Travel Warning For Mexico

[sk8terchick]

We are on a cruise in March on the Grand Princess going to Mexico. The US state department currently has warned against traveling to Mexico. Anyone currently on the Grand noticed anything while you were in Mexico. So far our itinerary is still the same on the Princess website.

 

Happy Cruising

 

 

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[BJS]

Not on the Grand but recently on the Island and no problems going to Mexico.

 

Read the entire warnings and you will find like many places use caution in what you are doing. It has always been that way..crime is crime no matter where you are.

 

There are certain areas in certain states in Mexico that it is advised not to travel to but did not see that would be a problem for a person on a Princess cruise.

 

Rest assured Princess would cancel a port should there be a threat to their passengers.

 

Enjoy you cruise.:D

[Pam in CA]

The travel warnings have been there for months. Just be smart and don’t travel to unpopulated areas. Stay in the tourist zones.

 

Keep in mind that travel warnings are applied to Mexican states or general areas. Kind of like if crime happens in one section of Los Angeles, don’t go to Los Angeles County (which includes Beverly Hills, Rodeo Drive and many other perfectly safe areas.)

 

Most crimes happen at night. Few Princess itineraries include an overnight at a Mexican port.

[ar1950]

Another thread about this from a couple of days ago:

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2583863

[moki'smommy]

The Mexican government wants your tourist money. They'll get a chunk just because the ship docks or tenders, but the people will get more if you get off the ship. My point is that I wouldn't take a statement from the Mexican authorities about safety as having any meaning given its self-serving nature. I don't know how much more valid a warning from the US government might be, but I would likely give it more credence.

 

Mexico has had issues for many years if you got off the tourist track. As in the post above, some parts of the country are obviously more dangerous than others. Be sensible--if you choose to get off the ship, stay in tourist areas, keep belongings out of sight and as secure as possible, don't go alone, etc....in other words, take the same precautions that you would anywhere!

[riffatsea]

I posted the actual travel warning on the other thread.

If you read down past the headlines you will see that the port areas, airports, and tourist sites in most of the cities are NOT on the warnings list.

They are talking about going out into the countryside or being away from tourist areas at night . There are tons of Canadian and USA snowbirds spending the winter on land in all these cities and none of them are reporting any problems.

Enjoy your cruise!!

[easyboy]

We treat travel warnings as a reminder to be extra cautious in the area. Not really a cause for us to cancel a cruise. Enjoy you cruise!

 

 

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[JimnKaren]

You gotta look at the Web sites to see where things are happening.

 

Several years ago, there were warnings about Mazatlan and the cruise industry quit going there. Wow! Things changed and now the ships are back in port there. I might be more concerned about going to Caracas (no ships that I am aware of are porting there).

 

If you want to do something with your money, send me an email, and I'll help you out. Otherwise keep it in your purse/pocket and don't be stooopid.

 

Jim

[Pam in CA]

Several years ago, there were warnings about Mazatlan and the cruise industry quit going there. Wow!

Mazatlan was very different. I was on the last cruise before ships stopped going there. There was a shooting on the main street where all the shops are a day or so after we were there and two German tourists barely missed being shot in the middle of the day. There was also a car left at the cruise port with people who had been beheaded. The drug lords were out of control and even tourist areas weren’t safe. I saw lots of army trucks with soldiers carrying large guns patrolling the port and tourist areas. This wasn’t a general warning. Tourists and cruise passengers were definitely at risk.

[notus]

Just off the Grand a couple days ago. All the ports were great! Lots of sun, water, sand, etc. As previously stated, the advisories are not including tourist areas in the particular states.

[land lover]

We cruised the Mexican Riviera in Nov..with a family group of 8.....one couple chose to stay on the ship in Mazatlan(because of their concern from recent(July) drug related killings about 15 miles southeast of Mazatlan. )...my DH and I did our usual, the local boat to stone island, another couple went into the city and the third did a princess shorex, a hike to the light house. None of us noticed any heightened security at the places we visited. If you have concern stay on the ship....

 

Princess certainly is not going to port in a war zone...

[land lover]

Mazatlan was very different. I was on the last cruise before ships stopped going there. There was a shooting on the main street where all the shops are a day or so after we were there and two German tourists barely missed being shot in the middle of the day. There was also a car left at the cruise port with people who had been beheaded. The drug lords were out of control and even tourist areas weren’t safe. I saw lots of army trucks with soldiers carrying large guns patrolling the port and tourist areas. This wasn’t a general warning. Tourists and cruise passengers were definitely at risk.

 

and that is why the cruise ships halted the cruises porting there abruptly... wasn't it in 2011? I member going with my children to stone island in January of that year prior to changes.

