2/15/2022 – We are in Ocho Rios, Jamaica today. Ocho Rios is a town in the parish of Saint Ann on the north coast of Jamaica. It is a really nice day. In the 80’s with a great breeze. The view as we approach the port is beautiful. The vegetation is lush and green in the hills.
The pilot boat comes out to greet us. Most ports send a pilot boat that transports the port pilot to your ship. The port pilot boards the cruise ship and directs the ship to dock. They are the experts on navigating into the port and docking.
As you get closer to docking you see homes dotting the hillside and a few larger buildings. Your excitement grows with the anticipation of visiting another culture. Meeting people from other countries and appreciating their customs and values puts a whole new perspective on your own life.
The omelet station in the morning is great on the Divina. Steve gets an omelet and I get my two eggs over medium well. They do a great job. You order and they give you a number and tell you in how many minutes to come back to pick up your egg dish. No waiting in any line. It seems to take about seven minutes. While I am the pizza addict, Steve loves the delicious warm raised sugar donuts. I havent tried them and will not. OMG, what if I like them. Nope, dont want to start eating them. The coffee is great in the buffet, but in the main dining room they serve Expresso and it is STRONG. Other people seem to just love it. Wow, so not for me. Here’s a video tour of the Divina deck six main dining room, The Black Crab Restaurant.
We walked around the port area and had our temperature taken four times. We even got a new wrist band from the covid-19 patrol.
The employees on the Divina are wonderful and the ship is beautiful. I don’t think I would stay in room 13100 again. I love the room design, and layout. I don’t like how deck 14 comes out over the balcony area. It gives me a claustrophobic feeling and ruins pictures Although, it does keep the sun and rain off you which is nice. The nice thing about deck 13 is that you are close to deck 14 which is the pool deck and the buffet is located there also. Cabin 13100 is located on the Starboard side of the ship. Even cabin numbers are starboard and odd are port. We are on the CUPIDO (God of erotic love) deck.
Here’s a video tour of our Divina balcony stateroom 13100.
Jamaican officials take your temperature on the pier as you depart the ship. The pier has huge pots of lovely yellow flowers.
Once you get off the ship you are greeted by many local merchants. They are very aggressive sellers.
We were entertained by Ryan. We saw Ryan a few years ago in the same spot. It takes a lot of strength and practice to do what he does. Look at this video. He is amazing.
There were other local performers as well.
I looked at touristy gift shops and Steve was more interested in the scaffolding that is being used for reufubishing being done near the pier. Okay Jeff, Steve’s scaffolding looks way safer than this ports scaffolding.
We bought four bottles of water for $1.25 each at Starbucks on shore. On the ship they are $3.16 each including the service charge. The bottles we bought at Starbucks were a lot bigger. No one said anything to us about bringing them back on board. They did have to go through the xray machine. Anytime you get off the ship and get back on everything goes through the xray machine and you walk through the metal detector. There is a Margaritaville at this port with a bar, beach, music, and a water bar. Next time we come we are going to spend the day there. The cost is $10.00 a person plus whatever you buy to eat or drink. It was a nice relaxing day strolling around the port and ship. The ship is very quiet and peaceful today. Most passengers are in Jamaica for the day.
The pool deck 14 gardens are filled with cactus. Reminds you of a desert island.
And deck 14 indoor pool area is dedicated to mermaids. There are mermaid statues, mermaids lining the walls and of course more cactus gardens.
We ate lunch in the buffet. Their desserts are wonderful. Especially the cheesecake.
After lunch I did a video of deck six. Here it is.
We spent the rest of the afternoon on our balcony looking at the water and the empty beach across from us. It is sad for the people here who live on tourist money that those beaches are empty. Apparently our bill is a secret. The TV app for bills is not working. They expect to get it fixed soon. So we have been going and getting a paper copy everyday. It is easier to keep track if we look at it daily. We have been overcharged a few times on cruises. Sometimes the waiters get confused and put drinks on the incorrect rooms. We departed Jamaica at 6pm. Tomorrow is a sea day. We will be traveling 629 miles to our next stop which is Cartegena, Columbia.
To see more about the MSC Divina click here: https://deestimes.com/divina/
For more information on Ochos Rios click here: https://deestimes.com/ports/
Today’s product recommendations are traveling essentials. 1) Luggage hand cart – we love this cart for easy rolling for easy cruise carry on bags. Even when you can’t go to your room right away this is so easy to walk around the ship with. Here’s the link https://amzn.to/3s37EOw
2) This large toiletry bag is the best. Steve has the black and I have the pink. We both absolutely love them. Here’s the link https://amzn.to/3v1p6ok and picture
