Cruise passengers heading for the island of Jamaica e-mailed inquiring about a cheaper way to enjoy the beach in Ocho Rios vs. taking a ship sponsored tour which will put them over their tight cruise budget.
Cruise passengers familiar with their destination, or those who are more adventurous will often opt to go on their own once arriving at their port destination. We suggest if going on your own and using local transportation (especially taxi's) know which ones are official or licensed by the local government.
We suggested Reggae Beach, which is approximatelyh 10-15 minutes from the port. The official taxi's in Jamaica are JUTA taxi's, and we suggested they only take JUTA to their destination. The rate to Reggae Beach is approximately $40.00, which can be shared by up to four people. The price should always be negotiated up front.
On arrival to the beach, it will cost $5.00 which includes beach chairs - along with bathroom facilities. You will ususally find a Reggae band for entertainment. The beach bar features cold drinks, jerk chicken and conch. Kayak's are also available for rent.
Another plus in visiting this particular beach is it is private, which means you don't have to deal with the crowds at the public beaches, and those pesky local beach peddlers.
By taking the taxi rather than the cruise ship sponsored tour, the four friends will save approximately $50 per couple. They plan to use the extra money for the required tips to cabin steward, along with other cruise staff.
Many first time cruisers on a tight budget do not take the required tipping into consideration. It's one of those details many overlook when booking a cruise - in the cruise documentation the tipping guidelines are spelled out.
In this particular case, the four passengers are cruising on Carnival which charges $11.50 per-person, per-day gratuity to onboard accounts. Each cruise line has a different policy, read our Cruise Line Tipping Policies for guidelines for particular cruise lines.
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