Is Nassau dangerous?

[Lisa Lisa]

If you take a water taxi, watch where you sit, we got absolutely soaked from water coming through the window!

Good to know! Where do you catch the water taxi?

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[CanuckTraveller]

Well heck. Now I'm more torn than ever! On one hand, what yall are saying about sticking to the tourist areas and being aware of surroundings makes sense. We wouldn't ever bring anything valuable and only travel with limited cash anyway so that would hopefully make us less of a target. On the other hand, I'm cruising with DDs 3 and 7 plus my mom (who's overweight and has some health problems that slow her down) so that seems like it might make us an easier target - 2 little girls, mom, and grandma! We really only want to go to the straw market and a linen shop my mom remembers from a few years ago. I know when I walk around downtown Houston, I walk with a purpose, pay attention to my surroundings, etc. so that should work for Nassau too, right?

You will be fine going to the straw market and linen shop. Those two areas are not far from the ship, crowded with tourists and a fairly easy place to stay safe. I went alone to that area in March, I'm a mid-30's woman and I felt safe. My boys (7&4 at the time) walked with DH and I to Fort Fincastle (about 3k from the ship) and the locals were more than helpful ensuring we were going the right way.
IMNSHO, if I feel safe leaving home and walking in a major North American city, I feel safe walking in Nassau with similar precautions.

 

[king kamehameha]

I find it fascinating that Disney continues to sail here but pulled out and stopped making the west coast Mexico trips. We got off in each Mexican port and there was no where near the fear and threat of violence that seems prevalent in Nassau. We had a great time. Especially in Cabo that was super clean, friendly, and safe. After reading many posts and articles on this subject I wouldn't get off of the ship in Nassau.

I read somewhere ( I subscribe to Cruise travel magazine so it was probably there) that if a ship is flagged from Nassau (which all the Disney ships are) they have to make a stop there if they sail anywhere in the Bahamas. That may not be the exact rule but it is something like that.

 

[TwinPrincessMermaids]

I read somewhere ( I subscribe to Cruise travel magazine so it was probably there) that if a ship is flagged from Nassau (which all the Disney ships are) they have to make a stop there if they sail anywhere in the Bahamas. That may not be the exact rule but it is something like that.

Sub, why do the Disney ships say NASSAU instead of PC? Curious.

 

[AdaraRae]

Sub, why do the Disney ships say NASSAU instead of PC? Curious.

By being out if the Bahamas they are under us labor laws. Can hire people for cheaper, etc. that's one big reason!

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[king kamehameha]

Every cruise ship has to be registered (like a car or boat) somewhere in the world so they choose countries that have cheaper rates and less strict rules. It just means it is registered in Nassau, but can call anyplace "home", like port canaveral.

 

[Jey12]

As far as the taxi rides go as long as you understand driving laws there are only mere suggestions you shouldn't be surprised.

As far as the Straw Market goes I wouldn't say I felt threatened, although in one back corner I felt very uneasy and I trust my instincts so we walked in the other direction. Mostly I felt like an unwanted relative at a family picnic. On a previous trip to Cancun and Playa De Carmen shopping in the areas you could barter was fun and exciting. In Nassau it's totally different. I still can't put my finger on what I didn't like about Nassau, but next time I won't be off the ship for long. Not because I'm fearful, but because I simply don't like it. Same reason I avoid Missouri as much as possible in the US.

I think all too often people don't trust their instincts. They want to seem polite and talk to people their body is telling them to get away from because they are tourists. I don't mind being approached by vendors trying to make a living, but I say no thank you once and that's the one and only time I will respond. After that I walk away. Stay aware of your surroundings and if your body is telling you someone or something is funky then turn around and leave, preferably into a crowd of people. Stay in the main shopping areas and take your own tour of the "real" Nassau. Although in most cases I would bet you'd be just fine. Personally I wouldn't because I'm just too old for that kind of adventure.

 

[Jacksonev1]

Here is my Nassau story.

