Current reviews of Blue Hole tours requested please

[momonthego17]

We used Liberty Tours Jamaica for a tour to the Irie Blue Hole, and it was the highlight of the cruise! Everything from the reservations with Ricardo to the actual tour with Demar was top notch. I would highly recommend Liberty Tours Jamaica.

 

 

Great to hear! We are booked with Liberty Tours for the Blue Hole for November . How many people were in your excursion? Did you stop at Scotchies? Thanks!

 

 

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[Lady-tans-a-lot]

How much is the Liberty Tours excursion?

 

 

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[momonthego17]

How much is the Liberty Tours excursion?

 

 

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For the blue hole excursion, we were quoted $40 per person.

 

 

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[Lady-tans-a-lot]

Thanks!

 

 

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[lifeasme123]

I am claustrophobic and the phrases climb backward, slither into a hole and drop into a pond have me rethinking the Blue Hole. It doesn't sound so cool now!!!

 

 

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I am claustrophobic too. You don't have to do this. I didn't, but the others in my group did.

 

It's a BEAUTIFUL and very picturesque place....

[lifeasme123]

For the blue hole excursion, we were quoted $40 per person.

 

 

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FYI - the $40 pp probably doesn't include the Blue Hole entrance fee. Just want you to konw so that you have cash to pay the Blue Hole directly. Also, how many people are in your group?

 

We did this tour in early Dec 2014 and LOVED IT. We went with a smaller company (trying to give the small guys some business :) ) - loved it!!!! We had 8 people and the price was lower than $40 (but that was because we had 8 people). I have been encouraging peope to get to the Blue hole before they become touristy like DRF.

Edited January 5, 2015 by jen70

[QTPieRye]

For the blue hole excursion, we were quoted $40 per person.

 

 

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We will be in Falmouth next week and are booked with Liberty Tours next week and were quoted $55.00 per person which I believe includes entrance to The Blue Hole.

 

So far, Ricardo has been great. We've customized our tour to include the Blue Hole, Scotches and the Beach. Not sure which beach, but wanted to spend a couple of hours at the beach after Blue Hole. I've also requested arriving back to the cruise port by no later than 4:30 p.m.

 

I will give a report upon our return ;)

[QTPieRye]

FYI - the $40 pp probably doesn't include the Blue Hole entrance fee. Just want you to konw so that you have cash to pay the Blue Hole directly. Also, how many people are in your group?

 

We did this tour in early Dec 2014 and LOVED IT. We went with a smaller company (trying to give the small guys some business :) ) - loved it!!!! We had 8 people and the price was lower than $40 (but that was because we had 8 people). I have been encouraging peope to get to the Blue hole before they become touristy like DRF.

 

Hi Jen. Where did your tour originate from and what did you pay? We are also a group of 8 and we've been quoted $55.00 per person from Falmouth. I've sent Ricardo an email to confirm that includes admission to Blue Hole.

[QTPieRye]

Also, approximately how much was lunch at Scotchies? We are a family of 8 and trying to figure out how much cash to bring ;)

[lifeasme123]

Also, approximately how much was lunch at Scotchies? We are a family of 8 and trying to figure out how much cash to bring ;)

 

Hey there! Noticed you're also from Southern CA. I'm a SoCal gal transplanted to Dallas. Our family does our annual cruise - half of the group is from Orange County. Our cruise last month had 12 people...:eek: That was a lot of planning on my part - lots of planning! :-)

 

Ok, I am going to answer all your questions in one response:

 

1. We paid $230 for 8 people. It is $150 (first 4 people) and then $20 for each person thereafter. The van was only our family. The tour operator didn't try to add other people to our party so that he can get more $. We were on a tour once when that happened.

2. We were on the Oasis of the Seas and our tour originated from Falmouth.

3. Lunch at Scotchies was about $25/couple...not including drinks or tips. We all thought the place was disappointing and overpriced for the quality. The sides were dried and bland. The corn on the cobs were very hard and difficult to chew. The fish I had was basically fish wrapped and heated in foil with some seasons. It was eh.

