Would love to go to Mexico but leary..are you?

[Ms belp]

Very stupid response....Why don't you point out how many people from cruise ship have been killed in Mexico over the last year.

 

Lets see, LA had 130 murders so far this year so if you value your life stay out of LA. The same for Washington DC, Detroit, Chicago, etc.

 

I guess one should not travel.

 

Rome is the worse place for getting robbed so don't go there.

 

Don't go to the border cities at night and stay away from the red light districts.

 

 

On the contrary, I think yours is the post to be criticized.:mad:

 

Did you see post #22 with the actual state department website concerning the subject and the Know before you go??:rolleyes:

 

We are going the end of the month and are naturally concerned to keep up with what is going on. That's only reasonable.

 

Also, down here in Texas it is on the news nightly and it has come into our state we well. If the poster would rather be safe than sorry that is their right.

[Eeyoregon]

Leary? You betcha ya'! But, we are booked and leave in a week and no refunds at this point so we are going.

 

With over 50,000 deaths in the US last year from auto collisions, I feel much safer about visiting Mexico than I do driving to the airport to catch my flight.

 

Life is short. Live in fear or live your life. Just be smart. Don't explore off the beaten path, in dark alleys, alone, at night or drink any free samples of anything unless you are on a cruise sponsored tour.

 

If you don't see me around CC after next week you will know that I should have been more leary :eek:!

[mattie00]

Leary? You betcha ya'! But, we are booked and leave in a week and no refunds at this point so we are going.

 

With over 50,000 deaths in the US last year from auto collisions, I feel much safer about visiting Mexico than I do driving to the airport to catch my flight.

 

Life is short. Live in fear or live your life. Just be smart. Don't explore off the beaten path, in dark alleys, alone, at night or drink any free samples of anything unless you are on a cruise sponsored tour.

 

If you don't see me around CC after next week you will know that I should have been more leary :eek:!

 

Just a comment about "Don't explore off the beaten path, in dark alleys, alone, at night or drink any free samples of anything unless you are on a cruise sponsored tour." This could be a warning about any large city in Canada or the U.S. We have been to Mexico a dozen+ times and NEVER had any problems. As far as not drinking any free samples, the so called "date rape drug" is also a concern in both the U.S. and Canada. The Mexicans (most of them) are wonderful, friendly people. Bad things happen to good people anywhere. In the past year there have been two incidents in our area where innocent people have been caught in the crossfire of gang violence -- one was blinded and the other killed. Just keep your wits about you and you will have a wonderful time.

[fin]

Just a comment about "Don't explore off the beaten path, in dark alleys, alone, at night or drink any free samples of anything unless you are on a cruise sponsored tour." This could be a warning about any large city in Canada or the U.S. We have been to Mexico a dozen+ times and NEVER had any problems. As far as not drinking any free samples, the so called "date rape drug" is also a concern in both the U.S. and Canada. The Mexicans (most of them) are wonderful, friendly people. Bad things happen to good people anywhere. In the past year there have been two incidents in our area where innocent people have been caught in the crossfire of gang violence -- one was blinded and the other killed. Just keep your wits about you and you will have a wonderful time.

 

So what does the US State Department have to say about visiting Canada then?

 

And presumably you have not read the recent threads posted by cruisers about their own personal experiences in Cabo San Lucas.

[Eeyoregon]

Just a comment about "Don't explore off the beaten path, in dark alleys, alone, at night or drink any free samples of anything unless you are on a cruise sponsored tour." This could be a warning about any large city in Canada or the U.S. We have been to Mexico a dozen+ times and NEVER had any problems. As far as not drinking any free samples, the so called "date rape drug" is also a concern in both the U.S. and Canada. The Mexicans (most of them) are wonderful, friendly people. Bad things happen to good people anywhere. In the past year there have been two incidents in our area where innocent people have been caught in the crossfire of gang violence -- one was blinded and the other killed. Just keep your wits about you and you will have a wonderful time.

 

Uh, this thread is about traveling to MEXICO :confused:...sorry for the confusion.

 

No one said that there isn't any dangers or violence in the USA or Canada...we all know that. The OP is asking about travel to Mexico in light of all of the department of homeland security warnings.

