Bamboo Beach Club questions

[cruiseaholic926]

Can anybody tell me if there are water activities for kids, i.e. kayaks, trampolines etc. Also is it really only a 5 min walk from the pier to the Beach Club? Are there enough chairs for everybody? Thanks for any help.

[cruiseaholic926]

Can anybody help with this question! Thank you!

[jimm]

The Bamboo beach club is very close to the cruise ship pier as can be seen in this photo http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2743075170101159516Ikibzq From the things I’ve read I don’t think there is much for kids to do there. Here is the Bamboo Beach Club’s website http://www.bamboobeachclub.com You may be better off doing an all inclusive day pass to the Sunset Jamaica Grande. The cost is $55.00/person. Here is their website. http://www.sunsetjamaicagrande.com You can e-mail them and they will send you some basic information on what their day pass includes. The Sunset Grande Jamaica is about a 5 minute cab ride from the pier. I plan on going there for my March 1st Freedom cruise.

[Karencruiser43]

Thank you Jimm for the info, appreciate it. I will also look into the other beach you recommended. Could you please post some info on your return to let me know how it is, that would be greatly appreciated as I have a large group I am responsible for having a good time.

[SantanaTto]

I was at the Bamboo Beach Club last week and there is nothing for kids there....The water was full of seaweed which really turned me off..especially after going into the waters of the Eastern Caribbean where there is nothing but smooth sand. The area the beach club is at is not especially safe. As soon as you walk out of the gate off the beach,the locals pounce on you to buy things, take taxi rides, etc. We walked to the main road to do some shopping and as soon as we turned the corner, there was a policeman with a rifle just standing in front of the bank! Also, police with billyclubs all over.. We decided to turn around and to go back to the beach (which is enclosed with a barbed wire fence!!!) Needless to say, we bought no souveniers!

 

I will not go back there again! Next time I plan on booking excursions to get me out of Ocho Rios!

[ron317]

JIMM,

 

When I contacted the Sunset Jamaica Grande. This is the response I got:

 

The cruise shippers day pass is for US $55 per adult. To get a taxi back to the pier will be no problem because we have taxi assigned to work with the hotel. It is required that you contact us two days before arrival so that we will have a better idea of what the occupancy would be and availability.

 

Were you able to get a commitment for the date you are traveling?

 

Thanks

[ron317]

JIMM,

 

When I contacted the Sunset Jamaica Grande. This is the response I got:

 

The cruise shippers day pass is for US $55 per adult. To get a taxi back to the pier will be no problem because we have taxi assigned to work with the hotel. It is required that you contact us two days before arrival so that we will have a better idea of what the occupancy would be and availability.

 

Were you able to get a commitment for the date you are traveling?

 

Thanks

[ron317]

JIMM,

 

When I contacted the Sunset Jamaica Grande. This is the response I got:

 

The cruise shippers day pass is for US $55 per adult. To get a taxi back to the pier will be no problem because we have taxi assigned to work with the hotel. It is required that you contact us two days before arrival so that we will have a better idea of what the occupancy would be and availability.

 

Were you able to get a commitment for the date you are traveling?

 

Thanks

[jimm]

JIMM,

 

When I contacted the Sunset Jamaica Grande. This is the response I got:

 

The cruise shippers day pass is for US $55 per adult. To get a taxi back to the pier will be no problem because we have taxi assigned to work with the hotel. It is required that you contact us two days before arrival so that we will have a better idea of what the occupancy would be and availability.

 

Were you able to get a commitment for the date you are traveling?

 

Thanks

 

They didn't tell me to contact them two days prior. I told them I would be there March 6th and they just sent me a MSWord doc that had the follow info.

 

CRUISE SHIP DAY PASS

 

 

 Snacks from two Beach Grills

 Hospitality Room with Showers

 Non-Motorized Watersports Activities

 Unlimited use of Pool & Beach Facilities

 Full Buffet Lunch (Grande Palm Restaurant)

 Unlimited Beverages (Alcoholic/non-alcoholic)

• Waterslide

 

 

 

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

 Beach Towels are not Provided

 Day Pass valid 9:00am-5:00pm

 Picture ID is required on check in

 Access to Fitness Center & Kiddies Club not included in Package

 

COST

US$55.00 Per adult

US$35.00 Per child

[zipship]

