any ideas about ocho rios?

[bubbles1209]

We're going to Ocho Rios in June, and we're looking for something to do. Not interested in climbing the falls, canopy is out, dd doesn't want to and I have to admit after that accident, I'm a little leary, so any ideas? I've searched the ports of call section and saw some questions I had but none with responses. We're already doing a dolphin excursion in Cozumel, so don't want to repeat that in Ocho Rios. I had wanted to see the Rose Hall Great House, but CCL doesn't offer that excursion for our trip, and I can't find anything on-line. Any help would be great. Thanks in advance.:)

[People_Mover]

The DW and I did not feel safe in Ocho Rios and really think Carnival should quit going there. I'd rather just stay on the ship.

[EJ'S MOM-MOM]

Stay on the ship unless you have a realiable guide. The place is not too safe & you are being bothered every where you go by beggars...If I ever go there again I will not get off the ship...:eek:

[bubbles1209]

The DW and I did not feel safe in Ocho Rios and really think Carnival should quit going there. I'd rather just stay on the ship.

Yikes, that doesn't sound encouraging at all. What happened to make you guys feel unsafe? I've read a lot of threads on Jamaica, and have seen where people would say the same about Montego Bay, but not Ocho Rios, but at the same time, I have also seen where quite a few people had a good time. (In Ocho & MoBay) There will be 8 of us alltogether, and 4 out of the 8 are thinking of doing the Bamboo beach club while we are looking for something else to do. Then ones thinking of Bamboo beach club, it will be their 1st cruise where it's our 5th, would we all be better off sticking together?

[karenw]

OMG, Dunn's River Falls was my favorite excursion of all times!

[afowler8]

I was in Ocho Rios 2 years ago with a group of 6 and had a great experience. Some of the locals are pushy, but the worst ones were at Dunns River Falls. Since you're not going there, you should be fine.

 

I recommend getting off the ship and finding the cab driver named HORN. Just ask around, everyone on there knows him, and his name is printed on his van and his liscense plate. We hired him for the day off of a recomendation, and he took GREAT care of us. I think that we paid $25pp for the day. He took us on a tour of Ocho Rios, stopped at some great places for photo ops, and he took us to lunch at a great cliff-top restaurant. At the restaurant, he escorted us inside and ate with us, which was a very nice touch. We felt like his was our ambassador to Ocho Rios. He will take you any where you want and tell you anything that you need to know.

 

Enjoy Ocho Rios, it is BEAUTIFUL there!

 

[rabelgirls]

DON'T GET OFF THE SHIP!! Unless you book a tour with Carnival, DO NOT GO ALONE!! I cruised last year with my 10yr daughter and it was one of the scariest places that I have ever been too. I had booked a tour to the falls with an highly recommended tour company that I found here, but backed out once we got there due to the extreme uneasiness that I felt. It was beautiful. We were off of the ship maybe an hour looked around at the market place right near the dock and then walked the half block to the little mini mall area then straight back to the ship. It is not a safe place. I will never depart the boat again if I ever do another cruise that goes there. This is just my opinion based on my experience there last spring.

[vacationhappy]

Margaritaville is right at the end of the pier. My vote is to spend some time with a cheeseburger in paradise or nachos and a nice frozen drink at their pool or on the beach.

[Wants to be rich]

We booked a day tour with a highly recommended woman in Jamaica for our day there in February. The tour did include Dunns River, but also tubing down the White River and time at a beach and a stop for lunch. However, since you do not want to do the falls, her website states they will do customized tours so maybe if contacted they could somehow include Rose Hall (although that's in Montego Bay) and possibly some river tubing. Another option which we did on a previous cruise was the trip to Nine Mile to the home of Bob Marley. We did book this thru the cruise line. We had a great time! Of course it helps if you enjoy reggae music in general and Bob Marley in particular. Shaw Park botanical gardens is another lovely place. I would recommend that you do not just hire a "cab" off the street as it seems anyone with a car calls themselves a taxi, or wander around on your own as there are many "entrepreneurs" who are persistent in trying to sell you their home made and in some cases home grown products. Many people do not like Jamaica and many others do. There are many things to do there, but it all depends on your particular likes and dislikes. Hope this info I've included here helps in your decision. Enjoy your cruise!

