ocho rios vs. montego bay

[cruisechick7]

i'm looking into the 7-day western caribbean cruise on star princess for late this year and there are two different ports in jamaica - montego bay or ocho rios. which one is better? are they close to each other? are the excursions similar? this will determine which date i need to book. thanks in advance for your feedback.

 

[lizardstew]

I believe the ports are close enough to drive between, but I can't be sure since I've only been to Ocho Rios. We did the Dunn's River Falls climb through Peat Taylor and really, really liked it. Peat is a lass act. However, the rest of the port area scared me. The people there are very aggresive...to the point that they made me feel uncomfortable. I'd like to try Montego Bay, though.

 

[serene56]

Ocho Rios is 2 hours away from Montego bay-

Much more to do in Ocho Rios than Montego bay. InOcho Rios you can climb the falls at Dunns River. Grab a quick snack with margarittas ar Margaritteville. There is a shopping villiage right off the pier (walking distance? or go to the end of thepier and turn left there are shopping mall there.

 

[TeePee]

I've travelled Jamaica extensively as well as worked as photog on Princess ships. I recommend Ocho Rios over Montego Bay. In fact, the last cruise I took with Princess in the spring was scheduled to stop at Ocho Rios but last minute changes led us to Montego and I didn't really want to leave the ship to be hassled by the market. Expect alot of husslers in Montego Bay or just go to a beach or Margaritaville and bypass the shopping. Ocho Rios is a lovely place with the rain forest, the botanical gardens, some good shopping (swatch watches very cheap in Taj Mahal), nice arts'n'crafts area, Dunn's River Falls....even Bob Marley's burial spot in 9 miles isn't too far. Enjoy!

 

[mlzangel78]

Ochos Rios Def the way to go,,, i love jamaica montego bay is nice as well , but not as nice as Ochos Rios,,,

 

[cruisechick7]

thanks all for your feedback. i'm most likely going to choose ocho rios unless the sail dates won't work for me. i've never been to the caribbean, much less jamaica, so you've been very helpful. thanks again.