Peat Taylor Tours From Falmouth

Our family has booked a tour with Peat Taylor to the Irie hole and other activiites in April. We will be docked at Falmouth. Has anyone used Peat Taylor out of Falmouth yet. I am a bit concerned about all of the travel time and ensuring that we are back to the ship in time. Thanks!

Bumping this back to the top just in case someone one that has docked in Falmouth in the week or so have used Peat Taylor.

I would also love to know the answer to your question. We will be docking at Falmouth in April and I have tentative plans with Peat Taylor. I've sent him an e-mail asking him to confirm with me that there is enough time. He sent a response with pricing, etc., but not a firm committment to being able to do everything we want to within the allotted time.

I booked with a different guide, Mark Morris, he called me directly, and talked to me for a good 20 minutes. He said that it is a 50 minute trip each way from Falmouth to Ocho Rios and back, and to allow 3-4 hours once there, depending on what you want to do. So you are looking at a 6 hour day.

He also said that he is not taking clients to the blue hole any more, as it is not a licensed attraction and there have been some problems there. Our tour is an Ocio Rios highlights tour including, botanical gardens, drive thru Fern Gully, Dunn's Falls, and lunch at Scotchies. I told him we are into photography not adventure seekers!

He also said in 18 years he has never had a passenger miss their ship. :D

Our family has booked a tour with Peat Taylor to the Irie hole and other activiites in April. We will be docked at Falmouth. Has anyone used Peat Taylor out of Falmouth yet. I am a bit concerned about all of the travel time and ensuring that we are back to the ship in time. Thanks!

I will be doing an Ocho Rios / Dunn's River Falls tour with Peat Taylor on the 24th. I will respond to this thread on March 26th to let you know how it went. (Unless I'm stuck in Jamaica - then maybe I'll respond earlier! :) )

He also said that he is not taking clients to the blue hole any more, as it is not a licensed attraction and there have been some problems there.

Wish I knew more details about what the 'issues' were. rWe chose blue hole because we wanted to get away from the tourist attractions. I read on another post that the guide onsite was asking an extreme amount but then the tour conductor who brought them smoothed things out. If that's all it is I'm ok with that if my tour conductor is (I'm going with Trevor Hudlin) but if there have been other more serious incidents obviously its not worth the risk.

If op still goes in April I'd really love to hear back because we don't go until May.

Wish I knew more details about what the 'issues' were. rWe chose blue hole because we wanted to get away from the tourist attractions. I read on another post that the guide onsite was asking an extreme amount but then the tour conductor who brought them smoothed things out. If that's all it is I'm ok with that if my tour conductor is (I'm going with Trevor Hudlin) but if there have been other more serious incidents obviously its not worth the risk.

 

If op still goes in April I'd really love to hear back because we don't go until May.

That sounds plausible. You could also email Mark Morris and ask about it?

I just went with his recommendations and didn't ask for details on it.

I am able to give you more info on Blue Hole (Irie Hole), which we did through Peat Taylor, Peat and his son were great. Our family was there in 8/09. It was me, my husband and 4 kids 14, 12 1/2, 11, 6. While Blue was absolutely beautiful, if I had known exactly what it was, I might have not booked it. With that being said...it was the highlight of our kids cruise (that and the ship RCCL FOS). We asked Peat to take us something not too touristy like Dunns Falls, we wanted to do something different.

Blue Hole consisted of waterfalls and underwater caves. To get to the underwater caves part was a treacherous 30 minute walk (this was the rough part with kids). If we had fell on the way to the underwater caves, it would have not been good! Peat Taylor did bring helpers for us although I was the one who needed the most help! What I did not know was how difficult it was to get in to the cave part at the end of the 30 minute rough journey. I must also add that since I do not know how to swim, I wasn't able to go in, although I don't think I would have anyway. At the safer part, the waterfalls, it is beautiful. The only dangerous thing is that they have ropes which you can use to jump from the upper part of waterfall into a natural pool. It is very possible that you can fall onto rocks instead of the natural pool.

We could have just done the waterfalls without doing the underwater caves part. To be honest...we really didn't know what it was until we reached the end. You first did the waterfall part then you did the underewater cave part after the long walk.

The only way that we were able to do this excursion is that Peat had about 3 guides there for the 6 of us. Would I do this again, absolutely not. If any one of us had got hurt, it would have been bad. I don't even know how close the nearest hospital was. It wasn't the safest thing to do with 4 kids. You should have seen my face when I saw my kids swinging on the rope.

