Sunset Beach Review!

[Rowan555]

We just returned from our Conquest cruise - I have photos to upload and post later, but for now I just want to ease everyone's concerns about the price increase at Sunset Beach. It was WELL worth the $40pp and $20pp for children - a GREAT value, and we had a wonderful time. We stayed from about 9 AM until 3 PM or so and it was the best port day of our trip. BEAUTIFUL beaches, nice pools, the waterslides and lazy river are awesome, and the food and drinks were great as well. We stayed in our swimsuits so we just had lunch at the snack bar, but the restaurant buffet looked great. The pina coladas were very tasty - better than the ones on the ship (very low on the alcohol, though, which is probably a good thing with unlimited free drinks!). The staff were all friendly, and everything was clean. We mainly did the beach, boats, and water park - there were also ping pong and pool tables, a children's activity center, and many other things to see and do. We will DEFINITELY return next time we are on a cruise that stops in Jamaica, and we're also considering a land vacation there in the future. I talked to a few people who were staying on the property, and they had nothing but good things to say about their experience there. Hope this helps - any questions, just ask - I'm happy to answer!

[7777777]

Could you please be specific about the 3 beaches.

thanks,

[Rowan555]

Sorry, we just stayed on the main beach since we were with our young kids. There were some women sunbathing topless in several spots along the beach, but we didn't go over to the nude beach area.

[gc]

Hi Rowan555

Please, could you answer a few questions about sunset beach resort? I have been searching for information for this beach which has been difficult to find.

How did you get transportation to the resort?

Did you book this on the ship?

Is the resort still under construction?

Please post a link to see your pic’s of the water park.

Thank You gc

[stardelight]

gc if you go to a thread down farther on the jamaica board,title, I &aposive got information on montego bay beaches.....E-mail www. sunsetbeachresort.com phone 1-876-979-8800 hope this helps. GO LEAFS

[7777777]

I'm also going on the Conquest in the near future.

Did you take a specific cab to the beach and do they take your sign & sail card? Do you feel safe? What about when you leave?

Do you need to call a cab or will one be waiting?

thanks for your information...

[gc]

Thanks Bill

 

I hope we get to go to MO Bay instead of Ocho Rios....I think the water park would be lots of fun!!

I was at that resort before around 20yrs ago!!!

gc

[Rowan555]

We just hailed a taxi from the cruise terminal - it was $2 per person to get there, and took less than 3 minutes. As we left there were about a dozen cabs waiting - we paid $6 for the 4 of us to return to the ship. We felt fine handing over our sail and sign cards, and we retrieved them at the security booth on the way out.

 

You do not book this on the ship - you just go to the hotel desk at the resort and ask for day passes. It's $40 pp for adults and $20 pp for kids, and you can pay with cash or credit card. This includes tips as well, so you don't need ANY additional money while you're at the resort. I forgot to mention they also have some really nice tennis courts if you play tennis.

 

When you check in, be sure to ask for towel vouchers for as many people as you have in your party - then go back out the front of the building, take an immediate left, then another left at the tennis courts, and you will see the "towel hut" to your left. Give them the voucher and you will get a towel for each voucher. You can trade wet towels for dry ones as many times as you need. Return them before you leave and you're all set. NO need to bring Carnival's towels from the ship, which IMO is another big plus to this resort!

[Rowan555]

Here are some photos I took of the property so you all could get an idea of what it looks like - sorry I didn't take more - we were just having TOO much fun lol!

 

http://www.gillelands.com/sunsetbeach.jpg

 

The bottom photo is of the resort from our stateroom window on the ship - you can see the two hotel buildings and the top of the waterslide structure. That's how close this place is! I also wanted to mention it was NOT at all crowded, and the beach area is MUCH larger than what I expected. at least 5 or 6 times the size of Paradise Beach, if you've been there.

[7777777]

thanks for the information..........

I'm going in February.......

[ryzmom]

Thanks for the information!

 

Did you by chance check out the spa or see it ? That's what I am really concerned about. You mentioned free unlimited drinks, was that included in the $40 pp that you mentioned?

 

Thanks,

Deana

[JoeMini]

Great info Rowan....nice pictures as well. I'm glad you decided to give Sunset Beach a try....no doubt I'll be headed there as well. :)

[Rowan555]

Thanks for the information!