 

Linda

[bubbles1209]

We were thinking of taking the Coyaba gardens excursion through the cruiseline, with Rose Hall being in MoBay, that would explain no excursion being offered.:o After these mixed reviews, I'm not sure. I've read a lot of good things about Dunn's River Falls, but DH wouldn't be able to deal with the climb, and I don't think I could either, we may elect to walk up beside them. Thanks for the help so far.:)

[OZjones12]

I think some people need to relax and if they do not like ocos rios dont pick that cruise... I have been there and loved it!!! Dunns river is a blast... I was in roatan also and there were some beggers but that didnt make me not want to go back. Jamaica is beautifull but I agree dont get off the boat with out a plan. Tourism is the way they make money so some are going to be pushy... Some of you should stay away from manhattan the traffic alone may give you a heart attack...

[kujobie]

Go with a cruise ship excursion or stay on the ship. I wouldn't recommend either of those things at any other port. But in Ocho, they would be my only choices. It's too bad because Jamaica is one of the most beautiful ports I have been to. I would like to see more of it, but....

[becky48417]

I never felt more unsafe in a port than in Ocho Rios. However, this was while we were shopping at the straw market and NOT while at Dunn River Falls. You can go see the falls and walk around without climbing them.

 

I'd skip Bamboo Beach Club (which is right off the pier) and go to the one further down the beach. They had a water trampoline and other stuff for the kids, that Bamboo didn't have. Also, what ever you do....don't book it through the ship! We pd $45/pp through Carnival and friends in our group pd $3 at the gate and were told the "nice beach" further down was $5 at the gate.

[Kris7562]

Yikes, that doesn't sound encouraging at all. What happened to make you guys feel unsafe? I've read a lot of threads on Jamaica, and have seen where people would say the same about Montego Bay, but not Ocho Rios, but at the same time, I have also seen where quite a few people had a good time. (In Ocho & MoBay) There will be 8 of us alltogether, and 4 out of the 8 are thinking of doing the Bamboo beach club while we are looking for something else to do. Then ones thinking of Bamboo beach club, it will be their 1st cruise where it's our 5th, would we all be better off sticking together?

 

Do NOT do Bamboo Beach club. I went last year - waste of money! The beach is TINY - NOT what it looks like in the pics. It's in this tiny little lagoon thing, RIGHT next to the port. The water was full of seaweed, though the sand was clean, and they kept raking up the seaweed from the edge of the water. It was surrounded by fences topped with barbed wire and men with large guns at the gates - kind of makes you wonder what they are keeping out....

I'm not a nervous traveler at all. I've been to many countries that most would not think to travel to. I've been to what many consider "third world" areas, and have never felt uncomfortable or unsafe. However - I was nervous to walk anywhere by myself in Ocho Rios.

Margaritaville was right next to Bamboo Beach Club - probably should have gone there instead. Watch out for the frozen drinks though - the water isn't safe to drink there, and they use the water to make the ice for those drinks....

I heard that Dunns River was the only thing worth doing there.... I'll definitely remember that if I ever stop there again!

[cuthbert732]

I did a tour of the city with my mom and loved it. we just rode around and did some stops. i will be going back next year.

[ellenmb]

OMG, Dunn's River Falls was my favorite excursion of all times!

