Jamaica- change to travel advisory- would you still go?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Make sure nobody walks alone at the resort—especially women/girls/kids. And be careful what you drink.

No flashy jewelry. A lot of women leave their engagement rings, anything worth reselling at home. Take costume jewelry if you must, but nothing that resembles a Diamond.

Personally, I’m done with Jamaica, the Bahamas, and T&C. The crime isn’t worth the risk.

Yes, we switched gears, and instead of going on a summer family cruise to the Caribbean, we are cruising to Alaska.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Call the resort and find out the safety plans, be vigilant when out and about, don’t let the children out and about without a responsible adult, watch your drinks, stay in contact during the day and I would bring some extra locks for the doors. Try not to be flashy and made of money.

Look I’d be reconsidering the trip but you’ve already spent the money and you are in a group so go but be watchful.

Sure, listen to the resort. They have no conflict of interest in discussing the safety of going there!!

Listen to this poster, they are saying base the decision on the fact that you have spent money?????

What kind of parent would do that? None I hope!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's hard Op especially since the beaches are "open" so anybody can walk the beach or be in the water (albeit they can't use resort items like floats or lounge chairs or trespass on property).
And you'll have the usual folks soliciting pot and other passers-by calling out...but that happens with low advisory level so not sure what to think given the increased level.

Tourism is Jamaicas bread and butter. They don't want headlines from something happening to a tourist so they're going to do all they can to keep the resorts safe.

Along those lines, they will also do all they can to downplay any issues. They don't want the bad publicity. So, it's silly to think you can call the resort and get an honest assessment. They want you to come and spend your money.

[Anonymous]

No matter how posh or not, don’t assume that the hotel security guards are going to stick around if all hell brakes loose at your all inclusive resort. They are human, paid little, and likely not well trained. Pick another destination where everyone can relax and enjoy themselves. Hard no to Jamaica.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No matter how posh or not, don’t assume that the hotel security guards are going to stick around if all hell brakes loose at your all inclusive resort. They are human, paid little, and likely not well trained. Pick another destination where everyone can relax and enjoy themselves. Hard no to Jamaica.

This is very true. I was mugged at gun and knifepoint (not in Jamaica) by three men within about 30 feet of 3 separate security guards. They did not give a sh*t. These are low paid, minimally trained people that are more for show than anything, I wouldn't rely on them for any true protection. I'd personally probably cancel this vacation because it just does not sound relaxing in the least.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Make sure nobody walks alone at the resort—especially women/girls/kids. And be careful what you drink.

No flashy jewelry. A lot of women leave their engagement rings, anything worth reselling at home. Take costume jewelry if you must, but nothing that resembles a Diamond.

Personally, I’m done with Jamaica, the Bahamas, and T&C. The crime isn’t worth the risk.

Yes, we switched gears, and instead of going on a summer family cruise to the Caribbean, we are cruising to Alaska.

While I’m sure you might enjoy your Alaskan cruise (not everyone does—particularly people (kids) who enjoy the beach), the bulk of the Caribbean is perfectly safe.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Call the resort and find out the safety plans, be vigilant when out and about, don’t let the children out and about without a responsible adult, watch your drinks, stay in contact during the day and I would bring some extra locks for the doors. Try not to be flashy and made of money.

Look I’d be reconsidering the trip but you’ve already spent the money and you are in a group so go but be watchful.

Lol u need therapy

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Make sure nobody walks alone at the resort—especially women/girls/kids. And be careful what you drink.

No flashy jewelry. A lot of women leave their engagement rings, anything worth reselling at home. Take costume jewelry if you must, but nothing that resembles a Diamond.

Personally, I’m done with Jamaica, the Bahamas, and T&C. The crime isn’t worth the risk.

Yes, we switched gears, and instead of going on a summer family cruise to the Caribbean, we are cruising to Alaska.

While I’m sure you might enjoy your Alaskan cruise (not everyone does—particularly people (kids) who enjoy the beach), the bulk of the Caribbean is perfectly safe.

DD has been mentioning Alaska for a while now, so we thought it was a good time to seize the opportunity.

[Anonymous]

To the person who said Jamaica is no different than DC, there were not 65 murders in DC in January. Most US cities don't see that many murders in a year!

Drug dealers and people in gangs do not care about tourism dollars or tourists.

How hard do you think it is to get a job in one of these "posh" hotels? All it takes is one bad actor to let some of his or her buddies in to do something bad.

I get the fact that bad things can happen anywhere, but for the State Department to upgrade a country to 3 means that the local police have lost some measure of control. Also, if you get injured, do you really want to go to a Jamaican hospital?

Or you can roll the dice OP!

[Anonymous]

Friends were supposed to go for winter break next week and canceled this week. Traveling with teen girls they were concerned about the risk of sexual assault.

[Anonymous]

I would not given the change in status and the fact that you are at a private villa without private security.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Meghan and Harry just went to Jamaica.

How much security did they bring with them? Is OP doing that too?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Make sure nobody walks alone at the resort—especially women/girls/kids. And be careful what you drink.

No flashy jewelry. A lot of women leave their engagement rings, anything worth reselling at home. Take costume jewelry if you must, but nothing that resembles a Diamond.

Personally, I’m done with Jamaica, the Bahamas, and T&C. The crime isn’t worth the risk.

Yes, we switched gears, and instead of going on a summer family cruise to the Caribbean, we are cruising to Alaska.

Are you OP?

[Anonymous]

They shoot up kids in schools on a regular basis here in the US. But tell me more about how unsafe Jamaica is.

[Anonymous]

Sounds like you will get money back on lodging and you can at least get airline credit so the sunk costs are not that huge I would not necessarily cancel because it seems suddenly more dangerous (there were more murders last year) but because the anxiety you will likely feel and precautions necessary to take (not walk alone, not walk at night, not leave the gated community) might make your trip less enjoyable. I think it would be hard with a large group to keep tabs on everyone. Also, I dont know the demographics but if you have older folks or anyone medically fragile I probably wouldnt go.