excursion robbed in Belize

[splish]

a friend sailed on RCI a couple weeks ago out of Galveston. she said an excursion in Belize was robbed by gunpoint. i know she would not make up this story, i am shocked it has not been reported on CC news or on the message boards. in fact, i've not seen anything about it anywhere.

 

is news of robberies being suppressed?

 

i find this disturbing.

[klingoncruiser]

N, this would not be suppressed. I am a bit puzzled if this is true. If that person can give you more details it would be helpful.

[klingoncruiser]

This is the only thing I can find in the news. It does not say if it is part of a cruise tour, a local tour, or they just wandered over there to take in the town.

 

http://www.7newsbelize.com/sstory.php?nid=18909

[Sugar*Magnolia]

This would have been huge in the news in Mexico and here too. If in fact an excursion was robbed..[it has happened before]

 

Where did the information originate from? Did your friend see the excursion return to the ship with local police? did she just hear rumor on board?

 

Doesnt make sense, this wouldnt be surpressed. :cool: It is nowhere in the news and has not been...

[patseacruiser]

When I was in Belize in January I didn't have a scheduled excursion so we tendered over and walked a bit looking to see what we wanted to do and finally I said to my husband that for some reason I don't feel safe here so we went back to the ship. Better safe than sorry is how I feel and I love having the ship to myself anyway.

 

Eventually when people stop getting off the ship and spending money in these countries they will have to start doing something about the crime. I don't know what their crime rate is and I don't pretend to know what to do about it but if I don't feel safe I'm not going out.

[pollux]

Wonder how may cruise pax got robbed in Barcelona last weekend.

The Ramblas was packed 3 ships in port and holy week plus soccer game Barc-Madrid.

This happen there every week and no reports in the press.

[jaybird1]

These things happen all over the Caribbean and happen on Islands that you think are very safe. The governments do try to play down and supress the news becuase they don't want to scare off tourists.

In the case of the Canadian woman that was attacked and murdered on the beach, the Barbados government said it was an isolated incident but another Canadian woman came forward to say she was attacked weeks before and the Barbados police played it down. Women from other countries have been attacked too but they go home and don't come back to testify.

 

http://ottawa.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20090319/OTT_Schwarzfeld_Death_090319/20090319/?hub=OttawaHome

 

and in costa rica

http://www.vancouversun.com/travel/flyfree/Canadian+woman+murdered+Costa+Rica/4230809/story.html

 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1079588/Two-British-women-sexually-assaulted-knife-wielding-robber-Caribbean-holiday-villa.html

[cruisebunnies]

a friend sailed on RCI a couple weeks ago out of Galveston. she said an excursion in Belize was robbed by gunpoint. i know she would not make up this story, i am shocked it has not been reported on CC news or on the message boards. in fact, i've not seen anything about it anywhere.

 

is news of robberies being suppressed?

 

i find this disturbing.

 

Some of the best advice I ever received "Believe nothing of what you hear and only half of what you see".:cool:

[jorapp]

Huh? Wait...what am I missing??

 

This was a version of purse snatching which happened almost three months ago, and we are worried about it now?

 

OP, when traveling to any foreign country (or even in a big US city), it is incumbent upon the traveler to be alert for these types of petty crimes. It is regrettable that the pax lost his camera, but I've been in more danger in my own home during an armed burglary.

 

DH and I only take ship-sponsored excursions because the ship will wait for return, and we hope they are safer. I have visited Belize before and will do so again because it is a beautiful country with a rich history and warm friendly people. Never the less, I will be alert to my surroundings and keep a firm hand on my belongings.

[debshomespun]

While on RC Jewel Panama cruise in Nov/08, we were in Puerto Limon, Costa Rica. The morning excursion (through the cruiseline) to the Rainforest was robbed at gunpoint. The robbers took only cash and the bus driver's cell phone. No one was physically hurt, and RC handled the incident very professional. We were not on the excursion, but spoke to some people that were. The afternoon excursion was cancelled. This can and does happen all over the world. It may not always make the newspaper. There are many robberies in NYC, Chicago, and any town USA. Unfortunately, this is a fact of life, and it can happen anywhere.

