-mail and discuss them with her. I'm sure she will be able to put your mind at ease.

 

Shara