Is Nassau really as much of a dangerous hole as I have been reading?

[seacruise9]

Hi,

 

I have been to Nassau twice recently on cruises (Enchantment of the Seas in November 2013 and Celebrity Constellation in December 2013). This is not a great port, but I did not feel threatened. I stayed in the main tourist areas and was always aware of my surroundings. Because there were multiple ships in port both times, there were many cruise passengers wandering around the town. It is true that you need to walk through a building with some vendors upon leaving or entering the port area. Also, there are a lot of taxi drivers in town trying to get you to purchase a tour with them.

 

Chuck

[bigque]

I don't know where this smell people are talking about came from because when I was there I did not smell any foul odors other than a couple of people from the ship that smelled like they hadn't bathed in weeks! :eek:

We did a ship sponsored excursuion of the highlights around the area and after that we went to the Straw Market and walked around the shops and things before heading back to the ship! We never felt unsafe or walked by so called "Shady" people wo might look like they were going to try to do you some bodily harm. Heck there are a lot of cities that I feel more unsafe in than some of the places people feel unsafe in the Caribbean! Don't get me wrong, I don't suggest walking down some obscure side street where there are not people present, but that is true of anywhere!

Heck I feel unsafe these days at:

Movie Theaters

Malls

College Campuses

Schools

Marathons

Work

But I still go or if I go with somebody I don't stay in the car because I feel "Unsafe" :cool:

[setsail]

Is Nassau really as much of a dangerous hole as I have been reading about? We may just stay on the ship. Is there a gated compound for shopping at the port? Thanks!

 

How could anyone answer without knowing what you are reading. I am guessing its a fiction novel

[m*u*g*]

We were just there and walked to Junkanoo Beach. I thought the city looked better than it did 5 years ago.

 

We did the same, but be expected to be hounded by the hair braiders, etc. The taxi guys would not leave us alone to walk there. I finally had to yell at him to FO in a kind way.

 

I won't book a cruise that stops there and if forced, will stay on the ship.

 

You have to go past the secured gate to get to the port shopping. And what's weird, this is the only port I was ever asked to show a passport to exit to the ship.

 

I felt relatively safe in port though, just really annoying.

Edited January 31, 2014 by m*u*g*

[20pluscruises]

Where are you getting your information from? Rumors from people who are afraid of those that don't look like them? Or real, verified crime statistics?

 

Disney cruise line is warning guests of the dangers

[sjb317]

We've been to Nassau many times as recently as last weekend and I have never felt unsafe there. Also have not noticed any foul odors:D. We have walked around town and out to Fish Fry with no problems. The only island I have felt uneasy in has been Jamaica and honestly, that is one port I don't ever want to get off the ship in again!

 

Sherri:)

[20pluscruises]

We've been to Nassau many times as recently as last weekend and I have never felt unsafe there. Also have not noticed any foul odors:D. We have walked around town and out to Fish Fry with no problems. The only island I have felt uneasy in has been Jamaica and honestly, that is one port I don't ever want to get off the ship in again!

 

Sherri:)

 

I have to agree with Jamaica...I would never get off the ship for that stop again!

[big bro]

Where are you getting your information from? Rumors from people who are afraid of those that don't look like them? Or real, verified crime statistics?

 

 

Warnings from the U.S. State department and warnings from cruise lines.

[big bro]

How could anyone answer without knowing what you are reading. I am guessing its a fiction novel

 

Warnings from U.S. State Department and from cruise lines. Was just a question, looking for other peoples experiences. Sometimes I wish there were a "flip the bird" icon.....

[20pluscruises]

Warnings from the U.S. State department and warnings from cruise lines.

 

Disney has also warned their guests of increased robberies and assults on tourists in the Nassau area

[springfire]

Just like every major city, Nassau has some good places and not so good places, honestly I have never had any issues. Just be alert and best to be with others.

[setsail]

Warnings from U.S. State Department and from cruise lines. Was just a question, looking for other peoples experiences. Sometimes I wish there were a "flip the bird" icon.....

