Cruise ship passengers robbed at gunpoint

[seaofwonder]

Thanks Grumpus...I didn't recall seeing that they cancelled the port either. Hopefully they catch the idiots and send a message to other islanders who might be thinking of doing the same thing!

[loving2cruise]

There is lots of shopping right at Port Zante in St. Kitts. It has a large modern open air shopping center, a craft market for small vendors and Basseterre's downtown square, the Circus, which is lined with shops is about a five minute walk away.

 

Thank you so much for this great picture. It tells it all and I'm sure we will find something to do there :D

[J & G]

The general rule of thumb is it's safer to travel in numbers, though. If you're alone, then stay in populated places.

 

Yep! I live outside of Houston so I know, all too well, the rule about safety in numbers.

[robtulipe]

Thank you so much for this great picture. It tells it all and I'm sure we will find something to do there :D

If you want $1US cold bottles of Carib beer or soda while shopping in the Port Zante mall go to the town (north) side of parking lot which is where the taxi stand is also located. That lot is to the right of the open air stand alone bar in the middle of the mall. Look for the souvenir shop in the middle of the strip with a large drink cooler just inside on the left side of it's entrance.

[andyjo0930]

We were in St. Kitts on the Oct 28th sailing of the Explorer. It was our first time there. I did notice there were a lot of police right there when you get off the ship trying to keep the locals from being too aggressive with trying to get you to hold a monkey or book their tour. We had a snorkeling excursion booked and they came right there to pick us up and dropped us off. We had no problems at all.

[RetireeWannabee]

Thanks, Kitty, I knew this kind of thing had made the news before. I think there are no original crimes left.

 

People are free to worry or over react or whatever, but I will continue to live my life and deal with bad situations as they occur. Life is a crapshoot. No guarantees were ever given me concerning anything.

 

It would be a shame to sail to different parts of the world and be too scared to get off the ship but all are free to do so.

[Loucat]

I think that the government of St. Kitts may have a decision here. If a bus load of cruise passengers can be picked off on a ship sponsored excursion, they need to decide if that is what they want for their island and find and prosecute those involved. (not too hard on an island like St. Kitts) or lose what is a major source of their revenue. Yes, there is crime everywhere, but cruise tours are scheduled on a regular basis when a ship is in port, those tours are known to the residents.

The passengers are the victims and what happens if you have no valuables to provide to the ones holding the gun? Having sailed to St.Kitts several times without any problem, I find this situation serious. Do we now need armed guards on the tour buses?

If so, I do not need to go there.

To those who say crime happens everywhere, that is true. Do you have access to the legal process in this island?

[cruisecrasy]

Very true and some good advice.

 

There was a robbery at a Publix the other day, but that doesn't stop me from going grocery shopping.

 

'tis the world that we live in these days.

 

Were u robbed or was the store - were u involved in it in any way? Rather difficult to compare - totally different experiences..just ask those bus pax who were directly involved!

[Cruising89143]

According to Seatrader, four suspects have been arrested and taken into custody for the robbery in St. Kitts.

[bigeagle12]

According to Seatrader, four suspects have been arrested and taken into custody for the robbery in St. Kitts.

 

Here are 2 links: http://www.caribbean360.com/index.php/news/st_kitts_nevis_news/49632.html

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=4235

[weilhung]

We were recently in St Kitts sailing on the Celebrity Eclipse Feb 2011 and we rented a scooter me and my GF when we were continually followed by a van of locals who seemed to be casing us out. They would stop a little ways a head of us let us go by and then follow us, this went on for miles, we were in the middle of no where touring the island on a scooter, I think they sized us up and they figured it wasn't worth it to them. They didn't know how much cash we had or if I was the UFC Champ, they definitely would have got a beat down if I thought our lives were in danger, it would have been no holds barred, my GF was terrified and had a bad feeling about it, I was truly concerned and told her if anything happens follow my lead. St Kitts is a dump of a island and as you get off the ship the ghetto is right in front of you, the people don't want us there and it showed. We walked right into the ghetto looking for the scooter shop Ride St Kitts and were told by a local you must get out of here mon. Forget this island and let the cruise lines know the place is a dump and dangerous, the only good thing about the place is the Marriot there nice place. Save your money and go to St Maarten. Old SAn Juan is another dump stay on the ship and avoid the Bacardi tour, what a joke.:eek:

[Zeno]

We were recently in St Kitts sailing on the Celebrity Eclipse Feb 2011 and we rented a scooter me and my GF when we were continually followed by a van of locals who seemed to be casing us out. They would stop a little ways a head of us let us go by and then follow us, this went on for miles, we were in the middle of no where touring the island on a scooter, I think they sized us up and they figured it wasn't worth it to them. They didn't know how much cash we had or if I was the UFC Champ, they definitely would have got a beat down if I thought our lives were in danger, it would have been no holds barred, my GF was terrified and had a bad feeling about it, I was truly concerned and told her if anything happens follow my lead. St Kitts is a dump of a island and as you get off the ship the ghetto is right in front of you, the people don't want us there and it showed. We walked right into the ghetto looking for the scooter shop Ride St Kitts and were told by a local you must get out of here mon. Forget this island and let the cruise lines know the place is a dump and dangerous, the only good thing about the place is the Marriot there nice place. Save your money and go to St Maarten. Old SAn Juan is another dump stay on the ship and avoid the Bacardi tour, what a joke.:eek:

 

Sorry but this is pure paranoid nonsense!

