Falmouth - What to do at this port?

I am doing a Royal Caribbean cruise that stops at Falmouth. What are some of the best things to do while in this port? I generally like to use independent excursion companies rather than cruise ship excursions. Are there any good independent companies that work out of Falmouth? Any information or insight that you can give me would be appreciated. Thanks.

We used Courtney Taylor Tours for the Blue Hole... they were just basically glorified drivers. We got off the ship early to get the early tour time. We had to wait around while they convinced other walker bys to join our tour. Kind of obnoxious, but thats the biz. They hooked us up with the local guides at Blue Hole who stole the show. Those guys were great - I wish we could have paid them more than we paid CTT. We went to Scotchies which was awesome and they took us to a liquor store to buy Sangers Rum Cream. They did help negotiate the price and work with shopkeepers. I guess they weren't all that bad. However, my one request was that we didn't go to the market in Ocho Rios. I had a terrible experience there before and refused to go. The driver convinced the other people in our van to go. Nope, I didn't want to! lol - so I sat in the car and then it was like a zombie scene. All these aggressive Jamaican men surrounding the van, trying to get me to come out and buy stuff and the like. I finally agreed to get out and meet up with the group. The driver was like, here is my friend he will show you around. He takes us to his stall in the very back row of the market and corners us in his stall until we buy something. GAH - I hate hate hate that market. Its so uncomfortable. but I digress - Blue Hole is awesome. I don't really know much about Falmouth port itself. Check out TripAdvisor. Courtney Tours wasn't completely terrible lol. Stay away from the market! :)

Do you remember about how much the day trip with CTT was?

I really do want to do the Blue HOle!

We were in similar dilemma and didn't want to do a ship tour. Instead found a tour of a Hampden Tour Rum Factory which is 30 minutes from the port. We booked this tour with them directly for our cruise in late September.

Following is the information.

Hope this helps,

Mark

----Original Message-----

>> From: Hampden Tours Manager [mailto:tours@hampdenrumcompany.com]

>> Sent: Monday, July 11, 2016 10:25 AM

>> Subject: Re: Hampton Estate & Rum Tour on September 27, 2016

>>

>> Many thanks for contacting us.

>>

>> The Hampden Estate Rum Tour is located in the parish of Trelawny,

>> approximately 45 minutes away from the Montego Cruise Ship Pier, 25

>> minutes from the Falmouth Cruise Ship Pier.

>>

>>

>> Cost of Tour:Adult- US$50 per person (inclusive of government taxes)

>> Children- (13 to 17 years old) - US$25 per person

>> (inclusive of government taxes)

>>

>> We provide the following:

>> -Welcome Drink - Rum Punch or Special Hampden Iced Tea

>> -Introduction/Brief history of the Estate and owners -Walk along the

>> picturesque grounds -Tour of our Historical Working Distillery (over

>> 260 years of rum making) -Sampling of our two Multi Awards Winning

>> Rums -Sampling of freshly cut and squeeze sugar cane juice or coconut

>> water -Hampden Rum cake sample -Lunch of jerk chicken or jerk pork

>> serve with two festivals and purified water.

>>

>>

>>

>> Tour Times:RESERVATION PREFERRED

>> Mon-Fri - 10:00 am, 11:00 am &12:00pm (local time)

>>

>> Tour Duration: 2 Hours

>>

>> Requirements: Comfortable Clothing, Walking Sneakers or Hiking Sandals.

>>

>> What to Bring: Camera, Sunscreen, Cash/Credit Card for gift items.

>>

>>

>> We can also arrange transportation for an additional fee of US$20 per

>> person.

>>

>> Minimum per tour: 2

>> Maximum per tour: 20

>>

>> Wheelchair facilities are not available on the tour however; they are

>> available at the welcome centre

>>

>> You can visit our website @www.hampdenrumcompany.com and our Facebook

>> page @ Hampden Estate Rum Tours or call us @ 1-876-482-4632.

We used http://www.jamrockjourneys.com/ on our Spring Break cruise. They were great to work with. Our driver was Marc. He took us to Dunn's River Falls. He climbed the falls with us. We wanted to go shopping and eat at a local place. He took us to a great little place for lunch and we shopped across the street. We are going back in October and we have already booked them. This time we will go to the Blue Hole and horseback riding.

They are quick to answer any emails.

We ended up doing a Resort for a Day pass at Jewel Runaway Bay Resort and had a great time.

We went on a tour with Peat Taylor tours,

They pickup from Falmouth.

http://www.ochoriosjamaicatours.com/

We were in similar dilemma and didn't want to do a ship tour. Instead found a tour of a Hampden Tour Rum Factory which is 30 minutes from the port. We booked this tour with them directly for our cruise in late September.

 

Following is the information.

 

Hope this helps,

Mark

 

----Original Message-----

>> From: Hampden Tours Manager [mailto:tours@hampdenrumcompany.com]

>> Sent: Monday, July 11, 2016 10:25 AM

>> Subject: Re: Hampton Estate & Rum Tour on September 27, 2016

>>

>> Many thanks for contacting us.

>>

>> The Hampden Estate Rum Tour is located in the parish of Trelawny,

>> approximately 45 minutes away from the Montego Cruise Ship Pier, 25

>> minutes from the Falmouth Cruise Ship Pier.

>>

>>

>> Cost of Tour:Adult- US$50 per person (inclusive of government taxes)

>> Children- (13 to 17 years old) - US$25 per person

>> (inclusive of government taxes)

>>

>> We provide the following:

>> -Welcome Drink - Rum Punch or Special Hampden Iced Tea

>> -Introduction/Brief history of the Estate and owners -Walk along the

>> picturesque grounds -Tour of our Historical Working Distillery (over

>> 260 years of rum making) -Sampling of our two Multi Awards Winning

>> Rums -Sampling of freshly cut and squeeze sugar cane juice or coconut

>> water -Hampden Rum cake sample -Lunch of jerk chicken or jerk pork

>> serve with two festivals and purified water.

>>

>>

>>

>> Tour Times:RESERVATION PREFERRED

>> Mon-Fri - 10:00 am, 11:00 am &12:00pm (local time)

>>

>> Tour Duration: 2 Hours

>>

>> Requirements: Comfortable Clothing, Walking Sneakers or Hiking Sandals.

>>

>> What to Bring: Camera, Sunscreen, Cash/Credit Card for gift items.

>>

>>

>> We can also arrange transportation for an additional fee of US$20 per

>> person.

>>

>> Minimum per tour: 2

>> Maximum per tour: 20

>>

>> Wheelchair facilities are not available on the tour however; they are

>> available at the welcome centre

>>

>> You can visit our website @www.hampdenrumcompany.com and our Facebook

>> page @ Hampden Estate Rum Tours or call us @ 1-876-482-4632.

I am thinking of doing this tour? Did you enjoy this tour and did you use their transportation or arrange your own?

definitely Chris Jamaica Tours.

reasonable prices,nice van and lots of information

You can email him- kplinton@yahoo.com

I am doing a Royal Caribbean cruise that stops at Falmouth. What are some of the best things to do while in this port? I generally like to use independent excursion companies rather than cruise ship excursions. Are there any good independent companies that work out of Falmouth? Any information or insight that you can give me would be appreciated. Thanks.

I stopped here on the NCL Jade and I pre-booked roundtrip transportation to Montego Bay. My driver was EXCELLENT and I spent the day at Doctor's Cove Beach and had a relaxing, beautiful day. My driver stopped us at a souvenir shop where we had a chance to get gifts and things, and then I was back to Falmouth well before departure time. With enough pre-planning, you can create quite a fun day for yourself.