Our Universal Resort Vacation and Caribbean Cruise 10/6-10/18, 2010

[Teknik_DC2]

On the second page, there is a photo of a guy in a robe and behind him is a birthday hat laying, is that a Harry Potter item? Thank you, awesome trip report and photos.

I just looked at the photo and no it is not a Harry Potter Item. I think it is a hat Universal sells and someone just sat it down in the Harry Potter section of the Island Traders store.

 

[mickeymotto]

Still following your TR, which is great I might add. I love all the pics you are posting. What a great time you all look like you had.

 

[Teknik_DC2]

Day 7: The Grand Cayman

7am soon arrived. The alarms were going off and it was time for us to awake for the day. Today would be our first day in our first port. The Cayman Islands. We had booked a tour out to Stingray City thru Stingraysailing.com so we had to be off the ship quickly to meet up with our tour. Shortly after awaking we were ready for the day and meet up with Kyle and Valisa. We went upstairs to the Lido deck to eat a filling breakfast. While eating we took in the island sights and also saw the many other ships in port with us including 2 Celebrity ships and the Carnival Valor and Destiny.

After breakfast we made our way down to deck 1 where we encountered the mile long line to debark the ship. We were suprised at how quickly the line moved though dispite the Grand Cayman being a tendor port and before we knew it we were off the ship loading on to a tendor and making our way to the Grand Cayman for our day on the Island.

The Tendor was a short ride and we soon found ourselves on the Island. I pulled out the email I recieved from stingraysailing.com to find out where to meet up from here. We were suppose to meet at the Royal Watler Cruise Terminal so we made our way there. From where the Carnival terminals were to the Royal Watler terminal was a short walk away. It only took about 5 minutes to get there. And at this terminal there were many little shops that you could look at. We were still a little early so when we got to the Royal Watler we couldn't find our tour. We started asking around if anyone had seen them yet and before we knew it he soon arrived. We checked in with the captain and owner of stingraysailings.com Chip and he told us to go check out the shops while we waited for others to check in. So after a quick bathroom break and finding a postcard in one of the shops everyone checked in and we were soon our way to chips catamaran to go see the stingrays.

The bus ride to the boat was short and fun. Chip talked to us all the whole time telling us about the island and other sights that we passed on the way. to our suprise we found out the Chip is actually a native of the grand cayman and not a transplanted U.S. Citizen like many seem to believe. The waters around the Grand Cayman are very pretty. Some of the prettiest i've ever seen. The island is pretty too except for it is very flat. There are no mountains here. Not even any hills.

After about a 15 minute drive we were at the boat docks where Chips dad Buster and his friend Mark were waiting for us on the Catamaran named the Far Tuga. This boat would be taking us out to the sandbar to see the Stingrays. We were all soon loaded on the boat. Off in the distance we also saw a huge Iguana walking around. Pretty cool to see one in the wild. After Chip went over some general rules while on the boat we were soon on our way. The ride out was very relaxing and pretty. We drove amoungst a bunch of multimillion dollar homes when exiting the island and then it was probably like a 5 mile drive out to the Stingrays. During the ride out Chip provided free water for everyone also made sure that he came and talked with every group personally. It was a nice touch that went a long way for us.

 

[Teknik_DC2]

Before long we saw a group of ships parked in the ocean. We figured that must be the Stingray Sandbar and we all started to get ready to get into the water. It was very clear once we pulled into the sandbar that we chose the right company to take the tour with. Stingraysailing.com limits there groups to about 25 people each trip. That was probably the perfect amount as his catamaran never seemed crowded and all of us got alot of interaction with the stingrays. On many of the other ships we saw at the sandbar people were packed on them like Sardines. We seriously had no idea how people could breath on some of those boats let alone move they were packed in so tight.

While Chip and Buster worked on getting the anchors set so the boat would stay in place Mark when over the rules regarding the stingrays. He explained how they would react and how the proper ways were to hold them. He also said to shuffle our feet in the water so that we wouldn't step on any stingrays. Interestingly enough he said that its only the females that allow you to hold them. They would also provide food for us if we would like to fee the stingrays. He just said to make sure we hold our thumb inside our fist. After that the anchors were set and we were allowed to get in the water.

After getting in the water Mark was able to quickly find a Stingray for everyone to hold. He obviously went first and showed us everything he explained while on the ship. After showing everyone the proper ways to hold a stingray he then allowed everyone to touch it and then hold it themselves if they would like to. I don't even know how to explain the feel of the stingray. The top was kinda rough and icky feeling. However the bottom was nice and silky smooth.

