Is Ocho Rios Safe?

On a different thread someone suggested that OR is not safe and went as far as to wonder why ships still stopped there!

Can anyone put my mind at rest please.

I've been all around JA many times including driving across the island in a taxi at Midnight ..... never had a problem.

Despite all the negative comments the reality is people feel uncomfortable but I can't produce one report of someone being injured except via a tour bus crash and that was a while back ....

i agree with Capt. BJ. Unsafe? Not any more than any other Caribbean Island, but the lifestyle of the locals is what is sometimes considered "Scary" to people. We've visited Jamaica on both cruise vacations AND on land stays many times. Lovely, beautiful island with really friendly people.

What happens that make some visitors feel "threatened" or that it's "dangerous" is that when a ship comes into port, the locals who sell wares to tourists for a living use very aggressive sales tactics to make a sale. It's just part of their culture. We like to visit the markets, engage the local vendors in conversation, maybe purchase a few little things, etc. Some locals will pester you to purchase, some will even go as far as following you as you walk away, but If you know that it's just a sales tactic, give them a firm NO, or better yet, explain to them why you don't need their wares or services and they will move on. Freak out, look scared, run holding your purse and that will only entertain them.

I have not heard of a single tourist being injured or in "danger" in my 30 years of visiting this island. Not to say there isn't crime....of course there is, but just use your head as you would in any other foreign country. Don't talk politics, don't condemn their lifestyles, don't flash a lot of money or jewelry around. I would recommend this on ANY of the Caribbean islands.

Go and have fun. Jamaican people are really funny, love to talk and will entertain you if you give them the chance!

We walked back from Margaritaville to the ship and the only thing that happened was two people asked us....

1. can I braid your daughters hair?

2. I have some shell jewelry if you want to buy?

Other than that everyone was walking around, for us safety in numbers.

Just saying.

I've spent one week at an all inclusive in Ocho Rios ( Moon Palace ) and would say, yes..

It is not safe.

My week was free.. and I would not go back.. even for another free week.

It reminds me of Colon, Panama which is saying ALOT

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I've spent one week at an all inclusive in Ocho Rios ( Moon Palace ) and would say, yes..

It is not safe.

 

My week was free.. and I would not go back.. even for another free week.

 

It reminds me of Colon, Panama which is saying ALOT

 

 

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Can you tell me why you felt unsafe? What happened? I'm just curious, as I've been there many times and not had anything unsafe happen to me. Maybe it's worse than when I was there last year, I don't know. Please fill us in if you will.

i agree with Capt. BJ. Unsafe? Not any more than any other Caribbean Island, but the lifestyle of the locals is what is sometimes considered "Scary" to people. We've visited Jamaica on both cruise vacations AND on land stays many times. Lovely, beautiful island with really friendly people.

 

Don't talk politics, don't condemn their lifestyles, don't flash a lot of money or jewelry around. I would recommend this on ANY of the Caribbean islands.

 

Go and have fun. Jamaican people are really funny, love to talk and will entertain you if you give them the chance!

...so...maybe i should leave my "Make America Great Again" cap on the ship......???

Ocho Rios is safe enough as long as you don't go wandering around aimlessly off the beaten path .... ;)

Security was around. I felt slightly pestered by people wanting to braid hair or give mi the lowest price on a tour. I never felt unsafe. This was from the ship to turtle beach in OR.

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...so...maybe i should leave my "Make America Great Again" cap on the ship......???

lol :')

At ANY port, or any city in the USA for that matter......don't wander around drunk. Bad things will happen.

Do vendors get aggressive? Yes, at many ports, they can be aggressive trying to sell you something. Nothing more than poor people trying to make a living and feed their families. Keep that in mind. They all see the cruise ship people as rich people for obvious reasons.

Was skimming the Jamaica forum because we were considering a cruise that stopped in Falmouth and wanted to see if things have changed in Jamaica but it doesn't seem like it.

We stopped in Ocho Rios on a cruise in 2009. We're pretty DIY so we did some pre-planning and just hopped off the ship to do our thing: Dunn's Falls, Lobster Dave,etc. We didn't really feel unsafe. Instead, our own lasting impression was the unpleasant harassment and how so many people/vendors just turned from friendly to downright angry when they determined they weren't going to extract a dollar from you. And it seemed like everywhere. That said, anyone that was capitalizing on the tourist dollars were pretty friendly.

Needless to say, Jamaica isn't on the top of my list to visit again asap but we'd go depending on circumstance. We likely wouldn't DIY again but as much as we hate bubbling ourselves, we'd probably do a small tour or hit up a resort.

As an aside, we walked around Colon a bit after a tour to the Embera. Wasn't the prettiest of towns but we thought people were friendly.

I can't speak to its "safety" in terms of crime stats or whatnot, but it is most certainly among the seedier ports I have visited over the years. The locals are aggressive in their sales pitches, bordering on intimidation. I have been pretty much everywhere in the Caribbean, and the vibe in Ocho Rios in terms of sales tactics is certainly on a higher level, without a doubt.

Also, we prefer to see a port on foot rather than take a taxi, but if you refuse the invitations of the aggressive taxi drivers at the port, they will practically accuse you of harming the local economy. Local economy or not, I think I have the right to use my legs for locomotion, and won't be bullied into using cabs.

If I were on my own I'd probably tolerate it, although I wouldn't go out of my way to visit. But my wife was genuinely scared.

"Safe" or not, we have zero interest in returning to this place, and on the occasions that we do, we won't be getting off the ship, simple as that. Others can support the local economy.

We walked back from Margaritaville to the ship and the only thing that happened was two people asked us....

1. can I braid your daughters hair?

2. I have some shell jewelry if you want to buy?

 

Other than that everyone was walking around, for us safety in numbers.

 

Just saying.

We are wondering abut the walk from the ship to and from Margaritaville - can you give me a ballpark distance?

Are there places to sit along the way or bike taxis to hire?

Thanks in advance, Edie

I can't speak to its "safety" in terms of crime stats or whatnot, but it is most certainly among the seedier ports I have visited over the years. The locals are aggressive in their sales pitches, bordering on intimidation. I have been pretty much everywhere in the Caribbean, and the vibe in Ocho Rios in terms of sales tactics is certainly on a higher level, without a doubt.

 

Also, we prefer to see a port on foot rather than take a taxi, but if you refuse the invitations of the aggressive taxi drivers at the port, they will practically accuse you of harming the local economy. Local economy or not, I think I have the right to use my legs for locomotion, and won't be bullied into using cabs.

 

If I were on my own I'd probably tolerate it, although I wouldn't go out of my way to visit. But my wife was genuinely scared.

 

"Safe" or not, we have zero interest in returning to this place, and on the occasions that we do, we won't be getting off the ship, simple as that. Others can support the local economy.

Excellent first post. Welcome to CC.

Excellent first post. Welcome to CC.

I am curious about the walk to Margaritville too! Thanks

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Hello,

We don't have any plans on doing much in Jamaica. One thought we had was to take a short walk and swim for an hour at Margaritville.

How is the beach there?

How far is it from the ship?

Do you get harassed much either on the walk or on

the beach itself?

Is it a nice clean beach?

Thanks

It is a fairly short walk from pier to Margaritaville,with some shopping in between.End to end I would have to say less than 1/2 of a mile