We had not issues with money...Peat Taylor had told us the price up front. At the end of the tour at Blue Hole we also tipped the helpers. We didn't know about this part, but they definitely earned their money (even more than Peat did). Peat really just drove us there from the Port. Blue Hole seemed to be in a very remote area. I was concerned just a little because we had our kids with us.

Another thing I want to add is that Falmouth is far from Ocho, especially if there is traffic or an accident. I don't think I would use a private tour guide for an excursion so far away from the port. I would only use a private tour guide if doing excursion close to the port. Even the greatest tour guide can't control traffic. This ship will only wait for ship sponsored excursions not private ones.

I hope everbody enjoys their excursions...be safe!

funfamilyof6 - Are you primarily saying you wouldn't do it again because you aren't that adventurous and found the type of excursion it was too dangerous? Or did you feel unsafe where you were location/people wise? My daughter and I are specifically going for the waterfalls and the idea of the rope swing EXCITES us, I've bouldered climbed up to remote waterfalls in the Adirondacks w/o any guides, so those things are less worrisome to me but if I'm going to be mugged by a bunch of locals or pressured to pay up $50 pp for a water hole then who needs it.

You were very clear on the difficulty of the walk to the underwater caves but what about to get to the waterfalls? I got the impression that was a fairly easy walk. Can you comment?

We've used Peat Taylor and his son (Re-Peat) on two different cruises. They are both wonderful tour operators!

funfamilyof6 - Are you primarily saying you wouldn't do it again because you aren't that adventurous and found the type of excursion it was too dangerous? Or did you feel unsafe where you were location/people wise? My daughter and I are specifically going for the waterfalls and the idea of the rope swing EXCITES us, I've bouldered climbed up to remote waterfalls in the Adirondacks w/o any guides, so those things are less worrisome to me but if I'm going to be mugged by a bunch of locals or pressured to pay up $50 pp for a water hole then who needs it.

 

You were very clear on the difficulty of the walk to the underwater caves but what about to get to the waterfalls? I got the impression that was a fairly easy walk. Can you comment?

Getting to the waterfalls was not difficult at all. The waterfalls was actually pretty close to the entrance of blue hole...the waterfalls is what I think they refer to as blue hole. As I said in my posting, the only dangerous part of the waterfalls was the swinging rope over the waterfall. If you didn't let go at exactly the right time you would fall onto the rocks. You have to keep in mind that I had a 6 year old with me ( I didn't allow her to do this part). As far as the other part leading up to the underwater caves, it sounds like if you boulder climbed up waterfalls, that you would have absolutely no problem with this part. At the time I had did this excursion, I had just had knee surgery a few weeks prior, so having to climp up slippery rocks was a little scary for me. The rest of my family was fine with it. Also, when we do excursions, I like to do everything with my children...because I was not able to swim, I couldn't.

You mentioned going with your daughter, I will let you know one thing that bothered me a little. Besides the tour guide staying with us most of the time, the helpers were very young. After we were done with the excursion, one of the helpers mentioned to me to tell my 14 year old daughter at time, that when she was older that he wanted to marry her and that she was beautiful. We all made a jokes about this later...but it did make me feel a little uncomfortable. You have to make your own decision on what your comfort level is. Since my sister's father is Jamaican, I was very well aware that Jamaican are very forward like this, but when someone is looking at your daugter (with a bathing suit on) in this matter, it makes you feel a little uncomfortable. With this being said, I nor my family ever felt threatened.

As far as safety goes, as I mentioned in my previous post, this was in a very remote area. We trusted Peat Taylor completely, but if anybody wanted to mug or do whatever to us, it wouldn't have been difficult. The only other people around us in the entire remote area were the 3 guides helping us and they were young teens who only had their bathing suits on. There is a lot of crime in Jamaica and since I had our children with us, I would never put them in possible danger just to do an exciting excursion. Since this is a private tour, nobody would have had any idea where we were if something had happened to us. If we were alone, I wouldn't have thought twice, but we weren't...we had our children with us.

The price of the tour was clearly discussed before the tour and that is what we were charged. We did give the tour guides helpers tips. My children were a lot safer with them!

