How to Choose Between Tour Guides!!!?? Help!

So based on everything I have read on TripAdvisor and Cruise Critic, I found the names of several highly recommended private tour guides for my upcoming day in Jamaica... and all of course say they were the best...

I have since emailed them all and they're all willing to go where I want, but they've all quoted me the same price! How to choose?

Courtney Taylor, Errol Bowen, Marvyn Gayle, as well as going with a tour group like Ocho Rios Authentic Tours (Elizabeth Flowers) or Wentworth Tours (Wentworth Pearson)... and I'm still waiting to hear back from Dwaine Bailey and Ionie McBeam...

so... has anyone toured with 2 or more of these guys to help me compare??

So based on everything I have read on TripAdvisor and Cruise Critic, I found the names of several highly recommended private tour guides for my upcoming day in Jamaica... and all of course say they were the best...

 

I have since emailed them all and they're all willing to go where I want, but they've all quoted me the same price! How to choose?

 

Courtney Taylor, Errol Bowen, Marvyn Gayle, as well as going with a tour group like Ocho Rios Authentic Tours (Elizabeth Flowers) or Wentworth Tours (Wentworth Pearson)... and I'm still waiting to hear back from Dwaine Bailey and Ionie McBeam...

 

so... has anyone toured with 2 or more of these guys to help me compare??

You didn't mention www.Libertytoursjamaica.com !!

The reason I said that is because that's who we toured with!

I cant speak for the other tour companies,,, but we truly had the best day with Ricardo @ Libertytoursjamaica. From what I could see our group was smaller, therefore I suspect we were offered more personalized service. Ricardo planned our day according to what and when we wanted to do it. No wait times for other passengers either, for the bus to fill up, because we were in a van!

Ricardo even called my wife a few times to confirm our ship, arrival time and where to meet him. He truly cares about his clients and wants them to have a memorable experience in Jamaica. We made a friend for life!

Give him a try, you will happy you did!

can I ask what the price quoted was for? and for how long? Just starting to look at Ochos Rios for my Dec 1st cruise!

can I ask what the price quoted was for? and for how long? Just starting to look at Ochos Rios for my Dec 1st cruise!

I would suspect the price would be cheaper from Ocho Rios, if that's where you are docking. Send Liberty an inquiry via their website and they will give you a quote, depending on where you want to go on a tour. I think the prices are different depending on where you are picked up and what you want to do. Hope this helps.

He picked us up at the Falmouth Pier.

So based on everything I have read on TripAdvisor and Cruise Critic, I found the names of several highly recommended private tour guides for my upcoming day in Jamaica... and all of course say they were the best...

 

I have since emailed them all and they're all willing to go where I want, but they've all quoted me the same price! How to choose?

 

Courtney Taylor, Errol Bowen, Marvyn Gayle, as well as going with a tour group like Ocho Rios Authentic Tours (Elizabeth Flowers) or Wentworth Tours (Wentworth Pearson)... and I'm still waiting to hear back from Dwaine Bailey and Ionie McBeam...

 

so... has anyone toured with 2 or more of these guys to help me compare??

No I have not toured with more than one company. And yes, we all probably think our tour company is the best one!!

Here is a vote for a private tour with Courtney Taylor. What I can tell you is Courtney owns his business and has been working in the tourism sector for over 10 years. He is a great ambassador for his country. He loves what he does. He employs over 80 people through out the island which tells me he is successful and available if I go to Kingston or Falmouth or Montego Bay. My DH and I had great conversations with Courtney and it was such a joy getting to know this fine young man.

Short of having a person who has used multiple tour companies, I would suggest you read at least 5 recent reviews for each of the companies you want to book. Look for the glowing (like mine) as well as the negative ones. With that info you might be able to develop a matrix based on what you rank as your top priorities (I.e., size of van, destination, cost, amenities, etc). This matrix just might point you to a company you may not have had in your top 2.

Just bear in mind you may never find someone who uses more than one vendor because of the loyalty trump card. Personally, I wouldn't go on a fishing expedition now that I had a great experience with Courtney Taylor.

Good luck making your decision. I hope you post back as to who you chose and how much you liked (or didn't) them!!

Kathleen

I just got back on a tour with Marvyn Gayle and he was great. I did a lot of research beforehand: Marvyn and Courtney Taylor were my top choices.

We were in Falmouth port from 7am-4pm. I organized a group of 14 people (6 of whom where children ages 7 to 13) from the roll call. We found Marvyn waiting for us with a sign at the port. We had a fun full day day: Blue Hole, tubing on the White River, lunch at Scotchies, and a short stop at Bamboo Blu beach. The highlight of the trip was the Blue Hole- it's a beautiful place and off the beaten path. The young guides took such great care of us and entertained us with so many daredevil stunts. They were fast, nimble, and crazy fun.

We were only able to spend a short time at the beach because our group spent so much time at the Blue Hole. In retrospect, I would skip the tubing to spend more time at the beach. The food at Scotchies was good (especially the chicken) but not something I would go out of my way for. Marvyn called ahead to have a buffet set up for us. The meal was $8pp (chicken, pork, rice, festival, and a drink, $2 extra for beer). I didn't find the meat very spicy, but my kids thought it was and barely ate anything. So definitely not worth $8 for picky eaters. My DH and I thought it was great jerk chicken.

chanthor13 - I have booked the same tour with Marvyn in 3 weeks but only for 2 of us! I was wondering whether to cancel the tubing, what is the beach like, was there any snorkeling? How far apart are the areas you visited? I wouldn't mind seeing some scenic places along the way

chanthor13 - I have booked the same tour with Marvyn in 3 weeks but only for 2 of us! I was wondering whether to cancel the tubing, what is the beach like, was there any snorkeling? How far apart are the areas you visited? I wouldn't mind seeing some scenic places along the way

Last time we used Richard Brooks with Excursion Ocho Rios. You can check out the reviews on Trip Advisor. Richard was very nice and knowledgeable. He will take you anywhere you want to go. We went to Fern Gully, did a little sightseeing in the countryside, Dunn's River Falls, lunch at Scotchies (a must do), and some shopping. I would highly recommend him!