 

Did you by chance check out the spa or see it ? That's what I am really concerned about. You mentioned free unlimited drinks, was that included in the $40 pp that you mentioned?

 

Thanks,

Deana

 

 

I didn't even see the spa - with two kids, we stuck with the beach and water park. I would have liked to play some pool or ping pong, but we didnt' fit that in either. You can get ANY drink you like, and it's included in the $40pp. There are soft drink dispensers set up in several locations, and there are bars scattered throughout the property. They have frozen strawberry daquiris and pina coladas in the machines, and you can order them virgin or with rum. We ordered banana daquiris, which they made with real bananas - what a treat! There is a no tipping policy as well - the $40pp includes EVERYTHING.

[kaeffe]

Rowan, did you show your ship card? I heard it was $20 if you showed your card. Did they double thier price?

[micmark]

Does the price include food, or is that an extra cost?

[Rowan555]

It's $40 pp for adults, that's the new price for cruise guests. That price includes all food and drink, including alcohol. You must leave your ship card with them and you get it back when you exit the resort and turn in your wristband.

[SLL]

Yoiu mentioned that you did not go to the nude beach, but several women were sunbathing topless. Were they at the family beach "topless"?

Also, did it not bother you to leave your sail and sign card with them at all, could they get important info off of it?

Thanks

[Rowan555]

Yoiu mentioned that you did not go to the nude beach, but several women were sunbathing topless. Were they at the family beach "topless"?

Also, did it not bother you to leave your sail and sign card with them at all, could they get important info off of it?

Thanks

 

 

I didn't mind leaving my cards with them - they sealed them in an envelope and left them at the security booth. I don't believe there is any danger in leaving the cards, other than the possibility of them being lost.

 

Regarding the topless sunbathers, they were on the main beach. It was maybe two or three women, I really didn't pay that much attention. Chances are, when you're at a beach outside the US you'll see someone on the beach topless SOMEWHERE, so it's best to just not let it phase you (and to prepare your children, if need be - my 4 and 6 year olds just didn't care one way or the other).

[dsnycruiser]

Rowan,

 

We will be on the Conquest the first week of Jan. and are considering Sunset Beach. I was wondering what the water temperature was like when you were there? Do you know if the pools are heated? I would hate to spend all that money to go there, and then have my kids complain that the water is too cold to swim in! Thanks.

 

Kim

[eelyak]

As far as drinks are concerned, we actually wound up going down to the furthest bar on the beach, right before you get to the nude beach, and they had different drinks listed on the pavilion along with what was in them. VERY HELPFUL! My husbands favorite is the dirty banana, although it isn't listed, he thinks it's the best thing ever. I on the other hand can't eat bananas, but anywho, we enjoyed actually seeing a list of ingredients in drinks that they could make.

[Rowan555]

The water was cool, but it warmed up later in the morning and early afternoon. It may be a bit cool when you're there, but I find that kids are a lot less likely to complain about the water being too cold than adults tend to be! We went to Costa Maya last January and the kids had a blast playing in the water while dh and I sat, covered in our towels, and shivered. I would take a trip to Sunset Beach in January and just hope for the best!

[txgal1304]

We'll be in Montego Bay the first week of January and were planning on going to Sunset Beach. Were there any lockers or anything like that to put your things while you were off doing other activities? We're a little concerned about leaving our stuff on the beach. Any suggestions?

 

Thanks!

[Rowan555]

We'll be in Montego Bay the first week of January and were planning on going to Sunset Beach. Were there any lockers or anything like that to put your things while you were off doing other activities? We're a little concerned about leaving our stuff on the beach. Any suggestions?

 

Thanks!

 

 

There aren't lockers, but FWIW we felt fine leaving our backpack on the beach while going out in the boat, and leaving our things on the lounge chairs while doing the lazy river and slides. We kept our money/credit card/etc in a water wallet in dh's pocket, and left our camera, sunblock, and other things in our bag. It was out of sight much of the time and we had no problems at all.

[txgal1304]

We're first time cruisers, so I apologize if this is a dumb question, but what is a water wallet and where can you buy one?

[Rowan555]

I bought mine on ebay - it's soft and kept the water out VERY well. Some people on our cruise complained that the hard plastic ones let water in and got all their things wet. Here's what I bought: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Dry-pak-kwik-tech-alligator-wallet-water-proof-marine_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ31280QQitemZ4592673543QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWD1V