1st Time Cruiser to Jamaica

[jude8]

After reading a number of posts and their disgust for Jamaica, should we go? We have never been to Jamaica and it is worth going on one of the excursions or should we take advantage of the ship in port. Any opinions would be most appreciative!:confused:

[bububr]

Jamaica is a 'funny' island. You either love it, or hate it...period.

 

I personally will not go back. I have friends that go every year....If you've never been its unfair to tell you which way to decide.

 

I would approach it like you would anyother new destination and make it an adventure. Try not to go into it with any preconcieved notions.

 

Dunns river falls is beautiful if you are going to Ocho Rios. There is also a nice little port and shopping area right on the pier if you don't want to venture into the mainland....If you do, the flea market is not a far walk, but plan to be accosted by vendors...like any other poor island.

 

I like to think of it this way. I had never had eggplant before, someone convinced me to try it...I really DON"T LIKE IT....but I would have never known if I hadn't taken a bite...and as you know...LOTS of people LOVE eggplant.

 

Dave:eek:

[Joanne G.]

On a ship-sponsored excursion, we toured some lovely gardens, a rain forest, and Dunns River Falls. There's a lot of natural beauty in the country. Our guide was knowledgeable and personable.

 

But it's not a place I would go wandering around on my own, based on what I've read about crime and the local drug trade. And some of the local vendors (including those at Dunns River Falls) are beyond aggessive. I found it impossible to shop with people bugging me constantly.

 

There is much to enjoy in the country, but I recommend a ship excursion.

[GramaFran]

We arranged a private tour for 8 of us with Ionie McBeam and loved our tour. She tooks us to Dunn's Falls and stayed with me while family climbed the falls. then she took us to river for tubing "What a kick" loved it. She then took us to a Jerk Shack for lunch and got our granddaughters hair braided.

Then she took me back to the ship, dropped off DD & Cousins at Margaritaville and took SIL and grandkids shopping. She was fantastic and we never had to deal with the locals at all.

We all loved our tour and would go back to Jamaica again. But I agree doing it on your own could be one big hassle.

[lvtotrvl1]

As one poster said..people either love or hate Jamaica. I have been there 11 times and obviously absolutley love it! Arriving by ship and doing excursions will not give you enough time to see the real Jamaica. Depending on your day in Port there may be two or three ships with all the passengers trying to do the same thing all at once. Jamaica is a reletively poor country but the people are wonderful!

 

One idea may be to purchase a day pass at one of the All-Inclusives and spend the day on a beautiful beach. The pass includes all drinks,food and non motorized watersports.

[Lois R]

Hi,:) I did the Falls Excursion the first time I was there, though I am

a wimp and didn't climb them:eek: .

 

Each time I have been there after, I usually just get off the ship

and walk up to Margaritaville:)...do some window shopping and end

up in the bar;) Have an adult beverage, talk to the bartenders and

usually run into staff and crew from whatever ship I am on!

[bububr]

Thought it might be interesting to many....

 

Dave:eek:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=337677

[superjerryw]

If you've never been to Jamaica you should at least take one of the ships excursions, most of which include a stop at Dunn's River Falls. As long as you are with a group you should be OK. That being said, it's not really safe to venture about on your own in the non-tourist areas. Since you have never been there before you should take an excursion and decide for yourself if you like the place or not. If you like, that's fine, if you don't, then you know to stay on the ship on the next cruise as many people do.

[cruzin4us]

I'd stay on the boat.........Jamaica sucked....Don't trust the cab drivers, they will quote you one thing and then raise the price on the way back.....they will leave you stranded....been there done that.

[Chick's pal]

We've been to Jamaica a few times on cruises and didn't really like it that much.

 

Last time we were there we took the ship-sponsored Zip Line excursion and had a great time. I HIGHLY recommend it, even if you think you're a little too wimpy to handle it. It's very safe and the guides are so attentive and safety oriented. The operator appears to be a very sophisticated business.

 

Wandering around in Jamaica by yourself could be bothersome. We found extremely aggressive vendors (ask you your name, then use that info to personalize something in record time and obligate you to buy it). Also ran into a shopkeeper who literally left her shop to chase us down the street and try to get back from us the "too much change" she gave after a purchase. (We were never sure if that was legitimate). Many folks want tips for no reason at all (check out all the people at the top of Dunn's River Falls.)

 

On the other hand, our first visit included a taxi driver who cared for our group of 10 ALL DAY for $20 per person, taking us to Dunn's River, sightseeing and shopping, waited for us and watched our belongings with no trouble, no obvious tourist extortion.

