safety in Guatemala

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do you know if the cruise ships have security that travel on their shore excursions??

or does the local gov. provide armed security following or on the buses

for shore excursions??

 

looking for recent input someone who has traveled there in the last year.

 

thanks.

[Azulann]

I was on a Pamana Canal cruise with Celebrity last Jan.

Took the ship tour DIY to Antiqua. It is about one hour drive if the traffic is light. It was,but the bus driver got lost leaving Antiqua.:D We went through some small villages and folks were standing on the sidewalk laughing and waving to us. We waved back.

this is the main highway from the coast.

No armed guards in sight. :)

Do't worry about it, and enjoy whatever tour you do.

Had friends who took ship tours of hiking the volcano, and Lake Atitlan and they had a great time.

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I was on a Pamana Canal cruise with Celebrity last Jan.

Took the ship tour DIY to Antiqua. It is about one hour drive if the traffic is light. It was,but the bus driver got lost leaving Antiqua.:D We went through some small villages and folks were standing on the sidewalk laughing and waving to us. We waved back.

this is the main highway from the coast.

No armed guards in sight. :)

Do't worry about it, and enjoy whatever tour you do.

Had friends who took ship tours of hiking the volcano, and Lake Atitlan and they had a great time.

 

Good,to hear things felt safe.

[Waterguy1]

Antigua Guatamala, a UNESCO World Heritage site, was high on my list for excursions for our Panama Canal cruise. In researching the possibilities for touring Antigua I ran across the Antigua Tours web site. Antigua Tours is run by Elizabeth Bell an American ex-pat who has lived in Antigua since 1969. She has written several books about Antigua and Guatemala and appeared to offer what we were looking for: an informative walking tour with an emphasis on history and historic preservation.

 

Unfortunately, Elizabeth’s regularly scheduled tours did not fit with our scheduled port-call date in Guatemala. I contacted Elizabeth and she agreed to conduct a private tour for a small group. (All of my email questions were quickly answered.) Although she agreed to run the tour for a group of eight, I posted an invitation to the cruise Roll Call and ultimately ended up with 28 on the tour plus a waiting list.

 

Because of concerns about delays and security, we used the ship’s “Antigua On You Own” excursion for transportation between the port and Antigua. (Not a bad choice as we were stopped for a half hour or so by a stalled truck on the one-lane road out of Antigua. Oh, and yes, we did get stopped on the way back to the ship by some gentlemen carrying automatic weapons. Our driver, however, was prepared with a neatly wrapped “gift” package of cash.) Note: you can (and some do) dwell on these as tour-stopping negatives or you accept and enjoy them as experiences of travel outside of your own backyard -- it’s your choice.

 

The tour was fantastic. Easily one of the best tours I have ever been on. The tour has three things going for it. First is Antigua itself. Having been essentially abandoned for two centuries, it has survived intact with minimal modern development. Antigua is truly a gem – world-class historic preservation. One of our group likened it to a “living Pompeii”. (The active volcanoes surrounding the city certainly add to that illusion.) It’s a thoughtful blend of the old with the new. Second is Elizabeth Bell herself. She doesn’t just read the history of Antigua from the book – she wrote the book. Her description of historic preservation projects was based on actual shovel-in-hand experience. Direct access to a primary resource such as this on a $20 private tour was truly remarkable. She was an excellent speaker providing both historic and contemporary information about this fascinating city. And last but not least was the organization of Antigua Tours. In addition to Elizabeth, Antigua Tours provided an assistant for the walking tour. The assistant acted as “sweeper” on the back of our group allowing us to move at own pace between locations. We could stop and take pictures or smell the flowers without worrying about getting lost or losing track of the group. Antigua Tour employees were also very helpful in meeting our individual needs. One of our group needed to find a pharmacy. Rather than say “it’s that way a block and half on the left”, an Antigua Tours employee walked her to the pharmacy, made sure she got what was needed (always helpful if you don’t speak the local language), and walked her back to the Central Plaza starting point. That’s customer service.

