Bartender of the Fantasy told us Jamaica is not very safe

[fairytalelover]

One of the bartenders on the Fantasy told us that we should stay close to the ship when we port in Jamaica because it's not very safe if we go further out than the shops in the close vicinity of the ship. Is this true? We are thinking of doing the Bobsled Port Adventure and that's a bit of a drive away from the ship so are we safe that far inland?

 

[PrincessShmoo]

One of the bartenders on the Fantasy told us that we should stay close to the ship when we port in Jamaica because it's not very safe if we go further out than the shops in the close vicinity of the ship. Is this true? We are thinking of doing the Bobsled Port Adventure and that's a bit of a drive away from the ship so are we safe that far inland?

In Jamaica it's best to stay in the secured port shopping area, if just going out by yourselves. If you are on a DCL scheduled excursion, it's also OK.

I wouldn't venture outside the secured port area by myself, but would take a planned excursion.

 

[Tonka's Skipper]

What Shmoo said!

Many areas of Jamaica can be a problem.


AKK

 

[cedricandsophie]

People have said Jamaica wasn't safe for years. But in reality the instances of pick pockets, etc aren't any worse than other islands. My husband and I have walked around and felt fine. But we have been all over the world in some pretty dicey places and never been scared. it often depends on how friendly you are. Leave your good jewelry and money on board. If you are on a tour, you will be fine. You might also hire a car and driver to take you around.

 

[BadPinkTink]

posts like this make me laugh, oh this place isnt safe, that place isnt safe. The same attitude was on a different thread when I posted about staying in Downtown LA, oh its not safe outside the hours of 9 to 5.

You just need to be street wise and dont do stupid things.The more "touristy" you look the more you will be a target for for petty crime. Dont go down dark alleys, dont flash cash, dont walk around holding a map, dont walk around holding an ipad , dont wear your camera on a neck strap or have it visible, dont use an obvious designer handbag or wear lots of jeweley or expensive clothes. Dont keep your phone or wallet in your trouser back pocket, dont go around with an open bag or leave your bag hanging on the back of your chair

It always amazes me how people wouldn't do or act a certain way at home as they know it will make them a target but yet they go on holiday and do the most stupid things and then wonder why they get robbed.

Just think of tourists in your own home town or city. Isnt very easy to spot the tourist due to how they dress or how they act? Now look at how you dress and act when on holiday.

Be aware of your surroundings, be aware of who locals dress, act and speak, be aware of local customs and social etiquette and enjoy seeing a different country

 

[fairytalelover]

posts like this make me laugh, oh this place isnt safe, that place isnt safe. The same attitude was on a different thread when I posted about staying in Downtown LA, oh its not safe outside the hours of 9 to 5.

You just need to be street wise and dont do stupid things.The more "touristy" you look the more you will be a target for for petty crime. Dont go down dark alleys, dont flash cash, dont walk around holding a map, dont walk around holding an ipad , dont wear your camera on a neck strap or have it visible, dont use an obvious designer handbag or wear lots of jeweley or expensive clothes. Dont keep your phone or wallet in your trouser back pocket, dont go around with an open bag or leave your bag hanging on the back of your chair

It always amazes me how people wouldn't do or act a certain way at home as they know it will make them a target but yet they go on holiday and do the most stupid things and then wonder why they get robbed.

Just think of tourists in your own home town or city. Isnt very easy to spot the tourist due to how they dress or how they act? Now look at how you dress and act when on holiday.

Be aware of your surroundings, be aware of who locals dress, act and speak, be aware of local customs and social etiquette and enjoy seeing a different country

ummm.....so you want us to dress like local Jamaicans???? Yeah, so we all look like tourists getting off the ship. We are taking photos and shopping too so that fact that we are all tourists is pretty obvious to any local person.

 

[Club Disney Chandler]

One of the bartenders on the Fantasy told us that we should stay close to the ship when we port in Jamaica because it's not very safe if we go further out than the shops in the close vicinity of the ship. Is this true? We are thinking of doing the Bobsled Port Adventure and that's a bit of a drive away from the ship so are we safe that far inland?

