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Carnival Excursion to Secrets

mikel24m

By mikel24m,
in Jamaica

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mikel24m

mikel24m

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Hi all just wondering if anyone has done the all inclusive to Secrets from Carnival.We normally never do ship excursions but this one seems to have all great reviews on the website so we decided for basically the same amount of money($219 for 2) as most of the other all inclusives we should give it a try.

 

Any info appreciated :)

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NOLAbebe

NOLAbebe

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We are cruising this coming Sunday and will be at Secrets on Tuesday, Sept 1st. I had trouble finding info, as well, other than the Carnival site. I will come back here and post my thoughts when we return. Any specific questions?

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mikel24m

mikel24m

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We are cruising this coming Sunday and will be at Secrets on Tuesday, Sept 1st. I had trouble finding info, as well, other than the Carnival site. I will come back here and post my thoughts when we return. Any specific questions?

 

Awesome Thanks !! Have a great cruise :)

 

Nothing specific just hows the food and drinks and how much time actually at the resort

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JP350Z

JP350Z

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I stayed at Secrets St. James this month for a week and talked to some of the cruisers so I know the deal. You will be there from 10 to 3:30. For lunch you must look for the Jerk Chicken cart, it's fantastic. If you want to sit down for lunch try the seaside grille for good shrimp tacos. Drink wise they have red stripe on tap and even have one self serve tap at the barefoot grille if you want beer really cold. Drinks at the swim up bars are good but ask for an extra shot in them. I recommend the dirty banana. It's like an alcoholic smoothie with banana and chocolate but order it "extra dirty" with the shot on top. The $109 or so price tag is well worth it imho. We paid $3000+ to stay for a week, it's a beatific place. Clean poolside bathrooms, clean beach with lots of chairs and shade, water is crystal clear and you can snorkel right off the beach. Tip: The fish like the vegetable fritters from the barefoot grille. You won't regret it, it's super close to the montego bay cruise port so you aren't wasting any time getting there either.

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mikel24m

mikel24m

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I stayed at Secrets St. James this month for a week and talked to some of the cruisers so I know the deal. You will be there from 10 to 3:30. For lunch you must look for the Jerk Chicken cart, it's fantastic. If you want to sit down for lunch try the seaside grille for good shrimp tacos. Drink wise they have red stripe on tap and even have one self serve tap at the barefoot grille if you want beer really cold. Drinks at the swim up bars are good but ask for an extra shot in them. I recommend the dirty banana. It's like an alcoholic smoothie with banana and chocolate but order it "extra dirty" with the shot on top. The $109 or so price tag is well worth it imho. We paid $3000+ to stay for a week, it's a beatific place. Clean poolside bathrooms, clean beach with lots of chairs and shade, water is crystal clear and you can snorkel right off the beach. Tip: The fish like the vegetable fritters from the barefoot grille. You won't regret it, it's super close to the montego bay cruise port so you aren't wasting any time getting there either.

 

Thanks so much for the response and the video :)

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  • 2 weeks later...
NOLAbebe

NOLAbebe

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We're back! Let me say this: I would fly to Montego Bay and stay at Secrets Wild Orchid in a HEARTBEAT.

 

I had the date wrong- we were there this past Wednesday. The weather was hot and gorgeous, and only around the time we were leaving (around 3pm, maybe a bit after?) did the sky become slightly overcast as if it were going to rain. There was a nice, steady breeze all day that kept us comfortable while we were lounging.

 

So, we met our group at the port and were led to a medium-sized bus with air conditioner. I am guessing at least 15-20 people were on our bus. The drive was VERY short- maybe 5 minutes or so- to the hotel. The hotel is gated with security, was pristinely clean on the outside and what we saw on the inside, and felt extremely safe. There were tropical flowers and flowering bushes and vines EVERYWHERE, and palm trees, and the landscaping generally was very lush and well-kept.

 

A rep from the hotel boarded the bus on arrival and told us what we had access to (everything but a room), where it was located, etc. and then set us loose. We walked through the lobby to get to the pool and beachfront at Secrets St. James. The property is connected to two neighboring properties by a beachfront sidewalk- Secrets Wild Orchid, and Secrets Wild Orchid 'Preferred', whatever that is. If you look at an aerial photo, you will see multiple semi-lunar shaped beaches. The one in the middle is Wild Orchid, the left of that is St. James, and the right of that is Preferred (on the end corner). To the left of St. James is the other Carnival family resort (Sidewinds?).

