Red Stripe Beach Review with Pictures

I had seen a few reviews on this but I wanted to post my own, I just got back from my cruise yesterday, was on Red Stripe Beach on Wednesday.

We purchased our excursion through Royal Caribbean for $24 per person, food not included.

On our way to the beach our shuttle driver said that red stripe is only open when the cruise ships are in town, locals are not allowed in.

This was the drive in to the beach after the gate. It was all "swamp" (wetlands) with dead mangroves in areas. It wasn't the nicest introductions to a beach I've ever seen but I wasn't there for the swamp, I was there for the beach so I didn't care.

Another driveway picture, note the Red Stripe Beach flags lining the sand driveway. At this point our driver told us he gives out free butt and back massages to all of this passengers. Then all of a sudden went over a VERY bumpy part of the road, it was hysterical!

Once at the beach, these are the little gift shop huts.

This is the restaurant. I did not order food so I cannot review anything.

They had music playing most of the day, some island music, other more familiar music. At times it was loud when they had planned activities (water aerobics, line dancing etc) but they would turn it back down over time.

Changing Rooms

Restrooms and shower area. No problem/complaints here mon.

The beach around noon. The Allure was in port with us that day as well so it got a bit busier than this but it was never annoyingly busy. Lots of trees for shade, not a piece of trash in sight, they were even raking the beach while we were playing in the sand.

Snorkeling: The water was roped off with buoys so you couldn't go out too far. Nothing grand regarding snorkeling in that area, a couple patches of turtle grass but that's it. A member of our party spotted a large flounder but nothing else to write home about. Along the left side of the beach (looking out at the water) were more turtle grass beds with what seemed like pretty good snorkeling beyond that but it was very shallow and I never saw anyone venturing out.

The beach and water. Note the sign on the far right. Directly behind the sign is a local with a table of goods set up. We never saw anyone go over to him, nor did we pay any attention to him, but he was there all day.

On the other side of the beach you could walk for what seemed like forever without another person in sight. It was just virgin beach and water.

Lifeguards chair and beach. The lifeguard literally watched the water while dancing and singing all day. He was such a nice guy. He loved interacting with my 16 month old daughter.

We had a great day and got good reviews from everyone in our party. We are so glad we didn't listen to reviews that said to just stay on the ship, we never felt unsafe, even with a baby with us and the facilities were fine, no complaints! We would definitely go back again if given the opportunity.

This is exactly why I like Cruise Critic so much. Different opinions, different strokes for different folks. Our group has taken numerous cruises and experienced many, many beautiful beaches. It was our opinion that this was not even close to our previous beach visits over the many years of cruising and probably about one of the worst. Yes it was safe, yes the staff was very friendly and yes there was music and also yes there was trash if you sat back under the trees by the end of the beach. For us this was not a good experience as on this same trip we had previously been to Paradise Beach in Cozumel and this beach and pool was very clean and nice. Check their site for a pretty beach.

Thanks for the review and pictures :)

Thanks for the report!

Is this excursion only available on Royal Caribbean? The unknown must have been alittle scary?! How far from the cruise pier? Could you take a taxi there?

The beach around noon. The Allure was in port with us that day as well so it got a bit busier than this but it was never annoyingly busy. Lots of trees for shade, not a piece of trash in sight, they were even raking the beach while we were playing in the sand.

 

Snorkeling: The water was roped off with buoys so you couldn't go out too far. Nothing grand regarding snorkeling in that area, a couple patches of turtle grass but that's it. A member of our party spotted a large flounder but nothing else to write home about. Along the left side of the beach (looking out at the water) were more turtle grass beds with what seemed like pretty good snorkeling beyond that but it was very shallow and I never saw anyone venturing out.

 

The beach and water. Note the sign on the far right. Directly behind the sign is a local with a table of goods set up. We never saw anyone go over to him, nor did we pay any attention to him, but he was there all day.

 

On the other side of the beach you could walk for what seemed like forever without another person in sight. It was just virgin beach and water.

