Please don't laugh....First time sailing to Mexico

[rianvi]

I know this is a silly question but I really don't know the answer. We are sailing on the Mercury Jan. 2/06...11 night Mexican Riviera. I have heard that you donot drink the water in Mexico and that includes ice cubes. But what about the drinks that they offer on excursion, etc? Or at restaurants? I know when we sailed on the Horizon in Feb./05.... it was suggested to only drink canned or bottled drinks and use a straw,when off ship. I am not germiphobic...just want to be cautious....not paranoid. Any reply is appreciated.

Thanks Anna

[kathy_bc]

I have been to Mexico a number of times. I have been sick a few times. The last time was when I was on a boat tour, and you could either have a can of beer or a glass of pop in ice. I don't drink beer, so I chose the pop. I thought that would be safe since I saw the Agua Purifica (purified water) words on the bag of ice. Well I was sicker than a dog. So from now on, I'm sticking with a can of pop or bottled water. The pop was from a 2 litre bottle, so that could have been it too, maybe??

 

BTW, the last cruise I was on, I had a pop (in a can) on ice from a bar in Cabo, and that was fine.

 

I think just stay away from "iffy" vendors. But all the big ones that cater to tourists do use purified water.

 

The boat tour that we took, we bought from a vendor that set up inside the Holiday Inn in Mazatlan. We thought that would be safe. But that was the WORST tour I have ever been on. Stay with the reputable ones.

[harrodsfan]

I have been all over the world....I have never been sick traveling except in st. Louis on cold pizza.

I never ever have ice in drinks in third world countries. I avoid other places too due to differnt mineral content. Be carefull with bottled water...it may be purified....but have different minerals. Some foreign bottled waters are high in magnesium.....it can have interesting affects..think milk of magnesia.

Also eat only fruit you can peel...no salads or raw vegtables. Also avoid ground beef...and diary products..

Also watch your hands before eating.

[BuckGuy]

Yogurt is a miracle food when you travel (I am even lactose intolerant but I've never had any problem with yogurt). Yogurt contains the healthy bacteria found in your digestive system.

 

I have found that eating yogurt every morning that you are travelling is invaluable. What I do is eat plain yogurt to make sure that I am truly benefitting from yogurt, but if that gets too blase for me, then I mix a half serving of plain yogurt with a half serving of my favorite fruity yogurt.

[nfused2cruze]

I'm not laughing - I go to Mexico at the end of November and this was a good reminder - thanks all.

[serene56]

Well- you can ask the server is the watre/ice is from purified water. When we go to Cozumel/grandcayman its a question I will ask beofre i get ice. If the server does not know... I take the soda without ice.

[pdxmichelle]

We've been to Mexico twice and have not had any problems. We will get ice in our drinks only when dining at large "chain" restaurant, but at small restaurants, I order everything in a can or with no ice. Better to be safe than sorry.

[NM_Eman]

Been to and through Mexico a lot. We drove from end to end at one time. Used to live in Belize. Never got sick. Used common sense. Funny thing was we knew several people that lived in our village in Belize (3rd world, kids, chickens and dogs in the road, most houses without plumbing or glass in windows, lots of thached roofs, etc) who got sick every time they went to Miami or Chicago to visit realitives. Often its the change in the water, not bacteria or contamination. When we came home from Belize my wife got sick in Ft Lauderdale:eek:

[kitty9]

I've been to Mexico a number of times and I've gotten Montezuma's Revenge a few of those times, and believe me, you do not ever want to experience that terrible illness. It can last for days and you're really sick. Now,I never drink anything with ice cubes and never drink bottled water unless I'm the one who opens the bottle first, plus I don't drink from a glass, only paper or directly from the bottle. What you'll find is that some places will use empty water bottles, fill them with tap water, and then open the bottles for you, and you think it has the safety top in place. Never let anyone open the bottled water for you.

 

One time, there was a flight coming back to Phoenix from Acapulco and just about everyone on the flight came on board sick. It was a nightmare with everyone upchucking and having to use the bathroom. They had so many paramedics in the terminal at Sky Harbor to meet the flight, and the gate area looked like a triage center for a major emergency. It was detemined that they were all suffering from water contamination illness.

[Happy ks]

I'm not one to haul any extra stuff along, but perhaps you could tuck a few of your own bottles of water in your suitcase and carryon. Then take those along for excursions. I've always read the advise not to eat or drink it if you can't peel it or cook it.

[KAYEF]

Make IMMODIUM (or however you spell it) one of the first things in your luggage on any trip!:) ;)

[Silvery Seas Cruiser]

Why take a chance and have a wonderful vacation ruined with pain and suffering? I have a stomach made of steel or something, so I have fortunately never fallen ill in Mexico or South America, but my husband has fallen very ill in these locations and South Africa, too. He is more adventurous than I am about trying new foods. That may be his downfall.

