News Flash-Splendor now skipping Maztalan!

[CRUZBUDS]

Guys don't get bent out of shape. Just wanted to hear the good answers with the dumb answers. It's like when you tell someone they shouldn't smoke and they say you have to die from something or you can get hit by a car.

I have been on 26 cruises since dec. 04 and never worried and don't worry even now. I also live 3 hrs from a border town where last year they murdered 20,000 people and it's getting worse. If God for Bid something did happen to one of you, you wouldn't be talking so brave.

 

I am not brave or bent out of shape. I was simply providing an answer to your uninformed statement with the facts. Mexico has enough trouble without stirring the pot with misinformation.

[mommabean]

Gina,

When someone on this board writes an opinion they should never be attacked. it's a discussion. If something happened to that man next to you in your picture, would you LOL and ROLF. So not necessary to attack another writer.

 

I didn't attack anyone.

 

I expressed the way I see it.

 

On our way to Barcelona we stopped off to tour Ireland. We were there for a few hours and then someone smashed our car window and stole my purse which was out of site (only minutes after I removed my money and passports from the purse). I don't hold this against Ireland or it's people.

 

Things happen anywhere. I feel safer in Mexico than I do walking around the city where I grew up - Miami.

 

The odds are that the man in the picture next to me is more likely to be on a ship that loses power in the middle of the ocean than it is for something to happen to him in Mexico.

 

And I LOL when someone made a joke about not getting off the ship in Manhattan because they had already been there. That had nothing to do with anyone's feelings about violence...it was about the "been there, done that" attitude of some who are missing out by staying on the ship - tangent we went off on. NOT about someone staying on because they feel uncomfortable due to violence. (I see what you mean about what I said about people and violence as it relates to NYC. And there IS a whole lot more violence in NYC on a daily basis. We just accept it as normal. And still, my comment was not directed to ANYone as an attack.).

 

So who is attacking who? :eek: I think IIIII have just been attacked for nothing.

 

Gina

[MiamiSky66]

Gina,

I apologize.

[crosj]

Um, do we have the answer yet??? Is splendor going to Mazatlan or not???

[CupKayke]

The Mexican government cannot even provide security for it's own people anymore let alone cruise tourists. Even UA government agents are being gunned down in Mexico now. It seems to only be getting worse and who knows what Mexico will be like if the drug cartels prevail over the government forces. I am sure the cruise lines understand clearly that they may be putting passengers in harms way and want to avoid doing that.

 

Agreed.

 

I think many people on these boards downplay the situation in Mexico these days. It is NOT Manhattan ~ nor anywhere close to it!

 

We are booked on the Spirit and if Carnival chooses to reroute us anywhere ~ Catalina Island, San Fran, etc... ~ we'll take it. We will trust they have our safety in mind. If they stop in Mazatlan (or any port, for that matter), we will get off the ship, however. Good or bad, we are trusting the cruise line knows more about the dangers than we do.

[mommabean]

Gina,

I apologize.

 

No problem.

 

When we moved to Mt. Dora a few years ago...VERY safe Mt. Dora...an old couple was randomly stabbed in the parking lot of Target just over a mile away from our home. No one knows what set off the mentally ill man/attacker. The old man died within days, she dies several months later. I still think of that every time I go to Target and pay attention to what is going on around me.

 

What is funny is that some time later, I put some stuff in my car's back seat at Target, went around to the other side of the car to do something, then back into Target for 20 minutes or so. I came out to my car and realized I had never shut the back door and there was all my stuff just sitting there...a whole lot of stuff and my GPS on the front window, too. Had I been in Mexico, I don't think my stuff would have still been sitting in the back seat. Of course, had the wrong person come along, it wouldn't have still been in my back seat in Mt. Dora. :p

 

I just think any place can be the wrong place at the wrong time....we have to be somewhat cautious anywhere. And I'm getting off the ship no matter where we are....

 

OH man. You should have seen the place we wandered off to in Cartegena, Spain. Quite by accident, one wrong turn, and I have never been more scared on a cruise. DH wanted to ask for directions back to the ship - I didn't want ANYONE to know we were lost. I was never happier to get back on the ship than I was that day. LOL We decided we should be a bit more careful....mindless, wandering, non-excursion types we are. :)

 

BTW Miamisky66...are you doing anything for Mardi Gras next week? I'll be there! :D I just remembered, a couple of years ago my husband got bashed in the head right there in NOLA....bled and everything....a necklace with a heavy medallion hit him in the head. The medallion said "show my your butt". No kidding. LOL I hope Baton Rouge will be a bit tamer since that's where we'll go to a parade.

 

Gina

[mommabean]

Agreed.

 

I think many people on these boards downplay the situation in Mexico these days. It is NOT Manhattan ~ nor anywhere close to it!

 

We are booked on the Spirit and if Carnival chooses to reroute us anywhere ~ Catalina Island, San Fran, etc... ~ we'll take it. We will trust they have our safety in mind. If they stop in Mazatlan (or any port, for that matter), we will get off the ship, however. Good or bad, we are trusting the cruise line knows more about the dangers than we do.

