Poconos or Montego Bay?

[babydolls]

It's our 10th anniversary this year.... :clap:

Which would you do?

[thebeckery]

I live in the mountains, so I would probably do Montego Bay. When is your anniversary?

[babydolls]

Our anniversary is September.

The price is almost exactly the same. I think we're leaning towards Montego Bay.

[mom2riandkayl]

Either sounds fun, but I think I'd lean toward Montego Bay, too.

How fun to plan your getaway. :clap:

[Saralynn]

Montego. . . .because then you could sing the Beach Boys song. ;)

Sara

[CentralIllinoisMom]

Have you done Mo Bay before? Having been there done that, I can tell you it's beautiful...BUT...

I have never done a cruise & don't really have the desire to, because I'm the type that wants to get out there & explore on my terms. Oh, look - a mountain - let's climb it! I felt like being in Jamaica was kind of what a cruise would be like. We pretty much had to stick to the resort, the resort guides, the resort shuttles, the resort-approved tours, etc. When the guide takes you into town & warns you not to answer anyone when they talk to you...not exactly what I'm used to! We felt like we were with a body guard instead of a tour guide...he kept running off anyone who approached us to try to sell us stuff. I was totally not prepared for just how third-world/poor Jamaica really is. I didn't like feeling like it wasn't safe to be beyond the resort walls on my own. Even when walking the private beaches, the drug dealers & other peddlers were out on their boats - just past the boundaries. They would yell at you to come see their 'wares.' The resort staff kept running them off... Plus, even though it was all-inclusive - so many other people (not resort staff) expected tips for absolutely everything to the point of being completely ridiculous.

That being said - we still had a wonderful time, and I'm really glad we went! Climbing the waterfall was an great experience (Dunn's River Falls, I think?). The water, the weather, the resort, the food...it was all fantastic. It was just so hard to see so much pain/suffering/poverty everywhere you went. Really made me wonder where all of those tourism dollars are going!

And another thing...my dh and I have NEVER craved a good old American cheeseburger as much as we did when we got back to Chicago. Skinny Jamaican cows....YUK!!!!

Tracy

[singerchats]

Have you researched cozumel?

It was fabulous and very very safe. You could roam the entire island if you wanted to. I've never been to Jamaica, but I've heard you can't roam without putting safety into consideration.

[babydolls]

We went to Cozumel on our honeymoon. :)

We stopped in Ocho Rios on our last cruise, and climbed the Dunn's River falls... that's why dh wants to go back to Montego Bay.

[utkgrad101]

Montego Bay. We've been to Jamaica 3xs and LOVE IT! if we could afford to purchase a house there we probably would.

MONTEGO BAY!!

[utkgrad101]

Oh and we have NEVER been approached to buy drugs. Never - even when we have walked on the public beach. And yes people approach you to buy stuff, but they do that in any touristy town. Just give them a firm, NO Thank you and that is enough.

And also all inclusive you don't tip anyone there. The ONLY people you are to tip are the bus drivers that take you somewhere cause they are not part of the resort. The employees there are NOT supposed to take tips and if they do report them.

I would do an all inclusive. That is what we have done 3 xs and would do it all over again. Sandals is the best one in Mo Bay and all of Jamaica.

[CentralIllinoisMom]

We stayed at Sandals in Montego Bay - and they were amazing! I would go to any of their resorts, anywhere!

Where the tipping came in - None of the Sandals staff ever attempted to get tips. BUT - when the guy loaded our bags on to the bus, he put his hand out. When he drove up to the resort, he put his hand out. When he handed us our bags...you get the idea. Then, some of the tours we did were 'approved' by Sandals, but not run by Sandals. So, the catamaran captain, the person who served you your free beverages, the glass-bottom boat captain, the snorkeling guides, the bus driver to the waterfall, the waterfall guide....We didn't mind tipping once for each thing, but some of them got really greedy & pushy. You had to be very 'assertive!'

So, yes - the all inclusive is the way to go! Just be prepared that there are a lot of other things available that might require a little extra $$. But, the nice thing about Sandals is, you don't NEED to do any of the extras - they offer so much on their own. We just went hog-wild & went on everything we could find!

Except the horseback ride along the ocean, that is!! :giggle: Some of you know why! Let's just say - you don't want to do it unless you can guarantee you're gonna be the lead horse!!

[three3boys]

Why not Orlando to visit Tara?!

Just kidding! We went to the Poconos for our Honeymoon and had a wonderful time! Though, to be quite honest, we didn't leave our room much, iykwim!:wink:
We stayed in one of the Caesars resorts and our room had a fireplace, round bed with "stars" in the ceiling, a whirlpool bathtub, and a pool. Yes, a pool in our room!