Has anyone used A-Z recently?

[pebblesjns]

My husband and I have booked the Mayfield Falls tour with A-Z for our upcoming sailing. Belinda just sent us our confirmation telling us our driver is Clive and it will just be the two of us on the tour. This makes me a little nervous as I am afraid of being left by the ship. I was reading through reviews of A-Z but the most recent reviews I have found have been from the beginning of the year. Has anyone used them lately? Did you get back to the ship in plenty of time? I am really looking forward to this excursion, just need a little reassurance! Thanks so much!

[endi302]

We used a-z in April, had Mark for a driver. We didn't do mayfield falls with them but I can tell you Mark was a professional and very courteous making sure when we were shopping we were not bothered by anyone. Took us to Rockland bird sanctuary and to a local restuarant to eat. It was fabulous food! We were supposed to go to Dr caves beach but DH and I opted out of it so Mark took us around and showed us the town before taking us back to the ship.

Now I did do mayfield in October with another tour group and it was a long way but we had plenty of time to get there and back. We were picked up around 830 and back to the ship about 230 this included walking the falls and eating lunch at the falls. This place is amazing! 10 times better than Dunns river falls and hardly anyone there. We had our own guide who was very nice and made sure we all felt safe. I am the scaredy cat and he would help me go around the deep areas. There were 4 of us and the others had a blast diving under the water falls and caves.

I wouldn't hesitate to recommend A-Z and we are planning on using them again in April.

Hope this helps

Diane

[luvmy2doxs]

I would also like to know if anyone has used A-Z for Mayfield Falls recently. We are going in January and are not sure to book A-Z or Barrett. Both seem to be recommended but A-Z was cheaper on their tour, $40 vs $70 for the same tour and a stop at Margaritaville afterwards.

[pebblesjns]

We are just back from the Conquest and thought I would share about our experience in Jamaica. After all my questions and concerns, my husband finally said that he wanted to stick with the plan and go to Mayfield Falls with A-Z. I was still a little apprehensive about the whole experience until we got off the boat and met Clive.

 

He was waiting for us in the port as soon as we got off the ship. As soon as we got there, we were on our way since it was only the 2 of us on the tour. By 8:30 we were in the van on our way to the falls. The van was great, new with cold air conditioning and DVD players on the back of the seats! Clive asked us what kind of music we liked and we replied "a little of everything." He then put in a DVD with music videos for us to watch and listen to on our way to the falls.

 

The road to the falls isn't as bad as I was expecting from all of the reviews I've read. It is full of potholes and very narrow, but I was never scared. Clive was a very safe driver, he made us feel very comfortable throughout the ride. By 9:30 we were at the falls. Clive walked us down to the entrance and waited there for us while we climbed the falls. Our guide was very nice, he showed us where the restrooms were, got us a locker, and then we were on our way. We had a photographer with us who was taking pictures and videoing the whole experience!

 

The falls themselves were very pretty, but the path that led to the falls was a little muddy. We brought our own water shoes but mine didn't have much of a grip on them and as a result I fell down a few times. Make sure you have good water shoes, my husband had better shoes and he was fine. The water was a little chilly at first but it was so hot that we soon adjusted and it felt nice. It took us about an hour or so to climb the falls. When we returned, Clive was waiting for us.

 

After the falls we returned to Montego Bay and Clive asked if we would like to stop for lunch. We said yes and he took us to a local place called Jerky's. It was the first time either of us had had jerk chicken or pork. I thought the chicken was better as the pork was a little spicer. We both got combo meals and it cost $9.00 for both of us! After lunch, we asked to go shopping. Clive took us to the shopping area and asked how long we wanted to stay. We told him about an hour and he told us he wasn't going to leave and where to meet him. We got finished a little early, but couldn't find his van in the huge line of cars. The locals kept asking if we wanted a taxi, but we just said no. Finally we saw Clive and the van again. He told us he couldn't find a parking spot and apologized for the inconvenience. It was no problem, we didn't feel threatened at any time.

 

By the time we left the shopping area, it was 3:00 and we decided we would rather just go back to the ship instead of heading to the beach. We had a great time and would definitely use A-Z in the future. After all of the horror stories I've heard about Jamaica, our experience was completely different. We never felt threatened or scared. Give A-Z a try and I'm sure you won't be disappointed!

[luvmy2doxs]

pebblesjns - Thanks for letting us know about your trip with A-Z to Mayfield Falls. We don't want to go with a large group so this sounded nice. Was it hard to climb the falls?

[luvmy2doxs]

pebblesjns - Also, did you have to make a deposit with your reservation or did you just pay cash upon arrival?

[Eemrald]

We are leaving in a couple of weeks and are still trying to figure out what we should plan. Thanks for sharing your experience.

[pebblesjns]

The falls weren't really that difficult to climb. I was expecting something like Dunn's River where you climb up steps straight up, but this wasn't the case with Mayfield. For the most part, you are pretty much just walking through knee deep water. There are a few spots where you have to climb up a few feet, but nothing like the pictures I've seen of Dunn's River. I think the worst part was actually the nature walk to get to the falls, not actually being in the water. Even then, the walk to the falls isn't difficult.

 

We didn't have to pay a deposit. We never gave them a credit card number or anything. After you book, they send you an invoice showing how much you owe and you pay at the end of your tour. We took traveler's checks to pay but they also accept cash. I liked that we didn't have to pay until the end because it made us feel more secure that we were going to get what we paid for!

[Floflegs]

I agree that A-Z Mayfield Falls trip is great. The long drive is worth it. We had Rasti as a guide at the falls and he was super. Our driver made sure we were back at the ship in good time - necessary in Mo Bay as there was a huge line at security as 3 ships were in port. We were still in time even after 2 lorries got stuck together on the narrow road when trying to pass each other. We went last Dec and paid $40 each for 4 of us.