Falmouth Jamaica

[beachbum09]

We were on Allure of the Seas in May and took Peat Taylor Tours after seeing great reviews on here and tripadvisor. I booked on http://ochoriosjamaicatours.com/. They picked us up right within the port and we were the first ones out of the port and on our way to Doctor's Cave Beach in Montego Bay! They dropped us off there and they arranged to pick us back up at a certain time and then take us to Margaritaville. They were excellent and very professional! Would highly recommend.

 

Also, Doctor's Cave Beach was a BEAUTIFUL beach! The water was as clear as the beaches in St. Marteen and St. Thomas! We also went snorkeling and it was pretty good and only $20 per person. I have a picture attached below of the beach....

 

 

 

This was our second time to Jamaica, the first time we honeymooned at a Sandals Resort in Ocho Rios. We love it there! I know some people have had issues at times there, but we have never had one problem. The people have always been friendly and welcoming. Can't wait to go back!

[neptune18]

How much did Peat Taylor charge and how long was the ride?

Thanks.

[beachbum09]

It was only $45 per person total. It only took 30 minutes from Falmouth. Peat Taylor Tours were inside the port with all the other vans on the left and holding a sign saying Peat Taylor Tours. We first got on a bus with others from the ship who were actually heading to Dunn's River Falls in Ocho Rios but as soon as we were out of port. My group switched to a van for a private tour that headed to Doctor's Cave Beach and then Margaritaville in Montego Bay.

 

Like I said, we were the first ones out of port while everyone else that was doing a excursion with the ship had to wait in the heat under white tents. We had Re-Pete (Pete Taylor's son) as our Tour guide. He was very friendly, professional and knowledgable about the island. We were so glad we chose Pete Taylor Tours! We got back to the ship in plenty of time, actually 2 hours early because we wanted to browse the shops in the port.

[gam888]

It was only $45 per person total. It only took 30 minutes from Falmouth. Peat Taylor Tours were inside the port with all the other vans on the left and holding a sign saying Peat Taylor Tours. We first got on a bus with others from the ship who were actually heading to Dunn's River Falls in Ocho Rios but as soon as we were out of port. My group switched to a van for a private tour that headed to Doctor's Cave Beach and then Margaritaville in Montego Bay.

 

Like I said, we were the first ones out of port while everyone else that was doing a excursion with the ship had to wait in the heat under white tents. We had Re-Pete (Pete Taylor's son) as our Tour guide. He was very friendly, professional and knowledgable about the island. We were so glad we chose Pete Taylor Tours! We got back to the ship in plenty of time, actually 2 hours early because we wanted to browse the shops in the port.

 

Could you please tell me if the $45 included the entrance fee to Doctor's Cave Beach? I heard it is $5 a person to get in. We are thinking of booking the Royal Caribbean's ship excursion. They charge $79 per person, bus you from Falmouth to Doctor Cave's Beach. Take you out on a catamaran to snorkel for an hour of so, then go back to the beach where you have a short time to spend.(Maybe an hour at the most, for people who select not to snorkel would get more time on the beach). During the catamaran ride they provide free drinks. Then they stop by Margaritaville before busing you back to Falmouth. So I am wondering, say you need to pay $5 to get into Doctor's Cave Beach, so it cost you a total of $50. If it's worth paying another $29 to get some free drinks included and a catamaran ride with snorkel?. Do you think we can do better on our own? We usually book excursions on our own with the local operators, but this is the first time we are actually considering booking with the ship because of the safety issues with Jamaica.

[beachbum09]

You do have to pay your entry fee to Doctor's Cave Beach which is $5. My husband and I don't drink, so that extra to do a catamaran with drinks wouldn't have been worth it for us. So, it really just depends on what you are looking to do on your day in Jamaica, if you prefer bigger crowds or a small group and if you want to be more control of your time.

 

Personally, I was glad we did a private tour because we didn't have to wait around for a ton of people to get back to the meeting point and we were in and out quickly of every place we went to. When we were ready to leave Doctor's Cave Beach to go to Margaritaville, all we had to do was walk in the lobby and they were they there waiting and ready to take us to the next spot.

 

There was never a point that we didn't feel safe. Jamaica is one of our favorite islands to go to. We think the island is gorgeous, yes there is poverty there but I have seen that at most of the islands I have been too. I think you just have to be careful where you travel just like here in the states. This is just my opinion from the experiences we have had there. My parents traveled with us and were a little reluctant about Jamaica as well b/c this was their first time, but when we got back to the ship they loved every minute and was so glad I picked Pete Taylor Tours, they loved Re-Pete!

