Are Mexican Riviera Ports Still Open?

[TiogaCruiser]

For those who live in or are visiting the ports, are they still accepting cruise ships?

[Ine]

Yesterday Oosterdam was in Puerto Vallarta, Carnival Panorama expected today. I can report later if the ship docked. Panorama will have shorter hours then planned due to the problems they had in Longbeach.

[TiogaCruiser]

Thanks!

 

 I’m 3 weeks out and need to decide.😬

[Hlitner]

As Ine said, Mexican ports and Mexico is open for business.  Here in PV (our winter home) it is business as usual.  Will things change in 3 weeks?  Nobody can answer that question, but at this time COVID-19 is something we read about, see on TV, but it is not here now.

 

Hank

[Ine]

3 hours ago, Ine said:

Yesterday Oosterdam was in Puerto Vallarta, Carnival Panorama expected today. I can report later if the ship docked. Panorama will have shorter hours then planned due to the problems they had in Longbeach.

I can confirm Panorama is in port and passengers are off and visiting.

[Mike45LC]

Hank, Ine, please make a trip to Costco and buy several cases of water, and several cases of toilet paper.  Stock up on hand sanitizer.  I don't understand it, but here in Las Vegas (where we have had a total of two confirmed cases, so nothing to panic about), there has been a run on water, TP and sanitizer.  So grab some now, before the panic hoarding begins in your area.  Better to be the ones who initiate the run than to be stuck without TP!

 

[iancal]

We saw a HAL ship in Puerto Vallarta three days ago and another HAL ship yesterday. No idea if people disembarked but I assume so.

Edited March 11, 2020 by iancal

[nw gardener]

In Mazatlan today on the Oosterdam and having a great time. Cabo tomorrow. Loving the weather.  Hopefully the Mexican Riviera ports don't go the way of some of the Caribbean ports, so hard to guess as the virus situation changes quickly.

[Laurie S.]

Very, very few cases in Mexico.

[iancal]

We have been travelling through a Mexico for the past seven weeks.  No mention of it.  The first face masks we saw was a few days ago passing through Mexico City Airport.

Edited March 12, 2020 by iancal

[Hlitner]

Just thought I would post some thoughts, living here in Puerto Vallarta.  This morning, the Norwegian Joy docked and passengers are off doing whatever passengers do.  As we look down on the Malecon from our Condo balcony it is just like any other day with walkers, joggers, and  tourists.  You do not see anyone wearing masks, folks have little concern about COVID-19 here since there have not been any reported cases here or even in our State of Jalisco.  At the moment it is just another nice beach day in PV.  The cancellation of Princess cruises, announced this morning, will certainly impact our port since we will not be seeing anymore of their ships.   But life here is still normal, restaurants are crowded in the evening, and we still had to wait in line (last night) to get our fill of Tacos al Pastor at Pancho Tacos (a very popular place).  Tonight we will try to get into another popular restaurant.

 

Personally, we now have to wrestle with the thought of flying back home this weekend to a country (USA) where life is not normal.  If it were possible, we would actually consider just staying in Mexico for a few more months but this is not possible for a few reasons.  Once we get home we will have to get into the USA frame of mind, limit socialization, eat all of our meals at home, etc.  Such is life.

 

For those that are still heading to PV, all is fine and you will not want to leave this wonderful place.

Hank

[SelectSys]

I am not sure all is as reported in Mexico - the borders are wide open to all countries and flights continue to arrive from "hot spots" in Asia and Europe.  The country is largely ignoring testing at this point and the virus will become more prevalent soon. 

 

See this article and an easy search will find more: https://globalnews.ca/news/6665731/coronavirus-mexico-cases-travel/

 

 

"Francisco Moreno Sánchez, the head of internal medicine at ABC Hospital in Mexico City, told local media Wednesday that he’s worried about the lack of diagnostic testing in the country and fears there are “many more cases” circulating “undetected.”"

 

As of March 11, Mexico’s Health Ministry had conducted a total of 324 tests.

[Ine]

On 3/11/2020 at 1:01 PM, Mike45LC said:

Hank, Ine, please make a trip to Costco and buy several cases of water, and several cases of toilet paper.  Stock up on hand sanitizer.  I don't understand it, but here in Las Vegas (where we have had a total of two confirmed cases, so nothing to panic about), there has been a run on water, TP and sanitizer.  So grab some now, before the panic hoarding begins in your area.  Better to be the ones who initiate the run than to be stuck without TP!

 

I understand abut handsanitizer, almost impossible to get in Vallarta too. I donot understand the toiletpaper however. Thanks for your warning.

We avoid any indoors activity, but are alert of course. Like Hank stated things are still o.k.

We canceled our planned transatlantic cruise to Amsterdam  in April.

