Activities in Jamaica

We're beginning to compile a list of activities for our Jamaica trip. While we are approaching our time down there with a laid back attitude, we will try to arrange some activities of common interest! Please feel free to add comments/additions to the list!

Activities around Negril:

• Kool Runnings Water Park - family friendly entertainment
  
• Whitewater Expedition - 3-4 hr tour, ~ 45 min from Negril
• Mayfield Falls - bring your flip flops or 'water' shoes!
• Royal Palm Reserve - Nature reserve
  
• YS Falls - quite possibly the largest set of falls in Jamaica, ~ 1 hr from Negril
• Appleton Rums - Fermination and Distillation (very near YS Falls - could make into a day trip to both)
• Golf (Negril Hills Golf Club - website was down when I checked)
  
• Margaritaville
• Negril Lighthouse
• Booby Cay (small island off coast where some of '2000 Leagues Under the Sea' was filmed)

Also, many of these activities will accept and are listed in US $. If not, the currency conversion is 1 US$ to 71 J$!

Activities available through Couples Resort:
For those not staying at couples, the activities below are still available when you purchase an entry pass which come in 3 flavors: Day Pass (10am - 6pm) or Evening Pass (6pm - 1am) for $100, or a full day pass (10am - 11pm) for $200. This pass gets you access to all the activities at Couples including (among others):

• Scuba diving
• Reef Snorkeling
• Glass Bottom Boat Ride
• Windsurfing
• Catamaran Cruise

Invites are out!

We've sent the invites out, so please let us know if you haven't received one by the end of the week (10/10). For easy reference, we've registered at Bed Bath & Beyond and Target. We're finalizing the details of the reception to follow the ceremony and look forward to putting more information up in the near future, so please check back soon!

Condos instead of Resorts

For those who are looking for a cheaper alternative to the all inclusive resorts, here are a few condo's that my mom in investigating. Please keep in mind that these do not offer all the amenities of a resort (for the more adventurous at heart), but do usually include a kitchen and often have restaurants nearby. This part of Negril also appears to be more tourist-y.

If you are interested in a condo, please let me or my mom know (or just drop a comment). We're trying to get numbers of people together, again trying to keep people grouped as much as possible. From my understanding, our travel agent will be of little use booking these condos.
-Bob

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Hi All,

Below are links to sites which describe the accommodations at Negril Beach Club Condo's. This looks to be a good alternative to the pricey all inclusives. studio, one and two bedroom units are available on the websites. I believe 3 bedrooms units are available as well per one of the reviews.
This is located down the beach from Couples Swept Away where Jes and Bob will be staying, approx 4-5 miles. It is close to the city of Negril.

I have sent an email to the resort requesting information on their rates, location, transportation to and from the airport in Montego Bay (about 40 miles away) and safety issues. When I hear from them I will pass it on as well.

Let me know what you think. The prices are an estimate. I searched for a one bedroom through Expedia.

Judy

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g147313-d259826-r14165441-Negril_Beach_Club_Condos-Negril_Jamaica.html

http://www.negrilbeachcondo.com/

http://travel.yahoo.com/p-hotel-6845486-negril_beach_club_condos-i

Passports

Traveling to Jamaica does require a passport. With typical processing times of 4 to 6 weeks (and the backlog they have due to the revised Canada / Mexico regs) getting your application in before the beginning of the start of the fall is recommended. You'll need to fill out a form and attach a passport photo, all of which can typically be done at your local post office. Additional information from the state department.

Resorts

All inclusive resorts seem to be the status quo for vacationing in Jamaica, mostly because conditions can drop off fast outside your resort. With that in mind we're trying to get as many people as possible into as few resorts as possible to keep travel and resort day passes to a minimum. Our moms are taking point on choosing a resort, so please feel free to contact either Terry or Judy (or either of us) about your reservations. We're staying at and planning the actual ceremony at the Couples - Swept Away resort north of Negril, Jamaica. This resort is a couples-only type, so we are looking into a few other possibilities for those more budget minded folks or those with little ones. Check back soon for more information.

Booking your trip

We encourage those planning on attending our wedding to book their travel and accommodations sooner rather than later. Please see the posting on Resorts below for accommodation-specific information.

Our travel agent has set up a NWA World Vacations for our wedding. What this means for you is access to unpublished rates (hopefully lower) and an additional discount. It also means that we can get a kickback for each booking that is made for our wedding. From our understanding, your travel does not necessarily have to be on NWA, so please do not let this limit you. When you are ready to book travel and accommodations (booking these together seems to give the best rates), please consider calling our agent Kelly Mathies at 812-478-6129. She's usually available Tuesday through Thursday 8am-5:30pm.

Typical things you'll want have decided beforehand:
-Flight numbers and dates
-Resort and room type (if applicable)

Activities in Jamaica

For those who wish to supplement sitting in the sun, the following are some useful links:

A great place to start in the Jamaican Tourist Board.