Do it!!!! We had so much fun on this. We did the bobsled and zip lining, I'm not a fan of heights at all but I'd do this excursion again in a heartbeat. The chairlift to get to the top of the mountain was also great, beautiful views of the island and Caribbean. The jerk chicken lunch was also great.

Of all the excursions we've done on our 4 cruises, this and parasailing at Castaway Cay were our favorites.

I agree with PP, driving across the island in a minibus was totally fine. I wouldn't walk by myself outside the port fence but there was really nothing to see there anyway.

BTW, make sure to coat yourself in sunscreen, you get lots of sun on the chairlift.

 

[DHSbutcher]

We loved jamaica. We did a tour while on the Celebrity Silhouette last year during spring break and some strong guy paddled us down a river. It was so peaceful nd we learned a lot. I'd definitely go back to visit jamaica, we ran into nothing but nice people. We do travel to somewhat dicey places, but have no children in tow. As a child my parents did bring me to Trinidad, Mexico City, and other "dicey" places but you just have to be careful

 

[fairytalelover]

Do it!!!! We had so much fun on this. We did the bobsled and zip lining, I'm not a fan of heights at all but I'd do this excursion again in a heartbeat. The chairlift to get to the top of the mountain was also great, beautiful views of the island and Caribbean. The jerk chicken lunch was also great.

Of all the excursions we've done on our 4 cruises, this and parasailing at Castaway Cay were our favorites.

I agree with PP, driving across the island in a minibus was totally fine. I wouldn't walk by myself outside the port fence but there was really nothing to see there anyway.

BTW, make sure to coat yourself in sunscreen, you get lots of sun on the chairlift.

I'm happy to hear that you liked it. We really want to try it out but were a little hesitant about the safety factor. Also how fast do the bobsleds go? We want to make sure it's safe for our 10 year old.

 

[GatorMomInNC]

I've only been to Jamaica once and it was not on a Disney cruise and I was with my husband. We just got off to do some shopping and the amount of harassment we got was pretty bad.

The Fantasy crew maybe wary of Jamaica because a pastry chef for the Fantasy was killed there a couple years ago. My supervisor is Jamaiccan and she says the crime is horrible and rarely goes back there.

I wouldn't do an excursion in Jamaica on my own. I would only go with an excursion group.

 

[WanderLit]

ummm.....so you want us to dress like local Jamaicans???? Yeah, so we all look like tourists getting off the ship. We are taking photos and shopping too so that fact that we are all tourists is pretty obvious to any local person.

Being of pale Scottish stock and prone to freckles and sunburn, I'm afraid there is no blending in for me in Jamaica either. LOL!

There are relative risks everywhere. I've been from Anchorage to Angkor Wat and more than a handful of Caribbean and Central American countries. I agree that simply saying this or that place is "safe" or "unsafe" is a gross oversimplification. But so is the obvious advice to simply be street-smart and stay aware of your surroundings. The more you learn about the specific nature of the risks in a certain place and familiarize yourself with the social and political situation there, the better equipped you will be to effectively manage your risk-exposure and match it to your personal risk tolerance.

When I spent a month in Southeast Asia (another trip where there was no "blending in" for me) I made a much more thorough study of the social climate than I will for one afternoon in Falmouth. Instead of sweating the risk-benefit analysis, it's just easier to go to a familiar favorite if you have already been in the area before or trust an official tour company contracted with the ship. I have a stronger than average taste for adventure, but I'll have an adult daughter and small granddaughter in tow so I'm more risk-adverse for this trip than I might usually be alone.

For example: My adult daughter is an ultra-runner. (She trail-runs races longer than marathons.) She wants to run in every port and map her runs on her training app. I'm not comfortable turning her loose to just pick a road and run up it for 10 miles or so-- so I booked the New Hope Plantation visit. She can run around the plantation while DGD and I ride the carriage tour.

 

[Ofinn]

ummm.....so you want us to dress like local Jamaicans???? Yeah, so we all look like tourists getting off the ship. We are taking photos and shopping too so that fact that we are all tourists is pretty obvious to any local person.

