Gran Cayman & Jamaica help (Imagination)

[murcielago]

Hello friends,

We will be sailing on the Imagination soon and we will be going to Gran Cayman and Jamaica. Any suggestions on tours, beaches etc... will be appreciated. We will be also traveling on a budget so I will also appreciate any fun inexpensive ideas.

Thank You very much.

[jlfros1]

Well Cayman Islands we did the turtle farm tour,which was kind of boring.Then we did the stingray adventure and it was spectacular,It's a great experience. As for Jaimaca Dunns Rivers falls would have been nice if it hadnt poured rain and the falls hadnt been raging,we didnt get to go in. I did not like Jaimaca it was dirty,alot of beggers and was asked alot if we wanted to buy drugs,the people there scared me. May be you should go to the carnival cruise boards and read the post about the group robbed in Jaimaca on a excursion booked through Carnival. I definately would never go back there again. :o

[Yazoo cruiser]

We have been on over 30 cruises and our two favorite tours were Swimming with the stingrays and in Jamaica,climbing Dunn's River Falls. Any kind of snorkeling or beaches in Grand Cayman are fantastic. As far as Jamaica,we have rafted down the rivers on the long bamboo rafts and loved it. Very relaxing and informative. Jamaica has always been our favorite port and while we have never had any problems,there was an incident a few weeks ago where passengers on a tour were robbed. It won't keep us from going back,but I can understand that a lot of people would be apprehensive about the island. Whatever you decide,HAVE A GREAT CRUISE.

[kimberly1949]

If you are on a budget you can save money in Grand Caymans by not booking directly with the ship. When you get off of the tender, you will see local people selling tours. We have taken these tours on several occasions and you will see other people from your ship on the same tour. They are usually vans that are air conditioned and last year it cost us $20 per person to tour the island and two of places they took us to were "Hell" and the turtle farm. Or if you are a beach person, you will see local people with the vans that will take you to Seven Mile Beach for $4.00 per person. Our person told us when they would be back to get us (a van full of people from our cruise ship) and they were back when they said they would be. I have only been to Jamaica one time, Ocho Rios. We didn't do a whole lot there, walked around the internationl shopping area and hung out at Margaritaville. If you buy something to eat they put a wrist band on you and then you have free acess to their "mini" resort. They have a swimming pool that also has bar stools in it, and their own private beach which was constantly patrolled by the police. They also have a DJ there and shopping. Was a nice place and we ran into a lot of people from our ship there too! Whatever you decide to do, you will have a great time!

[Leafpeeper]

In Grand Cayman we usually walk to seven mile beach, but buses run up and down the street so you can jump on one of them for short money. We met a group of women with their daughters on the beach who were on the Imagination while we were on the Inspiration.

 

We never toured on Jamaica because I was ill when we docked there. We just stayed on the ship and enjoyed having the pool all to ourselves. We did hear that there are some very inexpensive tours if you book yourselves on the dock.

[luvstocruise711]

I agree that there's alot to be apprehensive about in Ocho Rios. We stopped there about 3 years ago. EVERYWHERE we went people (including children) were begging for "just a dolla, please." A taxi driver got mad at us because we told her that we didn't want a ride, just wanted to walk to the shopping area. She gave us (wrong) directions that led us to a very bad part of town. Me, my husband and two children we're very nervous until we found our way back to the port area. That's when we realized that the shopping area is very close to the pier, but in the opposite direction that the taxi driver sent us! We also went to Dunn's River Falls. It was really nice. The falls are gorgeous and fun to be in. BUT you have to walk through their little "market" area to get back to the tour bus. No kidding-- there was a group of "us" trying to escape "them" by jogging back to our bus. When we got on the bus, the jamaicans were then putting their hands through the windows still begging us to buy their jewelry or just asking for cash. I was absolutely mentally exhausted by the time the ship sailed. This was our first stop of our first cruise and I wasn't sure I wanted to do anymore! However, Grand Cayman was the next stop. It's totally opposite. No begging, absolutely wonderful! Very, Very pretty island and the people are great! My advice for Jamaica... Do a lot of reading about Jamaica before you go. Know what to expect so you're prepared to deal with it. I didn't mean to go on and on, but as you can tell Ocho Rios left a big impression in my mind! Stay safe and have a great cruise.

[TexBear]

Hello friends,

We will be sailing on the Imagination soon and we will be going to Gran Cayman and Jamaica. Any suggestions on tours, beaches etc... will be appreciated. We will be also traveling on a budget so I will also appreciate any fun inexpensive ideas.

Thank You very much.

 

Last October (2006) I was in Mo Bay and booked the Horseback Ride and Swim. You ride about 30 miles west of Mo Bay to a place called Chukka Blue. The guides match you up to a horse and away you go toward an old mill, under the highway and up a mountain. Then you head back down toward the shore and ride along the original, and now unused, Jamaican highway. After the horses rest, you ride them out into the bay and they swim while you sit on their backs.

 

It was a fantastic experience and I recommend it to anyone who like horse rides and or the countryside which was so very verdant after leaving from then-drought sticken central Texas!

[cruisefamily2]

We just returned from Jamaica & GC, had agreat time at both places. In Ocho Rios we used Mark Morris. He made sure we were always safe and showed us a great time. He never left us anywhere without telling the guide to watch out for our safety. The guides at Dunns Falls and the White river tubing seemed to really respect him. At GC we used Capt. Marvins, agian it was a great time, we did snorkling & sting ray city, great time for the kids. Both are much cheaper than ship excursions and much smaller groups. On a budget make sure to eat on the ship. Be prepared they do want tips everywhere in Jamaica, but nobody was mean about it.

The people at Mahogany beach where even nice enough to put antibiotic cream on my legs when I got stung by jellyfish.:)