Ocho Rios Jamaica - Any bad experience?

[cruisinfever]

We are taking the Western Caribbean Cruise on the Mariner in February and

I have not heard many good things about Jamaica? I'm almost tempted to

stay on the ship that day? Does anyone have any comments?

[wolfganghowell]

I'm interested too - seems like Rhapsody can't decide between Montego Bay and Ocho Rios. I've heard either book an official excursion or go to an all inclusive for a day pass or stay at Margaritaville.

[cruisin from florida]

Do a search on the boards for Peat Taylor. He does a great tour of highlights from Ocho Rios, and takes great care of his customers. If we ever do the Western Caribbean again, we'll definitely book Peat as soon as we have confirmed our cruise dates.

[Linda-B]

go to the destination board-Jamaca..Hire a driver for the day. See Dunns River Falls, go tubing-(it is slow and easy) see Furn Gully and tour the area all for about $50(which includes entrances) You will enjoy the day and not be bothered by anyone. We used Phil Lafayette and had a great time. There are others on the board whom seem great also. Our day in Ocho Rios was one of the best port days we have had.

[Guil]

I'm interested too - seems like Rhapsody can't decide between Montego Bay and Ocho Rios. I've heard either book an official excursion or go to an all inclusive for a day pass or stay at Margaritaville.

 

Hi,

 

Was on the VOS 6/3-6/12 cruise, do the falls and go to Margaritaville. We had a great time at Margaritaville just watching people.

 

Bogi

[LonW]

Got really tried of fighting of the drug peddlers and street people trying to braid your hair or sell you some junk.!!!:mad:

[Bonnie&Rob]

We were in Ocho Rios in February, and I can't say it was my favorite port. We (fortunately) took a tour with Phil Layfayette, and the he shielded us from some of the more aggressive folks that prey on tourists. We enjoyed walking up Dunns River Falls, a tour of the area and a river tubing trip.

 

In between the falls and tubing, we stopped in town to pick up other cruisers that chose shopping instead of the falls. While Phil stepped away from the bus to round up the group, we looked in a store window and were immediately surrounded by multiple merchants trying to sell us various things, some legal - some not. They did not seem to understand the word no and were VERY aggresive. They finally left us alone when the Phil returned and gave them "the look". We got back on the bus and decided we would skip any shopping.

 

Again, the tour we took was beautiful (be ready to tip people along the way - bring small bills), and we don't regret getting off the ship. We just wouldn't do it unless we were part of a tour.

[CarolinaGirl]

Jamaica is one of my all-time favorite ports. It is absolutely beautiful. You will miss so much if you stay on the ship! We took a tour with Peat Taylor, and it was great. No problems at all. At the end of the tour Peat dropped us off at Margaritaville (within sight of the ship), and we walked back from there. Just don't go shopping on your own, and you will be okay.

[sherry7]

go to the destination board-Jamaca..Hire a driver for the day. See Dunns River Falls, go tubing-(it is slow and easy) see Furn Gully and tour the area all for about $50(which includes entrances) You will enjoy the day and not be bothered by anyone. We used Phil Lafayette and had a great time. There are others on the board whom seem great also. Our day in Ocho Rios was one of the best port days we have had.

 

 

We also used Phil Lafayette and had a really good time. We didn't do his standard tour, but we emailed back and forth beforehand and he was very flexible working with us until I figured out what we wanted to do. We went horseback riding, went to Dunns River Falls, saw Fern Gully, went river tubing, went sightseeing, and shopped a little as well.

 

Jamaican people CAN be pushy. In fact, most of them are when it comes to you buying their merchandise. If you don't want something, just say no thank you. Be polite to them. Jamaican people are all about respect.

 

I think a private guide can make all of the difference of whether of not you have a good time in Jamaica or not. Jamaica is not a place I would rent a car at or taxi around on my own...we definitely felt more comfortable with a guide. If you do a bit of research over on the Jamaica board, you'll find that the private guides are less expensive that RCCL tours and you get to do much more as well. Another caveat...you aren't herded around like cattle. :D

[SeaTrekkie]

We were on Mariner 6/5 to Ocho Rios. We had booked the later river tubing trip (what a blast!! would do it again in a heartbeat!) and decided to walk to Island Village in the morning. Aside from being offered a taxi almost every step of the way there, we had a good experience shopping once we got to the complex of stores known collectively as Island Village. There's lots to buy and see and really friendly Jamaicans to talk to---and absolutely NO hassle about buying or "step into my store". Good bargains on t-shirts and hats and candles and other neat stuff (I bought two embossed golf balls at one store :>)

BTW--we're two middle-aged females.

