Is Your Cruise Line or Travel Agent Warning You of Crime in the Bahamas?
On New Year’s eve, a major newspaper in the Bahamas published an article about crime affecting cruise ship passengers and crew.
The Tribune said that on December 13th, the United States Embassy in Nassau warned of increased violent, criminal activity in the Bahamas. The embassy warned that armed robbery remains a “major threat” facing U.S. visitors to the Bahamas. A few days later, the Nassau Guardian discussed the warnings by the U.S. State Department and Carnival cruise line to cruise passengers and also mentioned that Acting Prime Minister Philip Brave Davis was robbed by three men in his own home at gun point.
A representative of Carnival was quoted telling governmental officials in Nassau that the cruise lines remain concerned about incidents of crime in The Bahamas, including Nassau.
In 2013, we wrote a dozen articles about widespread violence in Nassau targeting tourists in the Bahamas arriving by cruise ships and vessels. The cases involve armed robbery, rape and murder. The incidents are happening near the port and just outside of the Atlantis resort. You can read one article here. The local newspapers are filled with stories and images of crime against tourists and local citizens alike.
Recently, cruise passengers aboard the Celebrity Constellation were stuck in Key West for an extra day when the cruise line replaced an engine. When they finally set sail, the cruise line took them over to the nearby Bahamas rather than down to Cozumel. Many passengers expressed their concern that Celebrity sailed them to crime-ridden Nassau.
I wonder just how many travelers understand the danger of sailing into Nassau?
Which cruise lines are passing warnings on to their passengers?
The homicide and violent crimes rates in Nassau are higher than any U.S. city.
Are there any travels agents warning their clients to stay away from Nassau because of crime?
Have a thought? Please leave a comment below, or join the discussion on our Facebook page.
Photo Credit: Tribune newspaper
Note: I erroneously published this article under the date January 3, 2013. The correct date should be January 3, 2014.
Update: Its seems that many in the Bahamas are mad that the U.S. Embassy has issued the warning. Others suggest that the crime statistics in the Bahamas are understated in order to protect the island’s reputation. Read: US Embassy’s Duty Is To Their Citizens, Not The Bahamas.
Crime in the Bahamas has been a problem for a long time: When we started this blog in 2009, some of our first articles involved the Bahamas where robbers stole from large groups of cruise passengers at gunpoint, such as this case where armed men targeted 11 passengers visiting the Queen’s Staircase and robbed them on a Sunday afternoon. A month later armed robbers struck again when 18 cruise passengers from Disney and Royal Caribbean were robbed during a cruise excursion.
We also suggest reading: Too little, too late? A cruise passenger robbed in Nassau speaks out. “We were repeatedly assured by police that ‘this never happens,’ and yet, 21 people were victims of aggravated theft in one day, each in busy tourist areas that are supposedly safe. I was horrified when I started doing the research online and saw just how much armed robbery, theft and violence is happening in Nassau these days.”
Read our last article about crime in Nassau – see what the local press is saying.
See images of the violence from the local press in Nassau.
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