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Ocho Rios vs. Key West

Leejnd4

By Leejnd4,
in Royal Caribbean International

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Leejnd4

Leejnd4

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We're booked on Rhapsody, the 8/20/06 sailing. The itinerary on RCCL's website lists Ocho Rios as a port, whereas other websites list Key West. Also, I noticed that a number of Rhapsody's cruises on other dates do the same itinerary, except Key West instead of Ocho Rios. I'm assuming that RCI's itinerary for our cruise is the correct one, but I do have some questions:

 

1) how likely is it that Key West will be subsituted for Ocho Rios?

2) is one port better than the other?

 

I've been on a number of cruises, but to areas such as Mexico, Alaska and the Mediterranean. This will be my first Caribbean cruise, so I'm not very familiar with the ports. I went to Jamaica once many years ago and loved it, but that was...oh, I hate to admit this, but over 25 years ago. I remember it as a beautiful tropical paradise, but then I was fresh out of highschool at the time, and it was my first time out of the US. I think I would prefer to go there rather than Key West, because I'd kinda like to get outside of the US. But I'd love to hear what others think. Also, I wonder if I should try to pre-arrange shore excursions there, if it's likely we'll end up in Key West.

 

Thanks!

 

LeeAnne

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TheWog

TheWog

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Sorry, I don't know the likelihood of one being switched for another. I would go with the RCI website until they tell you something different. Jamaica you can explore the island with a private tour guide and do some neat excursions. Climb Dunns River Falls, see Ian Fleming (James Bond) retreat, go river tubing, take a canopy tour, all sorts of things. Check out Jamaica on the Ports of Call boards here at Cruise Critic.

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superjerryw

superjerryw

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Give me Key West any day over Jamaica. At least in Key West no one comes up to you every five minutes offering to sell you drugs or braid your hair. Every few weeks someone will start a poll asking which port people think is the worst. It seems that Jamaica is always the clear winner.

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Leejnd4

Leejnd4

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Thanks for the feedback! I've visited the port boards already, so I have a pretty decent idea what's available to do at the ports, I was just looking for some feedback from those who've been there as to which port they preferred.

 

I suppose my take-away from this is that I won't be disappointed of we end up at Key West instead of Ocho Rios. I'm glad to hear that many enjoy it. And if we end up in Jamaica, I'll be sure to take some kind of interesting excursion that keeps us safe and away from any nefarious types. :)

 

LeeAnne

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OPSoccermom

OPSoccermom

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LeeAnn

 

I love KW - went there last March for several days and plan to go back this year.

 

That said, we had no problems in Ocho Rios last year. We went River Tubing with a private tour company, and it was a highlight of the cruise. Also did the Falls and Margaritaville. Did not experience one person trying to sell us drugs. Jewelry prices there were the best that we saw on our western itinerary.

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Leejnd4

Leejnd4

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Thanks! I was looking at that river-tubing trip, and I think we might go ahead and do that. Plus the falls. We'll have our two teenagers with us, and that's the kind of thing they'd love. Which private tour company did you use, and were you happy with them?

 

LeeAnne

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RobNC2001

RobNC2001

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I've been to both recently and love Key West. I refuse to get off the boat in Jamaica, though it is a very pretty Island visually and some people absolutely love it. Most of the experienced cruisers I encounter, however, hate it. Personally, I can't stand being pestered to death about buying things (mostly drugs!) in the most rude and obnoxious ways. A polite "no" just doesn't cut it there and I've been followed, harassed, had people argue with me, make a scene, ....whatever. I now count a stop in Jamaica as a really wonderful opportunity to stay on the ship and enjoy everything it has to offer without all the crowds. A friend of mine, however, recently told me about his solution to the Jamaica problem. He gives the first person that he encounters $20.00 to keep everyone else away from him. Swears by it!

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Leejnd4

Leejnd4

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Well I'm glad that there are fans of both places! At this point the itinerary on RCI's website says Ocho Rios, but we'll see where we actually end up.

