Ocho Rios - Just walking around

Hey there, so I've done some digging, and even looked on google maps. My wife and I will be there in February on the Liberty of the Seas. We don't plan on doing any excursions, but we wouldn't mind walking off the ship and walking into the port, maybe getting a bite to eat and wandering the shops.

Can anyone provide any insight to this, any advice? Is it safe? We'd rather not take a taxi anywhere, we don't want to go too far from the ship.

Thanks in advance!

Once you leave the secure area of the pier will head down Turtle Beach Rd. to Main St. Which my wife and I affectionately refer as "running the gauntlet"

The most aggressive bunch of folks we've ever dealt with...Hounded for tours, drugs, prostitutes...relentless they were. Just several stern no thank you's until the next batch of folks hawking there services would approach.

We made it to the shopping area where the Taj Mahal was located and only had sporadic run in's with folks offering odds and ends.

If we return would pay for an excursion or stay on board.

We were there last week. Would not walk outside the gates. Our friends did, but walked right back in, they didn't make it to the 'shopping area'

My husband and I walked there and I was never so scared in my life. My advise is take an excursion or stay on the ship. :)

Thx folks! I'd rather not get mixed up in anything and we're happy to avoid an excursion. Ship time it is!

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You can get off the ship and walk inside the port area. There are vendors inside the gates that weren't bad, and if you want a souvenir that's the place to get it. And you also have a great view of the ship (especially if your the only ship in port) to get a great pic from dock! :)

One of my least favorite ports for just walking around. Don't do it! Surprisingly, the Jamaican people are very aggressive and not friendly. We did a ship's excursion and enjoyed that. When we got back we decided to walk to some of the shopping areas. I would never, ever, ever do it again.

Hey there, so I've done some digging, and even looked on google maps. My wife and I will be there in February on the Liberty of the Seas. We don't plan on doing any excursions, but we wouldn't mind walking off the ship and walking into the port, maybe getting a bite to eat and wandering the shops.

 

Can anyone provide any insight to this, any advice? Is it safe? We'd rather not take a taxi anywhere, we don't want to go too far from the ship.

 

Thanks in advance!

We are also visiting in Feb on the Liberty!

We went in Dec 2013 and didn't feel unsafe. We went (by taxi) to the Ochos Rios Jerk Centre and walked back (less than a mile or so). Nobody even spoke to us. Despite being in our 20's, we were never offered drugs or prostitutes.

We were there last week on the Reflection. We didn't dock at the normal pier, it was down a ways. So there was more walking to get to the port shopping area. (About 10 min at a fast clip and not a sidewalk the whole distance). There were hawkers but we just kept walking. We never felt unsafe, weren't offered anything beyond "come look at my shop". I would have no problems doing it again.

. It did surprise me that there were 2 docks there, and the port information they give you the night before never mentioned the possibility of not docking at the normal port area. I had expected to get off the ship and be able to do shopping close by, not walk quite a ways to get there.

Just in Ocho Rios last week. I was amazed at how clean and tidy the streets were, cleaned of both garbage and riff raff. My last trip several years ago, I was approached by beggars, prostitutes, hawkers, gawkers and squawkers. I had no problem dealing with them because I'm a guy from New York and used to dealing with street people. But none of these were in view last week. There were even work crews along the main road cutting grass and picking up litter.

I believe that after completing the new port area, the tourist board decided they needed to "upgrade" the surrounding area. From what I experienced, it looks like they have succeeded! I hope they can maintain this new look.