TiCtOc pon di rock LIVE AND DIRECT **TRIP REPORT** On a Zero budget.

[Lola]

Hi Tic! Hope all is well on the next phase of your Jamaica visit! I enjoyed meeting you at Canoe and your company on their beach last Thurs.

To the READERS - if I had not seen/met Tic and her family in person twice, I would surely feel and think as some of you have expressed. My in-person experience is the family is nice, the whole family appears calm, CONTENTED, pleasant and the family seems tight with each other. I wouldn't willingly choose to hang out with foreign kids in Jamaica, but Tic & Hubby's kids seem like they would fit in and be fine in many situations, I would feel relaxed if I saw them somewhere I was going! From my observation, what I see in the pics is how they appear in person!

My only negative comment was the title Zero Budget was a misnomer, it seems more like 'Zero Budget Limits' ha ha. Whatever your family is spending to be here is your business, I assume you have it, enjoy! Running out of money on vacation is a situation people are not comfortable reading/hearing, especially with a family. Its your business how that happened, your willingness to be frank is more than most would share. You are unique, for sure!

To those who mentioned British humor (humour) thanks - I would have missed that aspect of her report without your speaking up.

[murph]

Love the trip report TT- despite dem- you actually get my vote for parent of the year! I really don't wonder at all about your kids and their lack of schooling... instead I wonder how much they have learned from their trips to the island... people, cultures, economic differences, patience, respect... and at such a young age. These trips and life lessons will help them to become wiser in time. You can be a responsible parent and have fun at the same time.

Zungguzungguguzungguzeng!

[MissNegril]

Guessing Tic Toc and family have left Negril. Thanks for bringing us along on your journey.
It's fun!

[TiCtOc]

Thank you for your lovely comments and I have took no notice at all of the negative ones everyone is entitled to their own opnion wrong right or warped each to their own.
Looks like a boardie on LONDON tour link up is coming up and you know my husband has already banned me from there as thats where all the bad men and rudegyals supposedly hang out!This could be fun! Infact I know it will be fun LOL


Review of travellers beach resort which some of you will not like some will tear it apart to shreds some will say its all lies blah blah blah but I will tell it like it is like it or lump it, check it rate it grate it or debate it.

I started to visit travellers before my intended stay to check on details about the party I had arranged and to dine , buy drinks and use the pool while I was in the vicinity.
I knew I had paid some of my balance for 2 wooden cabins before I arrived but was unsure of the amount once here as my internet banking was not working and travellers had not bothered to send me a reciep.At the time I was worried about funds and I had 2 nights planned at travellers and was thinking of cancelling the second night if I told them early enough and the first night was paid up.
So I enquired how much I owed IN TOTAL I was told 4,700j the room at westport cottages was costing me 4,000j so for the extra 700j I said I would keep my arrangements at travellers.I asked what time would my room be ready and the lady said I could come early see if it was ready also I had an email from the resort saying I could come early see if the room was ready.
I must say I had tried to book at this resort for several years and never got a proper response via email or total lack of response or sky high prices which I knew everyone else was not paying.My last trip I even went in , in person to try to book the cabins but they kept quoting me the price for the most expensive suites x 2 so I never had the chance to stay.
This time as I was intending to try to raise some money for their on site trust they got back to me and gave me a price which I took.I had many other hotels to choose from at that price but as I was planning on having the party there it made sense just to stay there.
On arrival my room was not ready but it was not OFFICIALLY meant to be ready so we waited about 2 and a half hours and I ended up getting dressed in the public bathroom and having to take my suitcase in there.
To cut a long story short
The aircon was broke the tv remote was broke the bathroom door had no handle and did not open and close properly , there was no kitchenette which I thought they had, and I did not realise until the next morning that they had shoved all 3 of my kids into one bed when I had paid for and requested and had confirmed 2 beds.My room was the first the get so we all went into my room I did not check the kids room as we were all in my room until bedtime and my husband put them to bed and thought that must be what I booked.So next day my husband asked for the second bed 6 times and waited over 6 hours for it.
We ordered escoveitch fish fries and veg from the menu the fish was so so could not taste any spices or sauce and the fries were undercooked and the veg rock hard definately undercooked not steamed hard undercooked hard.
The waitress asked me how was my food and I do not like to lie so I said I did not enjoy it to tell the truth it was horrible but its ok and I did not want any fuss so just paid the bill think the fish was 1200j per dish so paid that and then dined straight away elsewhere.
The drinks are badly mixed actually I am still deciding if they are very badly mixed or it is because their glasses are the tiniest glasses you ever did see in your life.If you make a drink strong and mix it in a tiny glass it will taste sickly strong and no good.One night I had to split my drink into 3 glasses and top them with lemonade.Service is extremely slow expect to wait a good 20 minutes fora drink IF they remember you are there at all or do not serve others in no particular order before you.The bar man was nice and friendly just slow.
The waitress was nice and pleasant but I never caught her name.
The pool was dirty most days and unusable we waited until 6pm 2 days to use the pool and one day children got in the pool and we heard it was in no condition to swim in.The jacuzzis did not work.I saw the pool guy there cleaning all the time but the pool was closed for most of the 4 days we were on property like I said 6 pm it opened.
The family are lovely, Mr Wellington is doing some fantastic work in the community regarding his trust and educationa nd the hospital and his sons are very sweet and smooth and educated and the property LOOKS nice but it is the worst managed property I have ever been to anywhere in the whole world.You wait hours for anything food was overpriced and undercooked I did not enjoy one of my drinks there warm sickly and in small glasses.
Nobody seems to know how to run things every problem is sent to the women there who I am not sure have had management training as issues are never dealt with there and then just passed on passed on and kept waiting.
The travellers beach party I arranged was a total disaster from my point of view as some people did not turn up and it rained real hard but I thank everyone who came out and showed face for the wash out in the rain! Before I came I was promised two singers by the resort which never materialised.The man with the speakers said I had to carry them myself the mic was removed there was no rum punch on arrival i asked 6 times and waited 45 minutes then there was no paint for the bricks which took another 45 minutes and to top it all off they had no red stripe said they ran out so people were going next door for beer and we could not find anyone to help it was a constant hassle.On top of this lots of children jumped in the pool and I then heard the pool was in no condition to swim in WTH?this was A POOL party arranged for months no beer no clean pool no singers NOTHING.