 

I guess when you are a "touristy" spot you can charge whatever regardless of quality. Before we got to Scotchies we had our driver stop at a food truck for authentic patties. The group loved it!!! And it was about $2 a person. :-)

 

Don't get me wrong, we don't mind paying for food. Just don't like paying for overpriced, overrated food.

 

The most disappointing part for us was how unfriendly the workers were. I am not sure if that is an indication of the establishment or what. Our experience is that people are generally VERY nice and personable in Jamaica.

 

4. If you want to tip, be sure to include $ for the guides at the Blue Hole and your guide for transportation. Not sure if that is clear. :-) In our van we had the driver (who is the owner) and a tour guide. Then tips for Scotchies if you want. We tipped both the BH and transprtation guides very well....our BH guides took great footages with our GoPro for us. :-)

 

5. Due to others in our group not following "meeting time" instructions we were about 1 1/2 hours late getting off the ship. Even with that we were back at the terminal with time to spare.

 

Not sure if you know this, but thought I share anyway:

*Plan about 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours from Falmouth to Blue Hole. That is each way!

*We spent about 2 hours at the Blue Hole.

*Got Jamaican patties - probably 30 min there

*At lunch at Scotchies

 

In my expereince, tour operators quote THEIR transportation costs. You will have to pay for the attraction fee once you get there. Unless you book directly with the ship - which is typically all-inclusive.

 

Good thing you confirm with Ricardo beforehand.

 

If you want info for the company we used, let me know. He was very responsive, helpful (even if we decided not to go with him) and took safety seriously.

Edited January 5, 2015 by jen70

[QTPieRye]

Hey there! Noticed you're also from Southern CA. I'm a SoCal gal transplanted to Dallas. Our family does our annual cruise - half of the group is from Orange County. Our cruise last month had 12 people...:eek: That was a lot of planning on my part - lots of planning! :-)

 

Ok, I am going to answer all your questions in one response:

 

1. We paid $230 for 8 people. It is $150 (first 4 people) and then $20 for each person thereafter. The van was only our family. The tour operator didn't try to add other people to our party so that he can get more $. We were on a tour once when that happened.

2. We were on the Oasis of the Seas and our tour originated from Falmouth.

3. Lunch at Scotchies was about $25/couple...not including drinks or tips. We all thought the place was disappointing and overpriced for the quality. The sides were dried and bland. The corn on the cobs were very hard and difficult to chew. The fish I had was basically fish wrapped and heated in foil with some seasons. It was eh.

 

I guess when you are a "touristy" spot you can charge whatever regardless of quality. Before we got to Scotchies we had our driver stop at a food truck for authentic patties. The group loved it!!! And it was about $2 a person. :-)

 

Don't get me wrong, we don't mind paying for food. Just don't like paying for overpriced, overrated food.

 

The most disappointing part for us was how unfriendly the workers were. I am not sure if that is an indication of the establishment or what. Our experience is that people are generally VERY nice and personable in Jamaica.

 

4. If you want to tip, be sure to include $ for the guides at the Blue Hole and your guide for transportation. Not sure if that is clear. :-) In our van we had the driver (who is the owner) and a tour guide. Then tips for Scotchies if you want. We tipped both the BH and transprtation guides very well....our BH guides took great footages with our GoPro for us. :-)

 

5. Due to others in our group not following "meeting time" instructions we were about 1 1/2 hours late getting off the ship. Even with that we were back at the terminal with time to spare.

 

Not sure if you know this, but thought I share anyway:

*Plan about 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours from Falmouth to Blue Hole. That is each way!

*We spent about 2 hours at the Blue Hole.

*Got Jamaican patties - probably 30 min there

*At lunch at Scotchies

 

In my expereince, tour operators quote THEIR transportation costs. You will have to pay for the attraction fee once you get there. Unless you book directly with the ship - which is typically all-inclusive.

 

Good thing you confirm with Ricardo beforehand.

