Is mexico safe

[dforeigner]

Mazatlan is safe even though there is a big issue here and some ships have pulled out. No cruiseship passenger has been shot in Mazatlan, but how about this:

 

http://travel.usatoday.com/cruises/post/2010/07/shooting-death-of-cruiser-in-st-thomas-comes-as-killings-on-island-soar/99978/5?csp=obinsite

 

I wonder if the ships will be pulling out from there. :confused:

 

Louis

 

They did not pulled out of St Thomas but did temporarily cancelled all the excursions from that particular area.

 

There is a lot more going on in Mazatlan that the media is not reporting. I seriously doubt that the cruise lines would stop going to a particular port because three individuals were mugged and one isolated incident where a tourist was a victim of cross fire at a hotel.

 

What amazes me is that the cruise lines are still stopping in Acapulco. There is a mayor turf war going on between the cartels right fighting over who will take over the area after the last big wig was arrested.

 

The cruise lines did not stop going to St Kitts after tour bus was ambushed and the cruise passengers on board where robbed of their possessions.

 

Cruise lines stopped going to Roatan for a while due to local security issues last year.

 

A cruise line employee was shot in St Marteen last year in an attempted robbery. The cruise lines did not stop going to that port.

 

In Antigua, a cruise line passenger was stabbed to death near Pigeon Point Beach. The cruise lines did not stop going to that port.

[PAPERBKWRITER]

Pulling out of any port would be a major move for any cruise line. It would seem that that that wouldn't happen over an isolated incident. Since tourism is such a big thing in Mazaltan I'm sure the local authorities will be trying to put a lid on any problem areas. I've been there twice and got a non tourist view of the city by my cousin and his wife who live there. Like stated earlier all big cities have danger and you need to exercise caution. It's just a shame that the good people of Mexico are stuck in the middle of all the trouble.

[gomexico]

dforeigner: One or more cruise lines announced, after last season, that they would discontinue stops at Acapulco. It think at least one line has already done that, maybe two. Acapulco expects, from what I've read, only 1/2 the cruise line stops this calendar year than last. The shorter cruises dropped both Acapulco and Zihuatanejo and added a day in La Paz. Some of the longer itineraries, and Panama Canal trips, still stop in Acapulco, though. I do think the elimination of stops at Acapulco was due to increased violence at the time the announcements were made and the line(s) indicated that by dropping both Acapulco and Zihuatanejo would save them $50,000 per cruise (because of high port fees in addition to fuel). The situation in Sinaloa state, and Mazatlan, has worsened and, obviously, the lines have reconsidered stopping there for the near-term and the lines, as we're seeing, are quickly reacting. People who are commenting that Mazatlan is a safe place to stop where visitiors face little or no risks are saying they know more than the cruise lines and their security departments or the U.S. Government which advises the cruise lines. Readers are free to decide for themselves which sources to believe. I know which ones I do.

[NYcruiserNY]

I do think the elimination of stops at Acapulco was due to increased violence at the time the announcements were made and the line(s) indicated that by dropping both Acapulco and Zihuatanejo would save them $50,000 per cruise (because of high port fees in addition to fuel).

 

 

That is almost certainly the underlining factor in such a decision. The $$ will always be the biggest factor. This has already hurt the above mentioned cities.

 

Sorry was actually quoting only part of Gomex comment and it didn't reflect that.

[dforeigner]

dforeigner: One or more cruise lines announced, after last season, that they would discontinue stops at Acapulco. It think at least one line has already done that, maybe two. Acapulco expects, from what I've read, only 1/2 the cruise line stops this calendar year than last. The shorter cruises dropped both Acapulco and Zihuatanejo and added a day in La Paz. Some of the longer itineraries, and Panama Canal trips, still stop in Acapulco, though. I do think the elimination of stops at Acapulco was due to increased violence at the time the announcements were made and the line(s) indicated that by dropping both Acapulco and Zihuatanejo would save them $50,000 per cruise (because of high port fees in addition to fuel). The situation in Sinaloa state, and Mazatlan, has worsened and, obviously, the lines have reconsidered stopping there for the near-term and the lines, as we're seeing, are quickly reacting. People who are commenting that Mazatlan is a safe place to stop where visitiors face little or no risks are saying they know more than the cruise lines and their security departments or the U.S. Government which advises the cruise lines. Readers are free to decide for themselves which sources to believe. I know which ones I do.

