What was the worst excursion you have ever taken?

[BillOh]

My worst wasn't all that bad, but RCI could improve. We had a late flight so we took the Southbeach post cruise excursion. After a city tour, they took us to the Bayside Market where we had more than an hour to look around, but nothing was open yet. After the boat tour, which was nice, we got back to Bayside and everything was open, but we din't have time to look around then.

[cheaptravel]

Ocho Rios - RC excursion to Shaw Park Beach and picnic. There were only 6 of us on the bus, the other couple had 2 kids with them. As soon as we got to the beach, this other couple refused to go on the beach and demanded a ride back to the ship -- there were Rastas that set up a table on the beach, and they ain't just sellin' necklaces. In fact, they were smoking their green stuff so heavilly the whole beach stunk. The water was awful, turns out I started itching that night at dinner and got a bad rash. (sea lice, maybe ?) My husband didn't have any problems because he didn't go in the water. There were broken scissors, glass, garbage all over the beach. They led us towards the back of a hotel for our "lunch" which was dried up burgers and the rest of the food looked so awful we didn't eat, didn't want to take the chance on getting sick.

I did write a note to RC telling them that this was way below the standards that I would set for a cruise-line excursion.

[booklady26]

It was in Caracas, Venezuela. It was a ship sponsored excursion that was so supposed to feature a road trip in small 6 passenger 4WD's with a driver/guide along the beautiful coast and inland mountains of Venezuela..

 

The 4WD's had seen much better days. The driver sat upfront and the passenger seating was 2 benches on either side of the rear comparment.They had no rear doors. The first stop was at a liquor store where we were urged to buy something to drink as nothing was provided in the vehicle and we were told it could get hot.

 

Then we went to the "beautiful beach". It was, but we were also told not to leave anything unattended as it would probably get stolen. The waves were so high and the undertow was dangerous so we couldn't go in the water anyway.

 

Next up, was a beautiful stop in the mountain forest by a rainpool for a dip in cool mountain water. The stop was littered with trash including used disposable diapers. Restrooms were beyond filthy. The rain pool was more like a cesspool.

 

The it was on to lunch. The description read that we would have lunch in quaint fishing village and dine on local fish and fresh vegetables. The place we went to wasn't even near the water and we were served some kind of slop that looked like hamburger helper gone bad. No one touched it. I remember a mangy dog going around and people were feeding him their "lunch". Frankly, I wouldn't even feed it to that poor thing that looked like he could have used a good meal.

 

The drive back to the ship was over dusty roads. Remember I said that there were no rear doors in the truck. Well I don't think I was ever so dusty and dirty when I finally got back on board. I even tasted dirt.

[LisaH]

It was in Caracas, Venezuela. It was a ship sponsored excursion that was so supposed to feature a road trip in small 6 passenger 4WD's with a driver/guide along the beautiful coast and inland mountains of Venezuela..

 

The 4WD's had seen much better days. The driver sat upfront and the passenger seating was 2 benches on either side of the rear comparment.They had no rear doors. The first stop was at a liquor store where we were urged to buy something to drink as nothing was provided in the vehicle and we were told it could get hot.

 

Then we went to the "beautiful beach". It was, but we were also told not to leave anything unattended as it would probably get stolen. The waves were so high and the undertow was dangerous so we couldn't go in the water anyway.

 

Next up, was a beautiful stop in the mountain forest by a rainpool for a dip in cool mountain water. The stop was littered with trash including used disposable diapers. Restrooms were beyond filthy. The rain pool was more like a cesspool.

 

The it was on to lunch. The description read that we would have lunch in quaint fishing village and dine on local fish and fresh vegetables. The place we went to wasn't even near the water and we were served some kind of slop that looked like hamburger helper gone bad. No one touched it. I remember a mangy dog going around and people were feeding him their "lunch". Frankly, I wouldn't even feed it to that poor thing that looked like he could have used a good meal.

 

The drive back to the ship was over dusty roads. Remember I said that there were no rear doors in the truck. Well I don't think I was ever so dusty and dirty when I finally got back on board. I even tasted dirt.

