Ocho Rios - Island Tour

Ship ports in Ocho Rios & I want an island tour stopping at places like the Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church, Marcus Garvey statue in St Ann's Bay, etc. Basically driving around seeing the island and getting out at local stops. I'm not interested in Dunn's River, Blue Hole, etc.

Our cruise ship offers a tour that has these items but you don't get off the van for parts of it. This is what ship info says "This is a sightseeing tour with 5 site visits, 2 photo stops, 3 drive by sights"

I've checked all the recommended "popular" sites and I'm still not finding what I'm looking for. I've checked, knowjamaica, jamaicaphil, libertytours, peat taylor tours, courtney taylor tours.

Am I overlooking/missing something. Help!

*I want to stay in the $40pp or less range*

Thanks

If all else fails, I may have to book tour through ship since it may come the closest to what I want to do. However, I would prefer to go with a local company.

Do any of the companies listed above do something similar to this:

*Taken from site*

Excursion Description

Visit historic St. Ann’s Bay where Columbus was marooned in 1494. Photograph his impressive bronze statue. Observe the market full of tropical delights. Visit Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church whose stone was cut in 1534 by the Spanish. Next witness how Jamaican Jerk pork and chicken are roasted on pimento-log grills at the incomparable Scotchies Jerk Center.

The drive through Fern Gully is unforgettable. The canopy of foliage blocks the sunlight in this 4.8 km ancient riverbed. Catch a glimpse the island culture through steep Breadnut Hill. The lush verdant hills of St. Ann and St. Mary are visible from the 240 meter elevation. The entire panorama of Ocho Rios and the cruise port can be seen from the heights of Shaw Park. Descending from the tranquility of the park, you will enter the activity of Main Street, in "Ochie."

The hustle and bustle of daily life—shoppers, merchants, students—is all your to take in. A stop at the famous Old Craft Market is on your itinerary. Unique curios crafted by native artisans are yours to purchase as souvenirs. From the arts-and crafts you’ll be introduced to the up-market items of Taj Mahal. Here, you can browse the stores at your leisure, for this location is walking distance from your ship.

Note: This is a sightseeing tour with 5 site visits, 2 photo stops, 3 drive by sights.

This sounds like it covers everything you wanted to see and more. What else would you want on an itinerary for the day?

I'm thinking you will be able to find a driver at the port and negotiate a price for them to take you wherever you want to go and stop at the places you want to stop. We've done this many times and while it's not "pre-booked" we've never had a problem. Sometimes we just say, take us to the most unique local spots and include a lunch stop for us. We've had amazing adventures this way.

The problem I have with the excursion offered through cruise line is that doesn't necc let you out at every stop. For example, I don't want to drive by the Marcus Garvey statue I want to be able to get out and take pictures.

I was trying to find how much is would cost to hire a taxi for a couple of hours to take us around and therefore we could get out and explore at our leisure but couldn't find any info.

I even thought about renting a car but info I gathered from that says it wouldn't be a good idea.

any suggestions much appreciated.

I would NOT recommend driving. While the roads are much better than they used to be on the main highway, the back roads can be rough and a little scary to drive. I would think you would be able to get a driver for a few hours (4 or 5 depending on your port time) for about $60 - $100.

If you want to be sure to have someone reputable (you will not be able to negotiate, but will have a driver that might have a good following) you can pre-book a private guide online. We like to wing it and have always had a blast, plus you can negotiate. We've negotiated a really low price for the day because the gentleman just really wanted the business, then tipped him a HUGE tip at the end because he was so awesome!!

Yeah I decided against the driving, though I would love to explore on my own. Hiring taxi seems okay but I don't want to haggle over price or have to deal with someone taking me someplace I don't want to go. (Just realized how picky I'm being, lol).

I will just continue to research and use ship excursion as backup plan. Thanks Mrsfuzzmo.

Wishing I had a cousin or something who lived there and could drive me around, lol.

There are several affordable independent tour operators I've found. check out Courtney Taylor for example. He gets amazing reviews. He'll do whatever you want for the day.