Hello, New Here and New to Cruising...

[Hotrocker2011]

Hello, I was looking for things to do in Ocho Rios, me and fi are going here on a 5 day cruise with carnival on Nov 5....we were looking for things we could do here, and the average cost Thanks

[DukeFamily]

On our one & only stop in Ocho Rios, we did Dunn's River Falls & tubing with Phil Lafayette. I think it was about $40 pp. GREAT time. He got us to the falls quickly - we were among the first groups there (if not THE first). And if you're doing the falls, getting there early is the only way to go. By the time we were done, the beach was literally swarming with people waiting their turn to start the climb. It looked miserable. And the tubing was a lot of fun, too!

[monicajay]

Hello, I was looking for things to do in Ocho Rios, me and fi are going here on a 5 day cruise with carnival on Nov 5....we were looking for things we could do here, and the average cost Thanks

 

Congrats on booking your first cruise and your first post on CC. You are already off to a good start by finding these boards, you will learn lots before taking your trip.

 

Just booked Peat Taylor tour to Falls, then river tubing then Mahogany Beach, admissions included (but not tips) $55.00 pp. Have done this trip before and had a blast.

 

For sure, book something privately as the cruise-lines will gouge you!

[bertibm]

Dunn River Falls is a must. I you are looking to have some drinks and dancing after the climb, look on the Carnival site for the Dunn River Falls and Party boat tour. Well worth it.

[gapearl]

I would highly recommend Dunn's River Falls! It is an amazing experience to make that climb. Since it's your first cruise, I would not go with an independent tour company. Spend a few extra dollars and book your excursion through Carnival.

[Colorado Kat]

I like Dunn's River Falls but am a big proponent of individual excursions. I think you'll have many fewer people than booking a ship excursion.

[GradUT]

We did the Dunn Rivers Falls and White River Tubing tour with Peat Taylor last April and it was great. Peat was there to meet us when we got off the boat and hetook good care of us for the entire day. With only 10 people on this tour, we got a lot of personal attention that you probably won't get on a Carnival excursion. The cost of our tour with Peat was also a lot cheaper than anything offered by the cruiseline. Also, Peat will get you to the Falls right away so that you avoid the crowds. (We were in the 2nd group to go up the Falls that morning.)

Here's a couple of important tips for Dunn River Falls.

1) You will have a different guide than Peat for the walk up the Falls. These guides expect a tip. We were on Princess Cruises and they recommended a tip of $1 per person for these guides. We actually tipped $2 per person and our guide was happy with that.

2) After you finish the hike up the falls, there are signs directing you to the Exit. These signs actually direct you to the exit THROUGH their market which is full of aggressive vendors. If you want to avoid the market, just walk out the same way you walked in. We had employees tell us that we were going the wrong way, but we just smiled, told them we were meeting our tour group and kept walking. Boy, it was great to get out of the Falls without being accosted by a vendor!

Finally, if you read this forum, you will get the names of several reputable tour guides, one of which is Peat Taylor.