2022 Disney Cruise Report Day 5 - Beach Day in Falmouth, Jamaica

Day 5 of the 2022 Disney Cruise Trip Report begins as we wake up in Falmouth, Jamaica...

Wednesday, June 8

We had settled in to a pretty good routine by this time, with my phone alarm going off at 7:00 AM to wake us up. But for today, we actually had a plan and a schedule. No time for dilly-dallying. 

As we went out on our verandah, we saw that we were already docked at the port of Falmouth, Jamaica. And a Royal Caribbean ship was docked across the way from us, too. From our vantage point, we could see that they had created an old-style town for the cruise ship port, and it looked pretty interesting. I was not sure if we would have time to explore it or not, but we would see.

Good morning from Falmouth, Jamaica!

Laura and I had been to Jamaica before, in 2008 and 2009. We had stayed in Montego Bay and had been to Ocho Rios and Negril. We had not been to Falmouth before, although we had driven past it with our mission trip group on those trips.

Looking down into the village of the Falmouth port down below, with a Royal Caribbean ship across the way.

Once all of us Burnses and Luttrells were ready, we headed up to Cabanas for breakfast at 8:00 AM. I stuck with my usual Mickey Waffle and Pineapple breakfast, along with orange juice. I should probably stop saying that for each day’s post, because you probably know that by now. Breakfast was delicious as always, and the company was good as always. 

After breakfast, we all went down to the Walt Disney Theatre at 9:00, which was the gathering place for our shore excursion. A few months earlier, Laura had decided to book a beach getaway excurion for us in Jamaica, because it looked like fun and it was not already sold out. My parents and the Luttrells decided to all join in. At first, Jennifer had to book two different times for their family, but something opened up later on so that we were all able to go at the same time. That would make it even better!

We signed in at the tables outside the theatre and then went in to sit with our excursion group. Once again, they were showing Mickey Mouse cartoons without any sound. So one of the entertainment guys who was there to make announcements and such decided to add his own dialogue and sound effects to the cartoons. The results were hilarious! Nothing like some silly humor to make us all laugh. 

And after that bit of entertainment, it was time for our group to leave. We walked downstairs and out the gangway, swiping our cards as we went. Once we got outside, we had some time to stand around and wait for our vans to get there. Fortunately, it was not too hot or sunny yet.

Standing next to our ship as we wait for our group to leave.

Waiting for our group to leave

I am not sure what we were talking about here, but I am sure it was good!

To get to our vans, we walked through the village that we had seen from our verandah. Many of the shopkeepers were just starting to open up, but then we did not have time to shop anyway, because we had to stay with our group. But that did not keep me from taking a few photos as we walked. Just in case we did not have time for that later on.

Walking through the port village in Falmouth

A nice fountain in the village

A craft market that looked interesting, but we had a bus to catch

Hey look, there’s our room! It is the one right behind the top of the tree and the left building.

We were shown to our buses, and we got on the first one available for all of us Burnses and Luttrells, since there were several buses for our excursion group. Once the bus was full, our driver David boarded. Before we got underway, he said, “Is it okay if I say a prayer before we go?” Having been on the Jamaican highways before, I thought it was an excellent idea! No one objected, so David said a beautiful prayer for us and our safety, and then we headed out.

As we left the port and got onto the highway, it was just like Laura and I remembered. Lots of fast driving, lots of horn blowing, lots of people passing each other, and all on the wrong side of the road, too. Fortunately, we did not have to drive there before, and fortunately, we did not have to this time, either. John and Kyle were sitting right behind us, and a couple of times John said, “Oh wow!” I said, “Right?” Also, our bus struggled going up hills, so we were passed several times. And not always what you might consider passing safely, either.

Just a typical view from along the highway in Jamaica

The gas prices might seem outrageous until you realize they are in Jamaican dollars per liter

The views of Jamaica were also much like we remembered from before. Beautiful mountain scenery on one side, beautiful ocean scenery on the other side. And homes in all states of poverty along the way on both sides, providing a stark contrast to the scenery. A few things had started to look a little familiar, and I eventually realized that we had been on that stretch of road before, going from Montego Bay to Ocho Rios and Dunn’s River Falls. Particularly familiar was a large bauxite mining and loading facility. Just past that, we turned off the road at our destination.

We had arrived at the Puerto Seco Beach Park in Discovery Bay, Jamaica. We exited the buses, and our guide, Norma, went over the times and rules, including when lunch was served and when we would have to leave. She also pointed out the sign with the resort wifi code for those who wanted it. And then we went into the beach park.

We found some chairs under an umbrella for all of us, and then we all made ourselves comfortable. Laura’s main goal was to get into the water, and I wanted to take some photos first. So the water people went their way, and I went walking with my camera. It was a beautiful stretch of beach, with some nice, blue water. We could see some nicer homes and resorts off in the distance, and the bauxite mine past that. There were some clouds in the sky, enough that the weathermen would probably call it “mostly cloudy”, but that was just fine, too. 

What a beautiful beach!

Looking down the other direction at the beach. I was curious about the boats in the distance.

Looking out from under a thatch umbrella

Our whole group out in the water, minus me behind the camera, although I was also in the water.

After taking a few photos and then sending a few messages to check on things back home, I joined the rest of the group in the water. It felt cool and refreshing. Even with the clouds, it was a warm day, but the clouds kept everything under control. And they did not look too threatening as far as rain, so that was good.

Coming up next, our beach day in Jamaica continues! Check back soon for more from our 2022 Disney Cruise!