Courtney Taylor?

[WillisZoo]

Let me first say that although this is the first time using this forum, my husband and I have cruised extensively for over 25 years and have almost always used private taxi's or drivers at our ports of call. We just got back from a RCCL cruise with the family, and we used Courtney Taylor in Jamaica after extensive research by my son in law. We were NOT disappointed with this choice. Courtney was an EXCELLENT tour guide, extremely knowledgeable about the history of his country, fun, professional, and we had a WONDERFUL time. :) I would highly recommend him. We did all the things we planned to do, and were back at Falmouth with an hour to spare which is amazing seeing as how it was the day Prince Harry was there. :cool:

 

We went to Dunns River Falls, ate lunch at wonderful Scotchies, from there, headed to Montego Bay for a bit of shopping, ending up in Margaritaville. We were never rushed and Courtney was always smiling and waiting for us at the appointed time when we were ready to go. Would use him again without hesitation the next time we visit! 'No Problem!' :D

[moondawg]

my husband and i went to Jamaica in March of 2012...We only wanted to do the high lights ...without the hassle of having to give up a whole day for horseback riding and another day to ziplining and another to see Dunn's River Falls... I read the reviews about Courtney Taylor, i felt that was the person we needed...I e-mailed Courtney and had a respone the same day, and answered all of my questions. when we arrived at our resort the manager called Courtney and told him what day my husband and i wanted to do the activities, we did everything we wanted to do in that one day, and then relax in the sun for the rest of the vacation...His prices were very reasonable and when we got to the events then he would walk us right to the entrance and wait for us...We learned so much more about Jamaica then if we had have been on some bus with 50 people..

.My daughter is getting married in Jamaica in December and for part of her wedding gift, i am going to hire Courtney Taylor for the day after her wedding so the newly weds can see what ever sights and events they want to do that day...

I WOULD HIGHLY RECOMMEND COURTNEY TAYLOR ....

[shealan]

We booked Courtney Taylor on our recent cruise on the Allure when we visited Jamaica. Courtney was very prompt in replying to our inquiries before we left on our cruise and gave us excellent suggestions on how to spend our day in Jamaica. Courtney was very friendly, professional and knowledgeable and provided us a great day. My son is still talking about the jerk chicken at Scotchies! We have cruised 16+ times and always book our tours privately and we would not hesitate to recommend Courtney.:)

[Timmay77]

I set up a private tour with Courtney 12 months ago. I have been trying to get a hold of him for the past week just to verify that we are still booked for May 3rd. I have not been able to reach him......

 

IF the tour happens, I will reply here with my review. I am not one of these first time posters coming on here advertising. I am a real person, taking my real family on our first cruise. I am a little concerned at this point, I like to have things scheduled and squared away in advance. I DO NOT LIKE last minute changes.

[Timmay77]

I set up a private tour with Courtney 12 months ago. I have been trying to get a hold of him for the past week just to verify that we are still booked for May 3rd. I have not been able to reach him......

 

IF the tour happens, I will reply here with my review. I am not one of these first time posters coming on here advertising. I am a real person, taking my real family on our first cruise. I am a little concerned at this point, I like to have things scheduled and squared away in advance. I DO NOT LIKE last minute changes.

 

 

Well that was quick....

 

Dropped an email at his web site and instantly got a reply. I check my junk mail regularly, nothing there. Anyway, he said we are still scheduled for our private tour, 3 weeks and counting. Will report my experience once we return.

[jennellen]

Just returned from cruise with a stop in Montego Bay. We booked Courtney for a sightseeing tour and also a stop at Rose Hall to do the tour.

 

When we arrived at the port, asked at information for Courtney and the young lady took us right to him. We had Courtney himself for our driver. He was very courteous and very knowledgeable. We had preplanned to do some sightseeing and go to Rose Hall, and that is what we did. However, Courtney was open to do anything else we wanted.

 

We had a great time and would book Courtney's services again.

[Dr Dan]

My family and I booked Courtney for a quick stop in Falmouth in the beginning of March. This was my second time in Jamaica and we knew taxi fares can be quite high, so we decided to look for a driver for the day. He met us at the cruise terminal with a big smile and everything went smoothly from there. He too us to Dunns River Falls, over to Scothies for lunch (amazing food AND liquor!) then over to Ocho Rios for some shopping and a stop at Margarittaville. He was very informative and gave us a great history lesson on the island and the local culture. He was very pleasant and willing to answer any questions we had as well as alter our itenerary according to what we wanted to do within our time constraints. His asking price is well worth every penny. I am sorry it took so long to write this review. We will be back and we will book Courtney again!

[mpillen]

We are just home from our cruise and we booked with Courtney Taylor tours. We met Courtney and our driver Marvyn right off the pier. Marvyn is was very personable and knowledgable about the island. He took us everywhere we wanted to go. Toward the end of the day he told us the time we needed to head back toward the port, so we didn't need to worry about that at all. We felt very safe and we were so happy we used them. My dad said it was the best money he'd ever spent. Two thumbs up!!!

[hal2008]

Checked out 3 or 4 tour operators frequently recommended on CC.

