the best thing to do in Falmouth is ___?

hello again!

i'm having a really hard time figuring out what to do during my day in port at falmouth. i've been reading so many posts on the topic--it seems to be a question many people have. i finally decided to go with a tour from knowjamaica--as marva shaw has been cited over and over again on these boards--but the price is for 4 people and i'm only one person (and $180 is a bit steep for just me!) i was originally planning on just doing the 'good hope at your leisure' shuttle and hoping to book a trail ride once there. but i don't even know if that's possible. i'd prefer to not do a cruise-ship sponsored excursion, but if that's my best bet, i will.

so--for those of you who've visited falmouth--what's the best thing you did there? i'm fine with long transportation times (i'm doing tulum from cozumel) and i have no mobility issues whatsoever. i'm a fairly active individual, i love unique experiences, food, culture, nature, and photography (i must be able to take my dslr wherever i go, which i think rules out quite a bit, though i could be wrong.) the only thing i will fully rule out is 'staying on the ship'. while i totally see why many would chose that option, it is simply not my cruising (or travel) style.

any advice would be greatly appreciated! thanks in advance!

They have short around town tours you can do as well which shows you around the city and the architecture there.....you can try this if you.

I'm curious too.... Most tours I look up all do DRF which I did already, don't know where to go and not getting concrete advice :(

I'm curious too.... Most tours I look up all do DRF which I did already, don't know where to go and not getting concrete advice :(

well, at least it's not just me! perhaps i'll make it my job to find out what there IS to do there, and then tell everyone about it. wish me luck! (i also have zero interest in the falls...not sure why...but i don't.)

We're thinking about just going back to Dunns River Falls, we had a lot of fun climbing the falls last time we were there.

I wish they had just stuck with Ocho Rios rather than bringing us to Falmouth, then half of the excursions bussing us to Ocho Rios :rolleyes:

You guys should probably try out Montego Bay, its a much closer drive (approx 30 mins). You can go doctors cave beach, eat some jerked pork, go marguritaville, there are a few things to do in Montego bay im sure you'll enjoy.

I did the Inner Tubing and Dunns River Falls excursion through RCCL. It was by far the best day of our whole trip. I would love to do it again! Tubing down the river was so awesome and I had never done DRF before.

I did the Inner Tubing and Dunns River Falls excursion through RCCL. It was by far the best day of our whole trip. I would love to do it again! Tubing down the river was so awesome and I had never done DRF before.

i'm starting to lean towards this excursion. question--was there anywhere to put your stuff while floating down the river? or must i go knowing that everything i take with me will get wet?

hello again!

 

i'm having a really hard time figuring out what to do during my day in port at falmouth. i've been reading so many posts on the topic--it seems to be a question many people have. i finally decided to go with a tour from knowjamaica--as marva shaw has been cited over and over again on these boards--but the price is for 4 people and i'm only one person (and $180 is a bit steep for just me!) i was originally planning on just doing the 'good hope at your leisure' shuttle and hoping to book a trail ride once there. but i don't even know if that's possible. i'd prefer to not do a cruise-ship sponsored excursion, but if that's my best bet, i will.

 

so--for those of you who've visited falmouth--what's the best thing you did there? i'm fine with long transportation times (i'm doing tulum from cozumel) and i have no mobility issues whatsoever. i'm a fairly active individual, i love unique experiences, food, culture, nature, and photography (i must be able to take my dslr wherever i go, which i think rules out quite a bit, though i could be wrong.) the only thing i will fully rule out is 'staying on the ship'. while i totally see why many would chose that option, it is simply not my cruising (or travel) style.

 

any advice would be greatly appreciated! thanks in advance!

Resort day? We spent a day relaxing at a Hilton resort, all inclusive

David

i'm starting to lean towards this excursion. question--was there anywhere to put your stuff while floating down the river? or must i go knowing that everything i take with me will get wet?

We were able to leave all of our "extra" stuff (clothes, bags, cameras, ect.) on the bus. Everything was perfectly safe and the same bus was used to take you to the Falls, and back to the ship.

We did Time N Place, which is a beach bar kind of place. Very low key and quiet day. They arrange pick up and drop off for a fee of $20 per person. They also have more expensive packages available that include food and drink. We decided to do drinks and food a la carte. Soft drinks were $1, beer $3, and lunches were $10-15.

We shared the beach with maybe 5 others. They had nice wooden loungers (no cushions) and they also had water sports toys like sea kayaks for use at no additional charge. Also, you didn't get people bugging you to rent a jet ski, get your hair braided, buy some drugs, etc.

