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Anyone afraid of Mexico ports??

daisy7113

By daisy7113,
in Carnival Cruise Lines

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KCMarie

KCMarie

Posted
Posted
this is the "DH"...

 

i saw a report couple of weeks ago w/ dead guy shot in the head lying on ground right outside the hotel/toruist area of Acapulco. there was an american killed in central mexico about 10 days ago.. the drug murders are all over mexico.. think it was last year they found a bunch of missing people from cancun in the jungle all dead.. innocent people are getting killed all the time down there.. just because someone is murdered here in the states doesn't mean i shouldn;'t be worried about traveling to mexico.. you can use that same logic when you plan your trip to Iraq or Afganistan.. not me!!

 

I don't think that anyone here on CC or anywhere else will be able to make you not be worried about traveling to Mexico.

 

Since your wife would like to go on the Dream, why not just select a nice relaxing cruise to the Bahamas, Virgin Islands, and Grand Turk? That way she still cruises on the Dream, and y'all don't need to be worried about Mexico.

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daisy7113

daisy7113

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I don't think that anyone here on CC or anywhere else will be able to make you not be worried about traveling to Mexico.

 

Since your wife would like to go on the Dream, why not just select a nice relaxing cruise to the Bahamas, Virgin Islands, and Grand Turk? That way she still cruises on the Dream, and y'all don't need to be worried about Mexico.

 

Haha Marie! Actually is DH who wants to go on the Dream moreso. Just not venturing off on those 2 ports. He loves ship time so really not a biggie to stay on ship. Might just get off and see what is right there are pier and then back on. We are not the real adventurous type, we are kinda lazy, beach/pool people. So really we like ship time by the pool when most guests are onshore.

Doesnt really matter to me. We are debating the Dream or the Freedom for January as that is the best month that works for us.

Was just curious here on peoples thoughts about Mexico.

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sbyczko

sbyczko

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the guys who stopped the bus w/ the guns were not part of the Mexican army... no uniforms and not from their appearance could you every had expected them to be "doing" anything offical on the part of any government.

 

we were just looking for the general/previous experience people had w/ those ports. was there any security either mexican army/police and how far out of the prt area could you expect to see security?

 

i feel like many are just totally disregading the spread of violence that is going on in mexico from some of the comments comparing this to murders in america or the belief that most of the murders are taking place in non-tourist areas of the country or only the "bad guys" are getting kiiled.

 

i was more internested in the stops in Belize and Routan.. we have done several eastern and western trips that we wanted something new.

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STGx3

STGx3

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DH and I have been to Mexico on 2 of our 3 cruises and do not concern ourselves with what could happen. We have visited Ensenada, Cabo, Cozumel, Playa Del Carmen (on a tour from Cozumel) with no incident and really enjoy the Mexican ports.

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usrbphi

usrbphi

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This year we have been in Cozumel, Cancun, Progresso, Cabo, Mazatlan and PV. Not one hint of trouble. In fact everyone we encountered asked we tell people the resort cities are safe and to come down they need the business.

 

That said we live in Texas and would not dream of going to a border city.

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PlayTheAces

PlayTheAces

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In a week we'll be heading to the Mexican Riviera on the Spirit. We've been to most of the ports many times before, so other than some shopping we won't be doing much. But we have no real worries about wandering around the various shopping areas.

 

We'll watch our surroundings and avoid getting off the beaten path, the same as we do when we're in any unfamiliar city. Random bad things can happen anywhere, but I don't think the cartels are going to go out of their way to add a couple of slow moving seniors to their hit list. ;)

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Kurbanfan

Kurbanfan

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the guys who stopped the bus w/ the guns were not part of the Mexican army... no uniforms and not from their appearance could you every had expected them to be "doing" anything offical on the part of any government.

 

we were just looking for the general/previous experience people had w/ those ports. was there any security either mexican army/police and how far out of the prt area could you expect to see security?

 

i feel like many are just totally disregading the spread of violence that is going on in mexico from some of the comments comparing this to murders in america or the belief that most of the murders are taking place in non-tourist areas of the country or only the "bad guys" are getting kiiled.

 

i was more internested in the stops in Belize and Routan.. we have done several eastern and western trips that we wanted something new.

 

 

Oh ok......thought you were describing the same thing that happened to us when we took a 45 minute bus tour in Ensenada.......we did get stopped by the Mexican Army but this was about 12 years ago before this recent wave of violence......

We have been cruising down to Mexico for over 12 years and there has always been police and sometimes army present in every port from the Pacific to the Caribbean........

However I would not drive from the U.S. into Mexico.......that is where you will be in trouble.

Roatan is my fav port by far and cave tubing in Belize is a must.

I will be the first one to tell you that alot of people down play the violence that is happening in Mexico......it is bad.....but the problem is not directed at tourists.....sure wrong place wrong time......but we can't let that scare us from living.......a girl was caught in a gang crossfire in St. Thomas..... although sad.....life goes on.......

Enjoy your cruise!

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Upandadam

Upandadam

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i feel like many are just totally disregading the spread of violence that is going on in mexico from some of the comments comparing this to murders in america or the belief that most of the murders are taking place in non-tourist areas of the country or only the "bad guys" are getting kiiled.