 

On that first visit we were with a couple of guys whose appearance could be described as "biker types." We were constantly solicited for drug purchases. We kind of thought our group had been profiled by the dealers based on these two guys' looks. I've heard from others that drug sellers have been a very real aspect of their Jamaican experience as well, despite any particular characterization.

 

I think you should try the island for the first time with an organized ship tour...a kind of sticking-the-toe-in-the-water thing. Then decide if you want to dive in completely after you're through.

[caribbean dreams]

I have a love hate relationship with Jamaica, i love the land and beaches, it is beautful and tropical, I dislike most of the people, you can tell they are out to rip you off and they do not make you feel welcome and drugs are everywhere, i'm not saying all the Jamaicans because i have come across some very nice people. If you take a tour through the cruiseline or a license tour company they will make you feel safe, there are also nice little shops right at the pier for shopping if you don't want to wonder out in town. I have been many times and know what to expect and where i can safely go on my own.

[cruzin4us]

I'd still stay on the ship..........bask in the sun, read a book, hog all the lounge chairs and GET SPOILED by an empty ship.....Read a book about Jamaica and feel like you are there.....guaranteed the book won't be anything like the island.

[trcori]

... sanitized 'paradise' and Diamonds International stores, probably not the place for you. If you travel to see a little bit of the real world while also getting spoiled on board the ship, you'd be missing out on something great if you do not go ashore. We've been there twice now, Ocho Rios on Century three years ago, Montego Bay on Galaxy earlier this month. Each time, we booked a tour with a private guide -- Peat Taylor in OR, Barrett Adventures in MB. Each time, it was the highlight of our cruise. What we saw in MB was even more interesting than OR ... we walked the streets of the town of Falmouth (unique collection of 200-year-old buildings that have stood the test of time since its days as a bustling colonial port) among other stops. The only time we were hassled or solicited by ANYONE was when we went to a more typical tourist stop (Doctor's Cave Beach) -- not bothered on the beach, but hair braiders were lurking just outside.

[lisiamc]

If you go ashore and take an excursion, at least you can make up your own mind. Jamaica is beautiful, and it would be shame not to see any of it. If you ask about any island in the Caribbean, you can find someone who had a bad experience and will tell you, "Don't get off the ship there. Stay on board." If you listened to everyone who said that, you could take several different cruises and never get off the ship!

 

Lisa

[shofer]

TRCORI...Thanks for the tip about Carolyn Barrett's tours. I looked up their website and it looks great! My husband & I were not going to get off the ship in Montego Bay as we had been there on our first cruise in '93 and were not impressed. This tour looks like a fun thing to do.

[bepsf]

Wouldn't get off the ship in Jamaica on a bet.

It's the most notoriously anti-tourist/anti-gay country on the planet.

They don't want me - I don't need them.

:(

[cruzin4us]

Touche (is that how you spell it????) :)

[etoile]

I used to want to see it, but I have lost interest in going to Jamaica. The rampant homophobia is appalling. We are two women traveling together and I would be downright scared to explore on our own.

[zackiedawg]

I can see from the link to the gay/lesbian board that there is much ado about Jamaica and homophobia, though I have to admit that until just now, I had never heard anything about this previously. I am not gay, but do have friends who are and who cruise, and I have never heard of any issues from them. I also traveled to Jamaica in 2002 with a (openly) lesbian friend, the ship stopping in Ocho Rios...she did not suffer any bashing or offensive comments or behavior, and in fact considers it the best stop of all the ports we visited. Note that because I have known Jamaica for more than 20 years, I have no fears or qualms about walking around on my own, and in fact have done so on every cruise I've taken there. I encouraged my friend to walk with me instead of taking cabs, and we enjoyed a walk to both shopping malls, as well as my favorite jerk chicken stop.

 

Sure, you get solicited along the way. Sure, drugs are offered. Sure, they are poor. But I've found them to be nothing but friendly and in no way offending or dangerous. I can't say that I've ever been to a tourist-heavy cruise ship stop in a poor country without being heavily hounded and solicited - Haiti, Jamaica, Mexico, St. Thomas, St. Kitts, Panama, Costa Rica, etc. etc.

 

This may be only my opinion, but I believe that a person's reaction to others and feelings about others can sometimes dictate the experience. I grew up in what most would call a 'seedy' city in New Jersey (Paterson), and have lived in New Orleans and Los Angeles, which are both known for their undesirable areas of town. I always carried myself through the bad areas of town with a purposeful openness - looking like I know where I'm going and why, am not apprehensive about being there, and remaining friendly or open to others regardless of their station. Even if my clothing gives my middle-class status away, or my race differs from the majority (and this is just my experience), I find that the attitude I transmit is what affects how I am received. I have walked through bad areas with friends who hold more apprehensions, fears, isms, or classist attitudes and their fear and distaste for their surroundings drew more attention and received more negative response.