Two small things to note. First, there is a nude resort next door. If you really try to stare, you will probably see someone naked. If you don't then you won't even notice. Also, there is some sea grass in the water. The bar/resort is rustic, but we loved it.

Do you have any photos of Time N Place? It might be the answer to our Falmouth dilemma!

Resort day? We spent a day relaxing at a Hilton resort, all inclusive

 

David

Hi David, I am on Allure in May and a stop in Falmouth. So like Hilton resorts, can u tell me which Hilton and did you book the day with Hilton or the ship. Soz for the ???:o Thanks:)

I would love to get more info. on what people do from Falmouth as well! We're headed there in a couple of weeks on Mariner. Thanks!

Mayfield Falls sounds rigth up your alley!! it's an adventure, off the beaten path and an awesome experience! I would HIGHLY recommend this tour. Most tour guides will take you there. check it out.

Hi David, I am on Allure in May and a stop in Falmouth. So like Hilton resorts, can u tell me which Hilton and did you book the day with Hilton or the ship. Soz for the ???:o Thanks:)

It is Hilton rose hall resort and booked through a website called jamaica for a day - http://www.jamaicaforaday.com/Falmouth_Jamaica_Shore_Excu.html

$90 inc transfer by coach - we also went straight to the spa and paid extra for a cabana this included 2 comfy beds and waitress service on all food and drink. Have the jerk pork and chicken and try the swim up bar for a float around on a rubber tube on the lazy river, drink in hand.

It felt like a lot of money when we booked it but it was a great day and great service and we had a full coach but the resort was so big we only ever saw one family the whole time we were there. Would certainly do it again.

My best advice is to take ANY shore excursion that gets you away from town, or plan on staying on the ship. There is literally NOTHING to do in the town itself, and the pier facilities are a tourist trap of gift shops of every possible kind imaginable. I was there December 5th of this past year. Here is an album of pictures from Falmouth:

Some impressions and details from my LIVE report, Posts 214-231.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1523307&page=11

.

My best advice is to take ANY shore excursion that gets you away from town, or plan on staying on the ship. There is literally NOTHING to do in the town itself, and the pier facilities are a tourist trap of gift shops of every possible kind imaginable. I was there December 5th of this past year. Here is an album of pictures from Falmouth:

 

 

Some impressions and details from my LIVE report, Posts 214-231.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1523307&page=11

 

.

Thanks for sharing your advice and the links to your pictures and review. We're stopping in Falmouth on our upcoming RCCL Allure cruise next month, and this was helpful. Sounds like it's best not to venture outside the gate unless you're with a ship excursion.

Also, off topic, but you're in Clarksburg? Hello from a couple miles north; I'm in Fairmont. :)

Thanks for sharing your advice and the links to your pictures and review. We're stopping in Falmouth on our upcoming RCCL Allure cruise next month, and this was helpful. Sounds like it's best not to venture outside the gate unless you're with a ship excursion.

 

Also, off topic, but you're in Clarksburg? Hello from a couple miles north; I'm in Fairmont. :)

Hello in Fairmont! Yes, I actually live in downtown Clarksburg, but have only resided here for the last six wonderful years. Before Clarksburg it was Salisbury, North Carolina for roughly 17 years.

I did a B2B on the Celebrity Millennium Nov/Dec last year which was superb. My goal was to completely relax for 10 days and just enjoy what the ship had to offer, so I booked no shore excursions at any of the ports. I wondered around the central core of town which is safe but there just really was nothing to do so I headed back to the ship after using the cheap Internet at Club Nazz. I'll have to admit I am not into shopping so much, so if there were cute little stores there I walked right past them. The shops at the dock facility however appeared to have an enormous selection of items to choose from and local vendors set up their native talents (some quite interesting) under small kiosks.

The locals just outside the main gate are VERY persistent to the point of being a real nuisance. If I ever went back there again I would sleep in late, enjoy the ship, and not even go ashore. But that's just me. Others who did shore excursions had a wonderful time!

I'm glad the pictures and LIVE report that I linked was useful. There are some details about the town and security going back to the ship not to be missed. Also just inside the Customs House looking building before you get into the shops area of the RCI pier are racks of local maps. It might also help when navigating town.

