Do Tours Or Regret Going To Jamaica

[2PinaColadas]

Personally I am looking forward to seeing Jamaica. Ocho Rios is where we are going and I am excited about experiencing the culture and beauty of Jamaica. I am sure there are parts of Ocho that are probably not safe, but it's the world today, not just Jamaica.

 

Bravo KoolJammin. You have every right to stand up for Jamaica. You have lived there and surely knows more than any of us who just dropped by for a few hours.

[InitialD]

Oh god, I miss Jamaica. It is still my dream to retire there.

 

Hey, kooljamming, do they still call us white boys "Jakes?" I never would have gotten it if the family we stayed with hadn't told us. Usually in Kingston we'd get a surprised "luke it ta wide bowie" from people. In Ochi, just laugh off the "insults" of the touts. My father had a big gray beard and the tout was yelling, "Hey, beardie, you wanna buy dis cane?" "Hey, Moses! You need a staff!" We all just laughed and laughed.

[kooljamming]

Oh god, I miss Jamaica. It is still my dream to retire there.

 

Hey, kooljamming, do they still call us white boys "Jakes?" I never would have gotten it if the family we stayed with hadn't told us. Usually in Kingston we'd get a surprised "luke it ta wide bowie" from people. In Ochi, just laugh off the "insults" of the touts. My father had a big gray beard and the tout was yelling, "Hey, beardie, you wanna buy dis cane?" "Hey, Moses! You need a staff!" We all just laughed and laughed.

 

OMGOSH...how yuh a duh wide bwoy? You miss the Jamaica that is not around a port stop. DH is white and mi get it to...lol! The greeting is usually, 'lawd sah him wide'. They mean well, more or less and you do need a sense of humor.

[broberts]

Jamaica is one of if not the dirtiest place I have ever been. It has a lot of potential but you won't see it without doing tours. From the second you get off of the boat to the moment you either A do a tour or B go back on the boat you will be hassled. Its like BUM CENTRAL! All the pictures of beautiful Jamaica are crap. The tours are at those places. If you don't go on a tour you will be screamed at and cursed at by every single local you pass. It's HORRIBLE! My wife asked to go back to the boat because she was scared for her well being. I bought a tour to get away from those people. It was HORRIBLE without a tour. O and the drugs OMG! I got offered everything from weed to cocaine. OVER AND OVER! I went in a restaraunt. A nice touristy one and our waitor showed me that food isn't all he sells. HORRIBLE WITHOUT TOURS! By the way the town I am referring to is Ocho Rios. I can't speak for the others.

 

Gotta be a different universe.

[kooljamming]

Personally I am looking forward to seeing Jamaica. Ocho Rios is where we are going and I am excited about experiencing the culture and beauty of Jamaica. I am sure there are parts of Ocho that are probably not safe, but it's the world today, not just Jamaica.

 

Bravo KoolJammin. You have every right to stand up for Jamaica. You have lived there and surely knows more than any of us who just dropped by for a few hours.

 

Let me know if I can help: kooljamming@yahoo.com

 

From Ocho Rios you can travel through Fern Gully, a rain forest, heading to Nine Miles, Bob Marley's birth place. Continue around through Brown's Town, a realistic representation of Jamaica, much from the port stop. Travel down into Runaway bay and back to Ocho Rios. You are about to entrance into a place where locals do not live or die and even care if you spend a dime. They don't make a living from selling things, not to say they will turn down a generous gift or drink.

 

You could spend a day at my favorite resort just minutes away from port...Sunset Jamaica Grande. For something more on the adult side, consider Couples San Souci with an Au Natural Beach. In Runaway bay for the very open mined, what the heck Hedonism. Because your ship docks in Ocho Rios, doesn't mean it's where you need to anchor.

[setsail]

I guess the op is just another cruiser that has led a sheltered life.

 

You don't like harrasment,don't go to Key West (is that in the usa),you might have to buy a time share. LOL

[2PinaColadas]

KoolJamming-- I will try to get in touch with you before we go (leaving March 14). Thanks for all of the advice.

[jbroons]

Let me know if I can help: kooljamming@yahoo.com

 

From Ocho Rios you can travel through Fern Gully, a rain forest, heading to Nine Miles, Bob Marley's birth place. Continue around through Brown's Town, a realistic representation of Jamaica, much from the port stop. Travel down into Runaway bay and back to Ocho Rios. You are about to entrance into a place where locals do not live or die and even care if you spend a dime. They don't make a living from selling things, not to say they will turn down a generous gift or drink.

 

You could spend a day at my favorite resort just minutes away from port...Sunset Jamaica Grande. For something more on the adult side, consider Couples San Souci with an Au Natural Beach. In Runaway bay for the very open mined, what the heck Hedonism. Because your ship docks in Ocho Rios, doesn't mean it's where you need to anchor.

 

Hi kooljammin' (there should be no "g" in your name;)....Do you know anything about Bamboo Beach Resort? I'll be in OR in April with daughters 15 & 17 and booked Carnival's Dunn's/BBR excursion....it sounds great!!