 

A lot of people stopped right there- at St. James. The pool had a swim-up bar, a map showing you the properties, signs with arrows, and access to its beachfront, which was also where all of the water sports were (kayaking, hobies, etc.). They had multiple loungers around the pool, many still available, and multiple loungers (some with umbrellas) at the beachfront. We took a left and walked to Wild Orchid. SO glad we did!

 

There wasn't anything wrong with the St. James area, but Wild Orchid was our dream come true. GORGEOUS. A gazebo (you can see on an aerial photo) and a wooden pier along the ocean, and a semi-lunar 'protected' beach with crystal blue water. There were patches of palm trees, and we camped out under the shade there in a cluster of loungers. There were also many loungers along the sandy shore. The sand does have rocks and shattered shells, and the ocean has patches of what someone told me were sea urchins (???). My friend scraped her foot, but I had lightweight, mesh shower shoes on (Vermont Country Store) to protect the bottoms of my feet and it was no problem for me at all.

 

We knew the hotel was all-inclusive, but to foster better service, we had a wad of one dollar bills on hand for small tips. A waitress visited us at least three times while we were there, and we tipped her $1 a drink to keep her coming back- seemed to work! We also walked to the bar once or twice because we wanted to check out the buffet and the cocktail menu, and the barstaff were awesome as well! All of the drinks we had were weak, but they would also give you a shot if you wanted one, so you could add more liquor to your drink. We didn't do that because we aren't big drinkers and we drank a LOT on the ship. ;)

 

There is an outdoor buffet there by the Wild Orchid bar, and a swim-up and walk-up bar at the pool. Again, multiple loungers by the pool. Shade from the buildings, but I don't recall any umbrellas there. Some parts were shady, some were direct sun, and some had peacocks that would walk around and honk at you.

 

Back to the beach... There was a cart that came around to split coconuts for you, and another cart that was cooking fresh jerk chicken with or without sauce. THIS WAS DELICIOUS. We went back twice. Screw the buffet- this was amazing chicken. Try without the sauce first. You might not want it on there! We were licking our fingers like animals. If...animals had fingers.

 

We didn't visit the inside of the hotels or use any water sports- this was strictly relaxation. The mountains to our left, the breeze, the turquoise and navy waters, the white sand, the drinks, the food...we were smitten. It is a bit pricy, but there was no danger, no aggressive vendors, no CROWDS, and all the food and drink you could want. TOTALLY WORTH IT, to me. No children, no blaring music. Just lovely. I would go back for a land vacation in a hot second.

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NOLAbebe

NOLAbebe

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Aerial photo:

 

http://www.secretsresorts.com/modules/mod_image_show_gk4/cache/sewmb.00RL01gk-is-243.jpg

 

 

Here, you can see the three semi-lunar beaches. To the far left is St. James, where we were dropped off. The middle is Wild Orchid- you can see the gazebo and the walkway leading to it? And the far right is 'Preferred'. We didn't go that far- we loved the beach and area at Wild Orchid, in the middle, and plopped down there.

 

In real life, I don't know how old this pic is, but there were more loungers, more palm trees, and some ropes cordoning off the 'safe' part of the beach.

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mikel24m

mikel24m

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And finally...

 

http://dwaynewatkins.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/dwp-cd001.jpg

 

See the umbrellas and palm trees to the lower right? We were under there. There were multiple (at least 12) loungers along that slip of beach to the right. Plenty of room.

 

Hope you have a wonderful time!!!!

 

Thanks so much for the pictures and great review.You sold us on the place :)

 

Cant wait until we can try the jerk chicken

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  • 1 month later...
mikel24m

mikel24m

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We're back! Let me say this: I would fly to Montego Bay and stay at Secrets Wild Orchid in a HEARTBEAT.

 

I had the date wrong- we were there this past Wednesday. The weather was hot and gorgeous, and only around the time we were leaving (around 3pm, maybe a bit after?) did the sky become slightly overcast as if it were going to rain. There was a nice, steady breeze all day that kept us comfortable while we were lounging.