 

Overall an outstanding tour.

 

For a slightly different take on the tour, attached below is and excerpt from DW’s cruise journal. Enjoy. http://db.tt/1WIoZUE9

[picture]

Antigua Guatamala, a UNESCO World Heritage site, was high on my list for excursions for our Panama Canal cruise. In researching the possibilities for touring Antigua I ran across the Antigua Tours web site. Antigua Tours is run by Elizabeth Bell an American ex-pat who has lived in Antigua since 1969. She has written several books about Antigua and Guatemala and appeared to offer what we were looking for: an informative walking tour with an emphasis on history and historic preservation.

 

Unfortunately, Elizabeth’s regularly scheduled tours did not fit with our scheduled port-call date in Guatemala. I contacted Elizabeth and she agreed to conduct a private tour for a small group. (All of my email questions were quickly answered.) Although she agreed to run the tour for a group of eight, I posted an invitation to the cruise Roll Call and ultimately ended up with 28 on the tour plus a waiting list.

 

Because of concerns about delays and security, we used the ship’s “Antigua On You Own” excursion for transportation between the port and Antigua. (Not a bad choice as we were stopped for a half hour or so by a stalled truck on the one-lane road out of Antigua. Oh, and yes, we did get stopped on the way back to the ship by some gentlemen carrying automatic weapons. Our driver, however, was prepared with a neatly wrapped “gift” package of cash.) Note: you can (and some do) dwell on these as tour-stopping negatives or you accept and enjoy them as experiences of travel outside of your own backyard -- it’s your choice.

 

The tour was fantastic. Easily one of the best tours I have ever been on. The tour has three things going for it. First is Antigua itself. Having been essentially abandoned for two centuries, it has survived intact with minimal modern development. Antigua is truly a gem – world-class historic preservation. One of our group likened it to a “living Pompeii”. (The active volcanoes surrounding the city certainly add to that illusion.) It’s a thoughtful blend of the old with the new. Second is Elizabeth Bell herself. She doesn’t just read the history of Antigua from the book – she wrote the book. Her description of historic preservation projects was based on actual shovel-in-hand experience. Direct access to a primary resource such as this on a $20 private tour was truly remarkable. She was an excellent speaker providing both historic and contemporary information about this fascinating city. And last but not least was the organization of Antigua Tours. In addition to Elizabeth, Antigua Tours provided an assistant for the walking tour. The assistant acted as “sweeper” on the back of our group allowing us to move at own pace between locations. We could stop and take pictures or smell the flowers without worrying about getting lost or losing track of the group. Antigua Tour employees were also very helpful in meeting our individual needs. One of our group needed to find a pharmacy. Rather than say “it’s that way a block and half on the left”, an Antigua Tours employee walked her to the pharmacy, made sure she got what was needed (always helpful if you don’t speak the local language), and walked her back to the Central Plaza starting point. That’s customer service.

 

Overall an outstanding tour.

 

For a slightly different take on the tour, attached below is and excerpt from DW’s cruise journal. Enjoy. http://db.tt/1WIoZUE9

 

Great information, thank you. I do have safety concerns but do not want to stay on the ship. so I really appreciate your feedback.

[Putterdude]

Our experience a few years ago was that the buses we were escorted by heavily armed police and soldiers in small pickup trucks. However, never once did we feel threatened or uncomfortable.

[thescot123]

NCL cruise line used to go to this country. Have been there many times before. Love the people but like most 3rd world countries just be aware of your surroundings. About two weeks before my last cruise there, a guy was killed while visiting the Belgium cemetery. NCL about a month last decided to stop going there and instead switched to Roatan, Did notice a police truck following our tour bus. http://www.cruiselawnews.com/2009/11/articles/crime/norwegian-cruise-line-passenger-murdered-in-guatemala/

[mcrcruiser]

We have been to this port & elect to stay in the protected area & shop the vendors ;).

 

Having armed police escorts is why this port is not one of our many favorites . We simply don't place ourselves purposely in harms way:o:(