My mom and I went on a 4 night cruise to celebrate her birthday. It was a mom and daughter cruise only, so I left my son and hubby at home.

We got off the ship and walked around the very expensive shops. We then headed to the straw market. I think we only stayed a little while. I LOVE to go to garage sales at home, but this was WAY too much pressure! They called us "pretty lady" so much, that I ended up feeling a little dirty.

Anyway, we were almost done, and since we did not book any excursions, mom and I decided to take one of the horse drawn carriage rides. We got in and were on the main street. All of the sudden 3 police officers started chasing and calling after our carriage. (Insert new fear--getting arrested off American soil). As it turns out, there is a law where the horses have to rest between 1-2 in the afternoon. It was about 1:30. We were asked to leave the carriage and did not have to pay for the ride. The driver was arrested. I wonder if the police saved us from something else.

I did not feel unsafe with me mom. My husband and I are thinking about taking our son on a Disney Cruise next year. I think we will stick to Disney booked excursions.

 

[NokOnHarts]

As far as the taxi rides go as long as you understand driving laws there are only mere suggestions you shouldn't be surprised.

This is so true of so many areas! Off topic but DH and I took a cruise to Hawaii years ago and I couldn't believe how crazy the drivers were there. We saw accident after accident and were nearly killed when a car decided to drive into oncoming traffic going freeway speeds to pass another car. As soon as we turned the corner we heard the loudest crash of metal behind us. The car behind us was hit head on. It would have been us had we been in the left lane instead of the right. The laws being mere suggestions is exactly right.

 

[George69]

I have been to way worse places than Nassau (Iraq, Afghanistan, and Kuwait just to name a few). However I do not feel that anyone should be discredited because they read or heard or had a gut feeling that Nassau is a potential unsafe place to walk around in. No matter how you come to that conclusion it is your conclusion to make for the safety of yourself and your children.
I have been to Nassau twice and believe me it is nothing to write home about.

Little story of my wife and I first experience in Nassau and the only danger we experienced was a bad tour, read on if you’re curious.
My first experience there My wife and I wanted to learn the history of Nassau and took the excursion tour around the city, we were both excited. They cattled us (DCL peeps) all over to where the taxis line up and packed 4 to 6 people deep in cabs (Mini Vans), I thought we would be on a bus but I did not see one around. Our cab driver/Tour Guide happened to Nassau’s version of Morgan Freeman, He took us up to the Fort with the one cannon (the Highlight…so we thought). After that we got the grand tour of Nassau and we learned many exciting things, such as; If you plant a tree in Nassau you get a street named after you. One of the other highlights is he took us on a tour of his neighborhood and we learned whom of his neighbors was in the process or already had added on an addition to their home, quite exciting! By this time my wife and I were on the edge of our seat with what could possible top that?! I know you might find it difficult to believe but he actually was able to. While on one of the main roads that is parallel with the beach heading back to the port he pointed to a Liquor Store and said (in a Morgan Freeman voice with a Nassau accent) “See that Liquor store?....That used to be a laundry mat”. Well I about feel over with excitement as you could imagine. After being let out we went to some local restaurant and had Conch….yuk! Then we went to the straw market for some cheap gifts for family and friends.

The second time it was a torrential down pour, nobody left the ship.

Sadly I could not offer you a story of us being in any kind of danger other than boredom however I will take our experience over the guy getting mugged by a taxi driver. Will we ever walk around Nassau again….not sure now that I have a son but I know if we did I would not go too far from the port, no more tours for us of Nassau.

I was in Kuwait with my friend when we were 20. Two females vacationing while visiting her family. Always felt safe. Had a blast, went all over (just us two). It was a vaca of a lifetime. To each their own.

 

[omalley1118]

What a tragedy! Hate thinking that he died trying to do the right thing... That being said, we have been to Nassau three times. We have never had any issues in the least. As some previous posters have said, it's reall all about common sense. I have travelled to several countries, and I act as I would in any big city here. Be smart and don't take unnecessary risks.

