Cruise Into Ocho Rios, Jamaica

I visited Ocho Rios during a Carnival Cruise. The cruise wasn’t originally going to Jamaica but at the time there were a number of hurricanes in the area, so our itinerary had changed three times. No complaints though, none of us had been to Jamaica before & we were excited to cruise into Ocho Rios.

Having only a couple of day’s notice that our cruise was going to Ocho Rios, we hadn’t planned how we wanted to spend the day. I was traveling with 5 other people & we all agreed we didn’t want to join one of the over-priced tours that Carnival was selling. We had a quick look online at blogs and Tripadvisor and decided we wanted to visit the Blue Hole. Which is a series of rockpools & waterfalls. Also, wanted to visit one of the many beaches. I figured with 6 people surely we’ll get a good deal on arrival and all share the cost. 

Onboard you could purchase a tour offering tubing and the Blue Hole for $105USD per person, so we hoped we’d get it under that. 

When we disembarked the ship it didn’t take long before there were heaps of locals offering transport and tours. There was also a large banner displaying attractions and prices. And, the further away we walked from the boat the cheaper things became.

It didn’t take long for us to agree on a price, $20 per person to Blue Hole, and return transfers. It was mentioned that we might go shopping or to the beach afterward as well. But I wish we made that clearer, to begin with. Because after the Blue Hole, he wanted an extra $10 per person to stop anywhere else. So basically we paid in total $180USD for 7 hours of van hire. 

Tips for transportation in Ocho Rios

• Agree on prices and a specific itinerary for the day before getting in the car. 
• Have small change so you can give them the exact amount, they possibly won’t have change. 
• They’ll expect a tip.
• The further away from the boat, you go, the cheaper things become. 
• Have an idea of what you want to do before you get off the boat. If not they’ll be throwing prices and places at you and it could get confusing. 

Blue Hole

I was really excited about visiting the Blue Hole and it didn’t disappoint. Once we arrived we got two guides that would be taking us around. Entry was $10US per person and there are lockers for $5.

There were about 5 or 6 pools we stopped at, walking through the jungle between each one. The heights of the jumps varied, some were small, and some were super scary. Also at one, we could swim under a small waterfall into a cave, which was really cool. Our guides were really good, taking our hands if we needed assistance over the rocks, and always happy to take photos for us. The water was cold but not freezing, it was actually really refreshing after walking around in the heat.

We were there for about an hour and a half and at times I did feel a bit rushed, jump in – swim there – ok next hole. We weren’t given very much time to just swim around. I did have a great morning though! 

I’d recommend looking at what time the cruise tour arrives at the Blue Hole and try to avoid them. It started to get very busy and I’m sure during peak times you’d have to wait in line to jump in the water.

At the end of the tour, our guides asked for a tip, which is completely fine but coming from Australia we never really know what a good tip is. We gave them $15USD each and for an hour and a half of work, we thought that was ok! Straight up we got the impression they weren’t happy with that, never said thank you or goodbye, and looked really annoyed.

Is that a terrible tip? Because they were certainly pissed off about it. Ekkk sorry guys!

Bamboo Blu Beach Club

We wanted to go to the beach after the blue hole and decided on Bamboo Blu. This beach didn’t cost anything to visit but some in the area charge around $11 per person.

Bamboo Blu was beautiful, with clear blue water, and not overrun with boat people. You could also snorkel right off the beach, it wasn’t the brightest coral but still plenty of fish.

There was a restaurant on the beach and the waitress was walking along the sand all afternoon taking orders, we didn’t have to get up once. Food ranged from around $8-$14 and drinks were $7-9.

There were resorts along the beach but it really seemed to be only cruise people around, maybe due to the hurricanes! We stayed at the beach as long as we could and by the end of the day the beach was empty. It was amazing having a perfect beach to ourselves in Ocho Rios before getting back onto our busy cruise.

I loved that our cruise ended up stopping at Ocho Rios. With the colorful buildings and the local’s easy-going “Yeah Mon” attitude, even though I did feel they’d rip you off the first chance they got. I definitely think coming off a cruise boat puts a bit of a target on your back for price hikes. 

Have you been to Jamaica before? I’d love to visit again one day so if you have any tips please comment below.

Two of the other cruise ports we visited were Roatan in Honduras and Grand Cayman in the Cayman Islands. Click on the title if you’d like to check out those guides. 

Thanks for reading, 

Happy Travels.