Anyone concerned?

[CWMixer]

02/02/23, Puerto Vallarta pier (from Joy during 15day PC transit cruise):

No idea why there were A LOT of these guys and assets on prominent display and moving around the pier area all day; we never saw any similar security displays in any other ports.  Never heard a word from staff or other passengers, and passengers were coming and going all day.

I just put it in the same category as when I’ve seen heavily armed patrols in Penn Station, etc: visible deterrence.
Overall great cruise, and very much looking forward to our next one.

[ChiefMateJRK]

54 minutes ago, DeSaxMan13 said:

Mynd you, møøse bites Kan be pretty nasti...

🤣I get it @DeSaxMan13.  But I may not be representative of the broader audience. 😀

 

They just don't write 'em like that anymore.....

[debenson0723]

2 hours ago, CWMixer said:

02/02/23, Puerto Vallarta pier (from Joy during 15day PC transit cruise):

No idea why there were A LOT of these guys and assets on prominent display and moving around the pier area all day; we never saw any similar security displays in any other ports.  Never heard a word from staff or other passengers, and passengers were coming and going all day.

I just put it in the same category as when I’ve seen heavily armed patrols in Penn Station, etc: visible deterrence.
Overall great cruise, and very much looking forward to our next one.

This has been typical every time I have been to PV.  Go across the street to the WalMart and they are over there too. Don't know why but it does make me stay on my best behaviour. 

[ChiefMateJRK]

3 hours ago, debenson0723 said:

Don't know why but it does make me stay on my best behaviour. 

I'm pretty sure it would make ME stay on the ship.

 

disclaimer: I've never sailed to a Mexican port and never will.

[cruiser2015]

9 hours ago, yakcruiser said:

Watch out for those deer.

Yeah - I heard there is a vicious herd of rogue deer stalking motorists.

😲

[Maria63]

I don´t know if this will be helpful to your son, but I believe that major cruise lines do have effective protocols in place for situations like terrorist- or pirate attacks, even though the guests are not normally made aware of it in the usual safety drills:

 

Some 15 years ago my DH & I were on Azamara Journey (a smallish ship carrying only some 600 pax) when we had a suspected pirate attack in the waters off Oman. In those days, pirate attacks were a fairly frequent issue in the Red Sea. What happened was that, on a beautiful and calm day, when we were enjoying the sun on the upper deck, we were approached by several small skiffs. Azamara fired a warning shot and my husband went to the railing to see what was going on. He shouted to me to come and look, because below us on the outside extension of the bridge, a security guard in a bulletproof vest and carrying a machine gun had suddenly appeared. Then came an announcement from the captain, ordering everyone to immediately go inside and sit in the corridors, and "this is not a drill!". We did as we were told, and sat inside on the floors and in the staircases until the situation had passed. Everyone remained surprisingly calm.

 

We were never told exactly how the suspected attack was thwarted, but it became obvious that the cruise ships do employ specially trained and heavily armed security personnel if there is any risk of the ship being targeted. It was also explained to us that Azamara due to being fairly small could be seen as a possible target as the freeboards are low enough to be reachable with grappling hooks. Larger ships do not have this issue.

 

This incident has not put us off cruising, we are currently on a cruise in the Med and scheduled to continue onwards through the Suez to Dubai in a couple of weeks - though there is, of course, a real risk of this cruise now being canceled last-minute.

[mugtech]

         When we sailed Mariner from Dubai to Barcelona in 2018 the last three nights before we hit the Red Sea, no one was allowed outside on the upper decks from sunset to sunrise.  There were armed troops on said decks ready to defend us from snipers and pirates.   No incidents were reported.

[Asawi]

I do hope your son can find a way to deal with his thoughts. 

Personally I feel I deal with much more dangerous situations more or less daily (driving, flying, being in crowded places, the list goes on.

But honestly, will pointing out all the everyday dangers be helpful? It could just cause new anxieties. 

Living in fear is not what anyone should do. But it's not like you can turn it on and off with a switch!

[Trevor Fountain]

Are you sure your Son isn't just looking for an excuse not to go on the cruise? Maybe he doesn't want another vacation with his parents but doesn't want to hurt your feelings.

[ontheweb]

6 hours ago, cruiser2015 said:

Yeah - I heard there is a vicious herd of rogue deer stalking motorists.

😲

Not as funny if you live up in the country. I still remember the time DW called and said she hit a deer. Though in truth, the deer hit her and took out the driver's side sideview mirror as it did not look twice before crossing the street. 😒

[cruiser2015]

29 minutes ago, ontheweb said:

Not as funny if you live up in the country. I still remember the time DW called and said she hit a deer. Though in truth, the deer hit her and took out the driver's side sideview mirror as it did not look twice before crossing the street. 😒

I guess she was attacked by one of from that heard.

And I thought it was just a nasty rumor.

Seriously, though, animals are a danger on the roadways.

 

On a personal note, in my younger days I spent a lot of summer time in the Monticello area; especially near White Lake. Also at a little place in Kiamesha Lake.

[sanger727]

I'm going to guess that your son is not an experienced traveler? While there is no logical thought process to think that a cruise ship from NYC to Bermuda is an increased danger; I'm guessing the thought process is more around holing up at home where he feels safe. I've seen that before in inexperienced travelers where their travel anxiety is much more easily activated by news stories and current events.

 

You said "If I turn off the news I can maybe live with a false sense of security". I vehemently disagree with this. The media of 20 or 30 years ago probably did report newsworthy issues and provided accurate information. The current media is all about selling clicks through overly dramatic headlines. So much of it is speculation and worthless opinions that exist just to sell clicks. I mostly disconnect from the media, not for a false sense of security; but for my own sanity. If you read the news every day, there is always something to be afraid of.