[Sugar*Magnolia]

Im still curious if in fact it was an "excursion" and by "gunpoint"? Excursion would mean a group, not one or two. When you think about it, thats even worse then a random person or couple. I dont like either port on our upcoming cruise (Oasis, stopping at Falmouth and Cozumel- thank goodness for Labadee) Now Im getting nervous. Altho I beleive you always need to be vigilant, you wouldnt wander into bad neighborhoods at home, dont do it on vacation either. [still, I want to get off the ship in Falmouth and Cozumel. I hope I dont get that "not feeling safe" feeling like patseacruiser. I always follow my instinct too!

[GCurry]

Im still curious if in fact it was an "excursion" and by "gunpoint"? Excursion would mean a group, not one or two. When you think about it, thats even worse then a random person or couple. I dont like either port on our upcoming cruise (Oasis, stopping at Falmouth and Cozumel- thank goodness for Labadee) Now Im getting nervous. Altho I beleive you always need to be vigilant, you wouldnt wander into bad neighborhoods at home, dont do it on vacation either. [still, I want to get off the ship in Falmouth and Cozumel. I hope I dont get that "not feeling safe" feeling like patseacruiser. I always follow my instinct too!

You won't have a problem. We were on Voyager the first ship into Falmouth, they have a huge fenced port compound with total security. Coz is one of the safest places in the Caribe. If a robber told you to raise your hands; when you did three taxis would run over him trying to get your fare.:D I would be more afraid of NJ!!

 

Love Belize, cave tubing, Mayan ruins there are some great excursions.

I would never walk around Belize City, and I used to shop Juarez!!:mad:

 

We had one of the best nature excursions ever out of Port Lemon, sloths everywhere Howler monkeys, Toucans.

 

These days, I book off the ship, but I always do my home work.:)

[Oscar_the_Grouch's_Sis]

Huh? Wait...what am I missing??

 

This was a version of purse snatching which happened almost three months ago, and we are worried about it now?

 

 

:confused:

 

I think you are missing A LOT.

 

OP (splish)said she heard of a group being held at gunpoint (NOT "petty crimes") ...klingoncruiser tried to find the story online and could only find the camera snatching story.

 

No one said it was the same story the OP was talking about :rolleyes:

 

 

Also, I could have sworn we heard about an excursion being held at gunpoint before on CC a few months ago (I lose track of time on here!) but I can not recall which country. (DUH! Must be the same one CruiseDiva mentioned :o) ... I also remember the story about that poor young girl who was killed on the tour bus because they were struck by cross fire.

 

There seems to be 2 type of people on CC when discussing these things.

 

One group is so terrified that something is going to happen to them that they decide not to do anything anymore and hide themselves away ... and the other group wants to down play everything as no big deal.

 

Seriously, I think people need to start finding that "happy medium" because things are getting worse and we need to protect ourselves a little better ... without sacrificing our enjoyment of life. (I think it can be done ... not sure how yet)

[wadethegringo]

I have not seen anything in the local news. Just use the same common sense you would use any other place.

[awboater]

When we go to a new port-of-call that we have not visited before, we always take a ship-sponsored excursion. While it may or may not be safe, I think it is safer than going off on your own in a place you have never been before - especially if you look like a tourist.

 

If we are comfortable with an island that we have visited a few times, we may then go on our own.

[critterchick]

There seems to be 2 type of people on CC when discussing these things.

 

One group is so terrified that something is going to happen to them that they decide not to do anything anymore and hide themselves away ... and the other group wants to down play everything as no big deal.

 

Seriously' date=' I think people need to start finding that "happy medium" because things are getting worse and we need to protect ourselves a little better ... without sacrificing our enjoyment of life. (I think it can be done ... not sure how yet)[/quote']

 

I don't think its "no big deal," although I'd like to see more details from the OP. I think the point is that it can happen anywhere, so you can either never leave your house, let alone go on a cruise, or you can take your chances, and reduce the odds of something bad happening by being aware of your surroundings.

 

As far as being in a large group, it can go either way. A determined assailant can have a big payday by targeting a group of tourists - for example, I've seen many tour groups in Europe where people are plugged into headsets to hear the guide. Talk about distracted and easy pickings!

 

This would have been huge in the news in Mexico and here too. If in fact an excursion was robbed..[it has happened before

 

 

Why would it be huge in the news in Mexico if somebody was robbed in Belize?:confused:

[dohertm1]

This would have been huge in the news in Mexico and here too. If in fact an excursion was robbed..[it has happened before]

 

Where did the information originate from? Did your friend see the excursion return to the ship with local police? did she just hear rumor on board?