I do want to mention again....Peat Taylor was an excellent tour guide and we would use him again in a second, just not to go see Blue Hole again. I would not do Blue Hole again, but I am happy we did it. It definitely was the most adventurous thing we did as a family. Maybe next time we will go river tubing instead. At least I can get a life jacket for that. :)

Thanks so much for all the information and details! It definitely is helpful and worth taking into consideration, I'm not ever sure we'll attempt the cave part. We'll be with 2 other families from our ship and my daughter is 18 so I'm a little less concerned (I wouldn't do it just the 2 of us) I'm not happy about the things that were said to your daughter. You are so right it is uncomfortable, we've experienced it in other places too. We've been to several Latin countries where they love American girls (especially blonds) She knows to just ignore them and not say anything to encourage it.

Thank you again!

Your welcome..if you will be with other families, you will be fine. Peat Taylor is wonderful. You will love the views of the waterfall. If everybody is in fairly good shape, you will be able to do both. My kids LOVED the more adventurous part. By the way, I have blondes.:eek:

Have a great time.:)

We just returned from a week on the Carnival Liberty. We pre-booked Pete Talyor Tours in Jamaica for the day as a result of recommendations on Cruise Critic. Our group of 18 unanimously agree that our day with Pete's son Pete Junior was the best day of our whole trip! The bus was clean and comfortable. The driver and Pete were warm and knowledgeable and worked hard to ensure we had a great day. The tour was customized to meet our meets and exceeded all of our expectations. The Cool Blue Hole was one of the most beautiful places we have ever seen and Dunn's River Fall's did not disappoint. Pete Junior took us to a local preschool to donate school supplies and we were moved to tears by the gratitude of the children and the staff. If you are so inclined-please consider picking up some much needed and appreciated school supplies and drop by to say hello! It is a visit you will not soon forget.Thank you PJ for an extraordinary day!!!!! We will be back for sure and will highly recommend you to all! Your reputation is well earned and deserved!

P.S. Ask PJ to take you to the Fern Man--He is hysterical!

I'm glad you had a good time with Pete. We were with him two years ago and had a great time. Our first time there, we did a Carnival tour and felt very uneasy. Four years later we went with Pete and did the Falls, tubing and ate at the Ruins and it was a wonderful trip. Next time we will give him a call.

Is he related to Courtney Taylor?? He also does tours in Jamaica that are highly recomended.

Here's another vote for Peat Taylor tours. We started out the day with Peat (who was informative and friendly) and then our group was divided after the Dunn River Falls stop since different people were going different places. My husband and I, who were the only ones going White River tubing, were paired up with Peat, Jr. and he was as informative and friendly as his father. A great day in Ocho Rios.

We just returned from a week on the Carnival Liberty. We pre-booked Pete Talyor Tours in Jamaica for the day as a result of recommendations on Cruise Critic. Our group of 18 unanimously agree that our day with Pete's son Pete Junior was the best day of our whole trip! The bus was clean and comfortable. The driver and Pete were warm and knowledgeable and worked hard to ensure we had a great day. The tour was customized to meet our meets and exceeded all of our expectations. The Cool Blue Hole was one of the most beautiful places we have ever seen and Dunn's River Fall's did not disappoint. Pete Junior took us to a local preschool to donate school supplies and we were moved to tears by the gratitude of the children and the staff. If you are so inclined-please consider picking up some much needed and appreciated school supplies and drop by to say hello! It is a visit you will not soon forget.Thank you PJ for an extraordinary day!!!!! We will be back for sure and will highly recommend you to all! Your reputation is well earned and deserved!

P.S. Ask PJ to take you to the Fern Man--He is hysterical!

Thank you so much for letting us know that we could do this. We heard about doing this in Haiti, but our children would get much more out of doing this since they may be able to meet the children. We also used Peat last time and met his son. They were both great. We plan to use them again on our cruise this August.

Were you able to meet the children when you went to the preschool? What kind of supplies is most needed???

Bumping this again to see if anyone has used Peat Taylor from Falmouth. DFGF any update? Thanks!

*sigh* - I just spent 20 minutes typing a reply and it disappeared into the internet!

Here's the short version - awesome excursion with Peat Taylor!

I'll retype the longer version tonight or tomorrow.

Dave

Our family has booked a tour with Peat Taylor to the Irie hole and other activiites in April. We will be docked at Falmouth. Has anyone used Peat Taylor out of Falmouth yet. I am a bit concerned about all of the travel time and ensuring that we are back to the ship in time. Thanks!

Okay. I booked with Peat Taylor and specifically asked for a private tour. As such I did not expect it to be Peat Taylor himself, but rather one of his other drivers.