 

[Sarafromcanada]

I read so many posts on this board and hardly ever post bit I feel the need to post on this one. my husband and I have been to Nassau more than 7 times and love it. We were just there a few weeks ago. We have been on the Dream twice. it is the only port where I feel comfortable taking my 3 children on shore by myself while my husband stays on the ship. As with anywhere you need to be smart, but we live it there

 

[dizzyr]

I read that post, too, and now I'm second guessing my idea to book the Comfort Suites room and taking a cab vs doing the Disney Atlantis excursion. Safety -wise, I'm thinking the Disney excursion is the way to go probably. Ugh.

I'm feeling the same way - we booked comfort suites and now I'm thinking of canceling and staying on the ship. I'm not normally overly cautious but since I had kids I'm much more so. It's my birthday that day so I wanted to do something special so dh suggested I book a treatment at the spa with the money we were going to spend on comfort suites so I might do that.

 

[Jey12]

Here is my Nassau story.

My mom and I went on a 4 night cruise to celebrate her birthday. It was a mom and daughter cruise only, so I left my son and hubby at home.

We got off the ship and walked around the very expensive shops. We then headed to the straw market. I think we only stayed a little while. I LOVE to go to garage sales at home, but this was WAY too much pressure! They called us "pretty lady" so much, that I ended up feeling a little dirty.

Anyway, we were almost done, and since we did not book any excursions, mom and I decided to take one of the horse drawn carriage rides. We got in and were on the main street. All of the sudden 3 police officers started chasing and calling after our carriage. (Insert new fear--getting arrested off American soil). As it turns out, there is a law where the horses have to rest between 1-2 in the afternoon. It was about 1:30. We were asked to leave the carriage and did not have to pay for the ride. The driver was arrested. I wonder if the police saved us from something else.

I did not feel unsafe with me mom. My husband and I are thinking about taking our son on a Disney Cruise next year. I think we will stick to Disney booked excursions.

More than likely the officers saved the horses. I don't know what the horses looked like when you were there but I wouldn't have paid a dime to work those poor starved and obviously medically neglected animals for a second when we were there. I'm glad to hear there's at least a mandatory rest period for the horses because they would probably be worked 24/7 until they passed out otherwise. Again they could have been in a total different condition when you were there, but for me I would have rather bought some dewormer and a bucket of feed instead of going on a ride during our trip.

 

[TwinPrincessMermaids]

I'm feeling the same way - we booked comfort suites and now I'm thinking of canceling and staying on the ship. I'm not normally overly cautious but since I had kids I'm much more so. It's my birthday that day so I wanted to do something special so dh suggested I book a treatment at the spa with the money we were going to spend on comfort suites so I might do that.

Everyone had a choice to make. It sounds like this is your first cruise? There is a thread about cancelling excursions going that talked about situations of robberies on a tour. It wasn't Nassau tho. It was mex riveria. Point being that unfortunately as I have been saying, many of these small countries are economically depressed and have some security issues. Nassau is about on par with very many of them. (Honduras, belize, mexico, jamaica, and others.) So I'm not guaranteeing you a perfect time, but I think you may have to figure out if cruising islands is for you? I think Atlantis has a fairly great reputation or else they wouldn't have such a huge world class resort there. Beyonce and Tiger woods have houses there. Everyone is in love with Castaway as they should be because Disney owns it. But I really feel that if Disney thought the port was any worse than any other, they would prob change the itinerary. Truthfully if that is the sole deciding factor, than pickings are slim. I know we need to be cautious, but it makes me sad to see people live their lives in fear of rumors. (People are going to stop going to marathons, mothers day parades, on cruises, etc. )

High pressure sales are everywhere in the islands. We went to Blue Lagoon tho in nassau and didn't have a single person offer to braid our hair, no one offered to sell us anything unless we went to shop. You have to pay to go to that island prob being the difference and prob similar to Atlantis. If people go into the straw market, expect to negotiate. We actually got great sales! We talked them down. I've seen much much worse in Jamaica where they come at you even if you aren't shopping. At least at Nassau you have to go to the shop so its your choice. We loved it tho! It was on our checklist. A woman met as at the front, I told her I wanted a mermaid bag and she took us to all the stalls to a friend she knew had it. It was sorta like shopping on demand. We didn't have to wander around because she knew right where to take us.