 

You are right, I completely forgot about some cruise lines cancelling Acapulco last year. Although I am concerned with the current situation right now.

[commodoredave]

Yes I do think it is like visiting any US city. Have you ever been to Liberty City or Overtown in Miami? Looks just like your picture. Or did you miss what happend to the two Miami-Dade police officers last week in Liberty City? Stay on the ship or don't visit that is your choice and my choice is to visit and enjoy. In the past I have visited Mexico 29 different times and have never had any problems.

 

I beg to differ. For me, the difference lies in the inability of the Mexican justice system to enforce the law. Time and time again there are stories of murders, robberies, fraud, etc. where policed, local officials, hotel owners, etc. are corrupt, complicit or just incompetent. Yes, there are murders in big US cities. But the police, hotel owners, judges, etc. are not covering up the truth.

[commodoredave]

This is just alarmist nonsense, it is no differnet than saying that visiting the US wasn't safe to visit after 9/11.....unfortunately bad things happen all over the world at any given time but its NO REASON to not visit there after something happens....usually after something does happen its the safest time to visit an area as the local officials are extra vigilent!

 

Read about what happened recently at the hotel explosion that killed 7 people at the Princess Hotel in Playa del Carmen. The gas line to the reception was put in without inspection; the hotel did not have the proper first aid equipment to treat those injured in the explosion; the gate house refused entry to the ambulances for 15 minutes; the media trying to gain entry to the hotel were beaten by hotel guards; the region's attorney general was refused entry for 30 minutes; some of the ambulances stopped and asked people for gas money to take them to the hospital; the families of injured guests were kept in the dark and told nothing for 8 hours and then treated with no care; families of the two dead hotel employees have received nothing, not even back wages.

Of course, this is just the way it happens in large US cities, right!

[commodoredave]

dforeigner: One or more cruise lines announced, after last season, that they would discontinue stops at Acapulco. It think at least one line has already done that, maybe two. Acapulco expects, from what I've read, only 1/2 the cruise line stops this calendar year than last. The shorter cruises dropped both Acapulco and Zihuatanejo and added a day in La Paz. Some of the longer itineraries, and Panama Canal trips, still stop in Acapulco, though. I do think the elimination of stops at Acapulco was due to increased violence at the time the announcements were made and the line(s) indicated that by dropping both Acapulco and Zihuatanejo would save them $50,000 per cruise (because of high port fees in addition to fuel). The situation in Sinaloa state, and Mazatlan, has worsened and, obviously, the lines have reconsidered stopping there for the near-term and the lines, as we're seeing, are quickly reacting. People who are commenting that Mazatlan is a safe place to stop where visitiors face little or no risks are saying they know more than the cruise lines and their security departments or the U.S. Government which advises the cruise lines. Readers are free to decide for themselves which sources to believe. I know which ones I do.

 

You are doing readers a great service by pointing out the facts about Mexico. Yes, people should decide for themselves. But they should do so with a full and complete set of facts and opinions. Mexico is dangerous and corrupt.

[commodoredave]

I am attaching an excerpt from an article in www.bajainsider.com under Mexico Travel Warnings if you are interested in knowing why the media is working diligently to destroy Mexico tourism. The entire article is worth reading. -------

 

A few years back the Bush administration used similar anti-tourism tactics to pressure Mexico into selling additional crude oil to the US at prices set nearly a decade before. Tourism and foreign investment are critical in the continued growth of Mexico and both are heavily dependant on public perceptions to flourish. The answer may be as simple as to keeping every US travel dollar at home – to support a floundering US economy

--------------

In addition to this, the Mazatlan port has experienced three minor incidents involving cruise passengers with over 500,000 cruise passengers handled without incidents. Media hype has caused cruisers to be afraid of Mazatlan and so far, three ships have cancelled their stops there.

