Disembark Falmouth

[Charles4515]

3 minutes ago, BND said:

The only one  being "hysterical" and emotional is you.  Others are just posting information.

LOL. You posted a link to a YouTube video from a couple of hysterical influencers who obviously have an agenda. That was not information. 

[BND]

2 minutes ago, Charles4515 said:

LOL. You posted a link to a YouTube video from a couple of hysterical influencers who obviously have an agenda. That was not information. 

You are not helping your argument.

[Tatka]

We stopped there three times.

 

First time we had ships excursion: Martha Brae river river rafting. One of the most beautiful excursions we ever done. Area is beautiful, river… very relaxing. I really recommend it also because it’s pretty close to the port. On the way back we visited some nice church

 

Second time it was ship tour to Dunns river falls. Also beautiful, but maybe not for all ages. We (2 45 yo + 25 yo enjoyed it a lot)

 

Third time I decided we need to be more adventurous there as we always do in other places. We left port area to catch a taxi. Town outside was very rundown and sketchy .. and I even started feeling a bit scared (my husband laughed at me and my so called adventurousness). He asked me not to worry, negotiated good taxi price to Montego Bay and off we went. Overall a very good experience. I probably shouldn't have worried so much as there were many policemen … Rundown doesn’t always mean dangerous.

 

 

[BND]

For more info with good and bad reviews:  https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/67-jamaica/

 

[GTO-Girl]

12 hours ago, Charles4515 said:

There is no problem in the fake Falmouth port area. There are gates to the real Falmouth which I advise the typical tourist not to visit. And the only Jamaicans that can get in are vetted workers. I have been in the real Falmouthand there are police every few feet and i wanted to see it but once was enough.  

which is why my post specifically said  “outside the gate”. 😎😎

[bucfan2]

12 hours ago, Charles4515 said:

I am just countering hysteria. 
 

 

 

Said N.H. upon visiting Aruba....

[redwave]

It seems the dollar does not have good value here. 
Was hoping to negotiate a total price for the excursion and not pay per person as we have a large group, including toddlers and seniors. 
Would chartering a boat for a one way to runaway bay be close in price to hiring a minibus?

we can then take mini bus or two vans back from blue hole to the royal ship. 

[MCC retired]

Been cruising since 1978 , too many Jamaica stops to recall . Even a few Jamaica resort visits.

The traveler complaints concerning the locals have remained the same. No worse , no better.

Pushy , drug offers , ect..

Deal with it , stick with ship tours and you will enjoy the most varied and beautiful island in the  Caribbean.

 

[frank808]

Have walked outside the Falmouth gates from our first cruise. In the center of town it is safe as there are police everywhere. Now when you get to the fringes of the town there are less officers. If at anytime you feel unsafe, you should return to the secured port area. We always walk to the center of town and browse some of the wares for sale. But my main attraction is hitting the Tastees Patties store a little north of the town square. Buy a bunch of bef patties and walk around the town eating them with the idea of returning to ship. Anyone asking for hand outs, I will offer a pattie for them to eat. Now we have not been back to Falmouth since post Covid but I figure not much has changed. I have never felt unsafe walking out of the secured area in Falmouth or any stop in the Caribbean.

 

If you have a 3rd party excursion that is through a licensed company, they will be able to pick you up INSIDE the secure port area. Upon exit, port personnel will take the name of the driver down. This gave me a sense of security I was dealing with a licensed person. Took us to Mystic Mountain and waited for us as we did Zipline, tours, Jamaican bobsledding, lunch, swimming etc (took about 5 hours). Then on the way back stopped at a few shops to get some blue mountain coffee and other things that were cheaper than the port shops. I booked activities myself and just hired a driver at the port for the day.

Edited September 7, 2023 by frank808

[redwave]

4 hours ago, frank808 said:

Have walked outside the Falmouth gates from our first cruise. In the center of town it is safe as there are police everywhere. Now when you get to the fringes of the town there are less officers. If at anytime you feel unsafe, you should return to the secured port area. We always walk to the center of town and browse some of the wares for sale. But my main attraction is hitting the Tastees Patties store a little north of the town square. Buy a bunch of bef patties and walk around the town eating them with the idea of returning to ship. Anyone asking for hand outs, I will offer a pattie for them to eat. Now we have not been back to Falmouth since post Covid but I figure not much has changed. I have never felt unsafe walking out of the secured area in Falmouth or any stop in the Caribbean.

 

If you have a 3rd party excursion that is through a licensed company, they will be able to pick you up INSIDE the secure port area. Upon exit, port personnel will take the name of the driver down. This gave me a sense of security I was dealing with a licensed person. Took us to Mystic Mountain and waited for us as we did Zipline, tours, Jamaican bobsledding, lunch, swimming etc (took about 5 hours). Then on the way back stopped at a few shops to get some blue mountain coffee and other things that were cheaper than the port shops. I booked activities myself and just hired a driver at the port for the day.

Around how much does hired driver run for the five hours?

