First Time Cruisers - Do Your Homework

[kwilliams6045]

Hello first time cruisers,

 

I took my first cruise in June 2007. We went out of Galveston on the Carnival Conquest. It was a seven day cruise that went to Jamaica, Cayman Island and Cozumel.

 

Make sure you do your research on every port that you are going into.

 

I went to the cruise line's excursion meeting that was put on by the Cruise Director. I thought they would provide all safety information about the port. They did not.

 

They do not tell you anything about crime rates. I suggest that you look into that.

 

We did not and wound up going into Jamaica, which has a horrible crime rate. We went on a cruise sponsored excursion, where 17 of us were violently robbed.

 

Be carefull

[want2cruiseagain]

I heard about you folks prior to our cruise. We didn't go to the Caribbean, but we made sure on our excursions that we didn't take that much cash or credit cards with us.

 

I am sorry this happened to you and I hope this doesn't discourage you from cruising again.

[Keith1010]

I never cared for Jamaica and try to avoid it and if the cruise goes there then if we are on that particular cruise we stay on board. Yes, researching ports ahead of time is a great idea.

 

Keith

[tomko2]

Sad to say but we would never get off a cruise ship in Jamaica and hopefully would not even have it on any of our itinieries.

Very sorry for the suffering of the 17 people.

Kathy:(

[danielleb25]

thats awful. im a first time cruiser. i did all my homework. i even went to the US government websites and got all the info i could on keeping safe in the foreign countries we will be visiting. i even registered our trip with the US embassies in Nassau. just to be on the safe side.

[Coolmama_1]

Jamaica is the only port that I did not care for. We had an excellent tour but did not feel safe on the streets. My husband who is a minister was offered drugs, women and even little boys!:eek: .

[kwilliams6045]

Jamaica is very shocking, but I was more shocked that the cruise line does not even mention the extremely high crime rate. The crime is so high, it should be passed on for passengers safety. But, it all comes down to the dollar. If they tell the passengers the "negative side" they won't sell their excursions.

 

Thanks

[Boo's Mom]

kwilliams... I am so sorry for your experience.

 

Regarding Jamaica land vacations, I always hear that you should never leave your resort.

 

It's just a sad time in the world these days.

[Happy ks]

How horrible for all of you :( That it happened on a ship sponsored excursion is even worse. I suppose we can have a false sense of security when we trust in a company to make plans and escort us. It's another lesson to not travel with valuables, leave jewelry and most cash onboard the ship.

 

I don't quite know what a warning could have done for you, though, especially if this was a one time event. I certainly hope RCI and all the other cruise lines that travel to Jamaica have taken note of this incident!

 

 

 

 

Jamaica is the only port that I did not care for. We had an excellent tour but did not feel safe on the streets. My husband who is a minister was offered drugs, women and even little boys!:eek: .

 

 

We were offered marijuana while driving the road to Hana on Maui several years ago. By a guy on a bicycle, he was holding it out offering it for sale to everyone driving by. We had 2 kids in the back seat (driving in a convertible).

 

My son was propositioned right in front of me on the street in Las Vegas when he was 15 years old. I told the prostitute that mommy didn't have money to pay for that tonight.

 

Thank goodness none of us has ever been offered little boys (am I reading your post correctly?) if that were to happen, I think I would definitely contact the authorities.

[FFKampy]

Sadly, you could describe this scenario in any city, foreign or domestic.

 

When we cruised on Conquest, we walked from the pier to Margaritaville, seemed like a very long walk , and there were folks who approached us, but we were very firm & did not engage them.

 

Unfortunately I would feel less safe in certain neighborhoods of my home city, that I have in some of the ports is Jamaica.

 

This incident may or may not have been able to be avoided, but keep your wits about you at all times!

[FFKampy]

...My husband who is a minister was offered drugs, women and even little boys!:eek:

 

 

Thank goodness none of us has ever been offered little boys (am I reading your post correctly?) if that were to happen, I think I would definitely contact the authorities.

