Safe ports of call

[MartyL]

We are first time cruises leaving in Nov. We have heard that Belize & Costa Maya are not safe ports.:confused: Anyone have some input for these ports?? Thanks

[mrdood]

We are first time cruises leaving in Nov. We have heard that Belize & Costa Maya are not safe ports.:confused: Anyone have some input for these ports?? Thanks

 

I would not let me teenage kids run around without me, but I never felt unsafe at either - can't believe Costa Maya was listed as unsafe:confused: There is no city like Belize City...

 

You can be assaulted in your own home, so I guess it's all relative. Literally thousands of cruisers almost on a daily basis, never heard bad from either really.

 

Both are much safer than some of the places I have been with my family in the USA - take the normal precautions.

[Cruzfan34]

I think any time you go to another country, it can be dangerous if you're not careful. When we went to Progresso and Cozumel, we had alot of friends that came with us and we all got off the ship together and stayed together. And I would only go on excursions that are recommended by Carnival.

Just always be aware of your surroundings and stay with your group...you should be fine. It's easy to forget that you're in a foreign country when you're having a good time.

[Wennfred]

We are first time cruises leaving in Nov. We have heard that Belize & Costa Maya are not safe ports.:confused: Anyone have some input for these ports?? Thanks

 

I have been to Belize twice now and Costa Maya once, both ports are very safe.

 

In Belize we took the Goff Cayes and Howling Monkey tour, got to meet some real nice people while on those 2 tours. In Costa Maya we took a cab to a private beach with a bar and grille away from Fishermans Village called Las Brisas, again we never felt unsafe.

 

The Only port I heard that had its share of problems is Jamaica, I toured Jamaica 4 times now and never had a problem.

 

Fred

[5668200]

I don't think anyone can really say with certainty that some islands are safe or unsafe. I live in a large city in MN and we have "safe" and very "unsafe" areas. I stay away from the unsafe ones. As others have said, just use your common sense and go with other people. Just to ensure a little more feeling of safety, we always book our excursions through the ship. We sail a lot and have never had any problems. Only thing that was frightening, was getting off the ship in Roatan, we were mobbed and pushed and shoved with people wanting us to take their excursions. That was scarey, but we had booked an excursion with the ship so made our way to their sign.

[gjules]

There are alot of places in my own town where I won't wander alone or late at night! I believe in the Buddy System...never go anywhere alone and just use common sense.

 

When I was in Belize I booked a ship's excursion and I was glad I did, because we were late getting back and the ship waited for us.

I never felt like Costa Maya was 'unsafe' but there again, just use common sense...some of the shop owners were a little pushy, but a firm "NO!" seemed to be enough to get them to back off.

 

Just remember that these countries are a LOT different than the U.S. and we are visitors in their country.:)

 

I just booked another cruise with both of those ports and can hardly wait to visit them again!

 

Jules

[MartyL]

Thank you everyone.:o You have eased my mind. I was not looking forward to staying on the ship. We have booked a group tour in Belize & just want to look around in Costa Maya.

 

Marty

[GoinCruisin]

Marty, alot of people answered your original post, but it was moved to the ports of call boards: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=416681

[cruzincurt]

Walk through the port buildings to the perimeter fence in Belize and I think you will think twice unless you are on a ship sponsored excursion. It was the worst group of people yelling at us in all the ports we've been to in the Caribbean.

[dforeigner]

Walk through the port buildings to the perimeter fence in Belize and I think you will think twice unless you are on a ship sponsored excursion. It was the worst group of people yelling at us in all the ports we've been to in the Caribbean.

 

I take it you never taken a stroll near the projects on E Hillsborough Ave during the summer. Even worse, the area around the area near Tampa Bush Gardens at night. There are times when EMS will not go inside some of these areas without a police escort. In addition, if I am not mistaken, yesterday, an individual threaten to beat up someone over a Tickle Me Elmo doll at a Target there in Tampa. Unfortunately, most Americans are not aware what is going within their own cities as they simply avoid certain unsafe areas. I remember that Saint Petersburg Police would not drive under a certain speed on some of their streets back in the late 80s because the criminals outgun them (thing may have changed since then).

I am not implying that Belize is 100% safe. I can understand people feeling uncomfortable once their security blanket is taken away. Unfortunately, most Americans have never been exposed to people living in poverty, whether it is a third world country or in certain areas of their hometowns. Just because people live in a third world country

does not make them all thugs and criminals.

Just use common sense, do not travel alone and do not go around flashing jewelry and money. And for crying out-loud, do not walk looking scared. This will only make you look like an easy prey. Muggers will target weak people. It is an innate behavior.

[cruzincurt]

DFOREIGNER

 

"Just because people live in a third world country does not make them all thugs and criminals. "

 

Never said or implied that. I was just pointing out the fact that there was a fence around the port area in Belize. As always, we travel at our own risk, everywhere. As you wrote, be careful where you go. I don't like driving through that part of downtown Miami to get to the cruise port. How can you not look like a tourist? Doesn't take a genius to know when the cruise ships dock and where people will be going. I certainly don't walk around with a USA flag shirt on. That flowered shirt, white legs, sunburned face, and RCCL tote bag are a real give away.

 

As for Tampa or St. Petersburg, I don't go where I don't need to be.

[dforeigner]

Well, you got me there. You are right, a tourist will usually look out of place unless they been there many times before.

[Zeno]

Thank you everyone.:o You have eased my mind. I was not looking forward to staying on the ship. We have booked a group tour in Belize & just want to look around in Costa Maya.

 

Marty

 

Good move! A booked excursion in Belize is a great idea and wandering around Costa Maya (take a taxi into Majahual) is safe and the beach is nice in Majahual.

[Island Annie]

I was just in both Costa Maya & Belize last March on my MIRACLE cruise, and never felt even a little nervous about my safety while in either. I even booked an independent shore excursion in Belize and went off on my own for the day which I've never done before in all of my 18 cruises. (found the locals in Belize to be extremely polite & very friendly) I did, however see some areas of town that I would not venture into by myself, so just avoided those.

 

As always, whenever you're in a unfamiliar city, play close attention to your surroundings, and you should be fine.

 

I also think it's a EXCELLENT idea to do as much research on your ports-of-call as you can before you leave home. Not only will it give you a better idea of your surroundings, but will also help you make the most of your time. ashore.