Where in the Caribbean would you not want to go?

[HappySailing3]

Get away from the cruise ship docks! There is so much more to see and do than what is available right at the piers! Haven't met the port I didn't enjoy yet. Some of my favorites are some of the ones I hear the most complaints about:

 

Cartagena- Absolutely fell in love with it! Aggressive locals? Bring it on! By and large the folks we met were wonderful and the old town is simply gorgeous!

 

Acapulco-Same thing. So what if people approach me about booking a tour, or buying some trinket? Doesn't faze me at all.

 

If all I had to judge a port by was what I saw as soon as I disembarked the ship, I wouldn't like some of these places either. But every place has history, local cuisine and SOMETHING that makes it special.

 

I couldn't agree with you more. You can't judge a book by it's cover. Go out and explore, do your homework and book a local tour (not through the cruise line).

Another piece of advice - don't judge on your first time there. There is usually so much to do and see, there is no way to do that in just one day. Go back and try something different next time. San Juan - get outside of the city, it's beautiful, full of history, the food is wonderful, and has beautiful beaches and resorts. Dominica - get away from the dock and go to the interior, it's breathtaking! Hire a Levi tour he's the best. Jamaica - spend the day at one of the many SANDELS, go to Dunn's River Falls, any beach is gorgeous! Belize - go tubing, go to Key Caulker/Ambergris Cay, the Mayan Ruins, the barrier reef.

My point is don't give up and make judgement in just one trip. There is too much to see and do. :D

 

[dan40]

Freeport, Nassau, Jamaica, and Belize all do not excite me. But book me on a free cruise with only those ports and I'd go.

[callalilly]

I hated Belize. The poverty & beggers was a little to much for me to handle.

Actually Bahamas was kinda mild compared to Belize

[SCFCRUISER]

Hey, it's not just you.

 

Other Caribbean Islanders (ppl who live in dese islands)

have long known that the French islands are a miserable lot!

They've been that way for decades now! ;)

 

Maybe if you speak their language well, you might get better service...

but even so...basically they are malcontent with their colonial lot in life.

 

They want Independence, and the French aren't giving it to them.

That -I'm pretty sure- is their basic attitudinal problem, as a society overall

and it shows in their behaviour to tourists and outsiders.

 

.

Hey aplmac, I was trying to be politically correct with my statement, didn't want to get flamed to bad ya know. But you are right, they have a bad attitude. I guess they don't get it, that every penny spent is good for their economy, go figure. I wouldn't go back to either place even if it was free!!

Steve

[glrounds]

I would have to concur . . . Jamaica, Jamaica, Jamaica.

Even though it was 20 years ago, the only time I was ever concerned for the safety of my wife and young son was in Ocho Rios, Jamaica. Police everywhere, automatic weapons everywhere . . . rudest people in the world, IMHO. Couldn't get back to the ship fast enough. :(

(was told the animosity toward the Americans was because of an alleged promise to purchase bauxite ore [aluminum] from Jamaica which went unkept after Jamaica had built a huge conveyor system to bring it out of the jungle ?)

Recently, however, I should say, was at Montego Bay, went straight to Margaritaville and had the time of my life (see pics below). It was even an alternate port for missing Costa Rica.

[lovesublime]

I also don't understand why so many dislike Jamaica (well, acutally I do understand why). We loved it. Took a ship sponsored excursion to the Appleton Rum Estate and had a great time. No hassles. Our driver and tour guide were amazing. The tour guide even had the driver stop at a grocery store and she bought everyone fruit.

 

We also greatly enjoyed Nassau. We went to an all inclusive and ate, played on the beach, rented jet skis-great fun all day.

 

I would never turn down any trip to the Caribbean, but Hawaii beats anything there.

[Lady_Jag]

I don't like Freeport. Nassau is my 2nd least favorite. In fact, I didn't bother getting off the ship in Nassau last time (been there, done that multiple times!)

 

I spent a week in Costa Rica some years ago and LOVED it! The people were very nice, and the scenery was beautiful. It is a very poor third-world country, though, and you will see a lot of poverty among the gorgeous landscapes.