 

 

While you were reading the post correctly, you took it a little out of text, I beleive they meant that the little boys were also being offered drugs...

 

Thank you for the chuckle either way !!!:D

[FFKampy]

...offered little boys...

 

However if he was offered a little boy, how would you go about claiming that at customs?

 

 

Sorry to make light of a dire stiuation, but it has been a long week, and that just kind of made me snicker a little bit.

[AmyVK]

Regarding the post that reads: "They do not tell you anything about crime rates. I suggest that you look into that. We did not and wound up going into Jamaica, which has a horrible crime rate. We went on a cruise sponsored excursion, where 17 of us were violently robbed."

 

Fair enough in the sense that the cruise lines should have mentioned the crime rate and some safety procautions for sure! Especially since a lot of people have not been to these different countries before and should be aware. On another note though I do have to agree with the following post:

 

"Sadly, you could describe this scenario in any city, foreign or domestic."

 

This is very true. Sad, but true.

 

Although I have not been on a cruise yet. I am going on one with my b/f and another couple in Jan/08. However I have talked with my mom who has been on a few cruises and different places also with several others who have been on similar vacations. My mom told me that Jamaica was not really a good place to go for tourist.

 

I was just wondering about the 17 people and I am sorry to hear that happened. My question is did you mean that 17 out of the say 30 people on the excursion got robbed all together in a group walking around?

[AmyVK]

KWilliams6405: Regarding the post that reads: "They do not tell you anything about crime rates. I suggest that you look into that. We did not and wound up going into Jamaica, which has a horrible crime rate. We went on a cruise sponsored excursion, where 17 of us were violently robbed."

 

Fair enough in the sense that the cruise lines should have mentioned some safety precautions for sure! Especially since a lot of people have not been to these different countries before and should be aware. But also shouldn't we be looking into this before hand since we're not familiar? A lot of those little islands and countries are in general "poorer" countries. On another note though I do have to agree with the following post:

 

"Sadly, you could describe this scenario in any city, foreign or domestic."

 

This is very true. Sad, but true.

 

Although I have not been on a cruise yet. I am going on one with my b/f and another couple in Jan/08. However I have talked with my mom who has been on a few cruises and different places also with several others who have been on similar vacations. My mom told me that Jamaica was not really a good place to go for tourist.

 

I was just wondering about the 17 people and I am sorry to hear that happened. My question is did you mean that 17 out of the say 30 people on the excursion got robbed all together in a group walking around?

 

"Jamaica is very shocking, but I was more shocked that the cruise line does not even mention the extremely high crime rate. The crime is so high, it should be passed on for passengers safety. But, it all comes down to the dollar. If they tell the passengers the "negative side" they won't sell their excursions."

 

Also, I was just thinking......if the cruise lines had of informed you about Jamaica (safety precautions and such)....would that have changed your decision to go and check it out? I'm not excusing the fact that they didn't mention anything but they also didn't hire those people to do that and just your post seemed like you were solely blaming the cruise lines. I just feel that it is the person's responsibility to look into things and check things out. The cruise lines are there to make money and for the most part help if you need it. But they're not there to hold your hand. Find out a lot of stuff before you go so that you're aware. I personally would never put my safety solely in the hands of people whom I did not know from a hole in the ground.

 

I'm going on my first cruise and I am checking everything out now and we're not leaving for like 4 months. I have to admit, these posts/forums are extremely helpful! I'm glad I have been reading this and I intend to read more. Thanks for all the posts everyone! :) Sorry about the 1st draft. I was not able to edit it after I posted it. This is the revised version so please ignore my previous post that was similar to this one.

[mochuck]

While you were reading the post correctly, you took it a little out of text, I beleive they meant that the little boys were also being offered drugs...