 

Also, if you go to Margaritaville, make sure to go down the slide that empties into the ocean. It is so much fun! I actually lost my sunglasses on the bottom of the ocean when I slid down and a nice Jamaican went and got them for me.

 

Either way you can't go wrong, you will have a blast. Just enjoy Jamaica and it's beauty but my husband and I definitely prefer to do private transportation versus the ship's excursions. Below are some more pics of us with Re-Pete, our tour guide, and Margaritaville.

 

[gam888]

Thanks for your reply. We are not big drinkers either, in fact we are not even big fans on snorkeling. The reason why we are considering that ship excursion with Royal Caribbean, is, because the Oasis only makes 3 ports. Labadee, which basically is a private beach with a complimentary BBQ. Then the second port is Falmouth. Since we are not into horse back riding and zip lines..etc, I figure we might as well pick an excursion that has an activity, otherwise it would just be another beach stop. The 3rd port is Cozumel, which we have been twice, we are considering going to Mr Sanchos Beach. So it is another beach break. Unless we happen to talk to other people while we are on the ship and get more ideas, that is the plan so far. Thanks for the information. Nice picture. Dr. Cave Beach looks like it has nice sand and no rocks in the water. I hope Mr. Sancho Beach is nice. Last time we were in Cozumel we went to Paradise Beach. Want to do something different this time. We have 2 late teens daughters so no need for water toys.

[beachbum09]

Your welcome Gam888, we did that same route. Allure and Oasis are sister ships and we had a great time on Allure. You will love Oasis of the Seas. Also, when we went to Cozumel, we heard alot of great things about Nachi Cocum. They limit it to only 100 people per day so it's not overcrowded at all. You pay $49 per person and it includes lunch, unlimited drinks and access to the beach/pool. You have to book before you go because they typically get booked months in advance. It was really nice and I talked to people there that had been to Cozumel several times before and they said they thought Nachi Cocum was the best place they had visited there. You may want to look into that, we really liked it. The food was great and the people were nice. Great place to relax at the beach!

 

When you go to Labadee, make sure to do the 2-Man Dragon Coaster it was $20 per person and was so fun! You actually have control over the brakes, so you determine how fast or slow you go. Also, I would recommend to go to the beaches on the right of the island (think it was called Nellie's Beach) when you walk into the island because the beaches are a lot better. The dragon coaster is on the left side of the island across from Adrenaline Beach. Hope you guys have a great vacation!

[gam888]

Thanks again Beachbum09. We are looking forward to the Oasis. Costs twice as much as a Carnival cruise but we are so ready to go on this biggest cruise ship in the world. (Well, second biggest, I think Allure is two feet longer....!!!)

[Buckeyebrd]

We just got off the Oasis of the Seas and it went to Falmouth. I would not go back to Falmouth for awhile. It still has alot of work to do. We wanted to go to a close beach and get off for a couple hours - beach for an hour/shop for an hour. However, there are no nice close beaches with ammenities. Someone recommended "Time and Place" Beach. Well, it is close, but I am glad I had the driver stay while we decided if we were going to stay because it was deserted! Not much of a beach and no ammenities. If I knew how to post pictures, I would. Anyways, the driver took us to Burwood Beach. It was a very nice beach with potential, but the bathrooms were not open and no restaurant, no chairs. We had our towels and knew we were only staying about an hour. Enjoyed the beach away from all crowds. It is a "local" beach and very few people there. Only 6 people from the boat were there. If you want to get away from it all, this was a nice beach, but know that you will need to bring water and your own towels. The water was beautiful. Perfect for what we wanted. Originally we were going to do Hilton Rose day pass, but did not want to spend $400 for 5 for a beach/pool inclusive ($90/adult and $70 kids under 18 with transfers). That is an expensive excursion for us. We are not big eaters/drinkers to take advantage of the food/drink package. Couldn't justify paying for food when the food was free on the boat. Looked nice but could not justify the cost.