 

Don't have ice in your drinks. Don't eat lettuce salads. Stick with fruit you peel yourself. Bottled water is safest (or beer.) I think even dairy products can be risky.

 

The worst intestinal illness I ever had was right here in South Florida! But as I said, my husband has been sick in every country he has visited except Japan. The prudent thing to do is take precautions.

 

Good luck. Have a safe and healthy vacation.

[BuckGuy]

The thing to remember is that you are on a cruise and your sustenance will always be just a walk back up the gangway of your ship. It's not like people on a cruise HAVE to eat the food at the ports of call in order to survive.

 

Ports-of-call cities in Mexico want and need tourists' revenue. For the past couple of decades the bigger establishments have done all they can to make sure all their water is purifed and filtered. They don't want to be known by past patrons as the place that has food that really makes you sick, nor do they want you telling your friends the same.

 

Stick with the bigger touristy places (as opposed to the one-person vendor on the street), keep your intake of local water and drinks with ice down to a minimum (if you buy bottled water make sure the cap is still sealed) and you will be ok. Often times with me, transitory stomach upset is a small thing I just deal with because it just comes about from a change in the food from one country to anther, from one place to another, not because I have eaten at a place where the conditions are unsanitary. Just use common sense, eat the major part of your meal on board your ship and things will be a-ok. On your ship you will even be able to party to the max with your beverages filled to the brim with ice.

[rianvi]

Thankyou everyone....We really appreciate on the great advice. You are right most of our meals and drinks will be on ship. We do want to try the Mexican

"fare" though. We are going to take a few bottles of water of our own on board. And will eat at a well-known restaurant. My husband is the one who will really have to be careful but he used to that...living with Crohn's disease. We just need to use common sense as you have all suggested. Thanks again for taking the time to respond.

Anna and Rick

[musicmansmom]

wow, i am sure glad i found this post and read all the great info i had not even thought about. i will be going down south for the first time ever and had not even considered the possibility of getting tap water from a bottle of water :eek: .

 

harridsfan--if you dont suggest the ground beef what do you eat in mexico that is good? i have never been to a mexican town so i want to make sure i eat some great athentic food without getting sick. :)

[Host Walt]

Thankyou everyone....We really appreciate on the great advice. You are right most of our meals and drinks will be on ship. We do want to try the Mexican

"fare" though. We are going to take a few bottles of water of our own on board. And will eat at a well-known restaurant. My husband is the one who will really have to be careful but he used to that...living with Crohn's disease. We just need to use common sense as you have all suggested. Thanks again for taking the time to respond.

Anna and Rick

 

One suggestion. The tap water on board ship is more pure than most bottled water (like Arrowhead, Crystal Geyser, etc.) or as pure as the few waters that use processes involving advanced forms of Reverse Osmosis (like Aquafina).

 

Save weight. Bring along containers (yes, empty plastic water bottles will work) and fill them up in your cabin before venturing out. It's far cheaper than buying water on board and far safer than buying water ashore.

 

BTW, being a victim of Montezuma's revenge, Mummy's revenge (in Egypt), Lenin's revenge (in St. Petersburg), Mao's revenge (in China), etc., I concur that we all need to be reminded of the existence of micro organisms in water that can ruin an otherwise carefully planned trip. (No, I'm not a slow learner. I am just too trusting when folks tell me the water served in a hotel is safe, or when I break the seal on a bottle of no name water purchased from a street vendor. I don't do that any more.)

[RedSonja]

I lived deep into Mexico as a student for a few weeks. I learned quite a bit over there about what you can & can not eat or drink. I too was a victim of Montezuma's (Mummy's, Lenin's, etc) revenge and it was not fun. The interesting thing? I got it from STRAWBERRIES on a McDonald's sunday of all things. The strawberries were watered with the water down there and that is how I got sick. I am positive of this. It was the last thing I ate that could have made me ill, before flying out of the country.

I lived with a host family in Morelia for 2 weeks and they fixed Jello with breakfast every day. That was fine, they used purified water. I had ice in a couple of restaraunts, too. You know that the ice is OK if it is cylendrical in shape, with a hole in the middle. That ice is made with purified, bottled water and is OK for travelers. This is especially common in the touristy & cruise-heavy cities. Of course, if you are still not comfortable, by all means, please do not drink with ice. Your trip is meant for you to have fun, not get ill. Happy Cruising!

[kiwigirl]

Also, some places just put the cans/bottles of soda into big containers of ice. This way your drink is cold without having to add ice to the liquid.

 

At least this is what I found in the Tijuana area a few years back. :)

[rianvi]

;) Thankyou everyone for all the great advice and most importantly for not make me feel "silly" for even asking the question. Everyone's input is appreciated.

 

Walt.....What a great idea. We each take a bottle of water when we board while we wait to embark so we just keep them and put them to good use.

 

Thanks Again

 

Peace..............Anna