 

Doesnt make sense, this wouldnt be surpressed. :cool: It is nowhere in the news and has not been...

 

FYI: Belize is not in Mexico

[Oscar_the_Grouch's_Sis]

FYI: Belize is not in Mexico

Why would it be huge in the news in Mexico if somebody was robbed in Belize?

 

Seriously??:eek:

 

They are saying IF it happened in Mexico, it would have been big news.

 

:rolleyes:

[dohertm1]

Seriously??:eek:

 

They are saying IF it happened in Mexico' date=' it would have been big news.[/b']

 

:rolleyes:

Haven't you heard -- there is no crime in Mexico... NOT

[Sugar*Magnolia]

Seriously??:eek:

 

They are saying IF it happened in Mexico' date=' it would have been big news.[/b']

 

:rolleyes:

:)

Thank you for clarifying me [my post] up! My morning post did sound confusing when I reread it. You know, Monday mornings....lolol. So much to do! It does seem like crime in Mexico and Jamaica too, always in the news!

 

 

GCurry, did you happen to go to a beach while in Falmouth? We just want a NICE beach for the day. We have been to beautiful cozumel before. Thanks for the positive heads up about Falmouth. I <3 VOS.

[GCurry]

:)

GCurry, did you happen to go to a beach while in Falmouth? We just want a NICE beach for the day. We have been to beautiful cozumel before. Thanks for the positive heads up about Falmouth. I <3 VOS.

One of our CC group did a RCL town and beach tour, she said the town was 15 minutes and the beach four hours!! She did not comment on the qualty of the beach but didnt seem very happy about it. I was looking for Ganja smokin, Bob Marley, Rastas, but didnt see a one.:) The people were very friendly.

 

I find if you go to the port boards, you can find reliable private tours much better and less expensive than the ships. Cruise Critics is quite a resource.

[Emeripsni]

a friend sailed on RCI a couple weeks ago out of Galveston. she said an excursion in Belize was robbed by gunpoint. i know she would not make up this story, i am shocked it has not been reported on CC news or on the message boards. in fact, i've not seen anything about it anywhere.

 

is news of robberies being suppressed?

 

i find this disturbing.

 

While you turned your back, apparently someone stole your capital "I", "A" and "S".

[Sugar*Magnolia]

One of our CC group did a RCL town and beach tour, she said the town was 15 minutes and the beach four hours!! She did not comment on the qualty of the beach but didnt seem very happy about it. I was looking for Ganja smokin, Bob Marley, Rastas, but didnt see a one.:) The people were very friendly.

 

I find if you go to the port boards, you can find reliable private tours much better and less expensive than the ships. Cruise Critics is quite a resource.

 

 

Thank you for both the "LMAO" giggles and for the tip on the costly but not so great beach excursion your cc-group-mate did!

 

I connected with local tour operators, but beleive it or not, they were higher priced than the rci tours. Left me quite puzzled..A taxi ride to montego bay almost $400 for the 4 of us? I might just shoot her another email! there are tour operators on twitter too. ;)

 

Thanks again!

[critterchick]

:)

Thank you for clarifying me [my post] up! My morning post did sound confusing when I reread it. You know, Monday mornings....lolol. So much to do! It does seem like crime in Mexico and Jamaica too, always in the news!

 

Ohhhh. Guess I didn't have enough coffee this morning, either!:D

 

Mexico can't escape the press now. In yesterday's LA Times there was a small story about 4 women who all worked for one salon having been murdered in Acapulco - 2 in the salon and two in another part of town. Although there was apparently no actual evidence to suggest that it was a drug cartel-related set of murders, the column author couldn't resist bringing up the fact that there were many such murders in Mexico. I thought it was completely irresponsible and sensationalistic, but it will reinforce people's fear about the area. (Note: Acapulco is one port where I won't bother getting off the ship, even though I have been fine with every other port in Mexico, even dreaded Mazatlan.)

[camofwilliamsburg]

Tours were robbed in St Kitts when my sister was on EOS and another cruise line ship was there too. Both tours were robbed that were ship excursions. It was written up that all jewelry and money were stolen. A few years ago a ship tour was robbed in The Bahamas. Word of caution: Leave most important docs in the safe, along with all jewelry.