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Jamaica/Caribbean tips

2007-10-24T20:07:00.000-07:00

Jamaica trip – Sept 13- Sept17

Caribbean tickets are usually cheap during the hurricane season. Yeah, there is a possibility of the hurricane actually hitting the island that you are booked for on the specific dates. However, most hurricanes are downgraded and hardly one or two very strong hurricanes hit the coast of Jamaica. Even during the hurricane predicted periods, the weather there is spectacular. Hopefully you will have some kind of a protection on the vacation package and the flights/hotels can be rescheduled – Orbitz offers some travel protection plans and I think AMEX also has some kind of a travel protection plan. Call AMEX customer service to verify.

Now, here is some information to help you decide on the island. If you are an Indian without a green card, then the best bet for you would be Jamaica – if you do not want to go through the hassle of getting a VISA. Other than that, all the islands are supposed to be beautiful, especially the eastern Caribbean islands such as St. Lucia and St. Vincent. Snorkeling is supposed to be great around the Cayman Islands.

Getting a good deal on the trip would probably be a main concern. So here is how to go about it. Usually cheapcaribbean.com has a good deal. They had really good deals for the last hurricane season. Orbitz and Expedia can also sometimes give you good deals. Be on the look out for an all-inclusive deal. The package includes stay/food/alcohol/all tips excluding bell hop tip, and certain types of non-motorized water sport equipment rentals. The major advantage of buying an all-inclusive package is that you don’t have to spend your precious time in the Caribbean looking for food. You can spend all the time relaxing in the water and sipping a beer. The disadvantage is you tend to over eat and gain at least a few poundsJ

Since I have been to Jamaica, here is some information specific to Jamaica. The Jamaican currency is the Jamaican dollar. The value of the currency keeps fluctuating through the year. This is basically because the main source of Jamaican income is tourism. If it is a high tourist season, then the Jamaican dollar grows stronger against the US dollar and vice versa. When I went to Jamaica, the currency value was like 60-65 Jamaican dollars to 1 US dollar. All the places that I had been to in Jamaica accepted US dollars. The only problem was that you would always end up rounding off numbers and losing some money in the process. Also something to remember, carry a lot of dollar bills if you plan to spend only in dollars. In Jamaica people everywhere expect tips!!

Depending on your plans and affordability, you can decide on where to stay in Jamaica. Montego Bay is a big city in the northwest part of Jamaica and most of the international flights fly into Montego Bay. There are lots of all-inclusive resorts in Montego Bay. If you love to party, there is a local bar/beach club called Margaritaville to which most of the resorts ply buses to on Friday and Saturday nights. Negril is another beach town about 65 kms east of Montego Bay. Most of the resorts in Negril are the high-end such as Sandals and Hedonism. There are a lot of small hotels/resorts that are not all-inclusive. Negril is more of a frat-boy party town with loads of bar/restaurants on the long 7-mile sandy beach. Of course, they rely heavily on the alcohol and food business from the tourists. You can get grass almost everywhere in Negril. But beware, if you get caught, the laws in Jamaica for smoking grass are very severe and is not worth the risk. The cliff-diving spot at Ricks Café is a fun thing to try out. But the place is mostly for the Connecticut crowd. The divers literally grab the tips from your hands and they will nonchalantly charge you US$10 for a decent drink. If you go there, just dive off the cliff and get the hell out. Ochos Rios is the romantic get away place about 7080km east of Montego Bay. Most of the resorts in this city caters to couples and is supposedly a great honeymoon spot.

There are resorts that specifically cater to families with kids. So if you are going on a trip with kids, lookout for kid friendly resorts. A lot of resorts have kids clubs and a load of activities to keep the kids occupied. And inside the resort, there are guards all over the premises to ensure your safety. Most of the all-inclusive resorts have a restaurant that you can make reservation at and eat as a part of your package deal. It takes a little more time and you need to dress up but then the food is definitely better than the regular buffet. If it is only a few dollars more to upgrade to an ocean front room – DO IT!! It is definitely money well spent.

