17 People robbed on Conquest Jamaica excursion

[bigphilky]

I am real sketchy on how 1 tour guide, a bus full of unarmed, unsuspecting tourist is supposed to prevent something like this from happening? from what I have read there was more then one criminal. with guns, knifes and who knows what else. Any law enforcment will tell you to do as they wish and don't get yourself killed! Which is what sounds like happened. I am just thankful no one was wounded or worse killed! But you tell me how ONE tour guide is suppose to take on a gang of gun toting thugs? People that don't think before they react to something just blow me away.

 

I do believe that carnival should keep it as a port of call but not allow anyone to leave they ship. OK I know that is silly. It would send a message. Just like not stopping. Maybe an industry wide boycott is the answer to make them clean it up or lose the revenue. I think when they see the numbers decreasing on shore excursions. Jamacian Authorities will do something about security.

 

I have always heard that if your not in an All Inclusive resort don't go to Jamacia

[MamaParrotHead]

I don't know how being 6'4" would help in an altercation with people armed with machetes and guns, LOL.;)

[MamaParrotHead]

Iv hired someone to take me personally shopping, just me and a driver for safety and leaving my family behind, I am only going to the store to buy Blue Mountain coffee and back to the ship.

 

Iv already taken as many precautions as possible to be safe. sorry, but I still want to stop at this port to shop.

 

I'd rather get coffee online http://bluemountaincoffee.com/ and stop in a port where my and my families' physical safety wasn't questionable.

[crystalblue0610]

Gunpoint and MACHETTES :eek:

 

Machettes are you serious.

 

Those people are scary the minute you walk out of the terminal building with EVERYONE saying "get in my taxi, where you need to go mon":eek:

 

 

Not to be rude....but WHAT was the woman with the camara doing. Some guy with a machette is saying give me the camara and you say no, *****...it's a camara....I'd give that thing up in a heartbeat and if I REALLY wanted one when I get back to the ship go and buy one in a gift shop

[SandyW]

I still don't know what the "right" thing to do is. I would think an impact of some kind would be made if people began cancelling their excursions in Mo Bay. I guess it's changed a lot in the past couple of years...we were on the same excursion as the people who were robbed and I don't recall feeling unsafe.

 

There is a point on this excursion where you are on a tractor drawn jitney which was really open and vulnerable. I can't remember if the tour guide goes on the jitney with you or if it's someone from the Village.

 

It still seems logical that you are safer in a larger group than in a smaller one.

[oakbend]

I just wanted everyone to be aware of what happened and be ready for the worst when you get to Jamaica, I was there and talked to these people!!! Yes, Carnival knows about this and was meeting with the entire group on Thursday morning. Yes, there was a 15 year Police veteran on board to keep everyone calm. Yes, some women were roughed up and one had a camera cut from her neck. Yes, this could happen anywhere and that is NOT the point nor the issue here. The issue is that our super shoper Neil stands up in the auditorium and tells everyone how safe it is when you book your excursion thru Carnival and don't worry mon' (his exact words) and now your guard is down. The big issue is with the local government and them allowing this to happen time and time again with little or no security in the Central Market which it is an awful place as well. When you have to hire a private escort/bodyguard/shopper that should tell you something is not right! Wennefred is 100% correct in his threads, you should all re-read them. Also, you can buy Blue Mountain coffee in the Terminal Building which is right outside the ship and safe. When you go on your cruise and you hear the super shopper give his talk stand up and ask the question about how safe it is??? When you book your excursion thru Carnival ask them is they will be liable for your safety??? The bottom line is this.....you feel none of the safety issues while in Grand Cayman or Cozumel, right???? Would you walk around in these towns line Jamaica???? I think not.

[fireofficer5]

Moma P. Its I can walk around and the vultures look for a weaker victim. A strong arm robbery I'll stand up. A machettie and I run the other way. A gun Igive them what they want. This is of course one on one.

[FlorenceItaly]

I I rather take my chances in Brooklyn or the Southside of anywhere in the U.S.

 

Fred

 

I agree. U.S. being the key word here, and at least we could protect ourselves. (My dh has a conceal carry permit).

