RCCL cruisers...tell me about Falmouth

[bigfig63]

Originally Posted by lorey2007

was the dock on the starboard side?

yes

[LESLIEKURZ]

My parents are cruising with us in May. Today I talked with my Mom about what it's like being in a really poor country so that she would not be upset or uncomfortable when we're in Jamaica, Cozumel, etc. Dad's military so he's good but Mom has never visited a truly poor place ever. I think if you are prepared and are understanding you can enjoy yourself, be respectful and support the locals anywhere you go. People are people no matter where you go right?

[johneeo]

Originally Posted by LESLIEKURZ

People are people no matter where you go right?

Not really.

[mrsfuzzmo]

Originally Posted by LESLIEKURZ

My parents are cruising with us in May. Today I talked with my Mom about what it's like being in a really poor country so that she would not be upset or uncomfortable when we're in Jamaica, Cozumel, etc. Dad's military so he's good but Mom has never visited a truly poor place ever. I think if you are prepared and are understanding you can enjoy yourself, be respectful and support the locals anywhere you go. People are people no matter where you go right?

Absolutely. We've found that if you take a minute or two to say hello and talk to the Jamaicans they are very friendly. It's when you run scared that they do taunt and harass, but if you treat them like people, they do the same back to you. We've had some wonderful fun and funny experiences talking to Jamaican's in markets and shops. Hopefully people will start to feel a bit safer and more adventurous and head out into the town a bit to spread the wealth around, in hopes that someday the town can grow a bit and become a wonderful port. I'm guessing that's what RCI and the town of Falmouth all want to happen.

[LESLIEKURZ]

Originally Posted by johneeo

Not really.

Ew. Not nice.

[johneeo]

Originally Posted by LESLIEKURZ

Ew. Not nice.

There are places that are polulated by utter barbarians, so, do not think for a moment that it is safe because "people are people".

Think about the three college students that decided to go hiking on the Iranian border. Many others have fared worse.

[LESLIEKURZ]

Originally Posted by johneeo

There are places that are polulated by utter barbarians, so, do not think for a moment that it is safe because "people are people".

Think about the three college students that decided to go hiking on the Iranian border. Many others have fared worse.

I disagree. Utter Barbarians do exist but I wouldn't paint a whole country with that brush because of the thoughts and actions of a few.

[johneeo]

Originally Posted by LESLIEKURZ

I disagree. Utter Barbarians do exist but I wouldn't paint a whole country with that brush because of the thoughts and actions of a few.

Geez, I painted nothing, I just mentioned that "people are people" just sometimes does not appy to some places on this planet.

I made no reference whatsoever to Jamaica or any specific place, just stating do not be naive and think that as an American tourist you can globe trot wherever you desire without danger.

[LESLIEKURZ]

Originally Posted by johneeo

Geez, I painted nothing, I just mentioned that "people are people" just sometimes does not appy to some places on this planet.

I made no reference whatsoever to Jamaica or any specific place, just stating do not be naive and think that as an American tourist you can globe trot wherever you desire without danger.

Gotcha.

[csunshine860]

Originally Posted by JKT5001

We were in Falmouth in December. We walked around the port area inside the gates which is just the typical port shopping. We didn't do an excursion and so we left the gates, as did many people on our cruise, and ventured into the main part of town. Just say no and keep walking by the people trying to show you what they have to sell if you aren't interested. It can be a bit annoying, but it never felt unsafe. There isn't really much to do, but it was still a nice day. We went to a grocery store for some Red Stripe (less than $2 while they were charging over $6 inside the port) and then walked around the town. Much of the center was newly redone from some of the pictures I had seen. There are many signs describing the sites like Water Square and the Courthouse. We also had some amazing jerk chicken at a small cafe in the George Albert Market. I couldn’t find any nearby beaches that were easy and inexpensive to visit, but we still had a nice day in Falmouth.

THanks for the info. Can you tell me how far the grocery store was from the port and if it had bottled water etc. Thanks again

[PeggyLovesCats]

Hello,

My children and I were on the Freedom in July 2012. We just walked around the port. From the pictures it looks amazing! They have really done a lot since last summer!

We decided to use this as a low cost day, as the other excursions we chose were a bit pricy. It was a nice place to shop. There were lots of vendors selling carved animals, etc, and some clothing places. My daughter got a purple sundress she wore for the rest of the trip! And we purchased carved items for souveneers. Some we had engraved with names. People were friendly.

We did not venture outside the port. I felt very safe. One reason we stayed at the port was that I didn't want to spend hours on a bus going somewhere. I had heard the Falls are very crowded when there are cruise ships in.

Hope this helps!

