AnchorsAweigh2011

I went on the Allure a few years ago, and it was very crowded,

I am looking for something with fewer people if possible.

Any help would be great.

Thank you

We just got back from Grand Cayman and would recommend Captain Chip and Stingray Sailing. It's the best excursion to Stingray City! Chip limits his tour to 25 people and the 43-foot Far Tortuga catamaran is an excellent way to spend the day in Grand Cayman. His website is Stingraysailing.con

Did anyone have trouble getting to the dock in time to meet Stingray Sailing? They said we're to meet them at 9am local time, but our RCL ship isn't scheduled to arrive until 8:30am local time. We'll do our best to get on the first tender available, but we're worried we won't get to the dock by 9am since RCL prioritizes people on their excursions for the early tenders. We don't want to miss Stingray City!

We just returned from Grand Cayman over 2 weeks ago and we were also concerned about missing our excursion. We were on the Celebrity Silhouette and got ticket number 8. We anchored at 9:45 am and were on the tender at 10:05 am to go into Grand Cayman.

I would feel absolutely safe inside the cruise ship terminal area and wouldn't have any reservations about my wife walking around and taking a look at the various vendors.

Is there a locker for your wallet etc?

We left our wallets and everything in the tour bus.

There are 3 couples with us and I am trying to figure out which excursions are the best for our group--- we are all in our later 20's--- which excursions would you recommend or to definitely stay away from?

I would recommend The Best of Jamaica excursion! We booked it through the Celebrity Silhouette and it cost $107 a person. We got to go to Dunn's River Falls, on a shopping trip, had an authentic Jamaican lunch of jerk chicken and pork, spent time at Shaw Beach before going on a cruise near Ocho Rios. It was an excellent way to spend a day in Jamaica!

I don't want to climb in the waterfall. Is there a way to walk up the side of the fall? Is it any fun?

Yes, there is a set of stairs to walk up the falls. My son and I did go up the falls while my wife walked up the stairs. There were landings along the way to the top where you could stop and dip your feet into the falls. My wife thought it was easy to walk up and she took some great pictures of us.

This thread is to help people let others now about good and bad experiences in Jamacia. Please list the excursion name,, if you were with a cruise line and what dock you came from. Then tell us about your experience.

We were on the Celebrity Silhouette over two weeks and we did The Best of Jamaica excursion. Our ship docked in Falmouth.

It was a great excurison and we went to Dunn's River Falls, on a brief shopping trip, had an authentic Jamaican lunch of jerk chicken and pork, spent time at Shaw beach before going on a cruise near Ocho Rios. Overall, it was an excellent way to spend a day in Jamaica!

Any suggestions on things to do in Falmouth Jamaica? I have googled, but so far have not come up with much....:p

We did the Best of Jamaica excursion. It featured a trip to Dunn's River Falls, a shopping trip to a small strip mall, an authentic Jamaican lunch of jerk chicken and pork, time at Shaw beach and a boat cruise near Ocho Rios. It was a great way to see and experience Jamaica first hand!

Just what I needed to know.

 

Thanks!

Hi,

 

I was wondering if anyone has rented the jet skis in Labadee. Can someone tell me how much it costs? How long do you rent for? Can two people share one? Can your children ride with you?

 

Thanks. :)

My son and I did the jet ski excursion this past March and we had a blast! It costs $96 a person to drive a jet ski and $29.75 if you go as a passenger. My 16 year son had to show his driver's license before he was allowed to go alone on a jet ski. We got to ride for almost 70 minutes. I believe that you have to at least 10 years old to go on this tour. This excursion was the highlight of our cruise!

I've been reading reviews of Labadee and it sounds like its almost not worth getting off the ship to have a beach day?! I have three kids that love just hanging out in the water...is it worth it?

Yes, I would get off the ship. You can walk around, go to the beach, and when you get tired, you can return to the ship!

I did the Best of Jamaica tour on my last visit and really enjoyed it. The Shaw Park Hotel is very beautiful with a nice, sheltered beach area. The lunch there was very good and featured jerk chicken, pulled pork, plantains and other local favorites. Dunns River Falls is worth a visit if you have never been. The trek up the falls is not that steep, but it is a bit slippery and requires a moderate amount of balance. That being said, I didn't see too many people falling down. If you have someone who can't or doesn't want to make the climb, there is a wooden viewing platform where you can watch or take photos. There is also a small flea market there, although I found the vendors a bit pushy.

 

We also made a quick stop at a local market for some souvenier shopping at a store owned by the guide's "cousin, who will give you the best price in Jamaica".

 

Also keep in mind that time in Jamaica is a relative thing. We were at least an hour late getting back to the ship. I hate to be late and was a bit worried about missing the all aboard time, but it appears that excursions running late is a regular thing in this port. Thankfully, the ship will wait for ship sponsored tours. When we got back, they opened the gates and drove us thru the closed port market, right up to the ship. The bus doors literally opened onto the gangway.

While on our cruise, we did the Best of Jamaica tour. The excursion featured a trip to Dunn's River Falls, a shopping trip to a tiny, strip mall, an authentic Jamiacan lunch of jerk chicken and pork, time at Shaw beach and a boat cruise near Ochos Rios. It was an excellent way to see Jamaica and a great way to spend a day!

