Bamboo Beach Club

[jburke1566]

I know this should probably be posted on the Port of Call thread however I already have and just feel there's not enough traffic there to get many responses. My question is, has anyone done this excursion through Carnival lately. (Bamboo Beach Club) I sail on Freedom, June 27, 2010 and have already booked 2 excursions but haven't seen this one up yet for Jamaica. Just wondering if anyone may have booked it onboard in the last couple of months.....REALLY hoping to book this excursion!!!

[DQGal]

We really wanted to book this excursion for our Jan 30th cruise, but when I went to book it only 12 excursions showed up to be booked. If you looked at excursions there were like 35 to chose from, so I called and ccl said some where not up yet, we leave in less that a month. The ccl also said that not all suggested excursions would be available, so I quess Bamboo wasn't to be available for us!! Good luck on your cruise though!

[jburke1566]

I'm really hoping that when you get on the ship, you'll be able to book the excursion onboard. I was hoping to hear that from some people who've cruised recently!!! :rolleyes: You'll have to let me know what you end up doing on your cruise!

[BcIcemen]

I booked this excursion when I was in Jamacia and was very disapointed. I would not reccomend.

[jburke1566]

Was it bad??? What exactly didn't you like about it? Do you know of any other beaches that would be better? WOW....I'm really stumped as to what to do at this port.

[mouche]

I was at the Bamboo Beach Club this past March, all I can say is unless you like to drink and party, this may NOT be for you. I'm not a big drinker or party person anymore, but I still had a ball!!! The food was not good, the beach was beautiful, the furniture was cheap plastic, the local dancers were good. The 151 proof rum in the coconut was awesome, took all day to drink and still did not finish!!! It was only $6.00, the dancing we did was fun, the ride was twenty min long, the ride back to ship was, WHO CARED HOW LONG!!!.:D We had a blast!!! Would not go with little kids though!! Send me a msg if you have any other questions.

[ellenvana]

Hello!

We went to Bamboo Beach Club two weeks ago... I booked the excursion thru Carnival..

It had good points and bad points.

Good,,

They really take care of you from start to finish.. drinks keep coming and so does the food.. I liked the food served~

Plenty of chairs in the shade which was right near the water.. We were with some elderly folks that didn't have any interest in going into the water..

Restrooms were very clean..

Everyone was very friendly..

Music and dancing was great!

The beach was very pretty to look at..

Bad,,

The swimming... it was very rocky with a big drop off once you were out to waist deep.

Hope this helps! ellen

[jburke1566]

Hello!

We went to Bamboo Beach Club two weeks ago... I booked the excursion thru Carnival..

It had good points and bad points.

Good,,

They really take care of you from start to finish.. drinks keep coming and so does the food.. I liked the food served~

Plenty of chairs in the shade which was right near the water.. We were with some elderly folks that didn't have any interest in going into the water..

Restrooms were very clean..

Everyone was very friendly..

Music and dancing was great!

The beach was very pretty to look at..

Bad,,

The swimming... it was very rocky with a big drop off once you were out to waist deep.

Hope this helps! ellen

 

Did you have to wait til you got on the ship to book this excursion?

[ellenvana]

No,, I booked the excursion before we cruised...

ellen

[jburke1566]

No,, I booked the excursion before we cruised...

ellen

I'm sorry to question you to death, but can you remember by any chance how far ahead of time you were able to book this excursion? It hasn't shown up on mine yet. It just says, Only available to book on ship.

[luckyeddie41]

We are sailing at the end of January and have been waiting for this excursion to show up. It just became available yesterday online which is about 2 weeks before we go and we booked it. So I would just keep checking and I'm sure it will show closer to your cruise.

[jburke1566]

We are sailing at the end of January and have been waiting for this excursion to show up. It just became available yesterday online which is about 2 weeks before we go and we booked it. So I would just keep checking and I'm sure it will show closer to your cruise.

 

Showed up today!!!! I'm so excited!! Booked it and ready to go!!!

 

Enjoy YOUR trip!!!!

[Almost Packed]

give us a full report!!!!!

as we are looking at this too.

[MLYLKY]

We are on the Jan. 30th cruise and thinking about going to this beach and maybe this club on our own with ship excursion. Are you interested in joining in to share a cab?

[carebear35]

Why wouldn't you go with little kids?

 

I was at the Bamboo Beach Club this past March, all I can say is unless you like to drink and party, this may NOT be for you. I'm not a big drinker or party person anymore, but I still had a ball!!! The food was not good, the beach was beautiful, the furniture was cheap plastic, the local dancers were good. The 151 proof rum in the coconut was awesome, took all day to drink and still did not finish!!! It was only $6.00, the dancing we did was fun, the ride was twenty min long, the ride back to ship was, WHO CARED HOW LONG!!!.:D We had a blast!!! Would not go with little kids though!! Send me a msg if you have any other questions.

