What's wrong with Jamaica?

[clearwaters]

There will always be differences in opinions about any subject. No one would fault you for choosing to stay on the ship. Those of us who have visited Jamaica and enjoyed the experience will continue to do so; you need to decide what your own comfort level is, but there is really no right or wrong answer. It is a purely personal decision.

 

 

We'll see. Our visit is in March. In the meantime, I'll keep my ear to the ground.

[Captain Canuck]

and keeping your ear to the ground will be MUCH easier when it is sliced off

[clearwaters]

and keeping your ear to the ground will be MUCH easier when it is sliced off

 

OMG!!!:D

[woodofpine]

People in discussions such as these who know the ins and outs of Jamaica would acknowledge the problems there and -then- tell prospective tourists why they should visit.

 

When many, many people (not to mention our own Dept of State) say a place is extra ordinarily unsafe, then it is!! Jesus!! Just be honest. Why try to lie? Or hide the facts?? Or mince words? Or BS the US public? US citizens are not very gullible about such things. Lay the cards on the table, for chrissakes, and take the hits! :mad:

 

The darned denials, understatements and apparent lies infuriate me more than any of my expectations of the problems in Jamaica. There's nothing worse than being lied to. Don't tell people "It's Okay," when it's not. Just be honest. And believe it or not, there are quite a few people who would be willing to try a place-if they had honest information and true expectations-even if the place was a little dicey.

 

IMHO.

 

 

 

Here's a response you might understand...

 

Given what we ALL Absolutely KNOW about the Gangsta's of Compton, the gangs of South LA, and the unrestrained brutality of the LAPD... WHY ON EARTH would anyone visit there... much less live there (call that 'living')?

 

See my point?

[clearwaters]

Here's a response you might understand...

 

Given what we ALL Absolutely KNOW about the Gangsta's of Compton, the gangs of South LA, and the unrestrained brutality of the LAPD... WHY ON EARTH would anyone visit there... much less live there (call that 'living')?

 

See my point?

 

...an evil we KNOW.

 

I'm not familiar with the "Gangsta's of Compton" or the gangs of South LA, I live in a pretty quiet neighborhood. (BTW, if those terms are a reference to Black people-keeping in line with the cultural discussion of Jamaica- for the record both Compton and South LA are majority Hispanic, as is most of Los Angeles county).

 

It's not the cultural environment of Jamaica that troubles me, it's the lack of disclosure with regard to the conditions there that vex me.

 

If I KNOW what to expect, then I can make an informed decision about how to proceed. :)

 

IMHO.

[Keith1010]

We have promised ourselves that if we ever visit Jamaica on a ship again we will not get off and enjoy the quiet time on the ship while in port. We have visited there several times and quite frankly once was enough.

 

Keith

[Fighterone]

Can we say that we saw much of Jamaica when all we did was hop in a cab to Sunset Beach, enjoy the beach, pool, food and drinks and return to the ship after a little shopping in the port. It was a pleasant experience, for the most part. However, I wouldn't say that we saw/interacted and could make an informed and intelligent statement about what's wrong with Jamaica after such a brief excursion. I will say, though, that I noticed the same hateful look and demeanor from some as I experienced when I vacationed there in the 70s. It is definitely not a port that I cherish and feel comfortable walking the streets in as I do in Cayman, Cozumel, and Roatan.

[tazz233]

Myself and Dbf, both in our 20's, were in Jamaica last monday 10th december and to be honest I was really worried about visiting after reading this thread. We booked with Marva Shaw and had a blast! :D Both of felt safe and she showed us Jamaica away from the tourist traps. We even walked through the market at Dunns River Falls and we just simply said 'no thank you' and the locals did not bother us after that. I don't know whether it was because we had a local as a guide but Ocho Rios didn't seem as dangerous as this thread makes it out to be.

