Dunn's River Falls, should I use a Taxi on the pier?

[roque]

I would like to go to Dunn's River Falls, I am traveling with 2 kids (8 and 4) but I am not sure if I should take a cruise tour or just go down from the Ship and take a Taxi to the Falls. I am not sure about the distance from the pier to the falls neither if taxis will be available at the falls for going back, any suggestions?

[NCTribeFan]

Have only been to Montego Bay, so can't help directly.

 

Port-specific questions need to be posted on the individual Ports of Call board (this will probably be moved there).

 

Lots of people who have visited those ports and taken excursions contribute to the threads and help with the questions.

[printingchick]

You can. I concur with the suggestion that you go check out the port of call boards here on CC. You'll get VERY good advice there from people who have already done all the research. It's a FABULOUS resource.

[AlanAllyn]

That is a port that I would take the ship's excursion. (I usually book a mix of private tours and ship's excursions.)

[WeBeGone]

We used a ship excursion. That way you have a secure place to leave clothes and personal belongings. Be sure to bring your own water shoes or aqua socks. They do rent them but they are icky. Take a water proof camera on your wrist. Your 4 year old will not be able to climb the falls. The bolders are huge, the water is cold, deep and fast. If you have another adult with you, have the 4 yr old watch from the viewpoints but don't even think of taking a child that young up the falls.

[GlendaleCruiser]

I vote for the ship's excursion, also. We seemed to drive for quite a while to get there and stopped for lunch on the way back. I don't think I would have wanted to take a taxi. Route seemed simple enough, just long so you might have a high taxi bill.

[janabm81]

We did the ships excursion that was a land rover safari type vehicle...it took us all over the area and then to the falls. Lots of fun! :)

[Capt_BJ]

OMG .... a lot of misinformation....sorry to rant.

 

- assuming you are going to Ocho Rios the falls are less than 5 miles from the piers. You can take a taxi or when you go to the taxi stand ask for the Dunns River Shuttle . . . check google earth...you can find the piers and the falls park..

 

- you should have NO trouble finding a taxi or the shuttle after your day. Taxi are stacked there.

 

{realize that DRF is a national park. if you visit on a week day you will likely see only the cruise trips trying to pump people thru. on a weekend the park is packed with 'locals' who don't need guides and plan to spend the day 'at the beach'.}

 

- while you may not want to climb the falls with your kids (and the common path is navigable for a 4yo IMO, with supervision) you can take them and sit in the pools at the several 'turn outs' along the way. They amount to swimming pools with cool rushing water that they will love.

 

- there are simple lockers available for a few dollars but I would try to limit what I carry

 

- I recommend you and the kids have something on your feet ... cheap water shoes are fine or old tennies ready to be thrown away. this gives you grip on the wet rocks and protection from what ever else might be in the water.

 

- If you find the RayBan Aviators I lost in 1982 please let me know....btw I plan to visit with a group in just a few weeks and these are the guidelines I've given my group

 

 

-

[Bonnie J.]

When we went a year ago we found a bus that only went there in the parking lot. Don't remeber the price but know it was less than a cab. The bus keeps coming and going there and there was little wait time. This was in Ocho Rios.

[DonnaK]

Ocho Rios is one port where I wouldn't feel comfortable going off on my own, especially with kids. There are lots of wonderful private tour guides (we use Marva Shaw www.knowjamaica.com and she offers a wonderful package that combines the falls with River Tubing, which happens to be my children's favorite excursion of all-time).

[matj2000]

You can always hitchhike there. I am sure some trustworthy person will be glad to give you and your family a lift..

[roque]

Thanks for your comments, I just came back and we hire Courtney Taylor and he did a great job, taxis at the pier cost $10 per person for going to the falls but in my humble opinion taking a private tour is worth.

Courtney Taylor took us to the falls then to the city, then we went tubing then he took us for lunch and to close the tour he took us to the market, it was very comfortable traveling with him, we left our staff in his car and he watched for us all the time. There was no pressure and he always followed our pace and we were able to decide where to go.

[ehfl]

If you are going with kids, definitely do the excursion from the ship. The place is chaos 9and that's putting it mildly), with lots of locals pushing everything from local crafts to locally grown substances of every kind. If you go by taxi, you will have no place to leave your towels, etc. and no one to hold your cameras and take pictures of you at the falls.

 

Don't miss it...this is one of the funnest things we've done on any excursion. Just realize that you're not in Kansas anymore, and the local culture is most likely not what the kids are used to back home. You don't want to be watching out for the kids, and trying to find your way to the falls, and back to the taxi area....let the guide handle the logistics, while you look after the kids.

[UlvaZell]

I would like to go to Dunn's River Falls, I am traveling with 2 kids (8 and 4) but I am not sure if I should take a cruise tour or just go down from the Ship and take a Taxi to the Falls. I am not sure about the distance from the pier to the falls neither if taxis will be available at the falls for going back, any suggestions?

 

If you are looking to travel to Dunn's river falls from Montego Bay, its probably a little over an hour trip. Might be a bit far/expensive for a taxi...

 

The falls are very beautiful but be warned, the water is very cold...

[ringram]

OMG .... a lot of misinformation....sorry to rant.

 

- assuming you are going to Ocho Rios the falls are less than 5 miles from the piers. You can take a taxi or when you go to the taxi stand ask for the Dunns River Shuttle . . . check google earth...you can find the piers and the falls park..

 

- you should have NO trouble finding a taxi or the shuttle after your day. Taxi are stacked there.

 

{realize that DRF is a national park. if you visit on a week day you will likely see only the cruise trips trying to pump people thru. on a weekend the park is packed with 'locals' who don't need guides and plan to spend the day 'at the beach'.}

 

- while you may not want to climb the falls with your kids (and the common path is navigable for a 4yo IMO, with supervision) you can take them and sit in the pools at the several 'turn outs' along the way. They amount to swimming pools with cool rushing water that they will love.

 

- there are simple lockers available for a few dollars but I would try to limit what I carry

 

- I recommend you and the kids have something on your feet ... cheap water shoes are fine or old tennies ready to be thrown away. this gives you grip on the wet rocks and protection from what ever else might be in the water.

 

- If you find the RayBan Aviators I lost in 1982 please let me know....btw I plan to visit with a group in just a few weeks and these are the guidelines I've given my group

 

 

-

 

I know Roque has already teken her trip, but for others looking for advice, Capt is 100% correct. It's just a 5 minute ride in Ocho and any cab or passenger van is the cheapest way. If your use this route, lockers for personal belongings are a must. No problem getting back either, there must be 100 cabs, vans or busses begging to take you back or whereever you want to go. And definitely invest in a pair of Aqua shoes. If you're going to take pictures, it's a good idea to get a waterproof camera. The guides will take pictures of you with your camera, but you.they are in water for a long time, and people slip frequently.

 

Like another poster mentions Marva Shaw is an awesome tourguide if you want to do more than just the Falls. We used her last October and she takes great car of you. As Capt mentioned the Falls are

[AnnieB925]

I'd highly recommend Marva Shaw at www.tourjamaica.com. We used her as a guide last year and had a wonderful time doing the Falls. Make sure you have good water shoes for you and your children. It's a wonderful experience.

 

The best source of information on this site is this: go to the Ports of Call section, then Carribbean, then to the Jamaica board. That's how we found out about Marva.:o

 

 

I would like to go to Dunn's River Falls, I am traveling with 2 kids (8 and 4) but I am not sure if I should take a cruise tour or just go down from the Ship and take a Taxi to the Falls. I am not sure about the distance from the pier to the falls neither if taxis will be available at the falls for going back, any suggestions?