[gam888]

We just got off the Oasis of the Seas and it went to Falmouth. I would not go back to Falmouth for awhile. It still has alot of work to do. We wanted to go to a close beach and get off for a couple hours - beach for an hour/shop for an hour. However, there are no nice close beaches with ammenities. Someone recommended "Time and Place" Beach. Well, it is close, but I am glad I had the driver stay while we decided if we were going to stay because it was deserted! Not much of a beach and no ammenities. If I knew how to post pictures, I would. Anyways, the driver took us to Burwood Beach. It was a very nice beach with potential, but the bathrooms were not open and no restaurant, no chairs. We had our towels and knew we were only staying about an hour. Enjoyed the beach away from all crowds. It is a "local" beach and very few people there. Only 6 people from the boat were there. If you want to get away from it all, this was a nice beach, but know that you will need to bring water and your own towels. The water was beautiful. Perfect for what we wanted. Originally we were going to do Hilton Rose day pass, but did not want to spend $400 for 5 for a beach/pool inclusive ($90/adult and $70 kids under 18 with transfers). That is an expensive excursion for us. We are not big eaters/drinkers to take advantage of the food/drink package. Couldn't justify paying for food when the food was free on the boat. Looked nice but could not justify the cost.

 

Thank you Buckeye, I agree with you about the All inclusive, we are not big drinkers either, food would be nice, but you get all the food on the cruise anywhere. So to spend a few hours at an AI, I can't justify the cost, how much can you eat and drink, I guess if you were on the island for a few days and not off a cruise, it might be more attractive. I have heard about A Place in Time and Burwood, I suppose you get what you pay for, if you know what I mean. We are planning to take the Royal Caribbean ship excursion to Dr Cave's Beach, ride in the Catamaran, get some drinks included, snorkeling included, some time on the beach for $79. Not cheap,but I haven't seen any other options with an activity and beach time that is worthwhile.

[Buckeyebrd]

Seawood2000

We just got off the Oasis of the Seas and we went to Burwood Beach while in Falmouth. Someone had recommended Time in Place Beach first so we started there. Luckily the taxi driver said he would stay until we checked out the beach. Well, it was deserted and not a place you would want to stay the day. So, we went back to our taxi and he took us to Burwood Beach. Very nice clean quiet beach, but not alot of amenities so probably not what you are looking for. The bathrooms were locked and there is not a restaurant. There are not any chairs or mats. No water sports motorized or non-motorized. I think they sold beer and water, but not for sure since we did not go to the "shack" that was near by. It is a beautiful beach, but you would need to bring your own towels. I have three boys (19yrs, 17yrs, and 15yrs). We wanted a beach near the port and it is about a 12 minute drive. We had a nice time and enjoyed the beautiful beach, but it is not a beach you would stay the whole day because of the lack of amenities. If you go there make sure you arrange a taxi ride home ahead of time, because it is not a place that has taxis waiting for you to take you back to the port. I don't know how to upload pics otherwise I could show you some pics. It truly is a beautiful beach. There were only 11 people from the boat at this beach - nice and quiet.

[neptune18]

Beachbum- Is this tour on their website or was it a custom tour? Did you only go to Doctor's and Margaritaville? Sorry for all the ???

[Buckeyebrd]

Mr. Baseball:

 

Beach closest to port for families would be Iberstar or Rose Hall - 30 minute drive. The beaches that are the closest (10-12 min drive) are not set up for a full day at the beach for a family. No amenities except for beautiful sand, water and less people.

[beachbum09]

Neptune, I am more than happy to answer your questions. Ours was a custom tour and we just went to Doctor's Cave Beach and Margaritaville. You can either do one of the tours listed on their website or they can take you wherever you would like to go. I know they offered to take us to other places while we were with them, so they are very flexible. You will not regret choosing them if you go that route. We will definitely use them in the future. :)

[Buckeyebrd]

[Buckeyebrd]

Burwood Beach 12 min drive close to Falmouth port. No

ammenities. Need to bring own towel and water. Relaxing and

quiet. Beautiful water. No water sports or snorkeling gear that

I know of.

Secluded beach 12 min. drive from Falmouth port. No amenities

The "shack" that sold knick knacks. We did not use. I think

they had water and beer. Some locals trying to sell hair braiding

and wood stuff, but not too pushy. There were only 11 people from

the Oasis of the Seas there. We stayed about 1 hour 15 min.

[kellifromkeller]

I sure hope RCCL is not done adding excursions to Falmouth for our December cruise. I'm so not excited about this port so far, and the two excursions I've heard of people doing that we'd be interested in (Iberostar Rose Hall Resort or Doctor's Cave Beach) are not options for excursions yet. We were interested in taking the shuttle to the shoppes at Rose Hall and then getting a day pass to the resort on our own, but RCCL told me that they most likely will not be continuing their shuttle after the summer is over.