 

Now THAT is bad. UGH! We never got off the ship when it used to stop at the port for Caracas.

[Leejnd4]

Ours was a ship sponsored scuba trip in Jamaica. We were picked up off the pier in a runabout motorboat. Near the pier the sea wasn't too choppy.

 

The boat put us off on shore where we were taken to a dock that had our 'gear' setup on fence posts on the dock. The scuba master was wearing a wetsuit that looked like it had had an encounter with a shark it was so full of holes. My then 14 year old son and I had our own regulators and BC's or I would have stopped right there. As it was, we were loaded with our gear back on board the runabout and taken to the dive site - about 20 minutes away.

 

Outside of the shelter of the harbor, it was really rough. I had been diving around 8 years but still started feeling queezy. By the time we got to the dive site, all I wanted was to get under water. Alex and I were the first in the water. The dive master told us to go to the front of the boat and hold onto the anchor rope. We tried that, but the waves were about 3-4 feet high and we were being jerked around so badly as well as the danger of the boat crashing down on us. For the first time in my life, I lost my lunch and I was done. Alex and I boarded the boat again.

 

One other couple decided not to go. Another couple went out on their own and ended up returning to in another boat because they couldn't make it back to our boat. The dive master took my son and they were able to go down and have a nice dive, but the DM had to tow my son back to the boat because of the strength of the waves. I lay on the floor - miserable and unaware of the problems the others were having.

 

RCL did refund 1/2 our money when I complained about the conditions and the poor quality of the company they used for their excursion. (I hope they discontinued using them). In hindsight, I shouldn't have even let my son go out, but I did and thankfully it ended well. I learned the lesson that even tho an excursion is ship sponsored, does not guarantee the quality or safety of the excursion.

 

Any other horror stories out there?

 

I haven't read this whole thread, so I don't know if any other divers pointed this out, but I wanted to return to the original post and bring up a few things.

 

As a frequent diver myself, I wanted to mention that dive excursions cannot be judged with the same criteria that you use to judge other types of excursions. Scuba diving is not just a recreational activity - it's a highly technical sport, with a very high danger factor, requiring skill and adequate training. It's important to remember that it is ALWAYS incumbent on the diver himself to determine whether or not he is comfortable with the conditions, equipment, buddy, dive op, etc. And if not, it is incumbent on the diver himself to call the dive. Divers need to remember that if something goes wrong underwater, it only takes the amount of time you can hold one breath before you die. This is not something to be trifled with, or to be left in the hands of unknown, unqualified strangers.

 

Vacation divers (meaning, those divers who usually only dive while on their infrequent vacations) often put too much faith in the dive op. The problem is, they don't get to dive very often, and are sometimes reluctant to pass up an opportunity - even if things are not optimal. And while you might wish to leave it up to the dive op to determine whether or not conditions are good enough, it's YOUR life! They are interested in making money, and are often reluctant themselves to cancel a dive trip, knowing they won't get paid.

 

Ocean conditions vary greatly, and you simply cannot fault the dive op for the wave heights and currents. It's entirely possible that the day before, the seas were flat as a pancake. The bottom line is, if conditions are not good, DON'T DIVE! You simply can't count on a dive op, especially one in a third-world country, to make an appropriate call about the conditions. Remember, many dive ops in foreign countries, especially third-world countries like Jamaica that are poverty-stricken, are very poorly run and don't have much in the way of resources. And if you go on a ship-sponsored scuba excursion, you have no idea what dive op they're using. I'm glad to hear that you had your own regs, as I would never even CONSIDER renting gear from a dive op that I didn't know, and hadn't done full research on. In fact, I wouldn't even consider going diving at ALL with an unknown dive op with an unknown safety record.

