Falmouth horse and buggy tour

[PRINCESS VIJA]

Anyone do this? I wanted to do an excursion in Jamaica, but have recently broken my arm so we are now limited to what we can do. Honestly I am not interested in many of the excursions which saddens me because we honeymooned in Jamaica and wanted to show the kids a bit of Jamaica.

we might just stick around port... I don't want to just spend $$ just to do an excursion that really doesn't interest us. Help!!!

 

[cruisingmom1977]

I can not speak for the Horse and Buggy tour but we did do a "jitney" tour around Falmouth. I'm glad we did it but I would never bother to leave the port area again. The only "sights" to see in Falmouth are the churches and the "history" is basically nonexistent. The town is really just a bunch of run down houses. I spent a ton of time explaining to my kids why everything looked so dirty/why are all of these people just hanging around on the corner/why do we need to show our key cards to get back into the port area. It honestly felt very unsafe. The only way I would even bother to get off the ship would be if I was planning to do some of the more adventurous/outdoorsy things but since my kiddos are still very young, it will be quite a while before they are old enough. I was really disappointed because I've always wanted to go to Jamaica.

 

[preciouspups]

I am very interested in the answers here! We don't see a lot in Jamaica that interests us. I think DH and I would love the horse and buggy tour but I don't know that the 8 year old would.

 

[drnp]

We did the horse and buggy excursion in December 2013. It was nothing special. We got into the buggy and just inside the gates. Once you're out of the gates, the area is pretty rustic and there is not much to look at. The guide tells you some interesting things about the history of Jamaica, and ours had a nice personality. We did make one stop at a very old church and were able to go inside and walk around the grounds. You are asked for a donation to help preserve the church, which most of us did. Then, as I was walking around the tombstones a man came up to me to show me some more older ones and of course asked for some more money. The church has a makeshift market with locals selling souvenirs out front. No one from our tour initially bought anything, they came up to the buggy and held up their goods until I finally bought two dolls for my DDs, then the buggy left. This wasn't exactly something unique to Jamaica, as we've encountered similar things many times before in other countries, its just that there really wasn't anything else particularly interesting to us during the tour. We did go along a short road along the coast, which was as close as we came to seeing a Jamaican beach, but that was about it. Another thing was that even though it was December, we were very hot and of course the buggy and the church you stop at have no AC.

When I add up the excursion cost, "donations" and tips at the end, I just don't think it was worth it for me.

 

[Julylady]

We (2 adult women) did the horse and buggy tour in December. Disney guides walked us to the port gates where we were met by a young female Jamacian tour guide. We waited a few minutes until our horse and buggy arrived. Our tour was all adults, no kids. At some point we were joined by another tour guide, male this time, who rode shotgun. We took a lovely scenic drive to the old church. We browsed some of the craft booths, but didn't make a purchase, several on our tour did, however. We were not harassed too badly, just invited to look at their offerings.

On the way back we rode through some less than pleasant parts of town. I was glad we had the large male presence on our buggy at that point! Over all, the tour was a pleasant way to spend the morning. After we were dropped off at the port gate, we spent another hour or so shopping there. They had very nice items with no hard sales pitches. I am glad we did the buggy tour, but would probably not do it again if we were to revisit Falmouth.

 

[runswithscissors]

The town is really just a bunch of run down houses. I spent a ton of time explaining to my kids why everything looked so dirty/why are all of these people just hanging around on the corner/why do we need to show our key cards to get back into the port area. It honestly felt very unsafe. The only way I would even bother to get off the ship would be if I was planning to do some of the more adventurous/outdoorsy things but since my kiddos are still very young, it will be quite a while before they are old enough. I was really disappointed because I've always wanted to go to Jamaica.

Jamaica - the island, the beaches, the mountains, the people, the history, the philosophy - is truly stunning. When I read reviews like this I am utterly flabbergasted. My husband and I are returning to our beloved island this summer. In past visits, we've stayed at different resorts and always venture off property to see the signts and experience the Jamaican culture. Yes, there are poverty-striken areas. The homes are built block-by-block, with blood, sweat, and tears. With all due respect, if explaining why things look different than what you see in your neighborhood is a hassle, maybe traveling in the United States is best for you. Otherwise, embrace wanderlust, excitement, and a respect for other cultures.

