Falmouth for Disney Cruise Passengers: Family Excursions Near the Port

Disney ships are now regulars in Falmouth. The Disney Treasure made its first call at the Historic Falmouth Cruise Port in Trelawny in December 2024, and the Jamaica Tourist Board announced that the Disney Destiny would make its first call there on October 13, 2026, with just under 2,800 passengers on board. If you’re on one of those ships with children and one day in Jamaica, this is what’s close to the pier, how far each option is, and how to get back on board without a sprint.

My take: on a Falmouth day with kids, stay close. The best family trips here are on the Martha Brae River, 10 to 20 minutes from the ship. Ocho Rios and Montego Bay are possible, but you spend a big part of the day in a van.

What the port area is like

The cruise port sits right on the edge of the old town. Beside it is the Falmouth Artisan Village, with crafts and food. Step outside the gate and you’re in a real Jamaican town: Georgian streets, Water Square, St Peter’s Anglican church from 1795 and old wharves on the water. The Falmouth town guide covers the history and what to look at.

Two things to know with children. There is no swimming beach in the old town, so a beach day means a tour or a drive. And repairs from the 2025 hurricane are still going on, so some old buildings are closed or behind scaffolding.

How much time you really have

Your arrival and all-aboard times are on your Disney itinerary and the ship’s daily schedule, and they can change, so check them on the morning you dock. Then count backward. Getting a family off the ship, through the port and into a van takes time, and you want to be back at the gangway well before all-aboard, not at it. On a typical daytime call that leaves you a solid half day ashore, enough for one main activity and a slow lunch, or two short ones close to town.

Use ship time, not your phone’s clock. If they differ, the ship’s time is the one that counts.

Family options close to the port

Martha Brae bamboo rafting, about 10 minutes away

This is my first pick for families with young children. A licensed captain poles a 30-foot bamboo raft about three miles down the Martha Brae River, a slow, shady ride of around 1 hour 15 minutes. Rafter’s Village is about 3 miles, or 10 minutes, from Falmouth, according to the operator. Each raft takes two adults and one small child aged 3 to 9, and life vests are handed out at the pier, so a family of four with two young children needs two rafts. Captains usually let you try poling. Details are in the Martha Brae rafting guide.

Chukka River Outpost at Good Hope, a short drive inland

Good Hope is an old sugar estate up the Martha Brae valley, just south of Falmouth, and Chukka runs it as an adventure park. Its passes cover river tubing, a zipline, e-bikes, a swim at Adventure Falls with a waterslide, bamboo rafting and dune buggies, depending on the pass. It suits families with children 6 and up who want more action than the raft. Chukka’s limits: minimum age 6 for rafting, zipline and tubing, 10 for e-bikes, 16 with a valid license to drive a dune buggy, and weight limits of 265 lb for the zipline and e-bikes and 275 lb for tubing. Chukka says the park isn’t wheelchair accessible or suitable for pregnant women. See the Chukka Good Hope guide for the passes and the estate’s history.

Falmouth town on foot

Older children who like history can walk the old town in an hour or two, starting at Water Square. Go in the morning before the midday heat, and pair it with a short trip so the day isn’t only buildings.

Luminous Lagoon, half a mile away but at night

The lagoon where the Martha Brae meets the sea glows blue when the water moves, and Glistening Waters puts it about half a mile from the cruise port. The catch is timing: boat tours start at sunset, and cruise schedules usually have the ship gone by then. If your ship stays into the evening, it’s an easy, gentle outing for children who can sit still on a boat in the dark. Otherwise, save it for a longer trip. See the Luminous Lagoon guide.

Free Jamaica trip checklist

Want the printable version?

Get my free Jamaica trip checklist, then guides for the part of the island you're visiting.

Leave this empty

First name

Email address

When are you travelling? (optional)Choose…In the next 3 monthsIn 3–6 monthsIn 6–12 monthsNot sure yet

Get the checklist

Unsubscribe any time.