 

Ensenada was substituted for the next few years if I remember correctly.

Edited January 15, 2018 by land lover

[pris993]

We are on a cruise in March on the Grand Princess going to Mexico. The US state department currently has warned against traveling to Mexico. Anyone currently on the Grand noticed anything while you were in Mexico. So far our itinerary is still the same on the Princess website.

 

Happy Cruising

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

 

Just off the Grand, we never leave the port area... we have cruised to Mexico many times - first went 30 years ago. We do not go far and don't do tours.

[sassyredhat]

Just today, our TA made the final payment for our March cruise.

We are not worried at all in Cabo. My brother is down there a lot off road racing.

My father used to live in Mazatlán. Not my favorite port though.

We are looking forward to a meal at Mama's Café in Cabo.. :D

 

Patti

[Pam in CA]

and that is why the cruise ships halted the cruises porting there abruptly... wasn't it in 2011? I member going with my children to stone island in January of that year prior to changes.

 

Ensenada was substituted for the next few years if I remember correctly.

Yup. Actually, Princess abruptly implemented CA coastal cruises and they proved so popular that they are now a staple on the schedule.

[culvercitycruiser]

We just got off the Ruby yesterday morning stopping in Puertoa Vallarta, Mazatlán and Cabo. We saw a huge number of federal police with automatic rifles walking around each of the ports. We did not go far in PV and Cabo. We walked the Malecon in PV. I walked by myself in Cabo around the water front and the mall. We did take a taxi around for an hour in Mazatlan stopping at the big cathedral.

I did not read the PV warning until I checked my Facebook feed when I was waiting to tender in Cabo.

It is up to you if you want to go ashore.

Just being on a ship is good for me!

Enjoy your cruise

[satxdiver]

We did the Mexican Riviera cruise in November calling on all three ports. We took a taxi down to the malecon in PV and walked around stopping at one bar for some refreshment. In Mazatlan we took a ship sponsored excursion and enjoyed it and in Cabo we took another ship excursion to see the Hotel California in Todos los Santos. We did not have any problems but did see police and military in all three ports.

 

We had gone to Mazatlan years ago before Princess and other cruise lines pulled out which killed the tourist industry. Now that they have returned the tourist industry is coming back. The Mexican government is intensely interested in keeping the cruise ships coming because of the economic impact and are actively making sure that the tourists are safe.

 

The important thing to remember is to stay in tourist areas and do not go roaming into the city or countryside on your own. Always stay with a group of tourists and never travel alone. These are good rules to remember when traveling in large cities like LA, Chicago, NYC etc.

[kayred]

Just today, our TA made the final payment for our March cruise.

We are not worried at all in Cabo. My brother is down there a lot off road racing.

My father used to live in Mazatlán. Not my favorite port though.

We are looking forward to a meal at Mama's Café in Cabo.. :D

 

Patti

 

I recently heard someone else mention Mama's Cafe.....The website is down but it had good reviews on Yelp. I have added it to my "hope to try" list :)

[sk8terchick]

Thank you all for the great replies :D We are on an escorted tour with our travel agency. I think all will be fine...common sense does go a long way!!

[Keith1010]

We just use extra caution and are observant about our surroundings.

 

Keith

[CI66774]

Japan has issued a travel warning for the USA.

You might want to avoid going there as well.

 

I can't find Japan's travel warning for the U.S. Please provide a link to what you're claiming. Thanks.

[Globehoppers]

I can't find Japan's travel warning for the U.S. Please provide a link to what you're claiming. Thanks.

 

Try Google. Canada, UK, Germany and others have issued travel warnings to their citizens for travel to and in the US.

[sassyredhat]

I recently heard someone else mention Mama's Cafe.....The website is down but it had good reviews on Yelp. I have added it to my "hope to try" list :)

 

That was me, I think.:D

I read it on CC first, but my brother says it's one of their favorites, and~~~it's near the marina.

Oh~~~Mama's has a Facebook page with great pictures.

 

Patti

[konatyme]

We just returned from a 2 week trip to Mazatlan. We frequently took public buses from our condo to the marketplace, Golden Zone, and a nearby beach. There were lots of cruise ships in port during our time there and we saw lots of cruisers walking from the port area to the marketplace. Never felt unsafe at all. That said, we didn't venture out at night and were careful about where we went.

[west coast cruiser]

Got off the Grand yesterday after 10 days in Mexico.

We felt totally safe. Went on an excursion in Manzanillo and went on our own in the other ports. We did not go off the beaten path though. Felt totally safe in Mazatlan.

WCC