Thats what I was thinking. My family all has blond hair and blue eyes. Not sure how we would pass for Jamacain. As far as LA there are definetely areas you stay out of.

 

[luvpooh]

A girl my DH went to HS with, along with her boyfriend and their 2 friends were killed in Jamaica awhile back. They had rented a Jeep and were found on the side of a road. IDK what was ever found out about the circumstances, if anything...

 

[cgolf]

We felt very safe on our excursion, good hope estate where the people were awesome, but had a very interesting trip back to port. The bus had to stop at the gas station to put a small amount of gas in the bus, not a full tank, to get us back to port. While at the gas station we noticed a car pull up to a pump, the driver got out and showed the attendant something under a blanket in the trunk. They drove off without getting gas or paying for anything. Then we saw at least one car pull in talk to the attendant and left without getting gas or anything else. Have a hunch about what was going on there.

While we never felt unsafe on the excursion, we felt that this was not a port we want to visit again. It was just wasn't as pretty as other islands we have visited, it just felt really run down, similar to Nassau. We did port at a different spot than Falmouth due to wind so maybe that had something to do with it.

 

[MunFam]

Thats what I was thinking. My family all has blond hair and blue eyes. Not sure how we would pass for Jamacain. As far as LA there are definetely areas you stay out of.

Its not about trying to be/look like a local. I work in the travel and tourism industry and crooks definitely go after the "tourist"...ya know the one that is looking at his map, completely unaware of his surroundings. He then tucks his map away and leaves his backpack open where his iPad and DSLR camera are stored to wander around a bit. He then sits his backpack on a park bench and pulls out his fancy DSLR. He is not watching his backpack anymore and is taking pictures of everything. He leaves his fancy camera hanging around his neck (and and lets not forget, he has his DCL lanyard around his neck). He has on a Rolex and designer shoes.

Now, here is me...the tourist. My cell phone and wallet are in my front pocket to prevent pickpocketing. My KTW card is stowed away in my wallet. No Lanyard for me! I am using a basic point and shoot camera and my fancy DSLR is still on the ship. I make eye contact with the people around me and I have already studied my map so I know where I am headed. My watch is a plain basic watch that I picked up from Target. I am not wearing any designer clothes and I am walking with a mission.

That is what they are trying to say...you can get pegged as a "tourist" anywhere and become a victim to theft. Be a smart, aware tourist.

"They say" that Cartagena is not a safe city. I was slightly nervous about this port because SOOOO many people said that it was soooo bad. We loved the city and we actually plan on going back to spend more time there. Had I let people convince me it was unsafe, I would have never gotten off the ship. We practiced smart travel and were just fine. Oh, and we are the typical WASP family with blue eyes and blonde hair.

Now this idiot that we kept seeing from our cruise was constantly getting harassed for money and to buy things from the locals. He had on a big DCL hat, a mickey t shirt and his DCL lanyard. Oh and khaki shorts with socks and birkenstocks. He LOOKED like he just stepped off the ship. I had on shorts, a flowy tank and sandals. I had a fedora on and carried my things in a small bag. Not one person harassed me or my entire family.

Google "tourist costume" and then avoid looking like that and you will be fine in any city you travel. Heck, even the USA isnt "safe".

 

[Bear3412]

.... Also how fast do the bobsleds go? We want to make sure it's safe for our 10 year old.

The bobsleds have hand brakes. IIRC the front pax has control of the brakes, ie my DD8. You can go as fast as you like. The first time DD8 and I went down slow. Next ride that day I don't think she applied brakes at all.

You can purchase more bobsled rides once at the top. They also take your picture during the ride, so smile. lol

HTH

ETA; Maybe it was two single riders cars attached to each other, and I let her control the speed. Memory failing.

You can see the camera flash in this video;

 

[cdoc29]

We went beyond the homogenized shopping area and were just fine. I would be more worried in Nassau than in Jamaica. While Jamaica does have a high crime rate that is usually found in Kingstown on the other side of the island and the Police have more of a presence in the tourist areas. That said a polite, firm "no thank" you goes a long way into deterring those who are trying to sell you cheap trinkets, they are pushy but just trying to make a living. I think they are what gives the impression of it being unsafe more than anything else. Once you get past them into the town the people were very friendly. Go out in groups of two or more and explore the town, just be sure to have situational awareness and be smart.

