Cruise Passenger Beaten and Raped in Nassau - Are Royal Caribbean and Senor Frog's to Blame?
A horrific crime occurred in Nassau involving a twenty-four year old Canadian woman cruising to the Bahamas.
"Jane Doe" (whose name is being withheld to protect her confidentiality) cruised aboard Royal Caribbean's Majesty of the Seas from Miami, leaving February 21st. Jane Doe sailed with her father and friends. The cruise ship docked in Nassau on February 23rd.
While ashore the group ended up at Senor Frog's, a popular local bar, early in the evening. Senor Frogs is located at the end of a promenade called the "Woods Rogers Walk," near the Straw Market, close to the wharf where the cruise ships dock.
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After leaving the bar to head back to the cruise ship, the young woman was viciously attacked and sustained physical injuries. Looking for help, Jane Doe was then sexually assaulted by a second man (pretending to be a good samaritan) who raped her. She treated in a local hospital in Nassau and then eventually flew home to Canada to recover.
The high crime rate in Nassau is an issue which I have written about frequently on this blog. We have represented and written about many cruise passengers raped or robbed at gun point in Nassau. The Bahamas has the highest incidence of rape in the Caribbean according to a 2007 United Nations report on crime and violence.
Cruise lines are legally obligated to warn passengers of crimes in the ports of call where the cruise ships sail. Unfortunately, cruise lines like Royal Caribbean do not warn of violence against passengers before disembarking them in Nassau, although the U.S. State Department does. A year ago, I was interviewed by Time Magazine in the article "Cruise-Ship Port Call: Gauging Crime in the Bahamas." I also wrote an article warning about violence against women in bars ashore in Nassau. The article is entitled Cruising To The Bahamas - Is It Safe?
In response to the article, we received a letter from Senor Frog's requesting the:
". . . immediate removal of our front entrance picture and name from your website. We feel that your website has a negative impact togards (sic) our facility and our pictures and name has been used causing damage to our name and reputation, regardless of the crime in the bahamas. Senor Frogs Restaurant is a serious stablishment (sic) pro-security we have daily security staff plus the fact that our location is just 1 minute walking distance to a police station our staff always ensure that customers are safe and having a good time we have zero tolerance to crime or disrespectful manners."
Needless to say, we did not retract the reference to Senor Frog's or omit the photo.
We requested a comment from Senor Frog's about this latest incident, and a copy of its response is referenced below.
We also contacted Royal Caribbean for a statement but have received no response.
Below is our article dated March 14, 2010, "Cruising To The Bahamas - Is It Safe?"
The U.S. Department of State has issued a warning of dangers while traveling to the Bahamas, including sexual assaults on cruise ships in the port in Nassau:
"CRIME: The Bahamas has a high crime rate . . . the U.S. Embassy has received reports of assaults, including sexual assaults, in diverse areas such as in casinos, outside hotels, or on cruise ships. In several incidents the victim had reportedly been drugged."
This type of warning, although certainly warranted, is not what the Bahamas wants to hear. Nassau is a preferred port of call for many cruise ships, which line up like cars in a crowded parking lot.
Today's the headline in the Washington Post's travel section is also not what the Bahamas or the cruise lines which sail there wanted to hear: "Violent Crime Is Up In The Bahamas" Here is a portion of the article:
"Bahamas-bound travelers, beware.
Crime in the popular tourist destination is on the upswing, especially on New Providence Island, where the capital city, Nassau, is located. And we're not talking just petty thefts or purse-snatching, but far more serious violent crime.
This island nation finished 2009 with a record 87 murders -- a statistic tourism officials probably won't be trumpeting in their next "It's Better in the Bahamas" ad . . .
The criminal activity has prompted the operators of the world's largest cruise ship, Oasis of the Seas, to warn its passengers to "be mindful of their personal safety," the Nassau Guardian newspaper reported . . .
Some Bahamians attribute the crime wave to high unemployment (hovering around 15 percent on 
New Providence Island, according to the Guardian) and the nation's status as a gathering spot for drug traffickers."
We have warned passengers cruising to Nassau about crime for the past 6 months:
Eleven Cruise Passengers Robbed in Nassau
18 Passengers From Royal Caribbean & Disney Cruise Ships Robbed By Shotgun in the Bahamas
Bahamas Cruise Crime Nightmare Continues
Nassau Welcomes Oasis of the Seas as Bahamas' Murder Count Reaches Record-Breaking Level
The problem with crime in Nassau is real. Many passengers let their guard down and think Nassau is safe for no reason other than the cruise line is sailing there. But we have represented passengers raped in Nassau, passengers raped on cruise ships in the port in Nassau, and multiple passengers robbed in Nassau.
