Falmouth stop-Doctor's Cave or Blue Waters

[FrankNBrew]

We will be in Falmouth mid February for 8 hours. It's our 3rd stop. We have active stuff planned for the first two stops, so I'm thinking a lazy beach day would be appropriate. Reading many posts about taxi pricing, it doesn't look like we would save much if we hired a taxi on our own, and avoiding the negotiation process sounds appealing. The cheapest excursion offered on the ship is transportation to and from Blue Waters with a 3 hours beach visit for $26 each. For an additional $4 each we can take a bus to Montego Bay, visit the Hip Strip, then spend 3 hours at Doctor's Cave beach. I'm leaning toward the 2nd one. If you've been to both, any reason you would pick one over the other? I love big waves. Does either one have bigger waves than the other? Or are they in close enough proximity to each other where the surf will be comparable at both? How about a place to rinse off the salt water and change out of swim clothes for the ride back? Better food and drinks at either? All info appreciated!!

Edited December 14, 2018 by FrankNBrew

[FrankNBrew]

Doing more research, I discovered that when we arrive in Falmouth our ship of 4,000 is the only one in port, and Montego Bay has zero ships in port. That makes Doctor's Cave sound even better. Any chance the lack of ships in port in MB could reduce the quality of service at DC beach? Or affect shopping on the Hip Strip?

Edited December 14, 2018 by FrankNBrew

[EatonDoolittle]

I can't help with your decision, have not been to Doctor's Cave in many years.

However, last month I took the Blue Waters excursion off the Oasis and it was quite nice.

It was an all inclusive price of $67 - transpo, drinks, lunch. 

 

We were bussed over and given chairs in the front row by the water.  Umbrellas were extra ($10 - 20, cannot really remember).

They set us up and our dedicated wait person came right over for drink orders. 

Swimming was nice, but there are grasses on the bottom, so if you are at all squeamish, wear water shoes. 

A buffet lunch of the usual chicken, beans, rice, etc. was included. 

 

There was a DJ, and in the afternoon, he ran games for kids, and overall did a great job of keeping people engaged, if you were so inclined. All the staff were friendly and helpful

 

The busses then ran back to the port continuously in the afternoon, so you could stay as long as you wanted. 

 

Overall it was an inexpensive, easy, relaxing day.

I would do it again if in Falmouth, but I cannot imagine wanting to go on that itinerary again. 

 

[FrankNBrew]

Thanks for the response. The more I read about Falmouth, the less excited I get about that stop, and even less excited to travel to Montego Bay. After reading reviews about The Hip Strip, it sounds like walking the strip may be more annoying than rewarding.  Finding a beach closer to Falmouth may be the best option. Our cruise has 2 options for Blue Waters; there's a Blue Waters beach transfer, which says it includes a complimentary beach chair, which leads me to believe the entry is also included?? And then the all inclusive for $68 each. I'm guessing by day 5 of our cruise a day of all inclusive eating and drinking isn't going to sound so great. I'll probably book the budget transfer and we can head back to the port and find a nice local restaurant for food and drinks if we so choose. Thanks again. Keep the responses coming, please.

[LeeW]

We're not fond of Falmouth, because it is a fair distance from anything.  Mo Bay is around 1/2 hour to the west and we have been to the Hilton Rose Hall all-inclusive a couple of times through Royal Caribbean.  Good food and love the lazy river but beach isn't much (rocks, weeds and poor visibility).  Not impressed with ANY beaches in Jamaica.  Snorkel excursion was actually pretty good and we also cruised around a lagoon near Mo Bay.  Weird non-stinging jellyfish there.  Have also done river tubing that was fun.  There are actually a lot of places to visit from Falmouth but we are not fond of the large distances from port.  Many non-cruise-line operators there - just search for Falmouth excursions.

[Trinam2]

On 12/17/2018 at 11:30 PM, LeeW said:

We're not fond of Falmouth, because it is a fair distance from anything.  Mo Bay is around 1/2 hour to the west and we have been to the Hilton Rose Hall all-inclusive a couple of times through Royal Caribbean.  Good food and love the lazy river but beach isn't much (rocks, weeds and poor visibility).  Not impressed with ANY beaches in Jamaica.  Snorkel excursion was actually pretty good and we also cruised around a lagoon near Mo Bay.  Weird non-stinging jellyfish there.  Have also done river tubing that was fun.  There are actually a lot of places to visit from Falmouth but we are not fond of the large distances from port.  Many non-cruise-line operators there - just search for Falmouth excursions.

Where did you find the snorkeling excursion?

[Mom2KT]

What company did you book with for a snorkeling excursion? Sounds like it may be our best option for Falmouth. 

[vacationlover_mn]

On 12/15/2018 at 9:52 AM, EatonDoolittle said:

I can't help with your decision, have not been to Doctor's Cave in many years.

However, last month I took the Blue Waters excursion off the Oasis and it was quite nice.

It was an all inclusive price of $67 - transpo, drinks, lunch. 

