Warning that bears repeating

[firefly333]

We did a group of 23 from our roll call to a private beach in Roatan West End. One younger gal went off with a young guy, a minor it turns out who tried to rape here. This was a high end beach that cost $10 to get into the beach in a high end area. 

 

Turned out to be the grandson of the owner of the beach. 

 

Best I hear he started to massage her feet, then stuck her foot in his crotch and then grabbed her breasts, she got away and our tour guide called a taxi and sent her back to the ship. 

 

i know everyone will say of course dont go around a corner by yourself, but it happend to someone sitting next to me on the tour bus. Ill do a review separately when I return. On Vista.

 

just wanted to repeat the warnings dont go around a corner where you cant see the group. Even in the best neighborhood.

[crewsweeper]

Always a good reminder.  Hoping the young lady is doing okay once back on the ship.

[ProgRockCruiser]

Unfortunately, this advice is just as valid at home, when out with your friends at a bar, or at a frat party.  It seems that predators are everywhere, waiting for a chance.

 

Sorry to be a downer.

 

Girls, stick together! 

[bakersdozen12]

From what you have written, I’m not understanding where the “attempted rape” fits in. Sounds like the young man put the moves on her, and she rejected his advances. How is this attempted rape? A little too forward, perhaps, but I think it’s presumptuous to think he would have raped her. At least from your description.  

[Homosassa]

And why did she go off by herself with a stranger?  Sounds like the young woman needs some long discussions with her parents on personal safety. 

[TubT]

A very wise principal I once worked for used to tell the students before every field trip, "The banana that leaves the bunch gets peeled."

 

A simple warning that would help a lot of people, I think.

[StolidCruiser]

Equally good advice is not to let minors go off unchaperoned in a crowded foreign country... no matter how “high end” a $10 cover may make responsible adults let their guard down. 

[Joseph2017China]

3 hours ago, firefly333 said:

We did a group of 23 from our roll call to a private beach in Roatan West End. One younger gal went off with a young guy, a minor it turns out who tried to rape here. (Changing the words - "who made unwanted sexual advances and she left the area, upset"  This was a high end beach that cost $10 to get into the beach in a high end area. 

 

Turned out to be the grandson of the owner of the beach. 

 

Best I hear he started to massage her feet, then stuck her foot in his crotch and then grabbed her breasts, she got away and our tour guide called a taxi and sent her back to the ship. 

 

i know everyone will say of course dont go around a corner by yourself, but it happend to someone sitting next to me on the tour bus. Ill do a review separately when I return. On Vista.

 

just wanted to repeat the warnings dont go around a corner where you cant see the group. Even in the best neighborhood.

 

Many young people try to make it "around the bases" and often times, it is unwanted, or unexpected.  When it occurs and it stops, it is not rape.  It is also not appropriate but the word rape is misused these days to cover any unwanted advances.  Word of advice is never go off into a secluded place with a cute guy or girl, that you don't know. Teach your kids, and remind them constantly.

 

Thanks for sharing the warning

[bakersdozen12]

4 hours ago, Joseph2017China said:

It is also not appropriate but the word rape is misused these days to cover any unwanted advances. 

 

Completely agree. We are living in a scary world right now. Unwanted advances are now “rape.” Unwanted flirting is now “sexual harassment.” Having a difference of opinion is now “bullying.” I’m not saying these things don’t happen; they certainly do. But using these words inappropriately doesn’t help people who are really victims. We need to be really careful and teach our younger generations to not only be smart and proactive, but to recognize when a crime has truely happened and not cry wolf unjustly. 

[coevan]

OP, not sure what the warning is, don't go Roatan? Don't let a man massage a woman? $10 is an upscale beach? How do you know he is the grandson of the owner? Younger guy agrees to go with a younger gal somewhere unknown for a massage? 

[Swissmiss6253]

As well as telling our girls to be careful, perhaps better advice is telling our young men about consent.  All good warnings.

[mredandchis]

First off  your message is a good one and not just for young girls, bad things can happen anywhere, even on the boat or in our own neighborhoods.  I am not sure how 'young' she is but even I as a man limit how far out i will go alone.  I do think you choice of words arent the best but the jyst of the story has a strong message.  And for the message i thank you. I just hope she is a wiser young lady now and it doesnt steal her joy.  

