Attacks in Mexico Cause Cruise Lines to Drop Port
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AAAThere have been three reported robberies involving passengers or crew in Mazatlan in recent weeks.
A Canadian tourist, not from a ship, was also shot in the leg last week when he was caught in gang crossfire in the city.
Disney, which was to call at Mazatlan with the Disney Wonder for the first time this week, says as a result of safety concerns it has canceled all visits to the city "until further notice."
The Wonder will replace Mazatlan on its itineraries from Los Angeles with additional time in Cabo San Lucas, Disney says.
Princess Cruises says it has dropped a call to Mazatlan this week by the Sapphire Princess, the ship instead spending a full day in Cabo and Ensenada, Mexico.
"We are aware of the recent incidents of violence near Mazatlan and our security department continues to closely monitor the situation," says spokeswoman Karen Candy. "Based on the information available, Princess Cruises, along with a few other cruise lines made the decision to cancel our call to Mazatlan this week."
Holland America is also skipping this week's call by the Oosterdam, replacing Mazatlan with Mazanillo, the line says in a statement.
"The revision to the itinerary was made in response to recent incidents of violence in Mazatlan. Discussions will be occurring with local authorities to determine what steps are being taken to address this issue. Decisions regarding future Mexican Rivera cruises will be made on the basis of those discussions and on developments in Mazatlan," Holland America says.
Among the incidents, Azamara Club Cruises confirms two of its guests were robbed on Jan. 11.
"No one was injured in the robbery, and the guests returned to the ship unharmed," the line says in a statement. Azamara is scheduled to visit Mazatlan again on Feb. 2.
Mazatlan Port General Director Alfonso Gil Diaz tells Seatrade Insider that port officials will meet next week with the Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association to discuss security.
"Mazatlan is very, very safe. We haven't had any problems before and the cruise lines know that," he tells the industry newsletter.
"Mazatlan is widely regarded as one of the safest destinations in Mexico, legendary for its history, culture and the warm hospitality of its people," says the city's official tourism agency, the Mazaltan Tourism Trust, in a statement. "Reports of visitors being accosted or injured in the destination are extremely rare."
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READER COMMENTS (Page 1 of 3)
We booked the cruise to Mexico on the Oosterdam departing Jan 29 which includes a port stop in Mazatlan. After reading your article, I contacted Holland. They indicated that they WILL have a port stop in Mazatlan on this cruise.
@h riedner. I would cancel my cruise. We should not be endangering peoples lives by visiting Mexico. Why would you want to go to a place as dangerous as Mexico anyway? There are so many other places to cruise to that are beautiful & safe. Must be the cheap rates. Stay OUT of Mexico. DO NOT support their economy. What is wrong with this country .
Holland cruises have problems w/theft, and this was on a Caribbean cruise. It happened while we were on an excursion in Grand Turk, right on the ship. This would be their employees. I reported it after disembarking, and they did offer to pay some on the drinks, etc., chg'd to the ship on our next cruise. I think they need to screen their employees better.
Please don't let all this negative publicity overly distress you! My husband and I LIVE in Mazatlán. I've been here for 2 years, and my husband for over 3 years. While we are sensible people, don't flash lots of money or expensive jewelry (easy--don't have it!), we go about our daily lives and feel as safe as anywhere. Mazatlán is a wonderful and beautiful city with great beaches and a seawalk as well as a picturesque historic zone. You will love it too! The U.S. wants to keep their tourism dollars in the U.S., they WANT you to be afraid!
disneys the biggest thief,your robbed before you leave the port.
Wow, so surprised to see negative comments on cruising. IMO it's the best value for a vacation. Yes, you must tip the employees....those workers are wonderful. Your cabin gets straightened twice a day....the waiters and assistants are constantly seeing to your needs before you even ask! You don't have to drink, you don't have to buy their pictures. Most of the excursions are fantastic and definitely worth the money. Plus, if you book it through the cruise line and you are running late, the ship waits for you. Our recent bill at the end of our cruise was $300. I did some shopping....my husband had a couple of drinks.....we certainly didn't feel as if we were "missing out" on anything.
We saw broadway worthy entertainment, an ice show that left everyone with their jaws dropping. Food was unbelievably delicious, service was the best. It was our 12th cruise and we are currently planning #13.
Skip Mexico and skip Jamaica!! Just stay on the ship and enjoy the quiet, since most people disembark....it's wonderful!
I love cruises, but they are so expensive. I dont mean the cruise fare which looks downright cheep when you book it considering it includes all meals and entertainment; I mean the extras. Drinks are really expensive $7 to $8 each, someone is always sticking a camera in your face and they want you to spend $15 on the picture, the gift shop is expensive, and the port tours can be $50 to $70 per person. If you are not careful you can face a $1000 bill for a 7 day cruise when you dock. They charge $10 per person per day just for tips for the crew, and you have to pay it. Thats $140 right there on a 7 day cruise. 4 drinks per day per person is another $500. It does not take long for a couple to reach $1000. So take that into consideration.
