Admittedly, Mexican and Western Cruises are not our first choice in cruise destinations in the first

Even before last week's news that passengers on a Carnival Splendor-organized shore excursion in Puerto Vallarta were held up at gunpoint by masked assailants, china travel the region's battled with perceptions that some of its ports of call are unsafe for tourists to visit. But at what point does perception equal reality? Cruise Critic china travel member Go Mexico takes a reasonable tone on the Mexican Riviera forum: "Each of us travels differently and not always with the same acceptance of risk. That s why it s important to ask questions, do some independent reading on the destinations."
Perhaps, but I d argue that when cruise lines greatly reduce the ports that they visit (e.g., Carnival and Holland china travel America both offer cruises with stops at just two ports on a seven-night voyage from southern china travel California Cabo San Lucas and Puerto Vallarta), how compelling is the region to begin with? Add in the fact that the U.S. State Department has revised its existing travel warning for Mexico to include warnings about ports of call, and the questions multiply.
There s so much bad publicity about cruise china travel destinations perhaps because everything newsworthy is so instantly available, writes Shirley china travel Miller Lee on Cruise Critic's Facebook page. "My comment: Be careful with your cameras, money, etc. Buy a good fanny pack. Take precautions as we've had to do traveling for many, many years."
I did a tour north of Puerto Vallarta with Holland America last April, writes Suze Moore on Facebook. Since we were going inland a bit, they had two jeeps with soldiers and guns escorting us. Had I known it was that dangerous we never would have done it!
It s just not worth the risk in my opinion, writes JackieClay Holbrook on Facebook page. Even though these incidences are few and far between, it s enough to make me think twice. Why even take that chance?"
From where I sit, travel is what you make of it. Cruising in Egypt, an exotic locale where cruise line tour buses are regularly accompanied china travel by local police, doesn t faze me at all. On the other hand, if I just want to chill out, I d prefer a place where armed guards are not necessary. But there s more to it than that: Part of the joy of cruising for me are the ports I visit and the people I meet when I m there a seven-night voyage with two measly calls may be heaven to those who live for sea days, but I ll take more stops and less uncertainty, please.
Your opinion understandable is not one of a West Coast cruiser (yes we do exist!) Your opinion leaves West Coast cruisers with no options other than Alaska, which is not an option in the winter months. Most folks don t have 2 weeks to cruise to Hawaii, china travel and although I did, I won t again, way too many sea days for me thanks.
At least with the Mex. Riv. itinerary china travel we got 2 days in PV and one in Cabo. I have done it yearly for many years and never felt unsafe. Many of the Ft. Lauderdale based cruises offer just 3 days in port. But flights to Ft. Lauderdale are horribly expensive from the West Coast and getting more expensive daily. For all those FLL-based cruises, it is way too much time in transit (as well as expense) for just 7 days on a ship. Cruise lines have left us West Coasters with little to no alternatives. Time to go back to land based resorts I guess. It is truly a shame.
My wife and I just returned from Cabo, PV and Manzanillo on an 8 day cruise on the Carnival Spirit. Before leaving we read the travel info from the US State Department so that we were traveling china travel informed. We took Carnival tours in PV and Cabo. We never felt unsafe. We walked the downtown area of Manzanillo. Once again we were treated well and did not feel unsafe. We found it interesting that the tour guides went to great lengths to explain that Mexico was safe as long as we followed the safety recommendations of the ship s staff and the tour staff. Our tour guide said that much of the Mexican Rivera was feeling a little snake bit by the bad press in the US. He also said that many feel that the Cruise lines were over reacting by cancelling ports of calls due to a few rare incidents of crime. I am not sure how I feel about his comments but my wife and I will continue china travel to travel to Mexico. It is a beautiful place with wonderful china travel people. We love cruising but feel like we may do other types of vacationing if the cruise lines continue to limit choices on the west coast where we live. Air fares to the east coast have become cost prohibitive so we have few options. Crime is everywhere in the world and is a fact of life. Living afraid is not living it is existing. Hopefully things (preceptions) will get better so that we can continue to enjoy crusing and the west coast of Mexico.
Living in Puerto vallarta in wintertime I can tell you Puerto Vallarta china travel is NOT unsafe.This was an unfortunate isolated incident.As china travel witnesses state it seems it was 1 man with gun who robbed a group hiking in the mountains in a region outside of Puerto Vallarta.
