Should we even get off in Jamaica??

[prg2101]

We leave saturday for our cruise on the Regal and have heard a lot of bad things about the Montego Bay Port....I thought Margaritaville was close to the port and that was all my wife and I wanted to do......who has been to this Jamaica port and what should we plan for?

 

Thanks

John

[jennybenny]

Cab to Margaritaville would be fun!

Can't recall how much it is but get RT price. The cab will wait for you and take you back

 

We did something like 2 or 3 hours

Enough time to eat, drink and use the slide!

 

 

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[wishfulone]

If you've never been to Jamaica before you should definitely get off the ship. Go on a ship's excursion or catch a cab to one of the resorts. Walking around outside the port at Falmouth/Montego Bay is not a particularly pleasant experience.

[englishbird]

I would only get off in Jamaica if i was taking a ship excursion. We did our own trip to the beach and it was horrendous. I expect to get a little hassle from locals in the caribbean. But this was something else. I lost count of how many times we were offered drugs. Not a great experience. The final straw for me is when the locals felt that they had the right to touch me whilst i was sunbathing. I think we lasted an hour at the beach and left.

 

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[muggo11]

My then teen-aged son and I loved Jamaica. We went up the mountain on the ski-lift where there is a fun exhibition on the bobsledders and then took the "bobsleds" down the mountain! Crazy fun.

 

 

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[kitkat343]

Jamaica, like roatan, Honduras, is not a port to get out by yourself and wander around since the local vendors can be aggressive. However, if you book a private or ship excursion you will have a lovely time. We've greatly enjoyed two visits there, one with our 2 year old son in tow, and never had any problems. Dunns river falls is amazing, but a bit of a drive from Montego Bay.

[NeurosurgeryNP]

We're on this sailing too. We decided to do Resort for a Day booking with the Hilton Rose Hall resort about 20 mins from the pier. All inclusive beverages and food. Use of pool facilities (think they have slides and a small lazy river). $117 pp.

 

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[NeurosurgeryNP]

Transportation to and from the resort included as well.

 

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[wrongwaywatson]

Jamaica, like roatan, Honduras, is not a port to get out by yourself and wander around since the local vendors can be aggressive. However, if you book a private or ship excursion you will have a lovely time. We've greatly enjoyed two visits there, one with our 2 year old son in tow, and never had any problems. Dunns river falls is amazing, but a bit of a drive from Montego Bay.

 

One of my favorite cruise memories was in Roatan. My husband and I walked into town and 2 wonderful little boys walked around with us and showed us their school, the shops, their parents' shops etc. Now, we totally knew that they were guiding us to buy something from their parents, but we thoroughly enjoyed visiting with these young boys.

 

When I was on a land based vacation in Jamaica and we went into town, we were offered drugs about every 10 minutes. Also, the ladies would walk up to you start stroking your arm, telling you that you were beautiful and would want to braid your hair, sometimes starting before you could say stop. It was uncomfortable.

[Colo Cruiser]

I agree take a tour.

[tdeyette]

We were suppose to stop at Ocho Rios on our recent cruise and had booked a catamaran excursion thru the ship. A couple of weeks before we left for the cruise, the port was changed to Montego Bay. We ended up booking a ship excursion to Rose Hall, city tour and shopping. The places we stopped were "Guarded" I guess and we were never approached by people selling drugs nor people offering hair braids. We had also heard all the stories and had reservations about Jamaica but I think this ship tour was great and we never felt unsafe.

[pompeii]

DH and I were just mentioning the other day that one of our favorite-ever tour guides was in Ocho Rios. He took us all over the place and we really felt as though we got to know him and the area. It would have been such a shame to listen to the naysayers about the area and miss such a wonderful day. If you are interested in looking him up, his name is Errol Bowen and here is a link to his Trip Advisor reviews. https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g147312-d1604979-Reviews-Travel_Jamaica_Tours-Ocho_Rios_Saint_Ann_Parish_Jamaica.html I am pretty sure he offers tours out of Mo Bay as well. We never felt unsafe or harassed, even for a second, and he was quite reasonable as well. In fact, even though our tour was several years ago, we are still Facebook friends.

Edited March 10, 2017 by pompeii

[stevenr597]

I would suggest rafting on the Martha Brae River.

[GRAYTech]

Tubing on the White River is something our family still talks about to this day. The guide was singing Jamaican songs, flowers were falling from the trees. Stopped at the halfway point and had a Red Stripe for 25 cents. (50 cents if you want a cold one)

 

It was one of those magical moments we won't forget. So yes do a tour of some sort, if you just get off the boat and wander about it will be filled with pushy vendors and touchie-feelly braiders.