 

So, we met our group at the port and were led to a medium-sized bus with air conditioner. I am guessing at least 15-20 people were on our bus. The drive was VERY short- maybe 5 minutes or so- to the hotel. The hotel is gated with security, was pristinely clean on the outside and what we saw on the inside, and felt extremely safe. There were tropical flowers and flowering bushes and vines EVERYWHERE, and palm trees, and the landscaping generally was very lush and well-kept.

 

A rep from the hotel boarded the bus on arrival and told us what we had access to (everything but a room), where it was located, etc. and then set us loose. We walked through the lobby to get to the pool and beachfront at Secrets St. James. The property is connected to two neighboring properties by a beachfront sidewalk- Secrets Wild Orchid, and Secrets Wild Orchid 'Preferred', whatever that is. If you look at an aerial photo, you will see multiple semi-lunar shaped beaches. The one in the middle is Wild Orchid, the left of that is St. James, and the right of that is Preferred (on the end corner). To the left of St. James is the other Carnival family resort (Sidewinds?).

 

A lot of people stopped right there- at St. James. The pool had a swim-up bar, a map showing you the properties, signs with arrows, and access to its beachfront, which was also where all of the water sports were (kayaking, hobies, etc.). They had multiple loungers around the pool, many still available, and multiple loungers (some with umbrellas) at the beachfront. We took a left and walked to Wild Orchid. SO glad we did!

 

There wasn't anything wrong with the St. James area, but Wild Orchid was our dream come true. GORGEOUS. A gazebo (you can see on an aerial photo) and a wooden pier along the ocean, and a semi-lunar 'protected' beach with crystal blue water. There were patches of palm trees, and we camped out under the shade there in a cluster of loungers. There were also many loungers along the sandy shore. The sand does have rocks and shattered shells, and the ocean has patches of what someone told me were sea urchins (???). My friend scraped her foot, but I had lightweight, mesh shower shoes on (Vermont Country Store) to protect the bottoms of my feet and it was no problem for me at all.

 

We knew the hotel was all-inclusive, but to foster better service, we had a wad of one dollar bills on hand for small tips. A waitress visited us at least three times while we were there, and we tipped her $1 a drink to keep her coming back- seemed to work! We also walked to the bar once or twice because we wanted to check out the buffet and the cocktail menu, and the barstaff were awesome as well! All of the drinks we had were weak, but they would also give you a shot if you wanted one, so you could add more liquor to your drink. We didn't do that because we aren't big drinkers and we drank a LOT on the ship. ;)

 

There is an outdoor buffet there by the Wild Orchid bar, and a swim-up and walk-up bar at the pool. Again, multiple loungers by the pool. Shade from the buildings, but I don't recall any umbrellas there. Some parts were shady, some were direct sun, and some had peacocks that would walk around and honk at you.

 

Back to the beach... There was a cart that came around to split coconuts for you, and another cart that was cooking fresh jerk chicken with or without sauce. THIS WAS DELICIOUS. We went back twice. Screw the buffet- this was amazing chicken. Try without the sauce first. You might not want it on there! We were licking our fingers like animals. If...animals had fingers.

 

We didn't visit the inside of the hotels or use any water sports- this was strictly relaxation. The mountains to our left, the breeze, the turquoise and navy waters, the white sand, the drinks, the food...we were smitten. It is a bit pricy, but there was no danger, no aggressive vendors, no CROWDS, and all the food and drink you could want. TOTALLY WORTH IT, to me. No children, no blaring music. Just lovely. I would go back for a land vacation in a hot second.

 

We are back from our cruise and I just wanted to say this sums the entire day up perfectly !! It was awesome and very close to the port. Thanks again for this review :)

 

The jerk chicken was amazing we had 2 plates each and we were full. And we found a coffee bar with coffee drinks hot and cold and both with or without booze.Coffee is this non drinkers drink of choice and they made me great expresso and we had pastries too and they had sandwiches too.I highly recommend this place

Edited by mikel24m
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  • 3 months later...
BigB0882

BigB0882

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Thanks for the review. We booked this for our stop in Jamaica in June. Looks like we made a great choice! We booked independently, though. Saved a few bucks that way. Being so close to the port I am not worried about getting back on time.

Edited by BigB0882
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