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Nassau Safety Alert & Advisement


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We're signed up for a Nassau private historical/cultural tour with Island Marketing cruise excursions in April.  Hopefully it won't be too confusing or scary finding our contact person when we get off the ship and they'll take good care of us.  I've known for a long time that Nassau can be creepy but we're giving it a go.

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Thanks for sharing.  We haven’t stopped in Nassau in a few years and it never seemed bad enough to receive a written warning.  I wonder what factors might be causing this increase?  Are the tourist people just not paying attention and it is giving criminals more opportunity or is there a rise in the criminal element.  Maybe the severe hurricane damage from 2017 has caused some shift in demographics or just greater need and risk taking.

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I cant believe that everyone is so worried and scared about this??!  i think most of the things listed here would apply to visiting any country and being smart about where you go and what you take with you?!!I think the US government has had some kinda warning out about Nassau for years...similar to Zika warnings in Mexico etc...

 

Nassau in the daytime is safe..I have been there a dozen times in the past 4-5 years...no issues with anything. Its chaotic getting out, but once past the fence its nothing. Its a great and safe place to explore. Lots of tourist bars, beaches.....beautiful resorts and more being built....

 

I would be more scared walking around some cities in North American than Nassau...its 99% tourists during the daytime....

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1 hour ago, monctonguy said:

I cant believe that everyone is so worried and scared about this??!  i think most of the things listed here would apply to visiting any country and being smart about where you go and what you take with you?!!I think the US government has had some kinda warning out about Nassau for years...similar to Zika warnings in Mexico etc...

 

Nassau in the daytime is safe..I have been there a dozen times in the past 4-5 years...no issues with anything. Its chaotic getting out, but once past the fence its nothing. Its a great and safe place to explore. Lots of tourist bars, beaches.....beautiful resorts and more being built....

 

I would be more scared walking around some cities in North American than Nassau...its 99% tourists during the daytime....

I generally agree.  Warnings like this are worth noting, but not worth skipping or treating like some sort of war zone that should be avoided at all costs. 

Have a plan for onshore, be vigilant about your own safety, and don't act like an idiot that turns you into a target.

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I have no ill will against Nassau, but out of the Bahamas ports my favorite stop is CocoCay, we cruise in March and am looking forward to the stop there, I can assure you that when we stop in Nassau this time we will be staying onboard Anthem (for the first time) and enjoying everything that she has to offer.  My only issue with Nassau is that too much stuff is tied into Atlantis and its way too expensive because of that.  We have been to Nassau at least 5 times already so we have more than enough  souvenirs, and are looking forward to being able to relax with fewer people on the ship! ? 

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The Port of Nassau is tired, run down filthy and not very appealing at all unless you are going on a sanctioned excursion to places like Atlantis or Pearl lsand. I agree that any tourist in any city should be wise in how they explore a new city but when the cruise line is adding an additional warning to its passengers attention should be paid.

Nassau is very convenient for cruise ships clearly. I am sure many ships register in the Bahamas as well but I would much rather have an extra day playing at Coco Cay or at sea or even throw in a day trip to Key West than waste a full day stopping at a port that I won't bother leaving the ship for.

As long as there is a continuing stream of new passengers with new adventures on their mind I doubt that Royal would consider an itinerary change though.  

The cinic in me wonders if a letter like this is an intentional statement of the obvious but will push some passengers toward paid for excursions.

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9 hours ago, whenismynextcruise said:

The Port of Nassau is tired, run down filthy and not very appealing at all unless you are going on a sanctioned excursion to places like Atlantis or Pearl lsand. I agree that any tourist in any city should be wise in how they explore a new city but when the cruise line is adding an additional warning to its passengers attention should be paid.

Nassau is very convenient for cruise ships clearly. I am sure many ships register in the Bahamas as well but I would much rather have an extra day playing at Coco Cay or at sea or even throw in a day trip to Key West than waste a full day stopping at a port that I won't bother leaving the ship for.