[Guest 2000]

I am very sorry for this young lady.

 

People often ask about safety, I am of the mind safety is far more about who one is and how they behave then is it about where they are. This is a perfect example and a warning which everyone should consider. 

 

Just for clarity sake, all the beaches on Roatan are public though many can only be accessed through private land or by boat. I would be curious to know where this happened. 

 

[firefly333]

On 11/16/2018 at 1:33 PM, fyree39 said:

Sounds more like a sexual assault, but I'm certain the young lady doesn't see it that way.  I'm glad she was able to get away from him.  Scary stuff.

 

Im home, but exhausted, People thought she was about 30. the kid was a minor not her.

 

I tried to correct that we were in West Bay Roatan, not West end.

 

who knows how much of a newbie she was or her exact age, Im not sure I would recognize her again. This was supposed to be a private high end beach where we wouldnt be bothered with people pestering us to sell stuff.

 

I did notice later in the day every time a girl tried to give a back rub, there security were right there, tons of little guys in brown uniforms that said security.

 

All I know is the girl freaked out over it.

 

The other unfortunate part of it is this was my cruise roomies 2nd cruise, first was 25 years ago with Disney, and now she said she refuses to take another private excursion ... ever. she will only go on a excursion with Carnival.

 

I could tell her that those vans, I have seen Carnival using them too, that say something like Tourista with a bus # on them. But now my cruise roomie is also freaked.

 

Didnt help that a person in the back of the van/bus and a person near the front got into a yelling match about which year or song Prince came out in. who cares, but they kept on yelling. Im not sure if the tour guide was from Carnival they would have stopped them arguing tbh. So so far I have just let it go with sure next time only do with the cruiseline. 

 

Too much achohol involved that day for a few I guess. I enjoyed the tour and we got to drive around the entire island and see Victors MonkeyLand though the tour wasnt through them. 

 

I havent really talked to my roomie about it, but imo it could have just as easily happened if we were with Carnival, they sometimes use those same kinda fancy long vans or buses or whatever you call them. 

 

There was some question about prosecution since the boy who did it was a minor, what if anything they would do. We just know we too was taken from the property fast.

 

It was a private beach we paid a extra $10 to use, and passed house signs saying models starting at $325k, so was a expensive area. She just went out of sight of the group. Maybe for a backrub? And they said she looked around and there were no women (not sure if this means there were other guys around, or why they said she said there were no women where he took her). She should obviously have gotten out of there.

 

My roomie says she isnt sure about doing another cruise, though our cruise got better imo further in, the beginning service kinda stank. 

 

And yes of course I know not to get away from the group where there are no other women in sight or our group ... she was young, but there with another girl. They both went back to the ship. 

[firefly333]

On 11/17/2018 at 7:02 AM, Guest 2000 said:

I am very sorry for this young lady.

 

People often ask about safety, I am of the mind safety is far more about who one is and how they behave then is it about where they are. This is a perfect example and a warning which everyone should consider. 

 

Just for clarity sake, all the beaches on Roatan are public though many can only be accessed through private land or by boat. I would be curious to know where this happened. 

 

I dont know the name myself, the bus stopped and we all had to hand another $10 to get past a guard onto what we were told was a beach the kids grandfather owned the land. But you say the beach is not private, we were told the grandfather owned the land where it happened.

 

It was also fenced in by the gate we had to pass thru.

 

idk, just bummed that the girl freaked and my cruise roomie is freaked. I really wanted her to love Roatan.

Edited November 18, 2018 by firefly333

[firefly333]

It actually was a great tour by my standards, and agree with ya'all dont go wandering off like that, but things happen.

 

We not only did the entire island and the tour guide took us down on the beach where there was no paved road to show us his village where he lived, though he wouldnt say which house. I found that interesting and saw some things I had not seen before.

 

I love Roatan ... just gotta hope i can convince my roomie that the girl shouldnt have let someone lead her away from the group by herself. As someone said above it could happen anywhere.

 

The tour itself was awesome, just had a unfortunate happenstance.