A major problem is when young women go into Nassau and drink at the popular bars near where the cruise ships dock. Many women have been sexually assaulted after leaving the bar even though it is a short distance from the cruise ships. The cruise lines do not provide security at the port nor do they warn about the dangers of date rape drugs and sexual assaults while in Nassau.
The U.S. Department of State warns about young women being sexually assaulted after leaving the cruise ships in Nassau:
"Visitors should exercise caution and good judgment at all times. Engaging in high-risk behavior such as excessive consumption of alcohol can ultimately be dangerous as it greatly increases the vulnerability of an individual to accidents or opportunistic crime. Visitors should not accept rides from strangers or from unlicensed taxi drivers."
March 9, 2011 Update: Senor Frog's in Nassau sent us a statement today - please read: Senor Frog's Comments on Crime Against Cruise Passenger in Nassau.
August 15, 2012 Update: Royal Caribbean Passenger Reports Rape at Senor Frog's in Cozumel.
September 8, 2012 Update: Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals: Cruise Lines Have Duty to Warn of Danger of Crime in Ports of Call - a federal appellate court re-instates a lawsuit against a cruise line for not warning its passengers of danger in St. Thomas. The case involved a 15 year old girl who was celebrating her quinceanera with her parents and brother on a Carnival cruise. A gang-related shoot out ended up with the girl being killed.
Credits:
Top photo - interior of Senor Frog's looking at cruise ships
Middle photo - Oasis of the Seas - Nassau Bahamas Press
Bottom photo - Senor Frogs Casch52 Flickr photostream
Jim Walker is a maritime lawyer who has attended seven Congressional hearing on issues of cruise ship crime, passenger disappearances,
I think it is time that these crusie lines start promoting safety when disembarking in Nassau. Had my sister and my dad been aware of these dangers, they may have stayed on the ship. It disgusts me that Royal Caribean cruise lines would even stay until midnight in such a dangerous place. Funding local tourism seems to be more important than the safety of their passengers. My family was suppose to travel next year to Florida and the Bahamas, we have since decided that we will not be investing any time or money into these countries and will make sure that anyone we know does not as well.
On Friday March 15,2011 my husband and I went to a local bar in Nassau Bahamas we ordered 2 drinks and by the first one felt fine by the second one we were completely unaware of our surroundings heading back to our cruise ship (Carnival Sensation) luckily we made it to the ship after returning to our room we were violently ill vomiting and unable to function. We did not consume enough alcohol for this to happen. Most of the night was a complete blurr I remember parts of it while my husband doesn't remember any of it. The barmaid kept telling him to eat the cherries in his drink. I guess they need to bring down the stronger one so he cant help me. This was the scaries night of my entire life. After sustaining some bruises from falling in the bathroom and hurting my leg we lost a whole night. The next morning I went to the Medical room and told the woman working there my story she didnt really care to hear it and said that she never heard of any incidences happening (which is a lie) THANK GOD WE LEFT WHEN WE DID!!!!!!!!!
We did a cruise April 2011 with Royal Caribbean to bahamas. When we disembarked as a couple we were disgusted by the local men and their disrespect of women. We left our sons on board and glad we did bc after walking down main strip we could tell quickly it was not safe if even slightly off the beaten path. We went back to our ship early and enjoyed the vacant pool.
My wife and I took a cruise to the Bahamas in April 2011. Nassau was by far our least favorite destination. We took a guided tour of the island and the poverty there was terrible. Although we did not encounter any problems, I knew the crime rate had to be high. We went back to the ship early and relaxed. I actually got back off that night and went to a bar named Casablanca that was very close to the ship. I sat outside and drank 2 beers. I noticed a lot of shady characters watching tourists walk back from Senor Frogs. I felt unsafe and went back to the ship. I will be taking my family (including my two daughters ages 21 and 18) back to the Bahamas in June 2012, but Nassau will be seen from the ship. We will take advantage of the empty pools.
glad I read these reviews. my husband and I are cruising on Carnival Dream in Feb 2012 and I was looking forward to visiting Senor Frogs but now I do believe we too will be taking in the view from the ship and enjoying the vacant pools.
Hello all,
The Bahamas just like any other country in the world has its problems. There is no heaven on earth, every country has there own issues with crime just at different degrees. Nassau being the capital has seen it's share of situations but I guarantee you the attacks on visitors are rare and few and are not taken lightly. However, also keep in mind that we dont only have Nassau, we have a number of other islands to choose from Exuma, Andros, Eleuthera, Inagua etc.
I have numerous friends and family members who have been victims of crime while visiting the US, but still we dont brand America as a lawless country.