As you will see in some of the photos the stingrays get very close to you. Many gliding between your legs and many brushing up against you as they go by. This was kind of a creepy feeling at first but you got use to it very fast. It was a very cool experiance. Chip soon hoped in the water as well with a bucket of fish for those who wanted to try feeding them. Kyle and Valisa were both game but Keira and I decided that we didn't want to.

 

[Teknik_DC2]

We spent alot of our time just watching in amazment all the stingrays gliding around us. It also felt so nice being in the water. Eventually Kyle got a stingray to come to him all on his own. It was probably the largest one we saw out of all of them as well. Even cooler that Kyle got it without the help of Mark or Chip.

Our Time in the water was nearly up and Keira and I still hadn't held a Stingray. So we found Mark and he handed us one. It took a few trys but before we knew it Kiera was successfully holding one.

Next up it was my turn. It was a little hard to hold it at first but once you relax and just let it "sit" in your arms it was very easy to hold and a pretty amazing experiance. I mean how many people can say that they have held a stingray.

Next up was Valisas turn. She jumped in and held our stingray and got a few pictures with it. However you may not tell in the pictures but shortly after she was done she caught a stingray to hold all on her own just as Kyle did. With this stingray she also "kissed" it to get good luck. She was the only one out of the four of us to do so.

A few more people still wanted to hold a stingray so we swam around a little while longer before it was time to get back on the boat. While doing so we found a cool sea shell that even had a crab inside of it still.

 

[Teknik_DC2]

Before we knew it our time with the Stingrays were up and we all climbed back on the boat and dried off. I grabbed my other camera and took some pictures now the the weather cleared up and the water looked much nicer. All the black dots you see in the water are the stingrays.

With the Anchors up we are soon moving to our next destination. The Coral Reef. Here we would be able to snorkel and see many different fishes and sea life. I was very suprised of how close it was to the Stingray Sandbar as we were there and dropping anchor again within 5 minutes.

We soon had our snokle gear and in the water we went. Kyle and Valisa brought there own so they were in the water before anyone else. Once again we were given instructions on how to swim in the reef and we were not to touch anything as it would damage it. This was my first time every snorkling in a reef and I must say it was very cool. Unfortunatly though there wasn't alot of sea life out today. Kyle and Valisa said they saw an eel but when we came over it had gone away and we couldn't see it.

 

[Teknik_DC2]

After being in the water for about 15 minutes Mark jumped in as well and took a group of us on a tour of the reef. He knew right where to swim as it seemed like there was a "path" made for swimmers. It was very pretty and the pictures do not do it any justice.

Our snorkling time was soon up and we were back on the boat and heading back to the island. Once we were away from the reef the engines were shut off and Mark and Chip put up the sails on the boat and we actually sailed back to the Island. This was so cool and perhaps the most relaxing part of the trip. I'd never been on a sail boat so it was a new experiance for me.

 

[Teknik_DC2]

While sailing back Chip and his crew provided us with some fresh fruit. They also had beer and Soda avalible for purchase to those who wanted it. Mark also took many photos in the water with the stingrays for those who didn't have a waterproof camera. People were allowed to pick and choose what photos they wanted and then they could buy a cd of there photos from Mark. I wasn't sure how much they were selling for though as we had plenty on our waterproof camera. This was also the time where we needed to finish paying the remander of our balence for the tour (we paid a $10 per person deposit already). We were extremely satisfied with the tour.

On the way back to the island you really got a sense for how flat the island really was. In the distance you could see all 5 Cruise Ships in port that day towering above the island.

We were soon back on dry land and reboarding the bus to head back to the cruise terminals. We had a wonderful day with Chip, Buster, and Mark and were extremly satisfied with the tour they provided. I cannot recommend them enough. They were very nice to everybody, made sure they went out of there way to interact withe every person on board, provided us with free water and fruit, explained in great detail all we needed to know, helped us patiently when we struggled with the stingrays, explained all we wanted to know about there island, and went out of ther way for us. We also loved that they were a family ran buisness and because such it showed that they cared for our buisness. There tour took about 3.5 hours and cost $45 an adult. It was well worth it and I highly recommend them.