Most were slow in responding except Courtney who was prompt with clear answers.

We did not go withhim as RCCL's own ship excursion was cheaper (significantly cheaper) than him and peace of mind of ship's own excursion was added bonus. (depending on which excursion you want, ship excursion may be pricier as it is usually the case at every port)

 

Our experience with DNF+Caves was excellent. My kids rated it on par with fun at Labadee and much much better than Cozumel.

[FLcruiserxox]

I only quickly scanned each post in this thread so I apologize if these questions have already been asked... I am booked with Peat Taylor and would like to know if:

 

1) Are Peat and Courtney related or affiliated? and

2) If you know of or have used both, would you recommend one over the other?

 

TIA!

[dragonfly85]

When my friend and I decided to go on a cruise with Carnival, we looked through many different shore excursion options in order to come up with something to do in Jamaica. I have been to Jamaica before with my family, and the experience was not as memorable as I would have liked for it to be. We did not know what we were doing or where to go then, and I wanted this time to be different.

 

Some friends of ours from Nashville recommended that we get Courtney Taylor as a tour guide to lead us around Jamaica and give us the VIP treatment. When we looked into his prices, we were blown away. He is not only very reasonable, but he takes you anywhere and everywhere you want to go. It was worth every penny. His laid back approach and fun attitude make the tour very enjoyable, and you feel like you are hanging out with a friend you have known your whole life.

 

I also used to work on a cruise ship and was able to go on several excursions while I was working with the cruise line. This tour with Courtney Taylor was by far one of my favorites and was one of the most worthwhile travel investments I have made. I recommend that everyone who is traveling in Jamaica give him a call. You won't regret it!

[Timmay77]

First off, please note that I am not one of these "first time posters". Google Timmay77, you will find that I am active on MANY different online forums.

 

I decided to go with Courtney based off of reviews here, price, and wanting to have a private tour.

 

We sailed on the Carnival Freedom, arriving in Ocho Rios on May 3rd at 6am local Jamaica time. We had to wait at the dock until about 6:25am before Courtney arrived. No big deal, we were one of the first groups off of the ship. Once he arrived, he showed us to his van, then we waited a little longer while he contacted another driver for another tour he had arranged. Again, not a big deal, his van was nice and cool.

 

After a small 10-15 min wait, he hopped in the van and we were off to Dunn's River Falls. Courtney has a great personality, he is very funny, and is well educated. He instantly made us at ease. My wife was worried about using a local tour guide instead of booking with the cruise line. 2 minutes in the van with Courtney and she knew we made the right decision. Once we arrived at DRF, Courtney suggested we leave our belongings in the van because lockers were rather expensive. All of our stuff was safe and sound. He walked us right up to the gate were he took the money for the tickets, bought them for us, and got us right in. We didn't have to stand in line AT ALL. We completely bypassed the crowds. DRF was awesome. My wife and daughter had a blast.

 

After the falls, we went to Calypso Rafting. Personally, I will not do that again, it was a little scary. Off the beaten path if you know what I am saying. (That's a story for another thread) If Courtney had not been with us, we would have quickly left. He was with us the entire time, so I felt safe enough to do the tubing. Afterwards, Courtney was there, waiting for us as pomised. We decided to cut the day short and go back to the ship because it was raining like crazy. We had originally planned on getting lunch and spending some time at the beach, but the weather wasn't cooperating.

 

Overall, Courtney did an AMAZING job. I will absolutely contact him again when we go back to Jamaica.

 

 

 

Edited May 11, 2012 by Timmay77

[mymi]

We will be in Montego Bay the end of Oct. We will be traveling with atleast 2 adults maybe 4 and one 22month old. Do you think Courtney Taylor would have anything to offer a small group with a toddler? We wont be able to do the falls or anything and really don't want to have to deal with pushy business owners. Sightseeing would be good and maybe something the little one would enjoy.

[mymi]

Just returned from cruise with a stop in Montego Bay. We booked Courtney for a sightseeing tour and also a stop at Rose Hall to do the tour.

 

When we arrived at the port, asked at information for Courtney and the young lady took us right to him. We had Courtney himself for our driver. He was very courteous and very knowledgeable. We had preplanned to do some sightseeing and go to Rose Hall, and that is what we did. However, Courtney was open to do anything else we wanted.

 

We had a great time and would book Courtney's services again.

 

What kind of price did you pay? Did you stop for lunch? This maybe something we could do with a 22 month old. Not sure on how she would handle an all inclusive day at the beach. Any advice is useful to me!! Thanks!

[ungaio]

We wholeheartedly recommend Courtney Taylor for a personal tour around Jamaica. We visited in for a day in January. Our cruise ship was scheduled to stop in Falmouth, but the weather diverted us to Montego Bay. Courtney drove to meet us at the new stop and showed us a great day in Montego Bay. We were with my in-laws, so he stopped at all the touristy places: beach, t-shirt shop, straw market, Rose Hall, and a fabulous lunch shack (best part of the trip)!! We could not have covered so much ground in such a short amount of time without him. Courtney was professional, polite, informative and an all around good guy. I highly recommend scheduling Courtney Taylor Tours for a day in Jamaica.

