Falmouth Trolley Tour

Is there a trolley tour that departs from the port at Falmouth? I want to keep it simple on my port stop at Falmouth and have seen pictures of a trolley that tours the city. Any information will be appreciated.

We were in Falmouth last month (September) and did see the trolley option to tour the town. It stages at the end of the shops inside the gates of the port area. We didn't do the trolley but I think it was about $20-25USD. We walked around town and came across it at the church.

Hi Milhouse, thanks for responding. You are the only person who has so far. You mention you walked around. I have read so much that it is not safe, etc. Did you just exit the port and take a stroll around Falmouth? I would love to do that. Can you tell me a little more about your experience?

Hmm, I wouldn't consider it unsafe but it's kind of unpleasant and unproductive in some ways. lol

To exit the port area, we were directed to one particular gate that took us out onto a road with a small outdoor marketplace nearby which we didn't go into. While there wasn't a throng of people trying to sell tours like other Caribbean ports we did encounter one guy on the way out and one guy on the way back asking if we were interested in going on a tour. We told them we just wanted to walk around the town and we had a pleasant conversation with both them. Everyone directly profiting off the tourism seemed to be really nice.

We walked by the big yellow town hall/courthouse building and then wandered up and down a few streets radiating from water square whereever there seemed to be activity happening. It's not really a large town at all though it does have some interesting buildings. We ended up grabbing some beef (ie Jamaican) patties at a bakery-type place called Spicy Nice. The patties were 140JMD but they took our USD's and gave us change in JMD which we later donated at the church. They were fresh and pretty delicious. We kind of got some curious looks in there but no big deal.

Afterwards, we headed a few blocks further south and there was local retail and commercial activity but nothing really of note other than seeing local life, grocery stands, etc. It might have been interesting to head into the residential areas but we didn't. We then headed back north and then east along Duke Street to St Peter's Church. They had some vendors outside but they didn't really bother us. The church was kind of interesting with 3 nice stained glass windows. On the way out, the tram arrived and the vendors were all over those folks. :D

After the church, we started heading back to the core area and this is where it got a bit interesting. We passed some teens hanging out at a corner across the street who called out for a dollar: "Hey, can I have a dollar?" We just ignored them and they yelled out for us to go f*ck ourselves. :rolleyes:

As we passed by the entrance area to Pepper's Jerk Center a tout for the eatery tagged along with us asking if we wanted to eat there. We told him we already ate some patties. He continued tagging along for a block making conversation and eventually repeatedly asking us to buy him a patty. As we were telling him no, we came across a cop who noticed the tout was being a bit aggressive. The cop basically gave the tout a look to stop bothering us which did the trick.

As we headed back towards the port area, we checked out a few other streets which was uneventful. Inside the port, there was this walkway that headed northwest along the water. We tried walking there but the person manning the gate wouldn't less us through. However, there seemed to be some other walking tour that was coming back in from that gate.

We've been Jamaica once before docking at Ocho Rios. It was kind of a similar experience. We never felt unsafe in that we were going to be mugged but had a number of unpleasant encounters with locals. It's one of the reason why we really didn't shop much in town. If you have a bit of a thick skin, feel confident about walking around Falmouth on your own. The town is small enough in that you're not going to get really lost. We kind of winged it since Jamaica was a substituted port of call for us. We also felt safe enough to whip out my phone within reason to google up information

If you want to insulate yourself a bit, I'd definitely consider taking the tram or doing some kind of guided tour. While I did overall enjoy checking out the town, keep in mind that the real appeal is the natural beauty of Jamaica so I'd recommend considering touring outside of town if this is your first time to Jamaica.

Hope this helps.

Milhouse,

Thank you so much for the details. This is exactly the kind of information I wanted to know. I think the trolley tour would be best for me. I always enjoy a bus, taxi, trolley ride where I can see the city, countryside etc. I was at the Falmouth port once before and took a catamaran/snorkel tour out of Montego Bay so I didn't get to see much of Falmouth itself. My second choice for this trip is maybe taking the Norwegain Tour to Mystic Mountain and riding the bob sled. Just trying to make up my mind.

Milhouse,

 

Thank you so much for the details. This is exactly the kind of information I wanted to know. I think the trolley tour would be best for me. I always enjoy a bus, taxi, trolley ride where I can see the city, countryside etc. I was at the Falmouth port once before and took a catamaran/snorkel tour out of Montego Bay so I didn't get to see much of Falmouth itself. My second choice for this trip is maybe taking the Norwegain Tour to Mystic Mountain and riding the bob sled. Just trying to make up my mind.

Is the trolley tour offered through NCL?

No, I have not seen it offered on Norwegian's list of tours. It seems I do remember it offered on Carnival or Royal. That is why I was asking about it. I remember seeing it on another cruise I was on. I think I am going to give it a try when I am there.

Here's a link to the trolley tour. Doesn't give the price, but does mention that it is 30 minutes. That appears to include a stop.

http://www.falmouthtoursbytrolley.com/

Would be interested in reports from someone who has taken it.

I am hear to report on the tour. I took the tour last Monday and I would say it was perfect for what I wanted to do. The tram depot is located at the back of the port village. It is just before the area where guests go to get on vans/busses for ship tours. It was $25 per adult and about an hour. We had a great guide and driver. The tram drives through Falmouth, stops at a church and then stops at a little spot where you can get out and put your feet the in ocean. Lots of people on our tram did just that. The guide gave lots of facts and answered questions. It was a perfect way to see part of the city. If I remember correctly, there is a sign that says Falmouth Trolley Tours operated by Chukka Tours. If one just wants a little something to do and not spend too much money, I think it is perfect.

Thanks for the review. We will be in Falmouth in 3 weeks and are looking for a little something to do without an excursion.

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starfish the second,

When we got off the ship and walked through the terminal building out into the open port shopping area, there was a covered stand and a lady was selling tickets. They have a large type golf cart you can ride on and it takes you to the actual boarding area. We chose to just walk over to the boarding area as we wanted to go through some of the shops first. One little piece of information....she asked us if we minded sitting on the tram facing backward or did we want to wait for the next tour. We picked the next tour and that gave us time to wander in the port area. Also, we didn't want to face backward.