Our cruise in July has a port of call in Jamaica and the US government has issued a warning

[LibertyBella]

In the past I have walked alone by myself in Nassau, and I have taken multiple excursions, and I always felt safe.

 

I have also been to different parts of Mexico independently and had no problems.

 

But, I think that crime and violence has become worse everywhere.  Poverty is really evident in many areas of the Caribbean, and I suppose tourists are easy targets.

 

I live in a big city in the USA, and I no longer go alone to the downtown area at night, either.

 

I will say that I would definitely NOT go alone in Jamaica.  I had friends that were offered drugs for sale there a long time ago, and the situation has only gone downhill from there, and I have other friends who were robbed of their wedding jewelry while on their honeymoon. The worst was when I bought a Frommers guidebook, and it stated that one of their writers was missing in Jamaica!

 

I have gone on excursions in Jamaica, and overall felt safe, and would probably go again, but I do not make it a priority to return.  I much prefer other ports like Bermuda, Grand Cayman, private islands, etc., where crime is not such a worry.

[Homosassa]

There are advisories out for travel to Florida....

 

[FastShip24]

On 6/4/2023 at 2:43 PM, StephPS79 said:

No, John Heald posted about this a few weeks ago.  There are no plans to stop sailing to Jamaica.  Stick with a Carnival excursion and you should be fine.

There is nothing a carnival based excursion will do to protect your safety

[icft]

48 minutes ago, FastShip24 said:

There is nothing a carnival based excursion will do to protect your safety

We stopped getting off in Jamaica pre-covid, but back then, at least, there was some security on at least some Carnival based excursions. Apparently many of them had a plain clothes cop on board. We didn't realize that until one tour when the cop was late and the bus stopped at the police station to pick him up. Look for single black guys wearing more clothes than most (to cover the pistol) or an extra, over dressed, tour guide who doesn't do anything. From what the other folks on the tours said it was fairly widely known.

[john91498]

1 hour ago, FastShip24 said:

There is nothing a carnival based excursion will do to protect your safety

 

Then don't go. Do you even go on cruises? The ship might sink...

[sanger727]

On 6/4/2023 at 6:34 PM, coondog99 said:

It puzzles me why cruises still go to these places (Nassau has had a US Level 2 advisory since Oct) when it is advised against. Why put people at risk?

 

 

People on the cruise booked a cruise that went to those ports. For everyone that wishes it would change, there are more people that booked that cruise because they wanted to go there. They would probably suggest that the cruise could stop there and you can stay on the ship if uncomfortable. Or simply transfer to a different cruise altogether. 

[edrussell]

We were in Ocho Rios 2 weeks ago and we docked at the secondary pier, which is quite the walk to the public beach (which is where we went) so we walked along the roadway and into the downtown area.  It was a little sketchy but I've felt a thousand times more on edge in quite a few US cities.  I wouldn't advise venturing out too far on your own, or if you are the jumpy type.  Apart from that it is fine.

[sfaaa]

6 hours ago, FastShip24 said:

There is nothing a carnival based excursion will do to protect your safety

Bad guys tend to leave big money businesses alone unless they want to attract unwanted heat from authorities and police.

Edited June 6, 2023 by sfaaa

[icft]

6 hours ago, sanger727 said:

 

People on the cruise booked a cruise that went to those ports. For everyone that wishes it would change, there are more people that booked that cruise because they wanted to go there. They would probably suggest that the cruise could stop there and you can stay on the ship if uncomfortable. Or simply transfer to a different cruise altogether. 

I guess that explains Freeport... 😇

 

J/K

[adonisr]

On 6/6/2023 at 9:45 AM, Homosassa said:

There are advisories out for travel to Florida....

 

Yeah - a bogus travel advisory in FL is comparable to what this topic is about.  Good grief.