Sister freaking out about our upcoming cruise and stop in Cozumel

[BusyFLmom]

Just got off the phone with my sister. She is not booked on the cruise with us but she is freaking out about our stop in Cozumel. Wanting me to promise her we will not get off the ship. She said its on the news that our government is warning people not to travel to Mexico at all. I told her Carnival would not take us to a port that was dangerous. How do I convince her that it is OK?

[divngmedic]

Cozumel is very safe. I have been going there for years on dive trips. Those government warning are for the interior of Mexico and those areas that border with the United States. More danger in the border states than in Cozumel.

[darth frosty]

What Divngmedic said.

 

One thing to help her see his point, show her a map of mexico and point out how far Coz is from the trouble spots.

[firefly333]

Tell her she needs to do some reading and comprehension. The warnings clearly say that its not Cozumel which is a island, though you have to be wary everywhere.... even in the U.S.

 

Taking a warning that there is high crime in NYC would she freak out you were going to Miami?? Thats about the same thing. They clearly said it was not extended to the customary tourist areas. Not even Aculpulco .. which is a bit dangerous.

[divngmedic]

Tell her she needs to do some reading and comprehension. The warnings clearly say that its not Cozumel which is a island, though you have to be wary everywhere.... even in the U.S.

 

Taking a warning that there is high crime in NYC would she freak out you were going to Miami?? Thats about the same thing. They clearly said it was not extended to the customary tourist areas. Not even Aculpulco .. which is a bit dangerous.

I work in a high crime area in my city, nothing new to me.:cool:

[StillPooh]

How do I convince her that it is OK?

Promise her you won't get off the ship. Then do whatever you want. ;)

[Irishlinny]

Coz is safe....they're referring to the main part of Mexico. The cruiselines will not go where there is unrest...that's why a number of the Pacific side ports have been cancelled. They did the same with Roatan when there were uprisings on the mainland of Honduras. They are in touch all the time with the authorities, so they know if it is unwise to stop at a port beforehand;) Go and have a good time!:)

[BusyFLmom]

Thank you!!! Im emailing her the link to this post :D She doesnt believe me....maybe the responses on here will convince her other wise ;)

[kbmeow]

someone posted the US gov link to the safety concerns in Mexico. Send it too her. Also make her pull up a map and see that Mexico is like the US and has different " states" Explain where you are going as compaired to where the crime is. Also tell her home many people go to Cozumel every day on a ship and look up the crime rate. If that does not work tell her she is paranoid and to chill. This is your vacation to do as you want. And then find the list of top 10 us states / cities with the worst crime rates adn tell her she can never go to any of them

[old sole]

Well, for starters the new State Dept Advisory (not warning) specifically excludes the Yucatan peninnisula and the State of Quintana Roo where Cozumel is located. And that Cozumel is an island anyway, separated from the mainland by a 45 minute ferry ride.

 

Or that the Port of Puerta Maya you will be docking at is a Carnival-built shopping village, fenced off from the town of San Miguel, and about as much like Mexico as the pavilion at Epcot is (I despise those cruise line shopping villages by the way).

 

Or that even if you go into town (which I highly recommend), it is overrun with fellow cruisers from your ship and probably at least 2-3 others and unless you are falling down drunk and looking to score drugs you are about as likely to get into trouble as you are at her nearest mall.

 

Or you could tell her to look up crime statistics for her town and for Cozumel and ask her if she really goes outside her house.

 

Or you could tell her to MYOB.

 

Has she ever cruised before? Jealous much?

[cdamion]

Pulled this off of another thread. Perhaps you can show this to your sister.

 

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

[misguidedangel]

Tell your sister that if she does not want to explore Cozumel that the cruise center of Puerta Maya id very safe. She can shop for Mexican goods and hadicrafts and you cn still enjoy a authentic mexicsn meal and never have to leave the cruise center. There are several restaurants and bars where you can enjoy Cozumel and not worry.

 

You should also tell her that the Carnival excursions are safe and they look after the ships passengers well. No one wants anyone to be injured or worse.