 

Even though I understand the problems that people have with Jamaica, I'm hoping that we do end up there. I prefer to go to places outside the US when I cruise. I'm not too worried about the bad element -- we're strong people, and we've been fortunate to have traveled to some pretty exotic places, such as Morocco, Canary Islands, Costa Rica, Copper Canyon Mexico, and lots of places in Europe. We'll ignore the nasty stuff and just head to where the natural beauty is.

 

But I'm relieved to know that if we do end up in Key West, it will not be a disappointment. :)

 

LeeAnne

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Cruising89143

Cruising89143

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Well I'm glad that there are fans of both places! At this point the itinerary on RCI's website says Ocho Rios, but we'll see where we actually end up.

 

Even though I understand the problems that people have with Jamaica, I'm hoping that we do end up there. I prefer to go to places outside the US when I cruise. I'm not too worried about the bad element -- we're strong people, and we've been fortunate to have traveled to some pretty exotic places, such as Morocco, Canary Islands, Costa Rica, Copper Canyon Mexico, and lots of places in Europe. We'll ignore the nasty stuff and just head to where the natural beauty is.

 

But I'm relieved to know that if we do end up in Key West, it will not be a disappointment. :)

 

LeeAnne

 

I think that you will enjoy Ocho Rios. I do not expect the islands to be like the states and I believe that some people cruising do. To me that is what makes it fun to go to different ports. I have never had a problem with the folks in Jamaica. They have always been very nice. Some can be aggressive but a simple "no thanks" does the trick.

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Weez

Weez

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But what do we do there? Walk around? What's there... give me some tips and hints. We've thought about the biking tour, but maybe we should do what instead?

 

dino, for me, just getting away from the constant "Yo mon you want some smoke" was enough. That being said there really isnt a ton of things to do on Key West. If you've never been there you really should go, it's beautiful, the people are great and the town area is a great old, quaint with shops, bars and restaurants all over. The Hemmingway house is there and the pirates museum.

 

Lets put it this way, if i were travelling with a bunch of guys, no problem ocho rios would be ok. If i'm with my wife and kids, I'll take KW any day.

 

BTW: pub crawling is one of my hobbies :D and Key West is a great place to do it. ;-)

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helicopter

helicopter

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The Rhapsody of the Seas alternates its ports between Key West and Jamaica every other week (the other two ports remain the same). So the week you are traveling must be the week for Jamaica. I would double check on the Jamaica port if I were you, some of the sites will say Montego Bay.

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naragonl

naragonl

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I've never been there but will be soon, but wouldn't taking an excursion get you away from the problem with the hawkers. I mean after you get going to where ever you are going. Or is there no way to get away from it. We don't have plan on shopping and walking the streets but are looking to snorkeling/swimming of some kind. Am I being naive? Again, I've never been there so I'm unaware of the port situation. (We've been to Nassau, so maybe a comparison with there would help). :confused:

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TheWog

TheWog

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Thanks! I was looking at that river-tubing trip, and I think we might go ahead and do that. Plus the falls. We'll have our two teenagers with us, and that's the kind of thing they'd love. Which private tour company did you use, and were you happy with them?

 

LeeAnne

 

www.peattaylor.com

 

Peat was great and took wonderful care of us for not a lot of money. He and his son were wonderful tour guides and proud of their country. They won't let you down. They were waiting everywhere they said they would be, when they said they would be there.

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Bonnie Voyager

Bonnie Voyager

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I love Ocho Rios! I like Key West. I've never had any problems in Jamaica so that probably affects my opinion of all my visits there. It is visually beautiful in Jamaica and I've enjoyed the Jamaicans that I've been in contact with. My Son, 11, also totally enjoys Jamaica. His favorite thing to do there is hang out at Island Village and swim in the pool at Margaritaville though so his exposure to Jamaica is somewhat limited. Key West was fun for a day, but I don't ever see myself planning a land vacation there. I'd spend a week in Jamaica in a heartbeat. But, I would be delighted to cruise to either port if the opportunity presented itself! I am a beach person and didn't see any nice beaches at Key West. I did enjoy the trolley ride through the town and there were shops after shops if you are in to that! I'm sure there are as many bars there too, but I'm not a drinker so that didn't intrigue me. Come to think of it, I did have an awesome key lime slushie thingie that was pretty spectacular! Hmmmm, maybe it's time to go back! ;)

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