 

We were bussed over and given chairs in the front row by the water.  Umbrellas were extra ($10 - 20, cannot really remember).

They set us up and our dedicated wait person came right over for drink orders. 

Swimming was nice, but there are grasses on the bottom, so if you are at all squeamish, wear water shoes. 

A buffet lunch of the usual chicken, beans, rice, etc. was included. 

 

There was a DJ, and in the afternoon, he ran games for kids, and overall did a great job of keeping people engaged, if you were so inclined. All the staff were friendly and helpful

 

The busses then ran back to the port continuously in the afternoon, so you could stay as long as you wanted. 

 

Overall it was an inexpensive, easy, relaxing day.

I would do it again if in Falmouth, but I cannot imagine wanting to go on that itinerary again. 

 

Did you book this on your own, or through the ship?

[Chicky2181]

On 12/15/2018 at 11:59 AM, FrankNBrew said:

Thanks for the response. The more I read about Falmouth, the less excited I get about that stop, and even less excited to travel to Montego Bay. After reading reviews about The Hip Strip, it sounds like walking the strip may be more annoying than rewarding.  Finding a beach closer to Falmouth may be the best option. Our cruise has 2 options for Blue Waters; there's a Blue Waters beach transfer, which says it includes a complimentary beach chair, which leads me to believe the entry is also included?? And then the all inclusive for $68 each. I'm guessing by day 5 of our cruise a day of all inclusive eating and drinking isn't going to sound so great. I'll probably book the budget transfer and we can head back to the port and find a nice local restaurant for food and drinks if we so choose. Thanks again. Keep the responses coming, please.

What did you end up doing?

[EatonDoolittle]

On 2/24/2019 at 8:49 AM, vacationlover_mn said:

Did you book this on your own, or through the ship?

 

It is a shore excursion through RC. 

You can go over on your own, if you want, but then there will be  a la carte pricing at the resort, and the cab fare to consider.  Going through RC was hassle free.  

[staceyberoth]

On 12/15/2018 at 11:59 AM, FrankNBrew said:

Thanks for the response. The more I read about Falmouth, the less excited I get about that stop, and even less excited to travel to Montego Bay. After reading reviews about The Hip Strip, it sounds like walking the strip may be more annoying than rewarding.  Finding a beach closer to Falmouth may be the best option. Our cruise has 2 options for Blue Waters; there's a Blue Waters beach transfer, which says it includes a complimentary beach chair, which leads me to believe the entry is also included?? And then the all inclusive for $68 each. I'm guessing by day 5 of our cruise a day of all inclusive eating and drinking isn't going to sound so great. I'll probably book the budget transfer and we can head back to the port and find a nice local restaurant for food and drinks if we so choose. Thanks again. Keep the responses coming, please.

what did you end up doing?  We are going Feb 2020 and i'm digging trying to find the best thing for our crew.  if you went to Blue Waters - did you pick transfer or all inclusive?   any info you can provide would be great. thanks so much!

[karena1]

We will be in Falmouth Dec 2020 on Oasis.  I booked the $29 transfer to Blue Water for us.  Includes entrance/loungers.  What I like about it is you are not limited to 3 hours.  Buses run all day back and forth, so we can stay as long as we want and catch one of the later buses back.  We will take the 10:30 bus out and won't come back until probably 3:30 or so, that way we get a nice long beach day.

[EatonDoolittle]

22 minutes ago, karena1 said:

  What I like about it is you are not limited to 3 hours.  Buses run all day back and forth, so we can stay as long as we want and catch one of the later buses back.  

 

If a la carte works better for you, great, but just FYI, you also have the option to stay all day with the AI package. 

As I mentioned above in my review, it was very simple for me to not have a lunch/chair/ bar tab at the end of the day, or pulling out money all day to pay people. . 

 

Your decision should be based on figuring out if a chair, lunch, and unlimited drinks are worth $30 to you, not how long the bus driver lets you stay. 

The bus drivers don't care which package you have, but the servers do. Just ask your driver what time is the last bus, and get there a bit early, because they will go back to the port once the bus is full. 

 

 

Edited June 10, 2019 by EatonDoolittle

[karena1]

31 minutes ago, EatonDoolittle said:

 

If a la carte works better for you, great, but just FYI, you also have the option to stay all day with the AI package. 

As I mentioned above in my review, it was very simple for me to not have a lunch/chair/ bar tab at the end of the day, or pulling out money all day to pay people. . 

 

Your decision should be based on figuring out if a chair, lunch, and unlimited drinks are worth $30 to you, not how long the bus driver lets you stay. 

The bus drivers don't care which package you have, but the servers do. Just ask your driver what time is the last bus, and get there a bit early, because they will go back to the port once the bus is full. 

 

 

Right now the AI is $84 for our cruise date, so not worth that much to us.  We did the $29 pp bus to Red Stripe a few years ago and had a great time.  Now that Red Stripe is no longer an option, we are going to try this one.  If the price goes down, I might change, but I think we will be fine.  I typically never eat lunch at the beach anyway, just take some pretzels or something to snack on. 

