What port have you felt the most uneasy??

[lizjoemom]

See my post #101 above about Belize. Do an excursion to one of the Maya ruins or snorkeling. What I think many people miss in Belize is that there's no Margaritaville type place (places) right off the tender pier. That unfortunately is becoming the expectation for every port for many cruisers. Also, I think you'll find Coz dramatically changed after 24 years. Do an island tour. Downtown, San Miguel, still has somewhat aggressive vendors, especially on days of few ships in port, but it's very clean and safe to walk in other areas not jus taround the Plaza. Rogue taxi horror stories, like one poster above, are few and far between as most taxis are regulated and prices are zoned and listed.

 

Yes, I am trying to convince my DH that it has changed, but once bitten I guess. I know that cabs have changed over the years, and we have been to many wonderful places in the Caribbean and abroad since that time and never had an experience like that one. We were stranded 45 minutes away from the ship because ALL the cabbies refused to drive us back without paying them double what it cost to get out there. That kinda thing tends to stick with you I guess. So I will try to convince him, but I think that me and the kids will be on our own in Cozumel:)

[MamaParrotHead]

After traveling all over south America and Mexico, I have never had any problems with any ports or towns. It is pretty obvious from this thread that Americans are pretty naive when it comes to 3rd world countries. This is the way most human beings on this earth live. Us Americans are very spoiled

 

It's quite possible that we are spoiled, but I don't think we're the only ones. It also doesn't mean when I take a cruise I want to be mauled by vendors or made uncomfortable by my surroundings, however educated I think I may be on the area. There's a difference between "wandering off the beaten path/being aware of your surroundings" and things getting iffy and things becoming uncomfortable in the main tourist areas and on the ship sponsored tours that are supposed to be all A-OK and thoroughly checked out by Carnival.

[HappyHappy1]

Samana, Dominican Republic is the worst we have been to. The dock is a small wooden dock, like you would use for a row boat on a lake. There is no security. The people are very rude and will grab you to get your attention. People all over with guns. We were scheduled for a tour in Samana with Terry's tours. A guy at the dock told us he was with Terry and was taking us to our meeting point. We were in the car when he told us Terry's group had already left and he was going to take us on another tour. We were scared to death. We will never get off the boat in Samana again.

 

We've been to Belize, Roatan, Cozumel, Costa Maya, Grand Cayman, St. Thomas, St. John, Virgin Gorda, Tortola, Antigua, and Nassau. Never had any problems.

[HappyHappy1]

tortola

 

Seriously???

[hannahouse]

You're all freaking me out here! I am getting scared. We are going on a Carnival day tour when we are in Belize. :(

 

Wow, I just have to offer an alternative view here. Belize is a very very poor country, but I don't think it's dangerous at all - of course, any tourist visiting any foreign country should use common sense.

 

On our first trip to Belize, we were originally going to just have a lazy port day and do some shopping, but quickly wanted to see more of the city. We found an American working at one of the restaurants, and he hooked us up with a local guide, John Domingo aka "Big John". BJ took us, including my two sons, ages 10 and 13 at the time, on a 2 hour tour of the "real" Belize. We saw some amazing architecture, learned a lot about the history and culture....and also saw a level of poverty that was heartbreaking. We also found out that the local schools are very appreciative of donations of school supplies and books for the children. We have visited the port twice more since then, and each time my kids and I shop for things for our Belize "care package". It's enriched our lives in many ways, and seeing the realities of life there has made a profound impact on my kids.

 

Even if you are not inclined to explore the city or donate to the schools, please understand that the tourist industry is very important to the local economy. I hate to see people spread fear about an area I've grown so fond of. Belize is a beautiful place, with wonderful residents. It's just very poor, like many Caribbean ports.

[momof4boys]

After traveling all over south America and Mexico, I have never had any problems with any ports or towns. It is pretty obvious from this thread that Americans are pretty naive when it comes to 3rd world countries. This is the way most human beings on this earth live. Us Americans are very spoiled

 

 

I would agree that many of us do not realize what people from other countries live with on a daily basis. I would not call that spoiled by any means. It wasn't like I demanded being born in the USA, nor do I demand special treatment when I go to another country-unless that special treatment includes not being chased, harrassed, or threatened.

