17 People robbed on Conquest Jamaica excursion

[kbahamas7]

:rolleyes: I can definately think of a few other ways to get FREE cruise/excursion compensation than to conjure up a "story" such as this. :rolleyes:

 

Don't get me wrong, I'm NOT Doubting whether it happened or not...I'm just saying that I find it a little hard to swallow that things happened the way that the OP stated that it happened.

 

BTW...I'm Glad Nothing Happened to US when we went to Jamaica.

 

I think the op was telling it like it happened and I doubt very much that they "conjured" up a story like this just to get a free cruise/excursion!!

[crystalblue0610]

This story was on Channel 11 news KHOU this morning around 11:30am. They showed on lady and her son who was there and he was STILL shaken up.

 

And they spoke to a few people and they we just saying how they heard about it around the ship

[lovcruzin]

Also just off the Conquest on Sunday - June 17th. This it the second time I have been to Montego Bay and was very uncomfortable both visits. After what happened to fellow cruisers this past week, I will never book a cruise that visits that port again. I realize that dangers exist everywhere, but Carnival needs to consider a safer destination for family vacation travel. If Carnival continues to make this port part of their intinerary, they need to warn of the dangers. Several families were traveling with us - and one of the teenagers on the trip questioned why we would stop at such a dangerous place!! The rest of the cruise was great! We took the Beach Buggy excursion in Cozumel - and it was wonderful. Tour guide was great and food could not have been better. Highly recommended.

[SandyW]

 

New Orleans is also very dangerous. Avoiding all of Carnival's high crime ports will leave you with very few choices.

 

The afternoon before our frist cruise out of New Orleans, we were walking a few blocks away from the pier pre-Katrina and it was nearing dusk. All of a sudden these groups of guys started forming here and there. We could tell some were watching us. It was very troubling...so we turned around and quickly headed back to the hotel. It wasn't night yet...we had been warned not to go out by ourselves at night.

 

I'm so sorry BLUEBONNET for all you and your family - and the rest of the people - have been through. I had wondered if this happened at the jitney point of the excursion as that seemed the most likely time. There isn't anything that can protect you at that point of the excursion. No quick exits or anything. Thank you for sharing your experience.

[no1dragn]

First of all I want to say thank goodness the passengers were ok (physically at least). I am sorry that this happened. Next, I have to say a special prayer of thanks, because in Nov. I took my mother on her first cruise and Mo-Bay was our favorite port. We did tour the place independently and had no problems, well other than the beach restuarant ran out of food and the return taxi tried to charge us more, but he changed his mind when I said we would wait for another cab. We ended up paying his price with the tip because we got back to the ship on time, with no issues, and with a lot of humor (What does KFC (as in Kentucky Fried Chicken) stand for? Keep From Cookin'). I think now that we must of had angels guarding us. We never heard tales or rumors of things that happened like this horrible story. If so I would never have taken my mom off the ship! Best wishes to those who were in this situation. I hope that you can find some peace.

[bepsf]

Remember when all the cruiselines left St Croix for a number of years after a golfing party was shot and killed?

Maybe it's time for all CCL lines to withdraw from Jamaica for a while...

:cool:

[Lady_Bayou]

Well call me cold-hearted, but I think the silver lining in this is that there is at least one thug OFF the street in Jamaica!

[Sports Mama]

Well call me cold-hearted, but I think the silver lining in this is that there is at least one thug OFF the street in Jamaica!

 

Lady Bayou that is not cold hearted, it is the truth, unfortunately there are still thousands more thugs--everywhere. Actually I'm probably more cold hearted, I laughed when I read your post.:)

[wernew2cruising]

Don't bash me for this, but was the driver of the jitny(sp) robbed as well?? Just curious.

 

Thank God all of you were safe and relatively unharmed. I hope they quickly find the other gunman!

[Gator83]

Just another reason to NEVER visit Jamaica. I know it could happen any where but Jamaica really is a crappy place.

[KTsMom]

Well call me cold-hearted, but I think the silver lining in this is that there is at least one thug OFF the street in Jamaica!

 

Amen!!

