Ocho Rios, Jamaica Shore Excursions: 2 Independent Operators Compared

Every option side by side

Operator	What you get	From	Length	Group	Min age	Back-to-ship	Book
Chukka Caribbean Adventures	Dunn's River Falls Catamaran Sail with Open Bar & DJIncludes Afternoon catamaran sail, Open Caribbean bar, Onboard DJ	$79 per person				Not stated	Check dates
Cool Runnings Catamarans	Snorkel Dunn's River CruiseIncludes Dunn's River Falls entrance, Guide for the falls climb, Snorkel gear, Jamaican patties, Open bar after the falls, Music and Wi-Fi on board	$100 per person	Monday to Saturday 12:30 to 4:30 pm; morning sail 9:00 am to 12:00 pm	Needs at least 15 passengers to sail		Not stated	Check dates
Chukka Caribbean Adventures	Best of Ocho Rios: Dunn's River Falls + Blue Hole (FREE Zipline)Includes Round-trip transfers from the Ocho Rios, Runaway Bay and Falmouth areas, Dunn's River Falls climb, Blue Hole (Island Gully Falls), Dunn's River Falls zipline	$109 per person			6+	Not stated	Check dates
Chukka Caribbean Adventures	Dunn's River Falls Climb & Catamaran Sail and SnorkelIncludes Dunn's River Falls climb, Catamaran sail and snorkel, Free pickup from Ocho Rios, Runaway Bay and Falmouth	$139 per person				Not stated	Check dates

From each operator's own website, checked October 22, 2026. How we compare.

The same day through your cruise line

What the cruise lines list for their own excursions in Ocho Rios, from their websites.

Line	Excursion	From	Length
Princess	Best of Ocho Rios: Dunn's River Falls, Scenic Drive & Shopping	$84.95 per person	4.5 hours
Princess	Dunn's River Climb & Zipline Over The Falls	$104.95 per person	3.5 hours
Carnival	Dunn's River Falls & Zipline Adventure	$114.99 per adult	5 hours

Read on each cruise line's website on October 23, 2026. Lines change these prices often, so check the page before you book.

Turtle Bay Pier, Reynolds Pier and Island Village

Ocho Rios has two cruise berths close together. The main pier at Turtle Bay sits nearest the town's shops and restaurants, with bathrooms and a shaded waiting area, according to Cruise Critic's 2024 guide. Reynolds Pier, which Cruise Critic says is also called James Bond Pier, offers only a taxi stand and an information kiosk. Reynolds Jamaica Mines built it as a deep-water pier west of town, and its first bauxite shipments left in June 1952, Wikipedia notes.

The main pier was out of service from February 2024, when Carnival Magic struck it in rough seas and damaged its breasting dolphins and concrete berthing structure. The Gleaner reported in June 2024, citing PAJ chief executive Gordon Shirley, that ships had been sent to Reynolds Pier, Falmouth or Montego Bay instead. The government set aside US$20 million for the repairs. Holland America's Zuiderdam docked there on November 11, 2025, two weeks after Hurricane Melissa, while MSC Divina took Reynolds Pier. Holland America calls the berth Turtle Bay Pier; JIS calls it the UDC Pier.

Main Street is about a 10-minute walk from the terminal, Cruise Critic says, and the nearest sand, Turtle Beach, lies to the left on leaving the pier. Chukka, whose catamaran sails from Island Village, puts that complex a 5-minute walk from the port; Cool Runnings sails from Mahogany Beach. Neither operator names a pier meeting point. Dunn's River Falls, 3.2 km (2 mi) west of the town center, provides no transport from the pier, the UDC says, but uniformed tour operators with ID badges work the port.

A swimmer jumping into the Blue Hole at Island Gully Falls near Ocho Rios — Photo: nigel burgher, CC BY 2.0

Jamaica time, 4 pm departures and summer gaps

Jamaica keeps UTC minus 5 all year and has not used daylight saving since 1983. That matches US Eastern Standard Time in winter and Central Daylight Time in summer, an hour behind Florida, so check which clock the ship's all-aboard uses. CruiseMapper's October 2026 list has seven calls, all departing at 4 pm. Five arrive at 8 am, and Celebrity Summit (October 14) and Norwegian Joy (October 21) at 7 am.

Calls thinned out in summer 2026. The Gleaner reported in April, citing a cruise website, that only six calls were due over the summer. They included Carnival Horizon on May 20 and June 3 and Carnival Sunrise on June 10. The same report counted seven calls for October, 13 for November and 24 for December. Vana Taylor of the hotel association's Ocho Rios and Runaway Bay chapter said the thin summer affected merchants and transport operators.

Dunn's River Falls & Park opens daily from 8:30 am to 4 pm, and from 7 am on cruise ship days. The UDC lists those as Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, though two of October's calls fell on a Tuesday. Carnival's falls and zipline trip runs 5 hours and Princess's falls and scenic drive tour 4.5. Chukka's pages give no durations and no back-to-ship promise. Cool Runnings' afternoon sail ends at 4:30 pm, after every October 2026 departure CruiseMapper lists.

Dunn's River terraces, Blue Hole and catamaran sails

Dunn's River Falls drops about 55 m (180 ft) down travertine terraces some 180 m (600 ft) long, according to Wikipedia, and climbers often go up in a hand-holding human chain behind a guide. The Urban Development Corporation charges non-resident adults $25 and children $17, against J$1,000 and J$500 for Jamaicans with ID. It reopened the park on November 11, 2025, after safety checks and debris clearance that followed Hurricane Melissa, the Gleaner reported.

