Have you felt in danger at a port

[pris993]

Yes, I know. But, that first time I was there, with those Scud threats, I definitely felt uncomfortable. But, I still got out there and wandered solo while the hubby was at work. I wasn't visiting the tourist attractions, but being part of the locals as they went about town. It is a little disconcerting to know that all those "kids" are out and about with those guns, ready to do whatever, whenever...

A few weeks after we got home, we saw that the one waterside restaurant we frequented was bombed...But, we've still gone back.

 

 

Israel is a very safe place for tourists and even Israelies don't want tourists there when they are under a serious threat like the scud situation in the early l990s. We have visited Israel by land and sea many times in the past 30 years, have family there. I remember once when we were there in the early l990s - we were shopping for flowers in Haifa and the flourists said what are you doing here? So there are times to be smart and not travel to areas that have some sigificant conflict underway.

[mr green]

I/we have never felt scared in any cruise port, outside of N. America.

However some years ago when on a convention in Seattle, my wife and I made a couple of wrong turns when out by ourselves, and nearly got into bad trouble.

The facts as I see them are that many cities in the USA and Canada, are far more dangerous than the ports that we have visited in other countries.

Here's a thought. Is one of the reasons that we cruise is to 'Get away from it all?'

 

john

[grand isle joe]

I/we have never felt scared in any cruise port, outside of N. America.

However some years ago when on a convention in Seattle, my wife and I made a couple of wrong turns when out by ourselves, and nearly got into bad trouble.

The facts as I see them are that many cities in the USA and Canada, are far more dangerous than the ports that we have visited in other countries.

Here's a thought. Is one of the reasons that we cruise is to 'Get away from it all?'

 

john

 

 

...you did not get assaulted by a salmon did you?..................:confused::D

[Whoo]

St. Kitts, one word: monkeys

 

Ha! Your answer reminded me of the time I got off the ship to wander around the shops at the dock in St. Kitts. I saw a couple of guys with monkeys with diapers, trying to get tourists to have pictures taken with them for $$$$. One tourist actually asked one man with a monkey - "why do the monkeys have diapers on?" The man with the monkey actually answered quite patiently, why the monkeys have diapers on! I had to try not to laugh, as I walked by. I was not bothered by the men with the monkeys, and I was by myself (woman, age in the 50's).

 

As to the original question, I have always felt safe in every port I have been in. I try to pay attention to my surroundings, just as I do in the smallish town I live in (US).

 

There are good people everywhere, and bad people everywhere. Try not to believe everything you see and hear on the TV.

[mr green]

...you did not get assaulted by a salmon did you?..................:confused::D

 

NOT FUNNY!!!!

 

john

[slidergirl]

Israel is a very safe place for tourists and even Israelies don't want tourists there when they are under a serious threat like the scud situation in the early l990s. We have visited Israel by land and sea many times in the past 30 years, have family there. I remember once when we were there in the early l990s - we were shopping for flowers in Haifa and the flourists said what are you doing here? So there are times to be smart and not travel to areas that have some sigificant conflict underway.

 

Unfortunately, business travel continues. It was absolutely my decision to go on the trip with my hubby. On subsequent trips during "non-conflict" periods, there were still IDF with guns everywhere. It's just a fact of life. I don't bat an eyelash anymore when I travel and see police/militia/military with guns.

[tartanexile81]

DH and I have been on 8 cruises, and we generally like to pre plan our own excursions and walk thethe cities, exploring the culture on our own.

 

Don't do this in Ocho Rios! Go to Dunn's River Falls on a ship shore excursion like everyone else. This is the only port I have ever felt unsafe in...not to mention the filth, the locals even kept offering us drugs! It was terrible and we got back on the ship as soon as we could. Be cautious if you go this port and do not choose a cruise line excursion!

 

You sound very much like us and we felt unsafe in Jamaica this year for the reasons you mentioned, although we were in Montego Bay. Last year we went on an excursion to Negril and our group was 'guarded' by armed police for the duration of our visit. Fortunately, Jamaica is not on our itinerary next year :).

