Rudest Street People in the Carribean

[Gunnerpup]

My first time in Jamaica was Falmouth and we had heard the stories and stayed in the port shopping area which is passengers only.

 

Well that didn't completely save us. A security guard gave us a sad story and asked for money. Not huge deal but still annoying. Never had problems in Cozumel etc. We just shake our head and keep walking...don't look back

 

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[hospvol]

I agree about Jamaica, but we also don't go to Martinique any more. :eek:

[kelkel2]

My sister and her husband who is a Chicago Police officer went on a cruise before they got married and were harassed so badly that even he was unnerved. I've never been to Jamaica but they said that even though it was beautiful they wouldn't be going back. They said they tried to have a nice beach day but they were approached on more than one occasion buy a guy selling drugs on the beach. My brother in law said it was just really unnerving because you have no idea where you are really and who is around you, what these people are capable of etc..

[trev71]

Also I left out, I found after climbing the dunn river calls the people selling stuff as you exit the falls are extremely rude. Ive had stuff yelled at me and they grabbed me arm trying to get my to go look at their stuff even after I say no. Being from Canada I always use the "Je ne parle pas anglais" and a few other lines and 99% of the time it works except in St Martens it kinda back fired on my lmao. i should have paid more attention in french class 15 yrs ago :D

[whataboutport]

I had a few people in cozumel mexico throw insults at me and some swore at me cause I didnt want to go into their store. I havent really had alot of problems in Jamaica the last cruise I was on I never left the compound in Falmouth, they had a few pushy vendors but I got the price down on what I really wanted.

 

While walking back to the ferry area to go back to Coz after a day at Tulum, our guide led us through this shopping area. One of the shop keepers made moo cow sounds at us. :rolleyes: I was towards the front of the line and our group barely made it to his shop and he decides to do this. Oh yeah, since you made fun of us, now let me go spend money in your shop.

[Amerryscot]

I didn't find Jamaican pedlars any different from pedlars on the Mediterranean beaches - although the Jamaican ones in Jamaica are probably a bit more legal. They are much gentler than the vendors in a Tunisian Souk. If you can't handle Jamaica, do not go to Tunisia.

 

They are poor people trying to earn a living. They are not being rude, but trying to put food on the table.

 

It's the reality that the cruise brochures don't show you.

 

As I said before, I haven't felt hassled, but have also felt quite strongly about putting money into their local economy.

Edited August 13, 2014 by Amerryscot

[wwcruisers]

Having been to many ports in the Caribbean and Mexico -- there are some places where we feel safe, setting out on our own. But, there are many where we don't leave the port, unless in the company of a trusted tour guide. Obviously, any port in Jamaica falls into that category. But, a close second on the list is Belize City.

 

Our first stop in Belize, we took a ships' excursion to the Mayan ruins (New River/Lamanai). The tour itself was wonderful, and the bus ride through the Belize countryside was very interesting. But, Belize City itself is dirty, with heavily barred windows and doors, everywhere. Returning to the cruise terminal, our bus driver stopped across the street, to let us all out. Before we could get off the bus, and across the street to the terminal gate, we were literally mobbed by beggars and aggressive trinket vendors. We had some elderly people in front of us who were clearly frightened. I leaned forward and said -- just ignore them, and keep moving forward. What really ticked me off was the "security guard" at the terminal gate, who, rather than helping clear the path for us, just stood there and laughed. Our next trip to Belize was spent onboard the ship.

[Bankshot]

On returning to the ship in Falmouth I was aggressively challenged by a local security guard. I had bought nothing so I placed my camera on the belt and proceeded through the gateway. He wanted to know what I had in my pockets. So I emptied my keys and change. He then demanded to know what else I had so I gave him my chap stick and money clip. Still not satisfied he wanted to know about anything else. I showed him my wallet and told him, "Tell me what you're looking for and I'll show it to you if I have it". He said "If I find it I'll let you know". This jerk was apparently looking for drugs and thought I was a "Mule" or just being nasty to this 75 year old. Jamaica is the worst so we don't visit these ports anymore.

[kelkel2]

You know, my thing is, I know these people are poor and I am happy to spend money in their local economy. It's when I am literally hounded that I have a problem with. I guess I cannot relate because I can put food on my table and I do have an income so it's hard for me to understand, but my main problem is when I'm solicited for drugs. If it were goods or services I can ignore that but when we went to Belize, we had a guy we followed us everywhere we went offering us a carriage ride. He said he would show us anywhere we wanted to go. We said no thank you. He kept yelling at us. I would have been much more willing to spend more time and money in their country but it's just so annoying..We went back to the ship and had the remainder of the day as a ship day. It's a shame too because Belize is beautiful!

[Warm Breezes]

Wondered if we were alone in our impression of both Jamaica stops ( Ocho Rios and Montego Bay). We were badgered by Taxi drivers and beggars the entire day. One guy followed us for at least 2 hours in Ocho and would not stop asking us what we wanted to do, to go, on and on. I gave up saying NO THANK YOU. Whew......Mexico was bad, but I think Jamaica is the absolute worst for aggressive beggars. Anybody want to chime in??

 

We stuck to the cruise ship's Jamaican Bobsled excursion to Mystic Mountain after hearing stories like this. We had a great time and weren't bothered by anyone. I found Nassau to be worse than Jamaica. We don't even bother to get off there anymore.