As long as there is a continuing stream of new passengers with new adventures on their mind I doubt that Royal would consider an itinerary change though.  

The cinic in me wonders if a letter like this is an intentional statement of the obvious but will push some passengers toward paid for excursions.

I agree.  I would add the cynic in me sees it differently though.  I think this more about showing who owns the cards when it comes to the Bahamas and cruise lines.  If memory serves me correctly only a few months ago the Bahama's govt came out and upped the cost of the ports, basically insinuating that the cruises are taking advantage of the low cost and they are not reaping enough in revenue for the amount of people that come on land when at port.  By leaving this letter in every cabin,  many that did not have an excursion will stay on the ship instead of just walking around Nassau and maybe buying some trinkets.  In essence, it is a win win for RCCL.  If they stay on the ship, many may spend money at the spa, at bingo or buy a drink or two  to lounge at the pool, ($$$ if they don't have the DBP), maybe even have lunch at a specialty restaurant,  more money in the RCCL pocket.  WIN #1.  

WIN #2 is the fewer that get off due to fear from this letter, the Bahamain govt gets to see even less revenue, and that by rising the costs to port in Nassau they lost money bc now we played the fear card with our passengers that had no excursions, but intended to just walk around just by placing this letter in every stateroom.  They never said don't get off, just insinuated you may want to be weary of getting off.  

~ I have seen this in my life.  My DH served in the AF during the 90's when they were closing military bases left and right.  The mayor of the town where the base was located went to the Base Commander and told him they were going to tell the Congressman and Senators they would like the base to close because in their eyes, they only brought noise to the town (airplanes), and nothing else.  Every base has a bank on the base.  The Commander ordered that bank to only give every airmen $2 bills if they were getting cash that payday weekend.  On Monday the mayor called the Commander and said I give.  The town had been flooded with $2 bills everywhere.  He saw and heard from business, including the banks in town why on earth are we getting all of these $2 bills?  He saw that the AF base with the noise of airplanes taking off equated to pumping in a lot of money into that town.   Hence, why I see RCCL doing that letter.  It is to illustrate to the govt that you don't realize how much money our passengers spend on shore.

I also bet that RCCL is not the only cruise line placing these letters in the staterooms.  On the day we arrived in Nassau, Carnival,, NCL and Disney all arrived in port that day.  I bet those cruise lines too placed a letter like in RCCL.  Old adage the enemy of my enemy is my friend.  Hence, all cruise lines will band together to prove a point to the govt in Bahamas.

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In April we ended up having two days in Nassau after our CocoCay stop was cancelled. On the first day we walked to Junkanoo Beach. We were on guard since we had heard about safety concerns. We walked to the beach and stopped in a couple of shops on the way back to the ship. The next day we had a walking brewery tour. I felt very safe on that tour and I highly recommend it. 

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I agree with others here saying that Nassau is fine during the day when populated with tourists and common sense is utilized. When my husband and I wander out, we don't go too far from the port (a stop at Pirate Republic Brewery is typically mandatory) and leave our wedding bands, jewelry, and pretty much anything that isn't totally necessary on board. Beyond my husband being asked if he wants to buy weed (which definitely doesn't only happen in Nassau), we've never really felt threatened or that our safety was in danger. When we did wander further to Queen's Staircase and Greycliff, we were with a large group and we looked deliberate in where we were going. Again, common sense things.  

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I am from Nassau, I live in Canada. I am actually currently in Nassau for Christmas vacation. I am very sad, upset to read all the comments on this post. 

Yes the Port needs a serious make over and it was recently announced they are going to fix it up etc etc. 

There are many things to see outside of downtown Nassau. Also is perfectly safe to walk in the downtown area during the day. My father is a lawyer and walks to courthouses almost everyday, in downtown Nassau and had yet to be robbed in 20+ years.