When we arrived in Falmouth my group of six departed the ship approximately 15 minutes after the gangway was opened. We walked through the port and directly to the area where all of the tour buses and vans are staged. There was a professionally-dressed gentleman hoding a sign which read 'Peat Taylor'. He introduced himself as Clifton and asked if I was David - he was our driver. He walked us to one of the usual 9- or 10-passengers 'minivans' that you see all over the Caribbean, emblazoned with the Peat Taylor Tours logo.

We left the port immediately and started out toward Ocho Rios. I was expecting a winding, twisty two-lane road like much of which is in Ocho Rios. Imagine my surprise when within two miles we were on a 3-lane expressway as nice as anything in the States. This was basically an interestate running along the northern edge of the island between the two port cities. We were at Dunn's River Falls within 45 minutes. During the drive Clifton gave us a very detailed history of Jamaica and pointed out several points of interest along the way. We did the normal Dunn's River Falls excursion, met Clifton and got back in the van. He drove us through about 10 minutes of Fern Gully before turning around and driving us to The Ruins at the Falls - my favorite restaurant in Jamaica. It's very close to the Ocho Rios cruiseship port, so I asked for us to be dropped off there and to be met again at 3pm outside of Margaritaville. We had a delicious lunch there and then did some shopping/browsing at the Ocho Rios port before partaking in some adult beverages at Margaritaville.

We met Clifton outside of Margaritaville right at 3pm and were back in Falmouth at our ship by 4pm. (Our ship was scheduled to leave at 4:30pm.) The tour ran us $55 each for 6 people, and we gave Clifton a $50 tip at the end.

It was a fantastic day, and well worth the money. I never had any concerns about getting back to the ship. Peat's entire business rests on cruiseship passengers getting back to their cruiseships on time. Clifton was already right where he said he would be, when he said he would be.

How much is the blue hole and dunn river falls tour with Peat Taylor?

How much is the blue hole and dunn river falls tour with Peat Taylor?

$60 for adults $55 for kids 11 and under... and according to website when you have 1-4 people a minimum charge of $160. These charges are from Falmouth.

We have also booked a tour with Peat out of Falmouth for the week of April 18. We are doing the DRF, River tubing, and Blue Hole per his recommendation. He said it would be approx. 5 1/2 hrs. It is my understanding that the falls are about an hour away from Falmouth. Cost for the three tours is $85/person I believe. I may ask to drop tubing or blue hole if time seems to be an issue. Don't want to miss the boat. Anyway, anyone who has toured with Peat out of Falmouth, info would be appreciated. Mainly concerned about time. Thanks.

We just returned from our cruise. We did the Blue hole with Peat Taylor. Unlike DFGF, I had not specifically requested a private tour and this did create some issues. The departure from the Oasis was crazy and confusing. We did not see clear signs on where to go for the private excursions so we had to ask multiple port workers to find out where to go. Most were not very helpful. Finally we found the man with the Peat Taylor sign and were directed to the tour van. He was waiting for about 3-4 more parties to joint the ride to Ocho Rios. We waited for at least 45 min to an hour and still were missing 2-3 groups. Finally the moved our party and the other 2 that were doing Dunns River Falls to a different van and we headed off to Ocho Rios with Peat's son Oneal. The drive was about 45 minutes and Oneal provided a lot of good information along the way. We dropped off the groups at Dunns River Falls and then were off the the Blue Hole, picking up Benji our guide on the way. The Blue Hole was awesome. We were a party of 4 with 2 teenage girls and we loved it. We were the only visitors there so it was peaceful and beautiful. The girls loved jumping off of the "cliff" and the rope swing. Benji was great! It was very peaceful and relaxing. We spent about 2 hours at the blue hole and then Oneal dropped us off at the Jerk Center for some food. The food was really good and we were really hungry. We then had to meet up with the other 2 groups to go back to the ship. That was where some of the anxiety came in. The other groups then also wanted some food and we didn't leave Ocho Rios until 4:15 to 4:20. We had to be on the boat by 5:30. There was a lot of traffic in Falmouth. They didn't seem ready to deal with all of the traffic that comes with the port and we exited the van at 5:25. Way too close for me. We made it on the ship just fine and departure was delayed because of ship sponsored trips. I actually still saw some groups getting on the ship after 6:00. We had a great time with Oneal and Benji at the Blue Hole. It was amazing, but the heart attack that I was having at 5:25 tarnished it a little. I would not hesitate to book a tour with Peat Taylor again, but be aware that the distance and traffic associated with Falmouth may limit the itinerary. Monitor the time and ask for a private tour if possible so you have more control over the itinerary and time. Hope this helps.