Is Ocho Rios as bad as I've heard?

[mjlafarr]

I agree with the folks who say this is a place to skip. I found many people to be mean and very agressive...I suppose you can argue that this is the bad side of what the cruise industry can do to a poor country. Nonetheless, I would not go back.

[dosi]

IMO, yes. We don't even get off the ship anymore if we dock there. Who wants to see these people climbing and scaling the steel fences yelling at you. Ugh.:mad:

 

 

Gee I was just there and I didn't see any of that!! We did hire a driver to tour us around. I think this may be the key to a successful day. First of all it seems that when you are with a driver folks don't try to hard sell you as much, and second of all after seeing the traffic in Jamaica there is no way in heck I would want to drive myself.

 

I was in Jamaica with my DH and our four year old son. I live in a small town and am not used to the big city. I never once felt uncomfortable. As soon as we got off the ship a lady from the port asked if we had plans. I told her the name of our guide (Ionie McBeam...fabulous in every way). The lady took us to a bench and had us wait while she called Ionie to pick us up. I think we waited less than 10 minutes, during which time we were never approached or harassed in any way.

 

I had a great time in Jamaica with my little family and would not hesitate for one minute to go back again.

[WeBeGone]

I agree with the folks who say this is a place to skip. I found the people to be mean and very agressive...I suppose you can argue that this is the bad side of what the cruise industry can do to a poor country. Nonetheless, I would not go back.

To paint a whole country and its people as "mean and very aggressive" is like saying that everyone in Boston is mean and aggressive and stuck up! I'm sorry if you had a disappointing experience, but the hundreds of us who knew what we needed to do to have a safe and fun experience in Jamaica had a safe and fun experience. The people are warm and friendly. The country is beautiful. The "aggressive" vendors can be dealth with the same way you deal with panhandlers on the streets of Key West, you just keep walking. If you never go back to a place you have a bad experience, pretty soon you'll be confined to your house. Perception is reality.

[mjlafarr]

To paint a whole country and its people as "mean and very aggressive" is like saying that everyone in Boston is mean and aggressive and stuck up! I'm sorry if you had a disappointing experience, but the hundreds of us who knew what we needed to do to have a safe and fun experience in Jamaica had a safe and fun experience. The people are warm and friendly. The country is beautiful. The "aggressive" vendors can be dealth with the same way you deal with panhandlers on the streets of Key West, you just keep walking. If you never go back to a place you have a bad experience, pretty soon you'll be confined to your house. Perception is reality.

Just my experience...you are right about Boston though.

[HatterasNC]

I was in Ocho Rios Oct. 28 and did a tour with Phil Layfatte. It was the best stop of our cruise. I was leary of this port after reading mixed reviews from this board. Half loved it any others would'nt get off the ship. Well after reading so many good things about Phil we decided to give it a try. I'm so glad we went, I know if you go with Phil you'll love this port too. For $50 each we spent 5 hrs on the tour. We did the Dunns river falls, white river rafting, got to see the sights, eat at a local restaurant, and do a little shopping by Margaritaville. If you go to the Jamacia board you'll learn more about the island.

[deadbug]

Sorry folks, but our experience in Jamaica was horrible...I am not painting the whole island or all the people with one brush.....but none the less---we are not looking forward to our return stop this Feb. Taxi & tour operators can be very aggressive everywhere you go; but we have been to virtually every cruise port in the Carribean, Mexico and Central America and we have never encountered people that would not take no for an answer...people that would walk after you as if they wanted to frighten you...I told, firmly, NO to one vendor--when I bought something from a different vendor, she actually followed me and yelled at me as if I had intentionally insulted her. I personally found this all to be very amusing (and sad), but my wife was very unhappy! We will try to stay further away from the traps this time and hopefully get to interact with some of the "real" island folks---that is why we cruise..

[NoNoNanette]

I haven't been to Ochos for a couple of years, but we had a great experience there!

 

I'd suggest that you just stroll over to Jimmy Buffet's place. They have a security guard at the beach. (Who WON'T stop you from joining the locals on the other side of the fence for some cheap beer and a puff or two of whatever trips your trigger:eek: )

 

We enjoyed ourselves with the locals. All they want is to be treated with a little respect. Eye contact, a smile and a firm "NO THANKS" is all you need, guys!

[LouinMA]

There is little that I can say that hasn't been said before, but I will not get off the ship on my next visit !!

[llund]

It is too bad that people have had a bad experience in Jamaica. It really is a beautiful island and, if you do it right by hiring a guide, you will have no problems. I am going back to Jamaica next year, staying at another Sandals. The people are really wonderful when you talk to them. Oscar with a-z planners will make sure that you are not harrassed and that you will have a good time on his island. I live in S. California and have been to Tijuana and Ensenada many times, so I am use to the vendors and how to say no. There is a lot of poverty in Jamaica and these people are just trying to make a living. When we took a bamboo raft down the Rio Grande in Jamaica, one member had to use a rest room. Our guide took us to his friend's house (a small shack in the middle of the hills). We gave her a tip and you would think we gave her the world. She started crying and calling us angels from heaven. It was so touching and I will always remember it. She then gave me some fake flowers with a teddy bear that she sells at the marketplace. Seeing this side of people really gives you a different perspective on things.

