Well since you asked, I was hesitant to say because I don't want to offend anyone, but here is my take. We first began our One Love Pub Crawling about 5 or so years ago, we loved it! The Crawl is what prompted us to leave the big A/I and venture off on our own. Lenbert was fun, engaging and made a great time for all. I read a review on his Facebook site just before we left where a guy stated that he felt the crawl had changed a lot and that Lenbert had kind of lost interest and just went through the motions, I had hoped this was untrue.Originally Posted by MikeyNYC
Our experience this trip was 7 stops, about half were new to us so that was good. First thing we noticed that Lenbert did seem a bit off and just not as into it as he used to be. I completely understand, its a job for him and hes not on vacation. The second thing we noticed is that there is now a bit of a cottage industry of locals that follow the Crawl to beg and expect gifts, money etc. Lenbert didn't mingle and interact with the guests as he used to and as the review I read stated it is kind of an "on your own" now vibe. Along that same line one of the stops was a simple wooden stand type bar that clearly was not open until we pulled up. Lenbert stated that his ex wife owned it and we were helping out with the alimony. $4 a RS made some folks groan, but that would be the low price for the trip. As we pulled away they were clearly shutting down the shop and calling it a day.
We hit a small hut far out in the West End and while we were there prior and paid $3 a RS, Crawl price was $4. I know this has been a bone of contention for some folks, but it is what it is, I am just stating the experience we had.
Of course the now regular "Shanty Town" as Lenbert referred stop was next. This is where it got a bit crazy! Only a handful of folks exited the bus, they had some clothes, school supplies, etc to hand out. In a minute or two it was a mob scene, kids were coming on the bus, Lenbert was trying to regulate the going ons outside the bus, but clearly had his hands full. This turned a lot of folks off and kinda killed the vibe a bit. Some of the people that were handing things out said they literally had items ripped out of their hands and their clothing pulled on, etc, etc. It got a bit crazy for sure.
The crawl didn't end with the usual singing and dancing, just kind of drifted into the sunset quietly. I don't want to sound as though I am anti anything, we contribute to the pople of Negril. I choose to donate through Travelers as I like what they do and I don't think it promotes the begging culture which is in contrast to the great good. For example, Royal Carribbean just cancled the Falmouth port off their itinerary. They said in their statement it was due to harrassment of guests by the hustlers and practices of the tour operators that resulted in excessive complaints. We are cruisers as well and when I read the rankings of ports Jamaica is always at the bottom for this same reason.
Anyhow, back on track I think everyone should try the Crawl and we will continue to support and recommned. It has just changed and in many ways you can't blame Lenbert. The folks at the Couples Swept Away boards have made a whole thing of using the Crawl as a way to donate to the kids, etc, etc. Most of these folks never see the outside of the resort other than this trip so they don't really get what they are doing. Lenbert has done a ton of good and I'm sure he feels caught in the middle at times.
One Love