So we should also avoid Europe, the Ocean where ther are pirates! And the Caribbean where a similar hold up happened?!? Crime happens everywhere. Tourists are often targets. For 99.9% of travelers Mexico is safe. Don t avoid visiting Mexico.
I will be making a number of stops on Mexico s west coast in 2013, but I d rather not. It s part of a Canal crossing, and I m much more interested in the Canal than Mexico s Pacific coast. By skipping the ports, I d feel safer and it would be a shorter cruise.
Admittedly, Mexican and Western Cruises are not our first choice in cruise destinations in the first place due to a lack of worthwhile cruise ports. That said, the facts are Mexico IS increasingly more crime ridden and more dangerous for travelers. A friend of mine vacationed at an all-inclusive resort in Cancun recently and said local police stop travelers in rental cars for bogus traffic infractions and shake them down for cash to let them go. She has experienced that several times in recent years and no longer rents a car while in Cancun. (We will not be vacationing in Cancun either.) I have family in Arizona just across the Mexican border and they report rampant violent crime also. Jamaican soldiers greet you when you deport in Ocho Rios. We won t give up cruising, however, we have decided we will no longer schedule cruises with ports in cities with uncontrollable crime. It s definitely not worth the risk to us.
As a west coaster, We don t have many choices for cruising. And I love cruising. So when I can t afford the air flights it is nice to just hope on a boat and go. I have cruised Mexico many times and not felt that it was any more dangerous then walking downtown Los Angeles. I have been to Costa Rica-which had armed guards with us the whole excurtion, and Jamacia-where we were told not to leave the group because of the high crime rate, to which one of the cruisers in our group left the group and was robbed china travel or in Rome-where you are warned about the pick pockets and gangs of boys that rob visitors. I have also driven down to Mexico, and that is a bit more scary but not any worse then driving in East LA. We take the toll road, and go in a group. Danger of crime is every where we go. This is true of most foriegn countries china travel as well as here in the Great USA ..we have crime too. So get over it, if you don t feel safe don t go. I chose to not be runned by fear when it comes to travel but face it and do everything I can to make my trip as safe as possible, and if a crime happens don t fight-after all it is just things-just give them what they want. I will still travel with open eyes and enjoy it.
We have cruised down to the Mexican Riviera since 1995 and we have always loved our trips. However on the last cruise in 2010 we were surprised to see armed Mexican Soldiers china travel at the dock when we came in. My wife has said she won t travel there any more with the increased crime wave down there. We had creat trips to Cabo and Puerto Vallarta and I am glad we have those memories of terrific cruises to those places. We will not take the risk, however, as long as the troubles continue down there. china travel What a shame that Mexico changed for the worst. It was a great destination but is not worth your life.
Localady and SinisterSmiles, as a former West Coaster I absolutely get where you re coming from, that close-to-home cruises from southern California aren t as plentiful as those from other home ports. It s a tough situation. The cruise lines really need the Mexican Riviera. Here s hoping things get settled soon. When that does happen, they ll return, no question.
I wish that the cruise ships would not go to Mexico, I had and experience in 2010 on a Royal Caribbean ship, we stopped in Mexico and when I looked from my balcony I saw soliders standing on the dock with guns. Right away I know it was not safe to get off. Why would these mega ship company want to risk their passengers lives by stopping there. The stop was Cozumel.
When we did the canal from FtL to San Diego on HAL, our favorite stop on the way North was Loreto china travel lovely Mexican town, not overly touristy, lunch and local folkgroup show at local hotel. We felt very comfortable, and the pelicans all over the dock and local boats there were a fabuluous site. Don t miss it if you have the opportunity.
We love Cabo. We try to go every October for a week for Sammy Hagar s Birthday Bash and take a cruise for 7 nights on Carnival to Puerto Vallarta and Cabo every year. We have done many excursions and have never felt scared or unsafe. china travel The Mexican people are very friendly and helpful. I have been in a wheelchair for several years and it s a little harder to get around in Mexico, but everyone china travel is very kind and friendly and help me get in and out of the taxi vans and the sunset catamarans we love to take. I highly recommend a cruise to Mexico! And you can t beat the cost! We are taking a cruise to Alaska this summer and I can t believe how expensive it is and the excursions are extremely expensive, too!
That s the reason I won t visit mainland Mexico on a cr