Two years ago I cruised from Baltimore on Celebrity Mercury and had a blast. This year I am booked on a short Bermuda cruise on Caribbean Princess, and for 2013 looking at going back to Alaska for the 6th time and combining it with a coastal California Wine and America's Cup cruise on Celebrity Solstice.

I know a few repeat Allure OTS guests who love that ship. I hope you have a great cruise. :D

It is Hilton rose hall resort and booked through a website called jamaica for a day - http://www.jamaicaforaday.com/Falmouth_Jamaica_Shore_Excu.html

 

$90 inc transfer by coach - we also went straight to the spa and paid extra for a cabana this included 2 comfy beds and waitress service on all food and drink. Have the jerk pork and chicken and try the swim up bar for a float around on a rubber tube on the lazy river, drink in hand.

 

It felt like a lot of money when we booked it but it was a great day and great service and we had a full coach but the resort was so big we only ever saw one family the whole time we were there. Would certainly do it again.

Thanks for that great info, will defy book it as it looks like a load of fun.:cool:

We were wanting to do Breezes all inclusive, but once we got on board, found out there was a minimun age of 16 (our youngest is 14).We did RCI catamaran sail and snorkel from Doctors cove beach. The drive was longer than the 25 minutes promised. We got there, and waited another 25 minutes (after 45 min ride) for the other groups to get there. We boarded the catamaran, and literally, sailed 25 feet, turned the catamaran around and jumped into the water. The generator was broken, they said, so we could have no music playing. They did get the generator fixed, and we got to listen to music while sailing after the snorkel experience (it was probably about a mile long cruise) we went back to the beach, and had 2 hours....we went to margaritaville, where it took about an hour and half to get our food. On the way back, they held us hostage and made us stop at some store to go shopping for another 20 minutes. 4 of us, $89 bucks each, 2 cheeseburgers, four soft drinks and an order of nachos at Margaritaville was $63 before tip, 5 bucks to tip the folks on the Catamaran, $12 to tip the server at Margaritaville,5 bucks to tip the tour guide, and 5 bucks to tip the driver. Breezes was only $99 per person......We really wish we could have gone there.

OP here...i just saw that this thread is being used again. i ended up waiting to the last minute to figure out what i wanted to do and ended up doing the chukka horseback ride 'n swim. my review is here...

http://www.suitcasescholar.com/2012/02/16/my-first-cruise-excursion-chukka-horseback-ride-n-swim/

the short version is 'i didn't love it but i didn't hate it either'. though we had TERRIBLE weather, so lying on the beach would have been out anyway. in fact, horseback riding was a bit unpleasant at times. the major down side of the excursion was the hour bus ride each way. this was NOT mentioned in any info about the excursion or else i would have thought twice about paying so much for it.

i can also echo what others on here have said--definitely book an excursion. the port itself is practically an outlet mall (ok it IS an outlet mall) and there aren't even any places to get food or drinks. and i did not feel good about venturing out on my own based on what i heard others saying (like 'people were grabbing my child'--yeah. sorry. i'm adventurous and brave and open to new experiences--but no. please do not touch me.) however, i'm also a 32 year old blond woman traveling solo so...there's that. i did not love falmouth. i would never consider staying on a ship on a port day--i cruise for the ports, not for the cruise experience--but falmouth convinced me otherwise.

We were wanting to do Breezes all inclusive, but once we got on board, found out there was a minimun age of 16 (our youngest is 14).We did RCI catamaran sail and snorkel from Doctors cove beach. The drive was longer than the 25 minutes promised. We got there, and waited another 25 minutes (after 45 min ride) for the other groups to get there. We boarded the catamaran, and literally, sailed 25 feet, turned the catamaran around and jumped into the water. The generator was broken, they said, so we could have no music playing. They did get the generator fixed, and we got to listen to music while sailing after the snorkel experience (it was probably about a mile long cruise) we went back to the beach, and had 2 hours....we went to margaritaville, where it took about an hour and half to get our food. On the way back, they held us hostage and made us stop at some store to go shopping for another 20 minutes. 4 of us, $89 bucks each, 2 cheeseburgers, four soft drinks and an order of nachos at Margaritaville was $63 before tip, 5 bucks to tip the folks on the Catamaran, $12 to tip the server at Margaritaville,5 bucks to tip the tour guide, and 5 bucks to tip the driver. Breezes was only $99 per person......We really wish we could have gone there.

I looked up the Breezes resort on trip advisor and the latest reviews states that it is to close in May.

I have booked a day pass at the Hilton Rose Hall...looks like fun.:D