 

If you want info for the company we used, let me know. He was very responsive, helpful (even if we decided not to go with him) and took safety seriously.

 

Yes.... I am native SoCal, grew up in Whittier and still have family in the OC. Thank you for such detailed information..... I figured that the prices for that place were probably high and have already talked to Ricardo about skipping that stop and just do the Blue HOle and the Beach. I am waiting for a response from Ricardo, I am pretty sure it includes admission, but if it does not, I will definitely take the info on your guide :)

[lifeasme123]

Yes.... I am native SoCal, grew up in Whittier and still have family in the OC. Thank you for such detailed information..... I figured that the prices for that place were probably high and have already talked to Ricardo about skipping that stop and just do the Blue HOle and the Beach. I am waiting for a response from Ricardo, I am pretty sure it includes admission, but if it does not, I will definitely take the info on your guide :)

 

And Scotchies can be very busy when a bunch of ships dock the same day. We went to scotchies after BH so it was not crowded one bit.

 

You may want to eat somewhere after being at BH...we were starving. :-)

 

Yeah I experienced slow responses too form the various tour operators I contacted. The guy we went with - he was the exception. He was in constant contact with us - and even continued to email us regulary after we booked with him to see if we had any new questions. We really appreciated that.

[Illa Zilla]

Great to hear! We are booked with Liberty Tours for the Blue Hole for November . How many people were in your excursion? Did you stop at Scotchies? Thanks!

 

 

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We did a private tour, so there was only myself, the Mrs. and our two sons. There was another group from the Breeze that used Liberty Tours out of the port and there were around a dozen people in it.

 

We did stop at Scotchies. It was fantastic! We ordered a whole chicken, festival bread and Red Stripes. The boys got Cokes. It was one of the best meals I've ever had. Sometimes you don't need fancy to be good.;)

[divot33]

All great info, Jen. Do you mind saying who you booked with?

 

Thanks!

[lifeasme123]

All great info, Jen. Do you mind saying who you booked with?

 

Thanks!

 

We booked with Great Vibes Tour - Donavan Reid is the owner. godfrey950 at gmail dot com. He has a fairly new AC van (2012 or 2013)...and i believe it seats 12 or 15. :confused: lol Tell him Jenny and Michael from Texas referred you. He'll give you a discount. :-)

 

He was fantastic! We felt completely safe in his hands - very safe driver. He was very affordable and provided free drinks. Beforehand he asked us what we wanted and he delivered (red stripes, dragon, guiness and bottled water)...all complimentary.

[lifeasme123]

We did a private tour, so there was only myself, the Mrs. and our two sons. There was another group from the Breeze that used Liberty Tours out of the port and there were around a dozen people in it.

 

We did stop at Scotchies. It was fantastic! We ordered a whole chicken, festival bread and Red Stripes. The boys got Cokes. It was one of the best meals I've ever had. Sometimes you don't need fancy to be good.;)

 

I see you're location is Frozen Tundra in MN. Are you a packers in MN??? :-) I am a packer backer here in Cowboys land....

 

I absolutely agree you don't need fancy to be good. :-) We had fantastic jamaican patty from a food truck!!! i just don't like overpaying for mediocre food. The festival bread was good...it reminded me of a bread i had growing up. :-)

[momonthego17]

FYI - the $40 pp probably doesn't include the Blue Hole entrance fee. Just want you to konw so that you have cash to pay the Blue Hole directly. Also, how many people are in your group?

 

We did this tour in early Dec 2014 and LOVED IT. We went with a smaller company (trying to give the small guys some business :) ) - loved it!!!! We had 8 people and the price was lower than $40 (but that was because we had 8 people). I have been encouraging peope to get to the Blue hole before they become touristy like DRF.

 

 

I emailed Ricardo asking if the $40 per person included transportation and the blue hole entry. He said I was correct. Maybe it's less because we are coming from Ocho Rios. I do need to bring the $40 per person in cash.

We have 5 in our immediate group. I'm thinking another 7 to 8 people will be added to the van by Ricardo.

