Tour Guide Recommendations

[mkca]

Don't chicken out on the river tubing, you don't go very fast at all. Think lazy river at the water parks with tree's around you. There a only a couple of spots that run faster, but still not bad at all!!

We had a guide named George. You should ask for him when you go. He is very entertaining and will sing to you on the way down. I have read other reviews where people didn't have a good experience with their guide, so I would ask for George. There are like 15 guys and they have to wait in line to take turns with the tours. He got us some lime leaves and all-spice leaves to smell and they were amazing!!

 

Have a great time and enjoy Marva or Javia!! We loved "J" :)

[ratherBcruizin']

Don't chicken out on the river tubing, you don't go very fast at all. Think lazy river at the water parks with tree's around you. There a only a couple of spots that run faster, but still not bad at all!!

 

We had a guide named George. You should ask for him when you go. He is very entertaining and will sing to you on the way down. I have read other reviews where people didn't have a good experience with their guide, so I would ask for George. There are like 15 guys and they have to wait in line to take turns with the tours. He got us some lime leaves and all-spice leaves to smell and they were amazing!!

 

Have a great time and enjoy Marva or Javia!! We loved "J" :)

I don't think my dh is going to let me bail out. I'm glad to hear you don't go real fast. That was what was making me nervous. I kept picturing me flying down the river with nothing to control myself. :eek:

[SantanaTto]

ratherBcruisin - we are touring with Marva the day after you!! We have her booked for May 9th and can't wait!!

 

I am trying to book with Marva for 5/22 but when I go to the website and fill in the form, all I get is an email that says "thanks for visiting our site". It never says anything about confirming my reservation. How did you book your tour?? I'm just afraid that when we arrive, she won't have us down!

 

Help!!

[mkca]

I didn't fill out a form, just emailed her and she got right back with me by the next day. Try that. That way you can talk with her about what you are looking for. For example if you mind being with other people or if you would like a private tour.

[jdbmga]

I am trying to book with Marva for 5/22 but when I go to the website and fill in the form, all I get is an email that says "thanks for visiting our site". It never says anything about confirming my reservation. How did you book your tour?? I'm just afraid that when we arrive, she won't have us down!

 

Help!!

 

I would email her. Her email address is knowjam@yahoo.com

[SantanaTto]

Thanks! I did get a confirmation from Marva today! We are all set for 5/22!

[jdbmga]

Thanks! I did get a confirmation from Marva today! We are all set for 5/22!

 

You're welcome! Glad I could help. Let me know how your excursion goes. We are using her in July.

[Delkee]

My husband and I just got back from our Carnival Liberty cruise. One of our ports was Ocho Rios, Jamaica. After reading many reviews on these boards we decided to book a tour with Mark Morris, and we don’t regret that decision at all. What a fabulous man. We booked the Dunns river falls and tubing excursion. A few days before we left for our cruise I received an email from Mark. He was letting us know that as of that moment we were the only ones booked on his tour. He said that even if nobody else booked he would still be offering us the tour. The morning of our tour Mark promptly picked us up in his nice air-conditioned bus. As it turned out we were the only ones on his tour. How lucky for us. First stop was the falls. What an experience! A total must see! Next stop was the river tubing. On the ride over Mark would stop and show us different things along the road, he also gave us great information about Jamaica. He is a very smart man and truly loves his country. The tubing was a ton of fun! We got to the river and there was another group just getting ready to go. The whole way down the river everyone was laughing and joking, there wasn’t a dull moment. At the end of our tubing adventure Mark was there waiting for us. We headed back to the bus where Mark had some local fruit waiting for us to try. It was great! Mark then asked us if we would like to see his father’s pottery shop. There was absolutely no pressure to do so. However I was interested in checking it out so off we went. Marks father is a very friendly and extremely talented man. I ended up buying a beautiful vase. It is my most favorite thing I have ever brought back from any of my travels!! If Mark offers to stop here, don’t pass up the opportunity!!

I could go on and on about how great our day was, but to keep it short the bottom line is, we had an absolutely wonderful time with Mark. He is a great guy and I would 100% recommend him to everyone!! I cant wait until the next time we go back to Ocho Rios, we will for sure book with Mark again!!

