Dangerous Cruise Ports To Stay Far, Far Away From (2024)

I was almost a victim of pickpocketing in Pisa this past fall. Thank goodness one of the tour guides that was headed out of the tower courtyard area as we were walking into it recognized them and once past started yelling "PICKPOCKET ALERT! 2 GIRLS AND THE GUY WITH THE RED UMBRELLA" AND THEN KEPT YELLING, PICKPOCKET SHAME ON YOU over and over. Everyone in both groups (ours and theirs) started the same and they peeled off quickly down a street and closed up their umbrella once they realized we had been alerted and they were recognized. So very grateful to that guide, she saved me as they were coming up behind us.

I asked our captain on one cruise why we didn't dock in Kingston and he said, "We could, if we wanted our propellers stolen."

Honestly, I would make this a very short video: No matter where you travel, be street savvy. Anything can happen anywhere in the world.

As a young female & mostly solo traveler I virtually always book the excursions with the cruise line. While of course something bad can happen anywhere and with anyone I’d rather take my chances with them, not to mention the convenience. I’d very much rather pay a bit extra and be overtly precautious.

Labadee Haiti is quite beautiful, but Haiti overall is definitely not safe right now. What's really sad is that by not stopping there, the folks who had jobs, now have no way to earn a living and so are really suffering. It's a terrible situation.

The number of ladies I saw wearing flashy jewelry and carrying expensive hand bags on my last cruise was shocking to me. I wear no jewelry and carry a slash proof, lockable travel cross body bag which is far from pretty but very secure. Like someone else said, even knock off handbags or costume jewelry can make you a target.

I'm travel savvy but last time I was in Florence, an elderly lady fainted dead away right in our path. As soon as my husband and I bent down to see if we could help her up. A swarm of teens surrounded us and turned every pocket and tried to grab anything they could. The whole fainting bit was a scam. Until then I was wondering why locals merely stepped over the " poor little ladies."

Once on a cruise to Chile I was "snatched" by a Peruvian flute band and held captive! Thank God I had gotten to know my cabin steward Alejandro VERY well onboard. He rescued me by trading me for a chicken and a Celine Dion CD. Bless you my little Filipino angel!

A friend is a pilot with a major U.S. airline. In the 1990s and 2000s, it was common for flight crews to have overnight layovers in Mexican and other Central American cities. But, for more than 10 years, flights to Central America are now all turns, i.e., fly to the city, the turn and fly back to the U.S. hub airport. Management and the unions agree that it's no longer safe for pilots and flight attendants to have overnight stays.

If the US Dept of State had ratings for Galveston, New Orleans, and Miami cruise ports they would also be Level 3 or 4...

Great tips! A group of men tried to scam/rob me in Paris near the Eiffel Tower. I was rescued by two lovely plain clothes policemen. It could have got nasty because I realised what was happening and started to run! They saw and recognised the police and disappeared! Thank you for the video!

People think the RCI area in Haiti is miles from anywhere. It isn’t, Labadee is only a few miles from a major city with cathedral, and a road runs straight from the city to the Labadee beach area, just a few miles away. I think though the video is a little alarmist. Cozumel is pretty safe really. As is Nassau and the European resorts. If a shooting of some local/ gang member stops you going, you wouldn’t go to any U.S. city.

My husband and I bought a bus ferry pass when we docked in Bermuda. We felt safe. Grand cayman we felt safe also but went by tour. The other places he mentioned including Rome we were very cautious. Saw very questionable people around the colosseum including the train station. Just because you are on vacation, other people are not. Protect your valuables and be aware.

30 years ago, my wife and I felt unsafe in Ocho Rios, Jamaica. Our excursion stopped in a local marketplace. We and others on the tour returned to the bus early because of how uncomfortable it was.

I'm a musician working on ships all over the Caribbean. Heartbreaking to see Cozumel make this list. Always a crew favorite.

I am so angry about the 3 surfers that were murdered for their truck tires that I refuse to go on any cruises that stop there.

I noticed a lot of my fellow passengers were advertising their tourist status by carrying a cruise line canvas bag or having their cruise card on a lanyard around their neck. One can't blame the city for not being alert and wise as a traveler.

The first rule for staying safe is use common sense. Haiti and Mexico are both high crime countries and probably worse than you may realize as most crimes in both go unreported. In either country I wouldn't go anywhere outside a high security port area. When I was in the navy many years ago, I learned some precautions that I continue to practice to the present day when traveling. I keep only a minimal amount of money in my wallet and no credit cards or ID. Wallets are what pick pockets generally go for. If you get mugged just toss your wallet in their general direction and run. Keep your ID and extra cash spread out over other pockets and hard to get places in your clothes. I used to keep a $20 bill in each of my shoes while on liberty, just in case. ($20 went a lot farther back then.) I never take more than one bank card with me and my passport always stays locked up in the hotel/cabin safe. A photocopy of my passport works for going out.

It’s up to you if you take notice. Gary is telling you the dangers. It’s not just pickpockets it’s mugging and murders. The foreign office only gives advice if it’s a dangerous place.

Thanks for the information. I am traveling to Europe next year, so the warning is appreciated. I am sorry to hear about Cozumel. I haven’t been there since 2018, and it was wonderful then. When I am in areas that might have pickpockets, I take extra precautions. All the zippers on my cross-body purse can be secured. And that purse has wires woven in the body and straps, so it can’t be cut easily. I keep most of my money and cards in a belt pouch. And I keep my passport in a pocketed scarf around my neck. I know this won’t help with a violent theft, but it does deter pickpockets.