Although the weather was much nicer then it was when we got off the Carnival Legend chip saw the waters and said we were very lucky cause had the water been like this when we arrived the Tendors wouldn't have been running to bring us to shore. That is something we would be very thankful for later in our cruise that we were able to still go to the Grand Cayman. After being dropped off at the Royal Watler we had 2 more things we wanted to do while in the Grand Cayman. We needed to go to the Hard Rock Cafe cause Kyle would buy a shirt from every Hard Rock in a city he goes to (he already got one in Orlando), and Valisa wanted to go to Margarettaville to get a margaretta. So we started to head that way taking photos along the way.

We first came to Margarittaville so in we went. This most be the place to party cause it seemed like alot of fun. They had games going on and other events. It was very very loud though inside. I don't know how the bartender was able to understand Valisas order. Especially since she wanted a Virgin Margaritta. It was a fun environment but with how loud it was we were happy to get out of there.

We glanced in the windows of a few shops while we made our way down to the Hard Rock but never actually stopped to look at anything. Our shopping day was planned for when we were in port in Cozumel and since we already had our post card we had no other reason to look in the shops in the Grand Cayman.

 

[Teknik_DC2]

We were soon at the Hard Rock and Kyle quickly found a shirt he liked and bought it. We were officially done with all that we wanted to do in the Grand Cayman so we headed back to our cruise terminal to wait in the mile long line to board the Tendors. While in line you could really tell how bad the water was as the tendors were being tossed around like rag dolls. The tendor would drop about 1 1/2 feet below the dock then raise about 3 feet above it. While waiting in line I left and ran to the bathroom before boarding the tendor. While I was in there 2 guys came running in 1 of which was puking everywhere. When I exitied his friend turned to me and said "He's just a little sea sick". Yeah right I thought to myself. He's probably bet at Margarettaville since he stepped off the ship. Some people just need to learn to stop drinking after a certain point.

We were soon on the Tendor and making our way back to the ship. Its a good thing I don't get sea sick as it was a very rough ride back. It was also scary when we almost got rocked into another tender when leaving the port. But we made it safe back to the ship which it too felt like an island with no rocking compared to the Tenders.

Once on the ship there was one thing we needed ASAP. That was food. We were starving. So once nice thing about being on deck 1 was that we were at our room about a minute after being back on the ship and dropped off our stuff. We then went up and got ourselves some pizza and a sandwich for lunch and then walked around the upper decks to view the Cayman islands one last time before heading down to our room and getting ready for the evening.

 

[Teknik_DC2]

Shortly after setting sail and while getting ready for the evening we got the depressing news of the trip. The captain came on over the intercoms to give us an update on the weather. He said that Tropical Depression had officially became Hurricane Paula and it was right in our sailing path. Because of this we wouldn't make the rest of our ports. Thats right Cozumel Cancelled, Belieze Cancelled, Roatan Cancelled. However they secured a stop for us instead in Ocho Rios Jamiaca. After the announcement Kiera and I were in shock. We thought maybe one port would be cancelled but all of them. The cruise director soon came on as well and resaid everything the captain said. He also explained we would all recieve 20% off our next cruise and our port taxes would be credited to us. Anyone who booked excursions at the cancelled ports would have them refunded and the shore excursions desk would open in the morning for those wanting to rebook something in Jamaica.

After the announcement Kyle called us to ask what we should do. I had no clue as I never prepaired for something like this. The idea we came up with was to see what shore excursions Carnival offered and go from there as we had no idea about anything to do in Jamaica. We were now in a sucky situation which I know many of you now know about as many people complained about this cruise and the changes in itenerary due to the Hurricane. We however chose to be optimistic and make the best of a sucky situation. Because we decided that from the beginning we salvaged our trip and still had an amazing vacation unlike so many others who have complained on this website.

After taking a nap and relaxing in the room it was time for our dinner. As we made our way to and even in the Dinning room you could tell there was a vibe of sadness thruout the ship. It was even evident amungst the staff. Even though they still provided the best service they could our server Gavin told us because of the iteneary change he lost his days off. It was a sad evening for everyone but we still had a great dinner.

Tonight for our Appitizers Keira ordered the Fruit Cocktail and a Quisodilla. I ordered a Ceasar Saled and I belive it was the sliced duck.

For our main course Kiera ordered some sort of Pasta Dish (sorry can't remember the name) and I ordered the Pork Roast and also the Chatablan (don't know the spelling or correct name lol. Basically beef shoulder).

For desert Kiera and I both decided to order the Cheesecake which was excellent. We especially liked how we got to dress it ourselves.

After dinner we went back to our cabins for a little bit to prepair for the rest of our evening. Our rooms were already turned down for the night and this evening we got a bunny rabbit for our towel animal.

