Thread: Ocho Rios, Jamaica

Are there any private tours that do not go Dunns River Falls or the beach? We have been to the falls and we are not beach people. Been a while since we have been to Jamaica. Of course, safety would be an issue.

We never bother with the tours unless we have to. However, we did take the lovely trip to the Martha Brae River where you sail down the river on a bamboo raft. It is a great trip, and very restful and peaceful. The reason we did the tour was that the Martha Brae is a fair distance from Ocho Rios, and we thought it safer to be on a cruise tour in case of delays - its about an hour each way. When we docked in Falmouth we did our own trip to the Martha Brae with our own taxi and that was brilliant - far less busy, and just what we needed to recharge the batteries.

If you decide to do the Martha Brae tour from either port then this is a good tip. Hang back and let the rest of the coach go ahead of you - then take the last raft so that everyone else has gone - it will be more peaceful and you will find your 'captain' will take it slower with nobody overtaking him.

Actually, taxis are very well regulated in Ocho Rios. They are only allowed inside the dock if they are registered taxis. You can haggle with them over price, so don't be embarassed to do so. We have never found it a problem with safety, and have hired our own taxi to Dunns River Falls which was much cheaper, and we had more time to do what we wanted - the taxi driver took us then came back at a certain time and we didn't pay him until he returned which we thought was very good. However, it was SO busy last time that we would not return. It has been spoiled by so many cruise ship passengers at the same time.

You might enjoy the trip to the Prospect Plantation outside Ocho Rios. I am sure you could pick up a taxi to take you there. It is very beautiful and you can take a jitney ride around the area, and see bananas, coffee, sugar cane, cassava, allspice etc growing on this working plantation. You can find out about this on the internet, just put in Prospect Plantation (don't get this mixed up with the villas).

PROSPECT PLANTATION Ocho Rios Jamaica!

Hope you enjoy this beautiful island. I would certainly avoid any of the tours which just seem to want to take you to the two shopping centres (Taj Mahal and Sonis!) and dump you there for an hour - they get a 'kick back' from the shops if they take you there so it can be a real waste of precious time.

Barb:

I'm not quite sure what you may mean by "private," but here are a couple of thoughts.

My friend and I were in Ocho Rios on Sun 11/27/11, from the Island Princess. We took the Princess-sponsored excursion "Annandale Great House, Coyaba Gardens & Shopping." 4-1/2 hours. $69 per person. Enjoyed it immensely, espcially the great house which is way up high and has a stupendous view. The home itself is fascinating and beautiful!

You may also want to explore what Shore Trips have to offer. www.shoretrips.com

They are not associated with any cruise line but offer comparable-quality excursions in many locations. I've enjoyed a couple of their offerings with a group which likes to do at least one "group thing" on every cruise. Once in Grand Cayman, once in Bonaire. Rates are definitely competitive.

SWR

Thank you so much for two great ideas.

Welcome!

That's what I love about this blog site - and some similar ones which I visit. Ask a question and someone (sometimes, many) will answer!!!!!

Whatever, enjoy your cruise!

SWR

There is shoreexcursioneer at Ocho Rios Excursions - Cruise Shore Excursions for Ocho Rios Cruise Port - P1
Shoretrips at https://secure.shoretrips.com/main/s...e=CAR&port=OCJ
and knowJamaica at Jamaican Tours

I have not used any of these agencies yet, they are ones I found prior to our trip to Jamaica. We took a ship sponsored tour - it was a waste.

Originally Posted by nealberk

I have not used any of these agencies yet, they are ones I found prior to our trip to Jamaica. We took a ship sponsored tour - it was a waste.

They so often are!

Some years age we took our first tour in Jamaica with the ship to Dunns River Falls. It was when far fewer ships were there - ours was the only ship in port - and Dunns River Falls was absolutely stunning. The flowers and vegetation in the gardens were beautiful, and the beach was a dream. Sadly the beach is now full of rubbish and bits of glass and old cans.

They hurried us down the path to the beach and hurried us back again so that they could dump us at the two 'shopping centres' (Taj Mahal etc.) where we sat on the coach for an hour. We were so cross as it was such a waste as we certainly didn't come all the way to Jamaica to go to some diamond selling shop.

One thing that I would have loved to do while in that port is to visit Goldeneye, where Ian Fleming wrote many of the James Bond novels. It's about 11 miles from Ochos Rios. Instead, my hubby negotiated a tour with our taxi driver, who took us around. In the afternoon, we went on an Dunns River Falls excursion.

Patty, Noel Coward's home is also close by - called Firefly, it is another interesting house to visit. Its about 20 miles east of Ocho Rios, and is maintained by the Jamaican Heritage Trust. It has spectacular views over the sea.