What should we be aware of in Montego Bay Jamaica

[Cruise doggie]

We will be cruising the Caribbean Princess to the western caribbean on June 18th. It will be our first time in Jamaica (Montego Bay) and I have heard all sorts of negative stories. I was wondering if anyone could shed some light on what to avoid and what would be enjoyable. We have been to many islands and have never had a problem. Maybe Im getting a little too concerned?:eek:

[cruiserforlife]

Montego Bay?

You better be careful,mon!:eek:

[britsbest]

I notice that CP is in Montego Bay currently. Our itinery for August says Ocho Rios, anyone know why the change?:confused:

[Drumbum1977]

STAY ON THE BOAT! Montego Bay is a hole. Take advantage of the spa deals on board when the ship is in port. This island is a waste of time.

[OCruisers]

Often we book excursions "On Our Own" ... but never in Jamaica!!! :eek:

 

It's a beautiful island! Too bad it's not safe! The ship offers lots of excursions. Try to find one you think you'll like.

 

However, here's one we do NOT recommend (some liked it better than others):

 

Martha Brae Rafting (click here for cruisers' reviews)

 

Happy Sailing! OCruisers :)

[jbesnow]

Anyone done the river tubing excursion booked through the ship?

Joanne

[aring75]

Ummm...Is Ocho Rios any better? DH and I were planning to do one of the Dunns River Falls excursions booked through the cruise line. Anyone have any comments or suggestions? Would this one be okay?

[Breezey]

Ummm...Is Ocho Rios any better? DH and I were planning to do one of the Dunns River Falls excursions booked through the cruise line. Anyone have any comments or suggestions? Would this one be okay?

 

Dunns River Falls is fun but be prepared for the following:

1) Tour guide (if you have one hounding you for a tip)

2) Tons of people trying to sell you something on your way back to the bus. Very forcibly.

 

Personally, if I ever go on another cruise stopping in Jamaica, I too will stay on the ship. And it is too bad, Jamaica has a lot of beauty to offer.

[cruiserforlife]

Ummm...Is Ocho Rios any better? DH and I were planning to do one of the Dunns River Falls excursions booked through the cruise line. Anyone have any comments or suggestions? Would this one be okay?

 

Don't discount Margaritaville in OR for a fantastic time!Great pool with a fun slide and super-nice swim-up bar!You can walk through the village from the ship and we weren't hasseled at all.

 

Just don't attempt to go it alone in Jamaica:eek:

[CruiseYVR]

I too am on this sailing and dissapointed in stopping at MBJ rather than Ochos. The Dunn's Falls seems like a great tour, however you are over 2 hours away when we dock in MBJ. It is literally minutes from the port in Ochos. I was thinking of an ATV adventure that Princess has for $79 I think. The comments in here are making me want to stay on the ship.

[heyheypaula]

We went to Montego Bay in May on the Celebrity Galaxy. Like you, my DH and I were very apprehensive. We had heard horror stories! However, we were pleasantly surprised. We took the Moboy Shopping and Highlights Tour offered by the ship and thoroughly enjoyed it. There is a lot of beauty to see. And yes, there is a lot of poverty and the locals do want you to buy from them. If you simply politely say NO and keep walking, you will be fine. With that said, I do recommend that you stay in a group. Have a great time!

[Lolipop]

Unfortunately as everyone here has mentioned Jamaica is not one of the safest places to go ashore, my worst experience has to be when we got into a taxi firstly being asked if we wanted something for our brains (ie. drugs) as opposed to being asked where we wanted to be driven to. Moral of the story don´t use taxis in Jamaica and if you do want look around only go in groups.

 

As for the Dunns River Falls excursion it is good fun, but make sure you take your swim suits with you and a good pair of waterproof shoes that won´t get ruined when you´re in the water.

[aring75]

Thanks for the replies everyone! :)

 

 

Sounds like this is going to be something of an adventure...

[spongerob]

I greatly prefer Ocho Rios to MB. After our first visit to Jamaica, which happened to be Montego Bay, we both swore we'd never set foot on Jamaican soil again. We relented at Ocho Rios, did separate excursions, and came away with a much nicer impression of Jamaica. It is a beautiful country and the majority of people are quite nice.

 

As far as being unsafe, I'd still take my chances in Montego Bay over some areas of Los Angeles, Houston, or even Oklahoma City for that matter.

[aring75]

As far as being unsafe, I'd still take my chances in Montego Bay over some areas of Los Angeles, Houston, or even Oklahoma City for that matter.

 

 

Hmmm...You know? You make a very valid point here. LOL!! DH and I got lost in a section of NYC that we swore we'd never make it out of alive. I'm thinkin' Ocho Rios just might be fun after all!!! :p

[Lolipop]

I know as a tourist sometimes you do manage to get off the beaten track, but I think if you remain "streetwise" you´ll have a great time:)

[Ghost]

I guess we're in the minority here but we LOVE Jamaica, especially Montego Bay. We have visited many times and never had any problems. We hire a private licensed taxi driver, negotiate the price BEFORE we start out and have had great experiences. The trick is to get outside of the dock area and see the beautiful countryside. On our last visit, Barry our taxi driver took us up into the mountainside and we saw incredible sites and views. He was building a house up in the hills and asked if we'd like to see it. Of course, we said yes and he took us where we met his whole family, who insisted we stay for lunch. The site had absolutely incredible views of the harbor and our ship. After lunch, we went to school to pick up his daughter and he continued showing us amazing sites in the area and telling us the history of the island. He was born there and very proud of his heritage and told us such interesting stories about the country. He took us to shopping areas where we were not bothered by anyone and we were able to shop unhassled.

