We had fun in Falmouth!

[GinDon]

Everyone is already reporting (accurately) the progress of the unfinished port, so I won't dwell on that. It's a work in progress, to be sure.

 

Being a little unsure of this new port, we opted to play it safe and take a ship tour. We tried the Mountain Valley River Rafting Tour. I had seen, on TV, a clip about rafting down the rivers on these long, bamboo rafts, poled slowly by Jamaican guides. I always thought that it looked appealing, and something different.

 

We easily found our tour group (they hold up signs). The initial ride to the river is an hour, and passes through MoBay. Our guide gave running commentary on the way, and taught us a few common Jamaican phrases. The last 20 minutes or so is on bumpy roads. Very Bumpy. You will get bounced around a lot (that joke about the "free butt massage" comes to mind.). Once at the river, we hopped on a bamboo raft, and our guide started slowly poling us down the river. It was very pleasant......just like it looked on TV. Soon, the we tied up along the bank, and the guide disappeared into the jungle, popping back out with two purple fruits in his hands. Cut them open, and invited us to have one. They were slightly sweet, but the texture of the fruit was kind of slimy, we weren't too crazy about them. After more rafting, we again tied to shore, and again the guide popped out of the jungle, this time with two coconuts, and two b amboo straws. He hacked off the tops, and gave us the coconuts to drink the milk. Now, that was pretty good, and we felt very "native" at this point! He then scooped out the flesh and we ate that. The last surprise was when he (his name was Noel) broke apart some rocks, rubbed them together to make a past, and gave me a foot massage. He later grabbed some big Castor leaves and washed my feet in the river with them. Quite the experience! All the rafters in our group appeared to get the same treatment. After the rafting was over, we had a short lesson on rums, then got to taste a couple of liquors, then enjoyed a freshly made Pina Colada, whipped up before our eyes. Next, we boarded an open air tractor thing, and stopped at a small banana grove, where we got a little talk all about bananas. The tractor thing gave a rough, bouncy, ride too. More free butt massaging. Last, we had a quick lunch of chicken, slaw, and rice and beans. Very rustic, but tasty. You are probably wondering if we got sick, after all the stuff we ingested. Nope! The 1 hour ride back followed the same route we took in the morning.

 

We enjoyed this little taste of Jamaica very much.......it was unique and not too touristy.

 

Quickly bought a souvenir back at port. There are some very nice carved wood pieces to buy.

 

As we sailed out we were treated to a marching band, some dancers, etc. escorting us down the pier. Very festive. The perfect touch to end our day.

[toothy26]

Hi,

That sounds nice. Are the rafts just for 2 people? How long was the entire excursion and how much did it cost. Would the guides be insulted if we didn't try the fruits?

[GinDon]

Each bamboo raft is for two persons.........and, the guide, of course, who is way in the front poling you down the river. The entire excursion lasted 5-1/2 hours, I think. The cost was $69/pp.......and, of course, tips for the bus driver and the river guide.

The excursion on the FOS was "Mountain Valley Rafting FY28".

I'm sure the guide wouldn't be insulted. Ours told us to just toss our remains up into the brush when we were done..............he didn't sit there and watch us eat it.

[toothy26]

Thank you. If there were three of us I guess one would ride with another single rider. Can you see the other rafts on the river?

[tropiclvrs]

I was looking at this excursion but wasn't sure it would be good for small kids even though my kids (4 & 6) meet the minimum ge requirement of 4.

 

If there are 4 of us in a group would they put us on 2 rafts and is there any kind of side on the raft so kids couldn't fall?

 

Also, you mentioned the road was very bumpy. What did they transport you in and were there seatbelts for the kids?

 

Thanks!

[GinDon]

Toothy26".....you are almost always in view of another rafter, either in front of you, or in back. But, they don't all stick together in a big bunch.

 

"tropiclvrs".....yes, you would be in two rafts. I'm sure if you asked, the two raft guides would stick close together. There are no sides..........the rafts are long (maybe 10 feet or so), flat, bamboo poles tied together. At the back end is the seat that holds two persons.............it does have a backrest, it's not just a bench. You basically just drift lazily down the river....no rapids or rough water......I think the chance of a supervised child just falling overboard is very unlikely.

 

Transportation from the Port is in an air conditioned van/bus. I must say, though, that the AC was pretty weak on our van. The bumpy part comes after you have passed through MoBay itself, and start getting on more country roads out to the river. Not sure if there were seat belts, to be honest I didn't look for one.

 

Just another FYI..............when they do the free Pina Coladas, they make a "virgin" version also, for those that don't want alcohol.

 

If I was trying to decide about bringing a 4 and 6 year old, I think my decision would rest mostly on whether they would get antsy/bored on the 1 hr bus ride there and back.

[Sweet Dreams]

Thank you for the information.....we are on the Oasis in March and I cannot find rafting as an option on the RCL shore excursion site. Which ship were you on? I think my 15 year old daugther and I would love this.

Thank You

[GinDon]

We were on the Freedom of the Seas. The Tour was called Mountain Valley River Rafting FY28. I'm surprised it's not offered on the Oasis.