 

Which brings me to my most important point, which is: I would never go on a ship sponsored scuba excursion, unless the ship had their own dive operation (as on Windstar, Paul Gauguin, Star Flyer, and certain other ships with an on-board, dedicated water sports team). I have been diving in ports on cruises many times, but I always make arrangements on my own with a local dive op that has a known safety record. I research in advance to confirm that they are PADI, and what level; I find out what kind of equipment they rent, and what condition it's in (I always bring my own...but I wouldn't dive with an op that would provide sub-standard equipment to its customers). I post questions on scuba-related message boards such as Scubaboard to find out of other divers have used them, and what their experiences have been. I strongly encourage other divers, even vacation divers (in fact it's even MORE important for vacation divers!) to do this.

 

Finally, you cannot blame the ship for the bad experience...which, in this case, was mostly due to bad ocean conditions. What you CAN blame them for is choosing a substandard dive op for their excursion -- but then, they don't know, they're not divers, they simply don't realize the need for this. They search for the best deal THEY can get, so they can make the most profit off the sale of the excursion.

 

We as divers are responsible for our own safety. NEVER dive with a dive op that does not make you feel comfortable, or in conditions that seem unsafe. I certainly would not have let my son go down in such conditions. The consequences of a bad outcome with diving are just too great. In fact, the greatest. It doesn't get any worse.

[firefly333]

Downtown Belize. Didnt like the lady who took us around much and it was poor and boring. OH BOY a church, this is the highlight of downtown?? The governor's house with bars on the windows. Didn't look like a place I'd want to live.

 

Next time we will stick with the country side.

[klfhngr]

I'd have to say 'Swimming with the Donkeys' in Mexico...

[lacruiser]

Well, this certainly can't compare to the fire-breathing chicken man, but our worst experience was a van tour "to see the volcano" on St. Lucia. That's the one and only time I've ever been car-sick; van had no a/c, and those were the twistiest, turniest mountain roads I'd ever been on. And, the driver grossly misrepresented the length of time it took to get there -- halfway through I'd have willingly sacrificed a limb or two to have been back on board ship! And the "volcano"? A stinking sulfur mud-pit. It left a terrible taste in our mouths (well, not literally :rolleyes:) for St. Lucia, which was happily corrected the next time we were there.

 

We did the whale-watching expedition that someone else has mentioned on this thread -- but we had a blast, and we did see a pod of whales! No mention of any military maneuvers, either. It was fascinating, because I didn't think you ever saw whales in the Caribbean.

 

One other comment -- many have posted about being harrassed on Orient Beach. St. Martin is our favorite island, and we LOVE Orient Beach. I've never been hassled by vendors of any kind there, and we've spent time all up and down the beach.

[OHCruisin]

It was in Caracas, Venezuela. It was a ship sponsored excursion that was so supposed to feature a road trip in small 6 passenger 4WD's with a driver/guide along the beautiful coast and inland mountains of Venezuela..

 

The 4WD's had seen much better days. The driver sat upfront and the passenger seating was 2 benches on either side of the rear comparment.They had no rear doors. The first stop was at a liquor store where we were urged to buy something to drink as nothing was provided in the vehicle and we were told it could get hot.

 

Then we went to the "beautiful beach". It was, but we were also told not to leave anything unattended as it would probably get stolen. The waves were so high and the undertow was dangerous so we couldn't go in the water anyway.

 

Next up, was a beautiful stop in the mountain forest by a rainpool for a dip in cool mountain water. The stop was littered with trash including used disposable diapers. Restrooms were beyond filthy. The rain pool was more like a cesspool.

 

The it was on to lunch. The description read that we would have lunch in quaint fishing village and dine on local fish and fresh vegetables. The place we went to wasn't even near the water and we were served some kind of slop that looked like hamburger helper gone bad. No one touched it. I remember a mangy dog going around and people were feeding him their "lunch". Frankly, I wouldn't even feed it to that poor thing that looked like he could have used a good meal.

 

The drive back to the ship was over dusty roads. Remember I said that there were no rear doors in the truck. Well I don't think I was ever so dusty and dirty when I finally got back on board. I even tasted dirt.

