22 Carnival Cruise passengers robbed at gunpoint on ship-sponsored tour in Mexico

[MinnesotaMouseketeers]

As scary as this is I would not cancel my excursions.

I know a couple of people that have been robbed at gun point here in the Twin Cities. It happens everywhere. If it becomes a common problem the cruise lines will cancel the excursions themselves.

 

[thefuturemrsreinsel]

We are leaving next sunday on the Wonder and this has me a little worried! Do you think that Disney will cancel this stop based on the information and do you think that we will be safe?

I've just gotten off the phone with a DCL CM and she said that there doesn't seem to be any changes to plans for the Ports as of yet. She checked with her supervisor and they hadn't even heard about it yet.
But they said if there was any change to the itinerary they will give guests a call and if I like to call back later in the week.

 

[mdvlprof]

Don't think chance of being robbed is any higher than if you visit a big city like NYC or Chicago. Being alert greatly reduces the risk.

... But I grew up in Panama, so my opinion is a little skewed..

 

[DisneyMommy1022]

I've just gotten off the phone with a DCL CM and she said that there doesn't seem to be any changes to plans for the Ports as of yet. She checked with her supervisor and they hadn't even heard about it yet.
But they said if there was any change to the itinerary they will give guests a call and if I like to call back later in the week.

I called to how funny!!!

 

[DisneyMommy1022]

SO I was looking at a map and from what I can tell El Nogalito is very inland. Am I wrong about this?

 

[EGHopeful]

Don't think chance of being robbed is any higher than if you visit a big city like NYC or Chicago. Being alert greatly reduces the risk.

... But I grew up in Panama, so my opinion is a little skewed..

I'd have to agree with you. I grew up in San Francisco and attended college in So California and both of those had areas you would want to avoid.

 

[mdsoccermom]

saying you would avoid mexico really does a disservice to a lot of the areas that are quite safe, cruisers on this board should know the problems are on the west side of the country. All the western Caribbean itineraries visit eastern mexico.

Exactly. Condemning an entire country because of crime in parts is just stupid. I've said it before, but to not travel to areas like Cozumel because of crime in Puerto Vallarta is like not traveling to Miami because of crime in LA.

 

[thefuturemrsreinsel]

yikes! My husband and son were JUST on a 30 min busride inland for their 4x4 mini jeep excursion last week.

If I were just now leaving for MR, I would still get off and do the close to ship touristy stuff, but I would cancel the inland excursion they did for sure.

Do you think it would be safe enough to go to the Disney Mexican Cooking Class? We've booked and I've really been looking forward to it, but I'd rather be safe than sorry...

 

[sissy_ib]

There are absolutely no warnings for those areas.

Here is a map of the travel warnings in Mexico.


http://www.travelweekly.com/uploadedFiles/MEXICOMAP4.pdf

Thanks for the map. I read the warnings but the visual is a big help.

I've just gotten off the phone with a DCL CM and she said that there doesn't seem to be any changes to plans for the Ports as of yet. She checked with her supervisor and they hadn't even heard about it yet.
But they said if there was any change to the itinerary they will give guests a call and if I like to call back later in the week.

I only heard about this here. Not surprising that people in a call center haven't heard of it yet.

Exactly. Condemning an entire country because of crime in parts is just stupid. I've said it before, but to not travel to areas like Cozumel because of crime in Puerto Vallarta is like not traveling to Miami because of crime in LA.

This. I went to Japan less than a month after the tsunami and earthquake. I passed through Tokyo but we were going to Okinawa. Well. I had family members panicking! One morning I woke up to FB messages "Call me" "CALL YOUR MOTHER ASAP!" "Are you ok?"
Ummm, what? Turns out there was another small earthquake in the north part of the country.
Okinawa is a three hour plane trip from Tokyo. This was after I had explained that it would be like worrying about them in New England when there was a hurricane in Florida. Some people just want to cry the sky is falling.

