Going on Carnival cruise and stopping at Montego Bay-Jamaica. Anyone know if anything is CLOSE to where ship docks??<BR>Any nice BEACH close by? Shopping?<BR>Whats good to do close by. Don't really want to take a shore tour from ship.

We just got back from the inspiration. when we stopped at mo bay we did excursions all day. you can go shopping at the city center... I think a shuttle will take ya there. Also, Margaritaville is close by.... had ablast on the silde and water trampolines. I never felt threatened but i will say I never saw anyone walking the steets by themselves. Most people stay at their AI (wich is too bad.. you miss alot)or they stay with their tours. we had a great time on the Martha brae bamboo river rafting. I f you need anything else let me know. Just be prepared... its a very poor country and the inpiration is the ONLY ships that goes to Mo bay so the people hound you to buy things. But its so beautiful and most of the locals are very welcoming!!!

Sorry to &quot;hi-jack&quot; Rick's thread. Kooer, can you tell me a little about the Martha Brae raft tour. How much $, how long was it, is there nice scenery etc. <BR>Thanks!

dave, I loved the martha brae. your on a 30 foot long bamboo raft that is led by one guy with a pole. I would say your on the river maybe 45 min. Beautiful jungle like scenery, very relaxing and romantic. its 45$ per person from carnival and also includes a little shopping tour. also its a great way to see the &quot;true&quot; jamacia. Just be prepared for the people on the river banks trying to sell ya something. we didn't know this and it kinda caught us off guard. I belive the river is in Falmouth, Jamacia wich is about a 1/2 hr drive thru local towns. total tour time shopping and all maybe 3 hrs. hope this helps. if you nedd more let me know.

Hey thanks, Kooer. I know there is one other rafting tour, something mountain, but I'm not sure. I'll be staying at Sandals and more than likely trying the river raft tour. Is the &quot;little shopping tour&quot; a high pressure sales thing or can you actually enjoy it?

Mountain rafting tours just outside MoBay on Reading road and Martha Brae rafting -- both real gentle,tho can't compare to Rio Grande rafting in Port Antonio. Rather than going on a group shore trip from Carnival, get yourself a private guide in advance so you can specify EXACTLY what kinds of things you'd enjoy doing and save the effort and hassle of wandering aimlessly or being bussed around in a group. Carolyn Barrett ([email protected]) does many off-the-beaten track excursions for cruiseshippers. Whether close or farther afield, you'll get more out of your stopover by pre-arranging with a private guide

I agree, a private guide is best.<BR><BR>Not far from the dock is Doctor's Cave beach.<BR><BR>Frankly, I'd save the shopping for one of the other cruise ship stops unless you want reggae cds or Blue Mountain coffee. But I'm not a huge shopper anywhere.<BR><BR>Across the street from Doctor's Cave beach though, there are quite a few shops along the &quot;hip strip&quot;, Gloucester Ave. that you could check out easily to or from the beach.<BR><BR>Get some jerk chicken while you're in JA for sure!