[euro cruiser]

Unfortunately, business travel continues. It was absolutely my decision to go on the trip with my hubby. On subsequent trips during "non-conflict" periods, there were still IDF with guns everywhere. It's just a fact of life. I don't bat an eyelash anymore when I travel and see police/militia/military with guns.

There are many places in the world where automatic weapons are a common sight. When I was in Cairo in 2000 it felt like a military state, with four or five different types of civilian and military guards on duty everywhere, all with large weapons.

 

More recently I traveled to Honduras and Nicaragua on business, and armed guards are a normal fact of life everywhere you go - hotels, stores, factories, etc.

[slidergirl]

There are many places in the world where automatic weapons are a common sight. When I was in Cairo in 2000 it felt like a military state, with four or five different types of civilian and military guards on duty everywhere, all with large weapons.

 

More recently I traveled to Honduras and Nicaragua on business, and armed guards are a normal fact of life everywhere you go - hotels, stores, factories, etc.

 

I am totally used to seeing armed personnel now when I travel. That time in Israel was very unique in timing and location. The question was about have we ever felt in danger at a port. Well, at that location and point in time, I was a bit uncomfortable. Once I heard that seeing the IDF "kids" out and about with their guns was a common occurrence, I was OK. I don't feel any safer nor any less safe, it now is what it is.

[euro cruiser]

While I'm no longer surprised by it, I don't think I'll ever get used to it (seeing automatic weapons everywhere). I find that I still snap my head around in Penn Station and Grand Central when the army guys go by ... even now, more than a decade after 9/11.

[andiloveu]

I only felt unsafe in Jamaica. We decided to take a private taxi and do a sightseeing tour of the island. The taxi driver took us to a hut near the Dunns River Falls were men with machine guns were standing around on the hills. Inside the hut was a man selling trinkets and pipes. Then he asked if we wanted some drugs to smoke. Of course, we said no but bought some of the trinkets. I wanted to get back to the ship as soon as possible. We got hardly any sightseeing pictures. But we stopped at every hut along the road were the taxi driver had friends trying to sell us stuff. I would only do a ship excursion if I ever went back to Jamaica.

[notentirelynormal]

Not on a cruise but when we spent a week in London - that was the first time I saw so many people with machine guns. They were walking in pairs and on every corner of London. I don't remember the date but it was the week that Charles and Diana announced their divorce. There was some sort of terrorist threat. I had to laugh at my husband's co-worker's fiance. She commented on all the guns in America, that they were everywhere and everyone had one. I told her I had seen more guns in England in the past few days than I'd ever seen in my life. She was shocked. I have never seen armed guards walking the streets here in LA (well once at the airport) like I did that week in England.

[jschm27]

Have you ever been in a situation where you felt like, oops I think we went down the wrong way. It happened too my family and I in Cozumel. We walked out side Puerta Maya and across the street there is an ally with a large banner that reads "Calypso Welcome Center" . My wife, my 19 y.o. son, 21 y.o. son-inlaw, 21 y.o. daughter an myself walked down this alley where there were about 4 small venders. We looked around and were about to walk out when 5 local men walked out of a doorway. I know enough Spanish to know they were discussing which one was going to try to take my Cannon DSLR Camera from me. I told the girls to get behind us handed my camera to my wife, my sons flanked me and prepared for a fight. I guess the men decided we were not easy marks and scattered. I learned a couple of lessons that day 1. I leave the high dollar camera out of sight, 2 be very carefull where you go, 3 no matter what port your in you nothing more than fat rich Americans to the locals.:eek:

 

Similar to my experience in Acapulco. DW heard about a shopping area near the ship so we decided to walk. After getting by the mom with the little children beggars and the man who insisted on being our tour guide, we found an area that had quite a few shops. As we were leaving, my wife noticed a shop at the end of a dark and long passageway and she headed in at full speed. First thing I noticed was the urine smell. As we went in further, I was becoming more and more uncomfortable. She still had her eyes set on that store. In about 100 feet (it felt like a 1000) there was a side passageway to the street. I grabbed her shoulder and told her we needed to leave. She took her eyes off the store and looked around. She headed immediately for the street. Good lesson at no cost, thankfully.

