Ports cancelled due to security concerns?

[Hambagahle]

17 hours ago, GOARMY said:

Hambagahle: 

 

Reference your reference to Cartagena--you might want to go to Page 38, and my comments on the Thread "FYI: Navigator to Cancel. . . " and so-on.  Second page of that narrative relates to our experience.  When we return this coming March on Splendor, Sue and I will remain on the ship.  

 

GOARMY!

 

I delved into that thread and found the post.   Seems the local vendors were on the verge of being more than pesky?   But no personal threats, danger etc ??   I do not care for people who are trying to sell me something being very insistent.  But having lived almost 10 years of my life in central Africa I can deal with it.   What I do NOT want/like etc is personal violence such as our press here has described in Acapulco.     So If you tell me that violence was involved - I will stay on board!  Otherwise we'll take the tour but with a minimum of money etc etc.    Will also be waiting to hear what people on the Mariner Canal cruise think right now of course!

[tripperva]

January New Years cruise, Explorer is scheduled to be in Guatemala, Honduras, Costa Rica as well as Belize and Mexico.

The tours could be a little dicey, but you don't want to stay on board the entire cruise. What do you think ?

[JC in CA]

We spoke to the Destination folks last night. She said they have been in contact with their people  at the port and have no reports of any problems.  Said the drive to the location is about 30 minutes and the group is 40 people, but may be split into 2 groups.  We are still thinking on this excursion. 

Thanks to e everyone here for their input.  

Jerie

[Travelcat2]

3 hours ago, tripperva said:

January New Years cruise, Explorer is scheduled to be in Guatemala, Honduras, Costa Rica as well as Belize and Mexico.

The tours could be a little dicey, but you don't want to stay on board the entire cruise. What do you think ?

 

We were in Guatemala, Costa Rica and Cabo (Mexico) earlier this year and there were no problems.  We will be in Guatemala and Cabo again in March and will get off of the ship again.  Belize is one of our favorite ports in the area.  We did a private (inexpensive) tour to where you ride inner tubes down the river through jet black caves with a lot to see (you are given a flashlight to see).  

 

In any case, except for nagging sales people (especially in Cabo), we did not feel unsafe at any time.

[Bellaggio Cruisers]

3 hours ago, Travelcat2 said:

 

We were in Guatemala, Costa Rica and Cabo (Mexico) earlier this year and there were no problems.  We will be in Guatemala and Cabo again in March and will get off of the ship again.  Belize is one of our favorite ports in the area.  We did a private (inexpensive) tour to where you ride inner tubes down the river through jet black caves with a lot to see (you are given a flashlight to see).  

 

It’s funny that you mentioned the tour.. We did that fun river cave tour in Belize many years ago and loved it.

My oldest grandson is getting married in November and is going to Belize with his bride on a “mini-moon”. Just this Saturday evening we were with them and recommended they take this fun adventure. 

Sheila

[Travelcat2]

2 hours ago, Bellaggio Cruisers said:

 

It’s funny that you mentioned the tour.. We did that fun river cave tour in Belize many years ago and loved it.

My oldest grandson is getting married in November and is going to Belize with his bride on a “mini-moon”. Just this Saturday evening we were with them and recommended they take this fun adventure. 

Sheila

 

Hi Sheila - hope that they enjoy it as much as we did.  It was so bloody hot (Dennis and I both hate heat) that he dived into the cold water before he got onto the inner tube:-)

 

Jackie

[sita]

As we live in San Diego, perhaps we are more aware of the widespread violence in Mexico. It is not safe. That you felt safe at some point during travels there is irrelevant as the dangers are real. We love Mexico but will not travel there right now.

[Hambagahle]

14 hours ago, Bellaggio Cruisers said:

 

It’s funny that you mentioned the tour.. We did that fun river cave tour in Belize many years ago and loved it.

My oldest grandson is getting married in November and is going to Belize with his bride on a “mini-moon”. Just this Saturday evening we were with them and recommended they take this fun adventure. 

Sheila

We loved Belize too.  Did a wonderful excursion to the New River and mayan ruins.  And we had a very good impression of "the locals" who were all extremely polite and  friendly.

[Floridiana]

7 hours ago, Hambagahle said:

We loved Belize too.  Did a wonderful excursion to the New River and mayan ruins.

 

It was a great excursion for us as well. Howler monkeys greeted us in the Lamanai ruins. They were high up in the trees and quite unhappy with our intrusion.

[Floridiana]

On 9/30/2019 at 10:20 AM, Hambagahle said:

 Seems the local vendors were on the verge of being more than pesky?   But no personal threats, danger etc ?? 

 

Yes, they were in Cartagena, but they were hanging out in one area only. We walked off and they did not follow.

