Pulling out of Falmouth

[MisterBill99]

As much as Falmouth sucks, Nassau has got to be the worst port. We don't even bother getting off the ship anymore.

 

 

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Freeport is much worse than Nassau. In Nassau we just go to the straw market and look for souvenirs. Last time we were there we found a nice crafts market a block past the straw market.

 

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[whitecap]

So, as I am keeping up with the postings about this subject, I decided to go to the newspaper listed in the OP's post to see if there was anything new about the subject and I was surprised to see the following "Lead Stories": Gangs and guns causing Fear and Panic; Thugs are doing the killings; Rape Hotspots, Outbreak of Gonorrheoa, Pink Eye.

Now at first I thought I may have gotten the wrong newspaper and I was really reading stories about San Francisco or Chicago or New York (don't get your drawers in a bunch, I'm just kidding). It seems that Jamaica as a whole is having some very serious criminal problems and with two cruises planned for November each stopping in Falmouth, we are re-thinking leaving the port area. I do hope the authorities get control of this situation quickly.

[Pratique]

Why are some people afraid of experiencing other cultures- isn't that what travel is all about?

 

Try not to conflate a fear of other cultures with a fear of crime.

[Karter]

As much as Falmouth sucks, Nassau has got to be the worst port. We don't even bother getting off the ship anymore.

 

 

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I understand why people don't like Nassau but we enjoy going there especially on the three day cruises when you sail out at midnight. When we go there we walk over to the casino on the island to do a little gambling then walk back past the ship to the place with all the fish restaurants for something to eat. On the way back to the ship a stop at senior frogs for a drink and some fun activities. Finally when we sail out of the port we take a bottle of wine along with some cheese, crackers and other snacks to the aft end of the ship to watch Nassau as we sail out of the harbor. A very enjoyable day with some exercise thrown in.

[ColoradoGurl]

Try not to conflate a fear of other cultures with a fear of crime.

 

 

The person who originally said that they started to leave the area, but then turned back after they saw the local people lingering outside of the fence, did not say anything about those people committing any crimes. They simply LOOKED at them, and decided they were undesirable people.

 

I asked them why, and they never replied. That leaves me to believe they were simply being discriminatory, and were scared of them because they looked black and poor. Maybe if the poster said they were carrying guns, or were doing drug deals, then your statement would apply, but in their case, I don't think anyone is confusing fear of crime with fear of culture. Theirs was a case of pure fear of "black and poor."

 

 

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[Pratique]

The person who originally said that they started to leave the area, but then turned back after they saw the local people lingering outside of the fence, did not say anything about those people committing any crimes. They simply LOOKED at them, and decided they were undesirable people.

 

I asked them why, and they never replied. That leaves me to believe they were simply being discriminatory, and were scared of them because they looked black and poor. Maybe if the poster said they were carrying guns, or were doing drug deals, then your statement would apply, but in their case, I don't think anyone is confusing fear of crime with fear of culture. Theirs was a case of pure fear of "black and poor."

 

 

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You just admitted that you drew a conclusion on your own based on limited information. Is it hard always being right, or does it come naturally?

[frank808]

This was my least favorite port out of all of the places I have been to on cruises. I did a trolley tour of the area outside of the port and have never seen such poverty. That area was poorer than the poorest neighborhood that I have seen in the US. I can't imagine ever getting out and walking around. Our trolley stopped at several areas. On one of the stops, I did not feel safe. We were approached by many locals selling things, which was fine. They were polite. The people didn't make me feel uncomfortable, it was the devastating poverty and the fear of crime.

 

I was glad that I went on the tour and I tipped the tour guide and driver very well. The tour guide was exceptional. She did a wonderful job and was very pleasant. I felt sorry for them and the people who live there. It was so different than all of the other places I have visited. I used to think I saw real poverty at different places on my cruises, but I hadn't really seen it. It was very sad.