 

The true reason for the reporting may never be made public, but I, for one, will not allow this kind of hype to deter me from enjoying the ports in Mexico unless the cruise lines stop going there.

 

Please enjoy Mexico to your heart's content. But please don't mislead people to believe that all the drug violence, police corruption and murders are a product of the US government. Frankly, that is ridiculous. It is a product of the drug wars. Just read the story about 15 dead people being dropped off at the mall in Acapulco. And by the way, some cruise lines are pulling our of some ports ,or mexico all together.

[commodoredave]

The port cities on the Mexican Rivera are very safe, I just got back from a 10 day cruise and didn't see one dead headless body:rolleyes:

 

Mexico is a huge country and most of the violence is in the border towns, it is kinda like worrying about the gangs in LA when visting Napa.

 

Joking aside, I feel safer in PV or Cabo then I do almost any city in The States.

 

15 people were recently killed in a drug revenge attack and left at a mall in Acapulco. This is not a border city. But it is a good example of what can happen in Mexico.

[Putterdude]

We did the Mex-Riv cruise on the Sapphire in early December...never once did we feel unsafe. I will be the first to admit that Mazatlan was probably our least favourite port but we did enjoy it as well as PV and Cabos a lot. I respect Princess's decision not to stop at Mazatlan...obviously they are acting on the very best advice and don't want to put their passengers in harms way.

[Ine]

15 people were recently killed in a drug revenge attack and left at a mall in Acapulco. This is not a border city. But it is a good example of what can happen in Mexico.

 

How many of them were tourists?

[Ine]

It is so easy to have an endless Mexico yes/no discussion.

Yes there have been killings, but again almost all them drugsrelated.

Hardly ever was a tourist involved.

Tourists have had incidents in many other places in the world apart from Mazatlan or Mexico. Only Mexico gets a very negative press I think.

 

If I read the international newspapers (dutch, american etc.) and watch TV and see what is going on elsewhere in the world, one can only wonder where it is safe.

 

Last night we walked the Malecon in PVR, together with hundreds of other people, many americans, canadians and mexicans. All having a great time, enjoying the climate, the people etc.

[gomexico]

"If I read the international newspapers (dutch, american etc.) and watch TV and see what is going on elsewhere in the world, one can only wonder where it is safe." (Ine)

 

And if you read the Mexican newspapers and watched the Mexican nightly news you'd probably lock yourself in your apartment or home and never come out. The bad news about what's happening is presented in all of its glory detail - photos and all. You won't see reports like this in most of the rest of the world - certainly not in the USA or Canada. The international media - which under-reports the war and level of terrorism and crime in Mexico - takes its lead from the Mexican media ... it doesn't make-up these events.

 

The discussion is about Mexico. And while the reports of crime and security concerning other countries is important to note, doing so on those forums or websites dealing with travel to those destinations is probably the best place ... in order to preserve the context of what's being talked about.

 

People trying to make travel decisions regarding the Mexican Riviera don't really care what's happening in Jamaica, or Harlem in NYC (unless they're living there or traveling there soon) - it's this region and reports from this region that they seek advice/information about.

[Ine]

"If I read the international newspapers (dutch, american etc.) and watch TV and see what is going on elsewhere in the world, one can only wonder where it is safe." (Ine)

 

And if you read the Mexican newspapers and watched the Mexican nightly news you'd probably lock yourself in your apartment or home and never come out. The bad news about what's happening is presented in all of its glory detail - photos and all. You won't see reports like this in most of the rest of the world - certainly not in the USA or Canada. The international media - which under-reports the war and level of terrorism and crime in Mexico - takes its lead from the Mexican media ... it doesn't make-up these events.

