I may be a bit behind, but I'm finally working on posts about the ports from our most recent cruise...
Our first big port stop on the Allure of the Seas was Falmouth, Jamaica. I was really excited about this and did a lot of research for all the adventurous fun we could have for the day. Of course there is always Dunn’s River Falls, however we really prefer things a little more off-the-beaten-path, where there will be less crowds. That led me to the excursion that included time at the Blue Hole. This particular excursion described itself as a tubing adventure to the Blue Hole. In actuality it included spending the morning at the Blue Hole (after a 1.5 hour drive that was not mentioned in the description), then getting back in the van to head to the tubing run, which ended at our lunch destination.
I LOVED the gorgeous,
adventurous options at the Blue Hole! It was an adrenaline junkies paradise! It
starts with a guide led hike up the waterfall, which is followed by descending
the waterfall by cliff jumping off different points in the falls into swimming holes
below! The final leap to the bottom can be done by rope swing! It was
absolutely awesome and EVERYTHING I had imagined it to be… almost. Below are a few things I wish I had before going, that might have led me to choosing different options to get to the Blue Hole.
Our first big port stop on the Allure of the Seas was Falmouth, Jamaica. I was really excited about this and did a lot of research for all the adventurous fun we could have for the day. Of course there is always Dunn’s River Falls, however we really prefer things a little more off-the-beaten-path, where there will be less crowds. That led me to the excursion that included time at the Blue Hole. This particular excursion described itself as a tubing adventure to the Blue Hole. In actuality it included spending the morning at the Blue Hole (after a 1.5 hour drive that was not mentioned in the description), then getting back in the van to head to the tubing run, which ended at our lunch destination.
At least if you are in a van for 3 hours, there are gorgeous views almost the whole way! |
The waterfall in the back is the one you can climb (also pictured at the bottom of the post intro shot). |
If you’re planning a trip to Jamaica, I would definitely
recommend time at the Blue Hole!! I would love to go back and be able to do the
things we didn’t get to and just spend more time exploring the falls and
swimming in the pools. Due to time our tour kept pushing us along. I did sneak
away for a minute to swim under the fall and it was totally worth the guide
they sent back to drag me away and make me stick with the group!!
River tubing views |
If you have the freedom to either rent a car or book through
a private tour group, I would definitely recommend doing that! If you are on a
cruise though, it might be worth it to not risk it and just book through the
boat. While there was a lot I would have liked to change, Jamaica was one of
the ports where I could have seen us getting stuck somewhere and not making it
back to the ship in time for departure. Everything was far away and roads were
hard to navigate, so- while I would have loved the freedom- I am also very
thankful the ship would have been forced to wait for us since we booked through
them.
**I've decided it would be fun to ask Babe his point of view (get a guy's perspective); being a man of very few words you can always except something short and sweet. So here it is...
Babe’s “Man-Point-of-View”:
The bus ride sucks; the scammers got most of the people in the van, but
me and the guy from Germany weren’t being fooled (into buying the water shoes)! **I've decided it would be fun to ask Babe his point of view (get a guy's perspective); being a man of very few words you can always except something short and sweet. So here it is...
Have you ever been to Jamaica?
What fun things did you do while you were there?