 

The biggest crime there is petty theft. Or at least it was when I visited. It's sort understood that if you don't protect your stuff (i.e. burglar bars on your house), then you can expect to lose it.

 

While I was there, one lady approached me and told me to tuck my necklace into my T-shirt so that no one would grab it. Apparently, the big thing at the time was thieves snatching necklaces, then swallowing them if they thought they were going to get caught.

 

The banks and airport Customs had guards armed with machine guns! You better believe no one was going to be stupid enough to hold up a bank there! Also, everyone drove like maniacs, which made for some very hair-raising adventures threw downtown San Jose and up the mountains. :eek:

 

Hubby and I spent one day wandering downtown and shopping in the market area. Around lunch time, we were famished, and as we passed by a food vendor's cart, we smelled something delicious. So we stopped, got a sort of meat kabob and soft tortilla from the vendor, then continued on our way. When we got back to our friend's house where we were staying, she told us "I forgot to warn you - don't eat anything off the street vendors' carts!" :confused:

 

When we asked "why," she said, it's because there's not USDA in Costa Rica (duh!) and you never know WHAT kind of meat you're going to get! Ooops! Oh well, neither of us got sick, so we just took an approach of "what we don't know won't hurt us." LOL!

[Shipshape7]

My sister is not a port person. She will get off the ship and walk around the cruise area a bit and then get back on. Then she is very vocal about her opinion of the place. This absolutly drives me crazy and we have had many "discussions" about it. How on earth can you judge a island/country by seeing less then 1% of it?

 

We have dear friends who are wonderful people but do the same thing your sister does. They like the illusion that they "travel" but the truth is that they have no real interest in other countries. Anything foreign sends them right back up the gangway into the insulating cocoon of the ship. They never consult a guide book or research what there is to do but they are convinced the port was boring. At least they enjoy the sea days. What's really sad is listening to them complain about their land trips (always to securely gated all-inclusive resorts, natch!) I think they could save themselves a lot of money by just going down to the airport and clicking their heels together a few times while chanting, "there's no place like home!":eek:

[corey431]

Never go to Ocho Rios Jamica its the ghetto of the caribbean.

[scperk]

Never go to Ocho Rios Jamica its the ghetto of the caribbean.

Jamaica is one of the prettiest places I have ever been, the people are kinda the poor and you have to be careful....But there are LOTS of places like that in the USA, the neighborhood where I grew up has gone downhill and I wold not dare walk thru there at night....But in Jamaica if you get a good tour guide and get out of the city it's beautiful..........:)...Dennis

[cruisergal 1]

I would avoid Ocho Rios - Jamaica! Found the locals to be too aggresive and pushy. They would follow us, and not leave us alone, trying to sell us everything from merchandise, to drugs. We felt very uncomfortable there. Yet saying that, my b-i-l and family have been staying in a resort in Jamaica for the last 40 years at Christmas time. They love it there!

[bougiet]

costa maya was a dump...bees buzzing all over the beach..and one big hut with tourist crap in it!!!

*************************I went on a cruise that went o Costa Maya but I had done research before heading out and went to a town called Mahual and had the best time there. We sat at a table on the beach drank beer, spoke with the locals, learned their culture and soaked in all the sun and fun. We made a friend named Manuel who took amazing care of us. I hope to go back and find him again we all miss him.

[LemurCat]

Lemur et al.

 

Yea, it's actually rather unique to the US... the police carry nice little portable guns that you can barely see...

 

My trip to Russia... the police carry AK's slung over their shoulders...

 

And working in NYC near Grand Central, you always see National Guard troops patrolling... and although I haven't been up to Times Square in a while, but the NYPD Hercules Teams patrolled there constantly armed with M-4 Carbines, full body armor, and Stormtropper helmets...

 

So... I guess you get desentized to it over time.

 

We get the same thing over at NY Penn and down at Newark Penn. You do get desensatized to it over time.

 

(And the Hercy team is out occassionally, not so often now that they've closed off major parts of TS for the Lawn Chair Jungle Experiment.)