 

 

Marie

[wernew2cruising]

Iv hired someone to take me personally shopping, just me and a driver for safety and leaving my family behind, I am only going to the store to buy Blue Mountain coffee and back to the ship.

 

Iv already taken as many precautions as possible to be safe. sorry, but I still want to stop at this port to shop.

 

 

They sell the coffee at the rum factory in grand cayman. I didn't get it in Jamaica and was upset until I happened to see it at the rum factory in Grand Cayman. Only $1 -2 higher I think.

[DG2004]

First all the tours are contracted by Carnival and not owned by them.

 

But, I disagree with you on responsibility. Carnival, in the shore talk pushes that the only "safe" way to tour Jamacia is with them. If they use safety as the main issue in pushing their tours at this stop as, they have been doing since at least 1994, than they should accept responsibility for that safty.

 

Well said Ula!!!

That is the truth

[truecruiser]

this is nuts. i was not happy when i found out CCL changed the itinerary on our liberty cruise in december. bad threads on jamaica. w/ every thread, there are those that say, nice port, can happen anywhere, etc., don't read too much into all of the bad reports. blah, blah, blah

 

well, i'm travelling w/ kids. so w/ this latest "achievement", i now have to think about skipping the port entirely, for their safety? i'm sorry, but there's no other way to put it: this truly sucks. if our tourist dollars mean so much to them, they need to get a handle on their crime. BTW, CCL -- i want costa maya back on my itinerary.

[Imalismom]

I wonder if the delay in leaving today has anything to do with this situation happening??? Its 8:30 PM and the conquest is still in port.....

 

I did talk to my neighbors who were on the cruise and they said that the people on the cruise barely heard about it.

[thoneycu]

I wonder if the delay in leaving today has anything to do with this situation happening??? Its 8:30 PM and the conquest is still in port.....

 

I did talk to my neighbors who were on the cruise and they said that the people on the cruise barely heard about it.

 

 

If you're looking at the webcam, I don't think it's working.....

[DqALEX]

I wonder if Carnival gave the people who got robbed 10% off there next cruise?

[tbrown]

If they were on a bus why did they stop and let these people on? It looks like if they were driving they could move on and not open the door. I have never been there and don't want to be so I may be off on this one

[Forchunut1]

If this happened to me on a Carnival excursion you can bet your bottom dollar that I would be talking to Carnival about it! Let's just say that I have business where I offer to take people on a little trip for a certain amount of money. Do you honestly think that I am not responsible for what happens on that little trip, regardless of who I hire to do the trip on my behalf?

 

I have been on several Carnival cruises and Carnival excursions, but I guarantee if this happened to me I would be raising some he** with someone at Carnival. This is just plain unacceptable, especially now that they know this has happened.

 

They were just lucky that no one was hurt.

[gtalum]

Carnival doesn't sail to the Southside of Oklahoma City.

 

 

They do sail to a pretty rough area of Miami, though. ;)

 

New Orleans is also very dangerous. Even Tampa and Jacksonville have a pretty high crime rate. Avoiding all of Carnival's high crime ports will leave you with very few choices.

[bluebonnet]

Oakbend thanks for getting the warning out. I am one of the 4 you had breakfast with on Saturday!!!

 

To the rest..........I am one of the 17, it was myself, my mom and two daughters 12 and 24 on this Carnival sponsored tour to the Lethe Village. It was a fabulous tour up to the point of gun point. We had been turned over to an elderly driver of the tractor pulled open air like tolley called a jitney. We had just come from the banana plantation and were headed to listen to some school age children sing for us.

 

Two young males came out from bushes one was carrying a shoe box and pulled out his gun, the other had a machete and gun. The one that did all the talk was next to me most of the time. I was told I would f......ing be killed if I did not give him everything, as was everyone else. I can describe how scared everyone was, especially the children. The youngest child on the tour was begging for her life............not something you experience everyday and most not in their life time!!!!!

 

Of course after this all happened and the two guys let us go we went straight back to the bus area and ended our tour. With in thirty minutes the police came and we were taken to the owner of the Lethe Estates office to give our reports. This entire process took several hours, we begged to be taken back to the ship but were told no we had to go through the Jamaican process. Finally we were escorted back to the ship by the police and Minister of Tourism.