[Hedocple]

Myself and Dbf, both in our 20's, were in Jamaica last monday 10th december and to be honest I was really worried about visiting after reading this thread. We booked with Marva Shaw and had a blast! :D Both of felt safe and she showed us Jamaica away from the tourist traps. We even walked through the market at Dunns River Falls and we just simply said 'no thank you' and the locals did not bother us after that. I don't know whether it was because we had a local as a guide but Ocho Rios didn't seem as dangerous as this thread makes it out to be.

 

Glad you had a great time! I'd say the majority of those who have followed some of these threads and had reservations about visiting JA have found them to be mostly unfounded. We've spent days in JA in and away from "tourist traps" and have enjoyed every minute. Not everyone will experience the same. But we certainly wouldn't hesitate getting off the ship.

 

From all the stories we've read over the past year on these boards nothing comes close to the type of cowardly act which happened at a Florida Mall just this past week....the cold blooded killing of a mother and her 8 year old daughter. A sad but common reality here in our own backyard.

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/broward/story/346598.html

[woodofpine]

...an evil we KNOW.

 

I'm not familiar with the "Gangsta's of Compton" or the gangs of South LA, I live in a pretty quiet neighborhood. (BTW, if those terms are a reference to Black people-keeping in line with the cultural discussion of Jamaica- for the record both Compton and South LA are majority Hispanic, as is most of Los Angeles county).

 

It's not the cultural environment of Jamaica that troubles me, it's the lack of disclosure with regard to the conditions there that vex me.

 

If I KNOW what to expect, then I can make an informed decision about how to proceed. :)

 

IMHO.

 

 

"[A] reference to Black people" - Oh WOW!! - THAT couldn't have been further from my mind! But apparently it wasn't too far from YOURS!!

 

My point was more along the line of 'ye who cast the first stone' dissing a whole nation over the conditions in Kingston's Trenchtown or a handfull of other places... If you want to paint with a broad brush then you ought to stay at home, but don't look in the mirror!

 

OK Clearwater - you're right - Jamaica is a developing country with a lot of folks that come onto tourists. If you're not able to say, "No", with a modest amount of sincerity; or if that causes a high degree of discomfort then stay on the ship. Of course, you will be limiting yourself to a pretty small part of the world because of YOUR sensitivity rather than actual objective dangers.

 

You know if the place was anywhere near as dangerous as you claim the cruise lines wouldn't stop there. It's not like they lack alternatives, or are unwilling to cancel ports for this reason.

[Captain Canuck]

the cruise lines continue to go to Jamaica despite the dangers as they don't want to be accused of racism

[clearwaters]

"[A] reference to Black people" - Oh WOW!! - THAT couldn't have been further from my mind! But apparently it wasn't too far from YOURS!!

 

My point was more along the line of 'ye who cast the first stone' dissing a whole nation over the conditions in Kingston's Trenchtown or a handfull of other places... If you want to paint with a broad brush then you ought to stay at home, but don't look in the mirror!

 

OK Clearwater - you're right - Jamaica is a developing country with a lot of folks that come onto tourists. If you're not able to say, "No", with a modest amount of sincerity; or if that causes a high degree of discomfort then stay on the ship. Of course, you will be limiting yourself to a pretty small part of the world because of YOUR sensitivity rather than actual objective dangers.

 

You know if the place was anywhere near as dangerous as you claim the cruise lines wouldn't stop there. It's not like they lack alternatives, or are unwilling to cancel ports for this reason.

 

 

I didn't know what you were alluding to. Jamaica IS predominately Black...

 

BTW, I doth think you protesteth too much...:confused:

[woodofpine]

I didn't know what you were alluding to. Jamaica IS predominately Black...

 

BTW, I doth think you protesteth too much...:confused:

 

 

Confused? Why aren't I surpised? ;)

 

Thanks for the racial profile on Jamaica... Having spent land vacations there (not behind walls and fences) maybe I should've been more aware of that... :rolleyes:

[clearwaters]

Confused? Why aren't I surpised? ;)

 

Thanks for the racial profile on Jamaica... Having spent land vacations there (not behind walls and fences) maybe I should've been more aware of that... :rolleyes:

 

 

Peace to you.

