clare71275 Posted October 4, 2013 #1 Share Posted October 4, 2013 Has anyone seen this before? Just posting FYI. We had no problems in the tourist areas during the day, though. Common sense is the rule. Copied verbatim from Cruise Compass October 2, 2013: Your Safety Is Important to Us We feel it is important to make our guests aware that the U.S. Embassy recently published a safety warning for the Bahamas due to an increase in crime against tourists, mostly non-violent crimes such as robbery of personal items. Visitors to the Bahamas, like visitors to all foreign countries in the world today, need to be mindful of their personal safety. We recommend guests not venture too far from tourist areas, or consider participating in an organized tour. Also, to lower your risk of being a victim of petty theft or other non-violent crimes, please consider leaving valuables and irreplaceable items in your stateroom. We suggest you avoid wearing obviously expensive jewelry, carry only the cash or credit cards that you will need on each outing and keep your belongings secure and out of sight. This common sense approach and heightened level of awareness will help you enjoy your visit to the Bahamas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scotty G Posted October 4, 2013 #2 Share Posted October 4, 2013 Has anyone seen this before? Just posting FYI. We had no problems in the tourist areas during the day, though. Common sense is the rule. Copied verbatim from Cruise Compass October 2, 2013 Saw something similar in the Cruise Compass on Enchantment earlier this year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lady_cruiser Posted October 4, 2013 #3 Share Posted October 4, 2013 We all know that common sense, even at home, is the rule but when you see something like this in writing it does make it seem a little scarier. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jagsfan Posted October 4, 2013 #4 Share Posted October 4, 2013 I've changed my Nassau routine since the Queen's Staircase robberies a few years ago. A group of tourists with a guide were robbed at one of the prime tourist areas. I always used to walk up there and to the Water Tower and fort with whatever friends were cruising with me. No more. Bay Street shopping is safe and enjoyable. The straw market is safe, and Señor Frog's is out the back of it on the water. I would be careful with transportation to Cable Beach and Paradise Island. Taxis are usually ok. It's very sad that a place that used to be tourist friendly and secure feeling, to me at least, has become a place to be wary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clare71275 Posted October 4, 2013 Author #5 Share Posted October 4, 2013 Yes, jagsfan, it is a shame. We went with other pax on the Enchantment to Señor Frog's and the Straw Market in the early afternoon. Saw quite a few police officers along the main street, but as I said before, we had no problems. We arrived back on the ship around 5 PM, but Enchantment wasn't due to depart until Midnight. Standing on our balcony during the 11 PM hour, we saw that not many lights were on in the town, and Señor Frog's was completely dark. With the government warning, and the late hour, we certainly wouldn't have been walking around the island then!:eek: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grand isle joe Posted October 4, 2013 #6 Share Posted October 4, 2013 Hmmm.....since when is robbery a "non violent crime"? I guess the author never has had a gun stuck into his/her rib cage. Also we usually only get off the ship only to go to Atlantis....otherwise been there, done that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clare71275 Posted October 4, 2013 Author #7 Share Posted October 4, 2013 Hmmm.....since when is robbery a "non violent crime"? I guess the author never has had a gun stuck into his/her rib cage. Also we usually only get off the ship only to go to Atlantis....otherwise been there, done that. grand isle joe, RCI is the party who made that statement (robbery - non-violent crime). I only quoted what they published in the Compass. Please don't shoot the messenger!;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BekkaW Posted October 4, 2013 #8 Share Posted October 4, 2013 Hmmm.....since when is robbery a "non violent crime"? I guess the author never has had a gun stuck into his/her rib cage. Also we usually only get off the ship only to go to Atlantis....otherwise been there, done that. In lots of places outside the US robbery rarely involves guns. I'm certainly no expert on Bahamian crime! but in Australia it would be extremely unusual for that to happen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emeraldcity Posted October 4, 2013 #9 Share Posted October 4, 2013 Maybe my memory is failing (and I admit that is a distinct possibility) but in the early 90s, didn't the cruise lines threaten to pull out of Puerto Rico if the government didn't make a serious effort to protect the visiting cruisers? