Ya mon Red stripe Catamarran ....first class all the way !!!

I don't write to many reports, but I had to shout out to Red Stripe Cat ride, and give them a huge thumbs up.
First class all the way. A group of 20 some boardies went on this cruise during boardie week, on a Wednesday. This usually isn't a day they usually go, but chartered
it just for us.
This boat is not on Ja time, this boat has got it going on. Left on time, the crew was amazing, there was never a time that anyone yelled out for a drink, and didn't have one
in their hand within like a minute. With our crew, they were running constantly.......
They take you to reefs where whoever wants to snorkel or swim can jump off, and whoever just wanted to stay on, could do so. They kept an eye out for everyone.
did head counts, all the while keeping the drinks flowing, and the music playing.
Mid way they served a great dinner of brown stewed chicken, rice, and potato salad, which all were excellent. This all went off like clockwork. They take up by the caves, where you can swim, and up by Rics. This was the highlight of my trip, and I think many others feel the same.
Wouold love to post some videos, but....no, what happened on the Cat, stays on the Cat.............lol... : ( I can see Robs finger on the delete button already ..hehe ! )
If you have a chance, give it try, it's definitely worth the money.......Same time next year yall !!!!!!

Hey JoJo! Thanks for the cat info. I've always wanted to do the cruise but didn't know if it was worth the $$. Your endorsement is appreciated and good to know how the crew treated you. But Miss Life of the Party, I have a feeling everyone had a blast because YOU were on board!!!!!!!!!

Where do you sign up for that?

next door to boat bar...

It was a really great trip! You'll have a wonderful time!

I've always felt it seemed too touristy, but I've started to accept, no matter how many times I've been, I am a tourist. Given that and the endorsement here, maybe I'll give it a try next time. I mean, I like boats, snorkel and bottomless drinks! Maybe there'll be some cute tourist girls on board :cool:

Mikey, you like bottomless drinks, boats, and snorkeling, sound like a win win, you will love it. I'm not overlooking the fact that the core group on the boat were boardies that have been friends for years,
of course that made it all the more great, but I believe you can have just as much fun, with a big group of like minded strangers, and a easy way to meet folks.
Vi .....hey there lady, one of these days....lol.... you would of loved the vibe on the boat :)

jojo P Sounds like you had a blast! Can you tell me where to go to find out cost and more info? I think we'll try it on our next reach :)

jess, I swear I still find myself thinking about it here at home, lol !!!!
Their hut is located right next to the boat bar. You can go there, and see what day they are available the time you are there. Although they were nice to give the boardies a discount,
I belive the regular price is 60.00. This includes all you can drink, ( and they don't skimp on the alcohol :) ) a really nice dinner, snorkeling equipment, and a 4 hour cruise.... they play non stop music, which is awesome !!! I would bring a bag with a towel, sunscreen or lotion, and although they don't push it, they have a bucket for tips at the end, so a little cash as they work really hard !! :) Its cool and refreshing and a total blast to be out on the water, looking at the coastline !!!!!

I cannot wait!!! Thanks for the info!

Thank you JoJo for putting this awesome trip together we had a great time even with my motion sickness they took great care of me! :rolleyes:

We have done it the last three trips. It is a great value, we always buy from Rasta Mark, he walks the beach. You can also find their stand right next to Rondel Village. The price even includes pick up and drop off via taxi. The food and the drink make it one of the smartest money spend each trip.

they have a facebook page...Yamon "red stripe" catamaran cruises....see myrna clark,

Did you say 4 hours??!!! I'm there!!!! JoJo, even without pictures and dishing what went on...lol...your info has convinced me to do a Portland/Negril split this summer. I know I would want to do the evening cruise. Four hours on the ocean holding a bottomless cup of rum & rum sounds like a place for me to be!!!

we left boat bar before 230 and we were dropped off after 7pm...we floated around the bay in front of all the hotels for another 30 minutes, drinking and dancing...we werent ready to go home, and the crew werent ready to drop us off...they were having a blast with us....i stressed that this group could drink when i confirmed jojo's reservation...plus we were at rondell, so every day i told them to get more alcohol....well they were ready...they were offering refills to us as we exited the boat....

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by groove16

...every day i told them to get more alcohol....well they were ready...they were offering refills to us as we exited the boat....

---

oh wow NICE

Lady Vi, it's getting more interesting by the moment, isn't it, lol..................Groove, thank s for that sweet reminder what happened at the end of the cruise, literally no one wanted to get off,
and I don't think they wanted us to, a bunch of us stayed back after the first boat took peeps to shore, and we refused to budge hahahahahahhah !!!!!!

I knew I should've went with ya's Jojo! Count me in for next year!

Hey Jojo,

Thanx for the info! I think I'll do that when I'm down there in a few weeks...


https://tickers.TickerFactory.com/ez...7577/event.png

Glad you enjoyed your cruise. Here's the view from ashore:

We were staying at Blue Cave Castle a few years ago and a loud party cat pulled up and many customers jumped of and swam ashore to dive off the cliffs. That wasn't appreciated by the staff from a risk management standpoint. What annoyed us were the two dudes who came up the steps and proceeded to enter our room. The air was blue with words only a sailor would be able to string together. They retreated, probably, to consult the dictionary of Vietnam Veteran's slang! As Wu or Al would say on Deadwood, "SF CS's!"