[bikergal78]

Originally Posted by csunshine860

THanks for the info. Can you tell me how far the grocery store was from the port and if it had bottled water etc. Thanks again

I will chime in here. I walked outside the port a bit before returning back behind the secure area of the port. I also took the trolley ride. I didn't see a grocery store at all. I'm not sure this is the port to go shopping for any type of food in. LOL. In the secure area it is safe. You go outside the gates and it is fair game as I like to say. This would be a port stop to take an excursion in. You can only walk around the secure area so many times

[sjf]

I agree, that inside the gated area you will feel very safe. It is modern, if, as a previous poster said, a bit 'fake'. It would be a real shame just to see that though. It is a beautiful island. We were there last month and I decided this would be the port where we did the big day trip (other ports were Grand Cayman and Cozumel which are much easier to do on your own).
I'd heard all the stories about it not being safe and did not want to get stressed out by taking any unnecessary risks. So the choice for us was between the ship's tours and an independent operator. After much research, I settled on Wentworth Tours www.wentworthtours.com and we had a great day. I had already researched what we wanted to do and Wentworth was happy to take us. He charges $35 a person (for a group of 4, cheaper for larger groups) which is for transportation in a nice 24-seater bus. Then you have him for the day and the only extra cost is for entrance fees. We did tubing on the White River which cost $25 and Coyaba Gardens and Mahoe Falls ($10). Other stops were free. You don't even pay him until the end of your day, so there are no worries if the ship can't dock or whatever.
I'd recommend Wentworth. There are plenty of other local operators mentioned on these boards too that people have good experiences with, so it is worth shopping around to find what suits you. We asked to get back to the port in time for an hour's shopping in the port area and that was enough for us.

[dmwnc1959]

I added these pictures to another thread but will add them here as well just in case they were missed.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/5737706...7628396779075/

I was there this past December and we backed in to the pier starboard side to the dock. The port of Falmouth is not exclusive to RCI as Carnival, Celebrity, MSC,and Pullmantur have all used this facility.

The port shops inside the compound opened shortly after we docked as did the skies with a nice warm rain shower. It rained intermittently during the day making it oppressively hot and muggy, even in December.

As for the compound itself it is quite large, is gated, and secure with police at the entrance to keep unauthorized people from entering. Just before you enter the shops compound through the arched 'Customs House' there are racks of city maps free for the taking.

For the most part the shops offer the same tourist trap souvenirs you might find in St. Thomas, Cozumel, or Grand Cayman, but some of the local vendors were set up under stalls and kiosks and had some interesting hand carved art and paintings.

Once outside the compound I really never felt unsafe. For the first block you are literally hounded by local tour guides in yellow shirts and plastic binders offering their services, and you can politely say "No" as many times as you want, it just doesn't matter. I was followed for two blocks and must have said 'No' and 'No, thank you', fifty times. It just didn't matter to them. There is a central core to the town itself around Water Square and the Court House. I wouldn't venture too far from this area just to be on the cautious side.

There is a local bar/restaurant that has very cheap internet WiFi; 3$ for an hour if you just order a drink, free if you order something to eat. Directions to Club Nazz are as follows: walk ONE block out of the port gate, turn right and head for Water Square. Before hitting the center of the square turn left, head for a grey blue building at the back of the square veering right and Club Nazz is on the next corner with blue awning (see picture in linked thread). It's a nice clean place and several people off of the ship went there and had no problems.

For more impressions and details from my LIVE report read Posts 214-231.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showt...523307&page=11

[Lorey2007]

Do you know if the horse buggy tour is a RCL tour? Loved your photo's thanks.

[dmwnc1959]

Originally Posted by Lorey2007

Do you know if the horse buggy tour is a RCL tour?

These tours are made available by all cruise lines docking at Falmouth through local vendors and providers and are not just an RCI tour. It can be booked through the cruise line or independently.

Since you asked specifically about RCI, I took the time to quickly browse the Shore Excursions offered on the Royal Caribbean web site (it will list all the tours available for Falmouth). It only took a few moments to find that there are 57 tours available...

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/findac...tionCode=CARIB

..and the Horse and Buggy Tour is here:

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/shoreE...tionCode=CARIB

Have a GREAT cruise!

.

[Lorey2007]

dmwnc1959, thanks for the links, although I looked sometimes it takes me a while to find what I'm looking for and know that someone on CC will help me out. Thanks again.

[lindseesmom]

We plan to do do the horse and buggy tour.

[dmwnc1959]

Originally Posted by lindseesmom

We plan to do do the horse and buggy tour.

Here's a picture from my trip this past December. They load/unload the guests into the buggy at a location at the very far end of the piers shops complex on the avenue that leads to the exit gate.

There was also a vendor with a cart just behind where I am standing in this picture selling fresh coconut milk where they take a fresh coconut and machete off the top, stick a long straw in and give it to you. Not sure how much it cost.

[ROBINBIRDIE66]

We were on Freedom last year in June and took the Chukka beach break with lunch - I think the cost was $49. The port was only partially finished so I'm glad we did a tour and it was very good considering the cost and only about 15-20 minutes in the bus. Food was ok - what we ate of it..........so here's the negative..........I am a complete animal lover and was astounded at the poor thin stray dogs that wander the beach area. They are very friendly and obviously know that the American tourists will feed them - which is exactly what most of us did. I vowed that if I ever returned to Jamaica I would have to bring an extra suit case filled with dog food.
Personally, I would not be comfortable walking the town on my own. But that was almost a year ago and things may have changed.