Falmouth ? Nice or shabby?

[BoozeCruise2]

With many cruises under my belt, I have never been to Falmouth. Can someone give me the honest scoop on the good bad and in between?

We are deciding between Allure eastern vs western and we are not happy with having to leave Nassau at 3pm. With only 3 stops for either we want to maximize the time on each island.

We don't mind paying a little extra for non ship related or private excursions.

Thanks in advance

[BoozeCruise2]

I should have asked how far is Falmouth from Dunns River Falls. And if there are any other solid excursions to do

[novicetraveller]

Originally Posted by BoozeCruise2

I should have asked how far is Falmouth from Dunns River Falls. And if there are any other solid excursions to do

It depends on what you want to do. There is Ocho Rios and if you are interested in doing some Hummingbird spotting, you could go to Rocklands Bird Sanctuary.

[negc]

Not sure of the distance but I think Falmouth is pretty much half way between Ocho Rios and Montego Bay. Falmouth is pretty much a purpose built port facility complete with shops, restaurants etc. built by the Jamaican government with substantial monetary contributions from Royal Caribbean and is either recently completed or almost complete, so it shouldn't be "shabby". Outside the gates the area may be less glamorous but typical of what you should expect to find in most Caribbean ports. For more information about the tours available from Falmouth, I recommend checking the RCI website. We will be there in December and are anxious to see what it has to offer.

[CruisinDawn]

Inside the gate Falmouth was very nice but the prices reflected that, just outside the gate not so nice but the prices were cheaper but high pressure to buy like in Montego Bay. We too like private tours and it was a steal to us. Paid $35pp plus entrance into Rose Hall $20 (5 of us) for an all day private tour through "yourjamaicantourguide". Found him on Trip Advisor, check him out.

BonVoyage
Dawna

[Finbar127]

Originally Posted by BoozeCruise2

With many cruises under my belt, I have never been to Falmouth. Can someone give me the honest scoop on the good bad and in between?

We are deciding between Allure eastern vs western and we are not happy with having to leave Nassau at 3pm. With only 3 stops for either we want to maximize the time on each island.

We don't mind paying a little extra for non ship related or private excursions.

Thanks in advance

I was there last year. The port area was almost completed and was nice looking but it was mostly shopping facilities. Definitely not shabby. We did not go into town or take any excursions. I believe most of the better excursions are a good distance from the port. If you go to the Jamaica board there are a ton of posts about Falmouth.

[jennmaybe]

Falmouth is right in the middle of Mo Bay and Ocho Rios. You can book an excursion and go to either of them. Lots of folks book excursions to Ocho that include Dunns River Falls.

We went to Mo Bay and were highly disappointed. We will be going back to Falmouth next Spring, but we'll be staying on the ship and maybe getting off and walking around the port some. The port itself is fine. Very nice shops, but as someone else said, the price goes along with it. Luckily, we bought our items in Mo Bay and paid quite a bit less than the port prices (some of the exact same items).

If I had to choose between Falmouth and Nassau though......it's Falmouth hands-down! (We do not like Nassau at all)

[CruzieSue]

Originally Posted by BoozeCruise2

I should have asked how far is Falmouth from Dunns River Falls. And if there are any other solid excursions to do

It's about 2 hours by bus. Have not been there but some friends of ours went. They said DRF itself is very nice and pretty but once off the bus and getting to the Falls you are bombarded by very pushy and aggressive vendors - they had small children with them and were scared for their safety several times.

Only been there once and we did the Chukka Beach Break. Nice place but became VERY crowded with other cruise ships in port.

The actual port at Falmouth is very nice, new, clean, secure, and easy to walk around in. We only saw outside of the gate via the tour bus that took us to the beach. Really can't comment on that one way or another. Just check other folks' comments under the Jamaica port blogs and see what you will feel comfortable with.

Have a great cruise!!!

[BoozeCruise2]

Thanks everyone for the quick contributions. As much as the kids would like the Atlantis, getting back by 3pm is just a joke. Western here we come
Plus they never experienced Labadee. The day we pulled up, the horrible earthquake came shortly after.

[cyclenut]

Just off the Western on the Freedom. Loved the itinerary and the ship. Falmouth was one place when we go back, we probably will stay on the ship, but we were glad we experienced it at least once. We did the Green Grotto Caves and Dunns River Falls excursion. We used RCCL to book and the price was pretty reasonable. The way there isn't too bad because the caves are on the way there. Then you go to Dunns River Falls. The return trip is a bit much. I think it took our driver about an hour and a half to return.

As others have said, the port itself is excellent. There is still some construction going on that you can see from the ship, but you can't tell once you are in port.

[whitshel]

Did I see a rumor that they were building a Margarittaville in Flamouth?

[B-52]

We don't like Nassau at all....and falmouth (Jamaica) is not very special to us either.

Just my 2 cents worth, but I would not book a cruise if those were 2 of the stops.

But then one books the Oasis or Allure for the ship, not the ports Those ships are the destination.

[Wimpinthewater35]

Originally Posted by whitshel

Did I see a rumor that they were building a Margarittaville in Flamouth?

Yes you did - supposedly they will be breaking ground for it this month - When it will be ready to open is the big question.