I cannot afford to hire a tour company for this but I think the car hire is possible.Great information Rob I will have to find out more as I will not drive unless covered to the hilt especially concerning medical costs
I cannot afford to hire a tour company for this but I think the car hire is possible.Great information Rob I will have to find out more as I will not drive unless covered to the hilt especially concerning medical costs
$1,500.00 deposit is usually required regardless of Insurance Coverage. Standard Operating Procedure over many years that I have rented from many companies is,,,, that they swipe your card once for payment and another swipe for the $1,500.00 for damage. At the end of the rental after inspection they return the $1,500.00 swipe (I have a drawer fulle of torn in 1/2 $1,500.00 swipes).
An instance a few years back when we were covered with VISA, still had me paying the damage (in this case a tire) in Jamaica and making claim with VISA when I got home.
Read your rental agreement both CVM and PI, there are deductibals, would that be that $1,500.00 swipe.
This also would explain the need for the pre-damage inspection when you rent a car, note every ding, missing trim piece, get up in the wheel wells and note every bend, inspect the exhaust syatem, inspect the spare tyre, make note on the rental agreement.
I have rented from Vernon's (always good experience) and I am very fortunate to have developed a relationship and rented from the same company in MoBay probaly 20 times since 2002. That said I have heard the stories about less than scrupulous companies that look at vehicle damage as another income stream, buyer beware.
Now to that Mandeville to Och Rios to MoBay question. I have driven B3 up and over a few times, do not believe in your mind that it is a simple move if you have never driven in Ja, there are a couple funny turns at Spalding and as you head down into Cave Valley that can lead you astray and like any Jamaica driving just getting through a town can be time consuming/confusing. Once you hit A1 on the coast you are on pretty good wide shouldered roads. Your only other option Mandy to Ocho looks like running A2 over to Spanish Town and A1 back north.
Please take this in the right vain. And I have scoffed at those that say driving in Ja is to be avoided at all cost. I began driving jeeps in Jamaica many years ago, even then for a couple years other than a couple of side trips and short jaunts into the hills around Negril I pretty well stuck to the A highways. These days some friends call me a soccer mom because I am usually driving a van in order to road trip with multiple friends,,,,, but once again I have many years and many trips of experience under my belt. Your question about emergency phone numbers leads me to believe you would be on a tight time schedule,,,, other than A highway driving I have seen nothing about driving in Jamaica can be on kept on a tight schedule, too many variables from tyre failure to road closure involved. With 5 family members safety in question and until I had done a few shakedown cruises I might say hiring a van and driver for the day could be a good investment in peace of mind
I have won many awards in a lifetime of competition and service. But the highest was offered without plaque or fanfare on a hilltop in post Ivan Jamaica. A true Rasta and a dear friend observed "Chet you are like a father of men, you see need and fulfill that need without being asked". Let us be travelers and not tourist.
appreciated Chet and collen thank you.
After looking further into the insurance I have found on negrilonestop under their car rental page that they offer personal accident insurance for only $3 per day that is really good and they also offer 24 hour emergency breakdown cover free of charge so that is re assuring.I am not on a tight schedule.Once I am in Jamaica I am happy and go with the flow but some things are best arranged in advance
Tic,
The us$3 a day is NOT to cover the car incase there is any damage, please scroll down their page and look at the DVW coverage:
- The Hirer is liable for any damage/loss to the rented vehicle, however we offer a Damage to Vehicle Waiver D.V.W., that can either limit your liability or eliminate your liability, whichever option suits you best. The rates / deposits are outlined below: -
Vehicle *Daily D.V.W. Rate
$USLiability to Hirer
Liability $us Deposit RequiredCar/Jeep $12.00 $750.00 $750.00 Bus $15.00 $1200.00 $1200.00 Van/SUV $15.00 $1200.00 $1200.00 Toyota Camry $12.00 $1200.00 $1200.00 Car/Jeep $25.00 nil(Excluding TPF) $250.00 Bus/Van/SUV $40.00 nil(Excluding TPF) $450.00 Toyota Camry $40.00 nil(Excluding TPF) $450.00 *NEW - DVW does NOT include tires, rims or hub caps
For tire coverage there will be an extra charge of $2 or $3/day
depending upon the vehicle
Negril.com - For the vacation that never ends!
tic i think it would be better if you did a deal with a driver and got him to take you there, i'm sure with a good bit or hard talking you could get it down to cheaper then hiring a car/van, maybe do a hard sell to some others staying at same hotel and get a bus full, they can do shopping, dunns etc whilst you do what you want
l.o.l.
*NEW - DVW does NOT include tires, rims or hub caps
For tire coverage there will be an extra charge of $2 or $3/day
depending upon the vehicle
I carry wire ties in my checked luggage, then throw in rental glove box. Hub caps are often wire tied onto the wheel. The many pot holes can throw a hub cap pretty quick, especially during rainy season when you can not measure the depth of the hole. I have had a rental guy give me that look when I come back with a differant color wire tie on a hub cap.
A word to the wise on avoiding CVM problems,,,,, scout your path well as you enter a property and back in to parking space everywhere you go, parking lots in Ja are often small and have protruding stumps and rocks below sight line, most rental car dings I have seen have been rear bumpers taking place from backing out after drinks or dark. It doe not take much to hit a few hundred bucks.
Not that I would know why or how to use them but the little yellow cargo conatiner auto parts store by Bigga's in Green Island sells an oil rag and brake fluid. Also there is a little auto repair shop just up Orange Bay road that can work miracles with a buffing wheel.
I have won many awards in a lifetime of competition and service. But the highest was offered without plaque or fanfare on a hilltop in post Ivan Jamaica. A true Rasta and a dear friend observed "Chet you are like a father of men, you see need and fulfill that need without being asked". Let us be travelers and not tourist.
So I need to pay $3 per day personal accident cover and
Car/Jeep= $25.00 nil(Excluding TPF) dvw no liability 250 deposit I don't know what tpf is and then if I blow a tyre I have to fix that too
Plus rental hire and gas .Is there anything I have missed out?
Oh gosh so now I need wires and a tape measure for potholes too and oil and rags and repair shop details .It can't be that hard CAN IT?We will not be driving in the dark or after a bar and they drive on the same side of the road in JA as in England so I am hoping it will not be too bad.
Tictoc, you've made it clear that you don't want to hear this, but given the expenses and the risks you are going to incur by renting, you should really be asking for quotes from the various drivers who have been recommended to you. Your resources in case of accident or misadventure sound quite limited. Your savings are going to turn out to be modest, if anything. (Have you confirmed that the rentals are "unlimited mileage"?)
Think what you are going to do if your rental vehicle has mechanical problems in Ochi. Yes, you said you need an emergency phone number, but that doesn't mean somebody will be there shortly if you have trouble.
Also, you never answered whether this is just you, or your whole family. Heading off on an adventure by yourself is different than taking your kids along, of course.
Dont rent..Not this trip at least--Hire a driver or get creative with diff.drivers/tour companies (ie clives from negril to MBJ) a driver fro there to Ochi..
If thats too expensive then any reason why maybe you or just a few of you go on this excursion ?? Do all five of need to go??? and yes if you have the time and are very patient you could do some if not all- in route taxis--but going be one looong day... Anyway,could this little child could get closer to one of your destinations (ie maybe you offer to pay for route taxi ) and you could meet them maybe Ochi ??? I'm sorry ,I dont know all of your logistics for this trip..But I say No Way on driving-not until you have more exp.driving there would I undertake this...
" Ones destination is never a place, but rather a new way of looking at things." (Henry Miller)