[scrambled]

Well I thought I would just say, I was VERY hesitant about going to Jamaica after reading through these posts on this board, as I would have my young son with me.

 

So given that Labadee was cancelled, I thought nope Im going to do it. We had booked a tour with Phil Lafeyette, my family and I.

I loved Jamaica, we did the river tubing, a tour, a stop at a local jerk restaurant and met with some school children. I NEVER felt unsafe....we had a break from Tubing and there was a man taking our pictures, offering beer and souvaniers, no pressure just mentioned to take a look at stuff and that was it!

 

It was wonderful seeing the different sides of Jamiaca!

[Richie Rich!]

Heres my take on it all. Crime is everywhere yo go. Get off the boat, have one of the locals give you a tour, give them some money, and make a friend. The reason they get pushy is because theres so many of them out there and all they are trying to do is earn some money. Let a lady braid your hair, they are very good at it, and you will be making someone in a very poor hopeless situation happy if only for a day. JA is a beautiful island with all the same problems that the entire world faces. If you were dirt poor wouldn't you hustle to feed yourself/family? Get a nice bag of ganja roll up a spliff and crank up the reggae. Enjoy the beauty of the island look at it as maybe you might be buying something junky, but you're helping a human soul that is usually full of hopelessness. Someone that lives in a shack has no money, lives off of rice and beans everyday with tattered clothes. They spend their lives seeing these big fancy ships pull in and tons of people wearing nice clothing with money to spend on things most of these people will never be able to have for themselves, its sad for them. Put away the fact that you're annoyed that they "bug" you and throw them a few bucks. Take the address of the kids and come home and send them those school supplies, help change their ideas of what other people are.

[Hedocple]

the cruise lines continue to go to Jamaica despite the dangers as they don't want to be accused of racism

 

Are you serious Captain Canuck?

They continue to go because of the demand. That's why the cruise lines are looking into developing new ports in JA in addition to MoBay and Ocho. I personally am not to thrilled about the recent news of adding a port closer to Negril. We love to land vaction there away from the crowds of the major ports. But then again it does create jobs and opportunity for the wonderful people of JA.

[Hedocple]

Heres my take on it all. Crime is everywhere yo go. Get off the boat, have one of the locals give you a tour, give them some money, and make a friend. The reason they get pushy is because theres so many of them out there and all they are trying to do is earn some money. Let a lady braid your hair, they are very good at it, and you will be making someone in a very poor hopeless situation happy if only for a day. JA is a beautiful island with all the same problems that the entire world faces. If you were dirt poor wouldn't you hustle to feed yourself/family? Get a nice bag of ganja roll up a spliff and crank up the reggae. Enjoy the beauty of the island look at it as maybe you might be buying something junky, but you're helping a human soul that is usually full of hopelessness. Someone that lives in a shack has no money, lives off of rice and beans everyday with tattered clothes. They spend their lives seeing these big fancy ships pull in and tons of people wearing nice clothing with money to spend on things most of these people will never be able to have for themselves, its sad for them. Put away the fact that you're annoyed that they "bug" you and throw them a few bucks. Take the address of the kids and come home and send them those school supplies, help change their ideas of what other people are.

Awesome post Richie!

[Hedocple]

Well I thought I would just say, I was VERY hesitant about going to Jamaica after reading through these posts on this board, as I would have my young son with me.

 

So given that Labadee was cancelled, I thought nope Im going to do it. We had booked a tour with Phil Lafeyette, my family and I.

I loved Jamaica, we did the river tubing, a tour, a stop at a local jerk restaurant and met with some school children. I NEVER felt unsafe....we had a break from Tubing and there was a man taking our pictures, offering beer and souvaniers, no pressure just mentioned to take a look at stuff and that was it!

 

It was wonderful seeing the different sides of Jamiaca!

 

Glad you changed your mind and happy to hear you had a wonderful time in JA.

[Captain Canuck]

I am rarely serious...occasionaly gets me into trouble too

[bachsbabygirl]

Here we go.

 

Pushiness is something to be expected in a poverty stricken country.

As for the drugs... honestly no surprise there... but...