 

Holy smokes, I think I did the same tour, on a line other than RCI. Only we never made it into the mountains because something about trees being down on the roads. My sister and I both almost drowned because of the undertow. The meal was actually very good and they did have drinks for us along the way, but the drive along the coast was nasty. Their coast line is just filled with trash.

[lovetocruise99]

Though our experience with the fire-breathing chicken man in Jamaica had to be the worst excursion, we had a close second in Roatan. We did a private tour to a hotel on a beach for the day. At the time I didn't have any idea of the poverty level in Roatan or the shape of the roads. The woman who was supposed to pick us up wasn't at the gate by the port so I stupidly asked one of the guys standing around if they knew if she was there somewhere. Immediately one of them stepped up and said he was the guy supposed to pick us up (he wasn't!) and for us to get in the car. He took us to a little village and said, "here we are" so we got out (after paying him of course). So now we're wandering around this muddy village where the roads are completely washed away after a storm, trying to figure out where we're supposed to be. After an hour or so, the woman from the hotel tracked us down and took us to the hotel.

 

On a sunny day the hotel would've probably been nice, but on this day it was pouring the rain which caused a river of debris and garbage to flow down the hotel grounds into the ocean. My daughter and I decided to wait out the rain by swinging in a nice hammock on the porch of one of the cabanas. We both got in, laid back and screamed because about 4 feet above our head was an entire colony of sleeping bats! It gives me the heebie jeebies thinking about it now. Since the beach day was a washout we asked to go back to the ship. On the way back, the torrential rain began again and we had to dodge fallen trees across the road. (In places like this, a cruise ship excursion is the only way to go!)

 

When we got back to port we stopped right outside the gates to hand out a bag of baseballs we had brought for the kids. I discreetly (or so I thought) slipped a baseball out of my bag and handed it to a little boy who was holding an umbrella over us. Instantly, my young daughter and I were mobbed by 10 or so boys and grown men begging for these baseballs and candy. It absolutely broke my heart to see these grown men begging for one baseball or a sucker for their child. The crowd got out of control really fast. They started reaching into my bags so I threw everything down, grabbed my daughter's hand and ran inside the safety of the gates.

 

Needless to say I learned a lot of lessons that day! The main thing I learned is that you're being watched all the time when you're in a place that poor and you can get into a bad situation fast.

 

Really, it's a wonder my family goes anywhere with me anymore!

[cheaptravel]

The Whale Watch in Hawaii many years ago.

It cost us a fortune to cruise around and see nothing. :( The person running the tour would say, "Oh look, there's a tail over there" after we were all made to look the other way. :mad:

We returned to the cruise ship and sat on deck and watched a pod of whales playing right off the side of the ship for free.:D

 

 

Now, that is too funny !! :)

[jules815]

I keep reading people complain about the "Raggae Baby" cruise. We just took that "Cruise to the Falls" on Freedom of the Seas and we had a BLAST!

 

Nothing wrong with the cruise, it was the falls and my fear of heights that made it not much fun for me. Our kids had a blast. The cruise part was fun; although on the way back the water was very choppy and our youngest got sick, but that just gave us another story to tell when we got back home. :D

[Loucat]

We did the drive your own boat in Cozumel. We were last to board the two seaters with a small outboard engine. Others were zooming away and having a great time. By the time we were able to navigate out to a reasonable depth, EVERYONE was out of sight, including the "observers" who were supposed to keep us in a line to a private island and lunch. There we were! As a long term boater, I did not feel too good. It was a windy day with white caps, small power engine etc. Sure enough, right ahead of us was a sandbar and we ran aground. We lost engine power and we took on waves over the port side of the "boat". I was about to have a royal anxiety attack:eek: One of the "observers" noticed one boat was missing and came back to find us. By that time, we had water IN the boat and we were drenched. Since he was not able to start our engine, we took out what water we could and were towed back to shore. I did report this to RCC, but in reality, I was happy we were OK. That was the WORST excursion ever in all of our many cruises. PS I cannot swim:eek::eek::eek:, but did have a life preserver on.

