Which port has the pushiest vendors???

[Fieldmouse]

Has this happen to anyone else?

When we were in Acapulco Mexico...as we were walking just outside the port area, 3 LITTLE kids came up beside us...one of the little girls grabbed my husband's hand as we were walking...as they pulled on us they kept saying, "money, money, money, give us money". When we pulled our arms away, the two boys turned right in front of us and continued the chant. I told them in Spanish (the only words I know!) "We have nothing, nothing, no money". They immediately stopped following us after that. As we turned back to see where they had gone, we saw all three of them get into a nice looking van...then about a minute later they got out again and tackled another couple walking by using the same MO and chant.

This wasn't the most aggressive onslaught we've ever experienced, but it certainly was the most unnerving because the aggressors were little kids.

[Bruce Chafkin1]

Having sailed into just about every port in Earth over the past 35 years, I can say - without a doubt - that the toughest, pushiest, most annoying vendors are in Tangiers, Morocco.
They are so bad that our port talks actually suggest that the passengers not leave the ship unless on an official escorted tour.
Every time we go there, I station all the Hotel Officers out on the pier to try to protect our passengers.

There is a big side business there, where certain vendors offer to chase away the other pushy vendors for a price. And it's worth that price.
A very nasty place....................

[Bruce Chafkin1]

There is also the island of Nias, off the Northwest coast of Sumatra, in the Indian Ocean. A tribe of headhunters lives at the top of the mountain there. The tours take the passengers up the mountain to the headhunters' village. The headhunters dance and sing, and sell shrunken human heads and other garish souvenirs to the passengers.
These tours are the only source of revenue for these people. And ships don't stop there very often, so the villagers really need the money
.
When the bus (truck) begins to depart the village, the headhunters crowd around, trying to make a final sale.They are brandishing knives and clubs, screaming and shouting in their local dialect, and waving the shrunken heads into faces of the passengers. It is quite disturbing for the passengers, who are not quite sure how far this is going to go. All the while we are wondering where they got all the heads.....................

[katlady]

Originally Posted by Bruce Chafkin1

There is also the island of Nias, off the Northwest coast of Sumatra, in the Indian Ocean. A tribe of headhunters lives at the top of the mountain there. The tours take the passengers up the mountain to the headhunters' village. The headhunters dance and sing, and sell shrunken human heads and other garish souvenirs to the passengers.
These tours are the only source of revenue for these people. And ships don't stop there very often, so the villagers really need the money
.
When the bus (truck) begins to depart the village, the headhunters crowd around, trying to make a final sale.They are brandishing knives and clubs, screaming and shouting in their local dialect, and waving the shrunken heads into faces of the passengers. It is quite disturbing for the passengers, who are not quite sure how far this is going to go. All the while we are wondering where they got all the heads.....................

Wow that is freaky.

[jackieb]

Ocho Rios was my choice. I haven't been to some of the other ports but we spent a week in Jamaica. We had one store pull us into the store and lock the door behind us. So from all the places that I've been Ocho Rio wins hands down. They really should do something about it. It makes people not want to visit.

[sergej]

>> Tangiers, Morocco.

I like that place !
I've made some official escorted tour there. We have even some
people from Tangier to protect us (we pay some money to them separatelly).

It is so different as in other countries. But I have not feel any really danger there.
People does not smile to you and it looks even so that they does not notice
you but you know that they do.

So it is one of the most interesting adventures I get.
Tangiers ! the must place to visit !
You feel there as a tourist from James Bond movie.

maybe Casablanca can be even more interesting.

[chasm4u]

It wasnt on a cruise BUT my sis was on her honeymoon at sandels in jamaca, Not sure which part. She said teh vendors were not allowed in the resort prperty so what they did was drive up on jet skis and small boats selling stuff ALL DAY! She said she couldnt even get a clear beach shot the entire three days she was there without one of them being in her shot.

[Galveston]

Cabo San Lucas, I wouldn't say pushy as much as bothersome. Cabo is find a beach, and leave me the hell alone. at least 2-3 individual vendors every few minutes roaming the beach. Those dumb enough to buy something are then further berrated even more by the the remaining ones.

[Donna]

I'm seeing a good majority saying Jamaica, and I'll have to agree....It truly bothered me when in a shopping area and used the public restroom, you had to tip a lady in order to get TP....what is with that??

[Moiraine]

I voted other, as in Mexico in general. I went to Tijuana and Enseneda a couple of decades ago with with a cousin and her husband, who live in southern California. My cousin in law paid the local kids to "watch" the car to keep them from stealing everything on it.

We visited Tulum this spring on a shore excursion while cruising on the Conquest. Tulum was the worst. My other half is a big, scary looking guy, although he is actually a teddy bear. I'd run for my life if I did not know him and he shot me an angry look. It did not stop the drove of vendors at Tulum. One guy followed us around for ages trying to sell him a tee shirt at the shopping area. He told him 10 or 15 times that he did not want it. The dude even followed us into the place where we stopped to eat after the tour and before we left.

A friend of mine went across the border when he was visiting San Diego several years ago. He said he got rid of the vendors by making them angry. I take it he gave them the bird. It worked, but it was a foolish thing to do because it angered them.

As for Montego Bay, that was our Jamaica port of call and we had no problems at all.

[green_rd]

I (a male) was followed for three blocks in Phillipsburg St. Martin, "braid your hair", "I make you look like Bob Marley". The DW's knee length hair was in a bun or we might never have gotten rid of her.

[katlady]

I was happy with my recent cruise to Mexico. Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlan, and Puerto Vallarta. The people weren't to pushy. They would still ask and it you said no they would leave you alone. Mazatlan cab drivers were the most pushy. They were a lot of them (in the Golden Zone) so you just had to keep saying no taxi now.

