Nassau just can’t catch a break. Or maybe it’s cruise passengers who can’t stop acting like fools. Either way, we’re back here again, and I’m starting to think the Bahamas Tourism Board should hand out a pamphlet at the gangway that simply says, “Please behave.”
According to The Tribune a cruise passenger planted himself in the middle of Bay Street – the main street in Nassau – and tried to stop traffic so a convoy of ATVs could pull out. Nobody asked him to. He wasn’t a cop, a crossing guard, or even a convincing guy in a reflective vest.
A local driver who just needed to get somewhere inched forward, and our self-appointed traffic controller started shouting. He finally stepped aside, but punched the driver’s window on the way by and shattered it.
A retired police officer saw the whole thing and called it in. The guy was arrested and given a choice: face charges or pay for the damage. He chose to pay, but he didn’t have enough cash, so he had to ask fellow tourists to chip in. Final bill: a whopping $1,100.
Picture that for a second. Standing in the street after punching a stranger’s car, passing the hat to the people you met in the buffet line. The driver said it best, noting that if he’d pulled that in the guy’s country, he probably would have got shot.
Paying up and walking away, like this guy did, is a best case scenario. Back in June, a group of Americans turned a Nassau port argument into a police station brawl and ended up with guilty pleas, almost $50,000 in fines, and a missed sailing. My breakdown of what happens if you get arrested in a foreign port covers that particular incident and why the embassy and your travel insurance isn’t coming to your rescue.
Two incidents in one year, same port. At this point it’s a trend, as well as a reminder, not to act up in any foreign country.
Here’s what a lot of people forget when bravado and a long afternoon at Senor Frog’s takes over:
- The ship won’t wait while you sort out a legal problem, and your luggage sails without you.
- Miss the ship and your vacation money is gone.
- Illegal conduct is a standard exclusion of all travel insurance policies, so the lawyer, hotel, and flight home are all on you.
Tens of thousands of cruisers hit Nassau on a busy day, and almost all of them buy a T-shirt and go home without a police report. It’s really not that hard. You’re a guest in someone else’s country, so act like one. The only thing you should be handing over in the Bahamas is a few bucks for a conch fritter.
Want to stay out of trouble during your next visit to Nassau? Download my free DIY Nassau Walking Tour Guide complete with a QR code to load step-by-step directions in Google Maps for all the points of interest along the route.