We just came back from a tour to Bamboo Beach Club and I couldn't disagree more with SantanaTto. We had the best time there, in fact it was the highlight of our entire cruise! We were escorted from the ship to the Beach Club by foot as it's close to the pier. We were greeted at the entrance with ice cold beer and mojitos, given a clean towel, and then taken to our lounge chairs. Our hostess was named Shana and she was excellent. She was always smiling and telling us stories and she made sure we had enough to eat and drink the whole time we were there. We aren't big swimmers and liked the fact that the water was not too deep - it went about shoulder level - so it was perfect for cooling off and sipping our Caribbean drinks! Also, when we were there the water was clear, calm and NO seaweed in sight. They took us to Dunn's River Falls and organized a climbing guide for us. Our hostess also came and was waiting at the top to escort us through some pretty aggressive vendors. They didn't seem to bother us though because we were with our hostess. When we got back to the Beach Club we continued to eat, drink, relax and enjoyed these really unique Caribbean style shows they had throughout our stay. As for security, we felt completely safe. There were security guards at the Beach Club and even a policeman, but instead of being scared from this, we felt protected and safe, especially when we heard some pretty scary things about Ocho Rios. Anyway, we felt that for $45 we really got our money's worth and would probably go there again.

[Carolinamamasita]

The Bamboo beach club is very close to the cruise ship pier as can be seen in this photo http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2743075170101159516Ikibzq From the things I’ve read I don’t think there is much for kids to do there. Here is the Bamboo Beach Club’s website http://www.bamboobeachclub.com You may be better off doing an all inclusive day pass to the Sunset Jamaica Grande. The cost is $55.00/person. Here is their website. http://www.sunsetjamaicagrande.com You can e-mail them and they will send you some basic information on what their day pass includes. The Sunset Grande Jamaica is about a 5 minute cab ride from the pier. I plan on going there for my March 1st Freedom cruise.

 

Hope to hear back from you after your cruise

[jimm]

I’m finally back from my cruise. We were flying into Cleveland, so our flight was cancelled because of the snowstorm and we didn’t get back in until Sunday night. The Sunset Jamaica Grande was awesome. We were going to walk there because it looks so close, but at the last minute we grabbed a cab for $3.00/person (we could have easily walked it). We got there a little after 9:00am and walked right up to the counter and told them we wanted the day pass. I had my printed information they e-mailed that had the price of $55.00/person. The woman that was checking us in told us the cost is $45.00/person and that’s what we ended up paying. They will hold one person’s ID from your group until you leave. They serve breakfast until 10:00am so if I were you I would skip breakfast on the ship because the breakfast food looked better than on the ship. We had already eaten on the ship since we didn’t know when they stopped serving breakfast at the resort. Lunch is serve between 12:00pm – 2:00pm and there is a small grill serving burgers, hotdogs, fries, and a few other things from 10:00am on. The only beer the bars serve Red Stripe on tap. Of course they have a wide array of the mixed drinks. Try the Hummingbird it was our favorite. One thing I would recommend is to bring your own insulated cup or mug. We wish we did as they serve you in small plastic 10oz. cups. Another thing I would do is get your beach chair first thing because just like the cruise ship the guests staying at the hotel start saving chairs early. The chairs that go first are the ones that have an umbrella by them. Don’t get me wrong you’ll get a chair, but if wait you may not have shade if that’s your thing. We moved some chairs close to a palm tree on the beach to get some shade. They have a nice swim up bar for about a dozen people and it was never crowded. They have two trampolines out in the water that anyone can use and two long water slides. They also have a small pool / sprinkler area for toddlers. There is also some snorkeling right off one of the beaches. When it was time to go back to the ship we just walked along the beach got back to the sidewalk and were back on board in 10 minutes maybe less.

[Carolinamamasita]

I’m finally back from my cruise. We were flying into Cleveland, so our flight was cancelled because of the snowstorm and we didn’t get back in until Sunday night. The Sunset Jamaica Grande was awesome. We were going to walk there because it looks so close, but at the last minute we grabbed a cab for $3.00/person (we could have easily walked it). We got there a little after 9:00am and walked right up to the counter and told them we wanted the day pass. I had my printed information they e-mailed that had the price of $55.00/person. The woman that was checking us in told us the cost is $45.00/person and that’s what we ended up paying. They will hold one person’s ID from your group until you leave. They serve breakfast until 10:00am so if I were you I would skip breakfast on the ship because the breakfast food looked better than on the ship. We had already eaten on the ship since we didn’t know when they stopped serving breakfast at the resort. Lunch is serve between 12:00pm – 2:00pm and there is a small grill serving burgers, hotdogs, fries, and a few other things from 10:00am on. The only beer the bars serve Red Stripe on tap. Of course they have a wide array of the mixed drinks. Try the Hummingbird it was our favorite. One thing I would recommend is to bring your own insulated cup or mug. We wish we did as they serve you in small plastic 10oz. cups. Another thing I would do is get your beach chair first thing because just like the cruise ship the guests staying at the hotel start saving chairs early. The chairs that go first are the ones that have an umbrella by them. Don’t get me wrong you’ll get a chair, but if wait you may not have shade if that’s your thing. We moved some chairs close to a palm tree on the beach to get some shade. They have a nice swim up bar for about a dozen people and it was never crowded. They have two trampolines out in the water that anyone can use and two long water slides. They also have a small pool / sprinkler area for toddlers. There is also some snorkeling right off one of the beaches. When it was time to go back to the ship we just walked along the beach got back to the sidewalk and were back on board in 10 minutes maybe less.

