Are there ever times you feel unsafe while cruising?

[SnohNo]

My boyfriend and I are avid cruisers. We decided to take my aunt and mother on a cruise. Never had we felt unsafe in any port until we went to Roatan. I have seen armed guards many places so, it looked normal to me. We went to check out the straw markets close to the ship. We are use to the normal "want to buy something?" attitude. There were a few offering walking tours and of course we declined. Normally, they leave you alone and are on to the next one. In this case they continued to surround and walk with us. one followed us into a straw market and asked everyone in our group the same question. After being rejected by all he leaned in and told my aunt that if she screamed no one would hear her.... Broad daylight on the main road not 150 steps from the port. Needless to say we went back and enjoyed the ship. The people we had met on the ship that did shore excursions felt the same way.

[gra2172]

I guess I am mostly interested while on the ship. Obviously you to use your common sense on and off the ship, but are there ever situations that have really made you feel unsafe?

 

Ive never felt unsafe on a ship. You have to use common sense, as you say. You cant just walk around flaunting a wad of cash, because criminals take cruises too. :p

Ive heard plenty of horror stories about people having stuff stolen because they just left it lay around like no one would bother it. For example, when your room is being cleaned, make sure nothing is exposed. Someone can just walk right in and take your laptop while the steward is cleaning the bathroom.

 

In Rome the guide on the bus said to watch your stuff and be aware of your surroundings because Pickpockets in Rome can take your pants off and put them back on without you knowing. :eek:

[Taylor95]

I asked because I am traveling with my 14 year old daughter and without my husband. I haven't been on a cruise ship in about 30 years and feeling a bit nervous. Thanks for the info.

 

 

I traveled alone with my 16 year old daughter last Spring & was also a little nervous at first. We flew into Orlando, spent a couple days at the parks & then rented a car to get to the cruise terminal. The only thing I did different since it was just the two of us was book our excursions through the ship instead of going on our own. It was a wonderful trip & I never felt unsafe at all. Enjoy the time spent with your daughter; I'm sure you will make great memories like I did!

 

 

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[cmoose]

Thanks for all the info. We are going to Bermuda so I'm not too concerned about safety off the ship. I'm not really concerned with it on the ship either, I was just wondering if I should be.

 

My daughter knows what the rules are that come with a bit of independence.

I keep a close eye and will be giving her the "ship rules" for sure.

 

She doesn't even know we are going yet, it's hard keeping the secret. I'm 90% sure it's going to happen but until I make that final payment I'm going to keep it under wraps.

 

She is such a great kid I am really looking forward to this adventure with her.

 

Thanks again for all the advice!!

[antsnanny]

I asked because I am traveling with my 14 year old daughter and without my husband. I haven't been on a cruise ship in about 30 years and feeling a bit nervous. Thanks for the info.

 

When we travel with older children who can go on their own we tell them to stay on the public decks, there is no need for them to be roaming on decks that are cabins only unless its the deck your on of course.

[SissasMomE]

Thanks for all the info. We are going to Bermuda so I'm not too concerned about safety off the ship. I'm not really concerned with it on the ship either, I was just wondering if I should be.

 

My daughter knows what the rules are that come with a bit of independence.

I keep a close eye and will be giving her the "ship rules" for sure.

 

She doesn't even know we are going yet, it's hard keeping the secret. I'm 90% sure it's going to happen but until I make that final payment I'm going to keep it under wraps.

 

She is such a great kid I am really looking forward to this adventure with her.

 

Thanks again for all the advice!!

 

Aww, what a great surprise!! I hope ya'll have a wonderful trip!

[SissasMomE]

As a young man who did many cruises as a teen, I think I can give you some insight into the possible dangers your daughter could face if she does not remain vigilant. You should know that my experiences are far from typical, and represent some of the worst incidents that can occur to children.

 

You shouldn't automatically assume that your daughter will be safe in the teens club. A Cunard child supervisor was arrested several years ago and convicted on several counts of making, possessing, and distributing child pornography during his time working aboard QM2, Queen Victoria, and Queen Elizabeth. It's extremely unnerving as he was my supervisor on roughly a dozen cruises on Cunard ships. He was a bit off, and, in hindsight, he did take an unusually strong interest in certain children. I believe I know some of the children he sexually molested. The whole incident brought into perspective how lax the vetting process for child supervisors can be. The chances of this happening to your daughter are extremely low, but it nonetheless remains a possibility. If you or your daughter feel uncomfortable around the staff at the teens club, you shouldn't hesitate to voice your concerns.

 

Alcohol can be a huge problem. If a teen wants to get ahold of a bottle of beer or liquor, whether ashore or at sea, there's very little standing in their way. Although it is clearly illegal and against every company policy, there has never been a shortage of young adults willing to purchase alcoholic beverages for underaged teens aboard cruise ships. Sometimes they are merely looking for money, but sometimes they have wicked intentions. There have been several instances when boys in their early 20's have purchased a considerable amount of beer for underaged girls in our group of friends. After the girls were clearly intoxicated, the boys would then invite those girls back to their cabins. In those situations, I always felt uneasy to the point that I would not do anything to prevent them from going. In hindsight, I know I should have done something because at least one incident led to the sexual assault of a poor underaged girl I had gotten to know over the course of the cruise. It has been mentioned here before, but it cannot be stressed enough. Tell your daughter that it is never ok to go back to anyone's cabin, even with friends she "knows." In my experience, these predatory young men usually target smaller groups. Strength in numbers. The bigger the group of friends your daughter has, the better.

 

Another possible issue, depending on your own personal standpoint, is the issue of consensual intimate activity amongst teens. Hooking up, for better or worse, has become a central part of modern culture for many young adults, and it has found its way aboard cruise ships. That is not to say that all, or even the majority of, teens hook up on cruises. In my personal experience, a small minority engage in making out, and an even smaller number of older teens (16-18) engage in some form of intercourse. To be honest, this is consistent with teenage behavior ashore, but the ship provides many more opportunities and places to "get down," if that is what they intend to do. For example, the upper aft decks of RCI's largest ships usually have a few teen couples making out late at night. Obviously you cannot stop your daughter from working around any rules you impose, but the best way to limit these additional opportunities is to enforce strict rules regarding where she should be at certain times of the day.

 

Again, my personal experiences regarding child pornography and sexual assault aren't typical, but I hope they will serve as useful warnings about the possible risks that teens may face while at sea. Being vigilant and setting a few strict rules with your daughter will go a long way to help prevent the worse from happening to you.

 

I agree about the alcohol. My daughter told me kids were picking up the drinks left by the adults and drinking them. Also, some of the other teens brought their own alcohol onto the ship. Not sure how they did it w/out their parents knowing, but they did!

[RDC1]

Curious as to what NCL ship this was on. After 6 trips to Roatan have never heard anything like that. We roam all over the place and have never been frightened.

 

Probably because there was an incident on Roatan recently. A family rented a car to go to some of the beaches. On a road to one some people jumped out of the brush with guns. They ended up wrecking the car trying to back down the road and got robbed.

[SissasMomE]

Probably because there was an incident on Roatan recently. A family rented a car to go to some of the beaches. On a road to one some people jumped out of the brush with guns. They ended up wrecking the car trying to back down the road and got robbed.

 

I saw that. They were lucky they weren't seriously injured!

[kollegekreed]

Im sad to read all these posts on Roatan. It was our favorite port....we walked to the beach and enjoyed the day. This was a few years back. I was much more concerned about the armed guards in Belize....