 

Thank you for the chuckle either way !!!:D

 

No, I don't think it was taken out of context. He WAS offered little boys:eek:

[Fredr]

Hello,

 

Jamaica is a tragic situation where a proud , talented, and bright people are neglected not only by Jamaica's politicians of all political leanings, but by the international community. Jamaica is a very rich country in terms of resources but sadly, very little money reaches most of the population. I have no easy answers for this, except to require companies who do business in Jamaica to pay a fair share of taxes that in turn will be used to build up the country's infrastructure and schools.

 

Please remember that if the cruise lines pull out of Jamaica, then hundreds of hard working, law abiding Jamaicans are going to be out of work.

 

I agree that crime is everywhere, even in rich, prosperous American cities and small towns.

 

Fred

[Shorex]

While Jamaica certainly presents its own problems -- here's a point of view for travelers to consider: I conceive of the crime rate in any city in the world as either 100% or 0%. It's 100% if we are robbed or assaulted, it's 0% if we are not.

 

I do everything in my power to achieve the 0%. In some cities, it's more challenging. Would I walk outside my hotel in Buenos Aires wearing a Rolex watch and a diamond bracelet? Noooo -- however, a woman spending an extra day in BA waiting for a Silversea cruise did just that, and she was robbed. How smart was that? I wear fine jewelry on the ship, never on shore.

 

Will I boycott Rome because of pickpockets? No, but I won't be an easy mark. Will I blithely sightsee on my own in Cartegena? No thanks. That city is beyond my tolerance for risk.

 

I carry one credit card and a minimum amount of cash on shore. If my credit card is stolen I have a list of the international toll free numbers to call to report the theft.

 

It's true -- you can do everything right and still be a victim of crime. Life is full of risks, and cruising is full of joys.

[kwilliams6045]

I agree that crime happens everywhere, but crime occurs more frequently in an area that has high crime rates.

 

Take Compton, CA. for instance, you would not go on a tour in Compton, where gangs are at war and the drug crime is astronomical.

 

Jamaica has a murder rate of 50 per 100,000 inhabitants, where the US has a murder rate of 5.6 per 100,000 inhabitants (2005 stats). Before someone says it, I know the majority of the murders are not tourist related, however, the stats represents what type of people and society you are dealing with.

 

I don't think Jamaica should be taken off the Cruise Line IT, but I feel like they should give all information (that they have) to the passengers, in order for them to make an informed decision. If we would of have the information, we would not have left the ship. In our shore excursion meeting, the Cruise Director stated " In order to see Jamaica, you need to take a Carnival Shore Excursion, they are the only ones guaranteed safe" (The excursion meeting is on video tape). He also added that they "extensively research the tours". Of course you cannot guarantee that someone is not going to fall victim to a violent crime, but it does provide a false sense of security. You should definately do your own research because of right now, the cruise line will not provide any information that may lead to a decrease in sales. I believe that they see income over safety.

 

The tour area that we were in, was considered the murder capital of Jamaica (Jamaica is the murder capital of the world BBC 2007). The area was also reported to have an increasingly high number of rapes and robberies (Jamaican Gleaner 2007). The Jamaican Cruise Ship Advisory Board had recommended more police securuity in the area, due to the high crime rate of the area (Jamaican Gleaner 2007). If the cruise line "extensively" researched the tour they should have known this. If they did, they should have told us, or not let us go. If they did not know, then they should not say that the extensively research the tour.

 

Once you have been informed of all information, and decide to go, that is your "informed" decision.

 

Also, just for information, don't think that the entire population benifits from the tourism. There is a certain number of families that own the tourist attractions and the tourist workers are not compensated well. The average income in Jamaica is $3,400 dollars a year.

 

But again, I think that if you are informed and decide to go to Jamaica, it is your decision and I, in know way, want to stand in your way. My intentions are to share my experience and research about Jamaica with people planning to cruise or travel there for the first time. I wish I had this before, but it's to late to change it now.