 

The discussion is about Mexico. And while the reports of crime and security concerning other countries is important to note, doing so on those forums or websites dealing with travel to those destinations is probably the best place ... in order to preserve the context of what's being talked about.

 

People trying to make travel decisions regarding the Mexican Riviera don't really care what's happening in Jamaica, or Harlem in NYC (unless they're living there or traveling there soon) - it's this region and reports from this region that they seek advice/information about.

 

 

Of course we also watch Mexican TV, read Mexican papers. We stay not only in PVR, but also travel around in our car.

We were in Mexico City recently, will travel to Copper Canyon (through Mazatlan...) pretty soon.

Not all of Mexico is unsafe. Many people donot seem to realise how large the country is, where the possible danger is.

Mexican Riviera is just a small region of this large country.

It seems people hardly care or know that much about unsafety in their own area as they do when travelling.

[gomexico]

"It seems people hardly care or know that much about unsafety in their own area as they do when travelling." (Ine)

 

Hardly.

 

You still don't get it, do you?

 

I doubt any one of us reading this forum live in the areas you and one or two others point to as high-crime sections of cities around the world. Oh, we do know the dangerous areas in our home towns, near where we live. We don’t wander about those neighborhoods, though. We don’t look for restaurants or bars to eat there. We don’t shop in local stores there, either. Because we know better.

 

When we travel out of our home countries, though, to a place where most foreign visitors probably don't understand the language or culture, it's a very different situation. Relatively few international visitors to Mexico - particularly those from Canada and the USA - speak Spanish or know much about the country. Secondly, the international media essentially ignores the war, the terrorism and other crime-related events so learning about what’s happening, where and to whom is a difficult challenge to overcome. Travelers turn to forums such as this seeking information.

 

A normal person will be concerned when they do read of some of the atrocities and terrorist attacks in places such as Baja California, Mazatlan, Manzanillo, Zihuatanejo or Acapulco - all Mexican Riviera ports-of-call for the cruise lines. There were some expressions of concern when an out-of-the-way bar was attacked in Puerto Vallarta. These aren’t imagined or made-up events. They’re real. You may have not been victimized but that doesn’t mean other people haven’t or that risks don’t exist. No, the violence doesn’t occur every day in every port, and that’s the further troubling aspect of the war. Battlegrounds change from day to day (away from the USA/Mexico border) and there’s no foretelling whether you’ll be caught-up in the heavy weapon crossfire.

 

As a whole, I don’t think Mexico is too dangerous a country for people to visit. But there are those regions or destinations where, for many travelers, the risks right now are just too great and there are other seemingly more secure travel options available when we make our plans. It’s a big wide world out there.

 

Don’t be so quick to underestimate people who travel. They know more than you give them credit for.

 

Knowledge is power. People reading these discussions have the opportunity to consider all viewpoints. That’s a good thing.

[morriscats]

How many of them were tourists?

 

None. But when these drug dealers get angry and want revenge on someone a tourist can certainly be caught in the middle. And the police are mostly corrupt as well. I have heard of stories of tourists being stopped in out of the way areas and extorted for sums of money or face ??????. I love Mexico. My favorite tour guide, Randi, is in Mazatlan. We were there in October and felt safe. But it seems things are escalating and the cruise lines have to take that into consideration and protect their passengers. I don't like it - but I think for now if I were to cruise to Mexico I would stay on the ship.

[ehogan]

We just returned from the Sapphire Princess on Saturday and were very disappointed that Mazatlan was cancelled. I was looking forward to walking in the Old Town once again. I am a pretty cowardly traveller and I have to say that I have never felt unsafe in the port towns the cruise ships visit. If you take some safety precautions like leaving all your jewellry on board, staying to the tourist areas and making sure you are aware of your surroundings you will be OK.

