Ocho Rios pier

[Javadelcamp]

We would prefer not to pre-book an excursion with the ship and have noticed that in most other ports of call that we've visited there are tour operators waiting on the dock (oftentimes with more reasonable prices). Will this be the same in "Ochi"? If not, what would be the closest nice beach, and would it be walkable or should we take a taxi?

 

Thanks in advance!

 

Kristin

[TRIBE1959]

No beaches near that I saw. There are 2 different piers(ours was in ewww area near shipping docks not in town) Was 10 min walk to town but no one was at our dock inside of gated area. Depending on tour also some for example zipline and Dolphin Swim only accept ship tours on port days. If any of this makes sense.

[sealpup]

They are waiting there for anyone wanting tours but you can find some really good deals just surfing the net. A lot will depend on what you want to do for the day. There is a shopping center with Margaretville in it within walking distance of both piers. Make sure if you get in a taxi or with a tour that it is a JUTA operator. The tours you can find on the net are much cheaper than on the boats, that is what I have found.

[TheWog]

There is a beach at Margaritaville. If you buy food or drinks you can use it for free, otherwise there is a small cover charge. It is not the "tropical paradise" beach you might envision, but it is right there as you get off the ship.

[sanditoes4]

Hi there.....

We were on the Mariner in 06. Our stop landed us at a very busy peir, I didn't know there were other peirs, anyway I thought the same as you book when we got there trying for much cheaper!! Well that didn't work, none of the taxis would take us unless we had ship reservations, we wanted to go to Dolphine Cove, anyhow, we ended uphanging our heads low and going back around to RCCL spot and booking through them. I believe if I heard right, the taxi's/Jamacia and RCCL have some deal.....I tried several times (phone-emails) and several different companies(going for something different if need be) and they all said the same thing....."sorry ship day, you have to book through your ship.":mad:

 

I even tried to get my TA involved by calling and telling them we were on the island and wanted to book.....they didn't believe her either, it makes you wonder what the people that are on vacation on the island get to do on ship days??? :(

 

Oh well, good luck to you, we had a super great day at a ridiculous price!!!

 

by the way, there was a beach off our peir directly to the left as we got off the ship, you had to walk across the parking lot of taxi's but you could see it as you walked the peir!!!!

[Jasminedog]

Assuming you believe you can get a taxi from the pier and know where and what you want to do, I would suggest you consider searching the CC Boards and then reserve a tour guide in Ocho Rios prior to your arrival.

 

We used KnowJamaica and had a wonderful experience with Marva Shaw, even though we theoretically could have done it all on our own with a taxi.

 

But given the cost of admission to Dunns River, the White River tubing and entrance fee to Reggae Beach, I don't believe the cost savings would have been worth the coordination and anxiety of doing it all on our own here.

[Javadelcamp]

Thanks so much to all of you for the great information! It sounds like I asked the right question in the right place, and that we will save our "wait-and-see" experience for a different port (like Cozumel, where we have always seen a million tour operators at the pier).

 

This is just another example of why Cruise Critic is such a great site--you all have been very helpful!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thank you!:o

 

Kristin

[pedalnote]

Kristin,

 

I think that you made the right decision. I was in Ocho Rios a week ago. I was going to do your approach and do things by myself. I would highly recommend against that. Taxicabs are expensive, $32.00 to Dunn's Rivers Falls. And the mini-vans can be problematic too. The fare to Dunn's Rivers Falls with the mini-van was $8 per person. I was informed that they would leave when the min-van was full. I, however, waited 20 minutes before I was told that they would not leave for a long time. I think that we were the only ship that day, which decreased the number of people interested in using the mini-vans. Thankfully, I was able to book a tour through Marva in the parking lot, who I had heard about through CC. It was the best money spent, and I had a great time. I would definitely book through Marva in the future.

 

Craig

[QTMichele]

Another vote for hiring a tour guide if you have multiply stops (we used Marva - AWESOME, FRIENDLY, TRUSTWORTHY... knowjamaica.com). The driving is on the left hand side of the road - and a little crazy at times! Plus, as others have mentioned, there is a certain amount of anxiety involved when driving in unknown areas. If you're just going to the beach, then take a cab; otherwise, go for a tour guide - I think you'll be glad you did!

 

Good luck and HAVE FUN! :D