And would u be able to recommend a company you used for the activities?

thanks. 

[Sunshine3601]

23 hours ago, Tatka said:

We stopped there three times.

 

First time we had ships excursion: Martha Brae river river rafting. One of the most beautiful excursions we ever done. Area is beautiful, river… very relaxing. I really recommend it also because it’s pretty close to the port. On the way back we visited some nice church

 

Second time it was ship tour to Dunns river falls. Also beautiful, but maybe not for all ages. We (2 45 yo + 25 yo enjoyed it a lot)

 

Third time I decided we need to be more adventurous there as we always do in other places. We left port area to catch a taxi. Town outside was very rundown and sketchy .. and I even started feeling a bit scared (my husband laughed at me and my so called adventurousness). He asked me not to worry, negotiated good taxi price to Montego Bay and off we went. Overall a very good experience. I probably shouldn't have worried so much as there were many policemen … Rundown doesn’t always mean dangerous.

 

 

Similar to your experience, we went outside the gates that everyone says to avoid doing and we had an amazing day.

Sure we were a little leary walking around there at first.  After wandering around we found a great taxi guy, young guy with a new family that was happy to meet us and hear all about where we were from.

He drove us around to see some local sites then took us to a little unknown beach where locals go.  Gorgeous beach, had an awesome day hanging out with locals.   

When I asked for somewhere to get a cocktail I was told walk down the beach, pass 3 palm trees and outdoor bar.   It was really cool little hut bar right on beach.   The bartender was selling hand carved wood cups, that he made while hanging out.   I bought a couple for us and gifts.  Not one is alike.

 

I proceeded back to where hubby was hanging out on the beach with a couple cocktails and he always laughs at the fact I can always find some where to shop no matter I am at.

We had one of best days in Jamaica and probably would never be able to find that little beach again.

Driver stayed with us the whole time and was very friendly.   When we got back yo port he asked us for $50 after spending 4 to 5 hrs with him we gave him $100...he couldn't believe it.

AWESOME Day!!!

 

Edited September 8, 2023 by Sunshine3601

[pcur]

I've been sailing in and out of Jamaica since the 1970's.  It's always been a little dicey.  I've never had a problem, but I always stayed with ship excursions.  They have vetted the tour operators, and you don't have to worry about getting reviews from possible "shills" for the tour operator.  In my mind, if they aren't associated with RCCL, then I'm not sure of their reliability.

 

However, I do love Tripadvisor reviews, because you can use their search function.  I always go for the most recent reviews, up to about 6 months.  I search the entire body of reviews for my specifics, like "shore excursion" or "drop off point" would work in this case.

 

My main point is if people are STILL not feeling good about Jamaica ports after 50 years, then err on the side of caution.  I would advise against picking up a tour off the dock, unless you like to play craps in casinos......😁

[Charles4515]

36 minutes ago, pcur said:

 

My main point is if people are STILL not feeling good about Jamaica ports after 50 years, then err on the side of caution.  I would advise against picking up a tour off the dock, unless you like to play craps in casinos......😁

I agree about tours.
 

We have picked up taxis off the dock to go to all inclusive resorts we had a day pass to but we only took the official taxis with Red license plates which were allowed in the gated area. At Falmouth there is transportation center. I suspect that the fares are standard and OP won’t be able to make a deal with those official taxis like they want to. I would not take non official taxis. 

[frank808]

On 9/7/2023 at 2:30 PM, redwave said:

Around how much does hired driver run for the five hours?

And would u be able to recommend a company you used for the activities?

thanks. 

IIRC It was about $200 for the vetted driver that I found in the port area. The prices were posted on a board. Sorry I do not have the name of the driver I used. The few times I have hired a driver it has always been at the port taxi office. The prices outside the secured area are probably cheaper but I would rather pay for the peace of mind.

[bouhunter]

On 9/5/2023 at 11:31 PM, Charles4515 said:

I would recommend Blue Hole in Ochos Rios for waterfalls. There is Dunns River Falls but it is basically fake. A tourist trap. I don’t have a snorkeling beach to recommend but there are some. I just never did it from a beach at Ochos, we went out on a boat. In the other direction near Montego Bay there is Doctors Cove for a beach and snorkeling but you would have to do without the waterfalls. 

Actually it's not fake, it's a real waterfall.  Crowded yes, fake no.

 

That said, we've been to both and I'd choose blue hole too.

[Charles4515]

1 hour ago, bouhunter said:

Actually it's not fake, it's a real waterfall.  Crowded yes, fake no.

 

That said, we've been to both and I'd choose blue hole too.

The waterfall is real. I was refering to the rocks tourists walk on being modified with cement to make it possible to climb them safely. 

 

I don't regret doing Dunns River. It was fun despite the very  touristy atmosphere. .I would pick Blue Hole over Dunns River but that does not mean I would not do Dunns River.We did both as before Falmouth was a port we did the Ochos Rios port a bunch of times.

Edited September 9, 2023 by Charles4515