Falmouth Jamaica Advice

[Hallie Powledge]

Hello Everyone!

We are going on our first Disney Cruise in April 2017. One of the stops on the itinerary is Falmouth. I have been doing research into Port Adventures and haven't found much that sounds appealing for my 6 year old princess daughter. This cruise is all about her so we want her to have the most fun. Any advice?

 

[85glht]

If there is no excursion that looks like she would enjoy.... maybe just a day on the ship and endlessly ride the Aquaduck if on the Fantasy.... There is a shopping area right off the ship too, if you want any souvenirs.
We only went to to this stop once and did a beach break, no lunch included. It was just a quick bus ride to the beach. We spent a few hours there, then headed back to the ship early afternoon. Upon looking at the excursion list, I don't see the same exact excursion listed that we did. Don't sweat this, go and have fun!

 

[5Texans]

You know your kid best! We did the dolphin encounter and Dunn River Falls last month with our 5, 3 and 15mo DD(obv did not climb falls, but DD3 did). It was fun but we found everyone on shore VERY pushy even on the DCL excursion and my girls were intimidated by people shouting at us and trying to sell us things. It's so beautiful, but I might stay on the ship now that I've "done it" once.

 

[Mama hallie]

If there is no excursion that looks like she would enjoy.... maybe just a day on the ship and endlessly ride the Aquaduck if on the Fantasy.... There is a shopping area right off the ship too, if you want any souvenirs.
We only went to to this stop once and did a beach break, no lunch included. It was just a quick bus ride to the beach. We spent a few hours there, then headed back to the ship early afternoon. Upon looking at the excursion list, I don't see the same exact excursion listed that we did. Don't sweat this, go and have fun!

Thanks! I'm thinking we may just do the beach thing. Kind of a bummer that Disney added a port stop that doesn't have much for littles to do. Oh well! Still excited to visit Jamaica

 

[Mama hallie]

You know your kid best! We did the dolphin encounter and Dunn River Falls last month with our 5, 3 and 15mo DD(obv did not climb falls, but DD3 did). It was fun but we found everyone on shore VERY pushy even on the DCL excursion and my girls were intimidated by people shouting at us and trying to sell us things. It's so beautiful, but I might stay on the ship now that I've "done it" once.

Yea I saw the Dunn river falls, but like I said, my daughter is a PRINCESS! I think she will be scared to climb. The dolphin encounter looks cool but I found another on Cozumel that looks more fun. I don't think we need to do two. I guess I'm just scared to book something and she be miserable.

 

[czmom]

There are several resorts that offer day passes. We are going to one of those

 

[5Texans]

I booked excursions for all the other ports on my own, but I'm glad I booked the Falmouth one through DCL. You can get beach breaks cheaper on your own, but with kids I felt safer having a CM walk us off the ship and onto the waiting bus

 

[tinkerone]

We did a resort for the day. We booked a day room, which would give you the option of letting your little one have a nap or just some time out of the sun, at an all inclusive. We just got off the ship, walked over to the taxi area which is inside the compound and had them take us to our resort. The driver also arranged to come back and pick us up at a specific time. Since the room was pre-booked it was all very easy.

We loved having a full size pool and there was a lazy river as well. Having that room gave us a place to park our stuff and a place to have a shower after a long day in the sun. Not having to worry about cash for food or drink was a plus as well. Best day of our cruise.

 

[Mama hallie]

There are several resorts that offer day passes. We are going to one of those

When are you guys going?

 

[Mama hallie]

Which resort was this?

 

[tinkerone]

Which resort was this?

The one we went to was Hilton Rose Hall. https://www.rosehallresort.com/
I booked it but kept watching the rates and when all was said and done we booked the rooms for less than $150, they were partial ocean view (not that that mattered). That price was all inclusive for two adults and up to two kids free. this was two years ago so ymmv.

 

[czmom]

When are you guys going?

We go in January

 

[czmom]

Which resort was this?

