Carnival To Begin Warning Passengers of the Dangers of Nassau

One drive around the city tells you that it's not safe.:ignore:
Not sure why the cruise ships even bother to stop at Nassau anymore.
I did a "tour" around the island in November and it's still just one big bad hood.
Felt like I was driving thru the bad part of my city of Miami.

If not for Atlantis there wouldn't be much reason to stop here anymore.
It's a shame because for the most part the Bahamians are a nice people, at least the one's who aren't going to rob or kill you are nice.

Why do they even stop there then is my question.

Tia said:

Why do they even stop there then is my question.

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This is a cheap port call fee for the cruise industry.

so sad. we have always taken the local $1 jitney bus to the Sheraton and a gotten a cheap day pass and had a great time. Guess if we go again we shouldn't take the bus. We always felt perfectly safe, but our last trip was 5 years ago.

It would be useful if every cruise line informed all their guests about possible dangers at every cruise stop. I don't understand why any of them stop at Nassau. I can't imagine any passengers saying, "I can't wait to get to Nassau!"

elaine said:

so sad. we have always taken the local $1 jitney bus to the Sheraton and a gotten a cheap day pass and had a great time. Guess if we go again we shouldn't take the bus. We always felt perfectly safe, but our last trip was 5 years ago.

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I loved to ride the jitney bus to the country side and back to downtown. Now that would be a no-no.

The entire Caribbean is dangerous, and tourists seem blissfully unaware of it. The problem is that, unlike Mexico, crimes are perpetrated on tourists, and tourists are an actual target.

St. Lucia is also on the list of dangerous islands. http://www.cruiselawnews.com/articles/caribbean-islands/

The St. Lucia link also has an item saying that Bahamas registered lines may require all passengers to settle any injury related complaints in the Bahamas.

That same link has a review of crime/tourists in several islands.

The Caribbean is, frankly, too poor not to have significant issues, and there will be more and more. Will it be reported widely? I doubt it; that's not good for business.

The Caribbean is so beautiful but I have no desire to go anywhere where I can't leave the resort, no matter how lovely it is.

Cruise Law News is a blog written by Jim Walker, a Miami lawyer whose specialty is suing cruise line companies. He's making the case that cruise ships are responsible for every passenger who is a victim of crime while in port. Warn passengers of the extreme dangers, or cancel the port of call. Or get sued. Who do you think has a vested interest in hyping the possible risks?

Is there crime in the Caribbean? Absolutely. The State Dept has issued warnings about most of the islands for years. There are a lot of places that I would not wander around on my own, but I don't want to have a knee jerk reaction to every post/article that conflates the dangers of traveling to an area.

BTW, the 2015 US State Dept report on crime in Nassau can be found here: https://www.osac.gov/pages/ContentReportDetails.aspx?cid=17138

I know of his vest interest, and one must always weigh his information in that light. However,

September 21, 2015, he posted the following:

Today, I was picked by Go Port Canaveral (a publication of Florida Cruise Ports, Inc.) as one of "Our Favorite Cruise Blogs."
Admittedly, I am (very) critical of the cruise industry and, as such, I assumed that automatically disqualified me from a cruise sponsored competition.
But lo and behold Cruise Law News was not only picked as one of the top eight cruise blogs but the Go Port Canaveral people gave my law blog Cruise Blogtop billing to boot. Here's what Go Port Canaveral had to say:
"Jim Walker is a partner at the law firm Walker & O’Neill and the go to source for legal services on the high seas. If there’s a question of liability or a crime committed on a cruise ship Mr. Walker and Cruise Law are usually the first to report it. If you have a concern about safety on ship or during a port call Cruise Law is the place to visit to find out what to watch for and where. He’s been the go to source for news outlets like the Wall Street Journal and USA Today. Mr. Walker also takes a moral stance on some issues like whaling in the Faroe Islands or drinking aboard. You may not necessarily agree with his opinions, but it is nice to see a lawyer with scruples, and one that is honest with them."
Thanks Go Port Canaveral!

Definitely worth weighing his vested interest, but also worth weighing some of the facts he presents.

Just got off a cruise in Colon today. I could not imagine a worse place to let cruise passengers off without warning them. There will be a lot of unsuspecting tourists. The tour companies know this is profit very well. I get straight in my truck and to where it is safe. Same cruise line stopped stopping in Venzuela because it was unsafe all over. All it offered was cheap oil and a place to pick up more passengers.

Colon

am1 said:

Just got off a cruise in Colon today. I could not imagine a worse place to let cruise passengers off without warning them. There will be a lot of unsuspecting tourists. The tour companies know this is profit very well. I get straight in my truck and to where it is safe. Same cruise line stopped stopping in Venzuela because it was unsafe all over. All it offered was cheap oil and a place to pick up more passengers.

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Sorry to disagree but if one researches options for Colon as a cruise port there are many worthwhile experiences to be had from here.

We arranged a private tour with Garceth Cunampio, a native Embera Indian, to a tribal village of the Pura, accessible only by dugout boats. It was one of the most powerful- in terms of exposure to a unique culture- "excursions" we've ever taken!

am1 said:

Just got off a cruise in Colon today. I could not imagine a worse place to let cruise passengers off without warning them. There will be a lot of unsuspecting tourists. The tour companies know this is profit very well. I get straight in my truck and to where it is safe. Same cruise line stopped stopping in Venzuela because it was unsafe all over. All it offered was cheap oil and a place to pick up more passengers.

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Did you rent a truck? Where did you go? Inquiring mind wants to know...we will be there next year.

No doubt there are great options in Colon. They are expensive compared to what they could be. It is a very captive market as other then an expensive tour, renting a car (not advisable) or walking to the nearby casino or the zona libre there is nothing else. Cartagena, Curacao, Bonaire and Aruba were are stops and much nicer. Yesterday the taxists were not letting the tour vans out of the port. Today there were lots of police and I did not see anyone getting in vans just the tour buses which are owned by the same person that owns the port.

To be clear Panama is a very nice place to take a vacation and there are nice places to visit around Colon. Stepping outside the cruise port alone is not a smart decision.

beejaybeeohio said:

Sorry to disagree but if one researches options for Colon as a cruise port there are many worthwhile experiences to be had from here.

We arranged a private tour with Garceth Cunampio, a native Embera Indian, to a tribal village of the Pura, accessible only by dugout boats. It was one of the most powerful- in terms of exposure to a unique culture- "excursions" we've ever taken!

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LisaH said:

Did you rent a truck? Where did you go? Inquiring mind wants to know...we will be there next year.

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I went express to Panama. My truck was parked there. We got on and off the cruise in Colon.

Have a great time when you visit but stay safe.