Lea

[42trvl]

So long as you are with a tour or driver you should be fine. We were there with the Mariner in April and hired Marva Shaw with knowjamaica.com just for our family. It's definitely worth seeing the area and some of the "highlights" at least once. While I don't know that I would enjoy going around on my own very much, we enjoyed being driven around and seeing Golden Eye, Dunns River Falls and the pottery factory. Except for the shopping area as you exit the Falls, we did not encounter anyone bothersome - if we ever go back to the Falls, I would just ignore the "exit" signs and try to leave via the main entrance, thus avoiding the shops.

[journey2002]

We were in Ocho Rios a few weeks ago, and we absolutely LOVED it! It is by far our favorite port.

 

We did the 4x4 Safari Adventure (RCI excursion), and it was well worth the money. What a fantastic way to see the island, and our driver was WONDERFUL. I cannot say enough good things about this excursion.

[kaj2870]

My family and I will be visiting Jamaica next June and I booked us all with a tour with Orville Taylor for a party of 12. I can't wait. As it is with just about every other place, use your best judgement.

[hstrybuf]

If it's your first time to visit Jamaica, definitely get off the ship! Peat Taylor picked us up at the pier and took us to Fern Gully, Dunn's River Falls and the Wassi Art Pottery Factory. We opted not to continue the tour in the afternoon so he dropped us off at Island Village where we shopped and took in Margaritaville.

 

If one of the independent operators doesn't appeal to you, you can use the JUTA taxis to take you around. Just keep an eye on the time as you're on your own! Personally, with all the hassles, I'd go with a ship's tour or an independent.

[MMcCarren]

We went to Montego Bay on a cruise a few years back. For our shore excursion, we climbed Dunn's River Falls. The 3-hour ride there was on a rickety bus but was still fun because the driver played Reggae music the entire way, and climbing the falls was fun. It was when we went to climb out that the experience turned less than pleasant. The guide who took us up the falls blocked everyone's way out of the falls and demanded a tip. One person said she left her money on the bus, and he said he would come to the bus and get it. I think most everyone would have tipped him, but the fact that he demanded the tip was a turn-off. He said he had "saved our lives" by leading us up the falls. After climbing to the top, in order to get back to the bus, we had to walk through a little shopping area where the people were VERY aggressive. I bought a T-shirt from one vendor, and the other ones were yelling things at me, even though I tried to be polite.

 

We were warned by our travel agent to never go it alone in Jamaica, and to be wary of some of the taxi drivers who claim to take you to the "real" Jamaica. Apparently some of them drive you up into the hills and rob you from what she said. It can be fun, but just be very careful.

[crb04]

Well, I will share what we experienced in Jamaica last month. Didn't hire a guide, wanted to climb Dunn's River Falls and do a little shopping on our own. Taxi was easy to get, paid reasonable price for round-trip fare (and the polite driver was waiting where he promised afterward). When we entered into the recreation area at the falls, we were herded by employees into a group of about 40 others and told we COULDN'T climb without a guide. We climbed parallel to another group of about the same size. We were rushed, pulled, and when we tried to separate and enjoy ourselves solo, the guide told us "you have to stay together because you all look the same to me and I won't know who to get tip from." Had heard Jamaicans are "cool" as long as you respect them. DH and I were raised "old school" and have given our kids the same upbringing--other's actions don't determine our REactions. Despite this, the respect we demonstrated to everyone we came in contact with was RARELY reciprocated. After our guide intentionally splashed water into my young teenage daughter's face (she wears contacts) because she wasn't climbing fast enough, we had had enough of the falls and left the water, with him shouting after us "you tip me now!" On a positive note, we weren't hassled in the least going through the market there. Trying to shop in other places just went from bad to worse. When I asked the price of a simply stitched baseball cap and was told $20, I offered $15. The response was "why you so cheap, you can afford it" (Dressed in my cutoffs and flip-flops, I'm sure I rivaled Ms. Hilton in glam--NOT!). In a different shop, my daughter was looking for a thin strap sundress for caribbean night dinner theme, and when shown one with sleeves, politely and smilingly explained to the saleswoman what she was shopping for. The woman was rude and made insulting comments to my child. We were harrassed the entire time we were in the port to buy something, from drugs to hair braiding. I am a generous tipper, have spent plenty of time in urban and third-world environments, and am usually quite comfortable in most settings--I have no problem with high pressure sales tactics, and am a frequent visitor to the border towns south of my home state. However, this day was not the experience I had hoped my family would have. Blatant rudeness is just not enjoyable in any setting. The attitude of the majority of the local people we had contact with was 'can't be bothered with you, but give me your money.' Contrast that with the Haitian people on Labadee--very aggressive to make a sale, but also very friendly. Happily, there were bright spots. Margaritaville was pleasant. Red Stripe beer is tasty, and jerk is fabulous--be it goat, pork or chicken! I know others have had different experiences and I am truly thrilled for them. I have had both good days and bad days in many of my favorite places (including my native S.F. Bay area). If I get the opportunity to go back to Ocho Rios, I will hire a guide and plan excursions before we leave the ship, and hope for a different picture of this tropical island.

