Ocho Rios-Calling all CC Veterans!

[waterbabies7415]

DH and I sail on the Epic in 11 days....I booked river tubing and irie blue hole with Peat Taylor tours, $70 pp. DH, who has never had an opinion when asked, now says he would rather get off the ship, find a bar and listen to reggae music-have lunch and maybe shop a bit. With everything I've read this is not the place to just walk around and absorb the culture.

Ok CC veterans I need your experience here...do I cancel the tour or keep it?

All suggestions welcome!

 

__________

Kim

[shaheen6]

You can leisurely walk off the ship and walk a short distance to Jimmy Buffett's place - it's free - there's great music, you can hang out in the pool or on the beach - and order some yummy margeritas!

[waterbabies7415]

You can leisurely walk off the ship and walk a short distance to Jimmy Buffett's place - it's free - there's great music, you can hang out in the pool or on the beach - and order some yummy margeritas!

 

Thank you so much for your response! I really appreciate it:)

[VermeulT]

I did this tour a few weeks ago. And REALLY enjoyed it. It's something you will not do anywhere else. The combined tour is 4 hours give or take so you should have plenty of time afterwards to relax, drink and enjoy the music... so why not do both?

[busyone]

I would go with the tour. We did a similar tour but with a different private guide three weeks ago, and it was a wonderful way to spend our time in port. The tubing was so peaceful and we saw lots of Jamaican culture on our way to the river. We avoided all contact with aggressive local vendors by doing the tour, and I was warned by dozens of other friends who had been to Ocho Rios that they can spoil your day.

[waterbabies7415]

Thank you for all the input....tour it is! And if we have extra time we can find some music to listen to. :)

Happy Sailings!

[OCruisers]

You can leisurely walk off the ship and walk a short distance to Jimmy Buffett's place - it's free - there's great music, you can hang out in the pool or on the beach - and order some yummy margeritas!

 

Have to agree! Margaritaville is quite convenient and safe. Fun Too! :D

LuLu

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[StaceySteveDMB]

The tour will be more fun for you. For lunch try Ocho Rios Jerk Center. They have a live band that plays while you eat and the food is awesome!

 

 

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[SWACK]

I would go with the tour. We did a similar tour but with a different private guide three weeks ago,

 

Any name that would be useful? What did you do /how much did you pay?

Edited March 31, 2014 by SWACK

[busyone]

We used Marvyn's Paradise Tours. He has numerous reviews on TripAdvisor so you can read about him. He quotes a price for the day, and you pay your own tips, admissions, etc. We ended paying about $100 per adult and that included tubing, Dunn's River, the drive through Fern Gully and up on the ridge to see the harbor, lunch, and all tips. We had our own driver with no passengers except our group and they will tailor the day to your wishes.

[Michael P]

If I were you, I would definitely not cancel the tour. One can always go to a bar, or chill out and listen to reggae music, but if you're already there in Ocho, get out and enjoy it! The tour that you have selected sounds really great, and it will be a much more interesting and a more positive experience than just being at a bar. I think DH is just feeling a little reluctant, but I'm 100% sure, that once he's out there, he's really going to enjoy it.

 

I've got family roots in Jamaica, and since childhood I have been there, literally, at least 100 times, and Ocho is one of my favorite areas if you can get away from the tourist traps. DW and I recently went to Ocho on a cruise, as part of our global honeymoon, and she really loved it! In closing, I think you ought to drag DH to the excursions, and even if he moans and groans a bit, he'll thank you in the end.

 

 

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