Acspulco - should we stay on the ship?

Our San Francisco to New York cruise on the Mariner begins in 10 days (9/3), and Regent still has not cancelled its scheduled stop in Acapulco on 9/8. Given the bad publicity that Acapulco has gotten, and the prohibition on certain US govenment employees from visiting the city, we're frankly quite surprised that the stop is still scheduled.

We are signed up for a "historical, traditional, and pictureque Acapulco" shore excursion that hits all of the tourist hot spots. If the ship goes to Acapulco, should we take the tour or stay onboard?

Thanks

There was a discussion on this a few months ago:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2345975&highlight=acapulco&page=2

Personally, I'd make it a pseudo sea day...

There is also this TripAdvisor article to help you decide whether or not to get off of the ship.

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Travel-g150787-s206/Acapulco:Mexico:Health.And.Safety.html

Luckily I've been to Acapulco many times before it changed. I personally would stay on the ship.

O.K, I'll say it: Who really believes that Regent (plus Oceania and NCL) are really going to put passengers ashore in a place where the U. S government does allow it's workers?

The real question is why they don't fess-up to their customers about their plans!

It's bee a couple of years since I've been to Acapulco but the last few times I've gone to the terminal . . .some shopping there but other than that, it's a sea day.

Peggy

The idea RSSC would make an Acapulco port call is crazy. No other cruise lines are stopping there. This subject has been mentioned in several different CC threads over the past months.

If you look on Explorer Roll Calls for the 1/15 LA/MIA voyage, you will see a reference to a recent graphic article on chron.com.

The Trip Advisor article is a few years old and may understate the continuing level of cartel vs. cartel violence.

I believe the Mariner positioning voyage from the east coast to Alaska in April/May substituted Ixtapa/Zihua.

IMO it's poor PR not to announce the logical itinerary change of no Acapulco and the alternate port.

The idea RSSC would make an Acapulco port call is crazy. No other cruise lines are stopping there. This subject has been mentioned in several different CC threads over the past months.

 

If you look on Explorer Roll Calls for the 1/15 LA/MIA voyage, you will see a reference to a recent graphic article on chron.com.

 

The Trip Advisor article is a few years old and may understate the continuing level of cartel vs. cartel violence.

 

I believe the Mariner positioning voyage from the east coast to Alaska in April/May substituted Ixtapa/Zihua.

 

IMO it's poor PR not to announce the logical itinerary change of no Acapulco and the alternate port.

Exacrly. I can't believe they're going to Acapulco. If they aren't, why not announce it now?

I believe the Mariner positioning voyage from the east coast to Alaska in April/May substituted Ixtapa/Zihua.

Oceania's Insignia did the following on its World Cruise this year (credit goes to "Waynetor" for the statement):

"In our original itinerary Acapulco was listed, but in May that was changed to Peurto Valarta and then on June 15 it was changed back to Acapulco.* I would have loved to hear all the negotiations going on between the city and Oceania to get us to change - lots of rumours around the ship but they are all just guesses.* I can't verify this, but was told tonight that last year Acapulco had 160 ships dock here while this year only 11 are scheduled so they are really hurting for business.* Some of the issue is security, but it is also other Mexican cities making deals with the cruise lines that want to vary their itineraries from time to time."

We are scheduled to be on The Explorer in December. I can NOT believe they have not cancelled this port. Sea day for us. We won't do Acapulco.

We went to Acapulco in 2003 on a Panama Canal Cruise. It was dicey then.

We saw the cliff divers and they took us shopping (what else).

In 1989 we went to a newby resort and took a trip to Acapulco and the Federales came on the bus with machine guns. Um. Stay on board. That was even before all the drug cartel violence.

As many have said, I would stay on the ship. Not worth putting your safety at risk.

Keith

We were in Istanbul just weeks after the Taksim Square 'riots' and weren't too concerned.

Our last trip, our guide in Israel offered to drive us to the Syrian border to 'listen to the war'. I'd have probably gone but I got voted down.

I'll do parasailing, ziplining, off-road trail buggies, etc. I'm not risk-averse.