 

Carnival did what they could do from a ships stand point, and today I will find out what the home office is going to do. I lost 2 digital cameras, passports, drivers license, credit card, $100 cash.......and many other small items that were in our two backpacks that were taken. The only real thing I would like back are my memory cards from the cameras because I was also robbed of my pictures I had taken to this point.

 

I could type so much more but I am so tired of re living this. Today I will spend replacing my drivers license, getting new passports started and dealing with Carnival.

 

Before anyone flames me for having my two daughters passports with me this was my first cruise and I thought they needed them for identification to return on the ship, I know better know.

 

I could also go into the hours I spent in the ships terminal yesterday to identify some things that had been apprehended from the dead one. But to some that up the only thing was my moms digital camera minus the memory card and no one can tell me if the thugs removed it or if the Jamaica police have it. We were told the police closes on Sunday there, that is the honest truth as to what we were told........!!!!

 

Any questions I will try to answer.

[Snoozeman]

bluebonnet

 

thank god you were not physically harmed, but i know it had to be a very emotional experience for you.

 

Thank you for adding your comments, I hope they return your items soon.

 

Was the Minister of Tourism accommodating to you? I hope they do something for your family.

 

I'm so glad you are home safe.

[bluebonnet]

Snoozeman............yes the official in Jamaica were as accommodating as they could be I guess......having never been in this type of situation things from that day still seem like a dream. So many people from different offices came to make sure we were safe. We felt so much better once we found out our trip back to the ship was going to be escorted because at that point no one on the island looked trust worthy to us.

[truecruiser]

...We had just come from the banana plantation and were headed to listen to some school age children sing for us.

 

Two young males came out from bushes one was carrying a shoe box and pulled out his gun, the other had a machete and gun. The one that did all the talk was next to me most of the time. I was told I would f......ing be killed if I did not give him everything....

 

and to think some posters don't see this as atypical. :confused: almost as if this situation is no different than if you had been walking around the streets, alone, in a place known to be unsafe, browsing and shopping, w/ tourist plastered on your forehead. baffles the mind.

 

 

...we were taken to the owner of the Lethe Estates office to give our reports. This entire process took several hours, we begged to be taken back to the ship but were told no we had to go through the Jamaican process. Finally we were escorted back to the ship by the police and Minister of Tourism...

 

did this continue past the time you were due to depart? if so, thank goodness CCL had the common sense not to leave.

 

 

...We were told the police closes on Sunday there, that is the honest truth as to what we were told........!!!!

 

now, there's an open invitation if i ever heard one.:rolleyes:

[bluebonnet]

truecruiser...........luckily we made it back to the ships terminal by 3:30, four hours and 15 minutes after the robbery though!!

[truecruiser]

BB -- what happened when you returned through customs w/ you DDs' pp being taken?

[gr1634]

What a terrible thing to happen to anyone. Can not imagine how I would feel or react had it been me and DW. Hopefully I would have been smart enough to give them what they want and leave. Is Carnival responsible? Well there is enough of that to go around in several places. Carnival is responsible to a degree because they contract with the local venders and they are aware of what goes on at ALL of their ports. The local authorities are responsible as well just like any police or govt agency is in their area of jurisdiction. Yes it is also true that this kind of thing can and does happen almost anywhere. Don't know of anyway authorities can guarantee this won't happen. They can take actions to minimize the potential but as with anywhere - if the thugs want to - they can figure out a way. Unfortunate but true. The first time we were there a kid tried to break into the bus we were on with all of us watching - to include the driver - who chased him off with a stick. What should Carnival do? I would not guess. That is a business decision they need to make. Is the risk to the passengers worth continuiing to go there? At what point would Carnival feel it "safe to return?" Obviously the passengers will have to make a decision on whether they want to take the chance. Would we feel better if there were a couple of armed guards on the excursion with us? Personnaly if that was what was necessary to provide an "acceptable" degree of safety I doubt we would venture out. Didn't add much to the conversation but just sharing some thoughts.

[bluebonnet]

truecruiser..........the authorities in customs were very nice to us and understanding. We had to answer just a few questions and then we were on our way!!