Safety on Cruise Ship/Ports

[goingtosnorkel]

Does anyone worry about safety for women only (including teen girls) on a cruise or in the port areas? We hope to travel to the Western Carribean (Cayman Islands, Roatan Island, Belize and Cozumel.

[paul929207]

Generally, the places visited by cruises are no more dangerous than cities at home. We exercise the same caution. For instance, we don't walk down empty streets, especially after dark.

[PeriB]

You must take ordinary safety precautions both on and off the ship - a reminder is the assault on board a Disney ship a few years ago when a young girl was returning to her cabin from the youth area - a passenger waylaid and assaulted her, the case is just now coming to trial. I don't have the link, but it is discussed fully on the disney boards.

 

The girl, who was, I believe, 13 or so, was with some friends but the man told them to go to their cabins (he was acting "friendly") and pretended he would escort the girl back. At your home you would not accept such an arrangement and you should not accept it on a ship.

 

If you have minor children, accompany them here and there - stay in pairs, avoid dark streets, and don't talk to strangers when others are not around.

 

Use your common sense.

[silentbob007]

Many people do not worry but they should.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Welcome to Cruise Critic.

 

Do you take precautions at home (you should)? If you do, then you should do the same on ships and in ports.

[MrsPete]

I have no concerns about myself onboard.

 

I lay down some rules to keep my teenaged daughters safe:

 

Stay out of other people's cabins. Period.

After dark, avoid dark, secluded areas of the ship. Even in groups.

Drink only things handed directly to you by employees, and do not drink anything that's been out of your sight.

I also give them a curfew, which they think is much too early.

 

We have a few other rules that deal with interacting nicely and politely with other people, but these are the big safety rules.

 

Really, common sense will keep you safe. A cruise ship isn't a dangerous place, but you can certainly find dangerous situations if you're careless or naive.

[PennyAgain]

Most cruise ships sail away from ports before sundown for very good reason. Yes, you have to be wise. Gone are the days when a woman could walk away from her purse on a cruise ship and find it in perfect order when she returned to it.

[lovevacadays]

I've cruised many times (female) and most of my cruises have been with either my female friends, nieces, sister, and mom. I don't feel anymore unsafe or take any less precautions than I would on any other type of vacation or in my own backyard. I feel safe if I use good sense and don't put myself in situations that could be dangerous.

 

Have fun cruising.

[luvs2travl]

Mrs. Pete gave you some great advice for safety while on board. For safety when on shore, use the same precautions you would use at home. Hopefully you are safety conscious at home as well - yes??

 

Just a couple of things we have learned over the years:

 

1. Stay together. No one wanders off on their own for any reason, even to go to the bathroom.

 

2. Don't get overly friendly with strangers. Smile, nod, and move along.

 

3. Pickpockets are good in foreign ports, so leave your purse/wallet in the safe on the ship. Take your ship's card, a small amount of folding money, a credit card, and either your passport or a copy of your passport photo page, and the page of your ship's newsletter that contains the number and address of the local port authority (usually the first page) - just in case. We carry an around-the-neck passport wallet that can be worn inside your blouse or top. All of the items I listed will fit conveniently inside this 3" X 5" flat wallet and no one will be able to get to them. You can buy them anywhere they sell luggage and travel items, or on-line at e-bags, or any other travel site.

 

4. Don't wear any expensive jewelry while onshore. Be as inconspicuous as possible.

 

Just FYI - my cousin had her wallet stolen out of her purse in Cozumel while we were on our family cruise in December. We tried to tell her to leave her purse on the ship, but she poo-poo'd the idea. She lost all her credit cards, over $250.00 (why she took all that money, no one knows) her DL, and her ship's ID card. Luckily, she had her passport in a different section of her purse. She never even knew her wallet was gone until she reached for it to re-board, and then it was "OH NO!" and panic set in. By losing her ship's card, it took her over an hour to be cleared to re-board. As they say on TV, "These guys are good!" The remainder of her day was spent on the phone to the US cancelling her credit cards, and getting herself calmed down. Unforunately, the rest of her trip was just ruined.

 

Just stay vigilant and enjoy yourselves. Once you get used to taking precautions, it all becomes second-nature and very easy. :)

[coachw]

Just a question that goes along with what everyone is sayiing. If something happens on a ship. A crime, theft, etc. Who handles it. How is it prosecuted (the disney issue) if you are in international waters or on the ship when the issue happens?

[dragonswordkata]

I've cruised many times (female) and most of my cruises have been with either my female friends, nieces, sister, and mom. I don't feel anymore unsafe or take any less precautions than I would on any other type of vacation or in my own backyard. I feel safe if I use good sense and don't put myself in situations that could be dangerous.

 

Have fun cruising.