[momofmeg]

I didn't find Jamaican pedlars any different from pedlars on the Mediterranean beaches - although the Jamaican ones in Jamaica are probably a bit more legal. They are much gentler than the vendors in a Tunisian Souk. If you can't handle Jamaica, do not go to Tunisia.

 

They are poor people trying to earn a living. They are not being rude, but trying to put food on the table.

 

It's the reality that the cruise brochures don't show you.

 

As I said before, I haven't felt hassled, but have also felt quite strongly about putting money into their local economy.

 

Oh I understand completely about poverty. My family had very little when I was growing up. we never went hungry but we ate a lot of cheap meals (if we had meat it was hamburger or chicken) and Mom did not buy things like cookies and potato chips as they were a an unnecessary luxury. We had no air conditioning for summer,too expensive, and we lived in the southern United States. No dish washer either. I was the dishwasher. No clothes dryer either. My job also was to hang washing outside on the line. (of course now I hang sheets and towels on the line because I like the way they smell, but it is a choice) I may have had it better as I never wet hungry, but I did not exactly have a "privileged" upbringing. so yes I have empathy for those who have it much worst than I did.

 

I just wish someone would clue them in on how they can make sales and it is not by accosting older women and trying to frighten them into buying. I have a big heart and I will buy all kind of junk but not if I am afraid to show my money for fear I will be mugged.

 

Ofocurse that IS the problem, many are not just overaggressive shop many are simply people walking the street trying their best to get money out of you and they do not even have anything legit to sale. such a s"guide services" or $1 worth of beads they have strung and asking $10 donation.

 

If Tunisia is worse than Jamaica I am not interested in going there. I am glad our Med cruise only went to Europe. I did see some poverty I saw a poor woman begging with a child and she seemed very ashamed not bold like the Americans I see begging in Kotor. I felt she was legit and not a drug addict. Even though I saw that, I was never accosted by over jealous shop keepers as I do in several Caribbean ports.

 

There are a few port sin the Caribbean we do not get that. Grand Cayman, St. Thomas, Key West, Aruba and Curacao. Personally I have not seen that in St. Marteen that the one person did but maybe that guy is just one lone crazy that has mental issues? Costa Maya has never been a problem either, even when we left the port area and go to the fishing village. I also did not have a problem in Costa Rica or Colon? I think which is at the Panama Canal. we had no problem in Roatan but we did a ship's sponsored tour. Belize we never had a problem either although we saw plenty of very poor people.

 

Which reminds me Guatemala was as bad as Jamaica and yes we were on a ship's sponsored tour. I have no desire to go back there either.

[ncovert]

Wondered if we were alone in our impression of both Jamaica stops ( Ocho Rios and Montego Bay). We were badgered by Taxi drivers and beggars the entire day. One guy followed us for at least 2 hours in Ocho and would not stop asking us what we wanted to do, to go, on and on. I gave up saying NO THANK YOU. Whew......Mexico was bad, but I think Jamaica is the absolute worst for aggressive beggars. Anybody want to chime in??

 

I had a similar experience in Jamaica and is the reason we avoid booking cruises that go there. Had a guy who was badgering us at one place. We hop into a taxi and had a taxi ride over 20 minutes long and after paying for our ride back to the cruise terminal the same guy hopped out of another car and continue to badger us. Have a very good feeling if we had not been close to the ship he would have been much less civil. I WILL NEVER GET OFF A SHIP IN Jamaica again.

[FawnRiver]

I don't think giving people fair warning about what they could expect in some ports is judgemental, in and of itself. If I had known what to expect in Grenada, I would have booked a ship's tour, although that isn't a guarantee that you're not going to run into someone who is bothersome.

 

When we were in Lisbon (on a ship's tour), our tour guide kept pointing out how poor they were and how bad their economy was and how it would be greatly appreciated if we spent more money while there. We found it a little uncomfortable and purchased only things that interested us.

 

All that aside, we've met a lot of vendors in the caribbean and elsewhere who are perfectly polite and been a pleasure to shop from. You get what you give. We didn't create the world, we just try and live in it :cool:.

[Warm Breezes]

I don't think giving people fair warning about what they could expect in some ports is judgemental, in and of itself. If I had known what to expect in Grenada, I would have booked a ship's tour, although that isn't a guarantee that you're not going to run into someone who is bothersome.

 

When we were in Lisbon (on a ship's tour), our tour guide kept pointing out how poor they were and how bad their economy was and how it would be greatly appreciated if we spent more money while there. We found it a little uncomfortable and purchased only things that interested us.

 

All that aside, we've met a lot of vendors in the caribbean and elsewhere who are perfectly polite and been a pleasure to shop from. You get what you give. We didn't create the world, we just try and live in it :cool:.

 

I have to agree with this. We went to Jamaica for the first time last year with our 2 kids and DD's BFF. After reading the stories of others on these boards, I decided that we would book a ships excursion due to my safety concerns. We ended having a great time away from the pushy vendors and drug dealers that many describe here by doing this. We found Jamaica to be a lovely place and would visit it again. Having been made aware of issues of traveling to Jamaica, we were able plan a visit that helped us to avoid the issues others were having. I was very thankful for that.