11/19/21 Celebrity Equinox - Falmouth, Jamaica substituted for Grand Cayman

[MarkWiltonM]

I just saw that the 11/19/21 Celebrity Equinox cruise has substituted Falmouth, Jamaica for Grand Cayman. I've never been there so I'm interested but only if I can get off and explore Falmouth on my own. I'm not interested in shore excursions because of reports on CC that social distancing is often not possible.

 

I don't see Jamaica on the list of countries on the Celebrity webpage regarding excursions:  https://www.celebritycruises.com/healthy-at-sea/us-travel-requirements

 

Does anyone know the status of Falmouth?

[Cg52]

We stopped in Falmouth Jamaica a few years ago with Princess. The port is extensive and had gate protection so the locals could not enter without permission. The only tours outside of this were with the cruise ship. But it was set up like a small town,  lots of stores and even had a Margaritaville. 🍹 🥤 

[TeeRick]

20 minutes ago, MarkWiltonM said:

I just saw that the 11/19/21 Celebrity Equinox cruise has substituted Falmouth, Jamaica for Grand Cayman. I've never been there so I'm interested but only if I can get off and explore Falmouth on my own. I'm not interested in shore excursions because of reports on CC that social distancing is often not possible.

 

I don't see Jamaica on the list of countries on the Celebrity webpage regarding excursions:  https://www.celebritycruises.com/healthy-at-sea/us-travel-requirements

 

Does anyone know the status of Falmouth?

Many posters here have gone to Falmouth and stay within the enclosed area and never explore the town citing safety but we have walked the town and have taken a local walking/food tour.  Well worth doing.  http://www.jamaicaculinarytours.com/home    

I have no idea now what is available since pandemic times but best to check the COVID status of the local area before venturing beyond the gates holding the fully vaccinated folks.

[TeaBag]

I am disappointed for you.   There is no comparison between Grand Cayman and Falmouth.  We stayed within the gated area when we were in Falmouth and got bored quickly.  Jamaica can be dangerous (thus the gated area) and the hawkers can be very aggressive.  It's too bad there is no docking area for cruise ships in Montego Bay as it's quite nice.  Perhaps you should look at the cruise ship tours.  Ocho Rios is quite nice also.  We have been to Jamaica several times, staying in resorts and enjoyed ourselves so that is why I suggest you get out of Falmouth on a tour if you can.

[PTC DAWG]

A few years ago, I took an open air trolley tour of the area from the port, I enjoyed it..went to a very old Beautiful Church, etc…it was not expensive and I thought it was well worth it. 

[cluso]

2 hours ago, TeeRick said:

Many posters here have gone to Falmouth and stay within the enclosed area and never explore the town citing safety but we have walked the town and have taken a local walking/food tour.  Well worth doing.  http://www.jamaicaculinarytours.com/home    

 

We did that walking/food tour a couple years ago.  It was worth it.  Got to see the town, get some history, and eat some food.  The tour group was pretty small, maybe 12 or 14 people.  The tour operators also keep the street hawkers from bothering the tour group.

[brockmom]

Agree with all the above comments…lol

Anything else for excursions that you may see once Celebrity adds excursions are at least an hour away if not more.

My fingers are crossed it will change again to an overnight in

Aruba lol.

Cheers

Brockmom

[FLcruisergrl]

7 hours ago, MarkWiltonM said:

I just saw that the 11/19/21 Celebrity Equinox cruise has substituted Falmouth, Jamaica for Grand Cayman. I've never been there so I'm interested but only if I can get off and explore Falmouth on my own. I'm not interested in shore excursions because of reports on CC that social distancing is often not possible.

 

I don't see Jamaica on the list of countries on the Celebrity webpage regarding excursions:  https://www.celebritycruises.com/healthy-at-sea/us-travel-requirements

 

Does anyone know the status of Falmouth?

Inside the port area is nice. I would not recommend exploring outside the gates on your own. 

[George C]

Good thing is you can dock there , I normally just get a drink at margaritaville then go back on the ship. 

[TeeRick]

14 hours ago, FLcruisergrl said:

Inside the port area is nice. I would not recommend exploring outside the gates on your own. 

Why not?  This is a common statement here on CC about Falmouth.  Have you explored the town and had any issues?  We have been there several times and walked the town with no problems. It is historical and interesting with friendly people.

[TeeRick]

19 hours ago, PTC DAWG said:

A few years ago, I took an open air trolley tour of the area from the port, I enjoyed it..went to a very old Beautiful Church, etc…it was not expensive and I thought it was well worth it. 

Yes I think the trolley is boarded in the enclosed area and is pretty reasonable - but just go there and pay directly.  No need to pay for it as a ship excursion.

[FLcruisergrl]

8 hours ago, TeeRick said:

Why not?  This is a common statement here on CC about Falmouth.  Have you explored the town and had any issues?  We have been there several times and walked the town with no problems. It is historical and interesting with friendly people.

I’ve been to Jamaica multiple times. While it is a beautiful island with much to see, I don’t feel comfortable walking around on my own. There have been warnings put out by our government regarding safety in Jamaica and I do not like to be constantly harassed to buy goods and services. That’s great that you have had no issues, but I prefer to explore the areas within the confines of a group excursion.

[LGW59]

7 minutes ago, FLcruisergrl said:

I’ve been to Jamaica multiple times. While it is a beautiful island with much to see, I don’t feel comfortable walking around on my own. There have been warnings put out by our government regarding safety in Jamaica and I do not like to be constantly harassed to buy goods and services. That’s great that you have had no issues, but I prefer to explore the areas within the confines of a group excursion.

Well then it sounds like the Jamaican's have learned how to upsell, just like happens on our Celebrity cruises.  No thanks and moving along always works here. 

[Mike981]

For what it's worth, I have a villa rented for 10 days this coming January in Jamaica and I am most likely going to cancel. I just checked and 10% are fully vaccinated and just 18.5% have one shot for Covid. We can't risk getting Covid in Jamaica and then having to quarantine for X amount of time before we can fly back. Of course there is the extra expense including any lost wages from work.

This is unfortunate as we invited our adult kids and their significant others to join us, all they have to do is get there and we will take care of the rest.

[mhafod]

I don't know whether the same applies now with Covid but the last time we were in Falmouth (2017), we rented a van with a driver for the full day. We did Dunn's River Falls (about 1 hour from the port). We visited the town in the afternoon. During the drive, we did several sightseeing stops along the way and the driver was very knowledgeable about all the places. 

 

We did visit 2 or three beaches but since there were not that many people, we went to town for a quick bite.

 

Driver plus van costs us about 200$ for the whole day + drinks.

[TeeRick]

16 hours ago, FLcruisergrl said:

I’ve been to Jamaica multiple times. While it is a beautiful island with much to see, I don’t feel comfortable walking around on my own. There have been warnings put out by our government regarding safety in Jamaica and I do not like to be constantly harassed to buy goods and services. That’s great that you have had no issues, but I prefer to explore the areas within the confines of a group excursion.

Yes no problem.  We all need to deal with our own comfort levels.  I am just reporting my experience with "beyond the gates" in Falmouth.  I never had any issues or saw any issues.

[FLcruisergrl]

8 hours ago, TeeRick said:

Yes no problem.  We all need to deal with our own comfort levels.  I am just reporting my experience with "beyond the gates" in Falmouth.  I never had any issues or saw any issues.

Completely agree! We all have our own comfort levels and can still enjoy the beauty and culture of the island in a variety of different ways.