 

The difference is that in Mexico US tourists are extreme targets right now.

 

I am not likely to be murdered in a Target parking lot in Boise, Idaho solely for the purpose of stealing my passport so that it can be sold on the Mexican black market for $25,000.

 

I am not likely to be drugged while tasting wine in the Napa Valley and then get mugged, beaten and raped as I walk to my car.

 

I am not likely to be blown up in a police station in Seattle, Washington because a drug lord planted a bomb.

 

I am not likely to be decapitated while watching the sun set on the beach in Santa Cruz, California.

 

Lastly, NO ONE said that the Mexicans aren't "lovely" people. The drug lords and their gangs = not so lovely!!! Tourists traveling to Mexico need to be aware of their surroundings and don't go to places or do things that will increase your risk of being an American target.

[Ms belp]

Leary? You betcha ya'! But, we are booked and leave in a week and no refunds at this point so we are going.

 

With over 50,000 deaths in the US last year from auto collisions, I feel much safer about visiting Mexico than I do driving to the airport to catch my flight.

 

Life is short. Live in fear or live your life. Just be smart. Don't explore off the beaten path, in dark alleys, alone, at night or drink any free samples of anything unless you are on a cruise sponsored tour.

 

If you don't see me around CC after next week you will know that I should have been more leary :eek:!

 

Didn't you just post something else?

[Eeyoregon]

Didn't you just post something else?

 

I wrote the post right above yours. ;)

[AllAboard]

I'd like to premise this by saying that I am not an expert on this subject, merely an interested citizen. And my comments are based on my own research and general understanding of what I have been reading. But I think it's important to mention...

 

So, in an effort to keep the flow of information (particularly by the news media) as accurate as possible, I mention the following. No travel "Warnings" have been issued for Mexico by the U.S. State Department. Yes, a travel "Alert" has been issued. But they are two entirely different things. Since the words "warning" and "alert" are official terms used by the U.S. State Department, it's important that they be used correctly so as not to confuse the situation. A "warning" is used to indicate that travel is truly not recommended due to imminent circumstances or danger. A travel "alert" is issued as an "FYI," or informational notice. An alert can be used for situations of pocket areas of danger, weather related issues such as hurricanes, or local flooding, etc. The current "alert" issued by the U.S. in February is actually a re-issue (updated reminder) from an alert issued last October...which was a re-issue of an alert from last April, 2008. It is not really a new alert. It summarizes some localized areas of danger, and I don't think it even mentions many tourist areas such as Cancun, Cozumel, etc.

 

I'm not mentioning this because I feel all is "hunky-doory" in Mexico. I'm simply trying to keep the record straight as many people are thinking that the U.S State Department has said that people should not travel to Mexico. As far as I can tell, they have not said that. I watched Fox News the other night, and a big "Breaking News" was scrolling across while Greta said, "US issues travel warning to Mexico." Other news venues have mentioned similar things. They need to be a little more accurate since their phrasing is wrong. To the best of my knowledge, I believe the US State Department has basically said you should exercise caution when traveling to parts of Mexico.

[mattie00]

Uh, this thread is about traveling to MEXICO :confused:...sorry for the confusion.

 

No one said that there isn't any dangers or violence in the USA or Canada...we all know that. The OP is asking about travel to Mexico in light of all of the department of homeland security warnings.

 

The difference is that in Mexico US tourists are extreme targets right now.

 

I am not likely to be murdered in a Target parking lot in Boise, Idaho solely for the purpose of stealing my passport so that it can be sold on the Mexican black market for $25,000.

 

I am not likely to be drugged while tasting wine in the Napa Valley and then get mugged, beaten and raped as I walk to my car.

 

I am not likely to be blown up in a police station in Seattle, Washington because a drug lord planted a bomb.

 

I am not likely to be decapitated while watching the sun set on the beach in Santa Cruz, California.

 

Lastly, NO ONE said that the Mexicans aren't "lovely" people. The drug lords and their gangs = not so lovely!!! Tourists traveling to Mexico need to be aware of their surroundings and don't go to places or do things that will increase your risk of being an American target.

Sorry if you took offense at my attempt to indicate that Canada and the U.S. have gang problems as well.