The majority of people on the island depend on tourism for their livelihood so they want to leave a good impression with people so they'll come back. We have found the people of Jamaica to be warm and very friendly.

 

We have also rafted on the Martha Brae several times and thought it was fabulous and so relaxing. We were never hassled by vendors and our driver only responded if we asked him questions or he wanted to point out a particular site to us. We have always found that a polite but FIRM "No" to the sometimes aggresive vendors does the trick.

 

We had a great time at Margaritaville and LOVED the slide.

 

I think you'd be missing a great time if you didn't get off the ship and explore this beautiful island and meet its friendly people.

 

We've been on 20 cruises with many stops in Jamaica and it's one of our favorite places. We have always booked our own excursions and NEVER had a problem.

 

Whether you to a ship excusion or something on your own, once you get away from the dock area, you'll quickly discover what a beautiful island Jamaica is!

 

Kathy

[atlcple2]

I work beside a woman who is FROM Jamaica and whether it is Montego Bay or Ocho Rios, be extremely careful. There are a lot of locals just hanging out on the streets who will try to sell you all kinds of drugs (not just pot) and will harrass you about it. They have even harrassed her when she goes back to visit (and she is going next week) until she speaks to them in their "native accent". She suggests that you book a tour through the cruise line and if you are going shopping, be extremely careful. The crime rate there is extremely high. Just thought I would pass that along!

[Cruise doggie]

Well thank you all for all your input. I guess we will just have to go with our gut instinct. Tanks a bunch Mon!!

[dorisday]

last time I got off in Montego Bay we took a private minibus to Dunns river falls. Had a fabulous day climbing the fresh water falls. Arrived back at the bus at the agreed time only to find the driver missing. 1/2hr later found him chatting to his mates in a bar (shack). Had the most hair-raising drive back to Montego Bay & only just got back to the ship as they were taking down the gangway.

 

Its a lovely Island with its fair share of dodgy area's, just remember everyone works in "Yeah Man" time & 5mins really means 40mins.

 

get off the ship & give it a try, who knows you could have the best day of your cruise!

[tsj]

We have cruised to Jamiaca twice (with our schoolage daughters), we have docked in both MoBay and Ocho. We loved the falls, had lots of fun both trips, Jamaica is beautiful. The trick is to join a ships tour or get reccomendations for a reliable guide and make arrangements in advance. I grew up in Chicago and just love that city but I wouldn't wander about in strange neighborhoods aimlessly there either. Enjoy!

[Druke I]

Out last trip to Montego Bay, we just stayed aboard ship, and had a great time enjoying a largely empty ship.

[Nessi]

When we were in Montego Bay, we took a taxi to Doctor's Cave Beach. The taxi ride was scary, because the driver was stoned. But the beach club at Doctor's Cave Beach was great! It's private, so there were no beach vendors to hassel us. Beautiful beach and an absolutely fabulous jerk chicken lunch. Cheap red stripe too. The people that worked there were very appreciative of our patronage. If I were to go back to Mo Bay, I would definately return there. We felt very safe and had a great time. The cruiseline recommended it as an alternative to a shore excursion.

[June Bug]

Always take a JUTA shuttle...they are monitored/sponsored by the Jamaican tourism board and have wonderful, reliable drivers...we were warned not to take any other type of shuttle or transportation. The taxi/bus will be marked "JUTA".

And Nessi, I agree with you...we have been to Jamaica atleast 3 different times and we LOVE Doctor's Cave Beach....so nice and private....wonderful area roped off way out in the water to keep large critters away from the shallow parts...but GREAT snorkeling by the ropes! In fact, the cruise ship snorkeling tours in Montego Bay were snorkeling on one side of the rope and we were on the other!!! And they didn't have the benefit of wonderful food and sand....I watched them all cram back on that HORRIBLE pirate ship....Boy did they look HOT!!!

Dr.s Cave has shower/bathroom facilities....there is a GREAT little restaurant where the conch fritters are some of the best I have ever eaten! We've gone back there with my parents and my sister and they all agree that that small beach is never crowded and hand's down a great place to relax and have "no worries, mon!"

Have a great cruise!

June

[land lover]

We stayed at an AL Beaches resort in Negril last April....security was tight so had no problems...but this is what we watched on the evening news.....Farmer Williams had some of his yams stolen....the farming community took it upon themselves to track down the theives.....2 men were stoned and macheted to death before even verifiying that they had the goods...but then they showed the car trunk with the yams....... the news said the police would we looking in to this...sure.........Just be careful desperate people do desperate things..........this was a real eye opener to our children...........reminded me of the wild west................