[AmbiBambi]

I'm sailing June 1st and will stop in Montego Bay. I wanted to do a private tour to Dunn River Falls, but am leery of the long drive and worried something might go wrong and prevent us returning to the ship on time. I have recently read about Mayfield Falls and am wondering how it is in comparison to DRF? Are they similar? Can you climb the falls at MF? Would I be disappointed if I missed DRF?

 

Also, I have read a LOT of good things about Marva Shaw! Does she do tours out of Montego Bay? Does anyone recommend anyone else? Are there any specific active tours that anyone recommends?

 

Thanks Amber

 

One last thing. Does anyone know anything about Y.S. Falls? How is it in comparison to DRF and MF?

[Floflegs]

We did Mayfield Falls from Mo Bay with A - Z Jamaica planners.

http://www.mayfieldfalls.com/ If you look at this site it will give you an idea of what they are like. They are not as steep as Dunns River Falls and we found them less busy. We had an excellent guide there who was very knowledgable about all we saw on the walk back to where we had left our things. He also took photos of us in the falls. Water shoes are necessary but you can hire them. Well worth a visit.

[AmbiBambi]

Thank you so much for the info FloFlegs! I really appreciate it. I am going to email A-Z to inquire about it.

 

Have you been to both DRF and MF? Which do you prefer? I really like the idea that MF is less crowded. I am not much for tourist traps.

[QTMichele]

I'm sailing June 1st and will stop in Montego Bay. I wanted to do a private tour to Dunn River Falls, but am leery of the long drive and worried something might go wrong and prevent us returning to the ship on time. I have recently read about Mayfield Falls and am wondering how it is in comparison to DRF? Are they similar? Can you climb the falls at MF? Would I be disappointed if I missed DRF?

 

Also, I have read a LOT of good things about Marva Shaw! Does she do tours out of Montego Bay? Does anyone recommend anyone else? Are there any specific active tours that anyone recommends?

 

Thanks Amber

 

One last thing. Does anyone know anything about Y.S. Falls? How is it in comparison to DRF and MF?

 

I don't believe Marva has pre-made tours available for this; however, she will customize tours. I highly recommend Marva and would suggest that you contact her about your questions. I haven't been to the falls you are talking about - sorry I can't elaborate on those questions with personal experience. Enjoy planning your tour!

[AmbiBambi]

I am planning on doing a tour to Mayfield Falls. I have received quotes from Trevor Hudlin and Carolyn Barret. There is a $50 price difference between the two. Does anyone have any recommendations on either person to Mayfield Falls? I have yet to get a response from Marva or A-Z tours, though I have tried.

[Floflegs]

A -Z were $40pp in Dec 2006 for MF plus a tip to the guide at the falls.

Ambibambi, I haven't done DRF but on looking at pictures they just seemed so busy with a constant stream of people going up the falls. MFs are much less steep but have great pools, little caves behind the water and a place you can dive through from an upper pool to a lower one. We climbed the falls and then walked back through the trees and countryside to where we started. Hope this helps. Any other questions just ask.

[AmbiBambi]

A -Z were $40pp in Dec 2006 for MF plus a tip to the guide at the falls.

Ambibambi, I haven't done DRF but on looking at pictures they just seemed so busy with a constant stream of people going up the falls. MFs are much less steep but have great pools, little caves behind the water and a place you can dive through from an upper pool to a lower one. We climbed the falls and then walked back through the trees and countryside to where we started. Hope this helps. Any other questions just ask.

 

Once again, thank you for the info!

 

I have contacted a-z via their website and I have yet to get a reply. Do you have an email address for them by chance?

 

Also, on the website there are 2 MF tours. One goes to Margaritaville afterwards and the other to Dr. Cave's Beach. Which did you do? Which would you recommend. I actually don't know anything about either...