 

I am taking my mom on her first cruise at the end of Sept on the Conquest and this has definitely cause me to doubt getting off in Montego Bay. I am adventurous, as is my mom, but without my husband to protect me, I am much less brazen.

 

Don't bash me for this, but was the driver of the jitny(sp) robbed as well?? Just curious.

 

Thank God all of you were safe and relatively unharmed. I hope they quickly find the other gunman!

 

 

That would be interesting, wouldn't it. If the driver actually had anything of value for them to steal.

[truecruiser]

Remember when all the cruiselines left St Croix for a number of years after a golfing party was shot and killed?

 

Maybe it's time for all CCL lines to withdraw from Jamaica for a while...

:cool:

 

there was a whole debate about this on another thread. i just signed back on, and at a quick glance, it looks like it was pulled.

 

Don't bash me for this, but was the driver of the jitny(sp) robbed as well?? Just curious.

 

Thank God all of you were safe and relatively unharmed. I hope they quickly find the other gunman!

 

no bash here. i actually even wondered if he might have known about it, and/or might have been on it, taking his cut later that night. who knows.

[bluebonnet]

I wanted to say thanks for the many kind words said on here today.

As for you all that wondered about the jitney driver, he was very shook up and I believe the 17 of us feel he had nothing to do with the robbery.

[nybumpkin]

I wanted to say thanks for the many kind words said on here today.

As for you all that wondered about the jitney driver, he was very shook up and I believe the 17 of us feel he had nothing to do with the robbery.

Hope you're doing okay - I can't imagine. There's a news story on the CC home page stating that Carnival has suspended the Lethe village tour - but not the stop at MoBay.

[wernew2cruising]

"no bash here. i actually even wondered if he might have known about it, and/or might have been on it, taking his cut later that night. who knows."

 

Thank you truecruiser....this was my line of thinking, cynical I know but my husband is a fraud investigator.

[hstrybuf]

bluebonnet, I'm glad you are all home safe. I can't imagine how frightening this experience must have been for all of you.

[truecruiser]

I wanted to say thanks for the many kind words said on here today.

As for you all that wondered about the jitney driver, he was very shook up and I believe the 17 of us feel he had nothing to do with the robbery.

 

yeah, i figured as much. even dismissed it in my own mind, picturing him as an elderly gentleman (and he probably wasn't that either, right? LOL). i think the recent "i was drugged in costa maya" thread had me considering that scenario too.

[Abear2]

OMG Bluebonnet that is horrible. I feel so bad for the kids that were on that tour. They will need counseling because this will stay with them for a long time. I have been on 8 cruises and I did go to MB Jamaica on the Conquest. My friend and I went to Margaritaville and were so scared to take a taxi back to the ship, that I actually asked a security guard to get me a safe taxi. We went into a store and the girl that was working there was trying to make us steal a shirt. I was terrified and told her lets get out of here and back to that ship. I will never get down in Jamaica again I can promise you that.I have said since that time that the ships need to stop going to that port, as it is very scary and unsafe. Well, this just proves me right!:eek:

[robsvacation]

After 3 or 4 cruises that stopped in Jamaica, I no longer book a cruise that goes there. Why waste a port day on a stop where I don't want to get off?

 

While "it can happen anywhere" there are places where it happens more often and Jamaica is one of those places. But thousands of people cruise into Jamaica every year and they are not getting robbed at gunpoint every day.

 

But that said Jamaica and the vender's and street people are BEYOND aggressive, to the point where most people feel uncomfortable. In Ochoa Rios, walking from the port to the downtown, I couldn't go more that 20 feet without someone offering me drug, prostitutes, taxi cabs or Snorkeling trip (one guy offered all 4 at once I think) In the markets I feel like I'm under attack. At Dunn River Falls to get back to your cab/bus you need to walk through the gauntlet of vender's. And yes, at the market downtown when I turned down someone trying to get me into his shop he yelled at me "No Thank you, No Thank you! All you tourists know is No Thank you" to which I had a rather loud and obscene reply demonstrating some of the other words I knew!