 

Thanks

[kwilliams6045]

For those, who have not seen this story,

 

Here is the story that I provided the International Cruise Victims Organization. Their website has several stories about cruise related crimes.

 

I wrote this shortley after we returned. The incident received alot of media coverage and Carnival eventually paid for 6 counseling sessions for my kids and 5 for my wife and I.

 

 

On June 10, 2007, my wife, 12-year old son, 10-year old daughter, and I set sail on the Carnival Conquest from Galveston, Texas. Being that this was our first cruise, we were looking forward to spending some quality time together as a family. The first stop was Jamaica, when we opted for a Carnival excursion, “Lethe Village Tour”. We selected this tour to show the kids traditional Jamaican culture. We had no idea how this decision would change our lives forever.

I am a 17-year police veteran. Before my current profession, I proudly served in the U.S. Army. Safety and protection is my number one goal with anyone, especially with my wife and children. With this in mind, I attended the excursion meeting that was held on the ship by the Cruise Director, Mr. Price.

During that excursion meeting, the Director's words were… “In order to see the true Jamaica, you have to take a Carnival Shore Excursion." He added, “The Carnival Shore Excursions are guaranteed safe." He explained that in the port city, we may encounter some undesirables, attempting to sell marijuana or pressuring us to take their cab. He explained that the Red-Tag cabs were the only registered cabs. He continued to persuade us to take a Carnival Excursion. There were no other warnings mentioned, other than the marijuana and high pressure taxi-sell. After the meeting, I was confident in my decision to take the Carnival Excursion, because of the “guaranteed” safety.

We arrived in Montego Bay on June 13th, where my family and I boarded the excursion bus, along with 13 other passengers. Two of the passengers were my father and step-mother. My father, who is 67 years old, has had two major heart attacks with the last one in July of 2006. This was the perfect relaxing excursion for him.

We drove approximately 30-40 minutes into the country of Lethe, Hanover. Along the way, we observed extreme poverty. The people looked at us as though they were angry with us for some reason.

We arrived at the plantation and we learned a few things about bananas and coconuts. Then, we boarded a green and yellow trolley, connected to an old John Deer tractor. The excursion tour guide had turned us over to an elderly Jamaican plantation worker, Dalton, who pulled the trolley further into the plantation, surrounded by lush, thick jungle vegetation. I was relaxed and felt secure, as my family and I observed the flowers and tropical plants. Dalton had given a presentation on the banana plant and was pulling us through the plantation, towards a botanical garden to view some flowers and listen to a kindergarten class sing to us.

As we traveled further through the plantation, we approached a side-road to our right that was also surrounded with vegetation. It was here that our world came crashing down… Two men ambushed our trolley, approaching with guns and a knife. They immediately took control of our lives, pointing a pistol at the driver and ordering him to stop. Visibly shaken, Dalton exited and pleaded for the men not to hurt anyone.

The two gunmen began yelling, "F_ _king foreigners. Give us your f_ _king money, man. Don't f_ _k with us, man. We're f_ _king crazy." They approached on opposite sides and were either madmen or on some form of drug. My two children were sitting behind my wife and me, next to my stepmother and my father.

One of the gunmen placed an 8" revolver in my 10-year-old daughter’s face. My daughter was crying and pleading with the gunman not to kill her. I have never felt so helpless in my life! I still get physically sick thinking about this. As visions of my daughter’s life passed before my eyes, all I could think of was how badly I wanted her in my arms. The gunman kept the gun in her face, as he stole her disposable camera and all the belongings of the other passengers.

These gunmen were jerking passengers around, as they removed the valuables. One gunman took his knife and cut a camera strap from around the neck of one of the passenger. There was no doubt that these guys were violent and on the verge of hurting one of us. They continuously called us “F_ _ king foreigners” and it appeared as though they were angry about us being there. Once they had stolen everything, both gunmen disappeared back into the jungle, leaving my family and all the other victims visibly shaken, violated, and terrified.