 

so you had a pretty good time , then

huh?

how was the water ?

any pics to post ?

[jimm]

We definitely had a good time. It was a nice relaxing day with drinks flowing and with the ship so close we were able to stay to the very last minute. The water was warm and very calm as the main beach area is in a harbor. I have several pictures, so if anyone wants me to e-mail the pictures just let me know your e-mail address.

[cblcop]

we are planning on going there on 3-25-08 I have had a hard time finding where on the website to e-mail someone to recieve any information on how much the day passes are. can you please give me what info you have. Thanks in advance.

[jimm]

we are planning on going there on 3-25-08 I have had a hard time finding where on the website to e-mail someone to recieve any information on how much the day passes are. can you please give me what info you have. Thanks in advance.

 

Try going here to request information. http://www.sunsetjamaicagrande.com/contact.asp

The only information that I received was what I posted above. They will send you a one page information sheet that has what is included and the cost which is $55.00 for adults, however they only charged us $45.00 when we got there.

[savi33]

Hi, we just came back from our 1st cruise and took the Bamboo Beach Club tour. We thought that for the price, it was a terrific excursion. It wasn't our first time in Jamaica - we had gone previously with some friends and stayed in a small hotel in the mountains. Anyway, on this previous trip we visited Sunset Jamaica Grande. We had a nice time there as it has a few different pools and buffets and bars, but it was just O.K. - a nice hotel pool experience. We much preferred Bamboo Beach Club and really felt like we had a true "Jamaican experience". All of the hostesses were very friendly and helpful, the food and drinks were were plentiful, but most importantly, the shows were fantastic. All through our stay there were Jamaican singers, dancers, acrobats, comedians, drummers - it was so much fun and really gave us a taste of the island. The swimming was so-so as the water was pretty shallow, but we are not such big swimmers so it was fine for us. There also happened to be quite a few children there and we noticed a sort of mini kids camp - the counselors had organized games and races for them and there were sand toys. It looked like they were having a pretty good time. Anyway, if you are looking for a little more Jamaican culture, Bamboo Beach Club is definitely the place to be and in our opinion far surpassed Sunset Jamaica Grande.

[Jeffski]

I was there last week. March 14, 2008 to be exact. Here is my opinion posted on another thread:

 

I was at Bamboo Beach Club last week and did not like it at all. It was the only thing my family did on our entire cruise that we were very disappointed with. The setting is horrible. Chain link fence all around with barbed-wire on top. Dirty beach with tiny swimming area. You basically sit and stare directly at the ship you just got off.

 

Our experience here started poorly because our guide led us to some chairs right next to a loud speaker and up against the chain link fence. I said no way, we aren't sitting here all day, and she gave me a lot of attitude about moving the chairs. I wasn't even asking her to do it... I just wanted to pick my chairs up and move them to the beach by the water, which she eventually agreed and I moved them.

 

The service was good, but one Dixie cup full of beer or rum punch every 30 minutes isn't going to cut it. They had some entertaining dancers and played some good music (if you like it loud), but my kids were begging to leave after an hour so we went shopping in Jamaica and had a great time.

 

This was the second part of our excursion (booked through the ship) that also took us to Dunns River Falls. We loved that part and were really looking forward to the BBC but it sucked. I think I paid $363 for 5 people to do the excursion. I feel so ripped off I might even complain to Carnival about it. Now before you jump all over me about booking through the ship, I know I learned my lesson. We booked nothing for Cozumel and had a great time at Chankanaab Park. In the Caymans we booked Capt Marvins online by ourselves to Stingray City and some snorkeling and it was awesome. Definitely the highlight of our trip and really inexpensive. The one excursion we booked through the ship was the worst by far and also 3 times the cost.