 

I'm hoping to bring my nephew on a cruise soon and I can tell you I would never, EVER bring a child to Jamaica, even to a resort. You try explaining "ready Freddy" to a 6 year old! would just spend the trip worried about him!

[dromMOM]

State Tourists Robbed On Disney World Trip

June 11, 2007

Associated Press

 

 

So now do we not go to Disney? This just happened ON Disney Property.

 

Go to any city all over the world and these things do occur.

 

I know more people who have been robbed by "Gypsies" in europe..

 

In 1978 while on the Mardi Gras visiting St. Thomas someone had her arm broken when a robber tried to snatch her purse and she held on. We have continued to visit St. Thomas... all these years...

 

20 years ago we visited Ocho Rios and were accosted by agressive sales pitches and offers of drugs the moment our feet crossed the shore.

 

 

It is a terrible moment in those travelers lives especially the kids. But there is no guarantee that any of the tours offered can 100% guarantee that there wont be an incident. Unless of course armed guards will begin to travel with the Carnival tourists. The $800 I spent for three tours on my recent cruise would have to go higher for the security.

[JanesCruisingBuddy]

I have to admit, I got tired of reading some of this on the first page, so I skipped to the end to make a simple comment...

 

Hey, I have heard of stories of Canadian Tourists getting robbed in Florida... lets re-locate all the debarkation ports to the Maritimes... then I could cruise twice as much.

 

Seriously, this happening was terrible. But let's keep things in perspective. There is only so much the cruise lines can do, and things happen. I suppose they could double the cost of excursions and provide armed securety, but they had better do that at US ports as well, I hear Miami can be quite scary.

[jcanino]

Future cruisers should call their PVP/Carnival ASAP and ask if they will pass this port of call. If they say no ask them if they will be 100% responsible for your safety and 100% liable as well.

 

If people took a post cruise tour offered by Carnival of downtown Miami and South Beach or The EDverglades and got robbed by a local gang, would you call for Carnival to pull out of Miami? I truly feel for those people and would not want it to happen to me, but the reality is that it can happen anywhere. Even while you are on the ship you are not safe from outside threats. Look back at the Achille Lauro incident. One is not even safe in their own home. Home invasions are in the news all the time. There are approximately 2.8 million people in Jamaica. I guarantee you, they are not all thieves.

[DqALEX]

If people took a post cruise tour offered by Carnival of downtown Miami and South Beach or The EDverglades and got robbed by a local gang, would you call for Carnival to pull out of Miami? I truly feel for those people and would not want it to happen to me, but the reality is that it can happen anywhere. Even while you are on the ship you are not safe from outside threats. Look back at the Achille Lauro incident. One is not even safe in their own home. Home invasions are in the news all the time. There are approximately 2.8 million people in Jamaica. I guarantee you, they are not all thieves.

True there are places in the United States I would not go on vacation to. I cruise not only for the ports but for the ship as well. I have stopped in Jamaica once and saw for myself. I will be stopping there again on the Freedom and me nor my children will be getting off the ship. I dont like a place where drugs are pushed on me every 10 min. Where there are drugs there are guns, and a lot of problems. I can go to Newark NJ and see the same thing except palm trees. I dont pay good money to go on vacation to a problem spot.

[travmagic]

If people took a post cruise tour offered by Carnival of downtown Miami and South Beach or The EDverglades and got robbed by a local gang, would you call for Carnival to pull out of Miami? I truly feel for those people and would not want it to happen to me, but the reality is that it can happen anywhere. Even while you are on the ship you are not safe from outside threats. Look back at the Achille Lauro incident. One is not even safe in their own home. Home invasions are in the news all the time. There are approximately 2.8 million people in Jamaica. I guarantee you, they are not all thieves.

Not even the majority are thieves.

If the cruise lines pulled out of every port that had reports of violent crime, we wouldn't have to many choices.:rolleyes:

[gtalum]

[/u][/b]

Not even the majority are thieves.

If the cruise lines pulled out of every port that had reports of violent crime, we wouldn't have to many choices.:rolleyes:

 

Indeed. They couldn't home port anywhere in the US! :D