[TiCtOc]

Guessing Tic Toc and family have left Negril. Thanks for bringing us along on your journey.
It's fun!

ARE U KIDDING? ME LEAVE? LOL NEVER! i AM STILL HERE!

[TiCtOc]

I had emailed seastar inn and asked if it all started to go horribly wrong please could I have their facility as an emergency back up to which they replied no problem and OH HOW i wish we went there we would have all had a great time.We had set up with all the linens the tables upstairs to dine and had a band set up but people decided they did not want to dine and some of the kids did not want to wait for the food so dined at the restaurant.
We bought 6 buffet meals and had 7 others dine there for buffet and a group of 6 dined from their restaurant but not the buffet.All of the food got sold as it was their karaoke night and the place was quite full that evening.
I felt the bar and food manager was not happy with me and regularly heard him using expletives and it made me feel uncomfortable but I just smiled and continued my day.
I am afraid I would describe this man as an egotistical maniac I may have to change that description after I have looked it up but that is the name that springs to mind.
He really thinks he is something else and I find him very arragant and did not make people feel comfortable.
So I had 8 people there buying drinks at karaoke etc and I had been swimming I was wet so asked please could I put my camera and laptop behind the bar while I get dry.
At the end of the evening a woman from behind the bar walked over and said heres your things but she sprung up on me I did not even realise she was speaking to me until she said the word THINGS and I turned round and she was stood there and dropped my camera,a brand new 500usd camera.
She had not waited until I knew she was there behind me or until I put my hands out for the things or placed it on the table and she was not holding the camera she just placed it on the laptop and was going to pass it quickly so it must have tilted and she dropped it.
She did all this before I even had chance to put my arms out as she just appeared and dropped it.So our table was like OMG the camera some plastic pieces flew off it and I was upset I was more upset when the woman said SHE dropped it meaning me when I was minding my own biz having a drink did not even know she was there and SHE dropped it my hands had not even left the table.So she was lying trying to cover up and blame me but one of the men we were sat with said NO IT WAS YOU WHO DROP IT she didnt even get to turn around you tilted it , it dropped you wasnt holding the camera.So she gave me a bad look lied and stomped off she did not say sorry she did not pick up the broken parts nothing she was not sorry she did not care.So I asked my husband for my room key as I wanted to check my insurance document I admit I said what a rude b@@@h and that is because she was I know maybe that was bad but I was upset not because the camera had been dropped and was in pieces but because she TRIED to blame me lied gave me a nasty look then just walked off.I did not say that to her I actually thought just my table could hear but apparently mr egotistical heard but I was off to the room to check the insurance docs as I have never made a claim ever and have no idea what it covers or how it works but it was clear that she had no intention of dealing with it , saying sorry , trying to fix it or pay for it.
We were discussing how other establishments would have dealt with this situation, for example one of the women at seastar drops my camera I can imagine them sayin omg sorry dont know how that happened and then at least trying to pick up the smashed pieces and then I would have said dont worry about it, it was an accident END OF STORY stuff happens.But don't smash someones things lie about it twist it on them give them a nasty look then leave it on the floor and not even do or say anything HOW RUDE.