For trips inside of Jamaica, you can book it either online or at the resort. Most of the tour operators charge the same price online and at the front desk. So you don’t have to spend a lot of time trying to find the best deal. The Dunn’s river falls trip was the one we did. It was a very different experience. They take you to the bottom of an approximately 600 feet high water falls cascading through step-like layers of rocks. And you get to climb the falls through the water. It was a fun thing to do and took us almost an hour. It will take you longer since you will invariably stop for photographs and to play in the water. You definitely need water shoes to climb the falls as it is very slippery. If you do not own a pair, then you can rent one for US$5 and a water shoe in the US costs like $5. I would strongly suggest doing this trip with a group as there is someone to guide you through the falls and it is fun talking to the other travelersJ We met a kid who was 4 years old and was on her second trip to Jamaica and 10^th vacation in her life!! So you do get to meet interesting people!!

Renting cars in Jamaica is a good option. Since Negril was only 65kms from Montego Bay, we rented a car and drove to Negril and spent a lot of time walking on the beaches and visiting the local markets and tasting local food. It was a fun experience. All the resorts have agents from rental car companies and it is pretty easy to rent cars. Mind it; they drive on the left side in Jamaica.

Most of the resorts have gift shops. But they are pretty expensive. Usually souvenirs are cheaper at the shops couple of blocks from the resorts. The crafts market in Montego Bay and in Negril are also good places to shop. Never pay the price they ask for. Haggle. That’s how shopping works in Jamaica. The downtown area of Montego Bay is not the safest place on earth after dark. Even during the day, avoid conversations with the local peddlers.

Our Itinerary

Sept 12 – Fly out of SFO at 8pm

Sept 13 – Land in Miami at 6am. Flight from Miami to Montego Bay was at 1pm and we reached the resort at 3pm. Went to the room, changed and checked out the beaches. Came back and slept for a while and then had dinner and sat in the beach till late night listening to the ocean

Sept 14 – Took a trip to Dunn’s river waterfalls. Before that we went and checked out a local gift shop in the neighborhood in the morning. We had made reservations at the Italian restaurant in the resort and had our dinner there that night and chilled in the beaches till late at night.

Sept 15 – We rented a car and drove to Negril to check out the 7 mile beach. It was HOT. But it was nice walking on the beach. Then we went to a local restaurant and had some local food – I could not as most of the local dishes in that place had meat in it. We shopped for a little while in the craft market. Then we heard from someone that there was a great place for cliff diving and so we headed out there and Krishna did a few jumps off a cliff. Since I did not know swimming I could not do thatL. Then again, someone told us about a waterfall which was close by and we started driving. After an hour into the drive we realized that they had misguided us and so took a U turn and headed back to the resort. We were too late to make reservations for the dinner that night and so ate a buffet dinner and chilled.

Sept 16 – Today was our chill day. We did snorkeling/ocean kayaking/took a ride on the sail boat and chilled/ate all day long.

Sept 17 – Took an early morning flight out of Jamaica and landed in Miami at 8am. We rented a car and chilled the whole day at the south beach. Too bad we did not carry our swim clothes in our carry bags and so had to buy new clothes in South beach. We headed back to the airport at 5pm and flew into SFO around 10pm PST.

Cruise Tips

2007-10-10T13:36:00.000-07:00

Things to pack:

portable radio/CD player
a champagne corke
a camcorder
a camera,
lots and lots of sunscreen, but be careful, it can explode.
extension cords
hair dryers
7x50 power, binocs
CD players
DVDs
Power strip
a underwater camera
bug spray
sandals
tennis shoes
hike shoes
electric shaver
wine (2 bottles)
travel clock
ziplock bags
toilet bag

Charger for cell-phone, camera batteries, laptop.
Small/collapsible suitcase/duffel bag, (for shopping)
A highliter to use with the Capers paper.
A pack of Post-it notes. If you need to leave a note for others in your group or a note to the Steward.
Extra hangers
a waterproof camera
Bring single dollar bills
Hand Sanitizer
Sport sandals are good on deck and in port!
Bring a double flat sheet to spread out on the beach. It stays cool and the sand shakes out of it much easier than towels.

Cruise Tips from travel forums

Print out the pass and bring it along for each crusier just in case

Go ahead and fill out the luggage tags in the doc package ahead of time and attach them to your luggage handles

Never leave home without a pack of Bonine or Dramamine. Alternative remedies include ginger capsules and acupressure wristbands, available at most pharmacies.