There is a beautiful beach on Paradise Island, called Cabbage Beach (see attached picture) You don’t need to access it though Atlantis Day Pass there is public access for free. I go to it ALL the time.

Nassau is not perfect, yes it has crime. I am sure the town you live in, is not perfect and has crime too. 

 

D6B57342-323F-438B-9B39-61526684DF88.jpeg

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12 hours ago, Canadian Gal said:

Where is your bird watching tour? How far do you have walk? Normally a tour bus is right on the port pier.

I talked to the tour operator, it's about blocks into town. Not that bad, but now the problem is that they need a minimum of two people to book, so I'm screwed.  I'm an odd nerd.  

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11 hours ago, Matt said:

I really want to check this out when I go in March

We went to Cabbage beach last year in December, prior to this trip we did and excursion through Royal where we paid $85 per adult, and $55 per child to go to the beach on Atlantis.  When we got there we had a beach chair and a towel and it was the same beach that Cabbage beach is on.  When we went back last Christmas and I saw the rock formations in the water I knew where we were, and I felt pretty ripped off!  The beach itself is great, it cost us $16 one way for four people in a taxi, only complaint was the amount of vendors going up and down the beach.  They were not rude at all, and you just had to tell them "no thank you" once and that individual would leave you alone.  You could rent chairs for the whole day for a reasonable price, I would gladly go there again with the kids, did not feel pressured or harassed whatsoever!  

2000_0102_022829_002.JPG

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12 hours ago, bhageerah said:

We went to Cabbage beach last year in December, prior to this trip we did and excursion through Royal where we paid $85 per adult, and $55 per child to go to the beach on Atlantis.  When we got there we had a beach chair and a towel and it was the same beach that Cabbage beach is on.

Looks awesome!

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22 hours ago, bhageerah said:

We went to Cabbage beach last year in December, prior to this trip we did and excursion through Royal where we paid $85 per adult, and $55 per child to go to the beach on Atlantis.  When we got there we had a beach chair and a towel and it was the same beach that Cabbage beach is on.  When we went back last Christmas and I saw the rock formations in the water I knew where we were, and I felt pretty ripped off!  The beach itself is great, it cost us $16 one way for four people in a taxi, only complaint was the amount of vendors going up and down the beach.  They were not rude at all, and you just had to tell them "no thank you" once and that individual would leave you alone.  You could rent chairs for the whole day for a reasonable price, I would gladly go there again with the kids, did not feel pressured or harassed whatsoever!  

2000_0102_022829_002.JPG

Thanks for sharing your positive experience!

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  • 1 month later...
On 12/27/2018 at 6:08 AM, Canadian Gal said:

I am from Nassau, I live in Canada. I am actually currently in Nassau for Christmas vacation. I am very sad, upset to read all the comments on this post. 

Yes the Port needs a serious make over and it was recently announced they are going to fix it up etc etc. 

There are many things to see outside of downtown Nassau. Also is perfectly safe to walk in the downtown area during the day. My father is a lawyer and walks to courthouses almost everyday, in downtown Nassau and had yet to be robbed in 20+ years.

There is a beautiful beach on Paradise Island, called Cabbage Beach (see attached picture) You don’t need to access it though Atlantis Day Pass there is public access for free. I go to it ALL the time.

Nassau is not perfect, yes it has crime. I am sure the town you live in, is not perfect and has crime too. 

 

D6B57342-323F-438B-9B39-61526684DF88.jpeg

Hello Gal. Do you know if there is access to walk around Atlantis for free ? i mean walk around the free parts ?

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14 hours ago, Termis1954 said:

Hello Gal. Do you know if there is access to walk around Atlantis for free ? i mean walk around the free parts ?

Not Gal, but yes you can access Atlantis for free.  You can go to the casino, see some of the outside grounds and a few aquarium views.  There's also a Chihuly glass piece suspended in an atrium that I remember seeing.

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