Older people need help with tour

[elou]

As many times as I have posted on PORTS board, I rarely get answers. I just wish others realize that some of us are not interested in beach, water-related activities or ANY active type tour. At times we just want to get off the ship and see something diffferent. This time my question is about Falmouth. Is there any great difference going to Good Hope at your leisure vs. taking the Horse and Buggy tour there? Beside just riding vs walking, is there any thing that is different? Thanks to anyone who replies. The only other tour I see is the horse and buggy in town. Sure would appreciate any help. Again, thanks.

[pasodancer]

What time of year?

[KeywestK]

Not sure I can be of any help with this port in particular, but I would suggest that you go to RCI's website for your sailing and read all the excursion options being offered for your sailing. You can determine what is being offered, what interests you, and if you don't want to book something through the cruise line, you can always wait until you get off the ship and see if there are any independent tour operators offering something similar. Typically this is also a good money saving choice. You would also have the option of negotiating with a taxi driver for whatever sights you might want to see there, and determine how much time it might take to accomplish that, and also the cost.

 

Hope these suggestions help you.

[clemsongal]

We just got back from freedom of the seas and we walked around the shopping area of Falmouth....then DH decided to go outside the gate. The police warned us to not go down side streets.....so we just walked along the outside of the fence. The natives were relentless.....the followed you like puppies.....within 10 minutes we went back inside the compound.

[Loggra]

We were there in January, because people were being so harrassed outside the gate we did not venture out. If you use a ship tour you will be in better shape as they load inside the gates.

 

Good luck!

 

PS, we had a good time walking the enclosed shopping area, people watching, visiting with locals !

[hawlcruiser]

I agree, staying in the gated area is a good idea. Not much to this port but RCL has at least provided a safe, clean area to shop or just walk around a bit to be off the ship. I think I am correct in saying RCL created this area.

[Lorey2007]

We will be in Falmouth in January. From my research there is a horse & buggy tour or a trolley tour that you can get inside the port and it does not have to be booked beforehand. That's what we plan on doing. I have complied some info if you email me I'll send it to you.

lorey 845 @ wowway dot com (no spaces)

[aftop]

If interested in history I suggest the Good Hope Taste of Jamaica Tour. Short van ride from port to a 1700s estate with an excellent Jamaican guide and lunch.

[foxgoodrich]

As many times as I have posted on PORTS board, I rarely get answers. I just wish others realize that some of us are not interested in beach, water-related activities or ANY active type tour. At times we just want to get off the ship and see something diffferent. This time my question is about Falmouth. Is there any great difference going to Good Hope at your leisure vs. taking the Horse and Buggy tour there? Beside just riding vs walking, is there any thing that is different? Thanks to anyone who replies. The only other tour I see is the horse and buggy in town. Sure would appreciate any help. Again, thanks.

 

We toured the Good Hope plantation in Feb on our last visit to Falmouth. We rode on a bus, and the driver made a couple stops for all of us to get out and see some of the historic areas on the plantation - like the water wheel - and also the guide narrated the whole time. (I think this is the one they call "at your leisure" because the bus makes regular trips to Good Hope all day.) We arrived at the Great House and walked around and saw the Pottery house. It was interesting and fun to learn some of the history of the area. We saw some of the horse & carriage tours on the grounds but did not take one. The tour with the bus ride is quicker and costs less. The horse & carriage tour did look like it was pretty neat, but it takes a lot longer. I was also tempted to do the High Tea one, but was glad I didn't because several people were unhappy with it.

 

Another option you might consider is touring the Rose Hall great house - we did this 2 years ago. To do that, you can take the free bus from the pier compound lot over to the Rose Hall shopping area. It's a nice, somewhat upscale, shopping area. There's a tour desk right at the front where you can sign up for a tour of the great house (this one's not a RC excursion, but it's very easy to do for yourself as we did.) I think it's $20 or $25pp, you pay when you sign up, and the tours run every hour or so. A bus will pick you up right there in front of the shops at the appointed time and take you over to the great house.

 

Rose Hall has quite a fascinating story attached to it - Annie Palmer (the 'white witch of Rose Hall' was supposedly a serial killer who was an expert at the practice of voodoo, having grown up in Haiti. She allegedly killed three husbands, then took slaves as lovers and killed them. Finally a slave, whose granddaughter Annie had killed by voodoo, took his revenge and killed her in her bed, and her ghost haunts the great house. Her tomb is on the grounds and is part of the tour. (I swear I'm not making this up! We found it pretty fascinating - just google Annie Palmer or white witch of Rose Hall and read about her!) The last tour is fairly early in the afternoon because none of the great house staff will risk staying there after dark. (The Jamaican staff totally believe the story, though it's kind of been debunked as a legend. Still a mighty good (and juicy!:o) tale, and a very fun tour!)

 

Both places are worth seeing, but I did a bunch of reading about Rose Hall legend and Annie Palmer before we went, so that one was more fun to me. Also I had fun shopping while waiting for our tour time.:)

 

We're in our 60's and neither of these tours stressed us out too much (although it was HOT), and we found them both very enjoyable. If you like, or if you have questions, or if you need reassurance about setting out on your own for Rose Hall, you can email me at goodrich@telepath.com. Hope you have a great time in Jamaica!!