[GB Chicago]

Great feedback all! Kooljamming - what do you think about the Bombay Beach Club?

[misguidedangel]

I have been to Jamiaca twice in two years, Ocho Rios and MoBay, and I haven't had a single problem. Ocho Rios we didn't do the tour we were going to go on because my mom wasn't up to it, so we left the pier area and went uo Island Village. I had one or two women ask me of I wanted my hair braided and a polite No Thanks was fine for them. I was in MoBay last February and the only place where there would have been a problem was at the craft market they stopped at. Only three people got off and two got back on within four or five minutes after one purchase from really agressive vendors. The other had to be rescued by the driver. I've gone to public places and places where there is security and did not have any problems, but yes there are problems.

 

Jamaicans do what they can to make a living, and they know that many tourists are rude and nasty and look down on them, so they treat tourists the same way they get treated. I like to think I am fair and kind to the people, in turn, they treat you nicely.

 

My brother and his wife came back from Jamiaca a few weeks ago and the Jamaicans they met/dealt with where nothing like what you described them as. Now, when they went to MoBay, they noticed the people had abit more edge because they had to deal with what they would see as rich foreign tourists.....

 

I'll be there again in April and plan on having a good time....

[momag101]

We just got back yesterday from our cruise on the Conquest. We were undecided about what to do in MoBay.We have been to MoBay once before and not very impressed.After reading posts,somehow we decided on Trevor Hudlin and the Mayfield Falls tour.We requested that he be our guide.I just think no one takes care of you like the owner of A business,because they have a vested intrest in your good time.

Trevor was very professional,we had a great time.He keep us safe,and the Falls were great.We also had great guides at the falls.We had one pregnant woman with us and they took very good care of her.

We were very glad we got off the ship. I really think we enjoyed MoBay as much as Grand Caymen.:)

[spaceflower77]

Love the photos, and LOVE Jamaica! Thanks for sharing!

[capncarp]

Hmmm. I was just in Ocho Rios, did NOT take a tour - I just walked around, and experienced NONE of what you describe. I even walked into a local grocery store and purchased some goods, and LIVED to tell about it.

 

Wow. I must lead a charmed life. :rolleyes:

 

nolaAlive: you too? Gee, we survived the grocery store too! Wow, what an accomplishment! And this was after escaping the insidious Craft Market across the street without a scratch! The Craft Market was a real trip, and I truly appreciated the come-ons and cajoling techniques employed by the merchants there. They got pretty creative, which appealed to me and made me want to buy something just for the entertainment value. Sort of brings to mind the time-honored tradition of vendors who hawked or "cried" their wares (sorry, my inner history geek is peeking out).

Oh, yeah, nice photos!

 

Kooljamming: Your birthland is captivating, poverty and enthusiastic vendors and all. I raise a Red Stripe (yay beer!) to you and your lovely island, dear lady.

[cruzluver]

We have visited Ocho Rios twice. We loved it both times. We were never approached to buy anything. We did an excursion to an 1800 plantation and it was great. WE plan on returning in June.

[Navy60]

We'll be visiting Ocho Rios on our next cruise and I wan to thank all the posters that are giving me a more positive view of this port as opposed to the OP. Looking forward to visiting this port.

[Gathina]

Kool, I was just in Brownstown!! :) I just came back from my two weeks but changed apartments from Runaway Bay over to Ironhorse, closer to Montego Bay. Some of the time I stayed way up in Adelphi with some friends. I spent a weekend in Ocho Rios at Marine view hotel, owned by my friend Patrice and her family.

 

Jamaica remains to be one of the most "misunderstood" countries, as you know. It's grievous to me that people make snap judgments without taking the time to really understand the people. They fail to realize that crowds of people don't mean unsafe, unless you act like an ignorant tourist. I think the Jamcians hawk more at each other to buy stuff than they hawk at the Americans.

 

I think most of the people who make comments like what the OP do make them out of true ignorance and lack of cultural understanding. If you want to be an ignroant American, stay on the ship. If you want to see what real culture is like, get off the ship and have an open mind and use common sense.

 

 

 

 

Please arrange with a guide and you will see among dirt incredible, unforgettable beauty. .

 

Dunn's River is worth seeing but very toursity, however Coyaba River Garden and Museum, also in Ocho Rios is a botanical garden and waterfall. Ocho Rios craft market is only for the brave at heart but minutes away you have local market in Brown's Town (Wedneday, Friday, Saturday). The strip of Ocho is a trap but close by you have Fern Gully with a scenic drive through a rain forest. Just minutes from the port you can enjoy a day at Sunset Jamaica Grande, where the Redstripe is cold and the jerk chicken is spicy and hot. Take a 20 minute cab ride and spend the day at Couple San Souci, an adult resort. They offer a beach for people who want to go Au Natual. Seek and enjoy the beauty which is there, but it requires a spirit of patience and adventure. :)

 

I have pics of all the things I mentioned (less the Au natural each:D) if you are interested. If you would like ideas about the less touristy thing them contact me at my screen name at yahoo dot com.