My 3 girlfriends and I just got back from a cruise this past weekend from the Bahamas. (October 2011). There was no mention of any dangers from Norwegian Cruise Ship prior to getting off the boat or when we did get off but we immediately noticed the poverty and felt a bit uneasy so we all stayed together. We shopped in the straw market and then walked to the local beach called Junkanoo Beach. It was a rainy day so there were very few people there, but there was one man who was alone and hanging out in the water who seemed to watch us girls for quite some time. Once my friend was alone in the water he made small talk with her and seemed very nice, told her of a great sushi restaurant a few mins down the road we should go to. My girlfriends and I kept an eye on our friend alone in the water at all times and always stayed together. I remember hearing lots and lots of sirens while we were there where I commented to my friend that I had never been somewhere and heard so many sirens.
Shortly after the police came by talking to the locals who were hanging out at the bathrooms and then they came over and called the man who had been watching us and appeared to be "friendly" out of the water by name and told him to go away. The police then asked us girls if he had harmed us or touched us in any way. This made us feel very uncomfortable but we were fine and had not been harmed. 2 of us had gotten a coconut drink at the little shack on the beach from 2 men making them prior. They gave me a drink and one "free". I did not feel strange at all looking back at it, but now knowing what I do about tourists being given date rape drugs I would NOT buy a drink there again.
My overall experience of the Bahamas was not worth the trip or money I paid. I feel that I was lied to about going to this beautiful island where I could "relax" when in reality I could not because of so much crime and sirens going off. And knowing what I do now and that I was not warned to watch out for the dangers makes me not want to go on a cruise again.
Hmmm. I have been born and raised in the Bahamas. these stories that I am reading are so far from the truth. To know for a fact that something was put in your drink would be good. Don't just make up stories because you wanna feel included.. Bahamians do not go around Robbing Tourist. The Bahamas is not a developed country. While we do not live in trees, we have our own problems. The World Recession has taken its told on the Bahamas, but Tourism is our number one industry and its for a reason. Bahamians are always told to be friendly to visitors. So do not get it twisted. Yes there have been instances where tourist have been robbed..But i assure you once or twice is not cause for any alarm. The Bahamas is indeed not Heaven on earth. Please do not act like where you come from is some peaceful place without its problems. Please get the facts. Yes the cruise ship does not mention anything about safety because there are no concerns. If you come to a country with this negative attitude then you will have a bad time.Speak the truth and shame the Devil. Bahamian drinks are strong. We don't do no date rape crap here..Thats what yall Americans do. not in the Bahamas. We don't steal kids..Thats what yall Americans do. We dont go in schools and shoot up the place thats what yall Americans do. So the nest time yall wanna talk remember what yall Americans does do. Bahamas is a safe place for tourist So there is no need to be alarmed.
I'm not saying it DOESNT happen but I have been to Nassau twice now and made it a point to have a drink at Senor Frogs both times and have had nothing short of a fun experience both times. I am grateful both trips were safe but I think it is unfair to recommend that people stay on the ship during the port day or dont venture and explore the city. My personal recommendation is to travel in a group and do not wander off on your own. Common sense will tell you do not leave your drink unattended when youre at ANY establishment let alone a different country. Just be smart and aware of your surroundings if you do get off the ship. And for those who are considering stopping by Senor Frogs on their trip to Nassau, I can only speak for myself when I say it is a great time to be had.
I just got back from a cruise today. We stayed in Nassau overnight. I walked to Señor Frogs not once but twice bad did not have any problems. I live in Atlanta Georgia and being aware of your surroundings is crucial to not becoming a victim. I had a great time and walked back to the boat at 2am in the morning. The Carnival Sensation crew did not warn of any dangers but I already knew I wasn't on a cruise to heaven....it's unfortunate what happens but consider the hundreds of thousands of people that go to these bars unharmed.
I'm glad I found this site. We traveled on Carnival Glory May 2011. We were so excited to port at Nassau being it was our first cruise. It was beautiful. We went into the straw market where they were announcing the sale of tickets on the water ferry to Atlantis. We bought the tickets and about 50 people followed this guy named "Willie" to the water ferry, we went around corners, through alleys and immediately my husband said hold on to me it doesn't seem right around here. People were watching us like hawks. We got to the water ferry which turned out to be a old fishing boat with church pews mounted to the floor. People got on the boat pushing $1.00 bottled waters. We were so scared but we went with the flow and we knew that going back to the ship would leave us alone and away from the crowd bc everyone had already spread out. Everyone on the ferry looked terrified. "Willie" we on to tell us about the land marks of the island and gave us a little history which we enjoyed then he stated he was a free-lance national tour guide and would like an offering for his information. I wanted to give him something but I didn't want to expose my cash in such a scretchy situation. We finally got to the other side where we could get off and walk to Atlantis. We had to walk through this narrow walkway were women were touching your clothes and hair wanting you to buy beads and get hair braiding. I'm not stranger to bad environments so I knew how to handle myself. There were drug dealers on the corners as we crossed the street to walk into the Atlantis area and they would whisper "got the good stuff, got the good stuff" then taxi drivers would pull up almost on the sidewalk and tell us to get in, need a taxi ride and when we would decline they would speed off like in a kidnapping scene. We got to Atlantis which is BEAUTIFUL. We never made it to the public beach because it was a long walk. After sometime we were ready to get back on our ship. We waited near the shops inside Atlantis to walk out with a crowd so we would be safe and not secluded in a foreign land. Once we got back to the dock to wait for the ferry for over an hour (which is supposed to run every 30 min) we kept getting a speech from one of the locals saying "we are on slow time, we enjoy the island, no rush..you americans are always in a hurry). I spoke up and said we need to get back to our ship so you need to be on our time. Finally we got back on the ferry and "Willie" gave us the same tour and we departed and walked back to the ship. I wanted to explore more of the island but I know when I'm not in a safe place and we used wisdom and went back to our cabin. I've never had such pushy people hound me in all of my life (not even in New York) lol. Our next port was Freeport and we didn't even get off, we were DONE with the Bahamas! We went to the spa instead. We were never warned of any dangers or previous incidents or anything.