[jimmyatc]

The "ruins of ocho rios" excursion. We spent 3 hours being forced to do singalongs...and we have still yet to see any "ruins". Every stop on the tour was a sales pitch. We were also reminded every 10 minutes that we should tip everyone.

[Kailyn]

Whilst in St.Petersburgh Russia last year on a ships tour we was taken to a small house where Rasputin was killed and was told our intresting this was by the tour guide on route, however when we arrived there was also around 12 other tour groups visting and instead of delaying each group 10 minutes we was all sent in together, after spending five minutes of being squashed and having our toes trod upon we decided to wait outside for them to finish.

 

Never bothered to complain to the cruise line because didn't want to ruin the holiday I suppose :o

 

It's such a shame you didn't get to see it! It may look like a "small house" from the start but it is actually a gorgeous palace called Yusupov Palace, and is easily one of my favorite places in all of Piter with gorgeous interiors. I'm hoping to take my family to St. Petersburg next year and will take them there if we have time.

[BillOh]

Downtown Belize. Didnt like the lady who took us around much and it was poor and boring. OH BOY a church, this is the highlight of downtown?? The governor's house with bars on the windows. Didn't look like a place I'd want to live.

 

Next time we will stick with the country side.

 

My sister and her husband would echo this, they took the "Calypso train" tour of Belize city. (tractor pulling a trailer that had decorations to make it look like a train. They echoed your sentiments. My worst excursion, I'm lucky I guess, is also in Belize this month. My excursion was canceled. We lugged our own snorkel gear only to not use it. (No pitty party expected, but that is my worst one. )

[rrgreennc]

Our worst excursion was also our first first ever, the glass-bottomed boat in Key West. It wasn't a terrible experience, just not very good.

 

First off, we were lead on a very fast walk from the cruise pier to another pier where the tour boat was located. This was all in very hot conditions. By the time we reached the boat, we were all very hot, sweaty, and worn out from the march. I'm not really sure how far this was, but the heat and the fact that we were hurried along so much really made it feel like forever.

 

The boat was nice enough, and we took off on a ride to the offshore reef. All the way there we were told about this magnificent reef and all the creatures we would see. Not sure what happened, but apparently nearly all the creatures must have checked out, because all we saw were a bunch of yellow fish. From what I could see, they were all the same. They moved the boat a lot, looking around different locations, but we never saw anything else. All the way back in to shore, they reminded us to tip the awesome crew.

 

We didn't complain to the cruise line or the tour operator, because I realized that there is no way to guarantee what you'll see on a excursion like this, but we definitely didn't enjoy this.

 

Luckily, the walk back to the ship was on our own, so although it was still miserably hot, at least we didn't have to speed-walk. We looked around a bit, but didn't see anything particularly interesting. We did enjoy the chocolate-dipped key lime pie on a stick though - quite tasty.

[pierces]

The El Eden tour in Puerto Vallarta!

 

No air conditioning on a bus that looked like the Partridge Family was the last owner.

 

 

"See where Predator was filmed!"

 

Yeah, right!

 

A blown-to-hell Huey and a souvenir stand with Schwartzenegger t-shirts was the sum total of the relationship to the movie location. There was supposed to be a "natural" waterfall at the end of the dusty romp over the potholes in the "road", but it was mostly a "natural" concrete pool fed by a stream with a large covered bar/restaurant area selling very expensive drinks.

 

The member of our group that suggested it has never again been allowed to choose! :D

 

On the plus side, the jungle area was pretty and the scenic stops on the trip up the coast were, well, scenic. Lemonade from Lemons...

 

 

Dave

[amybeth4]

Friends got out on the beach there and there was garbage along the beach too. I actually took a show I had found while snorkeling to the tour operator and asked if they lost their show.

 

Hi. Just (seriously) wondering what a "show" is, or what you meant to type if not "show."

[SamFritz]

Two bad ones:

 

1. Grand Cayman, Beach Break. The wind was strong and from the north, and it must have been an exceptionally high tide. At times there was no beach at all as occasional waves washed under our beach chairs right up to the seawall. The chairs were packed so tightly on the narrow strip of sand that you had to walk across the chairs. Our stuff got soaked and sandy, and we returned to the ship in about a half an hour. I did take photos and showed them to the excursions desk when we returned. They gave us a full refund.

