Good Hope Great House - Anyone been there?

Has anyone gone there in taxi or shuttle from the port? We are traveling with parents and a baby and are wondering if it's possible that we can go there by ourselves so that when we get there, we can attend different activities in turns so someone can look after the baby. I'm trying to find pricing information on those individual activities (zip-line, tubing and etc), but with no luck. Any information is appreciated.

Just off Celebrity Millie and took their Good Hope Great House tour thru the ship. We did the Estate tour at your leisure. It was $25.75 and provided roundtrip shuttle and admission to the Great House.The shuttle coming back left about every 1/2 hour to 45 minutes. It's about a 20 minute drive. For two people I don't think you could get a taxi and admission for less but I didn't check so I'm not sure. Guided tours were extra and you could upgrade at the reception area. Never saw anyone being dropped off by taxi while we were there. We just happened to arrive with the horse and buggy group so the guide included us in with her guided tour of the house and then we did the rest of the plantation on our own. A pretty steep walk to the house so I would recommend taking their shuttle to the top if you have any mobility issues. We really enjoyed the tour and the history behind it. The house was built in the mid 1750's. and alot of it is original. Would recommend it!

I know you can upgrade to tubing, zip-ling etc once at the estate but I didn't look at the prices because we only wanted to do the estate tour. Sorry I can't help with the prices.

What did you actually see on the tour?

Sorry for the delay in answering, just returned from the Grand Princess. We saw the main house and grounds surrounding it. Also the water mill by the river where they processed the sugar cane and the old hospital and school for the slaves. Also the pottery house. They have a bar and restaurant here also. On the way to the mill you can see the different lines for the zip-lining too. It took about 2 hours to see everything.

It would be greatly appreciated if anyone would answer but especially Henry2010. I realize that this thread is a couple of years old but am in need of advice. We are going to Falmouth in April with a one-year-old baby as well. I am wondering if we can bring her to the Great Hope House and if you went with your baby. How did it go? Also, is there access to their private beach during the tour? Thank you!

We actually didn't go to the Good Hope Great House. Instead, we hired a private tour guide who had a van to take us to the Dunns River Falls. Our parents looked after our baby at the shore so my wife and I were able to enjoy the the tour at the falls. It was really fun.

Thank you!

We're interested in doing this on our upcoming cruise in May, but I can't find much information about it. Royal's excursions are kind of confusing; there are several that mention this plantation, and I'm not sure what the differences are. Here are the descriptions:

Chukka Estate Pass - FYE2 ($29, at your leisure)

 

Explore a beautifully preserved plantation and discover its unique culture! Chukka's Good Hope Estate boasts more than 2,000 acres of lush plant life, scenic views and the majestic Martha Brae River. Your Estate Pass also includes access to our brand new pool and leisure area, Colonial Village and children's playground. See, smell, touch and taste many of our unique locally manufactured products, including Appleton Estate Rum, Jablum Coffee and Walkerswood Jerk Seasoning. Be sure to take a stroll through our 9,000-square-foot interactive aviary of exotic and indigenous birds!

High Tea at Good Hope Estate - FYA5 ($49, 3.5 hours)

 

Experience the joy of tea, scones, and sandwiches on the beautiful great house grounds served in a manner that was once only for the wealthy. Tour the great house and enjoy the tradition of the high tea, Roam the grounds of the estate where you will see the ruins and stroll along the Martha Brae River. Visit the resident potter's gallery and purchase souvenirs from the Trading House, the only one of its kind in the Caribbean.