As it turns out, we took that boat ride when we were there last. We bought a round-trip ticket and never used the return trip. We preferred to take a group taxi back to the port. It was an experience that I will never forget and once was enough.
I just went on a cruise (Carnival Ecstasy) at the end of October and I had the best time in Nassau, Bahamas. I was with my aunt, my cousin, and a girl friend of ours and we went to Señor Frogs twice in two days because the ship stayed overnight. We had a lot of tequila and were pretty inebriated the first day and closed down the bar. We walked back to the ship at night time and had a few men hit on us and stare at us, but other than that everything was fine. The next day we had a few drinks and had to get back on the ship around 4PM. The same thing happened with some men staring and hitting on us, but it was really harmless. I do not doubt that there has been crime there, but I just wanted to say I had a wonderful experience and cannot wait to go back (possibly in a few months). The staff and management at senor frogs were so good to us and we loved them! I am sorry for what happened to the woman in the story and my thoughts and prayers are with her and her family.
Just got back, my daughter was sexually harrased by locals at the beach (paradise island I think). She's 15 yearsold. A local nearby the incident told me that they were speaking about selling her for "big money". What the idiots didnt know was that big poppa was watching them the whole time. I was asked repeatedly to buy cocaine. Drugs are rampid and I was disgusted at the men. Non of these stories are being made up, Nassau is dangerous and should be treated like the vile jungle it is. Those people don't deserve that paradise.
Just went on cruise only mistake was getting off nassau,could not walk 2 inches without people trying to touch you or get you to buy in your face people watching every move, then police grabbing guy and armed sec guard with shot gun walking next to us down street to a broken down van aka armed car..spent two hours there trying to get back to boat..next time not getting off at that port ....
I have been working on ships for 5 years, and have been to both Nassau and Senor Frogs plenty times.
I have never seen an incident like this and the staff at Senor Frogs are very professional, friendly and welcoming.
Crime happens every where, although it's unfortunate, it absolutely had nothing to do with the cruiseline, restaurant or Nassau as a whole.
Nassau is a great port, and ofcourse people will approach you on the streets to sell you stuff, but not anything illegal, mainly shells, turtles made out of coconuts and random stuff.. its how they make a living its up to you whether to entertain them or not. Ofcourse it happens sometimes I'm sure, just like anywhere else in the world, but that's another part of travelling.
Anyways, its a beautiful port with lots to see and do, don't let this incident or posts stop you from visiting and exploring Nassau. If you really are concerned, just stay out of the local areas.
Geeeez, you people need to stay in your backyards and never go anywhere. Just turn on your evening news in the US and listen to the multitude of crime from rape to murder. This article states that there were 87 murders in the Bahamas in 2009 by contrast the US had 13,752 in 09 so just based on these figures your much much safer in the bahamas than the US even on a per capita basis. The people that have commented about staying on the ships are letting their fear of black people get the best of the them, i have been to far scarier places like Nairobi Kenya nicknamed Nairobbery and have walked by myself in places that look scary but if you handle yourself with confidence and don't show that your terrified than you'll be okay for the most part. You also need to be wise and leave your jewelry, watches and other flashy stuff at home. Be aware of your surroundings, don't leave your drink unattended and simply enjoy yourself and respect the locals
Every country in the world has its fair share of problems. The heinous crimes that are commited in the us are far more scarier than ours. This has always been a peaceful and fun loving GOD fearing country BAHAMIANS are peaceful but assertive people most of these experiences are misconstrued. Tourism was always our bread and butter and it has always been preserved. Make no mistake there is crime here as it is back where you live. Learn to repect and appreciate culture before you make comments. Bahamians get robbed all the time in the US especially in the Florida area but moreover any major US city just think before you comment.
geez if deeze ppl need woman dey should try find 1 and stop rapping