[toescat]

My husbands niece who is in here 50's has been renting an apartment in Jamaica since October 2016. She goes to warmer climates in the winter. She is loving being in Jamaica and will be flying home to Colorado next month. She has already made plans to go back in October 2017 for the winter. There are some pretty shaky places here in the US. as there are all over the world. I would not limit myself out of fear and the cruise ship lines are not going to stop at port they deem dangerous.

[busymumofthree]

My family all agree that our best family day ever was the shore day in Jamaica on our very first cruise (about 10 years ago and the kids were all young teens).

 

We stopped in Ocho Rios (so Montego Bay would be a different experience I know) and climbed the Dunnes river falls and then went tubing on the White River. Then we had a meal in an open air covered bar with Red Stripe lager and jerk chicken. All perfectly organised by a tour guide I found highly rated through trip advisor, on that occasion.

 

It wasn't until we got back onto the ship that we realised how many people did not get off the ship that day - so many families, particularly American families, chose to stay on board that day. Clearly, the perception of Jamaica differed between ourselves (Brits) and US travellers. Perhaps we were not as well informed as our fellow travellers but on that experience, I would have no hesitation repeating the day, but I would definitely not head out expect on a well planned and hosted trip.

[DrivesLikeMario]

My then teen-aged son and I loved Jamaica. We went up the mountain on the ski-lift where there is a fun exhibition on the bobsledders and then took the "bobsleds" down the mountain! Crazy fun.

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That's in Ocho Rios. Montego Bay is a different city and different port. ;) I agree though - the bobsleds were a kick!

 

 

OP - Definitely get off the ship and do a ship's tour unless you're easily scared! It's not the best place for a tour on your own, but a ship's tour is relatively safe and gives you a taste of the island life there. Jamaica is beautiful with a lot of history. That's what travel is about - getting out of your comfort zone to experience other cultures.

[keithm]

We leave saturday for our cruise on the Regal and have heard a lot of bad things about the Montego Bay Port....I thought Margaritaville was close to the port and that was all my wife and I wanted to do......who has been to this Jamaica port and what should we plan for?

 

Thanks

John

We did this port some years back. As some mentioned, we were offered drugs on several occasions & were really set upon by extremely aggressive local "hawkers". There was a tour bus a few years back robbed at gun point. So I still don't feel safe even on a ship sponsored tour. Make it a spa day.

[Thrak]

We've never been to Jamaica but would likely treat it the same as Ensenada. Go ashore at least the first time but likely take a tour. In Ensenada the first time we went ashore for about 30 minutes (long enough to find a nearby geocache :)) and then checked out the plaza and returned to the ship. On another visit we did the 2 winery tour. We will almost certainly just treat it as a sea day in the future. We would probably handle a stop in Jamaica the same way.

[MCC retired]

Jamaica has too many interesting things to see and do to miss .

The locals do ruin the experience at times with their pushiness but it is a beautiful island . Stick with a ship tour here but don't miss it .

 

 

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[Diver2014]

Margaritaville in Montego Bay is awesome! The scenery is fantastic and the planes fly in to land at the airport along the waterfront. We spent the whole day there--the drinks and food were fabulous. Loved it!

[riclop]

We stay on the ship.

[joeyancho]

Of course you should get off in Jamaica. It is a beautiful island. Beautiful mountains, vibrant culture, friendly people, great food, great music, lots to see and do. If someone wants to sell you something you don't want, just politely say no thank you, keep walking, problem solved. No worse than Mexico.

[jennybenny]

Jamaica is beautiful but it can be dangerous. One of my favorite Caribbean resorts is in Jamaica.

 

That said, I don't like the idea of touring alone. I'd want a group and a preset plan.

 

I think going to Margaritaville is safe. Did that in October and it was great!! Wish we had more time there at the Montego Bay location.

 

Met 4 people there who did the Bob sled tour but it was closer to Ocho Rios. They loved it!!

 

If you are worried, do a ship tour but hopefully you will get to see some of it

 

 

 

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[muggo11]

That's in Ocho Rios. Montego Bay is a different city and different port. ;) I agree though - the bobsleds were a kick!

 

 

OP - Definitely get off the ship and do a ship's tour unless you're easily scared! It's not the best place for a tour on your own, but a ship's tour is relatively safe and gives you a taste of the island life there. Jamaica is beautiful with a lot of history. That's what travel is about - getting out of your comfort zone to experience other cultures.

 

Sorry! The memory dims after 10 years.

 

 

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