zoryana Posted March 22, 2018 #1 Share Posted March 22, 2018 Hubby and I are looking to cruise to the Caribbean. However we wanted to go exploring by ourselves. We know there are taxis at the ports, but we keep getting warned about safety. Have you guys ever had a problem trusting anyone on the islands? Taxi drivers, bars, excursions when you decided to do something that wasn’t from the cruise line? Zoryana ❤️ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Keith1010 Posted March 22, 2018 #2 Share Posted March 22, 2018 Overall we find most ports in the Caribbean to be safe. There are some places I don't care for notably Jamaica. We wil do things mainly on our own. Keith Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul929207 Posted March 22, 2018 #3 Share Posted March 22, 2018 No problems here. We have taken a number of tours with others where the tour was lined up in the cruise terminal. You may want to consider doing that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gambit57 Posted March 22, 2018 #4 Share Posted March 22, 2018 Overall we find most ports in the Caribbean to be safe. There are some places I don't care for notably Jamaica. We wil do things mainly on our own. Keith Same. I don't care for Jamaica either. I find Tijuana similar, but still not near as bad with the aggressive peddlers/beggars/rip off artists, etc. All other ports have been fine, even the Mexican ones (because I mentioned Tijuana). Puerta Vallarta, Cabo, Cozumel... all have been totally fine. I'm particularly fond of the Grand Cayman Island. Every local I encountered there was pretty friendly to super nice. Had a bus driver chat with us, and instead of taking us back to the designated drop off/pickup spot, drove us to a store we said we were going to walk to. Did it before we tipped or anything. He then had to go back to that drop off/pickup spot so he kind of went out of his way for us. Saved us a 15 minute walk in the heat with tired kids. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teknoge3k Posted March 23, 2018 #5 Share Posted March 23, 2018 We never use cruise line excursions and have always been happy and felt safe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krazy Kruizers Posted March 23, 2018 #6 Share Posted March 23, 2018 Another vote for not liking Jamaica. You have to be really careful there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sanger727 Posted March 23, 2018 #7 Share Posted March 23, 2018 A lot of that will come down to which ports you go to. I would put Jamaica and Belize down as places I wouldn’t explore on my own. We also felt a little unsafe in Nassau. Sent from my iPhone using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare John Bull Posted March 23, 2018 #8 Share Posted March 23, 2018 The Caribbean is the easiest place in the world to tour DIY on-the-fly. You're safe with taxi & van drivers at the port, either inside the port or at the port gates.:) They're known to the port authorities and to each-other. They're trustworthy, friendly, they know their island & they know the importance of "back on-board time". Local ne'er-do-wells tend not to trouble folk who're accompanied by a tour driver, even in places like Jamaica. Drivers can replicate ship-sponsored tours at around 25% to 33% of ship's prices (though not including any food, drink or the occasional entry fee), or they can vary it or suggest somewhere different, or take you to a beach. Mostly it's in vans, sharing with other folk from your ship who are milling about on the pier. Agree itinerary, price (USD) and approx. time-scale before you board, pay in cash when you get back - it's the norm., unless it's simply a transfer to beach or shops etc. Get out onto the pier around 9am to 9.30 for best choice & to avoid a long delay while the driver rounds-up folk to share. Take your beach gear with you - at the end of your tour the driver will probably suggest that he can drop you either back at the ship or a beach, shops, market, whatever, near the ship. If that's not walkable to the ship he'll come back for you at an agreed time or tell you your other options (taxi, water-taxi, bus, etc) to return to the ship. Be a little wary further from the port, where you might be approached in the street by van/taxi drivers. They may be legit. or they may be unlicenced / uninsured. That's for simple road tours. Group activities like zip-lining or river-tubing, or specialised transport like 4x4 or boats, can't always be replicated on the fly & best to pre-book with a well-recommended local operator or thro the ship. All first cruises are great - have a good one JB :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flymia Posted March 23, 2018 #9 Share Posted March 23, 2018 It really depends on what island. As others have said Jamaica on your own is a no go. A place like St. Thomas, Puerto Rico, Nassau, Aruba. Feel free to explore yourself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cb at sea Posted March 24, 2018 #10 Share Posted March 24, 2018 The 1st thing you need to do is RESEARCH your ports! Get a guidebook!!! Libraries have them, or buy one. That way, you'll have some idea of what you want to do in each place. If you show up at port with NO idea of what there is to do or see, it's a crapshoot if you'll have a good day or not. Guidebooks tell you pretty much EVERYTHING about your ports...about public transportation, cabs, points of interest and where they are...beaches, shopping, food/drink, safety.....the more you know, the more successful your DIY day will be! And, DIY is almost always a cost saver! So...read up on your ports, and go and have fun! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rala Posted March 24, 2018 #11 Share Posted March 24, 2018 The 1st thing you need to do is RESEARCH your ports! Get a guidebook!!! Libraries have them, or buy one. That way, you'll have some idea of what you want to do in each place. If you show up at port with NO idea of what there is to do or see, it's a crapshoot if you'll have a good day or not. Guidebooks tell you pretty much EVERYTHING about your ports...about public transportation, cabs, points of interest and where they are...beaches, shopping, food/drink, safety.....the more you know, the more successful your DIY day will be! And, DIY is almost always a cost saver! So...read up on your ports, and go and have fun! Just go online and type in your port of interest. You will get more info than any guidebook could even think of printing, and you don't have to make a trip to your library or the bookstore. CB does love her guidebooks, but there are far more expansive and practical ways of researching the places you will visit. Hope you have a great cruise!:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sailin Gal Posted March 24, 2018 #12 Share Posted March 24, 2018 Check the state department's website for advisories in the ports you plan to visit. Stay aware of your surroundings the same as you would when traveling anywhere. Do your research on what you would like to see and do, and then research tour operators if you don't want to do ship's excursions. And always follow your gut instincts. If something doesn't feel right, there is probably a reason. I do have to say that Jamaica has been my favorite port day. We used a private tour company and had the most amazing day ever. It was a small group of women, and we did a lot of research before booking. We gave our guide a list of our 'must see & do' things, and then told him "show us your Jamaica!" and it was an incredible day. I loved it so much that I used that same company when DH and I had a port day there a few years later. Are there areas of Jamaica I wouldn't go alone? Yes. Are there areas I wouldn't go to at all? Yes. But ditto here in my home metropolitan area and many other places, too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john watson Posted March 24, 2018 #13 Share Posted March 24, 2018 The main difference between cruise ports of call and generally staying in the country as a general tourist is that you are usually only in the place during daylight hours. People staying in the country for a week or so are a bit stuck for entertainment and might go out drinking in bars late at night. This is where a lot of bad reputations originate in my opinion as this is going to be far more risky. Regards John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teknoge3k Posted March 24, 2018 #14 Share Posted March 24, 2018 Just go online and type in your port of interest. You will get more info than any guidebook could even think of printing, and you don't have to make a trip to your library or the bookstore. CB does love her guidebooks, but there are far more expansive and practical ways of researching the places you will visit. Hope you have a great cruise!:) Exactly. Although the guidebook comments always make us laugh a little. TripAdvisor is your friend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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