 

Tomorrow when Im not so tired ill do a highs and lows of Vista that might be from a different viewpt than some others. Matt is the new CD and awesome. We had some bumpy nights and too far forward and heard crashing noises about every 4 minutes though. We had a cabin steward who says cleaning starts on Monday (Vista leaves on sunday), this was one of the many things I meant about we started off on the wrong foot service wise. First Ive heard you dont get your cabin done even once the first day after you board, maybe this is a new cutback? I wrote out a list. But was the best shows Ive seen in forever, and the bestest ever diamond and platinum party. totally great, up there with Matt.

[mredandchis]

 

11 hours ago, firefly333 said:

It actually was a great tour by my standards, and agree with ya'all dont go wandering off like that, but things happen.

 

We not only did the entire island and the tour guide took us down on the beach where there was no paved road to show us his village where he lived, though he wouldnt say which house. I found that interesting and saw some things I had not seen before.

 

I love Roatan ... just gotta hope i can convince my roomie that the girl shouldnt have let someone lead her away from the group by herself. As someone said above it could happen anywhere.

 

The tour itself was awesome, just had a unfortunate happenstance.

 

Tomorrow when Im not so tired ill do a highs and lows of Vista that might be from a different viewpt than some others. Matt is the new CD and awesome. We had some bumpy nights and too far forward and heard crashing noises about every 4 minutes though. We had a cabin steward who says cleaning starts on Monday (Vista leaves on sunday), this was one of the many things I meant about we started off on the wrong foot service wise. First Ive heard you dont get your cabin done even once the first day after you board, maybe this is a new cutback? I wrote out a list. But was the best shows Ive seen in forever, and the bestest ever diamond and platinum party. totally great, up there with Matt.

Wow now i feel bad for you.  You love the port and wanted to share that love with your roomie.  And then this all happens and her perception is now more negative.   I wouldnt try to fix it, cause her reaction it real.  

 

For me, on one of my early cruises, we met a couple and they were hard over on not taking ship excusions because of price.  They were convincing us that is was the way to go.  The very next port there was an announcement asking them to come to the Pursers counter.  They were MIA.  At the next port as i was watching the docking i saw them on the dock.with two other couples.  I caught up to them later and the van they were in broke down and they were left high and dry and didnt make it back in time to sail.  I heard the horror story of hotels and flights to the next port and all and decided then i would never take a private tour. Then 2 years later I was in cozemal and did the mayan ruins on the mainland that basically took all day.  On the way back the bus motor gave out and they had to get another bus to come get us.  Of course we were all very worried but the tour guide said the ship has been called and will wait and i was so glad as that motor boat raced back to the ship that was still sitting there.  People on deck cheered us and i swear that ship was moving before i got to my room.   So the reason for this story is we all have a different perception and we make decisions based on them.  Your roomie has done the same thing.   Now may I say this to all that are reading this.  I dont fault anyone that does private tours, it works for them.  It is all just a choice and works for each person.  

 

Still your basic post intention is very true.  Be aware and be careful,

[c-leg5]

On 11/18/2018 at 4:13 PM, firefly333 said:

I dont know the name myself, the bus stopped and we all had to hand another $10 to get past a guard onto what we were told was a beach the kids grandfather owned the land. But you say the beach is not private, we were told the grandfather owned the land where it happened.

 

It was also fenced in by the gate we had to pass thru.

 

idk, just bummed that the girl freaked and my cruise roomie is freaked. I really wanted her to love Roatan.

 

I am really confused - are you sure you were at West Bay where all the resorts/ beach bars line the bay and you can walk from one to another? It is a pity you dont know the name of the place as part of your wArning.

 

it seems like you were traveling on a large bus, who was the tour operator? Did the bus park within the property bounderies? Was there a pool? - just trying to identify the location.

[Travel Junkie Judy]

On 11/22/2018 at 10:35 AM, c-leg5 said:

 

I am really confused - are you sure you were at West Bay where all the resorts/ beach bars line the bay and you can walk from one to another? It is a pity you dont know the name of the place as part of your wArning.

 

it seems like you were traveling on a large bus, who was the tour operator? Did the bus park within the property bounderies? Was there a pool? - just trying to identify the location.

 

 

I'm guessing, from the description, that you were at Grand Roatan.  or maybe Mayan Princess.  The only other big one is Infinity Bay and I don't know if they offer day passes.   All are in West Bay and 2 that I know of offer day passes, usually $10.  If there was no pool, it was probably the cruise ship beach of Tabayana.

