Mexico safety concerns?

Fact is thousands and thousands of americans, canadians and other nationalities are staying during wintertime in many parts of Mexico. Many of them also all year. Also cruiselines of course still stop frequently at various Mexican ports. If it really was that dangerous for tourists do you think this still would happen?

Donot drink too much, donot carry large amounts of money or expensive jewelry. Do like you would do at home. You will enjoy your stay.

Over many years we have spent our winters in Puerto Vallarta and have had no problems with any crimes. We have spent approximately 4 years here in PV over the past 25 years. We feel safer here than in many other cities in the world. (We travel a lot.)

We don't buy drugs or sell drugs and don't frequent too many places late at night. We would walk down any street in PV without any worry and the Mexican people are wonderful.

More chance of us being shot or stabbed in other places - including USA and Canada based on statistics.

II try to plan a January MR cruise just for the whale watching....

If you love watching whales and have time in end of January/February, and can be a bit more adventurous, I highly recommend spending time petting "friendly" gray whales from a panga on Magdalena Bay (Fly into LaPaz or Loreto, Baja Sul and rent a car. About 3 hours drive from LaPaz.) Puerto Alfonso Lopez Morelos is a small fishing village with some basic, comfortable, and inexpensive lodging, great seafood options, and very lovely fisherman at the dock who take you out to meet the whales. Whales and their babies come right up to the panga! At sunset, from the dock in Puerto ALM, you can see whales frolicking and hear them spouting. An intimate experience with whales that is like no other.

http://bajabybus.com/blog/item/27-lopez-mateos-whale-watching

Well, to be fair, being somewhere doesn't make you aware of what goes on some small but significant basis unless you happen to be part of it. The safety concerns should not be interpreted as A prediction every single person stepping on Mexican soil is going to be a victim of crime. Even as things are, the probability is still just a probability. If you really want to know from personal experience you need to be someone in the position to know what happens to other people very frequently, like a police officer in the area. That's why we rely on government (or this case if one prefers, the government of Canada) to have an eye on things so they can put out timely and appropriate advisories.

 

We booked a cruise to Mexico last night (the Yucatan not the Riviera) despite but not in ignorance of the advisories and other available insights about the risks of traveling. Because in the end that's all they are, advisories.

I notice that the advisory posted earlier shows the crimes on the East side of Mexico. What us the distance from there to the Mexican Riviera where Cabo and PV are located.

I notice that the advisory posted earlier shows the crimes on the East side of Mexico. What us the distance from there to the Mexican Riviera where Cabo and PV are located.

Very very far

Like saying crime in Mexico City is a reason not to go to New York...

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Very very far

 

Like saying crime in Mexico City is a reason not to go to New York...

 

 

 

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The Media (and some posters here on CC) paint Mexico with a very broad brush and ignore that Mexico is a very large country (23 States plus a Federal Zone). Does the high murder rate in Chicago (much higher then any cruise port in Mexico) stop folks from going to the USA....or even Chicago? We look forward to spending our 12th winter (10 weeks) in Puerto Vallarta...next year where we feel safer then most other places in the world (and we have been to over 100 countries).

Hank

Holland America Line Pulls Acapulco From Cruise Itineraries Due to Security Concerns

 

Acapulco hasn't been on to many itins in the past 7 years.

We were in Cabo, Puerto Vallarta and Mazatlán two weeks ago. Cabo and PV were just fine and I felt safe. I wouldn't hike around Mazatlán without a tour guide, although I never saw anything that alarmed me. We were in Acapulco two years ago on a cruise and the heavy police protection near the port did NOT make me feel safe. I would not get off the ship at that port again.

Mazatlán is fine. We were there a little over a year ago and walked all over, plus took a taxi.

I was in Mazatlan last week and felt perfectly safe. The only person bugging us was the man selling massagers in the plaza across from the Cathedral.

Talked to one lady on the cruise and she thought Mazatlan was sketchy. Talking to her more, her idea of sketchy was the downtown area wasn't clean, many locals walking around, and there were bars on the windows. When I told her that is how real Mexico is, she huffed off. Guess she thinks real Mexico is the Marina area of Cabo or the all inclusives that she went to.

There are loads of reasons to visit Mexico, so not everyone visiting the are looking to see the real Mexico. We're visiting in November focused on Mayan ruins. Many people go just to enjoy the beaches, because it is less expensive than flying the to the French Riviera.

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I was in Mazatlan last week and felt perfectly safe. The only person bugging us was the man selling massagers in the plaza across from the Cathedral.

 

Talked to one lady on the cruise and she thought Mazatlan was sketchy. Talking to her more, her idea of sketchy was the downtown area wasn't clean, many locals walking around, and there were bars on the windows. When I told her that is how real Mexico is, she huffed off. Guess she thinks real Mexico is the Marina area of Cabo or the all inclusives that she went to.

Wow.. I understand everything, but "Local people"?! I guess she expected them to hide?!

I wonder if she knows that we also have upscale and not so much areas.

All of the cruise lines carefully monitor crimes in port cities, especially those involving tourists. The last thing they need is an itinerary where their guests are in harm's way. Their reputation depends on the safety of their passengers. There have been cities where the cruise line will decide to no longer visit if there are problems.

 

Yes, and a recent example of this is HAL's dropping Acapulco as a port call 'due to safety concerns'.