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Safety in Mexico

Hrhbob

By Hrhbob,
in Norwegian Cruise Line

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Posted
Posted
2 minutes ago, EngrJones said:

Who vetted them?  Did you see a background check?  Were they armed?  Were their guns bigger than the bad guys' guns?

They were not armed or needed to be.

 

You may find this hard to believe, but the natives were FRIENDLY.

 

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EngrJones

EngrJones

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24 minutes ago, ontheweb said:

You may find this hard to believe, but the natives were FRIENDLY.

Not at all.  I believe that the vast majority of people on this blue marble are good, friendly people.  Those aren't that ones we should be concerned about.  No place in this world is 100% safe.  It appears that most here are fine with traveling in areas that are 90+% safe.  That's not good enough for me but is certainly may be for you and other cruisers.  "Don't worry" is a lot like "hold my beer."  Bad stuff can easily follow.

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EngrJones

EngrJones

Posted
Posted

I have a good friend with a daughter who was scheduled to travel with a group of church youth into Mexico to do some charity work.  He told the leaders that he would not approve.  They told him "don't worry, there are armed guards where we are going."  That didn't help.🤣

 

He later found out that he was one of three parents who refused to approve of the trip.  The other two???

 

One was a county sheriff and the other was a city policeman.  Perhaps they knew more and had a broader perspective than Sam and Susie Sunshine.

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EngrJones

EngrJones

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10 minutes ago, Distinctive-Destinations said:


Perhaps they’re as paranoid as you are.

 

Who are you writing to, at this point?

Anybody who reads my posts.  Such as @Distinctive-Destinations

 

It's not paranoia if there really are awful people out there.  If you need more evidence, just turn on the news (NOT a recommendation).

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3 hours ago, EngrJones said:

Not at all.  I believe that the vast majority of people on this blue marble are good, friendly people.  Those aren't that ones we should be concerned about.  No place in this world is 100% safe.  It appears that most here are fine with traveling in areas that are 90+% safe.  That's not good enough for me but is certainly may be for you and other cruisers.  "Don't worry" is a lot like "hold my beer."  Bad stuff can easily follow.

So, if no place is 100% safe, what is the solution? Never leaving your house? Oh wait, there are home invasions.

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Posted
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3 hours ago, EngrJones said:

I have a good friend with a daughter who was scheduled to travel with a group of church youth into Mexico to do some charity work.  He told the leaders that he would not approve.  They told him "don't worry, there are armed guards where we are going."  That didn't help.🤣

 

He later found out that he was one of three parents who refused to approve of the trip.  The other two???

 

One was a county sheriff and the other was a city policeman.  Perhaps they knew more and had a broader perspective than Sam and Susie Sunshine.

Did anything bad happen to the group who went because their parents did approve? I may be wrong, but I have the impression that if something bad happened to any of them, you would be telling us about it.

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EngrJones

EngrJones

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15 minutes ago, ontheweb said:

So, if no place is 100% safe, what is the solution? Never leaving your house? Oh wait, there are home invasions.

Yes.  Just stick with destinations that have less risk.  Is there more risk in the third world than AK or HI?  So, there you go.

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EngrJones

EngrJones

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11 minutes ago, ontheweb said:

Did anything bad happen to the group who went because their parents did approve? I may be wrong, but I have the impression that if something bad happened to any of them, you would be telling us about it.

Probably not.  Would it make you happy if something bad did happen?  I mean, that would mean that you win.  Right?

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EngrJones

EngrJones

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30 minutes ago, yakcruiser said:

If a person is uncomfortable with one or two stops in Mexico, they should just stay on the ship at those stops. I don't think that would be a very good reason to avoid a 15-day Panama Canal cruise in its entirety.

It's not just Mexico.