[gemchic]

We are on the Jan. 30th cruise and thinking about going to this beach and maybe this club on our own with ship excursion. Are you interested in joining in to share a cab?

 

 

On our last cruise we called Reggae Beach ahead of time to reserve. Some friends we made on board decided to go with us so they called from the ship to see if they could get a reservation, and they did. We had a great time. It was clean and safe and great for our family. We found them through the bamboo beach club website - they are the same people.

[zozza]

When you book Bamboo Beach Club through Carnival, how long are you at the beach? is food served all day? thanks

[jsscuba2]

Are you allowed to go Topless at the beach?

[JRock59]

Got back on the 4th from our Destiny Cruise we did Bamboo Beach and there are good and not so good things to report.

 

Good - the young women that are your Hostess' are wonderful they keep the food and drinks coming. Food was OK not the best we've ever had but truly not the worst either. Drinks were strong! I had both Lemonade and Rum Punch and I was glad for the lemonade as the Rum Punch will catch up to you quick. DH LOVED the Red Stripe on tap at first it was a bit warm but after a while it was coming to him nice and cold. The dancers and singers are GREAT and put on a very good show about every hour or so. Drive to and from very quick, time on the beach about 4 hours. Area is very pretty and plenty of spots in the shade.

 

Not so good - bottom is a bit rocky you really need water shoes! I'd even say wearing a tshirt in the water is a good idea. Tide was coming in when we first got there around 1015-1030 and there was a strong undertow that would knock you off your feet. DH got banged up a bit as he lost his footing and went down on the rocky bottom. Not real bad but enough for some scrapes and brusing. This is not a beach for young children to play in the water! Not good for someone who is not a strong swimmer or is a bit timid in the water either.

 

We had a great time and would do it again. But am glad we now have a better understanding of what type of beach it is.

 

We booked online in advance but it may not show up unless your docking in Ocho Rios as the beach filled up quickly with tours from just our ship.

[grizgator]

Have to agree with Janet and John above. The Bamboo Beach Club may be for you, but it depends on what you want and what you like.

 

Our tour began at 9 a.m. and ended around 1:30 p.m.. (because our bus was about 30 minutes late coming to pick us up).

 

*The staff was great. Always bringing around food and drinks - very nice.

*Be warned that the food service starts almost right away. If you go to the club directly (and not after Dunn's River Falls), don't eat breakfast before you go. I found the food to be OK. I really enjoyed the jerk chicken, though.

* We are not big drinkers. However, if you are, the drinks are strong and plentiful and you can manage to get your money's worth out of the trip. Several people got a bit drunk and loud, which doesn't bother me (you see that on the ship every day).

* We are from Florida, so we know beaches. The beach at the Bamboo Beach Club is not nice. The sand is not quality and there really is no "beach" to speak of. Further, it was windy and the surf was rough. No one was able to do anything more than put their feet into the water at the edge. There appeared to be quite a bit of coral at water's edge as well. So, if you are looking for a trip where you can swim and enjoy an open, pretty beach, this is probably not for you....although maybe the ocean is swimmable if the winds die down (my experience is that parts of Jamaica are windy almost all year round).

* The staff did their best to entertain us. Some of the dancers were good. The singer was enjoyable. I would not call them professional entertainers, but they were entertaining....like I said before, they really tried to make everyone happy.

 

Overall, we would not do this again. However, keep in mind that we live in Florida, so going to the beach and seeing the ocean are not a big deal to us. Drinking is not our favorite sport. For those who live up north, this could be great for you. You sit in a chair, get served, learn a little bit about the culture and food, and enjoy the air and sound of the ocean. You have the option to get up and dance if you like. If you are looking for a great beach or a place to swim, make another choice. If you don't plan to eat or drink much, you can get a better deal elsewhere.

[zozza]

Can you go to the BBC later and pay or do you have to book? 9am seems a bit early to start eating and drinking, 11 untill 3 would be better

[JRock59]

We got there at about 10am and left around 130 there were still folks coming in. We booked with the Cruise line and picked the time we wanted. But I think you can book right off the ship as with all ports there were folks there pushing shore ex. With this port we felt it was better to book with cruise line to ensure we got back on time.

[zozza]

so you can book a different time with the ship? also if you finished at 1pm did you do or go anywhere after? thanks

[JRock59]

If you book with the ship I think there were a couple of times available if you do it right at the pier I'm not sure it maybe when they have a full bus. We just went back to the ship but there is a shopping area right outside the pier area with some nice places (but be prepared to be approched and offered a varity of things.) and Margritaville is right there if your docked in Ocho Rios.

[pbsweetheart]

These are great tips. I'm going on this excursion in June. Thanks for sharing your experiences everyone.

 

Will make sure to bring water shoes!!