WAAAYTOOO Posted January 27 Report Share Posted January 27 Please know that I am not one to be overly concerned about State Department travel warnings. I am not throwing a sweat grenade here. I did read this morning that on Jan 24 the SD issued a travel advisory to certain areas of The Bahamas that include Grand Bahama and Nassau. Apparently there have been 18 murders in The Bahamas since the first of January. That's nearly 1 per day. I also realize that some areas of Nassau have been on the sketchy side for years and that prudence and situational awareness are always your friend. Just posting to say that the sketchiness has been made official. Anything you can add, @KristiZ ? TessFromFlorida, 14Terry, Sweety and 9 others 4 5 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaygee2729 Posted January 27 Report Share Posted January 27 Nassau has always been somewhat sketchy I've noticed. My judgement would be to take an organized group tour or excursion. WAAAYTOOO and fireclan 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokeybandit Posted January 27 Report Share Posted January 27 It's only a level 2 advisory, "exercise increased caution," which really should be how you act in any foreign country (no matter the safety level of that country). The majority of crime occurs on New Providence (Nassau) and Grand Bahama (Freeport) islands. In Nassau, practice increased vigilance in the “Over the Hill” area (south of Shirley Street) where gang-on-gang violence has resulted in a high homicide rate primarily affecting the local population. Violent crime, such as burglaries, armed robberies, and sexual assaults, occur in both tourist and non-tourist areas. You could give the same warning to many US cities. "Stay out of the bad parts, be smart in the good parts" USCG Teacher, TempoGL, Butters530 and 3 others 4 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geezer Of The Seas Posted January 27 Report Share Posted January 27 2 years ago on our first visit to Nassau, the Essential Nassau bus excursion we took passed through a portion of the Over the Hill neighborhood, our driver/guide remarked the area is"not somewhere you want to be". My interest piqued, we sat and had lunch with him at the Watley distillery. He explained New Providence (like GBI) has an increasingly serious problem with Hatian, Jamaican, & local gangs fueled primarily by the drug trade and turf wars and law enforcement is largely ineffective in dealing with it. Dunno, sounds like Metro Orlando........ rjweber3, fireclan and WAAAYTOOO 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pattycruise Posted January 28 Report Share Posted January 28 10 different people posted this in a Facebook group for an upcoming cruise in on. So, no, you’re not alone. i just came back fro B2B Trinidad/tobago which had level 3. Wonderful time. I’d go back in a heartbeat-we did excursion. Lots walked into town. Didn’t hear of anything bad but doesn’t mean it did not happen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KristiZ Posted January 28 Report Share Posted January 28 Smokeybandit is correct -- this is only a Level 2 warning. (Several news sites are incorrectly saying the new alert raises The Bahamas to a Level 3.) I believe The Bahamas have been Level 2 for a while actually. So while the new alert is used to bring attention to the current concerns, it's not a signal that the situation is drastically changed. (I will caveat this with saying I'm not at work today and can't verify the historical status.) WAAAYTOOO, rjweber3 and TempoGL 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobroo Posted January 28 Report Share Posted January 28 As a guy from Chicago and its terrible gun problem; I would welcome a walk in Nassau and the far lesser chance of getting killed….or worse. TempoGL, Ampurp85 and MarcBerger 1 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GatorCruiser Posted January 28 Report Share Posted January 28 Love the term “sweat grenade” I haven’t heard that one before. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Betty70 Posted January 28 Report Share Posted January 28 For me Nassau is a must-do tour and excursions through RCC. Unfortunately the offered RCC tours/excursions in Nassau are very limited. I've been to Bahamas numerous times. Only twice have I been uncomfortable but it was enough to alter my behavior. We witnessed a local man chase another local man with a machete, later heard sirens off in the distance in the direction of the scene. Another trip my husband and I started off the beaten path, until we noticed several local young men following us and beginning to flank us. It was very, very obvious what they were doing. We regrouped and avoided the area. Would love to see more of Nassau but if we go for a solo walks we stay on the main strip. Baked