Worst Port of Call and Why

[glalonzo0408]

Hello....Just wanted to see which you think is the worst port and why.  Thank you.

[JMorris271]

Nassau because I found it overrated.

 

 

[Heidi13]

19 minutes ago, glalonzo0408 said:

Hello....Just wanted to see which you think is the worst port and why.  Thank you.

 

This is a question that is almost impossible to provide a definitive answer, as so many variables are involved. 

 

Saigon is an exceptional port, but all our dockings were at a commercial berth in the river, a 90 min drive to anywhere. The docking location was terrible, but once you get to the city or delta it is a great port.

 

The probability of docking is also a criteria. Two exceptional ports in this category are Napier (NZ) and Easter Island, both of which are exceptional ports, but have low probability of getting ashore.

 

Safety - worldwide ports are known as being the safest areas, but Colon is probably the worst in my experience. Right outside the dock gate we observed 2 locals on a balcony staring at our group, 1 playing with a knife, the other a gun.

 

Jeddah - restrictions on going ashore and attire would not make for an enjoyable day.

 

Too many people - with the number of cruise ships operating in the Caribbean, especially mega ships, most of the islands are included in my worst ports of call. In addition to the sea of humanity, most are very similar. 

[thinfool]

Yeah, I'm gonna go with Nassau, too.  Boring, little to do if you're not on a paid excursion.  

I'll take Roatan, Costa Maya and/or Cartagena anytime.

[glalonzo0408]

39 minutes ago, JMorris271 said:

Nassau because I found it overrated.

 

 

I absolutely loath Nassau......I find it dirty and unsafe.  IMHO

[runner15km]

Nassau dirty? Well you haven't been to Belize City. The tender ride is 20-25 minutes long and you step on land in a gated port area that is so crowded with cruise passengers. Forget about walking downtown, beggars, addicts and prostitutes.  

[ColeThornton]

Subic Bay in the Philippines.   Got arrested by Shore Patrol twice in one month.

 

Oh wait, you meant cruise ports.   lol          😉

[MBP&O2/O]

Mentioned Puerto Bolivar on another thread ... it it moves it is open to theft ... can't comment on my one visit to Jeddah ... it was public execution day and we were confined to the ship, to the point of an armed escorted on the jetty when I went to read the draft before we sailed.

[navybankerteacher]

1 hour ago, runner15km said:

Nassau dirty? Well you haven't been to Belize City. The tender ride is 20-25 minutes long and you step on land in a gated port area that is so crowded with cruise passengers. Forget about walking downtown, beggars, addicts and prostitutes.  

Agreed - but it does serve to keep Nassau out of the bottom spot, so that is something.

[lenquixote66]

Another vote for Nassau. In the 70’s the President of the company where I worked had a home in Nassau.He frequently told the employees how beautiful Nassau was.I finally got to cruise there in 2013 and was very disappointed.

[CPT Trips]

Belize City is bad port experience but the diving/snorkeling is spectacular. 

[ontheweb]

2 hours ago, CPT Trips said:

Belize City is bad port experience but the diving/snorkeling is spectacular. 

We did an excursion to Mayan ruins when docked in Belize. They were spectacular. 

 

I was banned from donating blood by the Red Cross for a year for going there. If I had only ventured into Belize City, I would not have been banned.

[ldubs]

There was a port-of-call for during our cruise out of Buenos Aires that was completely forgettable.  I would share the name, but can't remember.   

[SRQbeachgirl]

The worst port we've ever been to was Caracas. Raw sewage and trash flowing down the hill next to the port was visible from the ship (let's not talk about the smell, m'kay?) and our tour bus was held up at gunpoint. Fun times.

[clackey]

It is a toss up for me.  Nassau or Falmouth Jamaica.  Been to Nassau 3 times and will not get off of the ship when there again.  Ocho Rios Jamaica is fine, but Falmouth is a long trip to anything except a beach.  I didn't get off of the ship in Montego Bay for the same reason.

[SPacificbound]

I agree with both Nassau and Belize City. 

 

If you want to go the Belize make it an AI on Ambergris Caye or Caye Caulker.

[Aquahound]

Nassau, Freeport, and Belize City. 