 

2. Roatan, Best of Roatan Tour. Pretty much a waste of 3 1/2 hours. They did hit the stops that were listed, but they were much less impressive than described. We stopped at five different gift shops. We had 12 people crammed in a 10 passenger minivan. the Tour guide read from a script. I didn't ask for a refund, but I am taking every opportunity I get to tell people to avoid that tour.

[JaneStarr]

My sister and her husband would echo this, they took the "Calypso train" tour of Belize city. (tractor pulling a trailer that had decorations to make it look like a train. They echoed your sentiments. My worst excursion, I'm lucky I guess, is also in Belize this month. My excursion was canceled. We lugged our own snorkel gear only to not use it. (No pitty party expected, but that is my worst one. )

 

Last cruise, I decided to make Belize my own personal sea day. Enjoyed it very much!

Jane

[Kaboochi]

One of the few, and the worst, was the Barcardi Rum factory in San Juan. Waited 2 hours for our group to enter, had to listen to a long drawn out explanation of everything in English and Spanish while standing in front of pictures. Never got to actually see the factory other than the shipping section located adjacent to the company store. 5 hours of pure boring agony trapped on an excursion.

I agree. We did this the last day of our 2/09 cruise, but not through an excursion. All 18 of us hired a van and asked the driver to take us there. The tour was BORING!!!! But, we became friendly with the bartender which more than made up for the awful tour. Fellow CC friends, don't take the tour, you can just go to try the rum drinks!

[Kaboochi]

lol, glad I'm not the only one who almost spit coffee on my computer screen :D. I know this had to be terrifying at the time but man it was funny reading about it. Although I'm now freaking out over a planned excursion in Belize through RC in May. :eek:

Did you book the river rafting? We did it 4 years ago (in day light) and it was fantastic, including the walk through the rain forest to get to the river - not strenuous at all and a total blast. I hope that is what you booked.

[wolfcathorse]

Glass bottom boat tour in Nassau.

[jtmalt]

Without a doubt, any time you get to break a rib in Jamaica, I think it qualifies as a pretty bad excursion!

 

Being a relatively fit couple who enjoy doing 6 or 7 miles of biking on hilly roads in the northeast, we figured the ship sponsored Mountain to Sea Bicycle Adventure would be a perfect fit for us. Although we booked the excursion through Royal Caribbean, it is actually conducted by a local tour operator.

 

We were met at the pier in Jamaica, and transported via mini-bus to the tour operator's excursion center in St. Ann's. There we organized into our tour groups. Our group of bicyclists (there were nine of us) were than transported up single lane, hairpin roads to a spot at around 2,000 feet above sea level. We had 3 guides, who I will refer to as Bob, Jim, and Jane (not their real names). As we stepped out of the transport van, it began to rain, and not just a passing shower. This turned into a continuous rain for the duration of our tour.

 

We were assigned our bikes, which were standard-issue mountain bikes in none-too-great condition. The bikes my wife and I were assigned had all of the plastic around the shifters busted off, so there was no way to tell what gear you were in. My wife kept trying to adjust her seat...no matter how much I tightened it, it kept sinking down until her knees were in her chest. The guides, seeing that the rain was going to continue, pulled plastic garbage bags out of the flatbed truck that carried the bikes, and began to fashion them into impromptu ponchos. Which they then distributed....to themselves. The transport van left, our gear was piled into the front seat of the support truck, we donned our helmets and elbow/kneepads, joked about "liquid sunshine" and began careening down the first hill.

 

The trail we were on used to be paved road. It was utterly washed out, with enormous potholes that quickly filled with rainwater. I suppose that at some time in the near future, the potholes were scheduled to be filled in, as we noticed large piles of sand and gravel staged at intervals along the 8-mile ride.

