Princess drops Puerto Vallarta -- HAL?

[billroddy]

With Princess dropping PV could HAL follow suit? They dropped Mazatlan and will spend overnight in PV Nov 5 cruise. I'm booked on that one. Any thoughts?
Bill
Ancient Mariner

[SJSULIBRARIAN]

I noticed when I looked at HAL for Mexico in January that Mazatlan was back on the itinerary. I wonder if this is really the case. If HAL drops PV, what would they add - perhaps go up the Sea of Cortez and do Loreto and Guaymas on the 7 day cruises.

[SwissMyst]

I noticed when I looked at HAL for Mexico in January that Mazatlan was back on the itinerary. I wonder if this is really the case. If HAL drops PV, what would they add - perhaps go up the Sea of Cortez and do Loreto and Guaymas on the 7 day cruises.

I would love to see Mazatlan back on cruise itineraries and signs they were effectively dealing with the drug traffic scourge this lovely, historic little town has been experiencing. Hard to believe anyone would take off PV which is about as middle-class prosperous as one could find in Mexico. Interesting and tragic.

We loved going into the Sea of Cortez but I think it would be hard to do in a 7 day trip - more sea days needed to get there i suppose. La Paz is also down there - allows trips to Todos Santos, but that was a disappointing excursion for us.

We thought Loreto was a great stop and would have liked more time there to explore the surrounding countryside and the beginnings of the entire Baja California chain of missions. That little town is trying to do everything right and could use the boost of its economy that the occasional cruise ships would bring in.

Guaymas has had its share of drug trafficking problems too but there again is some spectacular back country scenery to open up by going up further in this part of Mexico.

There is so much going for the Mexican Riviera cruise itineraries and it would be good news indeed for everyone if Mexico could get its act together and put safety for everyone at the top of their concerns and open this area up to more than more drug trafficking violence. Follow the money though.

[John Cruise]

Puerto Vallarta is as safe as any American or Canadian city.
Profitability by cruiselines determines where they will cruise to.
Mexican Riviera cruises have not made profits in awhile.
If passengers spent $$ the cruises would return.
;)

[1cruiselvr]

Because people aren't booking Mexican cruises out of fear, JMHO. People were afraid of Mexico before the drug crime. Now they are scared to death to go there so the cruiselines are reacting to that fear. I've been going to Mexico since the mid 80s, even then people were shocked that I would spend a week vacationing in Mazatlan or PV. Crime has always been higher in Mexico than the US, you just have to use your common sense and not put yourself in positions that could get you in trouble. Happy Sailing!

[SwissMyst]

This relatively unjustified fear of the Mexican Riviera is what allowed us to sail into the Sea of Cortez with Crystal at HAL prices this year, and even with that the Crystal Symphony was well under capacity. We had a terrific time and there was not even a moment of trepidation anywhere we went. Crystal does prove what a little more attention to well-cared for an coordinated interior decor does for the overall cruise experience.

The rest of the Crystal frou-frou I can do without for the extra costs, but their public rooms are lovely. However, on a lot of other points HAL still wins our overall loyalty between the two lines.

From reports here, it sounds like HAL got it done best on the Noordam which might be the closest to the quiet, tasteful Crystal decor but with all the other HAL extras like larger, better designed cabins, fresh baked breads, better lectures and shore excursions and the wonderful HAL libraries and reading rooms.

[jkrislc]

Princess announced this some time ago and I think it is important to note that they only have a handful of MR cruises. It is my opinion that they've dropped PV to save on fuel costs. If PV were a serious threat, Disney would have also dropped the port being they were the first to drop Mazatlan.

[lorekauf]

Princess announced this some time ago and I think it is important to note that they only have a handful of MR cruises. It is my opinion that they've dropped PV to save on fuel costs. If PV were a serious threat, Disney would have also dropped the port being they were the first to drop Mazatlan.
I agree. There more to it then meets the eye. I was booked on a cruise to the Mexican Riv. next February on Princess. I wasn't going to stick around to find out I'd be going to Cabo for 2 days and Ensenada for what they were charging.

[dobiemom]

I noticed when I looked at HAL for Mexico in January that Mazatlan was back on the itinerary. I wonder if this is really the case. If HAL drops PV, what would they add - perhaps go up the Sea of Cortez and do Loreto and Guaymas on the 7 day cruises.
In July when I booked my December MR cruise, Mazatlan was on the itinerary but there was talk about skipping it. A week later my TA got the official word from HAL:
Due to guest safety concerns the call to Mazatlán has been replaced with an additional day in Puerto Vallarta with an overnight on board ship.
I think 2 days in PV is better than 2 days in Cabo, which we did this past April for the Sea of Cortez. But I would rather do a different port (not Ensenada!) than stop in the same port for 2 days. I hope HAL does not drop PV, too. :(

BTW Guaymas was my favorite.

[toodycat]

We just cruised the Mexican Riviera in April and had a lovely time. I never felt unsafe in PV at all. It was delightful However, I wouldn't take another Mexican Riviera cruise just because the days traveling to and from San Diego at sea were really cold.

[Himself]

I think some of these hooligans in some of these Mexican port cities better smarten up or they will loose a lot of tourist trade. When the cruise ships come in it is payday for the merchants in town and if they don't come in it is the local economy that suffers.

[SwissMyst]

I think some of these hooligans in some of these Mexican port cities better smarten up or they will loose a lot of tourist trade. When the cruise ships come in it is payday for the merchants in town and if they don't come in it is the local economy that suffers.

Sad truth is they make more money selling drugs to the US 24/7, than they pick up in the occasional, seasonal cruise ship stop. The Mexican Mafia has invaded much of our back country National Forest land as well setting up elaborate and well-guarded pot farms. We get a few mutilated bodies tossed by the wayside in our sweet little town too.