 

[PuertoVallartaPV]

The Puerto Vallarta Tourism Board is sad to learn about this extremely rare incident that is not part of the experience our historic international tourism destination offers our guests.

We are pleased that our destination’s officials, and the US Consulate, took swift action to ensure the health and safety of all our guests involved. Minutes after we learned of the incident representatives from the local and state government, tourism leaders and tour operators to provide assistance to those who involved and police and the district’s attorney office started their investigation.



As one of Mexico’s leading destinations, we have high regards for the security and safety of our visitors and we are constantly working on enhancing the safety measures employed by our local police and private security officers who work at our many tourism attractions, including new international standardized training. We are also making renovations to the city’s streets and popular tourist zones which will better serve our guests and their safety.



We think our efforts are fruitful as this past June Thomas Dale & Associates (TDA), a leading global investigative and security firm hired by Puerto Vallarta to complete a security/threat assessment study of the destination found that the number of negative events involving foreigners or non-foreigners is fractional compared to the large ex-pat resident population and the millions of visitors that come to vacation each year in Puerto Vallarta. The study also found that visitors to the destination feel safe and continue to visit Puerto Vallarta numerous times throughout their lifetime.



In addition, highly regarded media and their readers have continuously voted Puerto Vallarta as one of their favorite destinations, giving it numerous accolades and awards, including, Conde Nast Traveler Magazine: “Favorite Destination” for 5 years in a row; Travelocity: one of 10 top “Summer Family Destinations” in 2011, and AARP: one of the “Top 10 Best Places to Retire.”

 

[MinnesotaMouseketeers]

Exactly. Condemning an entire country because of crime in parts is just stupid. I've said it before, but to not travel to areas like Cozumel because of crime in Puerto Vallarta is like not traveling to Miami because of crime in LA.

Well said!

 

[StephC1217]

Exactly. Condemning an entire country because of crime in parts is just stupid. I've said it before, but to not travel to areas like Cozumel because of crime in Puerto Vallarta is like not traveling to Miami because of crime in LA.

 

[Alexander]

The Puerto Vallarta Tourism Board is sad to learn about this extremely rare incident that is not part of the experience our historic international tourism destination offers our guests.

We are pleased that our destination’s officials, and the US Consulate, took swift action to ensure the health and safety of all our guests involved. Minutes after we learned of the incident representatives from the local and state government, tourism leaders and tour operators to provide assistance to those who involved and police and the district’s attorney office started their investigation.



As one of Mexico’s leading destinations, we have high regards for the security and safety of our visitors and we are constantly working on enhancing the safety measures employed by our local police and private security officers who work at our many tourism attractions, including new international standardized training. We are also making renovations to the city’s streets and popular tourist zones which will better serve our guests and their safety.



We think our efforts are fruitful as this past June Thomas Dale & Associates (TDA), a leading global investigative and security firm hired by Puerto Vallarta to complete a security/threat assessment study of the destination found that the number of negative events involving foreigners or non-foreigners is fractional compared to the large ex-pat resident population and the millions of visitors that come to vacation each year in Puerto Vallarta. The study also found that visitors to the destination feel safe and continue to visit Puerto Vallarta numerous times throughout their lifetime.



In addition, highly regarded media and their readers have continuously voted Puerto Vallarta as one of their favorite destinations, giving it numerous accolades and awards, including, Conde Nast Traveler Magazine: “Favorite Destination” for 5 years in a row; Travelocity: one of 10 top “Summer Family Destinations” in 2011, and AARP: one of the “Top 10 Best Places to Retire.”

WHAT? First post from a member with the name PuertoVallartaPV?

 

[mickey2000]

WHAT? First post from a member with the name PuertoVallartaPV?

Puerto Vallarta says it's safe, despite Princess canceling calls JUNE 2011


http://overheadbin.msnbc.msn.com/_n...ays-its-safe-despite-princess-canceling-calls

 

[WicketsMom]

Exactly. Condemning an entire country because of crime in parts is just stupid. I've said it before, but to not travel to areas like Cozumel because of crime in Puerto Vallarta is like not traveling to Miami because of crime in LA.