 

I first visited ocho Rios in 1983 as a 14-year-old. My family met a cab driver with a station wagon who we hired to take us around the island. It was a father who had his 12-year old son with him in the car. We packed 5 people in his beat-up wagon, with the driver's son and myself relegated to the rear-facing flip-up seat...and asked for a 'real' tour...of his Jamaica, not the tourist stuff. That day, we did go to Dunn's River, but we also went into the hills, visited his house and his wife and 3 other kids, ate jerked chicken and drank beer with his friends at a roadside pit, drove through the beautiful mountain region above town, and had a wonderful day. Everyone we met was curious that this tourist family from the ship was so far from the ship - and ever so friendly and happy to meet us. They shared their food and their homes with our family, despite the fact that their entire house and all belongings probably cost less than a bathroom in our house, and their annual family income is what one of us make in a month.

 

I made a pen pal with that 12-year-old boy in the back of the car...who I wrote back and forth to for 10 years before losing track of him. On visits back to Jamaica in the 90s, I went around the cab stands asking around for his father (Poppa Wilson)...but with no luck.

 

On a trip in 2000, I tried again, not expecting any change...asking for Poppa Wilson. Another cab driver came up to me, and asked if I had said 'Wilson'. I nodded, and he told me that old man Wilson wasn't driving anymore. I was almost disappointed that I would never find the family again, when the man called out to me "Here comes his son, Chris". That boy in the car...my lost pen pal. Driving a minibus into the cab loop in front of the ship. I hadn't seen him in person for 16 years - we were both much bigger men now. I was looking at the bus as it approached, not quite recognizing the large defensive-end sized guy driving...but the bus came to a very sudden stop, and a huge smile beamed onto the driver's face. He streamed down the steps of the bus and shouted my name, running towards me. I couldn't believe he recognized me 16 years, a receded hairline, and a whole lot of weight later. Since then, I've been reunited with my pen pal...now internet pal, Chris Wilson. And of course, I now know how to find him when I head back every few years.

 

I may be biased...but my Jamaica experience has been wonderful, and has left an indelible imprint on my life. The people have been the most extraordinary, friendly, open people I've ever known. I love the attitude, the atmosphere, the music, and the people there. I accept the poverty as an unfortunate situation common throughout the Caribbean and South America...and I am no more offended by their efforts to sell their wares to the tourist crowd than I am on the many other islands and countries I've visited that were the same.

 

It is highly unfortunate that some have had bad experiences there, and I hope that there are few here who would ever condemn a people because of an assumption of violence, hatred, or dirtiness based solely on their poverty level or race. I would say that if you are scared to go into Jamaica before you even get there, you probably shouldn't get off the ship. I would give the same advice for someone in St. Thomas - I would no sooner encourage you to walk to Charlotte Amalie from the Havensight pier as you would encounter some of the same solicitations (drugs included), and walk through some areas with equal poverty and incidence of crime.

 

Similarly, you could get off at Jamaica, and stay near the pier facilities, heading to the mall attached there and the Margaritaville bar, if you truly wanted no part of experiencing the island, its people, or its culture.

 

I'm not belittling any crime or foul attitudes against gay people or any other group of people...if these things happened, and anyone has experienced anti-gay violence or threat in Jamaica, I can fully understand why they would never go there again. But I fear many others dislike Jamaica not for any particular violence or incident, but because of a general attitude towards a poor, predominantly black people, or as a generally classist attitude...and some people who might otherwise have been more willing are being predisposed to dislike it. I would at the very least encourage an open mind in seeing past the inherent Caribbean poverty to the beauty of the land and in the hearts of many Jamaican people. Just one man's opinion...not right or wrong, just mine.

[GramaFran]

zackiedawg:

Your post is truely correct about how you act and how you understand the circumstances can make your visit to any where a pleasure or he**.

We took our grandkids when they were younger on a cruise to Mexico.

they just did not understand the begging, constant harassment to buy things and the poor enviorment people lived in there. We explained it all to them and once they understood, they made friends with a couple of the venders, asked lots of questions and were very comfortable. Yes we were on a private tour in Matzalan and Puerto Vallata. That might make a difference.

Last Oct we went to Jamaica as part of our western Cab. cruise. They loved Jamaica but I think part of that is because of our tour leader, Ionie. She took us in to the neighberhoods, saw schools, met her daughter. We were never bothered by anyone - she found the girls some one to braid their hair, no one offered.

I feel if you just stay friendly without being a pushy "american" you can say no nicely and you will be left alone. My example before about the craft village at Dunn's Falls - they were very friendly with me and no one was out of line. I said no thanks and one of the ladies even walked with me up the path to the exit, very nice. My granddaughter wants to move to Jamaica one day, she really loved it there.