So I went to get the papers and it turned into a nasty confrontation between mr egotistacal and my husband the staff was shouting we must think he is a pu@@@ hole and swearing and shouting and getting in my husbands face and asking where I was as he had a few things he wanted to say to me how dare I upset his staff! So a Jamaican guy we was with explained that the woman dropped the camera he was sat right there I had done nothing I did not even know she was there initially.So she shouldn't have lied and reacted the way she did.The bar and food manager got very in my husbands face and was very threatening instead of dealing with the situation in a professional manner.Plus he was making out he had something to say or do to ME and swearing and shouting PU@@@ this and BUMBA that.So I arrived back 5 minutes later with the papers to see if there was anything we could do as adults to deal with the situation but was told not to go back there by people that was with us due to mr egotisticals agressive and threatening manner.So I did not bother , I got no apology I have no reference number for insurance and basically I am 500us down.
That was just the final straw I guess on all of the bad service we had recieved since arrival.
Oh and then when I checked out going to pay my 4700j which I had asked a few times about to makesure that was the correct total they said it was x 2 so over 9000j as for 2 rooms but they never said that before and never gave me any reciepts.
What a nightmare.I have no idea how they stay open.Like I said the family are really lovely but it seems this food and beverage manager really runs the show by intimidating and making people feel uncomfortable if he does not get what he wants.He reminds me of what we call back home of a STED HEAD **note i am saying reminds me i am certainly not saying he is one.A sted-head is a guy which we have plenty of back home who is obsessed with the gym and uses steroids and this makes them have an agressive nature and think they can and will take on the world and will not let anyone get in the way.
This guy just has the exact same mannerisms as those people back home.I will NEVER stay there again even without the camera incident which I am not too bothered about the service and treatment and total absence of customer care or quality would have made it a definate no go for me which is a total shame as the place is in a beautiful location , the pool looks lovely the speakers are good it could be quite the gem I thought I had found a new beach home until I actually stayed there and realised the poor quality of just about everything.
What a shame.
Glad I only slept there for 2 days.
The girl who dropped the camera could have just said oops sorry that is all it would have taken to end the issue or the manager could have dealt with it however it should have been dealt with not by TRYING to intimidate my husband and make out he was going to attack him..who stood his ground by the way and then started asking for me.My husband left in the end and said we will deal with this tomorrow when the manager is SOBER.
Massive ego aggressive attitude , can't be around people like that.Totally unprofessional

[suzieQ]

Yesterday was my first visit back to the board in a long time, and I spent most of the day reading about your adventure! Thank you so much for sharing it wit us..I hope to meet you some time on a future Negril adventure.
As for the negativity, as Bob Marley put it.."The road of life is rocky, and you may stumble too..but while you're pointing fingers, someone elsee is judging you.

Bless up

[TiCtOc]

Yesterday was my first visit back to the board in a long time, and I spent most of the day reading about your adventure! Thank you so much for sharing it wit us..I hope to meet you some time on a future Negril adventure.
As for the negativity, as Bob Marley put it.."The road of life is rocky, and you may stumble too..but while you're pointing fingers, someone elsee is judging you.

Bless up

[Carolina]

i dunno tic....

some of that review don't add up?

yes it sounds like a right sh&t hole....BUT...

when you visited before you finally stayed there...you said you used the pool.....so they made it unusable during your stay?..dirtied it up?

did you not view your intended rooms during these prior visits?..and then you would have definitely made sure there was a kitchenette and adequate beds..or did they not give you the correct rooms?

and the bar manager..you drank and ate at the bar previously to your stay?..was it a new member of staff upon your arrival?

[Yvonne]

I'm sorry to hear of your bad/horrible experience at Travellers. I stayed there once... that's all I'll say. It was long ago.

I hope you talked to Mr. Wellington. Although he turned the management of Travellers over to his sons, he worked many years to build the hotel into a nice property w/ a good reputation. I think he or his sons need to be made aware of this so they can address the situation, maybe re-train some staff.

I know you'll find a way to make these lemons into lemonade.