[mpk218]

You all worry to much ;).

 

What the hey , Hillary will be there next week .

She'll set em straight :p

and I'll be there the week after that ..

[Zeno]

The State Department just released a warning about traveling in Mexico due to the violence, kidnapping and all out drug war. If you're taking a cruise to Mexico--STAY on the ship if you value your life.

 

 

Sorry but this REALLY is an assinine response. No facts, no figures - just hysteria.

The State Department ADVISORY mentions border towns and Mexico City NOT tourist spots where cruise ships stop. As a matter of fact, Cozumel has one of the lowest crime rates in Mexico and so does Cabo San Lucas.

 

Bad things are more likely to happen to you in Miami before you even get on the ship.

 

Also stupid, dangerous behaviour is not advised ANYWHERE - don't flaunt stacks of cash, expensive jewellery and don't get so drunk that you can't walk upright and NEVER, EVER accept drinks from strangers and (obviously) don't buy drugs.

 

BTW I travel to the Mayan Riviera (Playa Del Carmen area) nearly every year and have taken local buses and never felt the least bit threatened.

 

Bad things can happen to anyone, anywhere but for the vast majority of tourists in Mexico, use some common sense and you will be fine.

[Zeno]

Uh, this thread is about traveling to MEXICO :confused:...sorry for the confusion.

 

No one said that there isn't any dangers or violence in the USA or Canada...we all know that. The OP is asking about travel to Mexico in light of all of the department of homeland security warnings.

 

The difference is that in Mexico US tourists are extreme targets right now.

 

I am not likely to be murdered in a Target parking lot in Boise, Idaho solely for the purpose of stealing my passport so that it can be sold on the Mexican black market for $25,000.

 

I am not likely to be drugged while tasting wine in the Napa Valley and then get mugged, beaten and raped as I walk to my car.

 

I am not likely to be blown up in a police station in Seattle, Washington because a drug lord planted a bomb.

 

I am not likely to be decapitated while watching the sun set on the beach in Santa Cruz, California.

 

Lastly, NO ONE said that the Mexicans aren't "lovely" people. The drug lords and their gangs = not so lovely!!! Tourists traveling to Mexico need to be aware of their surroundings and don't go to places or do things that will increase your risk of being an American target.

 

And any of the above has happened to how many cruiseship passengers???

[legalwife]

Someone mentioned above about googling US or other country crime stats. Does anyone know if there is some kind of web site or something with this info so that some can get this into its proper perspective?

 

Thanks.

[Ms belp]

Someone mentioned above about googling US or other country crime stats. Does anyone know if there is some kind of web site or something with this info so that some can get this into its proper perspective?

 

Thanks.

 

Check out post #22. Official web sites.

[Traveller20074]

Uh, this thread is about traveling to MEXICO :confused:...sorry for the confusion.No one said that there isn't any dangers or violence in the USA or Canada...we all know that. The OP is asking about travel to Mexico in light of all of the department of homeland security warnings.The difference is that in Mexico US tourists are extreme targets right now. I am not likely to be murdered in a Target parking lot in Boise, Idaho solely for the purpose of stealing my passport so that it can be sold on the Mexican black market for $25,000.I am not likely to be drugged while tasting wine in the Napa Valley and then get mugged, beaten and raped as I walk to my car.I am not likely to be blown up in a police station in Seattle, Washington because a drug lord planted a bomb.I am not likely to be decapitated while watching the sun set on the beach in Santa Cruz, California.Lastly, NO ONE said that the Mexicans aren't "lovely" people. The drug lords and their gangs = not so lovely!!! Tourists traveling to Mexico need to be aware of their surroundings and don't go to places or do things that will increase your risk of being an American target.

 

Not sure I agree that American's are "extreme targets" :confused: I have heard that they get killed SOMETIMES in cross fire. Most of the deaths are drug related and are not involving Americans, as I understand it?

 

 

This is a link that was on the main yahoo page today...