[yarlenna]

My only problem with Maiquetía (Caracas) Venezuela was that I was afraid almost all of the time I was there. I love Nassau. My DH and I spent 10 days there and it was wonderful. I hope I can go there again soon.

[LemurCat]

 

Hubby and I spent one day wandering downtown and shopping in the market area. Around lunch time, we were famished, and as we passed by a food vendor's cart, we smelled something delicious. So we stopped, got a sort of meat kabob and soft tortilla from the vendor, then continued on our way. When we got back to our friend's house where we were staying, she told us "I forgot to warn you - don't eat anything off the street vendors' carts!" :confused:

 

When we asked "why," she said, it's because there's not USDA in Costa Rica (duh!) and you never know WHAT kind of meat you're going to get! Ooops! Oh well, neither of us got sick, so we just took an approach of "what we don't know won't hurt us." LOL!

 

A little "street meat" isn't going to kill you, as long as it's properly cooked, and even the USDA can't assure that. It's interesting, the US is the only country I can think of that doesn't have a really great street food tradition. (Not counting the Halal cart outside my office.)

 

Does our national squeamishness over eating from street vendors make us a nation of picky eaters? Discuss.

[Anyislandwilldo]

I would avoid Ocho Rios - Jamaica! Found the locals to be too aggresive and pushy. They would follow us, and not leave us alone, trying to sell us everything from merchandise, to drugs. We felt very uncomfortable there. Yet saying that, my b-i-l and family have been staying in a resort in Jamaica for the last 40 years at Christmas time. They love it there!

 

We spent a week in Jamaica and loved it. One trip we did, that the ships don't offer, is the Blue Mountain Bike Tour. You see a part of Jamaica that they don't advertise in the brochures. A tour bus picked us up, stopped at a banana plantation, then took us up 5600 feet into the mountains to get our bikes. From there it was all down hill...literally. The views were amazing. Stopped to view a few waterfalls along the way down. This area of Jamaica was so beautiful. The true upspoiled nature of the island. No vendors around just local people who lived in the mountains. You need to get out of the port area in Jamaica and see the true beauty of the island. But due to time constraints, you would be better off staying at a resort for a week. The resort we stayed at had many friendly people and made our stay very memorable.

[Bold Spirit]

Most ports are ugly!!! You need to go inland before you judge a place and take a cruiseline shore excursion if you feel unsafe. We have seen beautiful places on every stop in the Caribbean!:)

[bougiet]

I loved Jamaica too! :p

 

I am surprised there are not more people that do not like Belize (for safety reasons).. Maybe it was just the time I happen to be there, but I thought it was very scary and made me very uncomfortable. I don't like chain link fences and guys with machine guns....:eek: The second time we went to Belize, I just stayed on the ship. I think I really saw all I wanted to of Belize. I was very disappointed because I was really looking forward to the Mayan Ruins in Belize. They were very interesting, but getting there/back was not my "cup of tea"... It was like 500 degrees too (not really, but it was really hot anyway)....

 

I guess we all just like different things.. :)

*********************************It is funny because when I went to the fence in Belize I was freaking out. Oh my goodness there were so many people outside the fence trying to get your business and they all looked shady. We went with a driver inside the port and he drove us all over the Island. We were able to go to school house and visit with the children and that was the best part of our time in Belize. The driver also took us to fruit stands and local stores for Belezian beer. A friend of his lived on the river and they had some sort of Monkeys there. I have to say we were all a little nervous when we were on the side of the river. I just had this image of my throat being sliced, thrown in the river and left for dead lol. Instead our driver was amazing and educated us on his home Counrty and we kept in touch for a couple of years. I am so happy I was able to see the Country with someone who cared very much for his people. I learned a lot and hold a lot of love for the Belizian People.

[mudpievelour]

OMG:eek:.....Please don't stay on the ship in Antigua. If it is your first time there atleast go down to Nelson's Dockyard and enjoy the beauty of the island.

 

 

I have a similar picture of Nelson's dockyard and also some of the blowhole and many other beautiful spots on Antigua. I would go back there in a heartbeat.

