Acapulco Jan 9, 2011 political rally

[RSF Cruiser]

I'm on the Sapphire Princess (with a really slow internet connection) and we heard from the captain today our arrival in Acapulco will be delayed two hours because "of a planned political rally taking place the morning of out arrival..." along the waterfront and near the pier. I can't find anything about it on the internet - does anyone in the States know anything about it? Wonder what it's about and what is being reported.

 

Thanks!

[quincytoo]

Internet is way quicker today :) Political rally is a peaceful march for the governer (or what he is called) who is leaving office after serving his terms. it is a peaceful sign of respect.

[DOJO466]

On a worse note, 15 beheaded people were found near an Acapulco shopping center either today or yesterday:eek:

[jack300s]

On a worse note, 15 beheaded people were found near an Acapulco shopping center either today or yesterday:eek:

 

WOW...15 headless bodies found! The news from Mexico is getting worst everyday..........

[dforeigner]

On a worse note, 15 beheaded people were found near an Acapulco shopping center either today or yesterday:eek:

 

WOW...15 headless bodies found! The news from Mexico is getting worst everyday..........

 

Actually, it was 25 killed and 15 decapitated. The shopping center is on the road that goes from the Airport to the port of Acapulco. If anyone is familiar with Acapulco, this happened north of one of the entrances to the Fairmont Pierre Marques Hotel.

[mexico5]

Acapulco is disgusting...sorry but I wouldn't care if I missed that port!

[CruiseDirections]

Internet is way quicker today :) Political rally is a peaceful march for the governer (or what he is called) who is leaving office after serving his terms. it is a peaceful sign of respect.

 

We were in Acapulco November 7th and they had a political rally for the candidates. It was really crowded, but the van driver was able to get around ok. We saw some fantastic sites and never felt that we were in danger.

[don'tleavewithoutme]

Acapulco sounds like a great place for a relaxing day aboard ship. Spa discounts, etc.

[Rosefloater]

My mom and I were in Acapulco at the beginning of December and had no problems. We walked over to the Fort and then walked down to the zocalo and the church. It was a really nice area to see how the locals spend the day.

 

Never had anyone coming up to us trying to sell us something or ask if we needed a taxi and we never had any more concerns over our safety than in any other city that we have/had visited anywhere in the world.

 

Most of the killings are between the drug cartels and the police. The killings are mostly out of the tourist areas of Acapulco.

[quincytoo]

My mom and I were in Acapulco at the beginning of December and had no problems. We walked over to the Fort and then walked down to the zocalo and the church. It was a really nice area to see how the locals spend the day.

 

Never had anyone coming up to us trying to sell us something or ask if we needed a taxi and we never had any more concerns over our safety than in any other city that we have/had visited anywhere in the world.

 

Most of the killings are between the drug cartels and the police. The killings are mostly out of the tourist areas of Acapulco.

 

 

I am going to do a more through review as we hired a private driver in Acapulco and had a 7 hour tour but we wished we could have spent some time at the Zocalo, it was a Sunday night and the local familes were out full force we ran out of time so next time :)

 

None of the ports did we have anyone ask us to buy drugs or give us any concerns about our safety.

[gomexico]

Politics is the national sport in Mexico, and in political-hotbeds such as the state of Guerrero (where Acapulco is located) the events are large. The main events take place at the Zocalo, which is almost across the street - a block away or so - from where the ships berth. And when there's a demonstration traffic is stopped and life comes to a standstil. It's not a "peaceful sign of respect." It's about supporting the next corrupt regime. There are statewide elections in the offing.

 

Guerrero has traditionally been one of Mexico's most violent states and some of the crimes alleged to be drug-related are probably political debts, old scores being settled. It's not easy to tell.

 

I wouldn't expect you'd encounter much violence, being driven in a chauffered and air-conditoned vehicle with the windows rolled-up. There are some good van/car drivers in ACA and it's a good way to stay out of trouble and cover as much ground as possible - but no subsitute for getting out and amongst the people.

 

I see, in published reports at the end of the week, that at least one more cruise line is dropping the Mexican Pacific Coast from itineraries in 2012. I think that's three lines now. Lowered cruiser interest is cited as the reason ... with an acknowledgement by the cruise lines that the violent in parts of the country is behind the passenger sentiment to go elsewhere. That'll have a strong negative impact on some of the port cities. Acapulco was dropped this year from one of the lines, already (or for one of the shorter trips that might have been).

 

dforeigner's comments are pretty accurate, from what I know of the statistics.

 

People should inform themselves independently, from various sources and not just web forums or travel agents, and make the choices that best suit their risk levels and travel styles ... and pocketbooks.