The show in the main theater was one we didn't care to see so we wondered around looking at other things on the ship. We stopped and looked around the shops where Kiera found a Roxy Purse and Hat that she loved. We also made a stop in the Kariokee club and Piano bar but due to all the cigarette smoke we didn't stay in the Piano Bar long.

With some time to still kill before the Comedy Club we decided it would be a great time for Ice Cream. But not just any plain old ice cream. we went back down to our rooms and got the candy we brought with us to use for toppings. This is one of those things I recommend you bring as toppings always make Ice cream so much better.

After getting our ice cream we made our way down to a very packed firebird lounge. One Comedy show was still going on so we just stood in the back until it was over. Tonights Comedian was once again Russ Nagel. He was who performed the first night of the cruise and who we thought was very funny. Once again we went to the 11:45pm R rated show but unlike the first night this would be a 100% different show. Once again it was very funny and we had a great time laughing into the night.

We were suprised by how tired we were once the comedy show was over. We took a nap but I guess the sunshine in the Cayman islands really took a beating on us. So we retired to our rooms for the night and called it a day. We had alot to think about the next day with the itenerary change and trying to figure out something to do in Jamaica. One thing that was welcomed though was another sea day that we would have to be able to sleep in.

 

[Teknik_DC2]

Day 8: 2nd (Unscheduled) Day at Sea

Today we were originally suppose to be in Cozumel, Mexico. However due to the Hurricane we found ourselves at sea. It was bitter sweet still about missing the rest of our original itennerary but it was really nice to have the day to sleep in and relax. We woke up very late around lunch time this day and soon meet up with Kyle and Valisa to go find lunch. Outside our cabin doors Carnival left us a packet containing all the shore excursions they offered for Ocho Rios, Jamaica. Our new port we would be sailing to. Upon looking thru the book though I was soon reminded how expensive Carnival excursions can be. However we were able to get ideas from it of things we would want to do. We decided over lunch that we would play the Day in Jamaica by ear. We could see if there were any tours being offered when we got off the ship by independent companys and if all else failed we would use the day just to shop. We also wanted to make sure we could go to the Dunns river falls if we got the chance.

After lunch we walked around the ship. Since we woke up so late we decided not to lay out in the sun and there were many activitys taking place on the ship that we wanted to see. We walked down to the Atrium so that we could find our photos from the Elegant night. We also noticed they were having a bean bag competition between the red and blue teams

We had some time to kill before the next activitys that we wanted to do so we went back to our room. Kiera brought a bunch of travel games with us so we busted out Scrabble Express. We soon realized though that we had no clue how to play Scrabble Express so the game ended and the Girls fell asleep on the bed. Kyle and I used this time to swap photos that we had taken.

The time soon came for what we waited for most of the cruise. 8 Game Bingo. On our past cruises Kiera and I would always play Bingo on one of our sea days. However when we did we always played the Half Price Bingo and would buy two cards. Last crusie though I realized that with Half Price Bingo you only play one game. So our chances of winning would be higher if we payed full price for one card and played multipule games. So thats what we did. We made our way to the Follies Lounge where I bought us a 3 game bingo card and also a lottery pull game ticket. Kyle and Valisa bought 2 bingo cards and also the lottery ticket thing.

The game soon started and 3 games in Valisa got a bingo. Unfortunatly though 2 other people called Bingo as well so they had to split the $100 winnings 3 ways. As the games progressed I got close to winning on multipule occasions but would lose with only one number needed left. The game was soon over and once again we didn't win. We did however win $5 on our lottery card thing so hey at least we won something (even though that was the cost of the card lol).

One of the things I love most about the Spirit class ships is the outside deck on Deck 3 that wraps around the entire Aft of the ship. On our honeymoon cruise on the pride Kiera and I spent alot of time on this deck watching the Sunset. Since we hadn't walked it yet we decided to go walk around this deck after Bingo was over. We would also return to it later in the evening to watch the Sunset.

After walking around the deck we made our way back to our Cabins. It was that time of a day where a Nap sounded very nice. Be careful walking down the cabin hallways and touching the cealing because some of the panels can fall off like Kyle found out lol.

I have problems with taking Naps so needless to say I didn't. Instead Kiera and I watched some TV and pulled out the treats and Candy we bought at the Wizarding World. I also pulled out my wand to look at and play with lol.