We are wanting to book an independent excursion with Stingray Sailing and are a little concerned about the time. Our ship Navigator of the Seas arrives in port at 10:30 am. (there are 2 other cruise ships in port that day but they arrive at 7:00 and 8:00 am). Stingray Sailings said to meet them at the dock at 11:15 am for a tour beginning at 11:30. Does this give us enough time to tender and get to the dock in time for the excursion?

You need to disembark as soon as you can, but you should be fine. We were on the Celebrity Silhouette on March 12th of this year and we able to get a tender 20 minutes after we anchored, so line up early. Stingray Sailing provides an excellent excusrion and you'll enjoy your day!

I enjoyed your EXCELLENT review and AMAZING pictures of the Celebrity Silhouette! Your attention to detail is simply outstanding and I wanted to commend and thank you for doing your Cruise Critic review.

Our family is scheduled to cruise in March 2014 on the Silhouette and we are now counting the days!

Say hi to your mom!

Would you recommend that you keep your luggage with you and disembark early in the morning to avoid the long line-ups?

My wife, 15 year old son and I booked the Soualiga Destinations excursion with Captain Bob on March 12, 2013. We were on the Celebrity Reflection and we were concerned about missing our ship. There is no need to worry. Captain Bob had us back to the dock by 3:45 pm.

We had an amazing time cruising around St. Maarten in Captain Bob’s boat, the Calico Jack, a 600 horsepower, testosterone-filled speed boat. During the tour, we always felt safe and never once thought that we were going too fast.

Captain Bob has an outstanding sense of humour and makes sure everyone is enjoying his tour. Captain Bob’s excursion was the best excursion we went on while on vacation and was the highlight of our Caribbean cruise.

If I may offer some further explanations.

 

When I started my business,. I wanted to offer a small capacity boat trip at a good price as an alternative to the

“cattlemarans” that are offered by the ships. I also wanted to be able to get away fro the masses of cruise ship passengers. It is my intention to offer the best experience for the best price and I believe that I do deliver this.

 

I started out with one boat and because of the good value, the ability to get away from the crowds and our policy of 13 people or less, my business has grown.

 

In order to accommodate the large number of requests that come in on certain days when there are a large number of ships in port, and to continue to offer small capacities, we have added 3 more boats as necessary.

 

If I stuck to one boat, I found that I would not make enough money to continue. Fuel and expenses have risen dramatically since I started out so by offering more seats, I can still make a profit and survive. I think this is good for everyone.

 

Due to this situation, I am not able to be the captain and to be personally with every one who books but my other captains are personally trained by me to offer the same quality of service as I have become known to offer. They are all professional, correctly licensed,safe and courteous, not like a lot of other captains that you might run into on excursions in the Caribbean.

 

Each boat is the same style, a speedboat, with the same small capacity, speed and power. The “dive” boat is one of our most popular boats because it offers the most stable and dry ride, the most shade and sun and most room.

 

I work with other marketers who also sell the same tour. We all work together to maximize the capacity that we now have.

 

I do not sub contract out my passengers to any other company nor do I “sell off” trips to anyone else. You may be with passengers who have been sold by other companies and that is why I think a few people think that they have been sub contracted out. When it comes down to the nitty gritty, what difference does it make as long as you have exactly the same tour and experience which you will have.

 

I am directly in control of all the passengers that book with me. I am always on the dock to meet and greet my passengers. I do not just “take your money and pass you off to another boat.” I check in with each passenger and collect any balances due. Then I personally introduce the passengers to the captain that they will be with and introduce them to the boat and it's features. Then the captain will board the passengers and conduct a safety briefing and give all the necessary info about the trip.

 

At numerous times through the day I am at the same locations as the other boats and am constantly checking to see that everything is going well. I check with the captain and each passenger. At lunch I again, personally come up to the table to check with all of my passengers to be sure they are happy with the boat and captain. Then again at the dock at the end of the trip, I try to be available to check again that everything was up to par.

I have NEVER been told otherwise at lunch or at the end of the day.

 

Please remember that a small capacity trip with 13 or less people with a hot, great lunch, and all the different things we offer at $99 per person is a great deal with or without me personally as the captain. There hundreds of past customers have agreed as you can tell by the amount of happy people posting and coming to my defense here on Cruise Critic and leaving perfect reviews on Tripadvisor.

 

I take each and every comment seriously and constructive, important criticism is addressed by me, whether it is a comment about the boat or the captain.

 

My reputation is very important to me and I try to make each excursion the best of all your days on the ship.

 

As Abraham Lincoln said, You can please some of the people all of the time, all of the people some of the time but you can't please all of the people all of the time.

Respectfully,

Capt. Bob

We have booked your tour March 12th and are looking forward to it. We hope that we get a chance to see some "Big Planes" landing at Maho Beach on that day. See you on March 12th Captian Bob!

Rock, Marj and Ryan

My wife, son and I will be cruising on the Celebrity Reflection on March 9, 2013 and I wanted to thank you for doing a simply brilliant and outstanding review of the Reflection. Your review is the most authoritative I have ever read and a wealth of information. We are excited and looking forward to our cruise. Thank you Sandi!