[Flatbush Flyer]

9 hours ago, glalonzo0408 said:

Hello....Just wanted to see which you think is the worst port and why.  Thank you.

Of course, there’s no definitive answer. It’s often all a matter of personal preferences.

 

But, AFAIAC, the embarkation port we try to avoid like the plague is Miami (and it has zip to do with the cruise itself). We just find that “there’s no there - there” (or pretty much anywhere else in South Florida). But, that is partly because our frame of reference is home on coastal California. 

I guess that, if I was trying to escape an unending winter onslaught elsewhere in the country, Miami might have some “escape appeal.” But there are just so many other desirable warm weather/beachfront (minus the stifling humidity et al.) locations worldwide that I’d rather start cruises from someplace where I can enjoy a pre/post-cruise land stay.

[Dancer Bob]

Salalah Oman. Dusty commercial port, nothing anywhere close. Very obnoxious taxi drivers. Ships often stop there- maybe Heidi13 knows, technical stop before Suez transit?

Rio de Janeiro, port area grubby. Went to Copacabana, supposed upscale and well policed. The week after, there was a video of an armed gang robbing people on the beach.

Add Dominica to the very long list of unpleasant Caribbean ports.

[Tapi]

I’ll vote for Freeport. 
 

Besides the fact that the cruise dock is in an industrial and unattractive area, Freeport never recovered from Hurricane Dorian years ago. As you drive around, you still see many destroyed and abandoned buildings, closed and boarded up businesses, and vegetation that never returned. It just looks and feels sad and depressing. 

They are trying hard though to bring their tourism back. And in all fairness, there are some attractive beaches and points of interest in the island. 
 

 

[Honolulu Blue]

18 hours ago, Heidi13 said:

Safety - worldwide ports are known as being the safest areas, but Colon is probably the worst in my experience. Right outside the dock gate we observed 2 locals on a balcony staring at our group, 1 playing with a knife, the other a gun.

Aw, they just wanted to have a reasonable discussion on their second amendment rights (or the Panamanian equivalent). 🙂

[Honolulu Blue]

18 hours ago, glalonzo0408 said:

Hello....Just wanted to see which you think is the worst port and why.  Thank you.

I don't have a very good answer for you.  I've been to Belize, twice.  Yes, it's the longest tender ride that I've ever experienced (15-20 minutes), and no I never went into town, but I didn't think what I saw was THAT bad.  I had a stop in Nassau scheduled last year that was canceled due to high winds.  Perhaps it was for the best.  I scheduled a cruise for next year with an overnight in Nassau, but the port is not the point of the cruise - just a place we have to go.  We'll see how it goes.

 

I've docked in a bunch of industrial areas, but that doesn't necessarily make them bad.

8 hours ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

AFAIAC, the embarkation port we try to avoid like the plague is Miami (and it has zip to do with the cruise itself). We just find that “there’s no there - there” (or pretty much anywhere else in South Florida). But, that is partly because our frame of reference is home on coastal California. 

I like Miami best of all the continental U.S. embarkation ports.  The sailaways have a nice view of all the pretty, expensive buildings that I could never afford and will probably be wiped out in the next 50 years.

 

On the other hand, I've only embarked on cruise ships from San Pedro.  In a word, ick. 🤮 The terminal area is hopelessly out of date and really needs a teardown and a rebuild by a cruise line that cares.  I've been in the San Francisco and San Diego terminals and they're much nicer in much nicer areas.  Maybe I'll embark on a ship from one of those cities sometime.

[Pyrate13]

Personally, I found people in Belize City very friendly and have never had an issue there. Now, Montego Bay, whole different story, would never get off the ship there again. Actually, I try to avoid any cruise going there if possible.

[wcook]

Honesty, it all my years I’ve never had a bad port. 

[Mum2Mercury]

Hands down, this distinction goes to Nassau.  

 

We were there in December and agreed that we'll never leave the boat again in Nassau.  They're doing construction, and people are shuffled through a small bottleneck ... I genuinely felt unsafe because of the crowded conditions.  Once we reached the town, the salespeople were aggressive.  I would put up with these things (except the unsafe entry) if we'd seen anything of value or interest in the town, but we didn't.  

 

Never again.