THE TRICK IS TO KNOW WHAT TO DO, BOOZE THEY TAKE IT FROM U SO U CANT DRINK YOUR OWN CHEAP BOOZE U BUY IN THE ISLAND, YOU GET TWO LARGE BOTTLES ONE THAT HAS WATER, OTHER THAT HAS ICE TEA, PUT VODCA IN WATER BOTTLE, WHISKEY IN ICE TEA, WALTZ RIGHT PAST THE INSPECTIONS WHEN YOU RE BOARD, WE DRANK OUR OWN BOOZE ON 11 DAY CRUISE,ALSO WE FOUND IF U GO ON SHORE U CAN BOOK EVERYTHING FOR 1/3 OF THE PRICE,AND GET A PERSONAL GUIDE FOR THAT, DO NOT SHOP WHERE THEY TELL U TO, THEY GET KICK BACK, YOUR GUIDE WILL TAKE U TO WHERE THEY BUY SAME STUFF AWAY FROM TOURIST TRAP, BEEN DOING THIS FOR 30 YEARS NOW,ALSO REQUEST WHEEL CHAIR, YOU FLY THROUGH CUSTOMS.
You just said exactly what we do. The vodka trick works like a charm! And we have never done any of the excursions the ship offers. We went to St. Thomas and took an island tour with the locals there and it was wonderful.
We always do the vodka trick in water bottles too! Disney has always allowed us to take alcohol on the ship when we first board. So we have always brought a bottle of vodka and then packed a bottle of wine for each night that we can enjoy on our verandah before dinner.
hey Kaden don't try that any more because the people on the ship are asking to let them see what in the bottle and made the people pour the drink out and i was just on a cruise last week 1/15/2011--- 1/22/2011 also the custom made people line up and the dog check everyone out including their bags
ONE WAY TO STOP THE PICTURE TAKING, I TOLD THEM NO NO THIS IS NOT MY HUSBAND ,THEY SMILED AND LEFT ME ALONE THINKING I WAS HAVING AN AFFAIR LOL
Let them take all the pictures they want..you don't have to buy them. We cruise 3 times a year and usually do not buy any pictures...but you never know....sometimes one may come out really good. We also like to go to local restaurants we know or local stuff off the beateb tourist path. Haven't had many problems just be aware of your surroundings...We would also skip Jamaica, Dominican Rep. and Mexico....piss poor countries where you can get hurt. If a ship has a stop in these places we get to enjoy the ship without the crowds.
Stay out of Mexico. No cruises. No flights. No foot or vehicle traffic. Tell them to keep their slave labor made products there. Seal the border and keep their the poison they call 'drugs' for their own children, not ours. Tell the people to straighten out their own country and stop depending on our dollars to save them. It's a wonderful country with wonderful people but their system of government has been converted to make the rich richer and the poor poorer. Criminals take advantage and in trying to kill the competition they kill and injure the innocent. Our dollars are only feeding the frenzy.It's safer in Cuba than Mexico. So when you cross the border and you get injured, jailed or dead you'll blame America for not protecting you. Well, if you had spent your dollars in New Mexico instead of Old Mexico you would be on the mend, out on bail and perhaps even alive. Stay out of Mexico until they can solve their own problems. We did it in 1776. They need to do the same and throw out the laws that have ruined their country.
dave I agree. The cost for a family of four to Disney is 5k. That is ridiculous!!! It is Florida for God's sake. You could go to Europe for that kind of money. The fees to enter the parks are outrageous, then they nickel & dime you to death once you are there. Never again.
5K to visit Disney? You must have stayed AT disney in a pricy hotel and ate like kings. Who says you have to buy everything (being nickel and dimed to death) How long did you stay to spend that kind of money? A Month?? You need a course on spending..
problem is we don't terminate gang members when clearly history shows we should.
Try Hawaii. People, ports and scenery are all the best.It's not worth your life to get off the ship. Remember it's a vacation not an action game with people trying to kill you.
What a sensationalist headline! How about crime in the US, Europe, and Caribbean? No matter where you go in this world, there's always an element of risk. There are robberies and murders galore in every major US city. I'm supposed to sit home in some sort of bubble because there's risk in stepping out the door?
I just returned from a cruise to the Mexican Riviera. I was very sad to learn that many cruise lines are leaving this area because of all the "violence." Every Mexican I met was kind, friendly, and anxious to please. Out of the eight cruises my family has taken, this part of Mexico was by far our favorite. The cruise lines (naturally) are interested in their bottom line. I can't fault them for that. However, they are also worried about their liability should one of their passengers get hurt. I felt a lot safer in Cabo, Mazatalan, and Puerto Vallerto than in many places i've visited in the Caribbean!
As another poster noted, cruise lines nickel and dime you to death, or at least try to. The ship's photographers are the most annoying people in the world! I simply hold up my hand and wave "no thanks" and walk by them. The photos I take with my camera are free, but I guess people don't realize that. The alcohol is another issue altogether. Cruise lines make about 25% of their profit from the sale of alcohol. That's why they don't want people bringing their own aboard. It's easy to arrange your own excursions once off the ship and at a fraction of the price. Do your homework before cruising to find out which destinations others have been (and enjoy) and negotiate a price for going there.
In the off chance no cruise lines return to the Mexican Riviera, I will simply fly there next year and stay at a nice, all inclusive resort. Using that as a base, it will be a lot cheaper than a cruise and will be a vacation to remember.
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