 

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090314/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/lt_mexico_violence

 

Another one: (from May 2008)

 

http://www.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUSN1954747020080519

 

Four Americans die in drug-smuggling Mexican area

Mon May 19, 2008 6:29pm EDT Email | Print | Share | Reprints | Single Page [-] Text [+]

 

1 of 1Full Size

By Lizbeth Diaz

 

ROSARITO, Mexico (Reuters) - Four people believed to be Americans were shot in the head and dumped in a notorious drug-smuggling area in northern Mexico near the California border, Mexican police said on Monday.

 

Police in the beach town of Rosarito, across the border from San Diego, said they discovered the bodies of three men and a woman on Sunday in an abandoned car in a remote patch of scrubland near the Pacific coast.

 

Police concluded the victims were U.S. citizens because the vehicle had California license plates, the men appeared to be black, the woman was white and a U.S. driver's license was found in the car, the spokesman said.

 

Murders have jumped in Mexico this year, the bulk of them linked to a war between rival drug cartels and security forces that has killed some 1,300 people across Mexico since January. But it is unusual for foreigners to be the victims.

"The bodies had been there for at least a week. They were spotted by local people out hunting," a municipal police spokesman said.

 

The area where the bodies were found is one of many along the border that gangs use to smuggle marijuana and cocaine into the United States.

 

In Chihuahua state, which borders Texas, gunmen killed senior police officer Jose Martinez as he left his home in the city of Parral on Monday morning, the state attorney general's office said.

 

Martinez was head of criminal investigations for southern Chihuahua.

 

"IT'S A WAR"

 

President Felipe Calderon, who sent out thousands of troops and federal police to battle drug cartels when he took power in December 2006, said on Monday the escalation in violence was reason to press on.

 

"It's a serious fight, it's a war, and it means assuming the consequences," he told a news conference following talks with visiting German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

 

"There is no way the Mexican government will give up this fight. Our pledge and decision is to carry on until we rescue Mexico fully from a situation of abuse and crime," he said.

 

Drug violence killed more than 2,500 people in Mexico last year. Grisly slayings in 2008 include the beheading this month of a man whose head was dumped on top of a car in the northern city of Monterrey.

 

Half a dozen high-ranking police officers have been killed this month alone.

 

Violence has spilled over from the rough city of Tijuana into once-quiet Rosarito and its outlying areas as gangs fight over smuggling routes into California.

 

(Reporting by Lizbeth Diaz in Rosarito, Miguel Angel Gutierrez in Mexico City and Robin Emmott in Monterrey; Writing by Catherine Bremer, editing by Philip Barbara)

[Traveller20074]

Someone mentioned above about googling US or other country crime stats. Does anyone know if there is some kind of web site or something with this info so that some can get this into its proper perspective?

 

Thanks.

 

I found these two in a quick search "American's killed in Mexico" There are pages of this stuff...

 

 

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29095730/

 

Over 200 Americans killed in Mexico since '04

State Dept.: More lives lost than in any other country outside combat zones

 

 

 

 

 

 

updated 7:26 a.m. PT, Mon., Feb. 9, 2009

HOUSTON - More than 200 American citizens have been killed since 2004 in Mexico's escalating wave of violence, amounting to the highest number of unnatural deaths in any foreign country outside military combat zones, according to the U.S. State Department.

 

The deaths included a 22-year-old Houston man and his 16-year-old friend who were hauled out of a minivan and shot execution style. They also included a 65-year-old nurse from Brownsville found floating in the Rio Grande after visiting a Mexican beauty salon and a retiree stabbed to death while camping on a Baja beach, reported the Houston Chronicle in a story published Sunday, which examined hundreds of records related to the deaths.

 

The State Department tracks most American homicides abroad but releases few details about the deaths. Most, however, occurred in border cities, including Tijuana, Ciudad Juarez and Nuevo Laredo, where violence has spiked with drug cartel feuds in recent years.

[Ms belp]

Hey, I'm going to Mexico on the 29th and I don't care what ya'll post. Trying to fear monger...I know I've NEVER had a problem there so that means I never will. Who cares what the heck the so called "Travel Alerts" are. I don't trust them anyway.:rolleyes:

 

Is Blazing Saddles on tonight? I sure could use it.:D

[legalwife]

Check out post #22. Official web sites.

 

Thanks Ms. Belp. I have seen those but what I was wondering is if there is a US crime stat site that people could see in comparison the US stats to what is going on in Mexico now.