 

Regards

John

[GlendaleCruiser]

In Jamaica. Three months after robbers tried to hold up a cruise tour bus and armed guards shot and killed one of the robbers.

 

We had an armed guard with us and the driver was armed. We had no incidents, but it was a tense time and I did not feel safe.

[tartanexile81]

Not on a cruise but when we spent a week in London - that was the first time I saw so many people with machine guns. They were walking in pairs and on every corner of London. I don't remember the date but it was the week that Charles and Diana announced their divorce. There was some sort of terrorist threat. I had to laugh at my husband's co-worker's fiance. She commented on all the guns in America, that they were everywhere and everyone had one. I told her I had seen more guns in England in the past few days than I'd ever seen in my life. She was shocked. I have never seen armed guards walking the streets here in LA (well once at the airport) like I did that week in England.

 

This was obviously pre-9/11 but Britain was alert to terrorism throughout the 1990s. I don't know what had happened in London before or during your visit but I have never seem police armed in London / anywhere in the UK "walking the streets" and "on every corner". Yes, you see armed police at an airport or in response to a specific threat but London must have been on the highest level of alert from a definite terrorist thread for the situation to be as you described. London is no less safe than any large city and I'm sorry if your visit was dominated by what happened. You should come back and enjoy another visit :) !

[one redneck cruiser]

I have spent a great deal of time in Cozumel as I am a scuba diver and have a condo in Puerto Aventuras on the mainland 10 miles south of Playa del Carmen. Of course I can't be certain, but it surely seems to me that this posting tells more about the writer than about the people who live in Cozumel.

 

Scott & Karen

 

Well after 5 pages of bad situation's do you still think this post says more about me

[grand isle joe]

Well after 5 pages of bad situation's do you still think this post says more about me

 

 

.......Excellent point!..............BRAVO..............always blame the victim, it seems to be the new American way,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,;):rolleyes:

[notentirelynormal]

This was obviously pre-9/11 but Britain was alert to terrorism throughout the 1990s. I don't know what had happened in London before or during your visit but I have never seem police armed in London / anywhere in the UK "walking the streets" and "on every corner". Yes, you see armed police at an airport or in response to a specific threat but London must have been on the highest level of alert from a definite terrorist thread for the situation to be as you described. London is no less safe than any large city and I'm sorry if your visit was dominated by what happened. You should come back and enjoy another visit :) !

 

Oh, I had a lovely visit. I wasn't scared in the least. Whether they were police or military, I don't know, but they were everywhere. It seemed every time we turned a corner there were more. I only used this example to point out guards with guns can be anywhere. That was my point. The only time I felt threatened while we were there was when I went to McDonalds during the "mad cow" scare. :D Our hotel was out by LHR and we'd take the shuttle from the hotel to the airport to the tube into London and back. Always patrols checking vehicles too. Yes, I believe there was some kind of threat as I left a week before my husband and on his return trip LHR was closed for a few hours.

[GLADYS105]

I was walking back from one of the forts in Old San Juan with my 70 year old Mom, when I felt we were being setup. I made my mother jog to catch up with a family a little further down the street. The creeps following us suddenly disappeared.

Be aware of your surroundings, stay with groups, and tours that have good reviews. Always have a plan in each port!

