Experiences in Ocho Rios? Is it safe???

[RachelNYC]

Hi there. I have heard alot of pros and cons about getting of the ship at Ocho Rios. From what I have heard, people said that if are not booking an excursion through Princess, then you should just stay on the ship.

 

Has anyone had any good/bad experiences at that port???

 

-Rachel

[Ghost]

In spite of what others have said, we've been to Ocho Rios MANY times (on quite a few of our 20 cruises and other trips there as well) and never had a problem. In fact, Jamaica is one of our favorite ports. We don't do excursions through the cruise line, we always do them on our own. We find the price is better and you get to see so much more booking them indpendently. We negotiate a price with the taxi driver BEFORE we start out. There are so many beautiful sights to see but make sure you get away from the port area, as it is VERY depressing and can be overrun with the pushy people you often hear about. We have found the majority of the people in Jamaica to be very warm and friendly and very anxious to leave you with a good impression of the island. A great many of them depend on tourism for their livelihood. When we have hired a driver, he (or she) has always kept us away from the pushy vendors and merchants and taken us to areas where we could shop without being harassed. We were actually taken to one of our drivers homes for lunch and to meet his family. He then took us to school to pick up his young daughter then took us up into the mountains where he was building a home. It had beautiful views of the harbor and our ship. Most of the drivers are natives of the island and very anxious to tell you about it. We have learned so many interesting facts.

 

I would encourage you to definitely get off the ship in Ocho Rios and explore this beautiful island and its wonderful people.

 

Kathy

[ahracer]

Ocho Rios is a great port and if you look on the ports of call forum you will see many local guides that are highly praised for there tours.

 

Use your street smarts like you would in any city you were foriegn to and you shouldn't have any problems.

 

Scott

[Stranger1]

Rachel,

Take a look at the Jamaica ports of call board to find a good tour guide. We used Peat Taylor and had a great and safe time. Although I highly recommend him, there are others you can find that are equally as good, and also highly recommended by others on this board. Jamaica was a big surprise for us. We had heard so many stories about it, but found it great and the people outstanding. Good luck!

[c-cruise]

We were just in Ocho Rios in December and had a great time. We booked a ships tour and went to Dunn's River Falls and did some general sight seeing. Defineately take ane excursion or book a private tour. If you just get off the ship and wander around you will be dissapointed. Especially if you are docked at the "James Bond Pier". We did run into some extremely aggressive vendors, but you will find those on most any Caribbean itinerary. Our guides were great and we never felt like we were not safe.

[Cruisin' Chick]

We were there ten years ago and had booked an afternoon excursion (Dunn's RF) so in the morning we decided to wing it. We negotiated a tour with a taxi driver and it was an adventure. He drove us up into the hills, showed us some interesting plants, showed us some homes and talked about what it's like to live there. Took us to an overlook so we can talk photos of the beach below. Even took us into the marketplace and waited while we shopped. He even offered us ganga, which of course we declined.

The only negative was we didn't have time to see Goldeneye, Ian Fleming's home near there and I'm a big James Bond fan.

One word of advice: be careful. It's supposed to be not all that safe.

[Jim & Gerry]

A couple years ago we took a non-cruise vacation and spent a week in Ocho Rios. It was wonderful. Yes, there are pushy "street vendors". We said no thanks politely and they left us alone. As prior posters have said, the locals are proud to show your their beautiful country. We also had concerns before our vacation and did extensive reading. As you travel to any country, common sense is the number one rule.

 

Here are some web sites that may be helpful.

http://www.jamaicatravelnet.com/wwwlink.html

http://www.jamaicans.com

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/destinations/caribbean/jamaica/

http://www.discoverjamaica.com/gleaner/discover/orios.html

http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20050301/index.html

[OCruisers]

Rachel .... Understand your concerns! We've been cruising a long time and often do things On-Our-Own. In Jamaica -- NO -- unless, in Ocho Rios we are just going to the cruise shopping area or Margaritaville.

 

Try to find a shore excursion that you think you would like offered by Princess! Better SILLY than SORRY! :rolleyes:

 

Happy Sailing! OCruisers :)

[ripleysmom]

You might want to go check out the Jamaica board. That is where I read about Peat Taylor. We had an excellent time with him and did see Ian Fleming's house (which was surprisingly small).

[seamare]

has anyone used orville taylor for an excursion - i'm also a little hesitant on jamica. i have emailed this one for our upcoming cruise and would like to hear some comments.

[amagar]

Hi,

 

Depending on what you like to do, you may want to consider a day pass at Sandals in Ocho Rios (you can see it from the pier). It's the best of both worlds because you get to experience a bit of the island beauty/people, but you don't have to fret about what you're going to do. When you call Sandals, you'll get all sorts of rate quotes (up to about $80 pp, per day). But when we showed up at the front desk, they charged us $40 per person, for about six-hours access to their three pools, private beach, water sports and all restaurants and bars (food and alcohol included). We thought it was a great deal because the grounds are lovely, lush tropical and the service impeccable. The main pool is about six times the size of the cruise ship and has a swim-up bar. I can't remember the second pool. But my husband and I had the third pool (about the size of the ship) to ourselves. It was somewhat secluded on the grounds, surrounded by beautiful blooming flowers, etc. The beach wasn't crowded and it was a very gradual sand sloope into the water. A pier extends on one end, marked by a gazebo at the end. You can lounge in a hammock there. Beach chairs provided. The food was good (particularly the jerk). And the drinks, well, they don't skimp on anything. I think the cab ran us $4 per person each way... I think this is an adults-only facility. I saw no children.