Montego Bay~tender port?

[Host CJSKIDS]

Is Mo Bay a port that always requires tendering? I'm really keeping my fingers crossed that it isn't so we have at least one port on our 3/19 sailing on the Star that we don't have to tender into. I'm also keeping my fingers crossed that they have most of the docks fixed in Cozumel so we don't have to tender there.

[dmc]

We just returned from our Panama Canal cruise on the Coral on Nov. 24th. Montego Bay was one of our stops and it was a port. You can do some shopping right there in the building next to the port. We got some pretty nice buys on a walking stick and some necklaces.

[BigDogMom]

I was just there 6 weeks ago. It's a port. There is a very small shopping area on the pier as well. Not walking distance to town, you must cab it.

[Drumbum1977]

Stay on board, Mo Bay is a stinky, dirty hole.

Keep safe.

[coiran]

Stay on board, Mo Bay is a stinky, dirty hole.

Keep safe.

DITTO

Ron

[mtaylor04]

I concur, stay on board and enjoy the ship.

[Shifra]

I was on the Star last week and we docked at Mo Bay. I had a great time in Jamaica. My dh & I and another couple hired a driver and got to see the Real Jamaica. It is a beautiful country. From my understanding, Kingston is where you should be wary because of a high crime rate.

 

This is no different from any big city which is overrun with poverty. I hope you enjoy Jamaica as much as I did. :)

[Cruise Gopher]

Go to Sunset Beach Resort and enjoy the day, stay away from downtown, it's not that safe.

[imsulin2]

I've always had a great time at the Margaritaville in MoBay! Just make sure you take a JUTA taxi, though.

[karrie2228]

Hi,We were on the Star last week.Mo bay is a port. There is a small shopping area there. for any thing else you must take a taxi. The JUTA taxis and buses are ther waiting.We went to the town shopping area. It was not really a very nice place.If I went there again I would not get off the ship. You will tender at Cozumel. There is no way the docks will be ready.The destruction there was unbelievable.Cozumel provides tender boats that hold a few hundred people so the process is pretty quick and painless.Enjoy your cruise. We loved the Star.

Karrie

[KAJOKG]

We were in Mobay on the Star last April....we tendered. The port is small and not many ships dock there. For the life of me, I can't imagine why cruise lines go to Mobay, or to Jamaica for that matter. Things can erupt on any given day over anything. And the Jamaicans, for the most part, haven't decided whether to love tourists or to hate them. It's a port where I stay on board. If we dock in Ocho Rios, we do go to the port shopping area (Island Village with a Margaritaville), but do not venture any furher. Just my opinion. Many enjoy the beaches and water activities in Jamaica. It's a beautiful island with a very volatile population and problems can arise quickly.

[Host CJSKIDS]

Thanks everyone. We were just in Mo Bay in the beginning of November for 5 nights. Ended up there at the Ritz Carlton because the Ritz in Cancun got destroyed so we switched to Jamaica last minute. All we saw of Mo Bay was the Ritz with the exception of the drive to and from the airport. It's not a pretty place and we saw a lot of prostitutes and drug dealers in the evening driving. I do wish we were still going to Ocho Rios so we could do Dunn's River Falls. Not sure what we'll end up doing but maybe we should just stay on the ship as you all say.

[Missybud]

Oh Carolyn,

 

Do go tubing and then down to the South Coast to the Pelican Bar. You should enjoy it and I am sure the "Campers" will be happy too! There really is much to see and be learned. xo Missy

[KAJOKG]

Thanks everyone. We were just in Mo Bay in the beginning of November for 5 nights. Ended up there at the Ritz Carlton because the Ritz in Cancun got destroyed so we switched to Jamaica last minute. All we saw of Mo Bay was the Ritz with the exception of the drive to and from the airport. It's not a pretty place and we saw a lot of prostitutes and drug dealers in the evening driving. I do wish we were still going to Ocho Rios so we could do Dunn's River Falls. Not sure what we'll end up doing but maybe we should just stay on the ship as you all say.

When we were on the Star they did offer an excursion to Ocho Rios. 9 busloads went. BUT -- in the early evening the skies opened up and there was torrential rain. The roads, rather primitive, were washed out and all the busloads coming back to the ship were stuck. The local government sent out bulldozers and actually haphazardly rebuilt the roads. The buses did not get back to the ship until well after midnight, and pulled anchor at about 2:30 a.m. There was a Carnival ship docked there and had 2 buses stuck also. The Captain of the Carnival ship asked the Star Captain if he could take on the Carnival passengers so they could leave. Request denied since the Star was filled to capacity. Another good reason to seriously consider excursions from the cruise line. They do wait for those who get stuck on shore.