[EatonDoolittle]

I must have gotten it on a sale for $67.

 

Well, your mind is  made up, but maybe the info can help others decide. 

Not a lot to do in Falmouth, so any actual facts are helpful (i.e. you can stay all day with either package.).  

[karena1]

On 6/10/2019 at 1:42 PM, EatonDoolittle said:

I must have gotten it on a sale for $67.

 

Well, your mind is  made up, but maybe the info can help others decide. 

Not a lot to do in Falmouth, so any actual facts are helpful (i.e. you can stay all day with either package.).  

So right.  There is not much to do there and we are beach people.  Don't want the ride to Doctor's Cave.  Wish they still had Red Stripe as we loved it there.  So hoping this will be just as good.  As long as I have a nice beach to relax on for the day I am good.  After this trip, who knows how long it will be before I book a cruise that goes back there?  I try to avoid Jamaica, but the rest of this worked for us, so we booked it.

 

[vacationlover_mn]

On 12/15/2018 at 9:52 AM, EatonDoolittle said:

 

However, last month I took the Blue Waters excursion off the Oasis and it was quite nice.

It was an all inclusive price of $67 - transpo, drinks, lunch. 

 

We were bussed over and given chairs in the front row by the water.  Umbrellas were extra ($10 - 20, cannot really remember).

They set us up and our dedicated wait person came right over for drink orders. 

Swimming was nice, but there are grasses on the bottom, so if you are at all squeamish, wear water shoes. 

A buffet lunch of the usual chicken, beans, rice, etc. was included. 

 

There was a DJ, and in the afternoon, he ran games for kids, and overall did a great job of keeping people engaged, if you were so inclined. All the staff were friendly and helpful

 

The busses then ran back to the port continuously in the afternoon, so you could stay as long as you wanted. 

 

Overall it was an inexpensive, easy, relaxing day.

I would do it again if in Falmouth, but I cannot imagine wanting to go on that itinerary again. 

 

Thx so much!  I was thinking of booking that one...

[rcprncss]

On 12/13/2018 at 4:38 PM, FrankNBrew said:

We will be in Falmouth mid February for 8 hours. It's our 3rd stop. We have active stuff planned for the first two stops, so I'm thinking a lazy beach day would be appropriate. Reading many posts about taxi pricing, it doesn't look like we would save much if we hired a taxi on our own, and avoiding the negotiation process sounds appealing. The cheapest excursion offered on the ship is transportation to and from Blue Waters with a 3 hours beach visit for $26 each. For an additional $4 each we can take a bus to Montego Bay, visit the Hip Strip, then spend 3 hours at Doctor's Cave beach. I'm leaning toward the 2nd one. If you've been to both, any reason you would pick one over the other? I love big waves. Does either one have bigger waves than the other? Or are they in close enough proximity to each other where the surf will be comparable at both? How about a place to rinse off the salt water and change out of swim clothes for the ride back? Better food and drinks at either? All info appreciated!!

What did you end up doing?  I am curious about Blue Waters.  Thank you.

[karena1]

On 12/13/2018 at 7:38 PM, FrankNBrew said:

We will be in Falmouth mid February for 8 hours. It's our 3rd stop. We have active stuff planned for the first two stops, so I'm thinking a lazy beach day would be appropriate. Reading many posts about taxi pricing, it doesn't look like we would save much if we hired a taxi on our own, and avoiding the negotiation process sounds appealing. The cheapest excursion offered on the ship is transportation to and from Blue Waters with a 3 hours beach visit for $26 each. For an additional $4 each we can take a bus to Montego Bay, visit the Hip Strip, then spend 3 hours at Doctor's Cave beach. I'm leaning toward the 2nd one. If you've been to both, any reason you would pick one over the other? I love big waves. Does either one have bigger waves than the other? Or are they in close enough proximity to each other where the surf will be comparable at both? How about a place to rinse off the salt water and change out of swim clothes for the ride back? Better food and drinks at either? All info appreciated!!

delete

Edited September 10, 2019 by karena1

[karena1]

On 12/15/2018 at 11:59 AM, FrankNBrew said:

Thanks for the response. The more I read about Falmouth, the less excited I get about that stop, and even less excited to travel to Montego Bay. After reading reviews about The Hip Strip, it sounds like walking the strip may be more annoying than rewarding.  Finding a beach closer to Falmouth may be the best option. Our cruise has 2 options for Blue Waters; there's a Blue Waters beach transfer, which says it includes a complimentary beach chair, which leads me to believe the entry is also included?? And then the all inclusive for $68 each. I'm guessing by day 5 of our cruise a day of all inclusive eating and drinking isn't going to sound so great. I'll probably book the budget transfer and we can head back to the port and find a nice local restaurant for food and drinks if we so choose. Thanks again. Keep the responses coming, please.

delete

Edited September 10, 2019 by karena1