 

GOODNESS, you must live in a rough neigborhood.:D

[pris993]

You must take ordinary safety precautions both on and off the ship - a reminder is the assault on board a Disney ship a few years ago when a young girl was returning to her cabin from the youth area - a passenger waylaid and assaulted her, the case is just now coming to trial. I don't have the link, but it is discussed fully on the disney boards.

 

The girl, who was, I believe, 13 or so, was with some friends but the man told them to go to their cabins (he was acting "friendly") and pretended he would escort the girl back. At your home you would not accept such an arrangement and you should not accept it on a ship.

 

If you have minor children, accompany them here and there - stay in pairs, avoid dark streets, and don't talk to strangers when others are not around.

 

Use your common sense.

 

Excellent advice, I am always amazed how parents simply turn kids lose on and off the ship.

[pris993]

Mrs. Pete gave you some great advice for safety while on board. For safety when on shore, use the same precautions you would use at home. Hopefully you are safety conscious at home as well - yes??

 

Just a couple of things we have learned over the years:

 

1. Stay together. No one wanders off on their own for any reason, even to go to the bathroom.

 

2. Don't get overly friendly with strangers. Smile, nod, and move along.

 

3. Pickpockets are good in foreign ports, so leave your purse/wallet in the safe on the ship. Take your ship's card, a small amount of folding money, a credit card, and either your passport or a copy of your passport photo page, and the page of your ship's newsletter that contains the number and address of the local port authority (usually the first page) - just in case. We carry an around-the-neck passport wallet that can be worn inside your blouse or top. All of the items I listed will fit conveniently inside this 3" X 5" flat wallet and no one will be able to get to them. You can buy them anywhere they sell luggage and travel items, or on-line at e-bags, or any other travel site.

 

4. Don't wear any expensive jewelry while onshore. Be as inconspicuous as possible.

 

Just FYI - my cousin had her wallet stolen out of her purse in Cozumel while we were on our family cruise in December. We tried to tell her to leave her purse on the ship, but she poo-poo'd the idea. She lost all her credit cards, over $250.00 (why she took all that money, no one knows) her DL, and her ship's ID card. Luckily, she had her passport in a different section of her purse. She never even knew her wallet was gone until she reached for it to re-board, and then it was "OH NO!" and panic set in. By losing her ship's card, it took her over an hour to be cleared to re-board. As they say on TV, "These guys are good!" The remainder of her day was spent on the phone to the US cancelling her credit cards, and getting herself calmed down. Unforunately, the rest of her trip was just ruined.

 

Just stay vigilant and enjoy yourselves. Once you get used to taking precautions, it all becomes second-nature and very easy. :)

 

I second this one too, good advise. We have travelled all over via ship and independently. We are always vigilant. Recall once we were in Lisbon Portugal, window shopping and all of a sudden we turned around and there were two young gypies right behind us, they moved on when they saw we were on to them. There were gypies are every corner because they knew a ship was in port. The pickpockets know were are coming. So be careful and you can still enjoy yourself.

[Putterdude]

We were on a cruise a few years ago where a middle-aged male was handed over to local authorities (in handcuffs) for allegedly making advances to an underage girl, sooo

[lovevacadays]

We were on a cruise a few years ago where a middle-aged male was handed over to local authorities (in handcuffs) for allegedly making advances to an underage girl, sooo

 

 

soooo that can happen on a cruise ship or off. Hence the need to use the same judgement you would at sea as on land and to prepare the younger folks you are traveling with to use good judgement.

[HardWorker49]

Yes, I have the same question. Will be travelling with a 19 & 23 yr old daughters and they will surely want to be off on their own.

[poobears]

If you are traveling with kids or young teens and normally allow them to run the town until midnight or later on their own. By all means do it on board too. If you have more common sense than that at home use that same common sense on board. People have it in their heads that nothing bad can happen on a cruise ship because it would be too easy to catch the bad guy. Please bad things can and do happen. Do you really think only good people cruise?

 

No matter what age they are it won't hurt to give them a strong reminder of common sense safety rules like mentioned above. Never wander alone in the cabin areas or secluded areas. Do not accept a drink from anyone unless you know 100% it is ok and don't walk away from it and come back. Get a new drink if you have leave it.

 

In the Disney case above a simple reminder that they should never go with anyone else and they had to stick together may have prevented it. None of the girls thought it was odd that a grown man wanted to walk their teen friend to her cabin? Common sense parents, beat it in (not literally of course), if they don't get it, they haven't earned the freedom to be on a ship alone without parental supervison.

[KARTI1955]

Does anyone worry about safety for women only (including teen girls) on a cruise or in the port areas? We hope to travel to the Western Carribean (Cayman Islands, Roatan Island, Belize and Cozumel.

 

I am a female who travels solo alot and have been to all the ports mentioned and have never had any type of problem. As others have said, common sense is your best bet. Of course with teens, I would make sure that they were not out and about without an adult. Trust your instincts, don't wander off the beaten path if sightseeing without a guide and you will be fine.