 

Lifeguards chair and beach. The lifeguard literally watched the water while dancing and singing all day. He was such a nice guy. He loved interacting with my 16 month old daughter.

 

We had a great day and got good reviews from everyone in our party. We are so glad we didn't listen to reviews that said to just stay on the ship, we never felt unsafe, even with a baby with us and the facilities were fine, no complaints! We would definitely go back again if given the opportunity.

Is this excursion only available on Royal Caribbean? The unknown must have been alittle scary?! How far from the cruise pier? Could you take a taxi there?

I honestly don't know but I have seen other posts about posters being on different lines and going to this beach so it is possible.

It was about 10-15 minute ride from pier.

Not too sure on the taxi either. I never saw any pulling up while we were there except for ones scheduled by the cruiseline.

Of course the unknown is a bit unsettling but once I saw the beach it was all good!

And regarding the trash issue from the first poster yes, I remember there was lots of trash washed up down the beach where you walk, in fact my father and I named those different parts "flip flop beach, bottle beach, etc" but it was purely comical and didn't seem to etch any additional memories in my mind, to each their own!

Which Jamaica port is this near?

Which Jamaica port is this near?

Falmouth port

Was the price just for the transportation and access to the beach? Did you have to pay anything additional for a chair? Assume you brought your own towel?

Thanks!

Also, how much was beer?

Was the price just for the transportation and access to the beach? Did you have to pay anything additional for a chair? Assume you brought your own towel?

 

Thanks!

 

Also, how much was beer?

The price included the transportation to the beach and access to the beach.

Chair rentals were $5 each. Yes we brought our ship towels.

Beer was $5 each (if i'm remembering correctly) or 3 for $12, we always got the 3 for $12.

We were on that excursion, too, and have to say we were delighted. There was not a single iota of scariness to it. The beach appears to be owned and operated by RCL, as the driver said that the beach is not in use when their ships aren't in port. The beach is gorgeous, well maintained, roped off and not very crowded, especially if you go early.

As trtllovr said, snorkeling was not the highlight here. However, when walking off the confines of the roped off beach, the turtle grass edges came almost up to water's edge and sea urchins could easily be seen through the crystal clear water.

Besides the very pleasant lifeguard, there was one delightful young man who led activities throughout the day, from water aerobics to Jamaican line dances.

The developed section of beach was perfectly maintained. Raked and clean of debris. Outside that area was not pristine. It may not be under RCL's ownership. Yes, there is some debris at the high tide mark. But it was not like there were huge dump piles. Since this part was not maintained, that's to be expected.

But for me, it did not substantially mar the beauty of the unspoiled area, where you could walk literally a mile or more without seeing any development. If you walked far enough, you rounded a bend and were greeted with the sight of the two ships in the harbor.

It was a perfect, care-free beach day for us, and we are so glad we did not stay on the ship. It was a good way to enjoy the glory of Jamaica without the hassle and stress of the not-so glorious aspects. I would definitely do it again.

We were on that excursion, too, and have to say we were delighted. There was not a single iota of scariness to it. The beach appears to be owned and operated by RCL, as the driver said that the beach is not in use when their ships aren't in port. The beach is gorgeous, well maintained, roped off and not very crowded, especially if you go early.

 

 

 

As trtllovr said, snorkeling was not the highlight here. However, when walking off the confines of the roped off beach, the turtle grass edges came almost up to water's edge and sea urchins could easily be seen through the crystal clear water.

 

 

Besides the very pleasant lifeguard, there was one delightful young man who led activities throughout the day, from water aerobics to Jamaican line dances.

 

The developed section of beach was perfectly maintained. Raked and clean of debris. Outside that area was not pristine. It may not be under RCL's ownership. Yes, there is some debris at the high tide mark. But it was not like there were huge dump piles. Since this part was not maintained, that's to be expected.

