DiapoTravel

The airport is about 12 miles from downtown. A lot of cruisers stay at hotels outside of downtown that offer shuttles and allow you to park there during your cruise. You can read about some of those here:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2149088

 

My personal opinion is I want to stay downtown/French quarter when I'm in New Orleans. I book on hotwire and get great deals but it's prepaid and non-refundable. I usually stay in a 4* hotel and pay about $100 plus $25-35 for parking. I would move my vehicle to fulton parking garage during the cruise where you can park for as little as $8/day on the roof.

 

http://neworleansparking.com/default.asp

 

If you go the hotwire route and need help figuring out what your hotel is going to be or need advice on a downtown French/Quarter hotel, let me know. I've stayed in probably 30 of them. I stayed at Hyatt Regency 8 times last year. It was the 4* downtown/superdome option on hotwire.

My wife, 2yo & I are going on the Carnival Dream in May...arriving the day before and staying in NOLA for 2 nights after our cruise. We'd like to stay in the French Quarter area after the cruise, looking at the Omni Royal Orleans. Let me know if you have any other recommendations.

Also wanted to stay at a different hotel when we arrive on Saturday afternoon before our cruise. Please let me know if you have any other recommendations. We're not renting a car, so can grab a taxi to the port or hopefully the hotel has a shuttle service. Thank you!

How do you get a hold of Courtney Taylor to reserve a tour?

 

Thanks

You can contact Courtney Taylor via:

Phone: 876-475-1476

Email: courtney_tay@yahoo.com

Website: www.wix.com/courtneytay/jamaicajh

Have fun!

Diapo Travel-WE wanted red strip beer and Appleton Rum four our journey..Courtney charged us 35.00 for 6 beers, 6 cokes, the rum and 6 waters...divided by 3 couples made it very cheap.

 

Our experience at DRF and Tubing-Fantastic-we explained to Courtney that we didn't want to go through the Market place because we didn't have time. He directed us to another exit so we could by pass all of the vendors. During the river float we did pull off at one point so a few people could jump off of a platform to jump in. There were a couple of vendors with various items but none of us got out of the river.

 

At the end of the float there is a small vendor selling misc. items. With a very polite NO thank you..everything was fine. Courtney was waiting for us at the end of the float and once again we told him we didn't want to by anything. I think that is why we only had to say no once.

 

The guides at both places were great. At the Falls we had two whom were very careful and cautious with the group. At the end we tipped both of them a couple of dollars. The river guide was funny as all could get...he sang to us most of teh way down the river.

 

Angela

Sounds great! Thanks for the info and tips Angela. We should have nothing to worry about then. :)

:DWe just had the best darn time with Courtney..he couldn't of made my day in Jamaica any better.

We were the first wave off the ship and Courtney was waiting for us with rum punch fixings on board.

Our first stop was Dunns River Falls...YES WE BEAT THE CROWDS!!!!!! at least that's what happends when you hurry off the ship and go straight to the tour guide. We spent approximately 1.5 hours playing at the falls.

While we were driving to the Ocho area, Courtney educated all 6 adults about the island. Courtney is also a teacher so he shared much of his knowledge. The drive took only 50 minutes.

After the falls we went river tubing...we filled our sippy cups with cold beverages, hopped on the inter tubes and floated for an hour. The time flew way too fast.

Next was lunch at Margaritaville in Ocho Rios...we are parrot heads so this is where we wanted to go. We asked Coutney to join us for lunch. Afterwards we did a little shoppping for rum. The shops at Island Village Shopping Center were charging too much so Courtney took us to a locals liquor store. These prices fit our budget.

We returned to the ship 1.5 hour before sailing time...so basically we had an hour to look at the new port of Falmouth. We can't wait until it is completed. Jimmy Buffet is building a huge M'ville. The whole placa has a warm, cozy and historical feel.

When we go back to Jamaica and we are...we will be hiring Courtney again...Yeah Mon...everything is Irie....

Angela

Thanks for the review Angela, much appreciated! From your other post, I read that you told Courtney what drinks you wanted...was there a cost involved?

How was your experience at DRF & river tubing? How were the locals/"guides" at these places?

Daniel...for lunch, we're interested only in Scotchies and my daughter wants her patties from Juicy Patties. What is the restaurant you went to?....I'll be sure to tell him not to take us there.

Per Courtney's email, the restaurant he recommends (neighbor's) is "The Mohogany Beach Bar & Grill."

I hope this review helps everyone reading it, and sorry it's so long!

 

Daniel C

Thanks for the review & tips Daniel...very helpful & not lengthy at all.

Sounds like Courtney just waits for you, while he drops you off to the local "guides" of each activity. He told me that tips are usually $5 each min. Does that sound fair for the service given?

Think my wife & I will just try to brave the falls on our own then. Seems more fun when you're not being rushed.

With the Blue Hole "guides," I take it there's no way of enjoying the place on your own. From your experience, they seem pretty aggressive. What made your group decide on the Blue Hole over tubing? Courtney said that they're similar in that you also get to swing off a rope in the tubing excursion.

Thanks for the tip on lunch, just may have to insist on Scotchies then.

Did you drive through the Fern Gully?

Thanks again! ~ Leo

My wife and I are arriving in Falmouth on June 22nd and were thinking of using Courtney Taylor as our guide. My wife told me that she is a little wary of booking a non-sponsored RCI excursion. It's been about 15 years since I've been to Jamaica, so I can understand her apprehension with all the unrest going on. With all his positive reviews on the internet, I told her we should be okay. We just want to make sure that we get back to the ship safely and on time. We should be okay with just the 2 of us on his tour right? If anyone else is arriving that day and interested in using Courtney Taylor, we're open to having others join us as well. :)

His recommended tour that he emailed us includes:

1 -climbing the Falls -fee $15pp, 60mins

2 Sight Seeing in the mountain, 20mins

3 Drive through the Fern Gully Tropical rain forest, 10mins

4 Authentic Jamaican restaurant on the ocean front, live music, dance and bar, 60mins

5 shopping in town, 60mins

6 River tubing -fee$20pp ,45mins

7 NEW Tours- Blue Hole Cliff Jumping $10pp 35mins

Based on your experience, if we decide to do all 7 in the recommended tour, do we have enough time to make it back on the ship? We'll be in port from 10 am - 6 pm, need to get back on Allure of the Seas in Falmouth.

From the cruise boards, I hear that he takes great care of his passengers. Does he get them front of line passes at the sites and keep them away from the aggressive vendors?

While river tubing, do we get a chance to swing on a rope & dive into the cool blue water? Is this similar to the Blue Hole?

Since the admission fees per stop does not include tips, how much tip is customary for the DRF, River Tubing and Blue Hole guides? And for Courtney?

Which restaurant do you recommend going to for the best Jerk chicken/seafood? We heard of Scotchies and The Big Flag Jerk Centre near Falmouth. I heard he takes you to his neighbor's restaurant by the beach...was that good? How about for some juicy patties?

Sorry for all the questions, just want to make sure that my wife's first time in Jamaica is a fun & memorable one! Thanks for your time and feedback, we really appreciate it!