Edited October 3, 2019 by Floridiana

[Hambagahle]

31 minutes ago, Floridiana said:

 

It was a great excursion for us as well. Howler monkeys greeted us in the Lamanai ruins. They were high up in the trees and quite unhappy with our intrusion.

That's it! Lamanai -- and howler monkeys too!  What a lovely day that was. We also saw iguanas in a tree (nesting) and some wonderful birds on the river...

[JC in CA]

We did go on the Nature Encounter, hike and swim excursion in Acapulco.  We spoke with the destination desk first, were reassured that the vendor reported no issues, we were a group of 40 and all travel in the city was by bus.  We felt safe on the entire excursion. There were a number of police vehicles passing our bus, and police on the street. 

 

The glass bottom boat ride on the “Titanic” was interesting- with the big, open top, plastic jug of gas and battery sitting next to it on the floor!

 

However; after we were back on board, our neighbors told us they had just heard “pop, pop, pop, pop, then sirens, and more pops” sounded like automatic gun fire to them, coming from shore, not far from our docked ship.  We spoke with some folks later in the evening who said their tour was called back to the ship early.  They were in a museum and their guide gathered them all up and said they needed to leave immediately. They were supposed to stop at a park next.  As they drove by the park, they saw that it was closed off with police at the entry.

 

We do not know if what was heard from the ship and the tour being called back were related, but we think that is most definitely the case.

[poss]

Sad and off-putting, but thank you for such details.   May your cruise continue to be pleasant, engaging, and yummy.

[Travelcat2]

On 10/2/2019 at 10:15 PM, sita said:

As we live in San Diego, perhaps we are more aware of the widespread violence in Mexico. It is not safe. That you felt safe at some point during travels there is irrelevant as the dangers are real. We love Mexico but will not travel there right now.

 

Yes - people in San Diego do get more reports about Mexico than those of us that do not live near the Mexican border.  However, Mexico is a huge country and saying that you would not travel to Mexico is like someone saying that they will not travel to the U.S. due to some cities having problems.  We have been going to Mexico for years and years and understand that there are significant issues in parts of the country.  Mexico has addressed some of this by having a strong police presence as they do in Acapulco.   

[sita]

On 10/6/2019 at 9:04 AM, Travelcat2 said:

 

Mexico is a huge country and saying that you would not travel to Mexico is like someone saying that they will not travel to the U.S. due to some cities having problems.  

 

Ordinary, I would agree with this logic; however, the actions of the cartels defy anything that can be relied upon.  Right now, Baja California is bad (especially Cabo), Mazatlan, Acapulco, Veracruz and inland, Mexico City and Guadalajara. That could change in a heartbeat but can count on the cartels to war over the highly touristed areas. Cancuun, Cozumel, Playa del Carmen area seems okay for now but for us in SD, most readily travel (for flights) through airports in the affected areas; Monterrey seems okay now too. Lots of other interior areas okay but not places people (especially on cruise ships) travel to.

 

The increased police presence is problematic for a couple of reasons. First, emphasizes just how bad an area has become as struggling country throws their limited resources there... the second is that police corruption is a big part of the problem with the cartels.

 

Honestly, I am not an alarmist and love Mexico.  It's bad right now the warnings on the state department site speak for themselves.

 

 

 

 

[GOARMY]

Staying on Thread: 

 

Request input from an CCers out there with recent experiences on Regent ships with a port-of-call at Hong Kong.   Demonstrations, now six-months old, seem to be escalating in violence and police response.  Have you encountered any impact while literally, flying into Hong Kong to await embarkation; at hotel(s); disembarkation; or visiting Hong Kong as a port stop during a cruise?

 

We have a potential dog in this fight, as are considering yet-another return to Hong Kong within the year.  So---

 

GOARMY!

 

 

[poss]

Sita, I appreciate your details.

[cruiseluv]

15 hours ago, poss said:

Sita, I appreciate your details.

As I do. Its a sad situation, I also used to go to Mexico often

[Travelcat2]

16 hours ago, GOARMY said:

Staying on Thread: 

 

Request input from an CCers out there with recent experiences on Regent ships with a port-of-call at Hong Kong.   Demonstrations, now six-months old, seem to be escalating in violence and police response.  Have you encountered any impact while literally, flying into Hong Kong to await embarkation; at hotel(s); disembarkation; or visiting Hong Kong as a port stop during a cruise?

 

We have a potential dog in this fight, as are considering yet-another return to Hong Kong within the year.  So---

 

GOARMY!

 

 

 

Not sure if you read the latest from the U.S. Department of State (updated October 7th):

 

Exercise increased caution in Hong Kong due to civil unrest.