I would NOT get off the ship in Acapulco. But that's just me...

We were in Istanbul just weeks after the Taksim Square 'riots' and weren't too concerned.

 

Our last trip, our guide in Israel offered to drive us to the Syrian border to 'listen to the war'. I'd have probably gone but I got voted down.

 

I'll do parasailing, ziplining, off-road trail buggies, etc. I'm not risk-averse.

 

I would NOT get off the ship in Acapulco. But that's just me...

You should have gone to the Syrian border. We had been traveling with a private guide and he took us very close to the border (I did hold my breath just a bit) and you can see a town just over the border and it was very humanizing. You realize these are real people who lives are completely shattering. It is heart breaking. If more people can connnect to the pain that is being caused in so any countries, we might be more humane overall. These people are someones children (even if they are adults, they are still someones children).

You should have gone to the Syrian border. We had been traveling with a private guide and he took us very close to the border (I did hold my breath just a bit) and you can see a town just over the border and it was very humanizing. You realize these are real people who lives are completely shattering. It is heart breaking. If more people can connnect to the pain that is being caused in so any countries, we might be more humane overall. These people are someones children (even if they are adults, they are still someones children).

Thank you for sharing that.

Greetings from South Beach, where we are under a travel advisory, too. Zika mosquitos have decided to vacation here. Stay on board in Acapulco. What's beautiful is the port, the rock formation, and what goes on there. You can see all that from the ship. It's no Paris. We have been there several times, and it didn't impress us. Last time we sailed the Mexican coast, our ship skipped Acapulco. Shortly before that trip. drug dealers had left severed heads in a square frequented by tourists. They obviously had it for the tourist industry. Have a great trip.

Mary

You should have gone to the Syrian border. We had been traveling with a private guide and he took us very close to the border (I did hold my breath just a bit) and you can see a town just over the border and it was very humanizing. You realize these are real people who lives are completely shattering. It is heart breaking. If more people can connect to the pain that is being caused in so any countries, we might be more humane overall. These people are someones child (even if they are adults, they are still someones child).

And I should have added, I agree that you should not get off the ship in Acapulco.

It seems like only NCL family of ships to go to Acapulco 2016. I wonder why there are no Carnival, Royal, or anyone else stopping there.

Given that fact, I wonder why are they almost the only line doing so?(More Northwest Passages Planning thought process?-Ready, Shoot, Aim)

I assume this is an accurate chart.Source Link

J

It seems like only NCL family of ships to go to Acapulco 2016. I wonder why there are no Carnival, Royal, or anyone else stopping there.

Silversea, unless it's been changed and their web site has not been updated:

http://www.silversea.com/destinations/central-america-caribbean-cruise/fort-lauderdale-florida-to-los-angeles-california-4733/

http://www.silversea.com/destinations/central-america-caribbean-cruise/los-angeles-california-to-fort-lauderdale-florida-4629/

On Aug. 1 a bbc.com story notes 8 killed + 3 additional bodies found in a single day. 2 killings were in the port area.

RSSC would be irresponsible to call at Acapulco as the above is but one example of an ongoing cartel vs. cartel war. You don't have to be a member of either gang to become a victim.

Anyone considering going ashore if Regent ships actually stop in Acapulco better consider the potential consequences very carefully.

Hi, Joan and Joe! We're on board with you and plan on going on an RSCC excursion (the same one you booked, btw).

I trust RSCC's decisions. One RSSC cruise we did included a land trip in Egypt in 2012. No one was going to Cairo then. Everyone was nervous.

Except for the fact that the vendors were pushy (desperate due to no tourists) there was absolutely no problem. Plus we had the advantage of no tourists. How often can you take pictures of the Pyramids with no one else in them?

You'll be on a bus with other people and a guide.

It would be different if you were wandering around on your own. That I might think twice about.

Unless RSCC changes its plans, I won't either.

Don't know I think I'd stay on the ship. The last time (about a 3 years or so) we got off on a tour and really the only thing to see was the Cliff Divers, everything else was run down and not much of a tour. It was on a "O" cruise.