Montego Bay (Jamaica) Review

Montego Bay is another port where many cruise ships make a stop. Just like other ports in the Caribbean, Montego Bay offers plenty to do, from hanging out on the beach, to sight-seeing, or shopping, and much more!

We started our journey by purchasing tickets for the "Hop On, Hop Off" excursion. For no more than $20 per person, we rode in an air conditioned van, making multiple stops throughout Montego Bay. We were able to stay at each stop for as long as we wanted, as the excursion had vans coming and leaving approximately every 20 to 30 minutes. While riding to each stop, the drivers provided some interesting history of Jamaica. Our first stop was at a shopping center. The center was nice, but we didn't find anything to buy. Our next stop was at the beach, which was packed. If you wanted to actually go on the beach, there was a fee of $6 per person. Not dressed for the beach, we decided to go to the next stop, which was a local craft mart. Although we bought plenty of souvenirs and jewelry, we did find the vendors to be just a bit pushy. Actually, some were quite rude when we didn't purchase anything from them.  

After shopping, we walked around taking in the scenes.  One thing that you should be prepared for when walking in Montego Bay, is that there is a very good chance you will be asked if you want to buy some drugs. We were asked multiple times, but a stern "No thanks" was all it took and they would each leave us alone.

Other than the pushy vendors and drug sellers, the rest of the people were quite friendly. The overall vibe was laid back, and there was always lively music being played everywhere we went. Of course, there were plenty of places to get some good, local cuisine. We had heard and read multiple horror stories about how walking around in Jamaica wasn't too safe, but we never felt unsafe at all.  

Our favorite parts about our stop in Montego Bay: The scenery and the overall vibe.