Falmouth Shore Excursion: Private Snorkel Tour

We did the Falmouth snorkling tour. Here are a few things that would have been helpful to know in advance. We were gone for around 3 1/2 hours. The tour company contracted with a transportation company to drive from Falmouth to Montego Bay. The drive took 35-40 minutes each way. On arriving in Montego Bay we went to a little dive shop, were given fins and headed to the boat. The boat was pretty spartan--just wooden benches on each side for seating, but had a roof and was fine for our purposes (pictured below). It was glass-bottom in the center, so we cruised for a bit with the glass open. Snorkeling lasted one hour, which was plenty of time. On the way out the guide said the waters have been overfished so there aren't a lot of fish, but he took us to an area where we saw quite a few fish, as well as an eagle ray. A guide was in the water leading us and pointing out items of interest. Everyone was pleased with the snorkeling. Some logistical matters: First, Jamaica was one hour behind our Royal Caribbean Symphony of the Seas time. I had scheduled the tour to begin at 10:00 am, but that would have been 11:00 am Royal Caribbean time, with a return around 2:30. We were able to make a late change to 9:00 am local time, which fit our cruise schedule better. Also, the guide said the water tends to get rougher later in the day. It was much smoother when we started snorkeling than when we finished. So I recommend earlier start times. There is no drinking water on the boat, so if you want water, bring your own. There was another boat from the same company (and other boats in the area) so we weren't concerned about missing our cruise ship if our boat happened to have engine trouble. We tipped both our driver and the team on the boat. We asked our driver, Garfield, to stop at a good place to buy coffee on the way back. Unfortunately, he took us to a very overpriced tourist shop. Not what we had in mind.