[Floflegs]

I just used the link on the website and Belinda got back to me. Give it another try. We were meant to go to Margaritavillle but didn't as the time was too tight. Getting back through customs etc on shore was a nightmare as there were 4 ships in port and huge queues. There are shops there but they were far too busy to bother going in. Give yourselves plenty of time. If you have time to chose I would pick Dr Cave's. People who went to margaritaville said there was a lot of hassle. I didn't like Mo Bay as much as Ocho Rias which we visited this year.

[AmbiBambi]

I just used the link on the website and Belinda got back to me. Give it another try. We were meant to go to Margaritavillle but didn't as the time was too tight. Getting back through customs etc on shore was a nightmare as there were 4 ships in port and huge queues. There are shops there but they were far too busy to bother going in. Give yourselves plenty of time. If you have time to chose I would pick Dr Cave's. People who went to margaritaville said there was a lot of hassle. I didn't like Mo Bay as much as Ocho Rias which we visited this year.

 

 

You have been so helpful, I really appreciate it. A-Z finally got back to me this morning. There prices are by far the best of all the companies ($50 less than the next best I've seen).

 

I hope you don't mind me asking a few more questions.

 

What kind of tips did you give? How much was lunch? I'm trying to determine how much money I need to bring.

 

Did you take pictures? Should I bring a water camera or can I bring my digital? I would prefer my digital, but don't want to take the chance of it getting ruined.

 

Did you bring a change of clothes for after the falls? Was there a place to change? Did you use the lockers? Any problems?

 

I have read that there is 12' waterfall that has a cave behind it. Can you go into this cave?

 

I wear contacts, I want to swim in the under water tunnel I read about. Should I bring goggles? Or can I swim through with my eyes closed?

 

Thank you,

Amber

[Floflegs]

Glad you heard back from them, Amber

I think we gave the guide $20 and my sil gave $10 so that was $30 total for the 4 of us. He was well worth it. If you can ask your driver to get the guide we had. he was a Rastifarian and really good. I only had my digital camera and he took care of it for me and made sure it didn't get wet. He also helped me up tricky bits. You can go into the cave behind the waterfall and also dive through a tunnel from a top pool to a bottom one. We left our things in the lockers and there was no problem and changed in a cabin when we got back. I'd take goggles to be safe.

As we had only a short time in port ( 7.00 - 1.30 ) we didn't do lunch so I can't help you there. We did leave on our trip early which was great as we were first at the falls.

If you like to give me your email I can mail you some of our photos.

Hope this helps. Any more questions?

Flora

[AmbiBambi]

I have read so many good things about Marva, so I contacted her. I finally received an email from her and she said that for my hubby and I, it would be $150 plus admission to either DRF or Mayfield Falls. This is quite a bit higher than the other quotes I have had (prior to her email I was thinking of going with A-Z tours). Is Marva so amazing that she is worth spending the extra money (in the range of $80)?

 

Has anyone toured with Marva and with A-Z? Can anyone give a direct comparison?

 

Thank you,

 

Amber

[AmbiBambi]

Glad you heard back from them, Amber

I think we gave the guide $20 and my sil gave $10 so that was $30 total for the 4 of us. He was well worth it. If you can ask your driver to get the guide we had. he was a Rastifarian and really good. I only had my digital camera and he took care of it for me and made sure it didn't get wet. He also helped me up tricky bits. You can go into the cave behind the waterfall and also dive through a tunnel from a top pool to a bottom one. We left our things in the lockers and there was no problem and changed in a cabin when we got back. I'd take goggles to be safe.

As we had only a short time in port ( 7.00 - 1.30 ) we didn't do lunch so I can't help you there. We did leave on our trip early which was great as we were first at the falls.

If you like to give me your email I can mail you some of our photos.

Hope this helps. Any more questions?

Flora

 

Thank you again for always replying to me!

 

My email is kas02@hotmail.com. I would love to see some pictures.

 

I am in port from 8 to 5:30. I'm glad you told me what time you were in port, I kept worrying when you said that you didn't have time to do anything else once you returned--I assumed that you were in port the same hours.

 

A-Z tours are phenomenal in price and you have given them such rave reviews! Thank you so much. I think I will be booking tomorrow.

[AmbiBambi]

I booked with A-Z tours for Mayfield falls from MoBay. Just a week away! I'll be sure to report on how it was when I return.

