Our first port of call was Montego Bay, Jamaica. We had read many negative reviews on this port, but heard that Sunset Beach Resort was the best place to go, so that’s what we did. We grabbed a cab from the pier to the resort ($3/person for cab) and for $20 per person per day, you get all your food, drinks and snorkeling covered. You just can't beat this deal. The beach was very pretty there were plenty of chairs and places to lay out on the beach. Kevin and I snorkeled here, which we enjoyed, but there's not a lot of great coral reefs or fish here. It still beats anything back home! We ate some great jerk chicken for lunch, relaxed in a Jacuzzi overlooking the beach and had some drinks. We spent about 4 enjoyable hours here.
We had about 2 hours to burn before heading back to the ship, so we took another cab to Jimmy Buffet’s Margaretville. This place was crazy—lots of partying, dancing on tables, a few boobs here and there, and, well, you get the picture. It was a cool experience. Unfortunately, we were nearly out of cash at this point ($20 for ONE drink here will break you *fast*!) so we didn’t stay long. Took pictures, bought MORE T-shirts, grabbed another cab and headed back to the ship.
A few notes on Jamaica. I understand why many people hate this stop. If we had gone onto the island not knowing what to do, we would have been aimlessly wandering around bad parts of town. Plan ahead before getting off the ship! Make no mistake--as you drive down the streets, people are standing in the MIDDLE of the road selling drugs and other junk. It’s a very poor looking place with trash burning and dope/crack heads walking around lost. The best advice is to go to a resort where these people are kept out and you’ll be safe. Leave your valuables on the ship and don’t carry a lot of cash!
Also, another very important point in Jamaica: NEVER, NEVER, NEVER get into a cab unless it has a red license plate and the words “Juta” prominently displayed on the window. These are the only cabs regulated by the government and the others are shady and very pushy. We made this mistake on the first cab we got at the pier and he tried to convince us to go to some other public beaches. Also, once we got to Sunset Beach, he told us that he didn’t have any change. Yeah, right! We argued and argued and waited around until we finally got change from someone. They’re very pushy and stubborn and insist that you take their cabs—but wait around for a red-tag cab and you’ll be much better off.
Overall, I’m glad we got off the ship as we had a lot of fun, but it was our least favorite stop, and we have no desire to ever visit this island again.
Grand Cayman Island
We were all very excited about this stop as we’d heard many great reviews about the island. In stark contrast to Jamaica, Grand Cayman is a very clean and nice town. You don’t have dope heads and pushy street vendors here. Once we got off the tender, we walked in a few shops, and bought MORE T-Shirts and stuff. Beware prices here are much higher than other ports!
Before taking this cruise, we booked an independent excursion through Captain Marvin’s Watersports for the Stingray City tour. I’ve heard nothing but positive reviews from this company and everyone had raved about swimming with the stingrays. Somehow, we were able to convince the ladies that this would be fun, and in the end, they totally agreed!
We arrived at their office at 10:45 and were driven to a boat about 10 minutes away. About 50 of us climbed aboard and started out into the sea. The boat ride took about 20 minutes and we stopped for 20 minutes of snorkeling at a small coral reef. The water was absolutely amazing and although there were not a lot of fish, the ones we saw were awesome. Visibility was well over 100 feet in the water. We spent a short time here and took another 5 minute ride over to see the stingrays.
Swimming with these animals is one of the most awesome things I’ve ever done and I highly recommend trying it. As I recall, I was the first off the boat and the last back on, and would have liked to stay all day. These massive rays swim right up to you, around you, under your legs and everywhere else. They are as friendly as your cat or dog and nearly as tame. Everyone got a chance to hold, pet, and kiss the stingrays and I spent some time snorkeling around with them. You can’t appreciate this unless you do it for yourself. They are not dangerous and are accustomed to people holding them. Give them some squid and they’ll be your best friend!
My only compliant with this tour is that it was too short. Although it’s a 2 hour tour, nearly half of the time is spent traveling in a boat or shuttle. However, it was worth every penny at $34 per person. If you ever have the chance, book through Captain Marvin’s and you’ll be glad you did. Carnival offers the same excursion but for a lot more money.
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