Falmouth - Resort Day Pass Questions - Hilton Rose Hall vs Jewel Runaway Bay

[Krazyhardrocker]

We will be visiting Falmouth as one of our stops on the Disney Fantasy in May 2018. We are a family of 4 with kids ages 16 and 3. The listed port time in Falmouth is 7:30 am - 4:45 pm. We are trying to decide between Hilton Rose Hall and Jewel Runaway Bay. I would like to hear about the good and bad experiences that anyone may want to share to help us make our decision. Both are offered by "Resort for a Day" and "Jaital", so any experiences with this company that you think would be helpful would be appreciated. Thanks.

[butlercat]

hi! i was at the Hilton Rose Hall resort on Thursday, 5/11. We arrived around 9 am and pickup was at 230 pm. The main attraction is the lazy river, which got crowded later when we were there. There's also another main pool. The beach is lovely, but is roped off so that you can't go very far out into the water. Food was ok. We were on RCL's Liberty of the Seas and i thought the food was better on the ship. One thing is that the package did not include breakfast so we grabbed a banana but couldn't eat until 1130 am. I booked through resort for a day and transportation was very easy.

 

 

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[Krazyhardrocker]

hi! i was at the Hilton Rose Hall resort on Thursday, 5/11. We arrived around 9 am and pickup was at 230 pm. The main attraction is the lazy river, which got crowded later when we were there. There's also another main pool. The beach is lovely, but is roped off so that you can't go very far out into the water. Food was ok. We were on RCL's Liberty of the Seas and i thought the food was better on the ship. One thing is that the package did not include breakfast so we grabbed a banana but couldn't eat until 1130 am. I booked through resort for a day and transportation was very easy.

 

 

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Thanks. Was your pick-up time based on your ships departure time or is 2:30 just a standard pick-up time?

[butlercat]

Thanks. Was your pick-up time based on your ships departure time or is 2:30 just a standard pick-up time?

 

 

We arrived in Falmouth around 8 am and were told the bus would leave 45 minutes after the ship docked. We probably left about 835 as everyone was on board. It's about 20 minutes to the resort. Our departure time was either 430 or 5 so we got back around 3 and had time to wander around the shopping area before getting on board.

 

 

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[Krazyhardrocker]

We arrived in Falmouth around 8 am and were told the bus would leave 45 minutes after the ship docked. We probably left about 835 as everyone was on board. It's about 20 minutes to the resort. Our departure time was either 430 or 5 so we got back around 3 and had time to wander around the shopping area before getting on board.

 

 

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Nice pic. Is that taken from Hilton Rose Hall?

[butlercat]

here's some more pictures from the beach and main pool at the Hilton Rose Hall. i didn't take any of the lazy river or slides.

 

 

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[Krazyhardrocker]

here's some more pictures from the beach and main pool at the Hilton Rose Hall. i didn't take any of the lazy river or slides.

 

 

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Beautiful. Did 5 hours seem like enough time to make it worth the cost?

[butlercat]

I would have liked to be there a little longer. I felt a little rushed. But it seemed like the closest resort to Falmouth and I didn't want to have to travel too far. I'm curious about Jewel Runaway Bay and what people think of it. The Hilton is probably a fair price given its distance from the port.

 

 

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[butlercat]

Nice pic. Is that taken from Hilton Rose Hall?

 

 

yes. Hilton Rose Hall. at their pier-like walkway with a gazebo at the end.

 

 

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[cscream13]

Has anyone booked this directly through Hilton and then arranged their own transportation? I am considering this option, but am not sure how hard it will be to get there on our own.

[elklemi]

I know that Jewel Runaway Bay is the one Jewel resort that allows children and they opened up a large water slide type park a few years ago. They do have a nice beach and might want to read reviews on the resort to get an idea. I have stayed at the two Jewel adult resorts in Ocho Rios and Runaway Bay and the food and service at them has always been very good.

[crossfitmama]

I'm looking at this Falmouth Day Pass http://jamaicacruiseexcursions.com/FalmouthBeachBreak.htm . Any idea which resort this is? We have kids so the waterslides are a huge perk

[choosecruise3]

hi crossfitmama. The resort on that link is the Royalton White Sands. I will be in Falmouth next month and I too am deciding between Hilton and Royalton.