 

Hope you have a wonderful time!!! Wish I was sailing out of this gloomy rainy day today, but at least we need the rain and we have gotten it all week-end.

[bulgargirl]

I agree with the majority. Just use the same common sense when traveling to Mexico as you would anywhere. The US State Department issues advisories so that you will know which areas are experiencing difficulties - that doesn't mean that there is so much violence that you will not be safe if you are cautious.

 

But then again, I probably take too many chances. I thought it was fun to travel into Serbia with a bunch of Bosnians and Croatians when IFOR forces were still there and the citizens were rioting to get Milosevic out of office. Think that I shouldn't travel there? Well, NYC has riots at the World Trade Center. London had their Poll Tax riots. I guess I'm just pretty blase about it all.

 

Oh - and for the lady that said who gets shot in the head in Boise at Target? I don't know. But when I worked in DC I seem to remember lots of people getting shot in parking lots and bus benches when they were just sitting there - by the sniper. It does happen here. The same rules you use here apply there.

[Ms belp]

Thanks Ms. Belp. I have seen those but what I was wondering is if there is a US crime stat site that people could see in comparison the US stats to what is going on in Mexico now.

 

Hope you have a wonderful time!!! Wish I was sailing out of this gloomy rainy day today, but at least we need the rain and we have gotten it all week-end.

 

What is going on here (US) is really not relevant to what is going on there. Crime stats are just that...stats. I haven't heard reports of federal troops going into US cities, or beheadings, or kidnappings of tourists, or open out drug wars going on here, etc. Not directed to you directly legalwife, but in general.

[Eeyoregon]

Oh - and for the lady that said who gets shot in the head in Boise at Target?

 

Not what was said at all. Here is the CORRECT quote :rolleyes:

 

"I am not likely to be murdered in a Target parking lot in Boise, Idaho solely for the purpose of stealing my passport so that it can be sold on the Mexican black market for $25,000."

[Ms belp]

Not what was said at all. Here is the CORRECT quote :rolleyes:

 

"I am not likely to be murdered in a Target parking lot in Boise, Idaho solely for the purpose of stealing my passport so that it can be sold on the Mexican black market for $25,000."

 

Sometimes, we have to repeat ourselves...or it can and will be taken out of context.:)

[bulgargirl]

Oops - sorry - forget that part! I'm not sure if anyone ever did really find out why those two guys were just driving around the greater DC people and shooting them in the head anyway.

 

Point I was trying to make is we do have pretty horrific violence in our cities and we all deal with it on a day to day basis when visiting those cities. We might not have gangland beheadings, but we do have drive by shootings done by gangmembers in Portland. People were targeting tourists to shoot and mug when I was going to school in Miami. I represent people on death penalty cases and I live in rural Oregon. We actually have the highest per capita murder rate in the state.

 

So you can go and you can be safe. And there are no guarantees. Just as there isn't here.

[Ms belp]

Oops - sorry - forget that part! I'm not sure if anyone ever did really find out why those two guys were just driving around the greater DC people and shooting them in the head anyway.

 

Point I was trying to make is we do have pretty horrific violence in our cities and we all deal with it on a day to day basis when visiting those cities. We might not have gangland beheadings, but we do have drive by shootings done by gangmembers in Portland. People were targeting tourists to shoot and mug when I was going to school in Miami. I represent people on death penalty cases and I live in rural Oregon. We actually have the highest per capita murder rate in the state.

 

So you can go and you can be safe. And there are no guarantees. Just as there isn't here.

 

No, I guess there "is not" any guarantees here either. But, I can pick up my phone and dial 911 and know that someone will be here in short order. I do know that I feel comfortable walking my dog around the block where I live. I do know that we have no gangs around here close enough to do a drive by shooting. I do know that...well, never mind. You will have your opinion and I will have mine, and never the twain shall meet.

[BruceMuzz]

La Prensa in Mexico City is reporting that the recent drug dramas in Mexico have pushed crime-related deaths in Mexico to a new HIGH of 249 per month.

 

The US Department of Justice reports that crime-related deaths in California alone have hit a new LOW of 190 per month.

 

Be careful where you travel....................................