 

 

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[lifeasme123]

I emailed Ricardo asking if the $40 per person included transportation and the blue hole entry. He said I was correct. Maybe it's less because we are coming from Ocho Rios. I do need to bring the $40 per person in cash.

We have 5 in our immediate group. I'm thinking another 7 to 8 people will be added to the van by Ricardo.

 

 

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Yes Ocho Rios is much, much closer to the BH than Falmouth. We paid under $40 include admission fee from Falmouth. However, I do believe that's because there are 8 of us. He charged us $150 for the first 4 people then $20 each person thereafter.

 

You will love the BH! :-)

 

Also - in case you haven't read on the other threads...be sure to bring $ to tip your guides at the BH....they really deserve it.

[miss meow]

Ok...have to ask...what are Jamaican patties, and what is festival bread? We were on St Lucia on another cruise and our tour guide stopped and got this hot bread and cheese....the best thing EVER...is that what festival bread is?

 

I think that we'd be more interested in just hitting the blue hole and the beach. We're going in October and just enjoying my time looking at things to do :-)

[lifeasme123]

Ok...have to ask...what are Jamaican patties, and what is festival bread? We were on St Lucia on another cruise and our tour guide stopped and got this hot bread and cheese....the best thing EVER...is that what festival bread is?

 

I think that we'd be more interested in just hitting the blue hole and the beach. We're going in October and just enjoying my time looking at things to do :-)

 

Patties are like empanadas. Crust pastry outside and filing inside. The spices make it. Festival bread is fried bread. No cheese. It reminds us of a bread we would eat with a porridge when we were younger.

 

Our next cruise is in may. ..hawaii. so i am on this forum constantly looking for ideas tio.

[hlb76]

how far is BH from the port in Ocho?

[NightOne]

how far is BH from the port in Ocho?

 

8 miles (according to Google Maps)

[lifeasme123]

how far is BH from the port in Ocho?

 

We went to the BH from Falmouth. It was about an hour to Ocho then another 20 min from Ocho city center to BH. My guess would be from port to BH - about 1/2 hour....

[hlb76]

Thanks.. I did look after I posted. I normally try to look then post.

 

I was glad we wont have to spend hours in a van. I'm so excited to go here!

 

Any tips or advice for a first timer??

[lifeasme123]

Thanks.. I did look after I posted. I normally try to look then post.

 

I was glad we wont have to spend hours in a van. I'm so excited to go here!

 

Any tips or advice for a first timer??

 

First timer to BH or to Jamaica?

 

Honestly, the time from Falmouth to BH went by really fast for our group. We had a fantastic driver and tour guide who kept us well entertained. We learned about the parts of Jamaica we drove by/through (history and folk lore). The taught us slangs. we sang to the music. The driver kept us safe while the tour guide entertained us. The return trip everyone (except me, the tour guide and driver) napped - we were all tired out from the BH.

 

some advice - which others have also posted on other threads:

 

1. wear your bathing suit under you clothes. there isn't a changing place there. they do have bathroom (with a toilet and sink) but no door. :-)

2. bring tips for your blue hole tour guides - they are independent from your transportation operator.

3. if you are getting quotes from tour operators, be sure to ask if the price they quoted you includes the BH admission fee. For us, we paid directly to the Blue Hole when we got there.

4. if you have a Go-Pro like we did, bring it. the BH guides did amazing stunts, etc....we had him hold our go-pro while he did them and we got amazing footages.

5. bring a camera - we had both waterproof and non-waterproof ones. the guides will hold onto your camera and take pictures ofyou as you jump. :-)

6. if you have watershoes, bring them. otherwise you can buy them for $10 at the place. my niece didn't have any water shoes on and she was fine. the guides do a great job at telling you where to put your feet along the rocks. the rocks are wet and can be mossy....that's why you'd need shoes. the mossy feeling didn't both my niece one bit.

7. bring a towel.

 

that's all i can think of at this time. have fun!!!

Edited January 7, 2015 by jen70