Bahamas persuades RC to tone down warnings about crime in Nassau

[LMaxwell]

https://www.sun-sentinel.com/business/fl-bz-royal-caribbean-bahamas-crime-warning-20190102-story,amp.html

 

Verified; you make of the news what you decide. 

[Milwaukee Eight]

Interesting 

[bowler15547]

I keep narrowing in on this quote "Nassau remains the cruise line’s most popular port of call among more than 300 destinations." Could this be because they continually route ships there??? I would be interested to see the results of a survey if they would distribute one. 

[WI-Cruiser]

It's probably the 'most popular' because of it's location and the fact that the Bahama's used to pay cruise lines to stop there.  My understanding is that those payments have been eliminated as they weren't paying the desired dividends, as fewer and fewer passengers disembark and those that do typically spend less money. 

 

We've been to Nassau probably a dozen times and have two more scheduled stops on our upcoming BTB, but we won't be getting off the ship.  It has nothing to do with the warnings; it is simply because of port fatique. 

 

I think RCI was prudent to issue these warnings.  Although their travel tips are mostly just common sense for an experienced traveler and really apply to all ports, it is still a good reminder.

 

 

[LMaxwell]

I agree, I even have gotten these notices often to mirror US Govt releases.  I was amused that the minister of tourism does not know the information on petty crimes; which are the ones most likely to negatively impact tourists.  So on what data do they persuade RCI to rescind the warning? 

[WVHillbilly]

We received this same warning on the Grandeur last month.  It pretty  much followed an earlier US State Department warning.

This was our first time in Nassau and we had booked a private tour for part of the day.  I can see that Nassau is comparable to any other big city, we didn't feel uneasy but most of our time was spent in the normal tourist areas.  The people we met were pretty friendly and very helpful although the hawkers at the ports entrance were really trying to get your attention for tours, but a simple no thank you was all you had to do. 

[kccrzr]

8 hours ago, bowler15547 said:

I keep narrowing in on this quote "Nassau remains the cruise line’s most popular port of call among more than 300 destinations." Could this be because they continually route ships there??? I would be interested to see the results of a survey if they would distribute one. 

 

I think “most frequently visited” is more accurate than “most popular.”

 

Also, call me cynical but I wonder whether decreased revenues from port excursions had anything to do with this decision on RCI’s part.

[kmeeker]

We heard many warnings from friends that had been there. We visited last summer and love Nassau. Now that being said, we are the kind of people that use common sense. We don't go off to areas that are not populated and we don't drink a whole lot of alcohol in a place we are unfamiliar in....We make sure we don't wear our best jewels off the ship. We found both the port and the people of the Bahamas to be awesome. We enjoyed the markets and the food. We visited a Rum Cake store that was outstanding with great samples. As with any port, I'm sure there are issues, but the people of the Bahamas that we met were amazing! One gentleman at a market even gave me a Bahamian dollar to bring home to my nephew and wouldn't take my dollar in exchange. So, is it Bermuda...Nope, but I went to experience the Bahamas and loved it! ❤️

[Ourusualbeach]

The story further quotes Michael Bayley, president and CEO of Royal Caribbean International, as saying Nassau remains the cruise line’s most popular port of call among more than 300 destinations.

 

Only until they get the pier at CocoCay built then 3 of the 4 Oasis class ships stop calling on Nassau.  Into late 2020/ 2021 no Oasid class ships call in Nassau.  The only ships stopping there are Navigator and Mariner on the 3/4 day runs along with a few stops by Anthem and Grandeur.

[Clarea]

13 minutes ago, Ourusualbeach said:

The story further quotes Michael Bayley, president and CEO of Royal Caribbean International, as saying Nassau remains the cruise line’s most popular port of call among more than 300 destinations.

 

 ...

 

I wonder how Mr. Bayley measures this popularity?

[MrCruzdoggie]

If we get off, we go to Frogs, have a drink and get back on..................

 

[mugtech]

2 hours ago, Host Clarea said:

 

I wonder how Mr. Bayley measures this popularity?

More people stay on board and spend money, making it very popular with the company.

[Clarea]

8 hours ago, mugtech said:

More people stay on board and spend money, making it very popular with the company.

 

Dang, I should have thought of that.

[Saltdog]

Hmm. That could explain the email that I received yesterday.   Dear Guest, We are looking forward to having you onboard the Anthem of the Seas for your January 18th, 2019 sailing. While you start your year off right by exploring the Caribbean and Orlando, Florida, we have a modification to share with you about our itinerary. We’ve updated our departure time from Nassau, Bahamas to ensure you have a comfortable experience while en route to Cape Liberty, New Jersey. We’ll now be there from 7:00 AM to 10:00 PM, giving you plenty of time to explore this beautiful tropical island. Discovering the streets and tunnels of the lost city of Atlantis is a must and there are plenty of marine life exhibits to visit on your way there! Friendly reminder: Don’t forget to pack your water shoes!   Departure was originally midnight.