We chose Runaway Bay- same one as DCL, but much cheaper. It's still safe as you never leave the gated port area to get on the bus/van. We also booked through resort for a day. Hilton Rose Hall was another choice. We also looked into Royalton White Sands booked through Jamaica cruise excursions.

 

[Sytrace]

We have been to this port twice. We did the Good Hope Estate tour the first time (which was very cool and the lunch was great) The second time we went to Green Grotto Caverns with a beach stop and lunch on the beach. It was really a good excursion and the whole family enjoyed it.

 

[AMusicLifeForMe]

I did the Mystic Mountain Adventure. I did the one that included the ski lift, the bobsled rollercoaster, and the zip-line. It was a lot of fun. I don't know how your daughter would enjoy thrills, but if she does, that was a lot of fun. It also had great views of the ocean while on the ski lift...The falmouth port is interesting, because all of the shopping is right there when you get off the ship. If I was to go back to falmouth, I probably wouldn't go anywhere. I would use that as an Aquaduck day.

 

[Club Disney Chandler]

I did the Mystic Mountain Adventure. I did the one that included the ski lift, the bobsled rollercoaster, and the zip-line. It was a lot of fun. I don't know how your daughter would enjoy thrills, but if she does, that was a lot of fun. It also had great views of the ocean while on the ski lift...The falmouth port is interesting, because all of the shopping is right there when you get off the ship. If I was to go back to falmouth, I probably wouldn't go anywhere. I would use that as an Aquaduck day.

We did the same excursion and loved it! Unfortunately, my daughter and I didn't get to enjoy the bobsled that much because somehow her iPhone jumped out of the sled about a 1/4 of the way down and she was in a panic. The good news was the Manager that was helping everyone get out of the sleds saw her crying and asked to help. She was able to explain where it happened, he sent someone down who actually found it! Thank god she had a bright red Minnie Mouse phone cover on it, and it still worked, no damage.

We're going to Jamaica again this summer and are doing it again so we can enjoy the bobsleds, but iPhones are staying in my backpack this time!

 

[LSUfan4444]

We've done Jeseal at Runaway Bay through http://www.resortforaday.com/product-p/orjafmjr-a.htm a couple of times without issue. I would have no hesitations going back and using them again. Staff was super friendly, food was good, lazy river and slides were fun and cost was very reasonable.

 

[Mama hallie]

We've done Jeseal at Runaway Bay through http://www.resortforaday.com/product-p/orjafmjr-a.htm a couple of times without issue. I would have no hesitations going back and using them again. Staff was super friendly, food was good, lazy river and slides were fun and cost was very reasonable.

This is the one we were looking at, actually. Thanks for the advice! I have a little more time to research, so I will continue, but this will most definitely remain on my mind and at the top of my list. Thanks again!

One more question, was it extremely crowded?

 

[Carrie in AZ]

We went to Hilton Rose Hall for the day and had a lot of fun! Our girls were 9 and 13 and our whole family loved the lazy river, slides and pools. The food was yummy as well. It was very nice having the uncrowded pools to swim in all day.

We did NOT like the port and the areas we saw as we departed the port were very scary to me -- we took the Resort For A Day transportation and were glad to be on a bus with guides and many other passengers.

We would go to a resort again if ever in Falmouth in the future. Or we would stay on the ship to enjoy it to the fullest!

 

[timrousbeastie]

In addition to what has already been suggested, you might take a look at the Rafting on the Martha Brae excursion. It is half a day with only around a 20 minute bus ride each way. The ride is very peaceful and we all enjoyed it. I almost didn't book it after reading negative reviews about pushy raft captains who tried to sell carved coconuts. But we prepared for that, bringing $20 or so cash for each raft, and just considered that part of the price. With that in mind, I think this would be an enjoyable experience for your princess. We did Dolphin Cove for the second time this past week and our 9 year-old princess loved it. Then again, she only did a little part of Dunn's River Falls before getting tired and the long bus rides were a bit much for her. A Dolphin Cove-only excursion might work well.
Good luck!