[Bunangst]

We took a tour with Phil Lafayette last week and I'm glad I did. Jamaica was nice to visit... once. I was ready for the market at the falls. What struck me was how they played their "respect mon" card. It's all about respect they say but then won't respect when you say no thank you. Then one person said "respect mon, we are not monsters". Fortunately I had no cash on me. Just a credit card so I didn't have to lie to anyone. Phil was great. He made the visit worthwhile.

[berd0625]

Just back and want to warn everyone - I've heard great things about Peat Taylor and some of the other private guides, but...

 

We booked the horseback riding excursion thru the ship and it's a good thing we did. On the way back the main road was blocked by a protest and what should have been a 20 minute ride turned into a 2 1/2 hour adventure thru the mountains of Jamiaca. Because it was a ship sponsored excursion they had to wait for us, we sailed over 3 hours late. If we were on a private excursion we would have been swimming to Grand Cayman.

 

I suppose this could happen anywhere and our guides worked miracles to get us back. Still the rumor was that some police officers were shaking down cab drivers which caused the protest, so we couldn't exactly rely on the police to get us thru.

[Rustynail]

We loved it as well. Sure we were approached to have my wife's hair braided, take a tour or even buy 'reefer' but all we had to do was say no thanks mon and we moved on.

We ended up in Margaritaville renting lounge chairs on the beach with terrific tropical drinks and swimming in the ocean. When we decided we had enough sun we joined our ship mates for some drinks and fun in the bar before heading back to the ship.

We definitely had a good time and I would certainly recommend getting off the ship to enjoy this beautiful island.

Dan

[lindajmac]

Can anyone tell me how to get in touch with Peat or Phil ? I have been to Dunn's River Falls before and even though we had a great time, I would feel much more comfortable with a guide. Thanks for your help!

Linda

[bigbadfisherman]

We have visited most of the islands in the Caribbean & have been to Mexico and Canada and to several countries in Asia & Europe.

 

I hear many times on these boards that the Jamaican people are all about respect.

 

We have only visited Jamaica one time and my feelings are that the Jamaican people are about the U.S. dollar, they are rude and angry people who only want your money and do not care if they ruin your vacation to get it.

 

Their classic ploy is to engage in conversation with you and ask where you are from and what your name is. At the same time they are crudely carving your name on a cheap wooden figure. Now it is yours for $25.00! Good luck trying to walk away without buying it!

 

We will go back to Jamaica but we are going to spend our day in Margaritaville.

[jgribben.fsnet.co.uk]

Get off the boat in Ocho Rios and go to the falls, they are beautiful, not much problem in Ocho Rios, stay on the boat if its montego bay, it was more hassle and tension than you can imagine.

[hermang]

We have been in Ocho Rios three times and have never encountered any of the issues I hear other that "agressive" but not obnoxious vendors at the markets at Dunns River.

 

We did take RCCL tours all three times.

 

My daughter said she thought the guys in the market were obnoxious but then again her expectations are different than mine.

 

Shopping a Sonjis Plaza and Taj Mahal - very enjoyable and we got hooked by the girls from the Jamaica Blue coffee growers offering free samples of the Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee - THAT is now almost reason enough to include

Jamaica on a cruise.

 

One o four waiters ( a Jamaican) said we must try the Jerk Shack in town

because that's where the crew eats - I'd try it my wife on the other hand was a little skittish but we both like Jerk so maybe next time.

 

Any one eat there??

 

Have an Eirey day

[skyking]

I highly suggest not hiring a cab driver for the day as they will totally RIP you off. They will tell you $50.00 for the day then once you are under way they will tell you $50.00 per person. I have had this happen to me in Ocho Rios and it was not very fun. Next time I do the west I will make Ocho Rios a stay onboard pool day.

[wolfganghowell]

Sounds like I will be spending my day at Margaritaville. Although I would like to do the falls, the drive is just too long for us, especially if we dock at Montego Bay as intended.

 

I understand the respect issue but if I get asked to get my hair braided on one more cruise, I may shave my head!