The remedy I find simplest and most effective is using "sea bands". These are little wristlets that feature a "nub" that is positioned to strike a pressure point on the underside of your wrist.

Check your account midway through the cruise to check your charges and keep track of your spending

Don't drink the bottle of water in your room IT?S NOT FREE

After getting back onto the ship at a port, take the stairs to deck 3 and use the glass elevators if your cabin is higher up like ours

One thing you should do at every port, bring some fruit from the morning buffet and some packets of cereal. You always run into children, dogs or cats that are hungry.
Take the time to eat your breakfast and lunch in the dining room as the food is so much nicer than the buffet.

Alert the purser's office at least a day in advance and they will give you priority disembarkation

Visit your assigned dining room as the first thing on your agenda.
alternate dining rooms or restaurants, sometimes at an additional cost

Some of the more popular excursions do sell out, so registering early isn't a bad idea.

Offering sail-away umbrella-drink specials. These are often delicious, but RARELY free

Time for the sail-away, so get up on deck for the sail-away party, or crack that bottle of champagne on your private balcony

If a dish isn't prepared the way you like, send it back. This is NOT a place to be shy!

Tips specifically for Carnival ships

Very back of the Lido deck for eating Breakfast in the morning.

The Hot Tubs at the back of the Lido Deck will be empty in the evening and are Adults only

If you go forward all the way on either deck 6 or 7 to the left or right there are doors leading to the outer decks. These are small forward decks but no one is out there. Great view at night out the front of the ship in the dark.

Tipping

Bar tabs automatically include a 15% gratuity.

The porters who carry your luggage at the pier usually expect a tip also (a buck or two per bag will suffice).

If you have spa or beauty treatments, tip that person at the time of the service (if it's not automatically added to your shipboard account).

Guides on shore excursions should be tipped 5% of the excursion cost.
Don't try to tip the captain or other officers, who are salaried, professional employees.

$1 per bag at embarkation

Jargons

# Bow: the front or "pointy end" of the ship
# Stern: the back of the ship# Port: the left side of the ship as you face forward# Starboard: the right side as you face forward
# Galley: VERY important!! It's the ship's kitchen!
# Bridge: Where the ships officers control and navigate the ship from. Usually high up and forward. It is the command center or "cockpit" of the ship if you will.

Cruising Tips I found on the CC Boards

If Lobster Tail and Filet Mignon are both on the menu....order both desserts too small, order two!

Any pasta dish on the main entree section of the menu is also available as an appetizer.

On some of the Carnival ships, you can get a deck of cards w/Carnival logo, just by asking at the purser's desk.

In the dining room, ask for espresso after dinner - not usually listed on the menu, have either espresso or cappuccino every night at no extra charge

The books in the cabins are free, if you ask your room steward.

In the morning for breakfast they have those tiny little individual boxes of cereal. There are Fruit Loops, Frosted Flakes, and lots of other name brand cereals. Grab a few for snacks. The authorities will not confiscate anything that is in a sealed container.

Bring a travel clock since there are no clocks in the room, as well as a power strip.

Another thing, do not forget tea times. Usually these are 2 or 3 days per sailing, and chance to sit and listen to some music and taste MORE free food and lovely teas

As to the Grill .........usually there are two grill area open on deck (1 near each pool area) and one serves only Hot Dogs and Hamburgers.........the other does the Hot Dogs and Hamburgers as well as Grilled Chicken Breast Sandwiches and Minute Steak Sandwiches.

And don't forget ......don't ever forget! about the 24 hour Soft Serve Ice Cream

Bring bungee cords to hold open the balcony door at night. You will be able to hear the ocean and get a nice breeze.

Have your camera on hand to take pictures at the same time as the photographer.

Bring 2 six packs of bottled water, If you need aspirin, seasick pills, or a variety of general medications, check the "0" deck where the waiting room is for the doctor. There were free samples for the taking in individual packets... also a weigh scale in case you need to weigh a suitcase (or yourself!).

Check out your dining room seating as soon as you get there and find your table so when you come to eat in the evening you will know your way around and not walking in circles looking........

Room service is free and you can order as many sandwiches, cookies, etc as you like!All Spas have hottubs, steam and sauna

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2007-10-10T12:33:00.001-07:00

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