Worth the longer drive

Rose Hall Great House, about 30 minutes west

The old plantation house above the coast road between Falmouth and Montego Bay runs daytime tours of about 45 minutes to an hour, Monday to Saturday. Rose Hall says the house isn’t wheelchair accessible. The day tour suits older children; the haunted night tour is meant to scare, and cruise times rule it out anyway. See the Rose Hall Great House guide.

Green Grotto Caves, east toward Runaway Bay

Guided tours through limestone caves at Discovery Bay, on the coast road roughly halfway between Falmouth and Ocho Rios. Chukka, which runs the tours, sets a minimum age of 4, and there are bats in the cave, which some children love and some don’t.

Montego Bay beaches, about 30 minutes west

For a plain beach day, Doctor’s Cave Beach on the Hip Strip in Montego Bay is a managed beach with changing rooms and chair rentals. Add traffic time on the way back through the city. The cruise line’s own beach-break excursions are the other option, with transport arranged.

Dunn’s River Falls and Mystic Mountain, an hour or more east

Ocho Rios is roughly an hour to an hour and a half from Falmouth by road. Dunn’s River Falls, the waterfall you climb in a human chain, and Mystic Mountain, with its chairlift, bobsled and ziplines, are both just west of Ocho Rios town. Mystic Mountain is closed on Mondays and stops admitting zipline riders at noon, so plan around both. Chukka sells a Dunn’s River and zipline pass with transfers from Falmouth, with a minimum age of 6. Dolphin Cove’s Ocho Rios park is beside Dunn’s River too; its rules for children go by height, and those under 1.20 m, about 3 ft 11 in, do the encounter program only. All of these work, but with small children the drive eats the day. If Dunn’s River is the thing your family wants most, it’s far easier on an Ocho Rios call.

Booking through Disney or on your own

Disney’s Port Adventures list for Falmouth covers most of the places above and more: Good Hope family outings, river tubing, beach breaks, a Dunn’s River Falls trip, bobsled and zipline combinations in Ocho Rios, Green Grotto Caves and Falmouth town tours. Each listing sets its own minimum age, so check it before you book. Some Falmouth town tours have been sold with Greenwood Great House, and Greenwood’s own website says it is temporarily closed, so ask what that tour includes now.

The real difference is the return. When you book through the cruise line, the tour is timed to the ship, and the line generally handles it if the tour runs late. Book independently and the ship won’t wait for you. Independent tours can cost less and let you go at your family’s pace, but you carry the timing risk.

If you go independent, use licensed operators. Every tourism business in Jamaica, from attractions and tour operators to the drivers who carry visitors, needs a Jamaica Tourist Board licence, which TPDCo processes. JUTA, one of the main tourist transport companies, offers cruise ship pickups, and licensed taxis carry red PP plates. Book directly with the attraction where you can; Chukka and the Martha Brae rafting operator both sell online. Agree the fare, the currency and the pickup time before anyone drives off, and ask whether car seats are available if you need them.

What to bring

• Your cruise card and photo ID. Chukka asks for valid photo ID at check-in, and a driver’s license for anyone driving a dune buggy.
• Water shoes or closed-toe sneakers. Chukka requires closed-toe shoes for the zipline, e-bikes and dune buggies, and you’ll want grip on wet rocks.
• Swimwear under clothes, a towel and a dry change. Riding back to the ship wet is no fun for a toddler.
• Reef-safe sunscreen, hats and insect repellent. The river valley is green and the sun is strong by late morning.
• Small cash in US or Jamaican dollars. For snacks, drinks, small purchases and a tip for your raft captain or driver.
• A dry bag or waterproof phone case. Everything near the river gets splashed.

Getting back to the ship on time

Set your return for at least an hour before all-aboard if you’re independent, and tell your driver that time, not the all-aboard time. Pick activities close to Falmouth if you’re on your own, because the coast road through Montego Bay and Ocho Rios can be slow. Keep the ship’s contact details from your daily schedule with you. And if your family is tired by early afternoon, the Falmouth Artisan Village beside the ship is a gentle last stop: something to eat, a few souvenirs and a short walk back up the gangway.

If the port day leaves you wanting more, the best all-inclusive family resorts in Jamaica are the next step for a longer stay.