Ocho Rios Review Please !

[mkend]

Hi, I have never heard anything about this port, is it nice? Is there anything to do? Any suggestions? Thanks!

[sue d. miller]

No review, but lots of info on what to do on the port of call board!!! Here is Jamaica...http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=111

[daWoods]

Can't tell you much about Ocho Rios itself because we had an excursion with Barrett Adventures which took us outside the area to a less populated area. We had a great day. As Sue says, there's much more about the area on the Jamaica board.

[mkend]

Thanks Sue for your help!

[benmon]

having been to this port 5 times i can only reccomend dont do an on your own tour. the trip to the falls is nice, i did the raft tour its peacefull but was not for me. all i can say is do any ship tour that looks good to you. any ather question feel free to e-mail me. ben

[Cruisin'Kim]

My DH & I are going to be there on Jan. 18th and we have booked with Phil Lafayette. We had heard many good things about him. He takes you to the falls, on a tour of the island, even shows you a good place for lunch! We I booked with him, he told me he only takes any money after the tour is over and you are happy!:D

 

Happy cruising!

 

Kim.

[TheWog]

peattaylor.com is another site you can check out. We have him booked for January.

[TheWog]

The port is nice, the island is beautiful, but the poverty is bad. You will enjoy the destinations of your excursions if you decide to do them, you can also stay and enjoy the mall area with Margaritaville. You should stay to the beaten path and with a tourguide if possible. Ocho Rios doesn't have a beautiful typical Caribbean beach right at the dock, but if you take a tour, there is a beach at the Falls and some of the all-inclusives have beautiful beaches they may let you use. We went to Couples Resort in Jan 03 and had a great time. If you explore, choose one of the tour guides to assist you, such as Peat Taylor, Phil Lafayette, A-Z, etc. They seem to take great care of you and take pride in their work. You would be safe with them as well. Good luck in deciding.

[bankofdad]

Thanks for the post. Can you tell me a little about the Couples Resort? We've stayed at the Sandles in Montego Bay and are curious as to how it compares (although this trip were stopping in Ocho Rios).

 

Did you purchase a day pass direct with teh resort, or through the ship? Do you recall the cost?

 

Thanks again!

[HatterasNC]

We just got back from our Dawn Princess cruise. The highlight for us was our stop in Jamacia. We did our own tour with Phil Lafayette and had a blast. He will do any kind of tour you'd like. We did the Dunns River and White river tubing for $50 each. The cost includes the price of the falls and river tubing. They were a lot of fun but Phil made this tour the best. Our stop was only 5.5 hrs so I was worried about getting done in time, and considered a ship tour. I'm so glad we did our tour with phil. For half the cost of doing one on the ship we got to do both, plus time to eat, see the sights, and shop. We where with Phil for 5 hrs so we made the best of the short stay.

I had read some negative things about Jamacia on this board but I'm glad I read the good reviews of Phil. Now I want to goto Jamacia again and have Phil show us more of the island.

Any questions just ask me or you can ask Phil. His website is www.phil-lafayette-tours.com

You don't need to prepay or leave a credit card number. Phil has no cancellation fee since you don't even prepay. Just email him or call if you decide to cancel.

[TheWog]

Thanks for the post. Can you tell me a little about the Couples Resort? We've stayed at the Sandles in Montego Bay and are curious as to how it compares (although this trip were stopping in Ocho Rios).

 

Did you purchase a day pass direct with teh resort, or through the ship? Do you recall the cost?

 

Thanks again!

BankofDad -

 

First, I love the screen name. Couples was a great place. We actually went and spent a week in January 2003. There are no children allowed in there. THey have water sports, such as kayaks, small sailboats, waterskiing, scuba, snorkel etc. All alcohol and food was included. There are several restaurants to eat at each night. They provide entertainment nightly and it was a lot of fun. There were several jaccuzi tubs around a large sandy beach. A pier and its own private au natural island out in the cove. We went out to the island, but it wasn't really open at the time and we came back. There was no sand out there, just chairs and a large pool with a swim up bar. The grounds were beautiful and the staff couldn't do enough to make you happy. There was a large pool and a casino. They organized trips for you at no cost, such as shopping to Island Village, horseback riding, Dunns River Falls, etc. Tips are not required, but quietly accepted. If you go there, on your second trip you are offered a free transport from Mo Bay to Ocho Rios via small plane. That saves the 2+ hour "bus" ride (from hell). Hehehe ,but it is part of the fun.

 

We had a room with an ocean view. There are some rooms with pools I think. Some with jacuzzis right in the room. It was a great place. Any specific questions please ask. couples.com is the website. there are 3 different locations, Ocho Rios, Negril and Swept Away. we didn't do a day pass, but I do think they may be available. Its a great place.

[CruzinPat]

Just got back from the tour with Phil and it was awesome! Phil is very attentive to his guests providing an air conditioned van to keep cameras and extra clothes in while doing the water activities and then a changing area so we could eat and continue the tour in dry clothes. The river tubing was an absolute blast...not to be missed! After the tour Phil dropped us off at the Island Village to shop and visit Carlos and Charlies just a short walking distance from the ships.

[Divetex]

Can't tell you much about Ocho Rios itself because we had an excursion with Barrett Adventures which took us outside the area to a less populated area. We had a great day. As Sue says, there's much more about the area on the Jamaica board.

DaWoods - Did you have Carolyn Barrett as your guide? If so, I think you'll most likely agree with me: She's great! We've used her twice now, once out of Mo' Bay, and the second time she drove all the way to OR to pick us up. We went to the Noel Coward home that time. Had a blast. On the Mo' Bay visit, she took us up to Barrettown, where we saw where the locals bathe and get their drinking water, etc. Very informative.

[mkend]

Thanks Everyone! I can't wait!