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMG Posted October 4, 2013 #10 Share Posted October 4, 2013 I never wear jewelry on the islands. It just does not make sense to flash jewelry when some people live in cardboard boxes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grand isle joe Posted October 5, 2013 #11 Share Posted October 5, 2013 grand isle joe, RCI is the party who made that statement (robbery - non-violent crime). I only quoted what they published in the Compass. Please don't shoot the messenger!;) I apologize if I insinuated that you made that statement. By no means that is what I intended. I am only commented on the poor (in my opinion) choice of words used in the original statement. Peace, Love and Ben and Jerry's to you and yours.:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare marielco Posted October 5, 2013 #12 Share Posted October 5, 2013 Hmmm.....since when is robbery a "non violent crime"? I guess the author never has had a gun stuck into his/her rib cage. Also we usually only get off the ship only to go to Atlantis....otherwise been there, done that. You can have robbery without violence. In a lot of tourist areas you get pickpockets working in gangs. You don't even know you have been robbed till after it has happened. Leave a bag down and have it snatched etc. Guns don't always enter the scene. As the Australian poster pointed out in countries other than the USA guns are not that common and rarely appear in ordinary petty street crime. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
packedandready Posted October 5, 2013 #13 Share Posted October 5, 2013 We were in the Bahamas a couple of weeks ago and bought a newspaper. There was an article from the board of tourism talking about the crime rate and reminding the citizens of how important their guests were. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
franl24fan Posted October 5, 2013 #14 Share Posted October 5, 2013 In the mid 1980s the cruise ships pulled out of St Thomas and the port was made off limits to US Navy ships. That was after a lot of robberies and pick pockets in town. I think it lasted almost a year. Same thing is happening on the Mexican "Riviera" and some ports in Central America. You would think with tourism being their bread & butter there would be a huge backlash by the locals against the bandits and they would take whatever police or military action is needed. I am doing the Panama canal cruise next month, and when I expressed concern about tours in a few of the ports I was told not to worry, they send an armed escort out with the buses, wow that's a great tourist experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nado44 Posted October 5, 2013 #15 Share Posted October 5, 2013 I never wear jewelry on the islands. It just does not make sense to flash jewelry when some people live in cardboard boxes. There are many people who live in cardboard boxes in Pennsylvania and elsewhere in the US. Does this mean you never wear jewelry when at home or when out and about? :confused: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
north29 Posted October 5, 2013 #16 Share Posted October 5, 2013 There are many people who live in cardboard boxes in Pennsylvania and elsewhere in the US. Does this mean you never wear jewelry when at home or when out and about? :confused: Post are some times taken wrong and wording is always an issue. I interpreted the post as, You have to know where you are, there are sections of Orlando tourist districts, such as I Drive, Disney, etc. even my home town where I would think twice about wearing expensive jewelry or chose to visit. We have been all over the Nassau, busses, walking, but we realize it is a foreign country and poverty is apparent so crime is always a possibility . Not unlike Barcelona, Rome, Athens, Madrid, Lisbon, Rio(fun but dangerous to the un informed). Tourist crime can happen every where, any time. even in cute fascinating areas, crowded tourist magnets, that seem safe and you do not have to be wearing expensive jewelry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SelfCheckoutGuy Posted October 5, 2013 #17 Share Posted October 5, 2013 My wife and I saw this warning on our EOS cruise in September. We read it, then wondered, if the Embassy gave warnings about that for the US how many cities would be given the same warning. I thought Nassau was safe, but I kept to Bay St and the Straw market only and stayed where there were lots of people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clare71275 Posted October 5, 2013 Author #18 Share Posted October 5, 2013 I apologize if I insinuated that you made that statement. By no means that is what I intended. I am only commented on the poor (in my opinion) choice of words used in the original statement. Peace, Love and Ben and Jerry's to you and yours.:) Apology accepted! :D Race you to the Ben and Jerry's counter, last one pays for the ice cream! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ocean Boy Posted October 5, 2013 #19 Share Posted October 5, 2013 In the mid 1980s the cruise ships pulled out of St Thomas and the port was made off limits to US Navy ships. That was after a lot of robberies and pick pockets in town. I think it lasted almost a year. Same thing is happening on the Mexican "Riviera" and some ports in Central America. You would think with tourism being their bread & butter there would be a huge backlash by the locals against the bandits and they would take whatever police or military action is needed. I am doing the Panama canal cruise next month, and when I expressed concern about tours in a few of the ports I was told not to worry, they send an armed escort out with the buses, wow that's a great tourist experience. St. Croix was knocked off of the cruise ships' itineraries for quite some time because of crime. It seems that they cleaned their act up from that lesson. Unfortuantely, in my opinion, that got them back on the cruise ship itineraries. It is the one island I don't care if I never get back to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ocean Boy Posted October 5, 2013 #20 Share Posted October 5, 2013 I've changed my Nassau routine since the Queen's Staircase robberies a few years ago. A group of tourists with a guide were robbed at one of the prime tourist areas. I always used to walk up there and to the Water Tower and fort with whatever friends were cruising with me. No more. Bay Street shopping is safe and enjoyable. The straw market is safe, and Señor Frog's is out the back of it on the water. I would be careful with transportation to Cable Beach and Paradise Island. Taxis are usually ok. It's very sad that a place that used to be tourist friendly and secure feeling, to me at least, has become a place to be wary. That is pretty much my routine when in Nassau also. I had not heard about the Staircase robberies. If I did heard I forgot about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shellunderwater Posted October 5, 2013 #21 Share Posted October 5, 2013 In the mid 1980s the cruise ships pulled out of St Thomas and the port was made off limits to US Navy ships. That was after a lot of robberies and pick pockets in town. I think it lasted almost a year. Same thing is happening on the Mexican "Riviera" and some ports in Central America. You would think with tourism being their bread & butter there would be a huge backlash by the locals against the bandits and they would take whatever police or military action is needed. I am doing the Panama canal cruise next month, and when I expressed concern about tours in a few of the ports I was told not to worry, they send an armed escort out with the buses, wow that's a great tourist experience. Some time ago, we took our first trip outside of the US, going on a dive trip to Roatan. In town on our non-dive day, we suddenly felt alone and vulnerable since our group was off shopping. Our waiter from AKR happened to walk up, and we talked about our feelings. He said we shoukdnt worry, since as tourists, the police wouldn't tolerate any crime against us. He said they were well aware their economy was about tourism, and bad PR back home wad bad for them. This in a country where the police all carried AK-47s. In jail, your family provides your meals, the government doesn't. Just a few incentives to be good, we thought. Sent from my GT-N5110 using Forums mobile app Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ocean Boy Posted October 5, 2013 #22 Share Posted October 5, 2013 Some time ago, we took our first trip outside of the US, going on a dive trip to Roatan. In town on our non-dive day, we suddenly felt alone and vulnerable since our group was off shopping. Our waiter from AKR happened to walk up, and we talked about our feelings. He said we shoukdnt worry, since as tourists, the police wouldn't tolerate any crime against us. He said they were well aware their economy was about tourism, and bad PR back home wad bad for them. This in a country where the police all carried AK-47s. In jail, your family provides your meals, the government doesn't. Just a few incentives to be good, we thought.Sent from my GT-N5110 using Forums mobile app Who provides the cable TV and internet access? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mafig Posted October 5, 2013 #23 Share Posted October 5, 2013 We are considering a cruise that stays in Nassau until 11 pm. We were going to go to Atlantis casino after dinner (by taxi). Do you think this will be unsafe? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clarea Posted October 5, 2013 #24 Share Posted October 5, 2013 We are considering a cruise that stays in Nassau until 11 pm. We were going to go to Atlantis casino after dinner (by taxi). Do you think this will be unsafe? Each to their own, but we would not consider that unsafe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OCruisers Posted October 5, 2013 #25 Share Posted October 5, 2013 We've never had a problem in Nassau ... but we always stay on the "well beaten path". No, I do not wear jewelry and DH changes his good watch to a Swatch Watch. LuLu ~~~~ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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