Another vote for Libertytoursjamaica. Just got back and had an amazing day with Ricardo

I would suspect the price would be cheaper from Ocho Rios, if that's where you are docking. Send Liberty an inquiry via their website and they will give you a quote, depending on where you want to go on a tour. I think the prices are different depending on where you are picked up and what you want to do. Hope this helps.

He picked us up at the Falmouth Pier.

I am considering this from Falmouth - can you tell me how much this cost you?

We were just in Ocho Rios last Tuesday and had a phenomenal day with Errol Bowen. You'll never meet a more honest, funny, and down-to-earth person. He took us to the Blue Hole and several other lovely places (other than the Blue Hole, we left it in his hands to decide, except we told him we weren't interested in shopping.) He'll take you wherever you want to go. He charged us $50pp and it was just my husband and me, so you don't have to line up a group. What I really liked is that the whole day seemed very authentic and we felt like we were part of the area, not just on a tour. Errol's email is errol@traveljamaicatours.com. He has many repeat customers on Trip Advisor, which is a great recommendation. I know we'll use him again!

So based on everything I have read on TripAdvisor and Cruise Critic, I found the names of several highly recommended private tour guides for my upcoming day in Jamaica... and all of course say they were the best...

 

I have since emailed them all and they're all willing to go where I want, but they've all quoted me the same price! How to choose?

 

Courtney Taylor, Errol Bowen, Marvyn Gayle, as well as going with a tour group like Ocho Rios Authentic Tours (Elizabeth Flowers) or Wentworth Tours (Wentworth Pearson)... and I'm still waiting to hear back from Dwaine Bailey and Ionie McBeam...

 

so... has anyone toured with 2 or more of these guys to help me compare??

We went with Marvyn in February and it was great. Driver was Suzette and we had a wonderful experience. Went to blue hole, Dunns Falls, fern gully and Scotchies for lunch. They spent the entire day with just us and we loved it.

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Chanthor13 I will be in Falmouth in July How would I get in touch with Marvyn? Do they have a website?

I just got back on a tour with Marvyn Gayle and he was great. I did a lot of research beforehand: Marvyn and Courtney Taylor were my top choices.

 

We were in Falmouth port from 7am-4pm. I organized a group of 14 people (6 of whom where children ages 7 to 13) from the roll call. We found Marvyn waiting for us with a sign at the port. We had a fun full day day: Blue Hole, tubing on the White River, lunch at Scotchies, and a short stop at Bamboo Blu beach. The highlight of the trip was the Blue Hole- it's a beautiful place and off the beaten path. The young guides took such great care of us and entertained us with so many daredevil stunts. They were fast, nimble, and crazy fun.

 

We were only able to spend a short time at the beach because our group spent so much time at the Blue Hole. In retrospect, I would skip the tubing to spend more time at the beach. The food at Scotchies was good (especially the chicken) but not something I would go out of my way for. Marvyn called ahead to have a buffet set up for us. The meal was $8pp (chicken, pork, rice, festival, and a drink, $2 extra for beer). I didn't find the meat very spicy, but my kids thought it was and barely ate anything. So definitely not worth $8 for picky eaters. My DH and I thought it was great jerk chicken.

I'm having the same problem!!

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I do the majority of my research here on Cruise Critic and I originally chose Javia Shaw from knowjamaica.com because:

1. Someone on my roll call had used them and I trusted what that person said

2. I did the research and seen that Marva Shaw and her son Javia have a very long history of good reviews and positive recommendations

3. I watched some videos of Javia and liked what I saw

Since that time I have been on a private tour with Javia Shaw (last month) and go with him again in November. I spent the whole day with him (just the 2 of us) and I can certainly recommend him without hesitation. Everywhere we went people knew him. He is a very cool guy and I had an awesome time with him. They say his Mom is great too but I personally have not met her.

So ultimately everyone has to make their own decision with what they are comfortable with and all of the long time well knowns will probably make you just as happy. You have my recommendation. :)

I can save you a lot of time - email Ricardo at Liberty Tours. We have been on 45+ cruises and we are very picky about our excursions and guides. We spent the day with Ricardo. We was so friendly and knowledgeable. We docked in Falmouth and he took us to Dunn's Falls and Secret Falls. Absolutely fabulous day!!!

Definitely a vote for Liberty Tours and Ricardo!! We used them in March and had a private tour for our group. Ricardo was very responsive, called and made sure he included everything we wanted to do. He was prompt - stopped along the way to the Blue Hole and purchased some local snacks for everyone. He is very informative and lots of fun. We went to Scotchies for lunch - which was also included in the prices.

Ricardo was fantastic and will work with you to include what you would like to do and how long you want to be there! We had a great day with Ricardo - and we stopped to buy coffee, and spices on the way back - and also bought Rum Cream -oooooo soooo good!

You will not regret booking with Ricardo! Absolutely fantastic!