[SingingPixie]

Wow, my impression of Belize was very different. I definitely feel like I saw a good bit of poverty, especially driving through Belize City before we hit the countryside, but I never saw anyone I thought was sketchy or felt unsafe. I actually got a lot more panicky getting off the ship on Cozumel with all of the aggressive vendors right there at the dock (once we got to the taxi station I was fine). We drove past a prison on the way to the Belize Zoo (I think... could have been Altun Ha since we did both that day) and our guide told us that the vast majority of those incarcerated in Belize are there for petty theft and minor drug offenses. They have very few murders. They actually have a pretty well developed rehabilitation program in the prisons too, where they teach inmates skills so they can be productive members of society in the outside world. I'll admit right now I didn't followup and check his crime statistics, but I definitely never felt unsafe while I was there.

[read52]

A little "street meat" isn't going to kill you, as long as it's properly cooked, and even the USDA can't assure that. It's interesting, the US is the only country I can think of that doesn't have a really great street food tradition. (Not counting the Halal cart outside my office.)

 

Does our national squeamishness over eating from street vendors make us a nation of picky eaters? Discuss.

 

Actually it could. The important point you made is properly cooked (and handled). My son is a surigical nurse that assisted at an operation on a man who ate undercooked meat in a third world country. They removed a parasite from his brain that was still alive. The man did not make it. Before people start saying that is 1 in ----, maybe it is. But my family has had several weird medical things happen that were 1 in---so we just avoid eating on shore. Of course, they are always bugs, etc. We take precautions for my family because we are weird medically.

[jimbo5544]

You never got off the ship, did you.. :cool:

 

 

And never made it to Maracas Bay?

 

 

 

 

Don't judge a country by its ugly Port!

 

 

_______________________________________

We were told that maybe we shouldn't even bother getting off the ship at Tunis.

Booked a ship's tour and went to Carthage and Sidi Bou Said, anyway.

 

Turned out to be one of the best stops of our Western Med. cruise!

SO glad we didn't stay on board.

 

Btw...La Goulette is an ugly-as-hell Port

- just like every other one I ever saw! :D

 

 

.

 

Nice pics.

[shawnie]

Can't say that there's a particular port I wouldn't return too. Afterall, i'm in the Caribbean somewhere and thats all that matters. If given a choice though I would pass on the Bahamas since i've been there so many times but if it meant going to the Bahamas or not going at all, I'd go without hestitation. I love the Western itineraries!!

[Aplmac]

I have a similar picture of Nelson's dockyard and also some of the blowhole

and many other beautiful spots on Antigua.

I would go back there in a heartbeat.

Why don't you post your pics on this Antigua Photos thread

so we can all see?

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=975130

 

.

[PaddleAddict]

It's true that you cannot judge an entire country based on its port. Have you ever been to the port of Long Beach or LA? Not very nice! I wouldn't wander around there...

 

Some ports are condusive to simply walking off the ship and enjoying the immediate area, but others simply are not.

 

Two of my very favorite stops were Belize and Dominica, where we had pre-arranged private tours (not ship tours). Dominica was simply one of the most stunning places I have ever seen, and all the people we met that day were wonderful, friendly, informative and proud of their country. Same with our day in Belize. Yes, the port area was a little scary-looking, but once we were out, we had an incredible day.

 

Even Ensenada, which most people classify as a dump, is so pretty once you get away from the port. I had such a great day on my little tour that went to the "blowhole" and street market.

 

Other favorites were Antigua (you must get away from the port, preferably a boat tour that allows you to visit the mangroves and exceptionally beautiful beaches) and Costa Maya (pre hurricane), where we had a lovely and relaxing day in Mahahual.

 

I would go anywhere in the Caribbean without complaint, but I wouldn't seek our Aruba (too built up, and the desert beach isn't my thing, although we had a nice day there) or Nassau. Grand Cayman is nice, but I've been there enough that I would not go again.

 

If you like to walk off the ship and have a nice, relaxing shopping day in a safe-feeling environment, you might like St. Thomas (although we once witnessed a shooting there! Locals, not tourists), Cozumel, Tortola, Grenada (very cute little town!) and Grand Cayman. (I know there are others, but these are the one's I've been to.)