[arnettfamilyof4]

We booked Hilton Rose Hall through Resort for a Day. Best thing I have ever done! We arrived and transportation was a nightmare. I called resort for a day from the taxi line and they sent a private van to get us AND assured us they would provide transportation back to the ship on time. We are booked and will do the same thing again in October. IMO, Unless things have changed in the pat 2 years be warned that transportation was the worst experience out of all the islands we have visited. But HRR was wonderful once we were there!

[kba1988]

This sounds interesting. Gonna go check out resort-for-a-day for our upcoming Falmouth visit in September!

[nyllrap]

Maybe it is just me, but I am not sure I see the point of purchasing a day at an all inclusive resort while on a cruise. Why not just stay on the ship and save the money? I understand you still have to pay for booze on the ship, but the day pass coast of an AI would much more than pay for that.

[carbon]

We are going to enjoy the sand and the beach with the grandkids.

[islandbound]

We have been to Hilton Rose Hall twice. One of our favorite places. Beautiful scenery, lazy river, slide you go down on tube, beach area , separate pool area, and even games, like bean bag toss. We have booked both times through resort for a day..very professional! Great service.

[descotes]

Has anyone booked this directly through Hilton and then arranged their own transportation? I am considering this option, but am not sure how hard it will be to get there on our own.

 

I was trying to figure out the same thing. Not sure how far it is but the difference in price for booking directly and through resort for a day is about $82. Will it cost me $82 there and back for a taxi? Just trying to figure out if it's worth it.

[Arzeena]

We booked Hilton Rose Hall through Resort for a Day. Best thing I have ever done! We arrived and transportation was a nightmare. I called resort for a day from the taxi line and they sent a private van to get us AND assured us they would provide transportation back to the ship on time. We are booked and will do the same thing again in October. IMO, Unless things have changed in the pat 2 years be warned that transportation was the worst experience out of all the islands we have visited. But HRR was wonderful once we were there!

 

Was the transportation to and from included in the pass that you purchased from Resort For a Day?

[Krisco]

I was trying to figure out the same thing. Not sure how far it is but the difference in price for booking directly and through resort for a day is about $82. Will it cost me $82 there and back for a taxi? Just trying to figure out if it's worth it.

 

Following. Wondering the same thing as it's less expensive booking via Hilton. and is taxi ride more flexible on time.

[choosecruise3]

I booked directly with HRH with private transportation through Reggae Tours. Did that so I have the flexibility on leaving at my own time vs waiting for the shuttle. I am glad I did that because HRH was just ok for us and we decided to leave earlier than planned. The beach was alright. Water was not as clear as we hoped and we ended up using the lazy river and slide instead of the ocean. It may have been because it was in August and we had a few passing storms that day. They have a water slide that requires a tube to get down. Tubes are around the lazy river and you will need to find available ones and carry it up with you to the top. I would suggest pre-booking a cabana if you can. It is very reasonably priced and gave us shelter from the passing storms! The ones by the pool is $50 and beachfront is $65. Have fun!

[trmwilliams]

We used Resort for a Day for 2 beach days on a cruise last December and were more than satisfied with their service. For the Jamaica offerings that I reviewed, an air conditioned bus handles the transfer between the port and the resort, and it's included in the price which is helpful. We will use it to get there and if we want to leave earlier than scheduled, we will just let them know we are out and take a cab back.

 

I am also trying to decide on Hilton Rose Hall for our Jan 2018 cruise stop. After much research online, I think we are going with HRH as it had favorable reviews on Oyster.com regarding the beach and facilities. They stated it was "a wide, private beach with mostly, calm, swimmable water and immaculately maintained beach". For us the beach is the key - we live in the Arizona desert. Hyatt Zilara and Ziva looked nice but they got dinged for their small beach and especially at Zilara, it was noted that it was somewhat rocky and the water full of seaweed debris at times.

 

I didn't research Jewel Paradise or Jewel Runaway due to the bus transfer being 45 minutes or so compared to HRH that is supposed to be about 20 minutes as our cruise port will be Falmouth.

[Krazyhardrocker]

We ended up doing Jewel Runaway Bay and had a great time. Highly recommended for those looking to have a relaxing day and the kids loved the waterpark.

[meliss35]

Which of the two resorts would be better for 2 adults who are in their mid 50s? We want a great beach, beautiful resort and lazy river.