1700's Great House & Plantation Tour with Lunch - FY16 ($59, 3 hours)

 

This is a full Estate experience with 4x4 access to select parts of the plantation in our special purpose off road vehicle. Take a walk through one of the most sought after great houses of the 18th century and discover the ruins of buildings that were once the jewel of the Caribbean. The Good Hope Great House built in the 1700's and restored in its entirety, with painting antiques and the lush surroundings of a 2,000 acre working enterprise. Walk on the lands once owned by the largest planter in Jamaica, John Tharp. Travel to the ruins where the waterwheel and kiln still stand today. Your day will not be complete without a visit to the pottery house to see the work of the resident potter and finally stop at the Trading House, the only store of its kind in the Caribbean where you can purchase some great pieces of art, carvings, books and souvenirs made in Jamaica before returning to the cruise ship pier.

A Jamaica jerk grill BBQ lunch is included with this tour.

1755 Good Hope Cultural Explorer Pass - FYE3 ($59, at your leisure)

 

Immerse yourself in culture at one of the oldest historic sites in the Western hemisphere! Chukka’s Good Hope Estate boasts more than 2,000 acres of lush plant life, scenic views and the majestic Martha Brae River.

This includes a guided tour of one of the most sought after great houses of the 18th century, access to our brand new pool and leisure area, Colonial Village and children's playground.

Sip a variety of alcohol-based beverages on the Appleton Estate Rum Tasting Experience, and then head out on a Horse and Carriage Ride for a unique view of the rest of the plantation – including an ancient factory, pottery barn and waterwheel.

Don’t miss our one-of-a-kind aviary, filled with exotic and indigenous birds!

Obviously there are small differences in these descriptions, but I guess I'm just kind of confused about the situation in general when you get to the estate. From what little I've been able to read here and on TripAdvisor, it sounds pretty unorganized in general. Has anyone been on any of these four excursions specifically through Royal Caribbean? Any insight into the plantation experience would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you for posting that question, erries! I would like to know, too, as I just looked at all 4 of those excursions yesterday. Agreed - it is confusing.

Hopefully someone will respond... but if not, my group has pretty much decided on the one titled "1700's Great House & Plantation Tour with Lunch - FY16", mostly because of the mention of the 4x4 tour of the grounds (and the included lunch). If no one responds before I go on my cruise in May, I promise to come back here afterward to report back! It's really frustrating that we can't find any information about any of these excursions.

I am also curious. If you haven't, you might check out the Chukka website (the tour providers) as they have just the tiniest smidgen more info included in their breakdowns.

We did High Tea at Good Hope Estate and I can only post my experience but I would not recommend it. It was very disorganized and the the 'high tea' was lipton tea bags. Nobody on our tour ate any of the 'scones and sandwiches' as they were sitting in an outside somewhat screened in porch like area, not covered, and flies buzzing all over. Not only that, looking at them it seemed they had probably been sitting out for awhile and it was hot and nobody wanted to get sick. In talking to several others on the tour who were complaining among themselves about this excursion we all agreed to mention it on our comment cards, which I did.

I will say the tour of the house and grounds, while short, was interesting if you are a history buff as I am. But it wasn't worth cost of the tour. If someone else had a better experience there, good for you, I can only share mine and I would not do the High Tea.

We will be sure to NOT do the High Tea. I wonder if the tour with the lunch will have flies around the meal. hmmmm…maybe do a tour with no food??

We will be sure to NOT do the High Tea. I wonder if the tour with the lunch will have flies around the meal. hmmmm…maybe do a tour with no food??

Yeah, I'm considering this now too. Some of the reviews I read on TripAdvisor also mentioned flies and/or the food just not being that good. I was originally leaning toward the third excursion in my list above -- I really like the sound of the 4x4 off-road vehicles -- but now I'm thinking maybe the fourth one. Same price but "at your leisure", still includes a tour of the house itself and a tour of the grounds (by horse and carriage instead of 4x4), also includes pool access but not lunch. So possibly my group could do this one "at our leisure" and then get lunch either before or after, back in the enclosed port area or even back on the ship. Hmm, decisions, decisions.

And Loves_Dogs, thank you very much for your feedback! We appreciate it.

I did end up touring the Good Hope Great House on my recent Allure cruise, and I wrote about it here:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1970890