Alaska 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Last2Know Posted January 28 Report Share Posted January 28 RCL opening a private area might entice me to venture off the ship in Nassau. Until then, I’m a “hard no” on visiting Nassau and have been since before the COVID shutdown. There’s not much that will change my mind about enjoying a relaxing day onboard the ship. The new advisory just adds another reason to avoid that as a port of call. Y’all have fun and I see you when you get back. Jjohnb, MarcBerger, WAAAYTOOO and 1 other 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokeybandit Posted January 28 Report Share Posted January 28 7 minutes ago, Last2Know said: RCL opening a private area might entice me to venture off the ship in Nassau. Until then, I’m a “hard no” on visiting Nassau and have been since before the COVID shutdown. There’s not much that will change my mind about enjoying a relaxing day onboard the ship. The new advisory just adds another reason to avoid that as a port of call. Y’all have fun and I see you when you get back. That new beach will cost an arm and a leg though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Last2Know Posted January 28 Report Share Posted January 28 4 minutes ago, smokeybandit said: That new beach will cost an arm and a leg though Sorry. I should have added quotation marks around “might entice”. Currently enjoying a wonderful day at sea on Vision and can confirm the bacon at the Windjammer was crispy and delicious this morning. WAAAYTOOO, Jjohnb and CruzOnBye 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geezer Of The Seas Posted January 28 Report Share Posted January 28 2 hours ago, Last2Know said: " the bacon at the Windjammer was crispy and delicious this morning. " How can this possibly be???? A column on this very blog suggested WJ bacon and scrambled eggs were to be avoided. FWIW breakfast at Windjammer was far better in our experience on any ship we sailed vs the 'American' breakfasts we ordered from room service. Love me some of those simple, unassuming unglazed cinnamon rolls.......... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Minny99 Posted January 29 Report Share Posted January 29 So… let’s say down the road RCCL decides go cancel Nassau stops. Are they more likely to reroute to another port, turn the Nassau day into another sea day, or cancel the sailing all together? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokeybandit Posted January 29 Report Share Posted January 29 3 hours ago, Minny99 said: So… let’s say down the road RCCL decides go cancel Nassau stops. Are they more likely to reroute to another port, turn the Nassau day into another sea day, or cancel the sailing all together? They aren't canceling Nassau for a level 2 advisory (they've continued to sail to places with level 4 advisories in the past) so I wouldn't even worry about theoreticals. Vancity Cruiser and Pattycruise 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeWhoWaits Posted January 29 Report Share Posted January 29 16 hours ago, Last2Know said: the bacon at the Windjammer was crispy Grossly overcooked yet again! WAAAYTOOO 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokeybandit Posted January 29 Report Share Posted January 29 Oven-baked bacon is never a good way to do bacon. But I get it's the most time and space efficient way to do it when feeding the masses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Last2Know Posted January 29 Report Share Posted January 29 5 hours ago, smokeybandit said: Oven-baked bacon is never a good way to do bacon. But I get it's the most time and space efficient way to do it when feeding the masses. Thick sliced is the only version of bacon I will cook in the oven. It comes out crispy/chew and is the most efficient way to feed our clan when they're all home for a holiday or special event. The best part of a Windjammer breakfast is that I don't have to cook any of it! WAAAYTOOO 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
USFFrank Posted January 29 Report Share Posted January 29 I know we're going off topic, but I just got off Mariner of the Seas, and the bacon at Windjammer while it was well done (the way I like it) for the most part, it was very greasy. I didn't eat as much of it as I would have liked too out of fear of having digestive problems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyfsu21 Posted February 10 Report Share Posted February 10 On 1/28/2024 at 3:44 PM, smokeybandit said: That new beach will cost an arm and a leg though RC should take the Bahamian gov back to the table and renegotiate the deal. The Bahamas tourism revenue will take a hit and they will be desperate for a deal to keep people visiting that dump. Jjohnb and tingtang 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAAAYTOOO