NCL Epic Ocho Rios Port

[TRAVELBUGCRUISER]

Hi There

Just wondering if anyone has done an all inclusive day in Ocho Rios? Right now, Im thinking of either Jewel Dunns River Adults Only or Riu Ocho Rios for the day. Each say they provide motor-coach transportation from the cruise port to the resort for the day. Just wondering if anyone has done this before with either of these resorts or others in Ocho Rios and what your experience was like. To be honest, I havent heard the best reviews of Ocho Rios so I was thinking spending the day at an all inclusive might be an okay experience??

Thanks!

[roger001]

Unfortunately, Ocho Rios until not long ago was primarily a mineral mining and ship loading small port. It is still a very poor and not very developed community. Our last stop there I was asked several times if I would like some pills or to smoke some dope. Ocho Rios offers very little as a tourist port. An all inclusive would probably be a good choice. We do like going up to the Jerk Shack near downtown and having a lunch of jerk chicken and pork. My wife like the naked guys bathing in the stream edging town.

[Son of a son of a ...]

Ochos can be fun. We did Dunns Falls, which I suggest doing once for fun ... be sure you are physically able. Yes, there is a hard sell through the market afterward, but push through it. BTW - bring your water shoes. The beach package is what you make of it. The beach is narrow, but the water, sand, and surf are awesome. Great jerked chicken. They usuallly have a DJ and some alcohol jungle juice so not everyone will enjoy the atmosphere.

[Cubechick]

We walked to the Margaritaville right near the port. Rented a couple of lounge chairs, could swim and have food and drinks brought right to you. A relaxing day!

 

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[dexddd]

We did an AI in Dec. 2015. I don't see it listed on the resorts for a day website any longer as it appears they dropped the one we had and added some others.

 

They picked us up in a bus right at the entrance to the dock and it was about 20 minute ride there and we dropped off at a couple of the other places on the way out. The bus driver gave some narrative.

 

All went well - they do limit you to certain off brands. The place we were at had the local kids at the water park area for the day as part of a school outing but it was not a big deal as far as lines.

 

They had buses that ran back to the port at set times and you could grab whichever one you wanted.

[beaches&sands]

I've done the Jewel Dunns River Adults Only resort for a day. It was nice, they picked us up and brought us to and from the resort. Resort was nice, service was a little slow at the bar. I don't know if it was because we only were there for a day. But the food and drinks were excellent. Grounds are beautiful too. I would definitely go back.

[samiam0403]

We booked Jewel Dunn's River Adults Only's resort for a day excursion. Transportation was prompt, pool was gorgeous, beach was lovely, and bartenders were attentive. I enjoyed my day so much here that DH and I are thinking of booking a week or so there in the future. I will say the drinks came faster and stronger before 11:00am or noon - because all of the resort guests were still sleeping. :') The bar did get a little crowded as the day went on, but since I'd been tipping $1 or so per drink, we never had to wait long. I give the resort and staff two thumbs up!

[hladygirl]

When we went to Ocho Rios we took the Bamboo Beach All Inclusive and we had a blast. The food was great and they kept bringing it to you as long as you wanted more.

We did this also and thought it was horrible. The beach was so rockie and covered in broken seashells about two feet into the water. We thought the food and drink were horrible. We will never do that again. We wished we had gone with our original plan of resort for a day.

[philip_eunice1]

Dunnes river falls and the blue hole not to be missed

 

 

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[cmurchake]

Jewel Dunn River Beach Resort & Spa is FANTASTIC. Transportation to and from the port, very well kept resort, food and drink for the day. We also loved it so much we have thought about doing this as a vacation in the future

[samiam0403]

We did this also and thought it was horrible. The beach was so rockie and covered in broken seashells about two feet into the water. We thought the food and drink were horrible. We will never do that again. We wished we had gone with our original plan of resort for a day.

 

Ditto. I did the Bamboo Beach excursion on my 2nd trip to Jamaica - it was very underwhelming. Rarely got drink service, beach was dirty, and bathrooms were not on site. Every time we walked over to the restrooms, we were offered everything from drugs, to hookers, to children. :mad: No lie. It was not the relaxing vacation I was hoping for. By contrast, Jewel Dunns River resort was perfect.

[lab_love123]

All of the advice posted so far is pretty much spot on. I think it seems that the Jewel Dunns River Resort is probably a safe bet. From my travels elsewhere, you probably would be ok with the Riu as well, but I don't have any experience with the one in Ocho Rios.

 

I went to Margaritaville for the day, and it was great. When I was in Ocho Rios, my group was really undecided about what to do - none of the excursions offered really grabbed us, and we were doing an all-inclusive day pass at a different port so we weren't sure we wanted to do that here. It wound up being a rainy, miserable day - so NOT typical Jamaica weather, and we were glad we hadn't pre-booked anything. We decided to stop in Margaritaville and we wound up staying there all day. There's a little beach with loungers and a pool with a slide, that you can use for basically the cost of a drink or two. The staff there was great - bartenders, servers, entertainment crew.

[jamkam97]

We had intended to do Dunns Falls but we had to change at the last moment, we ended up at Bamboo Beach and it was AMAZING!!! You wouldn't be disappointed if you did it.

[TRAVELBUGCRUISER]

Thanks everyone for the replies! I think the majority concensus is Jewel AI Adults Only. I think we'll do that. Thanks for all the insight from your personal experiences :)

 

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