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KansasTexan

KansasTexan

Posted
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I've been traveling solo for over 20 years and I've been to some places that others might not. The thing is, violence and crime can happen anywhere - at any time. There was a machete attack in London's Hyde Park the day I arrived for 10 days on my own. My hotel was right down the street. That didn't stop me from exploring the city on foot and by subway. I've had armed "guards" in Honduras watch my things on the beach while I swam in the bluest Caribbean waters I've ever seen. NYC's Time Square might not be for everyone but I've spent many hours there - alone. I drove across the USA last summer and camped out most of 6 months - just me and my little dog. I've salsa danced in Mexico and made friends in Jamaica. Was I ever in potential danger? Absolutely! The thing is, some of us weigh the risks and some of us end up making life-long memories that we might never have if we stay home (or only go where it's "safe"). 

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cruiser2015

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Yup - there are safety concerns nearly everywhere these days; though clearly some are at a higher risk.

Pickpockets  & petty crimes are a constant in most major cities and tourist areas.

So, I say choose your shore option as befits your level of concern.

 

That said, we did the PC on the mid-January LA sailing. We had some concerns about Acapulco.

I stayed there for a few days about 50 years ago (different times) and, of course, went to see the cliff divers.

On this cruise, I chose a shore excursion that took a balanced position - a bay cruise.

Thus, we avoided roaming through any street crowds and, got to see the divers from the water - a very different viewpoint. Divers swam up to our boat for meet and greets (and, of course, tips).

Not the greatest tour of all time, but one that I felt and a higher security level and included a somewhat unique experience.

In any event, it seems unlikely that a ship excursion will be attacked by criminals in any port.

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Turtles06 Great Review Rare

Turtles06

Posted
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In early 2020, my wife and I had a fabulous Panama Canal cruise on the NCL Gem, an unusual itinerary from NY to San Francisco.  (I sure wish NCL would offer that again!)  One of our ports was Zihuatanejo, Mexico, in the state of Guerrero.  Not only was all of Guerrero under a U.S. State Dept. Level 4 "Do Not Travel" advisory, but U.S. government employees were specifically forbidden from travelling anywhere in Guerrero, expressly including Zihuatanejo.

 

Given that, I emailed the NCL Executive Office to ask why we would be having a port call to a place that our State Dept. had put on the Do Not Travel list.  Normally, those folks had been great about replying to emails, but they ignored that one, as well as a follow up.  So I called NCL and talked to a nice guy who checked with their “itinerary people” and told me, “We think it’s safe.” 

 

As my very wise wife said when I recounted that call to her, "What else did you expect them to say?”  

 

We did get off the ship in Zihua, enough to walk around the pretty waterfront and the little town and outdoor shopping area (yes, armed soldiers walking around too) and to take a photo to prove we'd been to that Do Not Travel destination. It was really a throwaway port as far as we were concerned.   

 

Zihuasign.thumb.JPG.9b8bf3cb7f36b6e1bf1bfcb21940ed2d.JPG

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Posted
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13 hours ago, EngrJones said:

Probably not.  Would it make you happy if something bad did happen?  I mean, that would mean that you win.  Right?

NO. NO.NO. 

 

1. I would not want anything to happen to them.

 

2. Nothing happening to them would prove that @Distinctive-Destinations and I are right that you can safely travel to these destinations

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lax19

lax19

Posted
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My wife and I visited Acapulco in January of 2023 as part of our Panama Canal cruise on the Bliss.
 

We walked around the fort that was across the street from the dock. Then walked along the Main Street and found a nice beach with several locals and families.

 

The beach was about a mile from the cruise port (playa hornos). Rented a table with a couple of chairs and an umbrella and chilled for several hours amongst a bunch of local families enjoying their day. Bought tacos from one vendor, a mango on a stick from another and a hat from a third.

 

Stopped by a flea market on the way back. Saw several of the crew out and about. 

 

There were no pushy vendors except for one who want to sell my wife a silver necklace. It was a nice change from the vendors in Columbia and Guatemala.

 

Yes, there was a military presence and police on each corner. Honestly, it made me feel more secure.

 

My impression was it is much like Mazatlan: Just residents going about their normal day. I was glad we got off the ship and had a relaxing day.

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