September 8 Carnival Splendor Mexico - US Government Travel Warnings?

Hi All. Anyone know what happens when the ports you are traveling to have US Govt travel warnings? Right now Mazatlan is a step 4 do not travel and Puerto Vallarta is a step 3. The last time I took this cruise was when Carnival canceled porting at Mazatlan.

Any feedback is greatly appreciated!!

Hi All. Anyone know what happens when the ports you are traveling to have US Govt travel warnings? Right now Mazatlan is a step 4 do not travel and Puerto Vallarta is a step 3. The last time I took this cruise was when Carnival canceled porting at Mazatlan.

 

Any feedback is greatly appreciated!!

Those warning are not new just be careful and don't wonder off on your own.

don't wonder off .

You mean stay focused? :)

From the STEP system, what I understand is that when you get to 3 or 4, the U.S. Governement has lost confidence the local authorities have control over the gangs, cartels, etc. That said, I would assume if Carnival is stopping there, they would be attempting to provide opportunities for shore excursions or just beach days that would not endanger you. That said, I never like to assume. I would just do your homework. We spent 11 glorious days in Cozumel this Summer and we were concerned that we would be taking a ferry when there was the ferry explosion months earlier. It was all over the news. People on CruiseCritic were posting if you go to Cozumel, get your will in order. In our case, we got lots of good information and inside tips from the condo owner on how to be safe there. And we felt safe 100% of the time using common sense. That said, these places are different. Will be interested to follow as we booked the Panorama for 2020 to the Mexican Riviera. Good luck!

Hi,

These warnings have been going up and down for a long time.

Please read all the info contained in the warning and not just the headline.

Often they are quite specific in the areas that are included in the warning.

It is not often the entire city . Just like here in the USA where cities have gang violence in certain areas that tourists should stay away from .

Here is the info from the USA govt web site:

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/Mexico.html

Please scroll down to read specifics. In fact Puerto Vallarta is an exception to the do not travel statement .

AND so are the parts of Mazatlan from the cruise port to the tourist areas where most tourists visit.

Reading carefully instead of just looking at headlines will save you from being nervous.

There are many USA and Canadian nationals living in those areas who have not run away so don't take the warnings as reason to change your plans.

Ask questions of the people who are living there.

You can find some of them who post on Trip Advisor forums for the cities in question.

Just use common sense. I have traveled a lot in the Baja and the mainland. If you stay in the tourist areas and you use common sense you will be fine. Remember Mexico wants tourist dollars. They keep it safe in the tourist areas

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You mean stay focused? :)

I was wondering about that

I am on this same Sept 8 cruise and also did this exact itinerary/ship a couple years ago. For those of you saying "use common sense", this is not fool proof. Last time on this cruise we did an excursion through Carnival for the zip-lining in Puerto Vallarta. The cruisers on this same excursion just the previous week before us were hijacked on the deuce and a half and all robbed. Obviously not something we knew prior to leaving or we would have reconsidered. This was not meant to scare the OP but sometimes $#! + just happens. I live in St. Louis, the highest crime rate in the US and this could just as easily (probably easier, actually) happen here. As always, in the US and out of country, stay vigilant and hope for the best.

Ber

I have concerns about Mexico as well. I am doing the October 6 Splendor and more than likely I will not get off boat. Typically you are safe in the tourist areas but like the previous poster stated it is not fool proof. I have lots of friends that have been visiting Cabo, and Puerta Vallarta and they seem not to be bothered.

I did this itinerary 2 years ago and did Las Caletas shore excursion in Puerta Vallarta and it was awesome. If I do anything I will probably do this one again. It did not require taking a bus anywhere, just a short walk to another boat. I also got off the ship in Cabo but stayed on the sidewalk closest to port and we had lunch at one of the waterfront properties.

I cruise this particular destination often just to save money on airfare but I cruise to cruise not necessarily for the destination itself. If you feel uneasy just stay on board and enjoy the empty boat.

Really ? Robbed while going/coming from the zip line? Please provide link to news story about this. I haven't heard any of it.

Have you read the info I provided in the govt web site above where Puerto Vallarta is NOT included in the warning???