There was a case last year that made the news of two men who were missing after leaving the downtown port area in Falmouth, many people questioned the safety of the area and were sure they met with foul play. It turns out they decided too take an extended vacation and the next week when trying to catch the next boat were arrested for violating the immigration act.

 

[JW9DVC]

One of the bartenders on the Fantasy told us that we should stay close to the ship when we port in Jamaica because it's not very safe if we go further out than the shops in the close vicinity of the ship. Is this true? We are thinking of doing the Bobsled Port Adventure and that's a bit of a drive away from the ship so are we safe that far inland?

Must be true if the bartender told you so. Crime can happen anywhere.

JW

 

[NancyIL]

Its not about trying to be/look like a local. I work in the travel and tourism industry and crooks definitely go after the "tourist"...ya know the one that is looking at his map, completely unaware of his surroundings. He then tucks his map away and leaves his backpack open where his iPad and DSLR camera are stored to wander around a bit. He then sits his backpack on a park bench and pulls out his fancy DSLR. He is not watching his backpack anymore and is taking pictures of everything. He leaves his fancy camera hanging around his neck (and and lets not forget, he has his DCL lanyard around his neck). He has on a Rolex and designer shoes.

Now, here is me...the tourist. My cell phone and wallet are in my front pocket to prevent pickpocketing. My KTW card is stowed away in my wallet. No Lanyard for me! I am using a basic point and shoot camera and my fancy DSLR is still on the ship. I make eye contact with the people around me and I have already studied my map so I know where I am headed. My watch is a plain basic watch that I picked up from Target. I am not wearing any designer clothes and I am walking with a mission.

That is what they are trying to say...you can get pegged as a "tourist" anywhere and become a victim to theft. Be a smart, aware tourist.

"They say" that Cartagena is not a safe city. I was slightly nervous about this port because SOOOO many people said that it was soooo bad. We loved the city and we actually plan on going back to spend more time there. Had I let people convince me it was unsafe, I would have never gotten off the ship. We practiced smart travel and were just fine. Oh, and we are the typical WASP family with blue eyes and blonde hair.

Now this idiot that we kept seeing from our cruise was constantly getting harassed for money and to buy things from the locals. He had on a big DCL hat, a mickey t shirt and his DCL lanyard. Oh and khaki shorts with socks and birkenstocks. He LOOKED like he just stepped off the ship. I had on shorts, a flowy tank and sandals. I had a fedora on and carried my things in a small bag. Not one person harassed me or my entire family.

Google "tourist costume" and then avoid looking like that and you will be fine in any city you travel. Heck, even the USA isnt "safe".

Add to that the Castaway Club backpacks that I've seen many DCL passengers carry in port. I recently sailed with Princess, and lots of my fellow passengers carried their cloth Princess shopping bags in the ports. There isn't much one can do about the sticker you have to wear if you're on an excursion, but remove it once the tour has ended.

 

[MaleficentRN]

From https://travel.state.gov/content/passports/en/country/jamaica.html

Crime, including violent crime, is a serious problem in Jamaica, particularly in Kingston and Montego Bay and other major tourist areas. While the vast majority of crimes occur in impoverished areas, random acts of violence, such as gunfire, may occur anywhere. The primary criminal concern for tourists is becoming a victim of theft. In several cases, armed robberies of U.S. citizens have turned violent when the victims resisted or were slow in handing over valuables. Crime is exacerbated by the fact that police are understaffed and often ineffective. Additionally, there have been allegations of police corruption. You should take all necessary precautions by always paying extra attention to your surroundings when traveling and keeping windows up and doors locked while in a vehicle or in your hotel. You should avoid walking alone, exercise special care after dark, and always avoid areas known for high crime rates. Under no circumstances should you accept rides from unknown individuals, including unmarked taxis, as this is often a pretext for attempted robbery and/or sexual assault.