 

I am not a fan of Cozumel, but I still get off so I can go pick up some Mexican handicrafts from a particular store where you can get just about everything (los cinco soles)........love storyyime pottery and the wood carved/painted figures. and the next time I go I am tempted to get the paper mache fruits/veggies that they sell...they look do real......

[Ehpride]

There's crime everywhere. I get off in all ports, eat local food, and have a fantastic time. Cozumel is basically its own entity anyway. They rely on tourists so they'll keep it that way.

[golfadj]

We have always felt very safe there.

[Tapi]

As others have said, tell her that her fears are as ill founded as if she feared the crime rate in Disney World because there's a high crime rate in Detroit.

[Rottweiler Puppy]

Just got off the phone with my sister. She is not booked on the cruise with us but she is freaking out about our stop in Cozumel. Wanting me to promise her we will not get off the ship. She said its on the news that our government is warning people not to travel to Mexico at all. I told her Carnival would not take us to a port that was dangerous. How do I convince her that it is OK?

 

Cozumel is pretty safe and nowhere near the problems. Last time I was there (April 2011) I saw plenty of cops and even the Mexican Marines were out and about.

 

We rented a dune buggy and did the whole Island. I felt safer there then many places in my own County.

 

Tell her the problems are in the border drug towns. That and to turn off the TV. News is part of the entertainment industry, they just don't know it. Their job is to keep folks attention for more sponsors will sign on.

 

No one will remember the story of a good snorkeling spot in Cozumel. They WILL remember the story of a few beheaded drug lords in Reynosa.

[bplazo]

Just make sure that your life insurance is paid before you go :).

[basser]

We just got back from 5 days in Cancun where we had never been before. We went with negative expectations and worrys about safety. We were totally blown away with how beautiful, clean, safe and friendly it was there. Cozumel will be the same. have fun and tell her not to worry. We live in Texas so we are constantly bombarded with news about violence etc. It isn't happening in Cozumel.

[Tapi]

Cozumel is in the state of Quintana Roo. This state is NOT listed as one of the states to avoid, in fact, Cozumel is over 1,700 miles away from Ciudad Juarez (Chihuahua), where some of the most publicized crimes have occured.

 

Here's a list of the states on the warning list, along with a map, so that you can see how far they are from Cozumel (Quintana Roo):

 

• Aguascalientes
  
• Nayarit
  
• Guerrero
  
• Chihuahua
  
• Coahuila
  
• Durango
  
• Nuevo Leon
  
• San Luis Potosi
  
• Sinaloa
  
• Zacatecas
  
• Tamaulipas
  
• Michoacan
  
• Sonora
  
• Jalisco
  

 

 

[conchead]

You said she is not "booked on the cruise with you" .

Is she on the cruise, but booked separately or not going at all

and just sitting at home (wherever that is, probably has a higher crime rate

than Coz) worrying and trying to dictate your vacation.

 

Either way, tell her to do some real research and not go by

what the tv news is telling her.

[douglinc@msn.com]

We have gone to Cozumel many times and have not had or seen any problems.

 

Doug

[BSQ]

I'll add that the QR is the tourist bread and butter, they do what they can to protect the tourist areas is top priority.

 

I have never felt unsafe in the QR tourist towns of Cozumel, Isla Mujeres, Playa del Carmen and Cancun. Have I been in one of these towns just after bad things have happened? Absolutely. Did I feel harm was around every corner? As a solo female traveler I can say, Absolutely Not.

[cccer]

We have been to Cozumel three times and did Mex Riv two years ago. Never felt unsafe at all. The violence is pretty widespread (not only on border towns), but they do seem to do a good job keeping the main tourist places safe. Cozumel is pretty well out of the way.

[funfamilyof6]

Promise her you won't get off the ship. Then do whatever you want. ;)

 

 

LOL...this is what I would do. Then when I got back, I would show her my beautiful pictures taken in Cozumel with me drinking a Pina Colada with a BIG smile on my face. :D

[TEXASMUNK]

Cozumel is an island. It has no exports, other than drunk cruise passengers who miss their ship.

Several years ago, the government added an extra police force...they are the guys in the tan police uniforms...they are intended solely to assist and protect cruise passengers and they are bilingual.

You have a better chance of having a "problem" in any US city or suburb.