 

I will try to avoid any cruise in the future that stops there. The port area was very nice and Margaritaville had a nice area and pool. It rained a bit, so we got back on the ship after our tour and were very thankful for the blessings in our lives.

I have walked around outside the port area of falmouth and it is a poor neighboorhood. I donot think it is any worse than the poorest neighboorhoods here on oahu. We walked around and about for about 8 blocks. If i felt threatened or unsafe i would have turned back as i had my wife and 10 year old son. Maybe it did not feel unsafe for me was that i grew up in these poor neighboorhoods on oahu. Also did not see anyone carrying firearms except for the police officers we saw. Not that criminals would be waving their firearms in public.

 

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Edited July 9, 2017 by frank808

[Thetrail]

If this is true, good riddance.

It's NOT true, another post with a misleading title.:rolleyes:

[lpanjabi]

I'm newer to cruising having been on only a handful of cruises. Will be on Harmony next month which has a scheduled stop to Falmouth. Any idea on how we will be affected? Is it possible that they choose to go to another port instead? If they do skip Falmouth, I sure hope I am refunded the money for the excursion that I already paid for through RCCL.

[ColoradoGurl]

You just admitted that you drew a conclusion on your own based on limited information. Is it hard always being right, or does it come naturally?

 

 

What other conclusion were was there to draw, simply from looking at another human being? If all they're doing is sitting there and waiting outside a gate, the only thing you can see about them is the color of their skin, the clothes they're wearing, and their actions.

 

The poster said absolutely nothing about their actions and said that purely from the looks of them, they turned around. Therefore it's a perfectly reasonable assumption on my part to assume that is what they were afraid of.

 

Besides, I'm black myself, so I'm not afraid of black people, if that's what you're trying to insinuate in your response to me [emoji57]

 

I've been to Jamaica, it was one of my favorite vacations. The people there are poor, and they're eager to have the opportunity to make money. We went on several excursions around the island with locals we met on the beach and at our resort, and they bent over backwards to show us their island. I think oftentimes "eager" looks a little too scary for some people when the eagerness is packaged in black skin and poor clothing. Don't try for one second to deflect the obvious fact here by trying to assume I'm the racist here.

 

 

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Edited July 9, 2017 by ColoradoGurl

[BND]

Well, Royal still has not replied to the question on their fb page even though they have responded to others before and after. So, for some reason, they're being quiet on the subject. I guess we'll have to wait until (or if) people start getting emails with more itinerary changes.

[Kingofcool1947]

I have been considering Oasis Oct 15th cruise but have no interest in Jamaica. If they change this port to something else - I might find the itinerary much more appealing!

 

Why? Ever been to Mo Bay? On recent Caribbean cruise experienced welcoming and friendly Jamaicans. Good food too. :)

Edited July 9, 2017 by Kingofcool1947

[Kingofcool1947]

It's NOT true, another post with a misleading title.:rolleyes:

 

WHY IS THE TITLE MISLEADING? Did you read the newspaper article OP attached? What does it say about Falmouth? :rolleyes::rolleyes:

[cageyeff]

This is what I read.

https://www.cruisehive.com/cruise-lines-pulling-out-falmouth-jamaica/17730

 

 

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[Pratique]

What other conclusion were was there to draw, simply from looking at another human being?

 

I'm not trying to insinuate anything about you (I don't even know you), and I am sorry if you took it that way because that was not my intent.

 

You responded to my comment to try not to conflate fear of culture with fear of crime in a way that seems very personal to you, and if that is the case then I can appreciate that. My point is that these two fears can coexist and even overlap. A number of people on this thread have openly questioned why people fear other cultures without seeming to consider that the fear of crime may also be a separate factor. Your response took it one step further to say that it clearly has nothing to do with crime but only with skin color, at least in the one case you cited. Your assumption may be reasonable to you, but that doesn't mean it is the only possible conclusion here.