Bernadette

[wineglass]

We have been robbed while on cruise, but it was not dangerous, in fact, it was by two little gypsy girls 8 & 10 years old in Genoa. I have been told that Lima, peru is dangerous. The taxis will not stop at a red light after dark. But when we were ther this spring, we had a good time. The streets around the expensive hotels (i.e.: tourist areas) were teeming with police on bicycles. We have friends there who took us all over the city in their car. There were parts of the city, such as around chinatown, that were quite evil looking, but as our friends are chinese they were quite comfortable there, stopping and talking to multiple people on the street, getting local fruit, etc. I have traveled to China more than a dozen times, have never felt not safe there, but Lima was scary I must admit. Our friend always keeps a gun in his car and has had to use it before. I would say Lima is safe, if you stay in the upscale areas, but be very careful off the beaten path and especially at night. As someone else on this forum has said, there are parts of LA that I would not go into at night and have you ever walked 10 blocks east of the Mall in Washington, D.C.? I worked in Washington for 30 years and it was the murder capital of the U.S. back then. My co-worker got beat up & in the hospital 2 blocks south of the capital on East Capital Street. No place is really save if you are careless. He was all Navy Batem Boxing Champion. He put 2 of the 3 that attacked him in the same hospital.

[Laurie S.]

Well after 5 pages of bad situation's do you still think this post says more about me

 

Yes, I think it does. I also live part-time in Mexico and have traveled all over the world for the last 50 years. I've never been in a situation where I felt in danger. Seeing the police and army carrying machine guns doesn't bother me at all, they're a deterrent that's used in many countries. Keep your wits about you; don't flash around expensive cameras, jewelry, and cash; and don't be stupid. If your appearance and behavior screams "Tourist!" you will be the focus of attention.

[grand isle joe]

Yes, I think it does. I also live part-time in Mexico and have traveled all over the world for the last 50 years. I've never been in a situation where I felt in danger. Seeing the police and army carrying machine guns doesn't bother me at all, they're a deterrent that's used in many countries. Keep your wits about you; don't flash around expensive cameras, jewelry, and cash; and don't be stupid. If your appearance and behavior screams "Tourist!" you will be the focus of attention.

 

 

.....So Mexico is safe so long as you look like a peasant? Yea I would feel safe there. What's that? Travel advisory from the State Dept. ;)

[Laurie S.]

Guess you've never been to Mexico other than maybe the cruise terminal.

 

For the record, I carry an underwater camera setup that's worth almost $3,000 and never have been hassled in any way at any port in Mexico or the Caribbean. It's way too big to conceal and I carry it openly. When I'm at my place in San Carlos, I do dress nicely and wear good jewelry, but not my diamond rings, although I would be safe doing so. I just don't want to attract attention with them.

 

Carry yourself with confidence, be aware of your surroundings, and don't act like a tourist. That also works in any major city in the US, where I'm actually more wary of trouble.

[one redneck cruiser]

Yes, I think it does. I also live part-time in Mexico and have traveled all over the world for the last 50 years. I've never been in a situation where I felt in danger. Seeing the police and army carrying machine guns doesn't bother me at all, they're a deterrent that's used in many countries. Keep your wits about you; don't flash around expensive cameras, jewelry, and cash; and don't be stupid. If your appearance and behavior screams "Tourist!" you will be the focus of attention.

 

My point has been missed by some. Seeing police or military with machine guns does not bother me either, actually it makes me feel more safe. I was trying to make the point to be careful. Most of the people in these ports make less in a year than what we spend on a cruise vacation. Cruise ports are a magnet to thieves that see you get off the ship as easy targets because, 1. they know you are unarmed 2. your in a foreign country 3. you more than likely have money.

[Aquahound]

My point has been missed by some. Seeing police or military with machine guns does not bother me either, actually it makes me feel more safe. I was trying to make the point to be careful. Most of the people in these ports make less in a year than what we spend on a cruise vacation. Cruise ports are a magnet to thieves that see you get off the ship as easy targets because, 1. they know you are unarmed 2. your in a foreign country 3. you more than likely have money.

 

That is very typical on these boards. Every time a port safety thread comes up, there are those who can't focus on the point and who either redirect the topic toward American cities or rabidly defend a certain port. Just ignore them. Your post is good for people to read because it reminds them these ports aren't all paradise and people shouldn't act like tourons.