 

The little bird says thanks for the rest of the story:rolleyes: rci regularly carries passengers to islands that put them and the ships in danger.

 

Kind of makes Nassau look pretty tame

http://www.ottawapolice.ca/en/crimefiles/crimemaps_reports/cr_redirect.aspx

Edited January 31, 2014 by setsail

[ryansmith18]

it was the one port call where we felt hassled/uncomfortable past the immediate terminal.

 

This is exactly how my experience was in Nassau. If you've ever been to Falmouth, Jamaica, it reminded me of that. I was looking for a particular hotel and a bit fuzzy on the directions, so I asked a local that I passed on the street if he could point me in the right direction. He refused to just tell me which way to go and instead escorted me for half a mile and then pushed for a tip. We found this kind of response to be very typical in Nassau - not just an isolated event.

 

So, to answer your question, we did not neccessarily find it dangerous, but were uncomfortable by how pushy the locals were and it's something you might want to be prepared for.

[Mystaken]

Just like every major city, Nassau has some good places and not so good places, honestly I have never had any issues. Just be alert and best to be with others.

 

Agree with this! I have been to Nassau many times on my own. Never had any serious problems. Once I was followed by a guy on cable beach, he was not from the Bahamas, but a French tourist staying at the casino there. Just keep your street smarts about you, like you would in any major US city!

 

Forgot to say, just say no to any of the vendors, especially in the straw market. They are just trying to make a living as they know how! Don't be intimidated by them. It's all they know to try to feed their families, no criminal intent.

Edited January 31, 2014 by Mystaken

[comxkid]

This is exactly how my experience was in Nassau. If you've ever been to Falmouth, Jamaica, it reminded me of that. I was looking for a particular hotel and a bit fuzzy on the directions, so I asked a local that I passed on the street if he could point me in the right direction. He refused to just tell me which way to go and instead escorted me for half a mile and then pushed for a tip.

 

This happened to me in downtown Atlanta late one night several years ago. For some dumb reason, i decided to take MARTA from the airport to downturn after a late arriving flight.

 

My advice for Nassau, visit during the day and be back on the ship prior to sundown. Stay on the main thoroughfares and do attempt to do anything illegal and you will be fine.

[yogimax]

We are walkers and in the past, we have walked from the pier to Atlantis and back with never a problem. Within the last month or so, some have posted the government warnings.

 

Have safety issues degenerated quickly? I don't know. As in all ports, be street savvy.

 

The real problem is that the Bahamian government has really spent nothing to improve the downtown area for tourists. Sidewalks are often broken and narrow and the main street should really be converted into a pedestrian mall.

 

Nassau could be a great port, but the Bahamian government has done nothing to spruce it up!

[mrobstad]

Being mindless of any danger, my son and I have rented mopeds twice. Once, I ran out of gas and my son left me in the dust! The locals couldn't have been nicer! For the past two trips, I take the local bus for $1.25 each way and go to the Sheraton and Cable Beach! It's one of my favorite stops! You just have to know what to do!

[Brandonclan]

Being mindless of any danger, my son and I have rented mopeds twice. Once, I ran out of gas and my son left me in the dust! The locals couldn't have been nicer! For the past two trips, I take the local bus for $1.25 each way and go to the Sheraton and Cable Beach! It's one of my favorite stops! You just have to know what to do!

 

We did the same, and if was great, never felt unsafe.

#10 jitney to the Sheraton, was easy and a very nice beach.

[Kteacher]

We were there last summer. We walked to Junkanoo Beach, had a great time, then walked to Da Fish Fry, had an awesome meal (the only problem here were the people in front of the different restaurants trying to get you to eat at the place they were hawking), walked to John Watlings Rum Distillery -a must do-free self guided tour,free samples, friendly staff, beautiful grounds. We bought two bottles of their rum, and wish we bought more. The only downside to the port stop -we wish we had more time to spend in Nassau.