I am on this same Sept 8 cruise and also did this exact itinerary/ship a couple years ago. For those of you saying "use common sense", this is not fool proof. Last time on this cruise we did an excursion through Carnival for the zip-lining in Puerto Vallarta. The cruisers on this same excursion just the previous week before us were hijacked on the deuce and a half and all robbed. Obviously not something we knew prior to leaving or we would have reconsidered. This was not meant to scare the OP but sometimes $#! + just happens. I live in St. Louis, the highest crime rate in the US and this could just as easily (probably easier, actually) happen here. As always, in the US and out of country, stay vigilant and hope for the best.

 

Ber

Nothing in life is fool proof.

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Yesterday ,someone was shot in LA in a Trader Joe store.

Does that mean we should all avoid them?

There was random shooting on the streets of Toronto(of all places!)

In these violent days where anyone can be shot anywhere it seems like the best answer is to stay barricaded in your own house!

Mazatlan has "cleaned up their act" since the days when the cruise lines cut them off. When we were there last (Nov. 2016) they've painted a "blue line" from the port where your ship is into town, not a long walk and quiet and safe. If it were not safe and there were stories of crime/drugs then the lines would not go there.....too big a risk to their reputations.

Really ? Robbed while going/coming from the zip line? Please provide link to news story about this. I haven't heard any of it.

Have you read the info I provided in the govt web site above where Puerto Vallarta is NOT included in the warning???

https://www.nbcnews.com/business/travel/22-carnival-cruise-passengers-robbed-gunpoint-ship-sponsored-tour-mexico-f198368

Ber

Really ? Robbed while going/coming from the zip line? Please provide link to news story about this. I haven't heard any of it.

Have you read the info I provided in the govt web site above where Puerto Vallarta is NOT included in the warning???

I'm well aware of who is included in the warnings for OCONUS travel. It's part of my job to brief them to people. So, because your website doesn't include Puerto Vallarta, we're not allowed to talk about concerns for that area? Calm down. We're just talking it out.

Ber

Yesterday ,someone was shot in LA in a Trader Joe store.

Does that mean we should all avoid them?

There was random shooting on the streets of Toronto(of all places!)

In these violent days where anyone can be shot anywhere it seems like the best answer is to stay barricaded in your own house!

Why revert to the passive aggressive snark? No one is suggesting becoming a hermit and living in a cave. People have families and give a gosh darn about their safety. Asking questions and having all the information is the responsible thing to do.

Ber

I know someone who just took that trip, on the Splendor, 7/7 sailing, I believe, and they did not go to Mazatlan. "Mazatlan is off limits," according to what he was told. Instead they stayed an extra day at one of the other ports. No idea how long that will last.

Not trying to be snarky. Trying to be realistic. Thanks for the news link.

At least no one actually got hurt! Folks on here tend to blow things way out of proportion to reality(IMO). I read posts afterwards from folks who actually live in these areas(PV) and they don't seem disturbed so I'd rather take advice from them than from fellow cruisers who rarely visit.

We take this cruise every year. We live in San Diego near Baja . Folks go back and forth across the border every day with no issues. We don't have the same worried attitude about Mexico as many on here.

Of course it is your cruise so do as you wish!

We are just off the Splendor Mexican Riv cruise and beyond the standard "pay attention to your surroundings" advisories there was nothing special. We spoke with guests that did tours in all three ports and no one experienced any problems.

Enjoy.

We did the same itinerary in February and the warning levels were the same. I wasn't worried about PV since we had an excursion booked to a resort for a beach day.

I agonized over Mazatlán for a long time because we had an excursion booked that I really wanted to do, but it was a bit further from the port. I did a lot of research, asked on the board, etc. Most people here will say not to worry. I won't say that. I think you just have to decide what your comfort level is.

In the end, we cancelled our Mazatlán excursion because I just wasn't comfortable enough with my research to venture out of the main area, even though I'm sure it was just fine.

We did walk into old town Mazatlán and at nearly every intersection was a friendly police officer helping us with directions. Even a taxi driver that was driving past stopped when we looked a little confused and asked us where we were going and gave us directions--never tried to get us to ride with him or anything, just genuinely friendly.