Since we got bored of watching TV and Kyle and Valisa were still sleeping Kiera and I decided to go walk around the ship. We made it to one of our other favorite locations on the Spirit Class Ships. On the Legend it is called the Enchanted Forest and on the Pride it was the Garden of Eden. Its basically a big hallway that wraps around the main theaters. This is also how you get to the kid club locations and the Arcades. We like it because it is always empty and nice to relax in. I also loved the forest theme on the Legend much more then I did the Garden theme on the Pride.

 

[Teknik_DC2]

We next made our way up to the Arcade to see what they had to offer. For some reason when we were on the Pride it took us forever to find the Arcade. However we had no problem finding it on the Legend. It was nice but compared to the one on the Glory it was very small. The games are pretty expensive to play so we just goof around on them instead.

We were soon done with the Arcade and made our way back out of the Enchanted Forest. We still had some time to kill before we wanted to go watch the sunset so with the thought still in my mind of what to do we made our way to the Library to use the Internet.

You have no Idea how bad I wanted to access CruiseCritic.com to look up info and ideas of things to do while in Jamaica. However I was not about to pay the 3.95 activation fee and the crazy internet charges per minute. However I did remember reading that Carnival's websites are free to use on the ship computers and knowing Carnival had somewhat of a message forum I dove into that looking for any info on things to do in Ocho Rios that I could. However once I started finding some good info it was time for us to leave to go meet Kyle and Valisa to go watch the Sunset.

We soon meet up with Kyle and Valisa and to have some fun this evening Kyle and I grabbed our Wands. We soon made our way to the Deck 3 deck and made our way to the Aft of the ship to watch the beautiful Sunset. This is one of the things that I love about sailing as the sunset is so beautiful on the waters.

Kyle and I then busted out our wands to have a Wizard duel on the high seas (yeah were pretty lame lol).

The sun had soon set so we went back inside the ship. Tonight the photographers were doing the "old western" style photos so we thought that could be fun we all dressed up and had some photos done of us. We then made our way back to the front of the ship where we found the Sushi Bar open. I love Sushi and since dinner was still an hour away I grabbed some. The sushi was pretty good. Its just too bad no one else in the group cares for it so this was the only time I ate it on the cruise.

We soon found ourselves back in the Enchanted Forest which was the pefect setting for Wizard Duels. So Kyle and I busted out our wands again and dueled it up. He pretty much won though cause he is a much better wizard then I am. The girls were pretty much laughing there butts off the whole time.

 

[Teknik_DC2]

After we were done with our dueling we went back to our rooms for a moment to drop off the wands before dinner. To our suprise it was already turned down for the evening and our towel animal this evening was and elephant.

Since we still had some time to kill before dinner we went up the Kariokee lounge to play some trivia. We walked in during the Classic Rock trivia that Kyle was dissapointed he missed as he is a classic rock fanatic and would have probably won had he been able to play.

Next they played a trivia game that was like who wants to be a millionaire. We all started playing this but as the questions got harder all of us except for Valisa were eliminated. At one point all the people still standing went up to the stage. Where more questions were asked and Valisa soon found herself in the final 2 people. Unfortunatly the other lady seemed to be cheating where if she didn't know the answer she would just copy what Valisa answered so they both wouldn't be eleminated. It finally came down to a rock, paper, sicssors match and the other lady won the ship on a stick.

We quickly made our way to the dinning room where we were warmly greated by our waiters. Dinner was once again amazing this night. I can never get enough of the dinning room food and having an amazing Wait staff makes it even better.

Tonight for our Starters I got some Chicken Tenders as well as my Ceasar Salad and Kiera got some Tomatao Mazorella and her Fruit Cocktail.

For our main dishes Kiera and I both ordered the Filet Mignion and Roast. It was so good and is one of my favorite dinners of the trip.

Before we ordered our desert the wait staff did there show. This night though Valisa actually got up and danced with our waiter Gaven and had a good time. Kiera was a little bashful about getting up though.

For our desert I got an Apple Pie and Kiera got a choclate/strawberry cake thing that was actually very good. I'm not sure what it is called though.

After dinner we actually sat and talked with our Waiter Gaven for about a half hour. He talked to us as if we were long time friends telling us about his life and his wife and how ship life is. It was really fun and interesting hearing about his culture and what it was like living on the ship.

Now I don't know if the main show this evening was changed due to the port cancellations. But the main show this night was the Marrage Show. Its an excellent show that you should not miss however on our past cruises this has always been a minor thing thru out the day where on the Legend it was the main big show for the evening. Like I said I don't know if they just filled it in because the performer that was suppose to be there couldn't get on the ship but it was still pretty good and very funny. We caught about the last half of the show since we got caught up talking to Gaven but it would repeat many times on the TV. Upon leaving the show please be careful though as the carpets may be slippery when wet lol.

