Mazatlan just got dumped for 2012

[califgary]

Just got notified that Mex Riviera on Oosterdam in Feb 2012 Mazatlan stop has been replaced with an overnight in Puerto Vallarta (like 2011) - BUMMMER was hoping things had settled down..........

[powderhorn]

I got a promotional e-mail this morning for the Coral Princess Panama 14 day cruise from LA to FLL and noticed it is not stopping in Mexico at all. When we took that cruise a couple of years ago it stopped in Cabo, Acapulco, and Huatulco. reduces costs to the cruise line, but diminishes the adventure. Too bad.

[cruz chic]

I got a promotional e-mail this morning for the Coral Princess Panama 14 day cruise from LA to FLL and noticed it is not stopping in Mexico at all. When we took that cruise a couple of years ago it stopped in Cabo, Acapulco, and Huatulco. reduces costs to the cruise line, but diminishes the adventure. Too bad.

Love the Panama Canal but it's hard to book a full transit because of my work deadlines. Some of the Princess cruises will work but none of them seem to stop in Mexico. I'm not a fan of sea days so I'm completely turned off by their itineraries. I really enjoy Mazatlan so I wish they would add it back to the Mexico cruises.

[Himself]

Just got notified that Mex Riviera on Oosterdam in Feb 2012 Mazatlan stop has been replaced with an overnight in Puerto Vallarta (like 2011) - BUMMMER was hoping things had settled down..........

 

Mazatlan was a wonderful stop. I remember being there 11 years ago. However, it is now a dangerous stop and HAL will put the safety of the passengers first.

[califgary]

I agree I enjoy Mazatlan, havnt heard any news items about continued problems so Im wondering what caused them to change the itinerary after final payment due and we've already paid.

[CRUZBUDS]

I got a promotional e-mail this morning for the Coral Princess Panama 14 day cruise from LA to FLL and noticed it is not stopping in Mexico at all. When we took that cruise a couple of years ago it stopped in Cabo, Acapulco, and Huatulco. reduces costs to the cruise line, but diminishes the adventure. Too bad.

 

Wow -- I looked at the Coral Princess itineraries -- 5 sea days on the west coast. How strange and sad :(

 

There were a couple of cruises that stopped in Cabo, but most have the 5 sea days.

 

We're on a HAL canal cruise in April -- we have three Mexico stops, I hope it doesn't change.

[jkrislc]

It's possible the change is the result of internal politics and not renewed violence. Previously, the Mazatlan port required the cruise ships pay for tug boats event though they didn't use them. While this requirement was recently dropped, which ultimately reduces the costs to the cruise lines, I wonder if it is still cheaper to port overnight in PV than paying for the additional costs of porting in a third port on the itinerary.

 

Personally, I think there's more to the story. For example, when Princess dropped PV in favor of a Cabo/Ensendada itinerary out of LA, I was convinced that it was to save fuel costs. If not, why would all the other cruise lines still go to PV and add an overnight stay?

[califgary]

I agree there probably is more to this than the "safety" angle - I just wish they would have published this itinerary change before we had final payment due (not sure we would have changed anything but would be nice to know before you pay everything out in full)

[DaveOKC]

I just checked my Jan 7 cruise on Oosterdam and saw the same thing. Now we have two sea days after San Diego and we are in P.V. from 8am on day 3 until 3PM on day 4.

 

No big deal to me, as we have been here before. I just hope that HAL adds some excursions in P.V. now with the longer time in port.

 

DaveOKC

[powderhorn]

I agree there probably is more to this than the "safety" angle - I just wish they would have published this itinerary change before we had final payment due (not sure we would have changed anything but would be nice to know before you pay everything out in full)

 

I agree, there is probably more to it than the 'safety' concerns. Huatulco seemed like a sleepy destination, so nice and quiet and Princess has taken it from the Coral Princess cruise. five sea days in a row down the pacific coast is an itinerary I think they will have a hard time selling.

[jkrislc]

I agree there probably is more to this than the "safety" angle - I just wish they would have published this itinerary change before we had final payment due (not sure we would have changed anything but would be nice to know before you pay everything out in full)

 

I completely agree. In fact, in January aboard the Disney Wonder, we weren't notified until we entered the port building. This really annoyed me as I was on the ship for the weekend cruise and could have been notified onboard. Further, while I get tons of email from Disney, they didn't have the courtesy to email me about this, so I had to scramble to cancel a port excursions (private) in Mazatlan and ended up doing very little in the other ports having anticipated on doing most of what we wanted in Mazatlan.

[califgary]

Yes It's times like this that remind me that we are just a number to the cruise industry - they all claim excellant customer service and how much they do for their customers, but when something changes like this, communications/treatment to their loyal customers flies right out the window.

[DaveOKC]

At least we should get a rebate in our port fees paid!

 

DaveOKC

[califgary]

My taxes and fees charges remain the same as before on the new itinerary they sent out.

[DFD1]

From reading some of the cruise line employee blogs, it's clear that they are doing everything they can to save on fuel costs....and to keep from raising passenger fares.

 

IMO, the safety situation on the along the Mexican coast is a big factor in these cancellations, but it may also be a convenient excuse, to some extent, to alter itineraries to save operating costs.

 

It may also be a factor that on-board revenue increases on sea days...excepting shore excursion revenue of course.

 

Just think of the money the Mexican economy is losing in those ports which are being eliminated. Ships sailing by every day and not leaving one Peso. That's tough on the middle class Mexicans who work in those ports.

