Acapulco

[WhenIsOurNextCruise]

Are ships stopping in Acapulco?  We are on upcoming Bliss and they dropped Costa Rica from the itinerary and added Acapulco.  If you were there recently did you feel safe?  Is there a big police presence?  We are concerned.

[CRUZBUDS]

Looks like your stop there is the only main-stream cruise line in the next year.  Oceania and Seven Seas are going there.  

 

We've probably been there a dozen times, but not since the ships stopped going there.  As you likely know they have a huge drug war crime problem. 

 

I wouldn't recommend any excursion that isn't through the ship.  I suspect there will be a huge police presence, they need the tourists to return.  .  

[njhorseman]

We felt very uneasy in Acapulco a couple of years when our Oceania cruise stopped there . There were heavily armed police and military everywhere. Even a hotel where our tour stopped for refreshments had a very visible heavily armed private security presence. I would never walk on the streets in Acapulco.

 

 

[Omax4]

i would not get off the ship in Acapulco. Mexico's murder capital of the country.

 

[b0nz0]

We were there last April. It was okay (though a lot of military presence). There was a good breakfast spot on a pier a bit down the road when you leave the ship to your right. (I think 100% natural or something like that). Apart from that. It's not really a lot to write home about. It's pretty, but run-down.

[iancal]

We are in Acapulco now.  Staying for 5-7 days on independent travel. We have been travelling for a month and have three weeks to go.  Another few days here, then Ixtapa and PV.   Going down to the front desk to see if we can extend our stay by two days.  We are not staying in the old town or near the cruise ship dock.  Hotels along the bay are huge.  Lots of restaurants and people out for dinner at night.

 

We started in Cancun.  Have been to Merida, Playa del Carman, Puerto Morelos, Huatulco, and Puerto Escondido.  Travelled by bus and by air.  9 hour by bus to Acapulco two days ago.   
 

We have never felt unsafe or threatened.  Opposite is true but...we are a couple of geezers in our late sixties.  We are not our in clubs or bars at night.  Frankly, we felt safer in places like Merida, Puerto Morelos, Huatulco, and Puerto Escondido at night that we do in many US cities. Only been in Acapulco for two days but so far so good.  We have done a couple of Mexico cruises in the past plus numerous AI’s.  This is our second independent trip.  We did two weeks in late 2018.  Enjoyed it so much we decided to do a longer trip.

 

Edited February 24, 2020 by iancal

[SelectSys]

4 hours ago, iancal said:

We are in Acapulco now...   Going down to the front desk to see if we can extend our stay by two days.  We are not staying in the old town or near the cruise ship dock...

 

 

I am curious were you are staying.    From Las Brisas down through Playa Diamante is very nice.

 

With respect to violence in Mexico, I think you find what you are looking for.  I live next to one of the most violent cities in the world from a statistical perspective.  However, in 40+ years I have never experienced nor directly seen any violence on numerous trips.   Does extreme violence exist in Mexico, yes.  Can you avoid it, yes.

 

https://www.foxnews.com/world/tijuana-is-the-most-violent-city-in-the-world-top-5-located-in-mexico-report-says

 

[iancal]

Playa Condesa

 

Hotel Elcano. Right on the beach.  Great pool area,spotlessly clean, large king room w/balcony overlooking the bay.  Just about on the middle of Playa Condesa.

 

i believe that the sight of police armed with semi automatic weapons puts some people off.  Same with army personnel We find this a common occurrence  in many countries in Europe, Asia, and Latin America.  There were some outside a bank last night as we walked home.  If anything we felt safer for them being there!  Saw lots of them in Greece last fall as well.

 

When we visit LA we avoid East LA.  I am sure it is the same fore other cities like Philly.

Edited February 24, 2020 by iancal

[SDPadreFan]

Been over a decade since we were there but one thing we did enjoy was the Acapulco Cliff Divers. We took a cab there from the port. There is a viewing area (standing mostly) but we had dinner at the Mirador Hotel and they have an outdoor patio where you can watch the show. We actually got lucky and got to see both a late afternoon show (daytime) and then a nighttime show in the process of having dinner and then after dinner drinks. The nighttime show includes diving with flaming batons as well as diving into flaming rings floating on the water.

 

We did not have dinner reservations and it was just pure luck that we were able to get seated. Otherwise - we would have had to watch the show with the crowd in the standing area.

[iancal]

We are leaving Acapulco today after six days.  Enjoyed it very much.

 

Did we find it unsafe?  No..but perhaps it was because of our location.  We walked a great deal.  Rode the Yellow AC buses along the Costerna.  We were out walking to dinner every night until 9 or 9:30.  Got of the boat tour at Zocala, the port, at 7PM and hopped on a Yellow bus back to our hotel.   
 

People were welcoming and friendly.