Tonight was also the ship deck party and mexican buffet. So after the show was over we made our way to the Lido deck to have some fun dancing in the dancing and having a good time. I'm not one thats a dancer at all but Kiera loves it. So I just took a few pictures and then tried the best I could to dance with her.

 

[Teknik_DC2]

After doing the dancing thing we made our way into the unicorn cafe to get some of the Mexican Buffet. It was very good but we couldn't eat very much as we were still very full from dinner. Kyle and Valisa were dissapointed that they couldn't eat more as they love Mexican food and this was one of the only days the ship served it.

After the Mexican Buffet our night was soon over. We had another big day tomorrow in our unexpected port of Jamiaca. We said goodnight to Kyle and Valisa but before heading to our room I went back to the Library to look up more info on things to do in Ocho Rios. I soon found all the info I needed to know and now knew we wanted to go to the Dunn River Falls for sure. It was just a matter of what would be avalible once we were off the ship. I also got alot of good info about how the locals are and how pushy they could be.

We were soon back in the room and ready for bed. I just had to take a photo of the TV though to give you an idea of the ship route this day. Ocho Rios really isn't too far from the Grand Cayman. Like we could have made it there the next day. However to space it apart the ship only moved around 8knots this day and you will see its lovely pretzel pattern route it took to delay us from getting into Ocho Rios too early.

We were soon in bed and fast asleep. We had a big day ahead and no clue what we were doing. We just hoped everything would turn out all right in our unexpected stop.


Anyways thats all for today everyone. Thanks again for taking the time to read my recap. Feel free to ask any questions you might have and as always comments are more then appreciated. Thanks to all those who have continued to follow and support my thread.

 

[jessrose18]

Just have to say I am LOVING your tr! Got through all the universal days so far. HP world looks awesome and you have so many detailed pics! Thanks for writing it and sharing so that I can get even more excited for my upcoming trip! (cant wait to read the cruise portion next)

 

[Teknik_DC2]

Day 9: Ocho Rios, Jamaica

Our 9th day of vacation was soon upon us. Unfortunatly it wasn't the day 9 we were hoping for. Today we originally planned to be in Isle Roatan where we had a beach and snorkel packaged booked with the Bananarama resort. We looked forward to this day perhaps more then any of the others as we wanted to relax on the beautiful Roatan beaches and do nothing all day long and enjoy Paradise. Instead due to Hurricane Paula we now found ourselves in Ocho Rios Jamaica. A place that we knew nothing about. A place that we never had a desire to visit. We had nothing planned. We just hoped we would be able to find something to do to make the most out of our unexpected stop. All we knew for sure is that we wanted to go see the Dune River falls.

We got up early this morning so that we could make the most of the day. We decided to wear our swim wear off the ship so that we would be prepaired in the event that we decided to do something where we would get wet. Valisa also decided to do this but for some reason Kyle didn't. We made our way upstairs to grab breakfast before getting off the ship and found that the Carnival Liberty was also in port with us this day.

After a quick breakfast we made our way down to Deck 0 where we would be able to leave the ship and start our unknown adventure. Walking off the ship was just a preview of what we were in store for. The Ocho Rios port is only designed to really accompany one cruise ship at a time. Because the Liberty was already here as part of one of there scheduled stops the Legend that we were on had to dock at what appeared to be supply dock. It was very run down and industrious. a few rusted out warehouses and just a very uninviting feel. This whole area was even surrounded by barb wire fenceing. However we could see plenty of the mountainside as well and could see all the lush vegitation and beauty of the island.

As we made our way off the ship and into the fenced area we immidiatly had people coming up to us asking if we wanted a taxi somewhere. As I've said before we had no idea what we were going to do and we were playing it all by ear. We kept telling these people know as they just didn't feel right. Finally after walking around for a couple minutes one the Ladys who happened to be a security guard came up to us and asked if we needed help and what we wanted to do while visiting the island. I felt very comfortable with the fact that she was security so I told her we wanted to go to the Dunn River Falls and also see some of the Island and do some shopping. She smiled and said she knew the perfect tour for us then. She walked us over to a man named Javia and told him what we wanted to do. He said no problem that we could join his group and he would take us to do all of that for only $25 bucks a person. That was a great deal so we decided to do it as we felt very comfortable. Especially to find out he wasn't a taxi but an actual tour guide and owns the company knowjamaica.com. We were soon on the bus and our Jamaican adventure soon began.

