Harassment

[fawnridge]

It seems the focus of the article deals with tourist harassment at the ports - Montego Bay and Ocho Rios - where the tourists pour off the ships and are immediately set upon by vendors. The beach vendors we encounter in Negril are tame compared to the swarms of vultures that prey on the cruise ships. Having been to Negril nearly 2 dozen times since 1999, I can't say that many of the beach vendors remember me (although some do) but I've been able to fend off those I don't wish to deal with using a simple "no thank you."

While I've never been to Jamaica by cruise ship, I have been to several other ports in the Caribbean by ship and can attest to the uncomfortable feeling you get when the locals and tourists meet.

[Hussyband]

It seems the focus of the article deals with tourist harassment at the ports - Montego Bay and Ocho Rios - where the tourists pour off the ships and are immediately set upon by vendors. The beach vendors we encounter in Negril are tame compared to the swarms of vultures that prey on the cruise ships. Having been to Negril nearly 2 dozen times since 1999, I can't say that many of the beach vendors remember me (although some do) but I've been able to fend off those I don't wish to deal with using a simple "no thank you."

While I've never been to Jamaica by cruise ship, I have been to several other ports in the Caribbean by ship and can attest to the uncomfortable feeling you get when the locals and tourists meet.

This is so true. We've stayed in Ochoa Rios a few times, and I always comment on how much more often you are approached there than in Negril. It's really a very different vibe.