Posted February 10 Author Report Share Posted February 10 1 hour ago, tonyfsu21 said: RC should take the Bahamian gov back to the table and renegotiate the deal. The Bahamas tourism revenue will take a hit and they will be desperate for a deal to keep people visiting that dump. ...but the Bahamas also has Royal over a barrel b/c of PDCC. PDCC is Royal's golden calf right now and The Bahamas knows it. No way Royal stops going to PDCC asquared17 and Pattycruise 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asquared17 Posted February 10 Report Share Posted February 10 after what happened to those carnival guests on sunday, the bahamas is not looking great. WAAAYTOOO, Ampurp85 and PPPJJ-GCVAB 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokeybandit Posted February 10 Report Share Posted February 10 21 minutes ago, asquared17 said: after what happened to those carnival guests on sunday, the bahamas is not looking great. The resort claims to have a ton of video evidence refuting their story and authorities also refute the sequence of events after they were called, too.. That one is messy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asquared17 Posted February 10 Report Share Posted February 10 yikes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PPPJJ-GCVAB Posted February 10 Report Share Posted February 10 3 hours ago, smokeybandit said: The resort claims to have a ton of video evidence refuting their story and authorities also refute the sequence of events after they were called, too.. That one is messy. Did I miss a blog story about this? Curious now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokeybandit Posted February 10 Report Share Posted February 10 1 hour ago, PPPJJ-GCVAB said: Did I miss a blog story about this? Curious now. No. Two women were on a Carnival cruise that stopped at Freeport. They claimed they were drugged and raped on a resort beach and that authorities did nothing for them, so they just went back to the ship. The resort says they have video evidence that shows that didn't happen and authorities claim they boarded the ship to offer rape kits. PPPJJ-GCVAB and DDaley 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyfsu21 Posted February 10 Report Share Posted February 10 7 hours ago, WAAAYTOOO said: ...but the Bahamas also has Royal over a barrel b/c of PDCC. PDCC is Royal's golden calf right now and The Bahamas knows it. No way Royal stops going to PDCC True. I think the Bahamians are in charge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokeybandit Posted February 10 Report Share Posted February 10 31 minutes ago, tonyfsu21 said: True. I think the Bahamians are in charge. Just the same, RC has Bahamas over a barrel with PDCC, too. What would the Bahamas do if RC said "we're not paying it?" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokeybandit Posted February 13 Report Share Posted February 13 An update on the allegations of the two Carnival passengers https://www.thenassauguardian.com/news/pirates-cove-footage-conflicts-with-womens-claims/article_fe2c44b8-c914-11ee-bc6d-8fd9518a2037.html PPPJJ-GCVAB 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmattinson Posted February 13 Report Share Posted February 13 I wish the federal government issued these type of warnings for places within the US as well - maybe people will realize that places like Philadelphia can be just as dangerous as some foreign lands...35 homicides and 108 shootings so far this year which is a 31% decrease from last year at same time. PPPJJ-GCVAB and WAAAYTOOO 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokeybandit Posted February 13 Report Share Posted February 13 RC canceled some Freeport excursions as a result. https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2024/02/13/royal-caribbean-cancels-freeport-shore-excursions-after-reported-attack-two-women However, the two men charged have since been released. https://www.thenassauguardian.com/news/two-men-in-custody-over-alleged-rape-of-american-women-released/article_53fdfea4-c9fb-11ee-8dae-236f60f6d9c6.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAAAYTOOO Posted February 13 Author Report Share Posted February 13 I think it's important to add that there are reports that the details of the ladies' account are in dispute. No way to know, at this time, exactly what is true. Diligence is your friend. Ampurp85 and PPPJJ-GCVAB 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ampurp85 Posted February 13 Report Share Posted February 13 If the story is true, I feel for the two women........but stories like this fuel fires that shouldn't be and paint countries that are already on the brink in a worse light. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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