Francine

[bububr]

In Jamaica, If you are found to be gay it is punnishable by up to ten years in jail, and hard labor. Thats if the local authorities don't throw you to the mob.

 

I dislike Jamaica because of a different experience on an excursion. I judge people on how they treat animals...I found the treatment of animals on Jamaica to be apalling...added with OVERLY pushy locals...I will not return to either Ocho Rios or Montego Bay. I Do have to say that Jamaica has some of the most wonderful beaches. Thats all I can find thats good in my book.

 

I did do a quick search on yahoo about the gay issue and was VERY surprised on how much I found that we just do not hear, or choose not to hear in the US.

 

My question is Many of us have Gay family, co-workers, friends.....Do you really want to support an Island that is supposed to be tourist friendly when in truth it is a hateful bigotted place?

 

Dave:eek:

 

http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20060426/lead/lead9.html

 

http://www.365gay.com/Newscon06/04/040506jamaica.htm

 

http://www.guardian.co.uk/gayrights/story/0,,1762155,00.html?gusrc=rss

[bepsf]

Zackie--

While I agree that attitude counts when one travels, I'm afraid that you're recounting a Jamaica that sadly no longer exists.

The homophobia and sexist attacks are fairly recent developments: their culture used to to be about joy and happiness, now their musical "artists" espouse gay bashings and rapes, the populace seem to have embraced this mindset and their government and public officials condone if not outright encourage this pattern of behavior.

Just too many people are coming back from very recent visits telling us how awful the place is and how much more aggressive and nasty the people that they come into contact with are. Even folks from other islands are expressing how they do not care for the Jamaican influence within their populations - the folks at Grand Cayman who protested R Family cruises arrival there were primarily Jamaican, according to other islanders.

I agree that it isn't fair to paint everyone with such a broad brush - I do indeed believe that there are good people in and from Jamaica. However for the short time that a cruise passenger is there, to encourage them to spend their money within a country that incites hatred and violence and make themselves a target for the same simply isn't smart, especially when it's so not necessary. Better that we should encourage change by witholding our business so that we get better treatment.

[cruzin4us]

I'm not Gay........AND I'd still stay on the ship....

[wvufan]

This is going to sound funny, but we are recommending an excursion company we have never used:confused:

 

Here's the deal: we thought one of our cruises had a last minute itinerary change and was going to stop at MB. We contacted Carolyn Barrett about putting together an excursion for about a dozen of us. She was absolutely fantastic and couldn't have been more helpful.

 

Even though we ended up not going to Jamaica after all, I will certainly book through her next time we go.

 

By the way, we love to go to places others seem to dislike, as we love the challenge of finding the best about whatever place we visit. Our strategy is usually to simply ask the locals where they like to go with their family, or where they like to eat, and we have always been rewarded. We figure that the people who live there are happy and have fun, so all we have to do is find out how. Often, simply hiring a taxi or van driver and treating them with due respect will result in a most unexpected and special experience.

 

Have fun, "mon"

 

OOOEEE:D :D Bob and Phyl

[caviargal]

Jamaica is a 'funny' island. You either love it, or hate it...period.

 

I personally will not go back. I have friends that go every year....If you've never been its unfair to tell you which way to decide.

 

I would approach it like you would anyother new destination and make it an adventure. Try not to go into it with any preconcieved notions.

 

Dunns river falls is beautiful if you are going to Ocho Rios. There is also a nice little port and shopping area right on the pier if you don't want to venture into the mainland....If you do, the flea market is not a far walk, but plan to be accosted by vendors...like any other poor island.

 

I like to think of it this way. I had never had eggplant before, someone convinced me to try it...I really DON"T LIKE IT....but I would have never known if I hadn't taken a bite...and as you know...LOTS of people LOVE eggplant.

 

Dave:eek:

 

Dave, I totally agree with this. I love Jamaica and have been there on land based vacations 20 or so times. It is one of my favorite Caribbean islands.

 

However, if my only exposure to Jamaica was where the cruise ships come in, I am quite certain I would not care for it at all.

 

I stay in Negril most times and simply love the beach, food, people and resorts. I have never felt unsafe. I also have rented villas in MoBay and loved that as well. Ochi is not my preference but there are some nice places to stay. When I am there on a ship, I generally go up to Hibiscus Lodge and enjoy the food and the view at Almond Tree. It is much more "Jamaican" than the tourist oriented bars and restaurants in walking distance to the pier.

 

But, that is what is generally what I always do. Get as far from the cruise ship crowds as I can and try and get a taste of what the island I am visiting is really like.