Judy

[gadaboutgal]

Thank you for the Rose Hall info. I may just try to go there the next time we are in Falmouth. Was the shuttle bus provided by RCL or by RoseHall? Where did you catch it?

[foxgoodrich]

Thank you for the Rose Hall info. I may just try to go there the next time we are in Falmouth. Was the shuttle bus provided by RCL or by RoseHall? Where did you catch it?

 

There's a big parking lot inside the RC pier compound where the buses and vans park for all the tour and excursion pick-ups. There was a free bus to the Rose Hall shopping center in that lot, and it's labeled 'Rose Hall'. It was provided by RCI and I think they still do this! But you might want to check at the excursion desk onboard to be sure. (They might have started charging for the bus now.) Our first time in Falmouth was in 2011 (not 2010 like I thought...after I posted I realized I had the date wrong :eek:) and the bus was free then. When we were there again this year, we went to Good Hope so I didn't check on it. But I remember reading a post recently here on CC and somebody talked about the free bus to the Rose Hall shops, so hopefully it's still available.

 

You can actually see the Rose Hall Great House from the shopping center, but it's across the road and up a hill and it would be a loooong walk, so going on the bus over there is the best way to do it. Have fun!

Judy

[elou]

Thanks so much for answering me. I've been to Rose Hall before and really enjoyed it. For me, it sounds like I'll do Good Hope "at your leisure". Again, I so appreciate your responses.

[yogimax]

The one tour we really enjoyed took us to an elementary school and plantation. It was well worth it.

 

Other than that, RCCL has created a nice shopping area at the dock. Check out the wonderful hand carved wooden items.

[Arizona Cruz Chic]

I am on the side of the OP, we are not beach, sand and sun people.

(although we go to the pool everyday in the summer here)

 

We also like tours that are not water related.

 

Good luck OP and hope you find some great tours in port!!

 

***

[knittinggirl]

The pushiness of Jamaicans is pretty well known. We took a tour to Dunn River Falls from Montego Bay, it was supposed to be a five hour tour, no lunch. It lasted from around 9 am to 5 pm, because we stopped at several road side shops. Some offered food, but we were worried about purchasing food. They give you "gifts" than demand tips. To me, that's not a gift, it's a purchase. They even demanded a tip for taking a photo of us. And if we refused, we heard they call security. Our second time to Jamaica, we did get off the ship to purchase coffee in the port village. No pushiness there, but still no desire to go beyond those gates.

[foxgoodrich]

I think it all depends on your tolerance for street vendors who are working their hardest to make a sale. In our culture, this is not the norm, and we have an initial tendency to feel badgered and uncomfortable and we want to remove ourselves from the situation. That's a totally normal first response.

 

DH and I have traveled to Asia on business - 12 times for him and 18 times for me - so I think experience with aggressive street vendors in that culture has maybe helped us to develop a tolerance and some strategies for just walking on with a wave, a few nice words, and a smile. While DH and I are still undoubtedly more comfortable with our own cultural norms, we have developed an ability to deal with it when we are in a different world.

 

We have been to Falmouth twice, and both times we went into town, saw Water Square, checked out the church, walked around a little, checked out the supermarket for a glimpse of the local lifestyle, shopped a bit downtown, and totally enjoyed it. It was fine. Last time after we ran the gauntlet immediately outside the fence, as we were walking around downtown, we ran into one guy in town who was begging and we just pretty much wished him luck and then ignored him. No big deal. We occasionally run into beggars like that at home.

 

The pay-off for this patience, open attitude, and endurance both times was that we got a taste of the real Falmouth beyond the gates of the RCI compound, and.... we were rewarded by being able to buy Jamaican Blue coffee in downtown Falmouth for $9 per pound. Priceless!:D Clearly it's not an experience everybody would enjoy, but we loved it and will enjoy going back in late August on Allure!

(Love that Jamaican Blue...:))

Judy

[sandytxtx]

Could you tell me if you can take a scooter on the bus or van to Rose hall? I hace to have the wheel chair to get around, but I don't want the beggers, they want take no for a answer.

[foxgoodrich]

Could you tell me if you can take a scooter on the bus or van to Rose hall? I hace to have the wheel chair to get around, but I don't want the beggers, they want take no for a answer.

 

Wow - I'm not sure, but I think you could take a scooter on the bus. The bus we rode was a big full size bus. I'm trying to remember if it had a lift, but I just don't know/can't remember.

 

The shopping area would be accessible, but the great house tour would not - there are stairs.

Judy

[Lorey2007]

 

we were rewarded by being able to buy Jamaican Blue coffee in downtown Falmouth for $9 per pound. Priceless!:D (Love that Jamaican Blue...:))

Judy

Can you get the Jamaican Blue coffee at the Falmouth cruise port? Is it the same as Blue Mountain coffee?

[foxgoodrich]

Can you get the Jamaican Blue coffee at the Falmouth cruise port? Is it the same as Blue Mountain coffee?

 

Yes, you can, and yes, it is the same!:)

Judy