Staying healthy in Mexico

Hi all,

I will be going on my first cruise to the Mexican Riviera, and I want to stay healthy for the duration of it. Between stories of Norovirus on the ship and people getting sick from drinking the water, or drinks with ice, etc in ports of Mexico... how do you all stay healthy in Mexico? Any tips, suggestions, advice would be great! :)

Thanks!

Wash your hands, hand sanitizer doesn't prevent noro.

Onshore eat in restaurants. They bring in ice and water. If in doubt, ask. Avoid the street stands. Never know about their water/ice.

Look on Trip Advisor for recommended places to eat. We like the ones off the beaten path.

Ice in restaurants (not at streetfood stands) will be made from purified water. In Puerto Vallarta water is safe to drink (although I donot like the taste that much). Avoid raw food. Donot stay in the sun too long, drink enough water, use protecting suncream, possible wear a hat. Wash your hands. Simply do as you would in any other sunny seaside resort.

Realise thousands and thousands of americans, canadians and europeans are staying in Mexico during winter without any health problems.

Enjoy your cruise.

Drink lots of TEQUILA!:D

Drink lots of TEQUILA!:D

We have lived in Puerto Vallarta for about 10 winters, do drink a lot of Tequila and do not get sick :). We also drink our tap water in our condo, eat out at over 40 different restaurants every winter, stop for drinks at any bar (have to keep up the Tequila quotient) and never concern ourselves with getting sick. We have lived in Mexico during several major food poisoning crises back home in the USA (i.e. e-coli) and are all too aware of all the Norovirus outbreaks on multiple cruise ships. So perhaps the real question for cruisers is, how fast can you get to Mexico and eat our wonderful food (and drink the drinks) and get away from that cruise ship that seems to foster all kinds of issues such as Noro and "cabin cough." :).

Hank

In regards to Norovirus, just be sure and wash your hands frequently. You can get it on land as well so the same rules apply.

I've cruised to Mexico 11 times. I always eat and drink in the ports. I have never gotten sick. I don't eat or drink from the food stands. I typically go to reputable restaurants. You can check Trip Advisor for some suggestions. I also look at reviews on Cruise Critic. I can't imagine not partaking of the wonderful Mexican food in Mexico. Plus, I have to have a shot of tequila or two. I don't do shots of tequila in my every day life but there is something about hanging out with folks in a nice bar in Mexico and doing some shots.:D:D:D

Thanks for the info everyone.

These threads always make me smile, shake my head and wonder why people are still living in the tourist stone age.

The water in Vallarta consistently wins quality awards year after year. Just about every bar/restaurant gave up their in-house ice machines a decade ago and buy it directly from the water purification plant. If you get sick in Mexico (or any vacation destination) it is often from too much sun, too much rich food, too much booze and not enough water. (Although tequila is often a good substitute for water.) :D

We also avoided food stands as mobile bacteria factories for 14 years . . . until this year. Last November we booked a food tour excursion centered on Vallarta's taco stands. It was a three hour of foodie adventure. There are two companies in Vallarta that do "food tour" excursions. Get outside your comfort zone and try something different.

Enjoy!

Often people who are stricken with la turista are reacting to different minerals in the water than what they are used to, and not bacteria. When our friends from Mexico visited us in Michigan one time they had la turista American style.

Thanks so much for your responses, everyone! :)

I just didn't know if I was missing something... like I said, I've never cruised to Mexico and since I'll be on the Crown Princess (somewhat plagued by Noro for a bit there) and even had someone I know personally on that exact same cruise/ship get sick 3wks ago about 3days into the cruise... well, I just wanted to make sure I covered all my bases. :o

His thoughts were that their cabin was one of the ones that had some Noro on the previous cruise and was not cleaned well enough... his family thinks it's cuz he was the only one to have a drink with ice in it at port, while everyone else in his family brought their own water bottles to drink.

I actually signed up for a food tour in Puerto Vallarta, but I don't think it's a taco stand one. I'm looking forward to it! Just didn't know if I should bring my own water bottle or what. Last thing I want is to get sick on vacation!

Sailing in less than 3 weeks!! Yay! :D

Here's my take. Was in Cabo on Medano Beach with my daughter. Had a couple of Margaritas.That's ALL I had in Cabo that day. That night back on the ship, my appetite was gone. it felt like i had a brick in my stomach. That feeling stayed with me for the next 4 days. I had no appetite. I didn't have the runs or anything like that, just my stomach felt horrible. When I returned home. I went to my doctor who prescribed antibiotics for a week. and gave me a lecture, to NEVER drink anything when your in Mexico on the beach other than beer. Anyways, That feeling finally went away. This was 3 years ago.

Probably your doctor never was in Mexico. Most likely it was either bad luck or maybe you got something already on board the cruise ship.

Just think of the thousands (or better millions) of tourists that are in Mexico either for a short, long or even all winter stay, plus those arriving on cruise ships. Yes some of them might have problems, but as mentioned in other postings very unlikely it is the water or ice.

Thank you everyone for your information. I am a bit confused about when to drink the water at a restaurant or should I always drink bottled water? Since Norovirus is a risk should I drink the water available on the cruise ship or always use bottled water? It was mentioned ice is purified in the ports so does that mean I can order water in Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan, and Cabo and feel its a low risk to drink? Thank you in advance.

Like the other posters I have been to different parts of Mexico for the last 40 plus years and have never been sick. I eat at the stands, restaurants and bars. We were actually married in Puerto Vallarta in 2009. That is how much we love Mexico, the food and the people. I also did Vallarta Eats taco tour last year on a land vacation. They actually tell you how to spot a clean taco stand. I highly recommend them. Three hours a food bliss. Have fun, wash your hands often and enjoy. You will love it. We might be on the same cruise. We are sailing on 2//14/2015...

Regards,

Sharon and Mark