Ocho Rios, Jamaica Port Reviews

We swam with the dolphins there and visited the Dunn's Rivers Falls. Both were wonderful experiences. The dolphin swim was exhilarating and would recommend it. The Dunn's Rivers Falls was fun. We had a private guide take us up the River instead of waiting in the long lines of different groups. The tour guide was great, but they do expect a tip at the end. Our guide took photos of us with our own camera and we tipped him $20 for his service.

Visited: Dec 17, 2006

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I thought another stop to a different port was bad 😳 but oh heck no! This port was the worst by far. Once you tell people kindly, “No, I would not like a taxi or my hair braided” it seriously got annoying when the person would follow you for a bit just be handed off to the next person to harass you. This was my experience that lasted the whole time I was off the ship. Even when I got away from the port area. I know you need to make a living but seriously. I didn’t stay long off the ship because of all the harassing. When I got back to the ship a gentlemen was back on also with his son because of the same reason. Next trip I will stay on the boat. Sorry Jamaica.😐

There's not much to do at this port if you're not doing an excursion, and the excursions offered by Holland America are not very appealing. There's a small shopping area about a half mile walk from the port, but you have to go through a gauntlet of hustlers to get to it. Overly aggressive cab drivers, tour salesmen, and drug dealers were just about every 10 feet along the walkway into "town." There's nothing but a Margaritaville and the typical duty-free shopping that you can get anywhere else. Either skip sailings that include this port, or stay onboard and enjoy any at-port specials that are offered. There's nothing to see here and safety is questionable. I would give zero stars if that was allowed.

My husband and I chose to swim with the dolphins / we waited until we got to the port to book our excursion, it you plan to visit any beaches, it’s a must that you have on beach shoes, their beaches are full of rocks and coral reefs / Check out Pearly Beach they have a private pool

Visited: Aug 27, 2018

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Our excursion with the Chukka jeep safari was fantastic. Beautiful country and Ray our guide/driver went overboard to make his group enjoy every minute of the day.

Visited: Mar 18, 2018

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We absolutely loved most of our excursion. We did the dune buggy and Dunn’s river falls through NCL. However, the dune buggy would not start so we ended up driving four wheelers and it was amazing - right through huge mud puddles. We were covered! We bought the one image and CD of all the photos they took, it was like $60. Oh well. We had a Jamaican lunch at YAMAAN, fed birds and then went to Dunn’s river falls. It was disappointing how packed it was. We did not have enough time to wait our turn to climb it with a guide but it was beautiful, took some pretty photos and can say we were there. Leaving there was indeed terrible, locals were pushy trying to sell you something because they “like you” so you will get a good deal. Just be rude and keep walking, if you talk they will just start carving your name into something a stick or turtle. Just keep walking. Our driver was late picking us back up and attempted to take us to more shopping but we all said we just wanted to go back to the boat so he took us back.

The country itself is absolutely beautiful. But my biggest problem is the haggling when you're walking around. My fiance and I were literally separated at one point because there were so many people trying to get us to buy stuff. Not cool!

We booked our excursion outside the ship and it was a fun tube river ride downstream to an ocean beach. In general the town and surrounding areas looked run down. The local guides on our excursion were very friendly and helpful.

Visited: Jul 01, 2017

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Pretty good trip. It was kind of annoying that every few minutes of walking, someone offered us weed, but overall, it was ok. I wouldn't say that it would be the top of my list of places to visit again, but I'm glad I got to see a bit of it. We actually ended up going back to the ship earlier than we had to as it was so hot & the pool was empty so it was perfect.

11-28-2018 In Jamaica we did the Resort for A-day - Jewel Dunn River Beach Jamaica. This was our 1st experience with a an all inclusive resort for A-day. We couldn't have made a better choice. It was lots of fun. The scenery on the beach was beautiful. The staff was accommodating to us. The bar was open and flowing. There were even water sports like sailing kayaking and other non power water Amenities. We are now hooked on the All Inclusive excursion when in a port that we've been to before. If you're like us and you enjoy relaxing by the beach or by the pool with a drink in your hand and food on your plate, This is a good choice. Two large pools with one in a quiet area with a hot tub and one that was a party. Swim up bars. Outdoor grill or sit down dining all included. It was not crowded at all. Transportation was included. Highly recommended.