Edited March 13, 2020 by Ine

[Ine]

Just announced there will be NO cruiseships in Puerto Vallarta for the coming 60 days.

Suspenden Tianguis turístico en México hasta septiembre y 12 arribos a Puerto Vallarta por 60 días.
 

[SelectSys]

2 hours ago, Ine said:

...

We avoid any indoors activity, but are alert of course. Like Hank stated things are still o.k.

We canceled our planned transatlantic cruise to Amsterdam  in April.

...

 

You are wise to practice some amount of "social distancing" at this time if you are in the target zone.   Unfortunately, I personally don't think you can determine how good or bad things are based on your own anecdotal evidence. 

 

I hope I am wrong, but I believe the cases are going to explode in a couple of weeks time.  Flights as recently as yesterday were arriving into Mexico from hot spots like South Korea.  Even one of AMLO's subsecreterios for health said yesterday in the daily press conference that active transmission is underway in the country.

 

https://politica.expansion.mx/presidencia/2020/03/12/por-el-coronavirus-la-realizacion-de-8-000-eventos-masivos-esta-a-revision

 

"La mañana de este jueves, el subsecretario informó que dentro de 15 días, aproximadamente, la presencia del coronavirus en el país pasará a una fase dos, lo que implica que los casos de Covid-19 no serán solamente importados, sino que también habrá casos generados dentro del propio país."

 

If case do rise rapidly, the Mexican health care system will be swamped almost immediately and care will not be forth coming.  The urban area around PV must have more than 500k people.  How many ventilators or critical care beds exist?  Almost none.  

 

Good luck to all and take care!

Edited March 13, 2020 by SelectSys

[Ine]

10 minutes ago, SelectSys said:

 

You are wise to practice some amount of "social distancing" at this time if you are in the target zone.   Unfortunately, I personally don't think you can determine how good or bad things are based on your own anecdotal evidence. 

 

I hope I am wrong, but I believe the cases are going to explode in a couple of weeks time.  Flights as recently as yesterday were arriving into Mexico from hot spots like South Korea.  Even one of AMLO's subsecreterios for health said yesterday in the daily press conference that active transmission is underway in the country.

 

https://politica.expansion.mx/presidencia/2020/03/12/por-el-coronavirus-la-realizacion-de-8-000-eventos-masivos-esta-a-revision

 

"La mañana de este jueves, el subsecretario informó que dentro de 15 días, aproximadamente, la presencia del coronavirus en el país pasará a una fase dos, lo que implica que los casos de Covid-19 no serán solamente importados, sino que también habrá casos generados dentro del propio país."

 

If it does, the Mexican health care system will be swamped almost immediately and care will not be forth coming.  The urban area around PV must have more than 500k people.  How many ventilators or critical care beds exist?  Almost none.  

 

Good luck to all and take care!

Of course we realise it will come to Mexico too unfortunately. How bad or not we will see. We take precautions and only do outdoor things. At the same time it is happening in The Netherlands with more or less the same problems. Not enough places in hospitals etc, not enough testingplaces and not enough staff to take care of them. Some hospitals even donot  want to take patients over 70 it seems. But then not everyone needs to go to hospital and stays at home. Museas  and places holding over 100 persons  in The Netherlands are closed, soccer is canceled but at the same time schools are still open. 

We are not so sure what will be safer Mexico or The Netherlands.

PS I was informed arriving passengers at the airports are being screened now.

Edited March 13, 2020 by Ine

[SelectSys]

1 hour ago, Ine said:

Of course we realise it will come to Mexico too unfortunately. How bad or not we will see. We take precautions and only do outdoor things. At the same time it is happening in The Netherlands with more or less the same problems. Not enough places in hospitals etc, not enough testingplaces and not enough staff to take care of them. Some hospitals even donot  want to take patients over 70 it seems. But then not everyone needs to go to hospital and stays at home. Museas  and places holding over 100 persons  in The Netherlands are closed, soccer is canceled but at the same time schools are still open. 

We are not so sure what will be safer Mexico or The Netherlands.

PS I was informed arriving passengers at the airports are being screened now.

 

That is what I fear.  If the health system in the Netherlands and other parts of Europe are having trouble, I just believe it will be even worse in Mexico once the disease really takes hold.   

 

I am sorry for your situation.  It is tough to know what the best thing to do is in terms of staying in place or trying to go home.  Good luck!

 

[TiogaCruiser]

Thank you for updating us here.  Sending the best to you all there. 

 

Where I live was just declared as an emergency and we are officially activated (but my unit has been already ramped up and activated for some time already. Its just official now.)

[Ine]

7 minutes ago, TiogaCruiser said:

Thank you for updating us here.  Sending the best to you all there. 

 

Where I live was just declared as an emergency and we are officially activated (but my unit has been already ramped up and activated for some time already. Its just official now.)

You take care too and stay healthy!