 

 

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[Dan-P]

I am a relatively big guy, and many say I look mean (like an A$$hole is what they really say! :D). With that said, myself and my 4'11" fiance did not feel unsafe walking around Nassau during the day. We stayed primarly in the shopping/tourist areas and along the water-front, but aside from the occassional offer to buy pot (which a simple "no thanks" took care of), we weren't bothered at all. The market sellers can be a bit pushy, but again, a simple "no thanks", and keep walking worked just fine. Honestly, the most aggressive folks, were the scooter rental folks right as you leave the gated port area. Those folks REALLY want you to rent their scooters! :eek:

 

 

Is it a dangerous place? For sure - at least certain parts out of the main tourist areas. However, I have felt MUCH less safe walking in Washington D.C. and Baltimore, MD. Probably applies to any other large US city as well.

 

 

Use common sense (no flashy jewelry, no displaying large quantities of cash, etc...), be aware of your surroundings, and most importantly try to enjoy yourself.

 

As a side note, the officers in the port office were SUPER friendly when we went over to get our passports stamped.

 

 

Dan.

Edited February 1, 2014 by Dan-P

[charmed101]

Just my observation,, its been a while since we were there, but if we were on a ship that stopped there in the future we would just stay on the ship for that day. While window shopping there on our stop my better half went into the flea market to look around a bit. Not being interested in that I remained outside in the nice weather,,, I was soon approached by a young man inquiring if I wanted to purchase drugs, I politely declined. Maybe its the fact that I was in enforcement for a large part of my life but I started to observe my surroundings and notice on almost every corner there were a group of young men that resembled the man that had approached me. It struck me that it would not be very wise to stray down the wrong street anywhere off the main road. When my better half came out of the flea market we returned to the ship where I felt more safe. I think groups of people on the main streets or beaches are fine but for a couple alone you should be very careful where you go.

[GTO-Girl]

My husband who is in law enforcement does not like Nassau at all! We walked to Junkanoo Beach where we encountered some very shady characters and a very trashy beach. We did not stay long as he stated this was not a safe place to be so we quickly made our way back to the ship.

 

While its great a lot of you do not feel unsafe, please do not ignore these travel warnings. They do not issue these on a whim so I would have to believe they have better information than we could possibly have. After all it is their job to keep us safe!

[BandM]

We've been there three times and have seen just about everything. Felt more nervous in parts of Jamaica. If we ever port in Nassau again we'll stay on the ship.

[cofgren]

We have been to Nassau at least a dozen times, maybe more. The 1st time we were somewhat apprehensive about going ashore. With the message boards sounding the alarm about the dangers on Nassau.But after sailing overnight and waking to this beautiful island we decided, what the heck. Good decision. After you get past the rough exterior they are just very nice and good people.Yes, they are aggressive. But all you have to do is stand your ground and firmly say NO. It's easy. My grandchildren now have been on many trips to Nassau with us since and are now pros at negotiating with them. They have no fears there. My wife was trying to negotiate a price on Cuban cigars with a big burly looking Bahamian and after agreeing on a price she handed him a one hundred dollar bill. I was shocked that she did that and he said he didn't have change but would return with it shortly. I told my wife lets go because he was never coming back. But we waited. And after a long few minutes he returned with our money. I never forgot that. Stay on ship if you want. I means less crowded streets for those of us that enjoy being in Nassau.

[mlmbar]

We were in Nassau in September on Allure. Had been there in 2011 on Oasis and after getting off the ship early, we shopped a bit, no problems. Were not impressed with the markets and we hesitant to get off this time. However, we did and were pleasantly surprised to see that there was a real improvement to the port area once you exited the building you go through once off the ship. The market that had once been just open with a tent was moved into a building. There was a lovely town center type of area with fountain, flowers and benches. Never once felt unsafe. This was our third time in Nassau, twice on ships and once at a resort and have felt much more unsafe in other ports, specifically Jamaica and at a resort in DR