I guess cancel if you want to. You can make a choice. But id go on trip advisor and see what others have to say. Remember the food thread? People said it was the worst they had had and others said it was their fave meal of the trip! Showing that there is a wide range of opinions and experiences. Whatever decision you make should be your own, not because of what a few very opinionated people here have said. Actually in retrospect, I'm very very glad I didnt find this board BEFORE I went!

We had specifically booked tours each time and had a very safe time. I know you cant always depend on that. However the security literally escorts you to the ferry or catamaran or glass boat or whatever. I walked around with just my Twinkie and kept my wits when I'm the city (about literally 20 min of my whole day). The rest of the time, it was beach and hammock happiness!

I wish you the best in YOUR journeys.

 

[GWS]

I was in Kuwait with my friend when we were 20. Two females vacationing while visiting her family. Always felt safe. Had a blast, went all over (just us two). It was a vaca of a lifetime. To each their own.

George69 glad to hear you had a good time and felt safe.

When I was at Kuwait it was for business not pleasure so the areas I was in were not touristy by any means. However I do not want it to sound like Kuwait or any of the other places I have been are completely unsafe.

Like anything in life you must do your due diligence prior to booking or going to that location. From the research then you can determine if that is a location you would like to go to and if there are anything you need to be aware of…..local customs and such.

My personal feeling has been expressed by other pp, Nassau no more unsafe than any other location you go to, it all boils down to simple common sense. You should always be aware of your surroundings and before you enter into an establishment or area. Look to see if you see any unsavory characters hanging around, if so then maybe you would not want to go there. Also once you’re inside any establishments always look out for the exits. Not to sound paranoid but this is always a good rule of thumb to use even in the States. Try not to dress flashy to make yourself stand out like a sore thumb in a crowd….the key is to blend in. I know that is not as easy when on vacation as a tourist and on a cruise on top of that. Stay on the beaten path of the other tourist, the more you explore outside those boundaries the greater the risk you take of something possible happening. There are many other things I could list but these are the basics and the posters here seem to be intelligent enough to already know these and more.
If this is not a risk you are willing to take for you or your family, more power to you, nothing wrong with that at all.

 

[Fantasiesabound]

Warning: U.S. Citizen Murdered in Nassau - Cruise Passengers Urged to Avoid Travel to the Bahamas!
Posted on May 14, 2013 by Jim Walker
http://www.cruiselawnews.com/tags/nassau/

I have never written an article telling cruise passengers to avoid a port of call. I usually report on what I know and then leave it up to the passengers to decide what to so. But Nassau is flat out dangerous. In my opinion, if you knew what the cruise lines know, you'd be crazy to take your family there.

I take back what I said earlier - we're staying on the ship this trip!

although this article states crime is somewhat down:

http://www.caribbeannewsnow.com/topstory-Crime-down-13-percent-in-Bahamas-15433.html

It's been a couple of years since I have been in Nassau and I think people's feelings about the port should be prefaced by when they were there as it seems that it is a very recent occurrence that the crime rates and lack of safety seems to be increasing.

 

[TwinPrincessMermaids]

This is the same incident we have already been referring to btw.

It does seem to be increasing, along with every where else, but I was there twice this spring (not a few years ago) and it was seedy inside the city, but we don't go to bars and stay away from bad areas, get right on the boat and go here:

I really hope the local government does something to fix this problem because some good tour companies are going to suffer with the bad reputation. BL I don't think couldn't really survive without the cruise ships...