 

[jiminy14]

We did the Green Grotto cave tour in April. We enjoyed it but probably would not do it again. It was about a 20-30 minute drive along a somewhat scenic road. The caves were pretty interesting and our guide told us stories of pirates who used the caves as a hideout. Our guide was great with the kids in our group and enlisted their help in various tasks in the caves. There are a couple of things to keep in mind about the caves. First, they are not cool inside, rather, they are the same temperature as the outside air. Second, there are some tight spaces to walk through and there is a steep set of stairs that leads down to an underground pool of water. Some individuals in our group had a difficult time climbing back up especially considering how warm it was.
After the caves, we were driven to a private beach where we had lunch and could relax for just over an hour. The lunch consisted of jerk chicken, red beans and rice, a very warm green salad, and fried bread but there was not much for vegans/vegetarians to eat. The beach was beautiful, clean, and clear blue water. There were plenty of chairs with some shade under trees and the only people on the beach were the three busloads of DCL cruisers. If I had one complaint, it would be the "vendors" who would walk along the water's edge trying to get you to come over to their "stalls". They had to set up outside the beach where we were and were not allowed to stop and sell things to us. They were friendly but would not take NO for an answer.
After the beach, we were taken back to the port where we had a couple of hours to shop before the all aboard.

 

[cruisingmom1977]

Jamaica - the island, the beaches, the mountains, the people, the history, the philosophy - is truly stunning. When I read reviews like this I am utterly flabbergasted. My husband and I are returning to our beloved island this summer. In past visits, we've stayed at different resorts and always venture off property to see the signts and experience the Jamaican culture. Yes, there are poverty-striken areas. The homes are built block-by-block, with blood, sweat, and tears. With all due respect, if explaining why things look different than what you see in your neighborhood is a hassle, maybe traveling in the United States is best for you. Otherwise, embrace wanderlust, excitement, and a respect for other cultures.

I'm sorry if I have offended you but the OP asked for opinions and I offered mine. I stand by my opinion. It DEFINITELY did not feel safe with my 2 and 5 year old children.

PS- I Didn't ask for your opinion on where I should vacation. I'm pretty sure I can figure that all by myself

 

[runswithscissors]

Anyone do this? I wanted to do an excursion in Jamaica, but have recently broken my arm so we are now limited to what we can do. Honestly I am not interested in many of the excursions which saddens me because we honeymooned in Jamaica and wanted to show the kids a bit of Jamaica.

we might just stick around port... I don't want to just spend $$ just to do an excursion that really doesn't interest us. Help!!!

I'm sorry if I have offended you but the OP asked for opinions and I offered mine. I stand by my opinion. It DEFINITELY did not feel safe with my 2 and 5 year old children.

PS- I Didn't ask for your opinion on where I should vacation. I'm pretty sure I can figure that all by myself

The OP asked for opinions on the excursion not your perceived safety (or lack thereof) at the port. She mentioned that she had honeymooned in Jamaica and was looking forward to showing her children the island; it is, therefore, clear that she does not share your opinion regarding the "rundown houses" and "dirty" environment.
I am not personally offended by your comments, however, I am offended for those whom your comments affect. Jamaica's economy is largely based on tourism. It feels irresponsible for someone who admits to only having seen a very small portion of the island to make such damning comments.

 

[lds0191]

We did the horse and buggy tour in March and absolutely loved it. I felt safe the entire trip. Our guide was very pleasant and full of information. I fell in love with the Jamaican people and would like to go back just to visit and interact with the locals. The stop at the church was very interesting and I did not feel pressured to make a purchase at any of the vendors outside of the church. The Falmouth area looks poor, at least by our standards, but I did not feel there was anything to fear as the people seemed to be happy and charming.