 

I know this sounds negative and I hope it doesn't sound like I'm bashing anyone who actually liked the Bamboo Beach Club, but I think it's fair to report that I was actually there last week and hated it. Just my opinion.

[trew]

We were there also last Thursday and I agree it was not fun. Our group of four were very disappointed in it. We walked down away from the beach where the water was much nicer and swam. Not a nice beach. Try to find something else.

[TravelTammy]

I was there last week. March 14, 2008 to be exact. Here is my opinion posted on another thread:

 

I was at Bamboo Beach Club last week and did not like it at all. It was the only thing my family did on our entire cruise that we were very disappointed with. The setting is horrible. Chain link fence all around with barbed-wire on top. Dirty beach with tiny swimming area. You basically sit and stare directly at the ship you just got off.

 

Our experience here started poorly because our guide led us to some chairs right next to a loud speaker and up against the chain link fence. I said no way, we aren't sitting here all day, and she gave me a lot of attitude about moving the chairs. I wasn't even asking her to do it... I just wanted to pick my chairs up and move them to the beach by the water, which she eventually agreed and I moved them.

 

The service was good, but one Dixie cup full of beer or rum punch every 30 minutes isn't going to cut it. They had some entertaining dancers and played some good music (if you like it loud), but my kids were begging to leave after an hour so we went shopping in Jamaica and had a great time.

 

This was the second part of our excursion (booked through the ship) that also took us to Dunns River Falls. We loved that part and were really looking forward to the BBC but it sucked. I think I paid $363 for 5 people to do the excursion. I feel so ripped off I might even complain to Carnival about it. Now before you jump all over me about booking through the ship, I know I learned my lesson. We booked nothing for Cozumel and had a great time at Chankanaab Park. In the Caymans we booked Capt Marvins online by ourselves to Stingray City and some snorkeling and it was awesome. Definitely the highlight of our trip and really inexpensive. The one excursion we booked through the ship was the worst by far and also 3 times the cost.

 

I know this sounds negative and I hope it doesn't sound like I'm bashing anyone who actually liked the Bamboo Beach Club, but I think it's fair to report that I was actually there last week and hated it. Just my opinion.

 

Thank you for your honesty!!! I would much rather read what your experience was in order to make my decision than to have you just sugar coat it since it's not what someone else said. It's like everything else, things are different for different people but when it comes to service, I would much rather go somewhere that has consistently good service.

 

I appreciate what an earlier poster said about bringing your insulated cups and now think we may try the Sunset Grande.

 

Thank you again!!

[Kaye from Chicagoland]

Thanks for that info! I guess we will avoid the BBC. They sure make it sound nicer than it is.

[siren67]

I'm new to cruise critic and just posted on another thread about Bamboo Beach Club. I had an excellent time there and was surprised to read some of the above comments. I was just there last Thursday on my birthday so maybe that's part of why I liked it so much as they went out of their way to make it special for me with a coconut Jamaican birthday cake and Happy Birthday sung reggae style. I didn't see any seaweed on the beach anywhere, in fact it was very clean and maintained well by the hostesses who were very efficient in clearing away plates and drinks. I never once had to ask for a refill, our hostess always seemed to be there when I needed one. The beach did have a fence around it and there were security guards posted on each end, but it made us feel secure and didn't take away at all from the Caribbean atmosphere. The swimming area was small but all we wanted to do was wade in to cool off so it was fine for us. We enjoyed the fact that we could walk there from the ship and we were also able to walk to Island Village for shopping so the location was very convenient. Anyway, I think it's a great place to just hang out, especially for the price.

[sassy0930]

Ok, so there really are mixed reviews. My biggest question is what was the time frame of everyone's trips. Maybe it was terrible before and they've improved?? I know the price is great for the value (My fiance and I could eat and drink 450 a day so for 45 we're in) but apparently so is the sunset grande. Has anyone else been to both? are they comparable in SERVICES??

 

Any answers are appreciated

[Teacherdrd]

COuld you email me the pics from sunset beach club?

[shipmade]

My husband and I just came back from a long weekend in Ocho Rios and we went to Bamboo Beach Club. We had a really great time there. The beach was nice, nothing really special, but they created a really fun atmosphere there with great looking hosts and hostesses who went out of their way to make sure we had everything we needed. The DJ was great and the shows were really entertaining. The only thing I didn't like is that on one section of the beach, there is a patch of seaweed growing in the water, so if you go, stay to the right side and it's fine. Anyway, for the price we paid, the all inclusive food and drinks, the entertainment and great service, we felt it was a bargain!