Since June 2019, large scale and smaller political demonstrations have taken place in various areas of Hong Kong, including MTR stations, shopping malls, and at Hong Kong International airport. While protests are generally peaceful, they sometimes become violent and disrupt transportation across Hong Kong. Police have used a variety of crowd control measures, including the deployment of tear gas, rubber bullets, and water cannons. On October 4, the government invoked the Emergency Regulations Ordinance to ban face masks at public gatherings. Any protests that take place without a permit are considered illegal.

The protests and confrontations have spilled over into neighborhoods other than those where the police have permitted marches or rallies. These demonstrations, which can take place with little or no notice, are likely to continue.

U.S. citizens, as well as U.S. Consulate General employees, have been subject to a People’s Republic of China propaganda campaign falsely accusing the United States of fomenting unrest in Hong Kong.

Read the Safety and Security section on the country information page.

If you decide to travel to Hong Kong:

• Monitor local media, local transportations sites and apps like MTR Mobile or CitybusNWFB, and the Hong Kong International Airport website for updates.
• Avoid the areas of the demonstrations.
• Exercise caution if you are in the vicinity of large gatherings or protests.
• Be aware of your surroundings.
• Keep a low profile.
• Review your flight status with your airline or at the Hong Kong International Airport website.
• Follow U.S. Consulate General Hong Kong on Facebook and Twitter.
• Enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) to receive Alerts and make it easier to locate you in an emergency.
• Follow the Department of State on Facebook and Twitter.
• Review the Crime and Safety Report for Hong Kong.
• U.S. citizens who travel abroad should always have a contingency plan for emergency situations. Review the Traveler’s Checklist.

Last Update: Reissued with information on the Emergency Regulations Ordinance and protest permit enforcement.

[ChappChapp]

Regarding Hong Kong, we have just cancelled our Voyager cruise out of Hong Kong on March 1. Have been monitoring the media for months and felt we did not want to put ourselves into the chaos. We were suppose to go in a week early as we have never been there before. However the situation seems to grow worse by the day. Even if they, the government, get the upper hand, there will be a definite pall over the citizens. Just don't want to deal with it. As to Cabo we go there every year as we live in LA and have never felt unsafe. The people are great and we just are careful where we go especially at night. Finally as Americans don't you think it's dangerous in this country with all the mass killings? Just my opinions.

[Sharle]

we are on the March 1 cruise out of Hong Kong. Planning on arriving day before. Go to hotel. sleep. go to ship. Been to Hong Kong several times before so no need to sight see. Hoping for the best. Feel if it gets really bad Regent will change the port.

[susietb]

We agree with you Sharle.  Have been there before.  Also arriving the day before, planning on transfer, dim sum and overnight...then to the pier. We are really looking forward to the Japan portion.

 

Agree that if things are bad, Regent will change the embarkation port.

 

[Hambagahle]

On 10/8/2019 at 2:05 AM, GOARMY said:

Staying on Thread: 

 

Request input from an CCers out there with recent experiences on Regent ships with a port-of-call at Hong Kong.   Demonstrations, now six-months old, seem to be escalating in violence and police response.  Have you encountered any impact while literally, flying into Hong Kong to await embarkation; at hotel(s); disembarkation; or visiting Hong Kong as a port stop during a cruise?

 

We have a potential dog in this fight, as are considering yet-another return to Hong Kong within the year.  So---

 

GOARMY!

 

 

Just read this - only yesterday I spoke with a friend who lives in HKG.  She says things are terrible at the moment.  Transport system shut down, hard to find food in the supermarkets and driving around is complicated (she lives in Aberdeen).   Though she has lived there most of her life she is moving out.    I don't think I would want to chance getting a cruise out of HKG right now..

[GOARMY]

Hambagahle:  

 

Thanks for providing an "on the ground perspective" from your friend.  I first-visited Hong Kong in 1969 while in the U.S. Army.  Then again in 1980 while on U.S. Govt. business.  Both positive experiences.  My wife and I sailed from, or visited there on two subsequent Regent cruises, the most-recent of which was in 2013 aboard Voyager.  

 

Glad we have memories of those experiences.

 

P.S.  See you aboard Splendor in about five months. 

 

GOARMY!

  

[Travelcat2]

On 10/10/2019 at 5:58 AM, Hambagahle said:

Just read this - only yesterday I spoke with a friend who lives in HKG.  She says things are terrible at the moment.  Transport system shut down, hard to find food in the supermarkets and driving around is complicated (she lives in Aberdeen).   Though she has lived there most of her life she is moving out.    I don't think I would want to chance getting a cruise out of HKG right now..

 

Thank you for this information.  Glad that we do not have Hong Kong on any of our upcoming cruises (did it last year and several times on land vacations).  What is happening is sad on so many levels.