 

I don't think anyone is disregarding the truth. They're just pointing out that sensationalistic headlines aren't the truth. Tourists aren't getting killed in tourist areas. Period. No more than they are in any major city in the US. Mexico at the present time, is very safe for tourists.

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sbyczko

sbyczko

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In a week we'll be heading to the Mexican Riviera on the Spirit. We've been to most of the ports many times before, so other than some shopping we won't be doing much. But we have no real worries about wandering around the various shopping areas.

 

We'll watch our surroundings and avoid getting off the beaten path, the same as we do when we're in any unfamiliar city. Random bad things can happen anywhere, but I don't think the cartels are goiing to go out of their way to add a couple of slow moving seniors to their hit list. ;)

 

 

i might me slow moving (you missed "big" target) but i am not a senior yet.. LOL

 

 

from a strategic point of view.. i could see the cartels going after tourists hoping to hurt the government. it is an all out war for their survival..

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Kurbanfan

Kurbanfan

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i might me slow moving (you missed "big" target) but i am not a senior yet.. LOL

 

 

from a strategic point of view.. i could see the cartels going after tourists hoping to hurt the government. it is an all out war for their survival..

 

What:confused: OMG!

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PlayTheAces

PlayTheAces

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i might me slow moving (you missed "big" target) but i am not a senior yet.. LOL

 

 

from a strategic point of view.. i could see the cartels going after tourists hoping to hurt the government. it is an all out war for their survival..

 

Mexico can be dangerous - no doubt about it. You evaluate the odds and take your chances.

 

We made a port stop in Guatemala earlier this year. Now that is one place I wouldn't feel comfortable walking around on my own. :eek:

 

Lots of rough places in the world.

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Kurbanfan

Kurbanfan

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No head in sand here.

 

Ok, take a ship's crew... some are calling on Cozumel twice a week, for months & months at a time... and they feel perfectly safe.

 

So your one eight hour visit? I'd say you'll be fine.

 

 

 

Not an Optimist... Not a Pessimist... A Realist.

 

I can't even imagine someone being scared to go to Cozumel......so safe that is probably where the kingpins vacation with their family:D

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bankerbabe

bankerbabe

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I don't know if you can say there are no drug cartel attacks in tourist areas as definitively as most of you are making it sound. Yes, the tourist areas are less prone to violence, but not immune.

 

Take, for example, this attack on a disco in Cancun (clearly a tourist area, though not one the ship will visit) that killed 8 in August.

 

http://www.zimbio.com/Sinaloa+Cartel/articles/ZAt0MH5hxi7/8+Confirmed+Killed+Cancun+Bar+Attack

 

 

Might want to check your sources. The bar where 8 people were killed was in a residential area not frequented by tourists. According to the Huffington Post article, the bar was located in a "low income area far from the city's tourist zone". It further states that "The bar offered table-dances and other entertainment, and had a rough reputation."

 

See the Fox News article here: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2010/08/31/killed-cancun-bar-attack/

 

And the Huffington Post article here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/08/31/cancun-bar-attack-8-kille_n_701056.html

 

 

Tourists are not the target of drug cartels.

 

I wouldn't hesitate to leave the ship in any Mexican port. I also wouldn't turn down a trip to Cancun, Puerto Vallarta, Cabo San Lucas, Tulum, Playa del Carmen . . . . . I could go on and on.

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bankerbabe

bankerbabe

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With all that said, though, there are areas of Mexico that I would personally avoid. Border cities, central mexico (as much because there are no beaches there as because it's not safe), and Acapulco are the ones that come to mind. I have heard reports lately that Acapulco is not as safe as it once was. We've been there and didn't care for it, so that's a big part of why we wouldn't return.

 

I'm not downplaying the violence by any means. It's there, and it's real. MOST of the victims of the violence are themselves perpetrators of violence and members of cartels, or they are members of government and law enforcement. Most, but not all. There are innocent people killed, but they are not tourists.

 

From what I have read (and I've been doing a lot of reading on this subject, as I enjoy land vacations in Mexico as much as I enjoy cruising) the innocents that have been killed are primarily either innocent bystanders who have found themselves in the crossfire far away from the tourist areas, or they are immigrants from countries south of Mexico. The cartels target these immigrants, particularly the illegal immigrants and those that are crossing Mexico to get into the US, and force them to work for them. If they refuse to work then they are killed. Those that work for the cartels find themselves with no way out. Since they are in Mexico illegally - and Mexico does not take to illegal immigrants kindly - they have no one to tell, nowhere to go, and often no one knows where to look for them. It's very sad.

 

But they are NOT targeting tourists from cruise ships. Or even tourists staying at resorts and enjoying beaches and archeological sites.

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Upandadam

Upandadam

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There have been bombings of clubs in tourist areas. A guy was just shot riding a jet ski. Mexico doesn't offer enough to risk my family's life. Good luck to the rest of you.

 

The club bombing you must be referring to was in a residential area of old Cancun, nowhere near a touristy area and not frequented by tourists and the jet ski incident was literally ON the border.

 

A young woman was shot and killed in St. Thomas (US territory) recently in a VERY touristy area. Someone was also shot and killed a few miles from my home last week in an upper middle class suburb.

 

Doesn't mean I'm moving my family away.

 

The news media loves to sensationalize what's going on, but if you look at the facts, Mexico is still a safe place for tourists. Safer than many that don't get the headlines.

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