My hub and I took a private cab ride; they are vultures though so pick one that looks like a reliable car or better yet plan ahead with a tour guide that has been recommended. Our cab driver, Oliver, was actually wonderful; though I was nervous with him at first too. Ochos Rios is really very pretty if you ride around up in the hills; right outside the port and the streets are not so hot..Oliver took us all over the place, to Dunn's River Falls (he dropped us off and came back to get us at the end...very timely), took us up to see all the sights of the area, stopped for photo ops of the harbor from the hills, was actually good tour guide (stopped and picked a tropical flower to put in my hair), stopped at roadside vendors (they probably have a deal with him), took us through some jungle type areas), to town to get a drink at a bar and dropped us back at the port where we ate some Nachos and had Strawberry Daiquiri's at Margaritaville..we gave him $40 plus another $20 for tip; I hear we over paid, but we felt it was way worth it for what we did. We actually had a lot of fun...but like others say, be careful!..I would maybe stay on the ship the next time, but I did enjoy it.

[vanislandcruisers]

We absolutely loved Ocho Rios ....to each their own....found the locals no more aggressive than in Cozumel...we had fun with them and they had fun with us.....had done a land vacation to Boscobel Beach many years ago and could not wait to go back to Jamaica.......we did Dunns River Falls and Bamboo Beach Club...the climb was awesome and the service at the Bamboo Beach Club was great..as much as they call it a 'Beach Club' it is just a roped off area of the Public Beach..take a look at our Journal ...will definitwely go back

[Luv4dacruise]

I have to agree with the other posters by sayin, i will personally not return there, if i am on a cruise that stops there, it will be an extra sea day for me :p . I cannot speak for yourselves though, all i can say is that if you do get off the ship is to do it through an excursion, DO NOT go out exploring on your own. Then judge it for yourselves.

[jessemon]

We're going to Ocho Rios in June, and we're looking for something to do. Not interested in climbing the falls, canopy is out, dd doesn't want to and I have to admit after that accident, I'm a little leary, so any ideas? I've searched the ports of call section and saw some questions I had but none with responses. We're already doing a dolphin excursion in Cozumel, so don't want to repeat that in Ocho Rios. I had wanted to see the Rose Hall Great House, but CCL doesn't offer that excursion for our trip, and I can't find anything on-line. Any help would be great. Thanks in advance.:)

Just to let you know. You don't have to climb the falls themself. There is a stone stairway next to it that you can climb next to the falls. I like most have felt very uncomfortable in Ocho Rios. It is the first town in the Caribbean that I walked around in for only a few minutes and went right back to the ship. I have been in some pretty bad places by the way in the states. It is too bad too, Jamaica is a beautiful island.

[Wennfred]

Yikes, that doesn't sound encouraging at all. What happened to make you guys feel unsafe? ?

 

I think you missed the few threads about cruisers being attacked and others being held at gun point and with machettes blades at their throats. One attacker was found by the police and gunned down. That was the final straw for me.

 

I started a Poll on here about removing Jamaica from the Crusing world and that thread got ugly fast, I requested it get removed from the board and it was gone. Its went 50/50 pretty much with people loving it while others hating it. I say that those people that truely loved it got lucky. All it takes is on ugly day there.

 

The funny thing is that even with the deadly stats and killings, murders per capita for the size of that island, people still go.

 

 

 

Fred

[Wennfred]

Just to let you know. You don't have to climb the falls themself. There is a stone stairway next to it that you can climb next to the falls. I like most have felt very uncomfortable in Ocho Rios. It is the first town in the Caribbean that I walked around in for only a few minutes and went right back to the ship. I have been in some pretty bad places by the way in the states. It is too bad too, Jamaica is a beautiful island.

 

We got away from the Cruise Terminal, that place was a mess with those aggresive cab drivers and walk right into town, I felt safe, I grew up in Brooklyn, nothing could be worse :eek: anyways, we found a cabby that was looking for something in his trunk, I asked him if he was open for business and he took us all over, even waited for us at the Falls. But knowing what I know now I would of stayed onboard.

 

 

Fred

[Azure Moon]

I was apprehensive about going to Jamaica since I'd read and heard about crime there. Ended up going to Ocho Rios in Feb. of 2006 because it was on the itinerary that the group we were going with chose.

DH, my mother, aunt, and myself had a wonderful time on our ship-booked excursion - Farmhouse visit and Dunns River Falls.