 

During the first downhill, I realized I was in trouble. Either due to poor maintenance or the wet weather, I rapidly realized my best efforts at braking were having virtually no effect. My brake handles were hitting the handlebars, and the bike was still accelerating. As I bottomed out at the end of the first hill, I frantically tried to stop the bike. I lost concentration for a moment, and slammed into a deep pothole filled with water, and went flying over the handlebars, smashing into the ground with considerable force.

 

Bleeding from cuts and scrapes on my hands and shins, and with a fierce pain in my chest, I sprang to my feet. My wife pulled up, and she was white as a sheet. I straddled the bike again saying "it's alright, I'm ok, I'm ok." My wife's eyes were horrified as she pointed at the bike. I looked down and realized the front wheel now approximated the shape of a fortune cookie.

 

Bob, the guide, approached, said "You're ok, Mon, here's another bike, shake it off." In a daze, I mounted the bike and forced myself to "shake it off" and continue. It never even occurred to me at the time that a little first aid might have been in order, even if only to stop me from bleeding all over the replacement bike.

 

We struggled on to the All Grade Schoolhouse. We all dismounted our bikes while Jim gave a speech about the heroes of Jamaica, painted on the wall of the school house. It was hard to hear him because of the pouring rain drumming on our helmets. I couldn't believe we were being forced to stand there, in the downpour. At least Jim, Bob, and Jane had makeshift ponchos...we were soaked to the skin and shivering in the wind.

 

When the speech was over, Jim took us 5 steps around the corner so we could peer into the schoolhouse...where there was a huge awning! I was beginning to think our guides were enjoying our discomfort.

 

After this stop, the pain in my chest just became to severe for me to continue, and I asked to be transported down the mountain in the support vehicle. Unfortunately, the cab of the truck was filled with gear, so my wife and I had to stand in the back of the flatbed, wedged in between the steel bike racks. We jounced down the mountain to our next stop at the Spicy Grove Tavern, getting slammed against the steel racks at every bounce, and whacked in the head by low hanging tree branches (good thing we retained our helmets).

 

After a short respite at the Spicy Grove, we continued our miserable trek down the mountain. At some point, Jane must have taken pity on us. She had the support truck pull over, stuffed all the gear from the cab of the truck into plastic garbage bags, and allowed my wife and I to get into the truck and out of the weather. We finally arrived at the post office, where we all boarded a van for the trip back to the excursion center. We struck up a conversation with another guest, who had also fallen and busted herself up.

 

Next up was the trip to a cove for a swim and snorkel. The cove was more of a cauldron of seething waves than the peaceful refuge we had expected. Jim and Bob half-heartedly tried to encourage the guests to jump off the rocks into the maelstrom, then wisely reconsidered and deemed it "probably not a good day to swim". We then had to endure another speech about the beauty of Jamaica, and an appeal for tips, before having to trudge 1/4 mile back to the excursion center.

 

 

When we got back to the center, I was escorted to the administration office, where I was given a choice of being transported to a local clinic for examination, or signing a waiver and returning to the ship. I chose to sign the waiver. We were all loaded into a mini bus for the return to Ocho Rios. During the ride back, our driver suddenly pulled over, jumped out of the vehicle, and disappeared. After ten minutes, he returned...we speculated that he had decided to grab a sandwich from a local shop.

 

Incidentally, Royal Caribbean really stepped up to the plate on this. They refunded our excursion fee, and offered me free medical care from the ship's doctor...it turned out that I had fractured a rib in the accident.

 

I don't know how this excursion normally runs...in dry weather, it's probably pretty uneventful. Under those rainy conditions, it was downright dangerous and should have been cancelled, in my opinion.

 

What's more disturbing, however, was the complete lack of concern for the safety or comfort of the guests demonstrated by the tour operator. They were apparently not prepared or not willing to deal with injured guests. At no point was I ever offered first aid, or even a rag to wipe of the blood. I can tell you from personal experience that being transported down the mountain stuffed into the bike racks in the back of a flatbed truck, in the rain, with a broken rib, is no joke.