 

I am not sorry that I do not want to be groped, chased, yelled at, or robbed. I cannot imagine any person from any country wanting that to happen, whether they are visiting Jamaica or New York City.

 

To OP: I have never been anywhere I felt endangered. I loved Jamaica and loved Dunns River. I did use CCL's excursion for this trip. The island was beautiful and most of the people I met were very proud of their country and respectful of our group.

 

I saw lots of machine guns in Costa Maya and was stopped by a military stop point on the way to a ruin. Again, I never felt threatened, in fact, when the bus driver stopped and stated our destination, all the men in the tank/trunk waved and smiled as we left the area! The people there were incredibly friendly and spoke proudly of their people.

 

 

When I visited these places, I researched as much as I could and chose a reliable tour company (some CCL and some private companies). I would not wander around any new country without some knowledge before hand of where I was going. With that said, I also would not wander around parts of NYC, Miami, NO, LA, my nearby KCMO, or any unknown city without investigating where I was going.

 

 

Happy Sailing!

[rajones007]

I'd have to say Belize. We took a ships excursion to the Altun Ha ruins, which was great.

 

The excursion also included a tour of the city and we would see government, historical, and other important buildings and parks and such. Surely there must be something nice to see in Belize, right?

 

Apparently not.

 

After the ruins, the excursion continued as a drive around the worst slums and the dumpiest city core I've ever seen. I'm well aware that other people and cultures aren't as privileged as you or I, and I do have sympathy for the people of Belize. But that doesn't mean I have to see it. Or PAY to see it. The tour guide (an overly chatty young woman) kept repeating how poor everyone in this area was, how she grew up in poverty in this area, how she slept on a dirt floor with no blankets, how her parents still live like that, etc etc.

 

Then they kicked us off the bus a couple blocks from the pier, in another sketchy area, while practically holding us hostage if we didn't tip them (no, it wasn't that bad. I'm still bitter so I don't mind exaggerating a little bit.)

 

How it ended up working was 1. you had to tip the tour guide to a) get off the bus, and b) get your free drink ticket. 2. You had to tip the assistant tour guide, who never spoke once during the entire excursion, to get walking directions back to the ship, and 3. you had to tip the bus driver to get understandable and sensible walking directions back to the ship.

 

Of course some passengers were like "ooooh, free drink!!!!" and mindlessly headed into the dive because getting a free drink is apparently more important than your own personal well-being. About half of us just wanted out of there and stuck together on our way back to the port area. It was an uneventful walk, I'll be honest. But nobody felt very comfortable.

 

It was obvious the tour guide was looking for sympathy tips and had the driver divert the usual tour into the slums while she played up the "I grew up in poverty" card. We knew what was going on, and so did most of the other passengers. We did give her a tip, but nothing near what she could have gotten if we seen something interesting.

 

I'm glad I seen Altun Ha. But I'll never get off the ship in Belize again.

[H82seaUgo]

Oh, I must add one more to my list:

 

tied for Dirtiest/Poorest: Curacao (another one of those, got right back on the ship, deals).

 

you're kidding!

 

we found curacao to be just a lovely as aruba. after touring that colorful city, we took a cab to one of the nicest beaches we have ever been to!

 

never rate a port by the dock it pulls up next to! This was truly your loss!

[H82seaUgo]

Seriously???

 

seriously!

[MamaParrotHead]

i would agree that many of us do not realize what people from other countries live with on a daily basis. I would not call that spoiled by any means. It wasn't like i demanded being born in the usa, nor do i demand special treatment when i go to another country-unless that special treatment includes not being chased, harrassed, or threatened.

 

I am not sorry that i do not want to be groped, chased, yelled at, or robbed. I cannot imagine any person from any country wanting that to happen, whether they are visiting jamaica or new york city.

 

 

ita

[dclark]

I always book a private excursion and never uncomfortable on them. However, Montego bay comes up as after our excursion, we walked to Margaritaville and my daughters (ages 14 and 15) got lots of catcalls, whistles and comments.

Watch out for taxi drivers as our tablemates got one in Roatan who took them out in the middle of nowhere and refused to return them back to ship unless they gave him extra money ( "C'mon, Obama gave you all that money, just give me a little of it!" was the line).