Javia was our actual bus driver and he was very good dispite there being some pretty crazy drivers on the roads here in Jamaica. There was also another lady that actually spoke to us and gave the "tour" however I unfortunatly can't remember her name now. We honestly believe that we couldn't have chosen a better tour or company to spend the day with. She was an excellent guide and answered any questions we had. After dropping off a few passingers at the Island Market who wanted to just spend the day at Margarettaville we were soon making our way thru the beautiful island to go the the Dunn River Falls.

I was actually pretty suprised by how close we were to the Dunn River Falls. For some reason I thought they would be a long drive out of town. But they were only like 10 minutes away. As we were pulling in our guide told us that the falls do cost money to enter that our initial payment didn't cover (the falls cost $15 a person). They also warned us about the vendors or those with shops at the Falls. They told us no matter what DO NOT tell those vendors your name because they will quickly carve it into something and guilt trip you into buying it. We loved that they gave us advice like this wherever we went.

We were soon unloaded off the bus and paid to gain our entry into the Dunn River Falls area. Dispite it costing money to enter (a fee we didn't know we would have to pay) we were still ok with it as it turned out to be well worth it. Our tour guide showed us where to access the falls at and told us we could go where ever we would like. We could enter or exit the falls at anytime and at the bottom of the stairs was a beach. She then told us they would be back in a couple of hours to pick us up and continue on with the tour.

One thing our tour guide didn't mention though was the people outside the vendor area who would try and get money out of you as well. I unfortunatly fill to one of these. A guy came up to me and asked if he could tell us about the falls. I didn't think much of it at the time but he told us the history of the falls and how a James Bond movie was filmed there. It was very informative however he got kinda pushy once we finally got to the falls and we wanted to take photos and such. He soon was done and then it all became clear. He wanted a tip for the 10 mintues of time he told us a few useless facts. I did tip him as i'm sure it was his only form of income but just be forwarned that if you go to falls do not feel obligated to let these "guides" show you around because all they are doing it for is your money.

 

[Teknik_DC2]

I must say though that seeing these waterfalls was one of the prettiest sights of nature that I have ever seen with my own eyes. It is breath takingly beautiful. Very lush and tropical and absolutly stunning.

After the long trek down the hill we found ourselves at the bottom of the falls and on the beach. The beach was pretty but its far from being the prettiest beach i've seen. There are also many vendors down here trying to offer you there random goods. But thats not the only thing that these vendors were offering. We had many of them come up to us and say something like this "Would you like to rent a jetski" No we're fine is what we would reply "Then would you like to buy some Weed" was his next reply. Um no thanks. Yeah we got offered weed pretty regularly. I'm sure a lot of people probably end up buying it but sorry we aren't one of them.

Seeing as how this would end up being the only oppertunity that we would have during our vacation to visit a beach we decided to spend a bit of our time here. We got in the warm Caribbean water and played around a little bit. We were very shocked to feel how much colder the water was coming off from the waterfalls though compared to the ocean water. The water here is still the very pretty blue water you expect from the Caribbean. Its just too bad that the beach couldn't be a little bit nicer.

 

[Teknik_DC2]

We were soon done at the beach and made our way back up to just past the halfway point. It was here that Kiera and I decided to get in the water again and have some photos taken of us on the falls. Kyle also go in the water with us to take the photos but Valisa couldn't come in. Kiera and I planned and brought our water shoes with us. Kyle did as well. However Valisa only brought flip flops and they are strictly prohibited on the falls. So in we went taking pictures. Be careful of where you walk if your not going up the falls with a group as I there were a few times I would be walking and then drop into water up to my chest lol.

We were soon making our way towards a part of the falls that we had already seen others go up when a man taking photos stopped us. He asked if we were on Carnival and we said yes and he told us we couldn't go that way. We tried telling him we weren't with the actual Carnival excursion but he kept telling us now we had to go this way so he could take our picture. We went back and forth for a few minutes when another group of people went up the way we were going. At this point we just ignored the guy and followed this group up to where we wanted to take some more photos lol.

At this point Kyle and I decided that since we were half way there we wanted to climb up the rest of the falls with the other groups. Kiera didn't want to though so she made her way back down and meet back up with Valisa to meet us at the top of the falls. We soon joined the tail end of a group and made our way up the water falls. We were both very suprised at how easy the climb was as we both pretty much walked right up the face of the falls without the support of holding on to someone else. It was such and awesome experiance and i'm glad that I can that is something I have done. This truely is the not to miss thing to do if you ever find yourself in Jamaica. Just remember to bring with our rent some water shoes for it cause its too bad the girls had to miss out on this wonderful experiance of climbing the waterfalls.