 

This drug business is changing the world. Too bad.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Sorry to hear this.

[Viesczy]

With the failing war on drugs in Mexico, what else can be expected?

 

No personal use being stated when I say this as I've never done anything, but rather than outlawing drugs they should be legal. How many gang wars over scotch do you see anylonger?

 

The war is lost as they are available everywhere, the way to make something (in this case the violent gangs) go away is to make it so that their product isn't lucrative to produce/distribute any longer. Legalizing does that.

 

Derek

[Arwen]

With the failing war on drugs in Mexico, what else can be expected?

 

No personal use being stated when I say this as I've never done anything, but rather than outlawing drugs they should be legal. How many gang wars over scotch do you see anylonger?

 

The war is lost as they are available everywhere, the way to make something (in this case the violent gangs) go away is to make it so that their product isn't lucrative to produce/distribute any longer. Legalizing does that.

 

Derek

 

I live here in Seattle, and like most cities we are touched by the drug cartels. Legalizing drugs would diminish the reach of the Drug Cartels, for sure. However, it would only minimally decrease, crimes such as theft, burglaries, chop shops, domestic violence, etc. That is because heroin, or other narcotics become expensive habits (as the user's tolerance grows) in which the rich can and do keep up with their demanding habits, but the rest cannot. Druggies, like alcoholics, eventually run out of money. However, druggies have a nasty tendency to become violent when they cannot get their fix or hit. Also, the drug cartels have begun peddling methamphetamine.

 

Meth Heads, Meth Mouths, and Meth Rages are not to be encouraged.

 

I will step off of my soapbox now. Mexico, like Colombia (and which was relatively successful) needs to root out their own drugs issues and corruption. As with Colombia, it does take time and unfortunately far too many innocent lives as does any "war".

 

Marijuana: while I personally do not endorse its use, perhaps could be legalized. Doing that would take a hunk out of the Cartel profits. And we have found that federally and state owned land here has been used for growing operations. With legalizing, that would be eliminated, but the other hard drugs would still be problematic.

[Ine]

I just checked my Jan 7 cruise on Oosterdam and saw the same thing. Now we have two sea days after San Diego and we are in P.V. from 8am on day 3 until 3PM on day 4.

 

No big deal to me, as we have been here before. I just hope that HAL adds some excursions in P.V. now with the longer time in port.

 

DaveOKC

 

Why not book the Ritmo de la noche nighttour. One of the nicest tours, sail through the bay, have diner at a private beach and show after that.

Also PV is easy to do yourself. Just take one of the many buses (or cab) to Centro, walk the malecon with many statues, visit the Guadalupe church, walk on to Old Town/Zona Romantic and have a meal/drink at Playa los Muertos.

[TraelorMex]

Here's a message I received from HAL (Just Yesterday) regarding our sscheduled stop in Mazatlan:

Dear sir:

Thank you for your recent correspondence with Holland America Line concerning your upcoming cruise. At this time there has been no itinerary changes on the Oosterdam 1/28/12 sailing. The Oosterdam will arrive in Mazatlan, Mexico, on 2/1/12.

Please feel free to contact us if we may be of additional assistance. Holland America Line is confident our signature of excellence will surpass your expectations. We look forward to welcoming you onboard in the near future.

Kind Regards,

Dalita

Holland America Line

877-724-5425

 

As I said, THIS STINKS!!!!!

[califgary]

Yup excellent customer service....NOT!

[jkrislc]

At least we should get a rebate in our port fees paid!

 

DaveOKC

 

Don't count on it. We didn't on Disney when Mazatlan was dropped. My guess is that they'd say the overall port costs are the same as you're still in port for 3 days.

[powderhorn]

Ask them for a rebate for all the fuel costs this adjustment will save them...oh and good luck getting that!

 

I think it is sad that the cruise lines are making adjustments in quality of service, changing itineraries, etc., basically eroding the quality of the product they are delivering, so they can keep the prices consistent.

 

My sense is that they have done some research and it's told them there is a limited tolerance for fare hikes in their business and passengers will just stay away if they raised prices. That would put the whole industry into a death spiral, creating a ton of over capacity and downsizing.

 

So they've decided to try and slide all these adjustments in under the radar and just hope we won't notice. We'll continue to pay the same fares for something less tahn we used to have and put up with it....and most of us I guess probably will!

[PathfinderEss]

I haven't received anything from Hal on the dropping of Mazalan in exchange for over night in Puerto Vallarta for our cruise on Jan 7th. Wonder when they were going to notify us? I am sorry about not stopping at Mazalan but I do enjoy Puerto Vallarta so being there for several days is ok with us.

[nana51]

Here's a message I received from HAL (Just Yesterday) regarding our sscheduled stop in Mazatlan:

Dear sir:

Thank you for your recent correspondence with Holland America Line concerning your upcoming cruise. At this time there has been no itinerary changes on the Oosterdam 1/28/12 sailing. The Oosterdam will arrive in Mazatlan, Mexico, on 2/1/12.

Please feel free to contact us if we may be of additional assistance. Holland America Line is confident our signature of excellence will surpass your expectations. We look forward to welcoming you onboard in the near future.

Kind Regards,

Dalita

Holland America Line

877-724-5425

 

As I said, THIS STINKS!!!!!

 

Why does it stink? don't you want to stop in Matzalan? My husband and I are happy there is no change.