Jamaica on Oasis

[Cruisin'BusyBee]

Thinking of doing ship excursion: Falmouth and Montego Bay at Leisure - FYB6Has anyone done this or have info on it? After going around MB, you can get dropped off town for 2 hrs. or go to Dr. Caves Beach. Do we also get PICKED up or need to take taxi back? This IS kinda important :rolleyes:

 

thanks, CBB

[anandaindonesia]

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I'd like to know the answers myself. Will be there in April. :)

[Merion_Mom]

The full excursion description from the http://www.rccl.com website: (I have highlighted the relevant passage in red)

 

Falmouth and Montego Bay at Leisure - FYB6

 

OVERVIEW: Enjoy the sights as you travel through Falmouth to Montego Bay and enjoy the tourism mecca of Montego Bay at your own pace. HIGHLIGHTS: Begin with a brief tour of historic Falmouth. Drive by the ********* and Rose Hall Great Houses, luxury hotels, beaches, and the homes of the rich and famous of Jamaica and Hollywood. In Mobay, you can indulge in Jamaica's Blue Mountain coffee, and the island's famous banana bread. Then enjoy two hours of free time to visit the hip strip, Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville or Doctor's Cave Beach, shop, and more. NOTES: Bring a bathing suit if you plan to swim and cash for lunch/additional snacks and entrance fees such as to Doctor's Cave beach.

 

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Overview:

From Falmouth to Montego Bay enjoy sightseeing and explore the hip strip of Montego Bay at your pace. Explore the shops, visit Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville or Doctor’s Cave Beach and more.

 

Highlights:

- Tour historic Falmouth and tourism hot spot, the hip strip of Montego Bay.

- Enjoy 2 hours of leisure time in Montego Bay to explore shops, Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville or Doctor’s Cave Beach and more.

 

Full Description:

Long renowned for its historic Georgian architecture, board your comfortable tour bus in quaint Falmouth. Enjoy the morning sightseeing as you sojourn through Falmouth towards the island’s second largest city and tourism capital, musical Montego Bay. Sit back and relax as your professional tour guide explains the history, government, and culture in a lively, interactive manner. You will understand why the Arawak Indians named the island Jamaica, meaning “land of wood and water.”

Your journey includes drive by visits of the splendid ********* and Rose Hall Great Houses where you will be able to photograph one of the few remaining sugar mansions from the plantation era. View luxury hotels, shopping centers, beaches, restaurants, and the colorful local craft market in unique Mobay. You will also see the homes of the rich and famous of Jamaica and Hollywood. Indulge in the world’s most expensive coffee from Jamaica's Blue Mountain, and the island’s famous banana bread at Pier One on the Waterfront. Then, enjoy some leisure time on Mobay's 'hip strip' to browse the shops, be entertained at Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville and take a dip in the curative waters of Doctor's Cave Beach.

The day will conclude with a restful ride to the cruise ship terminal at Falmouth with ample shops available at the pier.

 

What to Bring:

- You should always take your SeaPass card (provided onboard the ship) and photo identification when in port.

- Swimwear, towel and hat (if swimming at the beach or Margaritaville)

- Sun protection

- Camera

- Money for shopping, beach entrance to Doctor’s Cave, restaurant purchases / souvenirs

 

What to Wear:

- Recommend wearing light clothing and comfortable walking shoes.

 

Important Notes:

- Tour includes transportation and local guide who can assist with questions on how to best spend your free time in Montego Bay. Tastings of Jamaica’s Blue Mountain coffee and banana bread are included in the tour price. Lunch or additional snacks are at your leisure and own expense as well as any entrance fees such as to Doctor’s Cave beach or shopping.

 

This tour is not recommended for full time wheelchair users unless private arrangements have been made. Please contact the Shore Excursion Department at shorexaccess@rccl.com to make private arrangements.

Edited December 24, 2013 by Merion_Mom

[OCruisers]

Has anyone actually taken this excursion?

 

LuLu

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[RavennaM]

I am also interested about this. Anyone??

[cruisecandy]

I don't know about the excursion but I can say Doctors Cave is my one my favorite beaches in the world. If you google pictures of Doctors Cave you will see what I mean. Entrance fees used to be $5 a few years ago so can't be much more now. They have nice changing and bathing facilities as well as a few dining options. They also rent beach chairs and umbrellas.

 

Only thing to be aware of, the sea does drop off sharply after a few feet so be careful.

 

Two hours doesn't seem like a long enough time however.

[OCruisers]

I don't know about the excursion but I can say Doctors Cave is my one my favorite beaches in the world. If you google pictures of Doctors Cave you will see what I mean. Entrance fees used to be $5 a few years ago so can't be much more now. They have nice changing and bathing facilities as well as a few dining options. They also rent beach chairs and umbrellas.

 

Only thing to be aware of, the sea does drop off sharply after a few feet so be careful.

 

Two hours doesn't seem like a long enough time however.

 

Thanks for your reply and thoughts on Doctors Cave beach. :)

 

We drove by there once on our way back from an excursion ages ago but I really knew nothing about it.

 

LuLu

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[mjonis]

So this does include drs beach/cave? I'm looking at snorkeling and I heard it was the best.

 

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[InstructorCruiser]

I did this tour when I sailed on the Allure in July. This excursion was just ok to me. Transportation was by a big tour bus (but we also saw people on the same tour taking smaller vans). The tour guide was excellent- very professional and knowledgeable about history in Jamaica (I believe she was local).

The tour takes you through the town of Falmouth a bit; we stopped at a historic church- it was your choice if you wanted to get off there and look inside the church (we stopped for no more than 10-15 minutes). There was someone inside the church soliciting donations. There was also a lot of vendors outside the church selling souvenirs.

We continued on toward Montego Bay and stopped at a restaurant on the waterfront where we were given small samples of banana bread and coffee. We were encouraged to order drinks but there was not enough time to order lunch there. After about a half-hour, we continued on to Montego Bay's main strip.

The tour bus dropped us off near Margaritaville in Mo Bay and told us to meet back there in two hours. We walked back and forth on the strip looking for a place for lunch and souvenirs- there wasn't much to choose from for lunch (I wanted an authentic jerk meal but the tour guide only recommended Margaritaville- I don't think she was allowed to recommend other places but I may be wrong). We ended up eating at a local-ish restaurant but I can't remember the name.

I didn't see much in the way of souvenirs that I wanted- the people working in the shops will call out to you to come into the shops and they don't like to be ignored (one lady asked "You don't speak English?" when we didn't respond to her!). Overall the people were friendly though and I felt perfectly safe exploring the strip.

The tour bus came back on time and took us back to the port.

Overall I was unimpressed with Montego Bay and Falmouth. The scenery was beautiful but there just wasn't much to do there if you weren't going to the beach or to a resort.

Hope this helps!

[rosebud1g]

I have been on 15 cruises, have done ship excursions in Jamaica, have done private excursions pre-arranged in Jamaica, have also stayed 5 days in Montego Bay at the Ritz Carleton. On this past cruise on Allure, we used this company: www.Libertytoursjamaica.com and had the BEST tour of our lives! This company can do any tour to fit your needs. They accomodate cruisers in the ports of Montego Bay, Falmouth, and Ocho Rios, and will stay with you the entire time. No need to worry about what time they are coming back. They will also keep the locals far from you from selling their goods. There are many tours to choose from if you go to their website.

I have been to Doctor's Cave Beach while on Liberty of the Seas. It was very beautiful, but crowded. I preferred using Libertytoursjamaica, and

set the time and place for our day. Highly recommend them!