 

We have travelled extensively in Europe and have to say the likelihood of being mugged or pickpocketed are much more likely in Europe than in Mexico.

 

Our local travel agents have stated that if you avoid the border towns, stay in tourist areas and excerise some common travel sense, Mexico is still a safe place to travel.

 

One just has to consider the recent events in Tucson to realize that gun violence is everywhere.

[quincytoo]

Of course we also watch Mexican TV, read Mexican papers. We stay not only in PVR, but also travel around in our car.

We were in Mexico City recently, will travel to Copper Canyon (through Mazatlan...) pretty soon.

Not all of Mexico is unsafe. Many people donot seem to realise how large the country is, where the possible danger is.

Mexican Riviera is just a small region of this large country.

It seems people hardly care or know that much about unsafety in their own area as they do when travelling.

I agree :) We are planning our next vist to PV sometime this May/June and I just can not wait to get down there.

[tigerlilly2358]

We just returned from the Sapphire Princess on Saturday and were very disappointed that Mazatlan was cancelled. I was looking forward to walking in the Old Town once again. I am a pretty cowardly traveller and I have to say that I have never felt unsafe in the port towns the cruise ships visit. If you take some safety precautions like leaving all your jewellry on board, staying to the tourist areas and making sure you are aware of your surroundings you will be OK.

 

We have travelled extensively in Europe and have to say the likelihood of being mugged or pickpocketed are much more likely in Europe than in Mexico.

 

Our local travel agents have stated that if you avoid the border towns, stay in tourist areas and excerise some common travel sense, Mexico is still a safe place to travel.

 

One just has to consider the recent events in Tucson to realize that gun violence is everywhere.

 

How was your cruise overall? We are on the Feb. 12 departure of the Sapphire Princess. Did you enjoy your cruise despite the change in ports?

[Putterdude]

One just has to consider the recent events in Tucson to realize that gun violence is everywhere.

 

I am sure that you are going to get flamed for saying this....but I agree with you.

[quincytoo]

I am sure that you are going to get flamed for saying this....but I agree with you.

 

So do I :) I would rather be and feel safer in Puerto Vallarta then I would Tucson or Phoniex.

 

My DB's step son was shot three times in a parking lot at a Phoneix mall a few months ago.

[commodoredave]

Pulling out of any port would be a major move for any cruise line. It would seem that that that wouldn't happen over an isolated incident. Since tourism is such a big thing in Mazaltan I'm sure the local authorities will be trying to put a lid on any problem areas. I've been there twice and got a non tourist view of the city by my cousin and his wife who live there. Like stated earlier all big cities have danger and you need to exercise caution. It's just a shame that the good people of Mexico are stuck in the middle of all the trouble.

I too feel sorry for the good people of Mexico. Back in the late 80s and early 90s, I spent a lot of time in Acapulco, Playa del Carmen and Mexico City. Made some very good friends there who used to visit us in Canada. Then things started to change. Our friends warned us against spending time in many of the areas we used to rent in, and we gradually started to reduce our trips and scope of travel there. I guess we were spoiled because we took our wonderful trips there for granted for so long. Now, our mexican friends visit us in Toronto or Tampa, but we rarely go to Mexico anymore.

[commodoredave]

How many of them were tourists?

 

Does it matter? It shows a total disregard for authority and the public safety. Tomorrow it could easily be tourists, but I still care about the local people being killed. By pushing these types of episodes aside are we really doing a service to the poor Mexican people who want a better way of life? Only when the Mexican authorities get pressure from foreign tourists will they step up to the plate and do more to protect their own communities.

[alidor]

We just came off the Azamara Journey and stopped in Mazatlan a little over a week ago - was there on the 22nd. No problems and the old, colonial area is lovely. The very next day in the on board newspaper, on the front page, was an article that 11 law people were killed in a 24 hour period IN THE US.

 

Wouldn't touch the border towns for sure, but had absolutely no problems in the ports in the Sea of Cortez and Mazatlan and Cabo.