I have lived in the Caribbean all my life (all of 17 years) and am attending the University of the West Indies next year. I am however going to Barbados as that's where the law faculty is. One of my friends opted to go to the campus in Jamaica and we are terrified for him... literally.

The point is... most people (even those of us who live in the Caribbean) would prefer to stay as far the hell away from Jamaica as possible.

Crime may be crime... but why would you want to put yourself in an overly dangerous situation?

Could be just me but when one of my friends said 'Oh after my first year of univerisity two of my friends got shot... and I didn't want to go back but I got used to it'. Warning bells start to go off.

As to why Jamaica is the way it is? I could answer you? But that would take such a long time... but we do learn of days when Jamaica was actually the place to be (1960's and such)... but for now... I can without a shadow of a doubt say if I went on a ship that docked in JA I'd most likely stay on board.

I mean for the final part of my law course I might have to spend 6 months there... and I worrying about it...even though its nearly four years away...

[Captain Canuck]

is shooting lawyers a bad thing

[Barva]

I hesitate to add to this very long thread but have decided to put in my two cents' worth. On our first trip to Jamaica, we were not thrilled. DRF were nice but we had a negative experience with the vendors leaving the park. We were not impressed with Dolphin Cove. We were prepared to stay onboard during our second cruise there. Instead, we did our research here on the Jamaica board. Contacted drivers and ended up with Marva Shaw. We ended up loving our experience that time. We just returned from our third time there last Weds., having Marva as our guide. Yes, it is a very poor country BUT it has some wonderful ambassadors amongst the JUTA drivers mentioned frequently on the CC Jamaica board. If you take advantage of their terrific services, you will have a lovely time. Just do your homework before you go. Jamaica is not a stop for a spontaneous jaunt.

[kcdancerkc]

Richie Rich is right....and so are the pros and cons and opinions and fear and it's all correct as far as the actual island goes---it's the human spectrum on this thread.....In Oct. 2005 we got right off the plane and were immediately offered something to smoke = no heroin or crack or pills - no biggie - they weren't gonna beat us to death with a baggie at the airport for saying no! We got into our van and went straight to the all inclusive...it was great.....but then after reading alllll the tripadvisor threads, what did I do? Got drunk off 2 drinks and left the property with my boyfriend.....passed the guards and gates. Walked up the hill and the first woman who asked my name....I told her....duh....got to walking and talking and next thing we are in a back alley with wares galore....was I overwhelmed...YES....was I frightened...5%.....boyfriend kept an eye out - he had a buzz on too....but was easier for him to say a firm no than I....I'm a social worker and a jewelry fanatic.....we got out alive....next day hopped in our much aclaimed van company guide and went to Ochos to do the falls and the dolphins....our driver Malcom was wonderful....informative, informal and professional at the same time. We were "accosted" just as much as the rest of the flock getting out of the falls to buy coffee etc...I hate coffee...no problem:D My only regret, not being able to see the Glistening Waters at night where luminious tiny creatures make the water glow in the dark.....Wilma was coming in full force and we got out just in time. We were asked at Momma Marley's if we needed party materials...we said no.....I just finished college with a small group and one was from Jamaica - and England....she was a delight and to hear the cadence of her voice.....I think every local I did see was smiling and friendly, some were smiling/friendly/pushy. I will always remember my first trip out of the country with fondness....as I'm over 40 I want to do/go/see more - going western carib. in May.....My boyfriend of almost 5 years is also eager to go back to JA --- probably Negril as I've wanted to go there.....would I venture out at night in Mobay or Ochos - hell no - but all the people and staff we encountered were nothing but happy-go-lucky.....maybe it's something in the air!! LOL

[sooner2]

how do you contact her guide services? first time I've looked at Jamaica board- what are JUTA drivers? government-approved taxi drivers?

we stop in Montego Bay next week on Voyager-

travel agent that will be with us really doesn't want us leaving the ship and we probably won't- she says it's a beautiful island but wants us to report to her if we leave ship, report to her when we return- we've never been, hate not to see anything!