However, we did have a bidding war to get back to the ship. The guy who lost starting yelling in Spanish at the guy who won. It was really entertaining. In Mazatlan they have the drivers and the runners. The runners take a part of the fare and drum up the business. They are the middle man. This bidding war was between a driver and a runner. I knew I wanted to go with the driver in the first place. Why should the driver have to share part of the fare with some pushy guy.

[katlady]

Originally Posted by Galveston

Cabo San Lucas, I wouldn't say pushy as much as bothersome. Cabo is find a beach, and leave me the hell alone. at least 2-3 individual vendors every few minutes roaming the beach. Those dumb enough to buy something are then further berrated even more by the the remaining ones.

If you go to Baja Cantina they rope off the beach area chaise lounges from the vendors. You just have to order something, which we planned to do anyway. We ordered 6 pacifico beers for 150 pesos (about $15). The vendors were right outside this area. This is at Medano Beach this is a nice swimming beach. Here is a picture you can see the rope in this picture. We are inside the roped off area.

[Manuel]

Ocho Rios, Jamaica was the worst place that we have seen as far as far as pushy vendors go.

TM

[jimh49]

Before my world cruise the past winter I would have said Ocho Rios; however, Dakar, Senegal now takes it hands down.

[goldie39]

DOMINICA was my worst port experience. Hassled to no end by ladies who had name tags stating cruise hair braiders. Found out later they had no affilation with the ship! Were told 8 dollars to braid my little girls hair. We finally gave in when told it would only take 10 minutes. 30 minutes in I was very restless and upset standing in 90 degree weather with other plans and not much time. I said stop it is going on 45 minutes now we have to go. Just finish up with one thick braid now. She said no the beads wont fit on a thick braid. I said then forget the bead and just use the elastic band. She ignored me and kept braiding. I was fuming at this point and complaining about you said 10 minutes and it is now an hour. We really have to go now.This is ridiculous. We could have this done at home. Im wasting all my shore time standing here in this heat. Finally she finished and to my utter SHOCK asked for 58.00 U.S. I almost died. I said you said 8 dollars!. She then said 8 dollars a braid. I said no way would I have stood here in the heat for an hour to have something done that I didnt even want in the first place and could have done at home for a couple of bucks. The braids were not even full length. They were about 1 inch in length each.
and to top it all off I had demanded that she stop 30 minutes ago. I dropped the 8 dollars on her chair and walked towards the pier. Well she went screaming for security. After alot of arguing the port security actually would not let us board the ship untill we paid. They said just pay her this is how she makes her living. I was livid!. I dont make 58.U.S in 50 minutes.and I work very hard to make a living too. We were literally robbed!! The rest of the vendors were all extremely pushy and rude as well. Spoiled our whole day and made us really not want to step foot off the ship again. Good-Bye Dominica and good luck to your tourism industry if this is how you treat your visitors and support your crooks! Goldie39

[katlady]

Wow Goldie that would have ticked me off to. She should have stopped when you asked. I'm glad you paid her however, because you could have had even bigger problems if you hadn't.

I had a dinner experience in Rome like this. The waiter didn't like us because we were American tourists. He tossed us attitude the whole meal. We got the cheap olive oil, the food was horrible, and other guest were looking over and talking about us. I don't need to speak Italian to understand non verbal cues. The whole feeling was of hate. We had other dinners in Venice and Rome were the people were nice and treated us well. In fact I really liked the people of Venice, super nice. Had that restaurant been my experience of Italy I would never go back. My husband won't go back to Rome at all. He hates the place. He was not that expressed by the Italian food we had there. He also enjoyed Venice quite a bit. I saw the Vatican so no reason to ever step foot in Rome again.

[showcat]

I voted Montego Bay but it was a toss up between it and Ocho Rios! Horrible!

[showcat]

Not on the list but worth mentioning was Dominican Republic, even worse then Jamaica in a way. The people looked super poor and like they were starving, wild eyed, desperate they crowded our tour bus and were still holding up beads to the windows trying to get people to buy. It was very sad not my idea of a vacation spot.

[senoj84]

Ochos Rios, Jamaica!!

[CarolinaGirl]

Originally Posted by Donna

I'm seeing a good majority saying Jamaica, and I'll have to agree....It truly bothered me when in a shopping area and used the public restroom, you had to tip a lady in order to get TP....what is with that??

We had to do that in Nueva Laredo, Mexico, and I was just so happy to find a clean bathroom by then that I was thrilled to buy toilet paper. lol

[Ojos]

My first wife and I went to Acapulco in 1986, and the vendors and touts were so bad that, one day, when we walked from our hotel to a grocery story, I counted the ones who approached us, and monitored the number of minutes it took us to walk there. It took us twenty minutes to get to the store, and we were accosted twenty-one times!:-x

[polish28]

I would say Ocho Rios was the worst. If we ever end up there again, I'll probably stay on the boat and have a pool day. Turkey, Mexico, even Haiti was not as bad as Jamaica. I seemed to attract every Jamaican male. Multiple men came up to me asking for innappropriate favors...if you catch my drift. One shopowner tried to pull me in an alley. I was not happy.

I'm glad I went to Dunns Falls and got it over with, that was the best part because unless it changes they won't be seeing me again. Leaving the falls was horrid, there were so many vendors and it's difficult to get by all of them. They teamed up and start putting necklaces on us and asking for $50. We told them we didn't have any cash and they told us to give them our credit card since we were rich Americans!!!!!!!!! Obviously they don't know me too well. I even had an employee in Pirana Joe ask for a tip!!!!!!!

I was glad to be back on the boat.

[Donna]

I know what you mean, I hated those vendors....Our guide through the falls wanted his tip so bad, he had to come back to the bus with us, we left all our cash/wallet on the bus...I don't think I'd do that again.