Booking Tours ~ any advice please?

[JoolzB]

Hi ~ hubby and I are off to CSA in October 2012 and very excited! I have been doing tons of research online and getting some good ideas of where we would like to see whilst there. We are thinking about doing a Black River Safari, YS falls, Mayfield Falls, Appleton Rum and The Pelican Bar.

Now I know we can book these online but we have no idea if these companies are ok or not. Can anyone suggest a tour guide that they have used who would be able to help us with all of these tours, maybe combining a couple on the same day if that's more practical?

I know it's early but I like to get things sorted and then I can relax totally while there ~ which seems to be the theme for CSA

Would be grateful for any suggestions, advice that anyone can offer ~ thanks

[dank120]

oops

[dank120]

Sorry, pulled the trigger too fast on that last one. Black River Safari/YS Falls/Appleton Estate is an all in one tour available from the tour desk at the resort. Its an all day tour and some operators do it with the Pelican Bar instead of Appleton. The Pelican Bar is close to the town of Black River. Any of the tours you listed are available through the tour desk at the resort.

[sleggitt]

Hi - My husband and I are staying at CSA for the 4th time in a few weeks (Nov. 23-30). This will be my 15th trip to Jamaica and I just love it there! I have used several tour guides, but I went this past January to Iberostar Grand by myself as I needed a brief getaway for some much-needed R&R. I used Alrick Allen of Your Jamaican Tour Guide and he was wonderful! He is a very pleasant young man who has a nice, new car that was very clean and he also is a very careful driver.

We're using him in a couple of weeks to take us to Negril and we're also planning a trip to Mayfield Falls and Appleton. We went to YS Falls and the Pelican Bar last year which were awesome (we did the zipline which is a must do!), but we used another tour guide (I won't name names) who I did not enjoy spending the day with as much.

Good luck with the planning - that's half the fun!

[Vickyj]

According to the MB guidelines, we cannot recommend sites on this board. I am sure it has something to do with liability. That being said, I would wait until you arrive at the resort. You may find that you don't want to leave. There is a tour desk at the resort and if you decide you want to do a tour, you can book through them. Most times the costs are very similar. That way you aren't tied down.

[Chris]

Because Couples has a tour desk through which you can contract a with a number of tour operators, this particular request is de-rigeur (not cool) on this MB. Couples also doesn't want the liability that can come with "I learned about this on the Couples message board" defense if something should go wrong. However, there is no problem with discussing these things off-line.

I can help you if you with a recommendation if you contact me at chris dot bevers at sbcglobal dot net.

[Maxernie]

There's no need to book any tours until you are at the resort. You can do it once you're there at their tour desk. No one books ahead so it's not like you will not be able to go if you wait. You may not want to book so many off site excursions once you get to the resort & see how much there is to do there to keep you busy or you may find that you can't pry yourself away from that beautiful beach or pool bar or you may meet other couples that you might want to go with on your excursions ..... I'd wait & go with the flow.

[sunmum]

lol, I just posted a similar thread! We are going in 2 weeks and would love an expert's advice!!

[JoolzB]

Thanks for your replies all ~ You're right about the planning being a major part of the fun!

Chris ~ many thanks for the offer ~ email has gone out to you

[loungelizzards]

I think you are on the right track in looking at the black river safari / Y.S. falls / appleton tour. The wife and I did that tour in march and really liked it. You get a little of everything and a whole lot of scenery and culture on the drive. We booked right at the tour desk, it was $ 110 U.S. per person, and took about 8-9 hrs. in total. Sounds long but there was lots to do and look at. Everything was incl. in that price except lunch, ( which is approx. $15 p/p ) and tips. If you bring a good camera, you can pictures of a lifetime, especially at the falls where a guide will follow you in, postion you nicely and take great pics, for a small tip. ----------- hope this helps ------------