 

I really think it's healthy to determine what the root cause of your son's fear is and work on that. As opposed to using current events to justify an irrational fear. 

[uneamie]

4 hours ago, Trevor Fountain said:

Are you sure your Son isn't just looking for an excuse not to go on the cruise? Maybe he doesn't want another vacation with his parents but doesn't want to hurt your feelings.

They were the ones who initially asked us to go...........so NO they have no problem going with us. 

[uneamie]

1 minute ago, sanger727 said:

I'm going to guess that your son is not an experienced traveler? While there is no logical thought process to think that a cruise ship from NYC to Bermuda is an increased danger; I'm guessing the thought process is more around holing up at home where he feels safe. I've seen that before in inexperienced travelers where their travel anxiety is much more easily activated by news stories and current events.

 

You said "If I turn off the news I can maybe live with a false sense of security". I vehemently disagree with this. The media of 20 or 30 years ago probably did report newsworthy issues and provided accurate information. The current media is all about selling clicks through overly dramatic headlines. So much of it is speculation and worthless opinions that exist just to sell clicks. I mostly disconnect from the media, not for a false sense of security; but for my own sanity. If you read the news every day, there is always something to be afraid of.

 

I really think it's healthy to determine what the root cause of your son's fear is and work on that. As opposed to using current events to justify an irrational fear. 

Well...my son is a musician in a band and they travel by plane but  car mostly all over the country and his shows are in various large venues. He is not held up at home in fear. People make a lot of assumptions out of one situation. As for the news....the lack of "facts" and twisted bias reporting is what gives me pause. We have no idea what the truth is and that in itself makes things worse. 

[Lupush]

Pearl clutching posts like this always make me chuckle.

[njkate]

7 hours ago, mugtech said:

         When we sailed Mariner from Dubai to Barcelona in 2018 the last three nights before we hit the Red Sea, no one was allowed outside on the upper decks from sunset to sunrise.  There were armed troops on said decks ready to defend us from snipers and pirates.   No incidents were reported.

Interesting given Yemen just hijacked a British owned, Japanese manned cargo ship in the Red Sea

 

 

[DCGuy64]

I wouldn't worry about traveling at all. My only concern before our recent cruise in the Mediterranean was that it might be canceled due to the situation in Israel, but it wasn't. We weren't affected by it whatsoever. My take on the news media is this: yes, they do tend to spin things in a certain way for viewership and clicks, and if you listen closely, you'll hear them use a lot of "if's," "maybe's," "could be's," etc. You also have to pay attention to what's NOT said as much as what IS. For instance, if you check the US State Department's advice on Mexico, it will often say not to travel. Why? Because, in certain Mexican states, there are ongoing issues with cartels and drug dealers, and sometimes kidnappings. But tourists typically don't go there. The places they DO go are much, much safer. Sure, there's an occasional robbery or even murder in popular spots like Acapulco or Cancun. OK, but you can say the same thing about any major US city, but the media never warns people to avoid any of them, so why the double standard when it comes to foreign countries? I HATE the US media, for reasons I won't go into any further. Just go and have a good time and turn off the TV!

[graphicguy]

As my late, great Father used to say…”you can trip, fall and crack your head stepping off your porch.  Just don’t be stupid”.  I’ve lived my life that way….hopefully successfully.

 

Paranoia is real.  Succumbing to it is optional.

[ontheweb]

4 minutes ago, graphicguy said:

As my late, great Father used to say…”you can trip, fall and crack your head stepping off your porch.  Just don’t be stupid”.  I’ve lived my life that way….hopefully successfully.

 

Paranoia is real.  Succumbing to it is optional.

"Paranoia strikes deep

Into each heart in must creep"

 

from the legendary Buffalo Springfield written by Stephen Stills 

[graphicguy]

23 minutes ago, ontheweb said:

"Paranoia strikes deep

Into each heart in must creep"

 

from the legendary Buffalo Springfield written by Stephen Stills 

Amen!  Great song!!!!

[sanger727]

3 hours ago, uneamie said:

Well...my son is a musician in a band and they travel by plane but  car mostly all over the country and his shows are in various large venues. He is not held up at home in fear. People make a lot of assumptions out of one situation. As for the news....the lack of "facts" and twisted bias reporting is what gives me pause. We have no idea what the truth is and that in itself makes things worse. 

 

Well, for example, this article that you quoted is a great example of "not news"

Terror threat against U.S. at 'whole other level' says FBI (nydailynews.com)

 

Exclamatory title to get people to read it. Once you read it you learn that there are no specific facts, leading the FBI to say that. And if you look at the Homeland Security's terrorism level - we are currently at "heightened threat environment" and have been there since Nov 2021. Much ado about nothing new. 

[schmoopie17]

Terrorists have no interest in hijacking an NCL ship. There are no hash browns and the cabins only get serviced once a day.

[SoloAlaska]

3 hours ago, uneamie said:

Well...my son is a musician in a band and they travel by plane but  car mostly all over the country and his shows are in various large venues. He is not held up at home in fear. People make a lot of assumptions out of one situation. As for the news....the lack of "facts" and twisted bias reporting is what gives me pause. We have no idea what the truth is and that in itself makes things worse. 

The assumption that your son isn’t an experienced traveller is probably the kindest. The other assumptions could be that he actually doesn’t really want to go on this trip or that he is lacking critical thinking skills. If he genuinely thinks his cruise vacation is riskier than his life traveling and playing big music venues then he may benefit from talking with a professional about his fears. If he’s using it as an excuse to not go on vacation with you then he would also benefit from talking to a professional about it as well.

[hernando52]

And fresh flowers are not allowed on board along with guns and knives........

[Sugar Magnolia]

Where have all the towel animals gone?