Chukka's Best of Ocho Rios, from $109, adds Blue Hole at Island Gully Falls and, for bookings on its own website only, a free Dunn's River Falls zipline. Three other Chukka days at $139 pair the climb with a horseback ride and zipline, a catamaran snorkel sail, or a zipline and sail. Its afternoon catamaran with an open bar and DJ costs $79 without transfers. Cool Runnings' Snorkel Dunn's River Cruise, from $100, includes snorkel gear, falls entry, a guided climb, Jamaican patties and an open bar after the falls.

Princess's first page of 25 Ocho Rios listings runs from $69.95 for a 3-hour Mystic Mountain bobsled trip to $154.95 for a 4-hour dolphin swim with Dunn's River. Its 4.5-hour Best of Ocho Rios, with the falls, a scenic drive and shopping, is $84.95, and a 3.5-hour climb with a zipline over the falls is $104.95. Carnival's 5-hour Dunn's River Falls & Zipline Adventure costs $114.99 per adult and $99.99 for children 12 and under, with a meal, a 4 ft minimum height and a 264 lb limit.

Website-only ziplines and a 15-passenger minimum

We list two local operators for Ocho Rios, and cruise lines sell both. Chukka's cruise page offers its tours through the shore excursion desk, with Carnival and Disney links for Ocho Rios. Cool Runnings links to Costa, Carnival, Princess, Holland America and AIDA booking pages for its own sail. Booking the Best of Ocho Rios on Chukka's own site adds the free zipline, which it keeps for its website. Neither names a pier pickup, promises a return before all-aboard or says what happens if a ship skips Ocho Rios.

Chukka collects guests from the Ocho Rios, Runaway Bay and Falmouth areas and checks valid photo ID at check-in. The Best of Ocho Rios sets a minimum age of 6 and a 275 lb limit, requires sneakers or closed-toe water shoes, and is not suitable for pregnant guests or wheelchair users. Water tours can be suspended for weather on rare occasions, Chukka says. Refunds begin with an online form asking for the booking number, the amount paid and a reason, and no deadlines are published.

Cool Runnings Catamarans, at Mahogany Beach, needs at least 15 passengers to sail, a minimum it also sets for its 9 am to noon morning trip and for Sunday sailings. One child aged 4 to 12 sails free with each paying adult. Water shoes, required for the climb, cost $13 a pair on board, and lunch and transfers are extra for guests collected from Ocho Rios hotels. Its page gives no cancellation or weather terms.

Before you book

Turtle Beach, beside the cruise pier, is the UDC's Ocho Rios Bay Beach and is not free: non-resident adults pay $10 and children $7, and it opens daily from 8:30 am to 4 pm.
Agree the taxi fare before getting in. Cruise Critic warns that some unmarked cars outside the terminal may be unauthorized and that vendors at the exit are persistent.
For a ride to the falls, the UDC points to the uniformed tour operators with ID badges at the port, or to Jamaica Tours (876-953-3700) and JUTA Tours (876-952-0813), which charge for transport.
Chukka requires valid photo ID at check-in and sneakers or closed-toe water shoes for the falls; Cool Runnings sells water shoes on board for $13 a pair.

The operators

Chukka Caribbean Adventures

from $79 per person

Dunn's River Falls Catamaran Sail with Open Bar & DJ and 2 more options

No back-to-ship policy stated

Its cruise page links to Carnival and Disney bookings of its tours

Check dates All details

Cool Runnings Catamarans

from $100 per person

Snorkel Dunn's River Cruise

Length: Monday to Saturday 12:30 to 4:30 pm; morning sail 9:00 am to 12:00 pm
Group: Needs at least 15 passengers to sail

No back-to-ship policy stated

Based at Mahogany Beach; address 1 Marvin's Park, White River, Ocho Rios

Check dates All details

Ocho Rios questions

How much are shore excursions in Ocho Rios?

Chukka's tours run from $79 for an open-bar catamaran sail to $139 for a falls climb with a snorkel sail, with its falls and Blue Hole day at $109. Cool Runnings' snorkel and falls cruise starts at $100. Through the cruise lines, Carnival lists a falls and zipline trip from $114.99 and Princess a falls climb with a zipline from $104.95.

Which pier do cruise ships use in Ocho Rios?

The main pier at Turtle Bay is the closest to town, about a 10-minute walk from Main Street. It was out of service from February 2024, when Carnival Magic struck it, until November 11, 2025. Reynolds Pier (also called James Bond Pier), west of town, took ships while it was closed and, Cruise Critic said in 2024, on days with two or more ships.

Head to head

Chukka Caribbean Adventures vs Cool Runnings Catamarans

More shore excursions in the Caribbean

Cozumel, Mexico from $45
Nassau, Bahamas from $58.95
Grand Cayman (George Town), Cayman Islands from $50
St. Maarten (Philipsburg) from $59
Roatan, Honduras from $25
Costa Maya (Mahahual), Mexico from $35
Belize City, Belize from $35
Falmouth, Jamaica from $50
Key West, Florida from $39
Progreso, Mexico from $59

Sources

Prices and policies come from each operator's own pages, read on October 22, 2026. Seasons, rules and local details come from the pages below.