[tnincy]

i have never felt uneasy at any port. some have more aggressive people than others, but i go with an understanding that people live alot differently than americans. i guess i have just been fortunate with all my experiences. seems some of the places people hate the most are the ones i liked the best and plan to return to. jamaica is one of my favorite places in the caribbean. and belize is on my list to go back for an extended stay. visiting the caribbean always makes me appreciative of all that i have especially some of the little things in life that are often taken for granted. i have met and got to know some fantastic people on my journeys.

[YubaSutter]

New Orleans and Miami.

[MacysMimi]

I'm booked on the Magic, which goes to Jamaica, Grand Cayman, and Cozumel. I'm surprised that people find Jamaica to be so bad (I've never been there). What excursion do you recommend in Jamaica? When you say avoid Mexico, I assume you're not including Cozumel.

 

We just completed this itinerary...I never felt unsafe for a moment.....In Jamaica, I can HIGHLY recommend Marva or Javia Shaw with KnowJamaica....That's who we used and we had a wonderful tour...we visited the Tortuga Rum FActory, a B&B with stunning ocean views, Rose Hall, again with stunning views and capped it off with lunch at Scottchies, wonderful jerk chicken/pork.....$39.00 which included lunch and an additional $20.00 if you toured Rose Hall.....super, super great day and Javia took such wonderful care of us....They have a FB page under Marva's name....look them up, you won't be sorry!

[Cruzface]

It's funny, We have never had a problem in Ocho Rios or Belize (the 2 most mentioned places). The only place I ever felt uneasy on a cruise was in Labadee, Haiti on our RCI LOS cruise. The vendors were creepy and way more aggressive than in Jamaica. There were heavily armed soldiers with machine guns and knives strapped to their legs all around the perimeter of the cruise area.

 

Oddly, we just went to Belize and did a cave tubing tour with VIV and had the best time we ever had on an island. Our guide was so great. He made us feel safe and never asked for a tip once. I tipped him very well simply because he was not begging and putting on the sob story.

 

All this being said, I have felt scared more times in the US. We walked into a bad area in New Orleans once. Never doing that again.

[Cruiser_SG77]

Ocho Rios Jamaica.

[mitsguy2001]

On the Magic, would Cozumel or Jamaica be a better beach day?

[MamaParrotHead]

On the Magic, would Cozumel or Jamaica be a better beach day?

 

Cozumel is great. Never have felt unsafe there and have been there 3 times. Jamaica I would only do a ship tour, that's if I even got off the ship, personally.

[INTERLINER13]

Ochos Rios and Belize. Every cruise port generally has a safe area around the port. Once you leave the port area is where it is like another world. We got a cab in Jamaica and went to the falls. Not bad, but not like most ports. In Belize we did a tour that required us to walk outside the port area. Once outside we were bombarded with people. Then on the trip out of town, there were random fires burning, and the area was very poor and dirty. Cave tubing was fun tho.

I have on the other hand talked to people who vacation in just Belize for 2 weeks. They love it.

[bdstrom]

I am surprised to see people's comment about Belize. Our visit to Belize was nothing like what people described in this thread. It was beautiful and people were friendly, couldn't asked for a better time.

 

But what people here described about Belize is exactly what we experienced in Antigua... very rude and pushy people! :mad:

[ILUVCRUIZN]

Ocho Rios Jamaica.

 

Ditto!!!

[Jimmy Geegitz]

Ocho Rios by far. I wouldn't even get off the ship.

[kiraryker]

So Montego Bay Jamaica is not a good port to go with kids??? We are on the Magic in Jan so it's nice to know

[fourcruisin]

Nassau. Would never set foot off the ship there again.

Have been to Belize 3 times and never felt unsafe. Always booked a ship excursion there and would do it again.

Panama, grabbed a cab with dh and had him take us to the Gatun Locks. He gave us a lovely tour and eventhough the language was a bit of a problem, we never felt uncomfortable. He was wonderful and I would do it again.

Been to many other Caribbean islands and never felt uncomfortable but Nassau, forget it.

[mitsguy2001]

Cozumel is great. Never have felt unsafe there and have been there 3 times. Jamaica I would only do a ship tour, that's if I even got off the ship, personally.

 

Any particular tour you'd recommend in Jamaica, if we decide to make Cozumel our beach day?