 

 

But for me, it did not substantially mar the beauty of the unspoiled area, where you could walk literally a mile or more without seeing any development. If you walked far enough, you rounded a bend and were greeted with the sight of the two ships in the harbor.

 

 

It was a perfect, care-free beach day for us, and we are so glad we did not stay on the ship. It was a good way to enjoy the glory of Jamaica without the hassle and stress of the not-so glorious aspects. I would definitely do it again.

So nice to see some new pictures, and read another positive review ... Feeling better about booking this excursion :) thanks!

So nice to see some new pictures, and read another positive review ... Feeling better about booking this excursion :) thanks!

Hi all! Anyone who have been to Red Stripe Beach recently? Trying to decide what to do in port when visiting Jamaica in June! Need help to decide!:)

Royal Caribbean offers this at three different times and it's advertised as three hours. If we go at 9:30, could we stay until the bus comes at 1:30 for the 10:30 group or do we have to go at 12:30? Thanks!

We did red stripe in Jan 2014 and it has moved down the beach a little closer than when we first did the trip before. In looking at these pictures looks like the the last one I was at in Jan 2014. It is the closet beach you can get to via RC excursion, there is no way to get here unless through the ship. But it is a basic beach day stop with some amenities like food, drinks, chairs and bathrooms. We enjoy it rent a couple chairs set up near trees for shade and a relaxing beach day. The shuttle comes and goes multiple times and you can get on any one headed back to the pier if you want to do shopping or just done for the day. But for the price we find this the best stop in Falmouth.

We were just there last week and I agree that this is a great beach day and area. We had a great time, and yes when you 1st drive up you're a little apprehensive, but once you turn the corner you're like, ahhhhh...

The lunch was really good too, jerk pork was great! We were on the 1st bus and when we got there they were raking the sand and picking up the seaweed, they raked it again about half way through the day, they keep the sand very nice.

Here's a couple pics

Beach beyond the main area towards the ships

The drive in...

Thank you for answering! You made our decision much easier! We will definately book the Red Stripe Beach excursion through Royal Caribbean. Seems like a nice beach, no long transfer to get there and not as expensive as the AI options we found. They look definately just wonderful, but we don't "need" an "AI" in Jamaica:) Counting the days.....

Can you get other drinks besides beer. Do they have a full bar?

They had a bar. Not sure if you could get like frozen drinks. But mixed drinks yes

I see there are 3 choices as when to go to the beach. Do they run out of chairs? Can you take any shuttle back to the ship? How late can you stay?

I see there are 3 choices as when to go to the beach. Do they run out of chairs? Can you take any shuttle back to the ship? How late can you stay?

When I was there, they did run out of chairs later in the afternoon. I think we got there around 10:00 am and there were plenty of chairs and space to choose from. But by the time the last bus got there (maybe around 1?) there weren't any chairs available. So I would definitely recommend choosing one of the earlier times. I think they let you stay until around 3:00, but we left around 2:00 to have time to do some shopping before getting back on the boat. They had a shuttle that ran every hour or so, to take you back to the ship. You could choose whatever shuttle you wanted to leave when you were ready.

P.S. The jerk chicken was delicious!

Hi. For those hat have been, is he price still the same? Ill look tomorrow while I am at work and possibly book. We are in Foulmouth on NYE and we want to go to the beach. Beaides Red Stripe, is there another place anyone would recommend if we got a cab and went? There will be 6 of us all adults from 18-70. Thank you.

If it were me and my family, I'd stick with Red Stripe. Other folks might have had different experiences, but we had a not so great experience with a cab some years ago, and did not care for the very pushy vendors, and aggressive folks on the street trying to sell us drugs. I would definitely stick with a ships tour in Jamaica. Just MHO.

If it were me and my family, I'd stick with Red Stripe. Other folks might have had different experiences, but we had a not so great experience with a cab some years ago, and did not care for the very pushy vendors, and aggressive folks on the street trying to sell us drugs. I would definitely stick with a ships tour in Jamaica. Just MHO.

Thank you very much!