At the top of the falls we met back up with the girls and since we still had some time to kill we decided to go look around the vendor market that is also at the falls. All I can say is "and I though Mexico was bad". Seriously I have never meet more pushy people/vendors then the ones I meet here in Jamaica. Not in Mexico, Not in the Bahamas, Not in other parts of the Caribbean. These people were very pushy and very in your face. And as our tour guides warned each one of them asked our names first and pushed for additional private information. So be forewarned. Needless to say after seeing all of the were selling pretty much the exact same thing we quickly pushed our way thru them all and back outside to the parking lot to wait for our tour guides to pick us up.

 

[Teknik_DC2]

We were very greatful to see our tour bus soon return. Greatful because there was a lady running around the parking lot very upset because it seemed her tour guide or taxi left her stranded there because she refused to pay upfront. Our whole group was soon loaded back onto the tour bus and our journey continued. On the drive back to the city our guide explained the Jamaican lingo to us and taught a few phrases that i've already forgotten. We were soon back in the city where they drove us around showing us many of the buisnesses and resorts. When asked how the violence was in Jamaica we were told that where we were on the North side of the island the Violence isn't any worse the other large citys. However on the South side of the island in the capital there was some very scary stuff going on.

After driving us around the city they then told us we would be going up into the mountains into the Furn Gully Rain Forest. As I said before the countryside in Jamaica is absolutly beautiful. I can honestly say it was one of the prettiest places I have ever been to. However on the drive up to the rain forest you really got an idea of how bad the poverity is here. The homes are shacks, no running water or electricity, it is a really sad sight to see. We also drove past the local high school and elementry schools.

The Furn Gully is beyond discription. It is amazing. Very very very beautiful and pretty. However the locals know this is a touristy area as well so there are many vendor booths set up throughout it hopping that they can get a tourist to buy there goods. Dispite that though the Furn Gully is diffently worth a look if your in Ocho Rios. Although the road thru it is kinda scary and there were many close calls giving one of our fellow passengers a few near heart attacks lol. This really proved to us how great of a driver Javier was.

After driving a few miles up into the Rain Forest our guides told us we would be making a stop to see the "Cave Man" or "Herb Guy". They told us this guy built his home into the side of the mountain and he sells herbs to the locals and tourists from his porch. They told us that we didn't have to buy anything but if we went out to meet him and see his home that we should tip him as thats how he makes his money. When we stopped we were very hesitant at first. We kinda thought to ourselves "yeah I wonder what kind of "herbs" this guy is selling" but we were assured that he was legit so we decided to out and meet him. We first saw the home which was very interesting. The outside looks like a shack but when you look thru the door it was pretty cool to see how it opened up into the side of the mountain. I can't remember what kind of herb the cave man gave us but it smelt really good and we were even able to keep it. We gave him a small tip and then made our way back to the bus. Once back on the bus Javier came on and passed around many of the herbs and fruits that the cave man sold for us to get an idea of what they use in the Jamaican culture including there national fruit and a coco bean.

 

[Teknik_DC2]

Once we were done at the Cave Mans we made our way back down the mountain and out of the Furn Gully to go to our next stop on the tour. We would be going back up the face of the mountain to a location where we would have a view of the city and ocean. While driving to that spot we came across another interesting local called "The Fireman". When Javier saw him he stressed to all of us that this guy was crazy and after he does what he is gonna do he will want a tip. He then told us that we do not need to tip him. As we slowly drove by the fireman drank some karosine and ate fire spitting out huge fireballs. It was very cool but it was even more crazy.

We soon arrived to the lookout point we were being taken to. The views were very pretty but I was somewhat dissapointed. When I thought view I thought something along the lines of what you see in St. Thomas. But it wasn't near as nice of a view. Don't get me wrong I was very happy that we got to go there and look over the beautiful country side and ocean. I guess that I was expecting that we would be higher and be able to see more. There were excellent views of the Liberty though. However our ship the Legend you could barely see the funnel.

While we were stopped taking in the views it seemed like locals stared to come out of the wood works everywhere. Before we knew it the bus was surrounded by people holding up items for sale. Also another guy with a donkey waiting for photo ops. It was just a very interesting as it seemed these people came out of nowhere.