The driver brought us back to the starting point of the plantation, where we exited the trolley and told other tourists of our nightmare. They all loaded back onto their buses, and were taken back to the Carnival Conquest, leaving us at the plantation still in fear and shock.

The other plantation workers were upset about us being robbed and grabbed their machetes and some sharpened bamboo poles. They wanted to go back to the robbery site to search for the gunmen. I had never seen the sharpened bamboo, but later, I figured that they knew it was dangerous around there or they never would have had the weapons. As a police officer, it was easy to tell that these guys must have known this area was dangerous and they needed these weapons on-hand for protection. Carnival should have known, as it was a Carnival Excursion.

Approximately 20-minutes later, the Jamaican police arrived. One officer took shorts statements from all of us; however, I wrote out a statement for him. He kept saying that more officers were supposed to come and help with statements. They never showed, but I believe all available officers were out searching for the robbers. The officer told me that they were notifying the local villages to look out for the suspects. I did find out that the owner of the Lethe Village Tour Plantation was running for the Ministry of Tourism.

After approximately 3 ½ -hours, we were transported back to the Carnival Conquest, where some of the crew shuffled us back onto the ship and into a debriefing room.

After the debriefing, we were released back to the cruise. We began hearing from Carnival employees, regarding their knowledge of how dangerous Jamaica can be, and their reason for not leaving the ship. Every crewmember to whom I spoke stated that they do not leave the ship, because they fear for their safety; yet, Carnival allowed us and other passengers to leave the ship, guaranteeing our safety?

The next day, I was told that the two gunmen tried to exit the jungle approximately 2 miles from the plantation around 10:00PM, where they encountered the Jamaican Police and tried to shoot their way out. One gunman was shot and killed and the second one got away.

Carnival brought a Crisis Intervention Therapist onboard, who met with us. She remained on the ship, all the way back to Galveston, Texas. At the end of the cruise, she recommended that our family seek further counseling, in order to deal with this traumatic event. My wife and I agreed. A letter was also delivered to our cabin from the CEO of Carnival, apologizing for the incident. It also stated that Guest Relation Supervisor, Dorothy Georges, would be standing-by for our phone call on Monday morning, June 18th. When I called on Monday to inquire about the additional counseling, Ms. Georges was not available. I left a message.

When Ms. Georges returned my call, I expressed my concerns and asked how we would go about having Carnival pay for our counseling. She stated that she could not confirm whether or not Carnival would pay for the counseling, and would not have an answer on this for a few days. This infuriated me even more, thinking that if it had been THEIR 10-year old girl, who had a gun shoved in her face and forced to plead for her life, they would have immediately said, “Yes” to my counseling request. At this point Carnival began handling this incident as ‘strictly business’. There was no compassion whatsoever!

My wife continues to shake at times, so much that she has been unable to return to work. My son claims that he sometimes sees one of the gunmen in our house. My daughter has broken out in hives. I, for one, get so angry and upset that I physically shake and then cry. I go back and forth. I am nauseated just writing this story. We all have nightmares in relation to this incident. It is ridiculous and totally neglectful on the part of Carnival that we were not given the true facts and information about Jamaica. I would never have subjected my family to this if I had received this valid information, in advance, and I will now live with that decision forever.

I wish to strongly encourage anyone, who is considering traveling to Jamaica, to STOP! It is not worth the risk. They prey on the tourists, knowing that they carry money and other valuables. Unfortunately, the local citizens earn approximately $50-$100 dollars a week. The two gunmen, who robbed us, escaped with approximately two to three thousand dollars. This is the equivalent to someone robbing a bank in the USA. This will only continue. They have no choice. The poverty is too bad.

I am hoping to get this information out to the public and caution all tourists, who are contemplating a cruise or trip to Jamaica. It’s not safe! I want to warn you, because Carnival will not.