So true. We travel to Cozumel for land-based diving trips frequently and take our four-year old son along. The people there are quite friendly and I feel safe driving around on our own too. We even flew into Cancun last summer and went to Holbox to swim with the whalesharks, and drove the coast from Playa del Carmen to Tulum with no problems.

Several years ago we went to Cabo San Lucas, and drove from there to La Paz. I wouldn't do that anymore, but the tourist areas on the Caribbean side are still quite safe.

 

[cyclenut]

Scary story to be sure. The robbers were bold. The way this happened, there seems little the passengers could have done, which makes it even more scary.

However, the point to be learned here is that there are dangers in everything we do in our lives. We all need to decide what risks are worth taking and what risks are beyond our comfort zone. It is an individual decision. Stories like this one are informative but should not be taken out of context.

Mexico is suffering from a very violent backlash caused by a crackdown on drug trafficing. There were reports just recently of violence in Juarez Mexico where stray bullets from a shootout with authorities there injuried people in El Paso, Texas.

Consider this though. I live in the greater LA area. I read about gang drive-by shootings from the comfort of my own home, miles away. I still go outside and I don't feel a need to uproot my family and move. We live in a very safe and quiet neighborhood. I read about tragic accidents caused by inexperienced teen drivers and yet I helped my teens get their license and still let them drive. These are my choices.

I would still travel to PV, enjoy my cruise vacation and just be more vigilent than I might otherwise be. One thing to consider, it may actually be a bit safer RIGHT NOW than it was just a couple of weeks ago. Increased vigilence goes a long way, and now more people are watching.

 

[Alexander]

Consider this though. I live in the greater LA area. I read about gang drive-by shootings from the comfort of my own home, miles away. I still go outside and I don't feel a need to uproot my family and move. We live in a very safe and quiet neighborhood. I read about tragic accidents caused by inexperienced teen drivers and yet I helped my teens get their license and still let them drive. These are my choices.

I would still travel to PV, enjoy my cruise vacation and just be more vigilent than I might otherwise be. One thing to consider, it may actually be a bit safer RIGHT NOW than it was just a couple of weeks ago. Increased vigilence goes a long way, and now more people are watching.

The HUGE difference here is many people in this country do not live in or near big cities. Many live in a very safe, very quiet communities no where near large urban areas. I would never choose to move my family to a big city like NYC, Miami, LA, Chicago, etc. or the suburbs of those cities. Of course, I am not implying that nothing ever happens in the safe, quiet communities, but it is rare and many of us are not accustomed to random acts of violence being everyday events we read about in the newspaper or hear on the news. It is likely people like me who live in quiet, safe areas away from big cities are the most fearful to enter into areas of a foreign country that have had current reports of violence.

 

[lexlaw69]

This all the time to tourists down there. You are seriously foolish if you bring your family to a war zone. Sorry, but your analogies of crime in the big city or it happening on one side of town just don't hold up. Its not crime, its not petty crime, its a war zone.

 

[lexlaw69]

PS - for years we've seen people on these boards stick their head in the sand and say "it won't happen because its Disney" or "this only happens to drug dealers" or "it only happens on the bad side of town" or I drove thru their and I was OK" or my fav "its OK because Disney wouldn't take us there if it was unsafe".

Mexico is absolutely an unsafe place to be (let alone with your children). The crime statistics you see are just a small sliver of what actually happens down there.

 

[m&m's mom]

PS - for years we've seen people on these boards stick their head in the sand and say "it won't happen because its Disney" or "this only happens to drug dealers" or "it only happens on the bad side of town" or I drove thru their and I was OK" or my fav "its OK because Disney wouldn't take us there if it was unsafe".

Mexico is absolutely an unsafe place to be (let alone with your children). The crime statistics you see are just a small sliver of what actually happens down there.

Wow! Way to over dramatize things.