 

I think you're right. I only hope they don't base their decision about going to Mazatlan in the case of my upcoming Spirit 4/1 cruise on something like "there's been no violence in 2 weeks now so let's go". It could be anywhere at any time and sometimes when it hasn't happened in a while, it could be about "due".

 

Since my Spirit cruise already has 2 days in Cabo and 1 in Ensenada, I can't imagine what they'll do if they cancel Mazatlan. Any other port is fine with me though although I really was looking forward to Mazatlan more than any of them. I REALLY would like Zihuatenajo though. I'd give up one of the days in Cabo to allow the time to get to Zihuatenajo. :D

 

Gina

[CWcruisers]

I think many people on these boards downplay the situation in Mexico these days. It is NOT Manhattan ~ nor anywhere close to it!

 

 

 

I'm sorry, but I disagree with this. If you compare crime stats of a place like Cabo with most American cities, you will see that Cabo is much safer. All of Mexico should not be classified as unsafe when the majority of the problems are limited to areas that tourist do not go to.

 

If the city of Matzalan is not stepping up and making their streets safer, than a loss of revenue may be what's needed for them to step up security.

 

Mexico is a beautiful country with warm and friendly people and plenty of safe places to vacation.

[MiamiSky66]

Gina,

We are going to be in Seattle.

[gargoyle999]

I'm on the Splendor now. It is official. No Mazatlan on this cruise.

 

Sea day

cabo 9:30-6pm

cabo 7am-4pm

Puerto Vallarta 8a-10p

sea day

sea day

Long Beach

 

So Mazatlan is gone and Cabo and PV are reversed.

[dobiemom]

I'm on the Splendor now. It is official. No Mazatlan on this cruise.

 

Sea day

cabo 9:30-6pm

cabo 7am-4pm

Puerto Vallarta 8a-10p

sea day

sea day

Long Beach

 

So Mazatlan is gone and Cabo and PV are reversed.

What about your second week?

[kath00]

The Mexican government cannot even provide security for it's own people anymore let alone cruise tourists. Even UA government agents are being gunned down in Mexico now. It seems to only be getting worse and who knows what Mexico will be like if the drug cartels prevail over the government forces. I am sure the cruise lines understand clearly that they may be putting passengers in harms way and want to avoid doing that.

 

Totally agree. These are not random acts of isolated violence. These are gang and drug cartel organized crime events that are occuring more and more frequently. Police, military, tourists, whatever -- they gun down people routinely.

 

We were in Mazatlan twice last year and while we felt safe going to El Cid both times, the general consensus was that there were very bad groups roaming around and could victimize you at any point in time (us as well as the locals). Living in San Diego, we hear about the South of the Border violence daily on our local news outlets. Very sad since many people who are shot are police. They are simply overpowered by the drug cartels. It's sad and out of control... right now the only thing worse than being a tourist in Mazatlan is being an impoverished native living in one of those shacks we saw with no chance of a decent income or personal protection.

 

Katherine

[mommabean]

http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/news/2011/03/01/5-bodies-hanging-bridges-mexican-city/

 

I wonder when Carnival will make a firm decision about the rest of the season. It's not looking any better. The drug cartel is busy.

 

I'd happily give up one of the already scheduled days in Cabo for the 4/1 Spirit cruise if they'd take us all the way to Zihuatenajo instead of Mazatlan. I'll gladly get off the ship in Mazatlan though and go to Stone Island. It's not looking likely though as bad news keeps coming out of Mazatlan.

 

Gina

[Surprise Cruise Rookie]

Not gonna lie, this freaks me out

[PeggySand]

Agreed, it is not looking good for Mazatlan. We are sailing on the 4/1 Spirit, and would like to know what they might do with us. I have always told all my friends that the drug violence was generally kept out of the cruise ship/resort towns (except Acapulco), but I guess that is no longer the case. We have been on this ship and basic itinerary multiple times since we live in Southern Calif., so the getaway itself is what we love, the ports are secondary. However, for the ports themselves, it is devastating to the people who rely on our tourist dollars. Hopefully, Carnival will release a statement as soon as they are able regarding the sailings that are already spending the two days in Cabo.

 

Peggy

[moon girl]

My family will be on the Splendor March 13th cruise!! It looks like from someone who is on the Splendor right now that they even changed the day when it is supposed to be in PV. It is getting close and we really need to book our excursions. I wish that they would just make a decision and stick with it for an extended period of time so that we passengers can plan our vacations. I don't want to go through the hassle of cancelling a reservation because the ship is changing plans at the last minute.

[Surprise Cruise Rookie]

My family will be on the Splendor March 13th cruise!! It looks like from someone who is on the Splendor right now that they even changed the day when it is supposed to be in PV. It is getting close and we really need to book our excursions. I wish that they would just make a decision and stick with it for an extended period of time so that we passengers can plan our vacations. I don't want to go through the hassle of canceling a reservation because the ship is changing plans at the last minute.

 

I know they are more expensive but this is the benefit of booking through the cruise line...