 

To me, Jamaica is one of the more interesting islands in the Caribbean to visit but there is no denying that it has a crime problem, the severity of which we could debate elsewhere. But as I mentioned in an earlier post, my traveling companions were held up at gun point by the hired help at the guest house in Mo Bay, people who were supposed to be taking care of us. So my reluctance to visit Jamaica is based on a fear of crime. I can say it is not a fear of culture until I am blue in the face, but whether or not you believe that is something only you can reconcile. Does this seem reasonable to you?

[Ocean Boy]

As much as Falmouth sucks, Nassau has got to be the worst port. We don't even bother getting off the ship anymore.

 

 

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I don't know why so many people dislike Nassau. I have enjoyed every one of our visits there.

[Kingofcool1947]

As much as Falmouth sucks, Nassau has got to be the worst port. We don't even bother getting off the ship anymore.

 

 

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Explain. Generalities? What you say means nothing.

So, why does Nassau suck?

[kccrzr]

I don't know why so many people dislike Nassau. I have enjoyed every one of our visits there.

 

 

Agree! I have been to Nassau 6 times, have done something different each time and have enjoyed every single one.

[whitecap]

I've stated in previous post that we have been to Jamaica several times and have several cruises booked with stops in that Country. We have found all the people very friendly with few exceptions however, those same exceptions can be found in every other Caribbean Island stop. We have completed 39 cruises, all to the Caribbean, and we can tell you, as I am sure most of you can verify, each island has some, lets call it, unprofessional vendors and citizens. Some places more worse than others. What has me concerned at the moment is the Mayor of Falmouth confirming that there are major problems in the area that they will need to greatly improve before the cruise lines will return. Today's newspaper from Falmouth also confirms some serious issues there. Our next stop in Falmouth is scheduled for November and we'll wait until we are closer to determine what activity we may want to do.

[coolcruiser777]

Funny because Falmouth is actual the port we are looking forward to the most on our Thanksgiving cruise (Regal Princess). We did a land trip there a couple of years back and stayed at the Rose Hall Hilton and loved it. We have a day pass there for November and are excited to return.

 

I have never been to the Falmouth cruise port, though. We went through MBJ.

[whitecap]

Funny because Falmouth is actual the port we are looking forward to the most on our Thanksgiving cruise (Regal Princess). We did a land trip there a couple of years back and stayed at the Rose Hall Hilton and loved it. We have a day pass there for November and are excited to return.

 

I have never been to the Falmouth cruise port, though. We went through MBJ.

Coolcruiser777; we are on the Regal for Thanksgiving also. In fact we board on Nov 19th and stay on till Dec 11. Rose Hall day pass is great. We've done it twice and currently have a reservation for November.

[the mistral wind]

Well i wonder what they will replace falmouth with. Does anyone have any ideas what it will be??

[MisterBill99]

I'm newer to cruising having been on only a handful of cruises. Will be on Harmony next month which has a scheduled stop to Falmouth. Any idea on how we will be affected? Is it possible that they choose to go to another port instead? If they do skip Falmouth, I sure hope I am refunded the money for the excursion that I already paid for through RCCL.

First, the odds of them changing your cruise next month is very, very slim. Second, if you book an excursion thru the cruise line and they do not make it to the port, you can be sure that they will refund your money. Worrying that they would change the itinerary and not refund money paid to them for an excursion you can't get to is unnecessary, and that's putting it nicely.

 

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[Big_G]

People's experiences vary. I imagine if some have a problem with 'hawking' by ship personnel, they'll have a problem with Jamaica. We've had a couple of negative (nonhawking) experiences in Jamaica and wouldn't be disappointed to miss a stop there. In Falmouth, we just browse the port area early and then return to the ship which can be pretty nice on a port day.

[Arzeena]

How is that any different from the straw market in Labadee?

 

When we were in Falmouth a few years ago we went on two local tours that had us walking around the area near the port (food tour and Jewish cemetery tour). Didn't have any problem with the area.

 

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I never said I had a problem with Falmouth or for that matter Labadee.