[WISH84]

We arrived in Montego Bay on June 6th of this year and after reading several comments regarding Courtney, I contacted him, explained what we had done or seen in our past visits to Jamaica and that we were interested in seeing some things "outside" of the normal ship excursions. After some planning, he came up with the perfect tour for us. One of our favorite stops was the Jerk Sauce Factory... fantastic information and a great deal on several bottles of sauce.

 

We WILL use Courtney our next visit to Jamaica!!! You can't go wrong...

 

And to Courtney: Just FYI... It's looking like we may be back the first week of February, 2013... I'll contact you as we get closer so we can plan our next adventure!!! ;)

[Travelgal83]

I traveled to Jamaica for a wedding last month and I hired Courtney Taylor as a driver from the airport to my resort in Ocho Rios. He did an exceptional job. He is very friendly, professional and incredibly punctual. He was happy to accommodate me and my travel guest, and even offered his services for the entire duration of our stay.

I highly recommend Courtney. Not only because he is so knowledgeable about Jamaica, but also because his rates are very reasonable(trust me, I shopped around). I will definitely be booking Courtney again when I have the opportunity to go back to Jamaica.

[Cruzzinagain]

We were lining up our cruise which left Galveston on July 1st. I was checking around to find out who to take a tour with in Jamaica. Courtney's name kept popping up so I contacted him. We traveled with my elderly in-laws and couldn't do the falls or any of the water activities. I email Courtney and told him a few things that we would like to see and he emailed back very quickly with some other things we might be interested in. Once the schedule was set he emailed me a price and I confirmed.

 

We arrived in Montego Bay around 9:00am on the Carnival Magic. Once off of the ship, and as suggested by Courtney, we just mentioned his name and were taken to an area where they load the tourists into the waiting vans. Our van pulled up and our driver, Tony (Bright Light) Henry, got out to greet us. He was very friendly. We were loaded up and off we went. I would say that the total time from feet off of the ship until in the van and moving was about 15-20 minutes tops.

 

Our tour included a trip to James Bond beach on the other side of Ocho Rios so we had a couple of hours drive ahead of us. Tony was very friendly and very knowledgeable about the history of Jamaica and the goings on there. On the way he showed us many things and the drive was far from boring. He realized my interest in Bond so he pointed out Bond related things during the tour. One was the factory that was used in Dr. No.

 

We arrived at James Bond beach (not exactly where Dr. No was filmed but close to some areas and beautiful none the less) and looked around and spoke with a few of the locals who were also very friendly. We snapped a few pictures and were on our way. On the way back Tony took us to a nice shopping area where we could also get some jerk chicken and Red Stripe beer. The environment and the meal were great. He also guided us toward a store that would deal with us. Me being the skeptic, I told my wife that would check some other stores first before we bought. It turned out that the store he directed us to did have the best prices on what we wanted by far. We were also never hassled by the locals in this shopping area. It was very laid back. Tony told us to take our time, no problem mon (which was his attitude the whole day).

 

After lunch and shopping we headed back to Montego Bay. On the way Tony took a small side trip to show us an old church and a spot where part of a Bond movie was filmed. He was always pointing out points of interest to us. We arrived back in Montego Bay in plenty of time to get on the ship and freshen up before dinner. Before we left Tony though, I asked him if he was off for the day after that. He told me yes but he had to drive back to Ocho Rios as that's where he lived. That was a two hour drive.

 

For this tour we paid a grand total of $195.00 ($48.75 a person) for four people in our own van and had a tour guide who was excellent. The tour lasted about 7 hours total. This was our first trip to Jamaica but it won't be our last. There's so much to see and do. It's also a beautiful country. When we go next time we will use Courtney Taylor tours again also.

 

Steve

[pinkmaija]

Thanks for the reviews, everyone! Looks like we will be booked on our upcoming trip. :)

[pinkmaija]

Has anyone ever been asked to make a deposit? Courtney has asked me to make a $10 confirmation to reserve our spots......????

 

HELP!!!!!

[pinkmaija]

Bump!

[kac31]

Has anyone ever been asked to make a deposit? Courtney has asked me to make a $10 confirmation to reserve our spots......????

 

HELP!!!!!

 

 

I had to pay a $10 deposit also. So, you're not the only one!

[WillisZoo]

Has anyone ever been asked to make a deposit? Courtney has asked me to make a $10 confirmation to reserve our spots......????

 

HELP!!!!!

Yes, indeed he does ask for a $10 deposit. It's worth the $10. As you can tell by the reviews, he's very trustworthy, and seriously... $10??? Doesn't really put a burden on you, and really doesn't re-coop his loss if you bail on him!

[mardavbetale]

We've booked a private tour for sept 5th and so far Courtney has been excellent, I will write a short review when we return.

 

We also paid a $10 deposit, which I was happy to do. :)

[dnj1]

I just booked with Courtney. He will be taking us to do hourseback riding and sight seeing. He was very prompt with returning emails and texts. I also paid the $10 deposit. No problem. I will report back too with a review. I have gone to MB 3 times and never ventured out. I wanted to see more of the country and I feel safer doing it with a tour guide this time.