[CRUZBUDS]

There is a report on the HAL board from relayed from someone aboard the Oosterdam. They are docked in Mazatlan today!

 

All of the Carnival lines share security information. Maybe we'll be going to Mazatlan after all!

[golfgod003]

I have to laugh sometimes at the histeria that our press seams to love getting us into. Having stayed in Mazatlan - granted, we stayed much of the time in the "Golden Zone" - I feel quite safe walking around town. Also, there is SO MUCH more to see than what is close by the cruise ship terminal.

 

I am booked on the April 1 Spirit "Ship of Fools" out of San Diego and I was surfing a bit today about the supposed violence in Mazatlan and came across a video made about ten days ago from some American women that live in Mazatlan and how they feel about the violence in the area. Take a look at the area they have filmed this in and ask why we would skip the port entirely!

 

[CupKayke]

 

 

That video was filmed by a cruise ship excursion company. :rolleyes:

[Nanaimobound]

I'm sorry, but I disagree with this. If you compare crime stats of a place like Cabo with most American cities, you will see that Cabo is much safer. All of Mexico should not be classified as unsafe when the majority of the problems are limited to areas that tourist do not go to.

 

If the city of Matzalan is not stepping up and making their streets safer, than a loss of revenue may be what's needed for them to step up security.

 

Mexico is a beautiful country with warm and friendly people and plenty of safe places to vacation.

 

There is a large police presence in Mazatlan. I was just there last June and you couldn't miss it. Except for the necklace theft a couple of months ago, the two incidents were planned hits from drive by gunmen. They are here one minute, gone the next. It doesn't mean the police force isn't trying to keep the public safe. They will investigate and prosecute just like in the US.

We have these sorts of crime here on a daily basis.

If you think someone can't get a hold of a gun in Cabo or any other town for that matter and have the same thing happen, It is a false sense of security.

The world has become more and more violent. We as individuals have to decide how we handle it. These things can happen literally anywhere.

[kath00]

There is a large police presence in Mazatlan. I was just there last June and you couldn't miss it. Except for the necklace theft a couple of months ago, the two incidents were planned hits from drive by gunmen. They are here one minute, gone the next. It doesn't mean the police force isn't trying to keep the public safe. They will investigate and prosecute just like in the US.

We have these sorts of crime here on a daily basis.

If you think someone can't get a hold of a gun in Cabo or any other town for that matter and have the same thing happen, It is a false sense of security.

The world has become more and more violent. We as individuals have to decide how we handle it. These things can happen literally anywhere.

 

It's all a nice theory except the Mazatlan violence isn't just some drive by shooting. It's organized crime with drug lords fighting for power on a daily basis. The chance of repeat violence is extremely high, which is why ships are abandoning the area (as with Acupulco). That's a little different than someone picking up a gun in Cabo or any other town....

[BlendedFamily]

It's all a nice theory except the Mazatlan violence isn't just some drive by shooting. It's organized crime with drug lords fighting for power on a daily basis. The chance of repeat violence is extremely high, which is why ships are abandoning the area (as with Acupulco). That's a little different than someone picking up a gun in Cabo or any other town....

 

...and people being hanged from bridges.

 

The same people who blast Carnival (and others) for pulling out of Mazatlan are the same ones who would sue Carnival if their loved ones were hurt in any sort of incident there. So damned if they do, sued if they don't.

 

From what I know tomorrow we should hear a permanent decision regarding Mazatlan according to John... talks are now at the governmental level. So this is no joke. It's gone above the cruise line's heads.

[Cruise4Music]

It's all a nice theory except the Mazatlan violence isn't just some drive by shooting. It's organized crime with drug lords fighting for power on a daily basis. The chance of repeat violence is extremely high, which is why ships are abandoning the area (as with Acupulco). That's a little different than someone picking up a gun in Cabo or any other town....

 

Funny?

 

They are using smuggled American guns to fight for the American drug market.

 

And I think the ships still still go to Mazatlan.

 

I also feel bad for the folks in the Mexican tourist industry.

[Hrdtail]

I have to laugh sometimes at the histeria that our press seams to love getting us into. Having stayed in Mazatlan - granted, we stayed much of the time in the "Golden Zone" - I feel quite safe walking around town. Also, there is SO MUCH more to see than what is close by the cruise ship terminal.

 

I am booked on the April 1 Spirit "Ship of Fools" out of San Diego and I was surfing a bit today about the supposed violence in Mazatlan and came across a video made about ten days ago from some American women that live in Mazatlan and how they feel about the violence in the area. Take a look at the area they have filmed this in and ask why we would skip the port entirely!

 

 

How do you qualify your statement that the violence is "supposed". I just got done looking at a photo of 5 bodies hanging from a bridge in Mazatlan...the caption of the report I read states...... "Mazatlan – First day of Carnaval. Sinaloa Governor, Mario Lopez Valdez stated there is not a state of panic in the city even though there were 5 subjects hung from a bridge. Mario will send 200 extra police personnel to provide security during the five day event"