[c-leg5]

12 minutes ago, Travel Junkie Judy said:

 

 

I'm guessing, from the description, that you were at Grand Roatan.  or maybe Mayan Princess.  The only other big one is Infinity Bay and I don't know if they offer day passes.   All are in West Bay and 2 that I know of offer day passes, usually $10.  If there was no pool, it was probably the cruise ship beach of Tabayana.

 

Has Grand Roatan started day passes again, i thought they had stopped?

 

infinity does do day passes, and they are less than they used to be, but I thought they were more $10?

[Travel Junkie Judy]

I will check on Grand Roatan.  I just assumed that they still did the passes.  Infinity Bay would probably be more expensive.  It is such a beautiful resort.  So is Grand Roatan.

[Travel Junkie Judy]

15 minutes ago, c-leg5 said:

 

Has Grand Roatan started day passes again, i thought they had stopped?

 

infinity does do day passes, and they are less than they used to be, but I thought they were more $10?

 

 

This is from July, 2017.

 

I question the Grand Roatan having passes at no charge.  I really doubt it.

$25 for the better resorts seems more in line with what I would expect.

 

1. West Bay Beach – Grand Roatan Resort day pass ( for now no charge)
2. West Bay Beach – Mayan Princess Resort day pass (+ US$ 25 P/P)
3. West Bay Beach – Infinity Bay resort day pass (+ US$ 25 P/P)
4. West Bay Beach – Foster Resort day pass (+ US$ 10 P/P)
5. West Bay Beach – Bananarama Resort day pass (+ US 10 P/P)
6. West Bay Beach – The Beach Club day pass (+ US$ 25 P/P)
7. Las Palmas beach and restaurant ( + US$ 10 P/P) . **Not in West Bay, but a nice resort.

[c-leg5]

Just now, Travel Junkie Judy said:

I will check on Grand Roatan.  I just assumed that they still did the passes.  Infinity Bay would probably be more expensive.  It is such a beautiful resort.  So is Grand Roatan.

 

Yes well since PP has not returned with a more detailed description (like whether it was an actual resort with a pool, and whether there were other places nearby) - it is difficult to determine where they were. 

 

It could have been Caribe Tesoro but I have no idea if any of these properties are fenced in by a “gate”. 

 

Unfortunately the PP has not returned with more details.

[Guest 2000]

If someone could please tell me.. what makes you think the OP was on West Bay Beach? If the kid's grandfather owned a strip of sand in Sandy Bay, put up a fence at the road and was offering access to the sand,  would that not also cover his description?  Did I miss descriptive words which would make one think the OP had gone to a  proper resort on West Bay Beach? 

 

TO the OP, all the sand along the shoreline is public, there are often times discussion about just how much beach is public and how much is not. The area you went to could well have been owned by the kid's grandfather (you paid someone an access fee) but the sand along the shoreline is public. 

 

Caribe Tesoro,   doesn't have a beach and I am almost sure the OP said beach.  :0) 

 

Ahh re-reading the OP used the phrase high end twice... ya gotta wonder what that means. 

[c-leg5]

5 hours ago, Guest 2000 said:

If someone could please tell me.. what makes you think the OP was on West Bay Beach? If the kid's grandfather owned a strip of sand in Sandy Bay, put up a fence at the road and was offering access to the sand,  would that not also cover his description?  Did I miss descriptive words which would make one think the OP had gone to a  proper resort on West Bay Beach? 

 

TO the OP, all the sand along the shoreline is public, there are often times discussion about just how much beach is public and how much is not. The area you went to could well have been owned by the kid's grandfather (you paid someone an access fee) but the sand along the shoreline is public. 

 

Caribe Tesoro,   doesn't have a beach and I am almost sure the OP said beach.  :0) 

 

Ahh re-reading the OP used the phrase high end twice... ya gotta wonder what that means. 

 

You are right there is nothing to say OP went to a proper resort but with out further detail we will never know.

 

however post #15,

“I tried to correct that we were in West Bay Roatan, not West end”

 

Seems to me that West Bay is crowded and not secluded, they would know if they were shoulder to shoulder with other resorts/ beach bars.