 

Jamaica can be an enjoyable experience if you go with someone who will watch out for you.

[toban]

Im confused. Is Margaritaville at Ocho Rios or Montego Bay or both? We will be at Montego Bay in January and planned to visit Margaritaville but dont know if it is nearby. Hope someone can clarify this for me. Thanks.

[NoNoNanette]

There are two Margaritavilles.

 

The one in Ochos Rios you can take a short stroll to.

 

I think you have to take a cab in Montego Bay....

[Genessa]

We were in Jamaica in March of 2001. It is a gorgeous island. Due to everythng we heard, we took a ship's tour. We picked a photography tour, thinking it would be the most scenic and less vendor over run.

 

The bus driver took a wrong turn and, whatever part of town he ended up in, proceeded to go through stop signs and red lights until we were out of there. We went to a botanical garden that was gorgeous and no one bothered us. Then we went to Dunn's River Falls. We didn't want to walk in the falls, but did walk up the boardwalk. Definitely gorgeous.

 

Then we went to go back to the bus. The vendors in the maze were the rudest, most aggressive vendors we have seen anywhere. Polite no thank yous earned us nasty looks, nasty comments and people following us. My dh is a big man and we soon had several vendors following us while we ignored their comments. Then one man started making nasty personal comments. I urged my dh to continue to ignore them and the vendor called him a p*&&y for listening to a woman and tried to get my dh to hit him, which thank goodness he didn't. Ironically, we had seen many items that we might have purchased, but didn't want to stop to even look at anything after that.

 

When we got back to our bus, we noticed an elderly woman on another bus tour being harrassed by two young men who were standing between her and the bus door insisting she buy what they were selling. This woman was using a walker! My dh and another gentleman on our bus were about to go to her assistance when the bus driver came along and chased the vendors away.

 

It is a shame that a few, aggressive vendors have left such a bad feeling with us that the next time we are on a cruise that pulls into beautiful Jamaica, we will not be getting off the ship.

[FairSkySmoothSeas]

Last year we booked a tour with Peat Taylor. IMHO, he is the way to go. No Problem Mon. After his tour we walked over to Margaritaville for a few cocktails. There were some men sitting on a low wall. As we passed by they said,"How come Americans don't like Jamaicans". We just laughed the comment off. Didn't feel threatened, just felt like they were trying to make their mark in the world. To sum up, Get off the ship and experience what the port has to offer.

[AmyinGA]

We also took a tour with Peat Taylor. That is the way to go. He got us to the Falls before all of the other tours and we had a great time. It was annoying getting thru the maze of vendors at the falls but I just took it as a part of the experience. The vendors were the equivilant of the perfume sprayer ladies at the mall or the newspaper subscription people at the gorcery store. Getting to see Fern Gully and the rest of the sites that Peat showed us were great. He kept us laughing for day. After the tour we went to Margaritaville for lunch and we shopped in that area. No one bothered us there. I can't say that Ocho Rios is my favorite port, but I can't imagine staying on the ship when there are great people that can show you the nice places that Jamiaca offers.

[mafig]

First time in Jamaica we told whoever approached us we were booked with Peat Taylor and they immediately backed off and said things like, "tell Peat Joe said hello."

 

We now just walk to the stores at Sonys or Margheritaville and if anyone asks us if we want a tour, we say we've been to their "beautiful island" many times and are just going for a walk to the shops this time around. We've never had a problem although we have heard from others that they have.

[cruiserforlife]

Here's our take on Jamaica for what it's worth:

We have been there several times and have done the Falls in OR and personally,once you have done this tour,you've seen it all.

On our last stop,we too weren't planning on stepping foot off the ship but around 11am,we decided to go to Margaritaville which you can see the little village it's in from the ship.

Boy,are we glad we did!This was for us,probably the highlight of that cruise.They feature a great pool area with a fantastic slide that we rode repeatedly.We chilled and had a burger in paradise and sucked down many a cold Red Stripe.We had people ask if we wanted to buy pot on the way to the village from a far but nothing where we ever felt in danger.We spent a ton in their packed gift shop on the way out and in some small shops in the village.

We never felt in danger.

I would suggest either Peat Taylor's or a day in Margaritaville.You'll be glad you did.

[Knuklehead]

ALL right , Monn . We were in Ocho 6-8 months ago .Didn't want to spend money or effort on a tour and didn't much give a damn if we saw a lot . Heard all the stories . Talked to our waiter at dinner the night before and he suggested that we go over to either the Ramada or the Radison . But all you do is make a left off the pier and start walking . There's a few guys asking you " what are you looking for " ? So what . I'm not buying dope on the streets . So I just say no .Of course I could still back hand some chump if I had to . In less than 15 mins you come to a gate at the hotel and pay a day fee of about $35.00 ?? All the food ( BBQ ,chicken , burgs ,and hot dogs and buffet ) and mixed drinks ( somewhat limited , and a little light on the booze ) and beer ( Red Stripe & some local swill on draft) you can put down your craw . Beach with umbrellas ( a waitress will come by if you like ) and great big pool . It was fun , reasonable , and we got shhhnockered . Can you imagine that ? You get a cab back , right at the hotel , maybe 10 bucks . Glad to be at your service . Cheers