I guess theres always that boat that is gonna take it to far, we kept all our fun right on the boat, or close by ! :)

Sunjam, I'm penciling ya in for next year !
Ukran1ans....hey !!!! You will love it, right up your alley !!!! Go to the boardie bash week next time, theres nothing like it ! :)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by jojo p

Ukran1ans....hey !!!! You will love it, right up your alley !!!! Go to the boardie bash week next time, theres nothing like it ! :)

---

Hey Jojo,

I'll definitely consider next year's boardie bash... I have to survive my May and Nov trips first! LOL


https://tickers.TickerFactory.com/ez...7577/event.png

Attachment 48331

it's the smallest catamaran in Negril....it gets dwarfed by the "Sunsplash", "Sunsation" and the Big Yellow Boat - "Tortuga" etc catamarans
so if you like your group large....go with the big catamarans.....if you like your group small......go with da Ya Mon Red Stripe catamaran

Cool Runnings, Marko

Marko, sometimes bigger isn't always better !!!! :)

I've been on this trip a quite few times over the years and it's always been fantastic every time! The staff and crew are great people and have always been professional and respectful. The small boat size is a huge plus for me - no waiting in lines for drinks or food!! As was mentioned they have a facebook page with contact info for advance bookings (Yamon "Red Stripe" Catamaran Crusies). I can't say enough good things about these guys.

Hi All,
I am looking at Yamon's website and it says there two cruises available...Sunset and Island Picnic. Has anyone done the Island Picnic and how does it compare to the sunset cruise? They both sound great but would love to read your thoughts. Thanks, Jess

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by jesswade

Hi All,
I am looking at Yamon's website and it says there two cruises available...Sunset and Island Picnic. Has anyone done the Island Picnic and how does it compare to the sunset cruise? They both sound great but would love to read your thoughts. Thanks, Jess

---

Have been on it twice and both times for the sunset cruise. I can tell you that it is a lot of fun, they stop up by Booby Cay for snorkeling, then again by Pushcart, then down to Rick's café and then on to the lighthouse and back. It does include open bar and a great dinner.

Can't say anything about the island cruise as I have not been on it. But the staff is great and the trip is definitely worth it.

~Moose

Thanks Moose - We are definitely going to do it, cant wait! And thanks again for the recommendation of Quality's, cant wait to eat there! Quick question, when you eat there or book the cruise, are you paying in US dollars or Jamaican currency? Just trying to plan how much to convert.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by jesswade

Thanks Moose - We are definitely going to do it, cant wait! And thanks again for the recommendation of Quality's, cant wait to eat there! Quick question, when you eat there or book the cruise, are you paying in US dollars or Jamaican currency? Just trying to plan how much to convert.

---

I always use JA$$ when I can. I think the RS cruise was $50 US (they gave us a discount) and I think I paid like $6000j? Quality's has his prices in USD, I suppose for the stability, but I have always paid J$ there too. And his prices are still great, $13 for lionfish, $15 for snapper or grouper, and $16 for mahi mahi (so good they named it twice! :rolleyes:)

Don't quote me on those prices, they're from memory, and as always subject to change.

HTH

~Moose

1st time I went on this boat was a very rough day. They asked if we wanted to head out into the waves for a bit cause it was too rough to snorkel and they still wanted to give us a fun time. Surprisingly the guests all said yes!! We stayed out front and the waves would wash right over us when we dipped in between the big ones. Never had so much fun in the ocean in my life!!!The whole crew put on slickers to try stay dry but there was so much water it was all you could do no to laugh until you peed! When we got back some of them were thanking us because they don't get to enjoy that kind of fun ride very often. Great boat, great fun, I really recommend it.

Yum, Quality's. They had a great band playing on Wednesday night when we were there in January.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by jesswade

Thanks Moose - Just trying to plan how much to convert.

---

So what I did myself - White Sands office offered converting to J$, so I'd go and get anywhere from 60-100 each day whatever I think I'd need. Their rate was a lot more competitive in Nov than April. I think in Nov it was only $2j off the cambio rate my driver told me. This time it was more like $6j off the cambio rate. But I'd a matter of paying for convenience too. I was fine with it, your mileage may vary, you may like it or not, or your hotel may not offer it. Worth asking IMO.

~Moose

Island picnic had lobster and peas and rice with calaloo (spelled wrong) when I went a few years back. Walk to the back of the island by path, great place to visit, island crew are a great bunch of people as well.

Thanks guys!!! its our first time staying on the beach side, treehouse here we come!!, and we've never exchanged $$ before nor done any excursions. So more questions will be coming, lol! But booking the sunset cruise is top on the list. Moose, thanks for the $$ info, it seems intimidating so any help is greatly appreciated!

Jesswade there is an ATM in the Time's Square Mall that dispenses both US dollars or Jamaican J's. The exchange is always the daily rate and my bank charges me $1.30 or so as a foreign exchange fee. It's very safe in there and quick and easy for newbies.

jesswade, I have always just used U.S. dollars, all places accept it, keep it simple !!! Glad you are going on the sunset cruise, you will have a great time !!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by jesswade

Thanks guys!!! its our first time staying on the beach side, treehouse here we come!!, and we've never exchanged $$ before nor done any excursions. So more questions will be coming, lol! But booking the sunset cruise is top on the list. Moose, thanks for the $$ info, it seems intimidating so any help is greatly appreciated!

---

I would do as Irine suggested. Take an ATM card and get some Jamaican money and also take some US with you. This is Jamaica and they use Jamaican money and you get no real discount for using US and for small items even pay more using it. Besides, part of the fun of going to another country is dealing with their Customs and Culture.

A lot of things are priced in Jamaican Dollars because Jamaicans buy things too.

Just my opinion.

One more tip for you Jess, what I do is bring a couple hundred in U.S one dollar bills, and a couple hundred in U.S. five dollar bills. I use it for tips, buying drinks, for food and things on the beach, all smaller purchase, then you will not run into the '' I have no change'' excuse, and it's simple. Bigger bills for like dinners, and excursions and such.

Irine, jojo p, and Accompong, thank you so very much for the information! We are going to exchange the money and have a few drinks and see how it goes, lol!!!