[cruiser2202]

My guess as to why Marva was more expensive than A-Z Planners is that she would have to drive from Ocho Rios to MoBay to pick you up. MoBay is pretty far from Ocho Rios.

 

We just returned from Ocho Rios and spent our day with Marva. This was our second time with her. She charged us $30 per person for a wonderful tour of the area, (the city and country, up to Ferngully), including two shopping stops, a visit with "the spice lady" and a stop at our favorite beach, Reggae Beach (we paid $5 each entrance to the beach). We were with her the whole day. Jamaica was the highlight of our cruise and we can't say enough good things about Marvelous Marva.

[angelkisses]

My husband and I just got back from our Carnival Liberty cruise. One of our ports was Ocho Rios, Jamaica. After reading many reviews on these boards we decided to book a tour with Mark Morris, and we don’t regret that decision at all. What a fabulous man. We booked the Dunns river falls and tubing excursion. A few days before we left for our cruise I received an email from Mark. He was letting us know that as of that moment we were the only ones booked on his tour. He said that even if nobody else booked he would still be offering us the tour. The morning of our tour Mark promptly picked us up in his nice air-conditioned bus. As it turned out we were the only ones on his tour. How lucky for us. First stop was the falls. What an experience! A total must see! Next stop was the river tubing. On the ride over Mark would stop and show us different things along the road, he also gave us great information about Jamaica. He is a very smart man and truly loves his country. The tubing was a ton of fun! We got to the river and there was another group just getting ready to go. The whole way down the river everyone was laughing and joking, there wasn’t a dull moment. At the end of our tubing adventure Mark was there waiting for us. We headed back to the bus where Mark had some local fruit waiting for us to try. It was great! Mark then asked us if we would like to see his father’s pottery shop. There was absolutely no pressure to do so. However I was interested in checking it out so off we went. Marks father is a very friendly and extremely talented man. I ended up buying a beautiful vase. It is my most favorite thing I have ever brought back from any of my travels!! If Mark offers to stop here, don’t pass up the opportunity!!

I could go on and on about how great our day was, but to keep it short the bottom line is, we had an absolutely wonderful time with Mark. He is a great guy and I would 100% recommend him to everyone!! I cant wait until the next time we go back to Ocho Rios, we will for sure book with Mark again!!

 

I'm glady you had a wonderful tour with Mark. We just booked out group with him for January. If you don't mind what type of pricing is on the pottery? I'm not that familiar with pottery so wouldn't know a good deal if I saw it. I would just kinda like to know a price range of some of the pieces so I could share with the group.

[eaglewingks]

After reading all the recommendations on the board, we decided to book with Marva for our tour on May 22 in Ocho Rios.(we just returned) We spent the day with her son, Javia. He was wonderful. I can't imagine a better guide. He took us to the Dunn's River Falls and gave us extra information for a great time there. (I'll add here that my sister and I are middle aged ladies who are not in great shape, just okay, and we both made it to the top. It was definitely hard work and we both slept well that night, but what an experience! So, if you're hesitant about giving it a try, maybe this will encourage you. You can always bail out along the way if you find that it's too hard.) Javia was willing to take us wherever we wished and was very flexible.

[clodzilla]

I just got back from my Liberty of the Seas cruise. We booked with A-Z for May 21 and had a blast! We were in port from 10:30 - 5:30 so we did Mayfield Falls, Rocklands Bird Sanctuary, and lunch at the Pork Pit for $72pp. We were supposed to go sightseeing as well but we ran out of time because we spent a really long time at the falls :P The falls were soooo beautiful and not crowded at all! Felt like our own private section of nature or something! haha There was no one else around until the very end when we ran into ONE other group. There were places to change before and after if anyone's wondering. Also my whole family was wearing contacts and no one lost any. It's mostly a walk. There are some places where you can go under but you can just close your eyes. Rocklands Bird Sanctuary was also very peaceful.

 

Belinda was really helpful with me over email when I was trying to organize the tour and our driver Mark was a wonderful guide. I would definitely book with A-Z again!