We went in some kind of safari-jeep-bus vehicle with other shipmates to a farm house up on a high area of land. Had a nice look around at the landscape while nibbling on fresh fruit, looked at and purchased some items for sale at the house, looked through the rooms in the house. Then we were driven to Dunns River Falls. While on the drive, we saw a person walking along the roadway. The person was on stilts and covered with vegetation. LOL! It looked like a walking shrub :eek: :D . Never seen anything like that anywhere we've been since. At the Falls, DH climbed the Falls while Mom, Aunt, and I separated and walked the stairs next to the water, took pictures, people watched, looked at items for sale, and looked at the beach. We were fortunate because we weren't hounded to buy anything. I did have one moment of panic near the end of our excursion. I couldn't see any of the people I was with and I didn't see the vehicle we'd come on. Thankfully, a nice Falls worker pointed me in the direction that the excursion vehicles park in so I didn't have to worry for long. Our driver/guide laughed when he saw me. He said I had a very relieved look on my face :o . We had a pleasant day and have good memories of our time there.

My sister, her husband, and some of their friends had a different experience in Ocho Rios that day. They had chosen to do a different ship-booked excursion -sailing and going to a beach - possibly the same beach we were on or one adjacent, I didn't see them, but I do have a picture that I later found out they had been on. They were bombarded with sales pitches. Sister said she couldn't wait to get back to the ship. She was surprised to learn that we hadn't had that problem.

[ProwlinNGrowlin]

As with any country you will have people that tarnish its image. Jamaica is a beautiful country and I go back year after year and stay for a week. When you are in port for a few hours I can see why you would not like the place. My first advice....get the heck out of the port area....you guys are like chum for the sharks (vendors) and they know it. Check out day passes at some of the NICER resorts (Couples comes to mind). There is a Blue Mountain Coffee Estate tours, the blue mountain bicycle riding, horseback riding on the beach, the 9 mile tour...there is plenty to do besides DRF. Go downtown, buy food from a street vendor...whatever fool said be careful of the frozen drinks was completely incorrect. Jamaica has the same if not better, water filtration as the United States. I have a VERY delicate tummy when it comes to switching water...and I prefer to drink Jamaican water right out of the tap than to touch Florida water with a 10 ft. pole. Yes you will have people offer to see you drugs...a polite no thank you goes a long way. If you are looking for a transportation, ONLY get into cabs with the red juta plates. Negotiate your fare before you get INTO the vehicle.

 

If you REALLY want to do something interesting...try this program

http://meetthepeople.visitjamaica.com/home/default.aspx

 

It will set you up with a family in Jamaica and they will show you around their country and how they live, work, eat, play...etc.

 

Not to be harsh, but step outside the box....the rest of the world is NOT like the U.S. (thank goodness....or life would be so boring on vacation!):D

[idocdlw]

Did a canopy tour with my then 70ish mom...awesome time...guides were fantastic and obviously enjoyed what they did. But then we ventured over to the "straw market" and that is when things got interesting...the vendors in the market were sooooo desperate...physically pulling us into their booths to show us their wares. This was not a problem. What was an issue was that on the way to the straw market we asked a man if we were going in the right direction...he assured us we were. On our walk back this man seemed insistent that we compensate him for pointing us in the right direction...he stalked us all the way back to the pier...that was pretty unnerving...especially for two women traveling together.

 

I wish that I had the link and info that ProwlinNGrowlin posted...I would have felt a lot more comfortable doing the island that way.

 

Thanks ProwlinNGrowlin!!! I definitely won't cross Jamaica off my list, but will probably choose to do things differently next time I visit.

[gypsyrose]

We are unable to do the falls and don't even want to be tempted by just going and walking up the stairs. My DH had a hip replacment 2/26/08 and although he is doing fantastic, I don't want to risk it by doing the falls (although he wants to). We are just gonna shop a little and hang out at Margaritaville. We won't actually get to see much of the island but it is our last port and we will probably be ready to just relax anyway.