Why:

There is no "middle of nowhere" unless you go where you really shouldn't be like the cane fields (and why on earth anyone would go there unless looking for drugs is a mystery to me). IF you thought you were being followed, all you add to do was stop at ANY of the little villages. Why would you keep driving if you REALLY felt nervous? Most people would turn around and head back to Basseterre. And I note that since you were not in any way bothered by these "locals", your fears were obviously foolish. Local people sometimes drive in vans and they frequently stop to let people in and out and to let other cars pass. The behaviour that made your GF "terrified" is totally typical and normal.

 

I cannot think of any section of Basseterre where I would feel unsafe (and BTW we spent a week on the island and had NO problems). However we did not visit with an "attitude".

Why on earth would anyone with common sense rent a scooter and take off on their own on an island where they apparently (even before renting the scooter) claim to feel unsafe is a mystery to me.

 

Sorry but in my opinion this has is just silly. NOTHING bad happened to you, yet you make a big fuss about it.

[weilhung]

Sorry but this is pure paranoid nonsense!

Why:

There is no "middle of nowhere" unless you go where you really shouldn't be like the cane fields (and why on earth anyone would go there unless looking for drugs is a mystery to me). IF you thought you were being followed, all you add to do was stop at ANY of the little villages. Why would you keep driving if you REALLY felt nervous? Most people would turn around and head back to Basseterre. And I note that since you were not in any way bothered by these "locals", your fears were obviously foolish. Local people sometimes drive in vans and they frequently stop to let people in and out and to let other cars pass. The behaviour that made your GF "terrified" is totally typical and normal.

 

I cannot think of any section of Basseterre where I would feel unsafe (and BTW we spent a week on the island and had NO problems). However we did not visit with an "attitude".

Why on earth would anyone with common sense rent a scooter and take off on their own on an island where they apparently (even before renting the scooter) claim to feel unsafe is a mystery to me.

 

Sorry but in my opinion this has is just silly. NOTHING bad happened to you, yet you make a big fuss about it.

 

Listen OLD MAN we are not paranoid and they the locals who were following us decided against whatever they had in mind for us, they followed us for miles and you are out in the middle of nowhere when touring the island and there are not too many places to stop and if we had stopped I might not be writing this today so go back to your wallycleaver life and get a clue, they sized us up and thought this one would be tough, unlike if it was you who would have cried for his momma and begged for his life, this was real OLD MAN and don't doubt what happened to us you were not there, like I said if we were forced to stop which would have been hard for them to get me stop, I had the scooter throttle pinned, I ride a Crotchrocket old man that does 180 so I can ride, and if they did get me stop and our lives were put in danger it would have been a battle, I unlike you don't coward out. If we were old and frail like yourself they would have had their way with us but thankfully we are not, you know the worst thing about these boards are the weak cowardly people like yourself who hide behind the anonimity of the net. Nothing happened in the end because they made the right choice, but someone else may not be so lucky and I know this for sure you would never rent a scooter with your GF and tour the island alone it takes a brave person to go it alone and those who were following us were asking themselves why would they be out here all alone, well because I don't fear much and won't let some lowlifes hold me back unlike you , I live in the land of BRAVE.:D

[Zeno]

Uhm - Mr Big and oh so brave but afraid of a few locals going about their business - I am an "OLD LADY". Yet oddly apparently I am not afraid of local people doing nothing threatening. My husband (middle-aged SMALL guy not a big bruiser like you) and I have travelled St Kitt's with NO problems at all. But then maybe we don't need an attitude adjustment. We don't look for trouble where there isn't any.

 

Oh well I am sure your quivering in terror caused some amusement for anyone observing your paranoid behaviour.

 

Must tell DH how tough he is to actually venture out on his own on St Kitt's. He will be pretty amused but then unlike you he has nothing to prove. Well I am sure your GF was terribly impressed with your macho posturing. Nothing like being too frightened to do a little sight-seeing to show how brave you are.

[klepton]

We were recently in St Kitts sailing on the Celebrity Eclipse Feb 2011 and we rented a scooter me and my GF when we were continually followed by a van of locals who seemed to be casing us out. They would stop a little ways a head of us let us go by and then follow us, this went on for miles, we were in the middle of no where touring the island on a scooter, I think they sized us up and they figured it wasn't worth it to them. They didn't know how much cash we had or if I was the UFC Champ, they definitely would have got a beat down if I thought our lives were in danger, it would have been no holds barred, my GF was terrified and had a bad feeling about it, I was truly concerned and told her if anything happens follow my lead. St Kitts is a dump of a island and as you get off the ship the ghetto is right in front of you, the people don't want us there and it showed. We walked right into the ghetto looking for the scooter shop Ride St Kitts and were told by a local you must get out of here mon. Forget this island and let the cruise lines know the place is a dump and dangerous, the only good thing about the place is the Marriot there nice place. Save your money and go to St Maarten. Old SAn Juan is another dump stay on the ship and avoid the Bacardi tour, what a joke.:eek:

 

Well, I'm not doubting your experience with the van, but I never once felt unsafe. Even in "the middle of nowhere" when we were hiking through the rain forest. We also walked around the downtown area just outside the port and didn't experience the ghetto you talked about. Just differing opinions I guess.

 

Where you really lost me was calling Old San Juan a dump. If you really believe that then there's probably quite a lot we'd disagree on.