Cruise Ships Leaving California (Mexico Problems)

On our local news station they refer to an article in the LA Times that several cruise ships are leaving California and giving up their Mexico cruise routes. Mexico violence and passengers not wanting to go to Mexico is the problem.

The NCL Star will move to Tampa Flordia...

Royal Caribbean will move to Texas...

Carnival Ship will move to Australia...

I knew it was a matter of time that this would happen. The Mexican drug killings, crime, and shootings are scaring tourist away.

Here's the article in the LA Times.

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-1014-mexico-cruise-ships-20110114,0,3995368.story

Major reason is most likely that the ships hope to make more money on the other itinaries.

As stated by various persons in this interview the drugsproblems are not against tourists.

Quote:

Cruise line executives acknowledge that drug violence has cut into demand, but they stress that the risk of cruise passengers becoming victims is very small.

"We would not head into a region where there is any threat to our guests," said Brian O'Connor, spokesman for Cunard, the luxury cruise line that sails from Los Angeles to ports including Ensenada, Cabo San Lucas and Puerto Vallarta.

Terry Thornton, a senior vice president at Carnival Cruise Lines, said in a statement that the perception of Mexico as a vacation destination "is being negatively affected by the highly publicized incidents of violent crime. Fortunately, these incidents have really not been focused at tourists."

unquote.

On our local news station they refer to an article in the LA Times that several cruise ships are leaving California and giving up their Mexico cruise routes. Mexico violence and passengers not wanting to go to Mexico is the problem.

 

The NCL Star will move to Tampa Flordia...

 

Royal Caribbean will move to Texas...

 

Carnival Ship will move to Australia...

 

I knew it was a matter of time that this would happen. The Mexican drug killings, crime, and shootings are scaring tourist away.

 

Here's the article in the LA Times.

 

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-1014-mexico-cruise-ships-20110114,0,3995368.story

In addition to the fear of violence at the destination ports, there are a number of significant factors that are taking the ships to other itineraries ... all of them have to do with profit margins.

1) The ports along the MR are pretty distant from the home ports. Ships have to sail at speeds that consume quite a bit of fuel. The industry is looking at $100+ per bbl for fuel again.

2) The typical cruiser along the MR does their own thing when in port. On average, only 30% of passengers book excursions through the ship vs. rates like 85% for European itineraries. As many of you know, shore excursion are a significant revenue generator for the industry.

3) The industry has dropped the rates on the MR in an effort to keep the ships full. Rates are so low that, in conjunction with the other two items, the MR is no longer profitable when compared with their new locations.

The ships will eventually return to the MR but it will require a change in the SoCal economy and a significant change in our perception of what is safe for our families in the destination ports.

This is interesting given that Disney is moving the Wonder to L.A. right now and starting MR cruises this month.

I wonder if they will end up pulling out of the MR after a few years?

This is interesting given that Disney is moving the Wonder to L.A. right now and starting MR cruises this month.

 

I wonder if they will end up pulling out of the MR after a few years?

My guess and it's just a guess but Disney won't be here long.

Other factors that enter into the cruise ship departures are the Mexico port charges which are some of the highest in the world and California's fuel restrictions which add approx thirty thousand dollars to the cost of calling at a California port.

I've been looking at a Panama Canal cruise on Princes that departs from LA. The itinerary for now includes Cabo and Acapulco, but in April it drops one port and by this fall no Mexican ports.

meh, while i would go to mexico on a cruise, it wouldn't be a first choice

I don't think there'll come a time when there's not at least one cruise line doing the Mexican Riviera, at least I hope not...

For those of us on the west coast, a Mexico cruise is a great option: a 2-1/2 flight from Seattle to LA vs. spending all day getting to Florida (most recently, a 3 hour layover turned into a 7 hour layover). The Caribbean's nice, but I think we've decided that we'll stick with our annual Hawai'i trips, and when we feel like doing a cruise, we'll head up north (Alaska) in the spring/summer and south (Mexico) in the winter.

In one of the published reports I´ve read about the itinerary changes, and repositioning of ships, one or more cruise line executives gave passenger concern about violence in Mexico as the or the most often mentioned reason for the drop in reservations and interest. Each stated, though, that the industry often goes through cycles and they hope both the situastion in Mexico turns-around and they have the opportunity to return to the market in the future. The executives also talked about how cruise line passengers aren´t being targeted by the terrorists.

Tourists are being terrorized, some wounded and others killed in the war and maybe if the international media would start paying real attention to the seriousness of the problem and clarifying the conflict zones people can make better informed travel plans. Acapulco seems to probably be the onew port to avoid in the near term, but others haven´t been reporting serious problems.

When, for this year, one of the lines dropped both Zihuatanejo and Acapulco from one of its ships itineraries it said the change would result in a US$50,000 savings ... for each cruise. But I think when people see that they´ll spend two days in La Paz they ask, ¨What?¨and choose to go elsewhere.

I haven´t seen reports that itineraries to the Maya Riviera are being negatively affected, though. Cozumel is insanely busy with ships in-port, or has been for the past 6 or so years.

These new announcements about itinerary changes along the Pacific Coast were bound to happen, given the worsening war in Mexico. You´re not likely to see too many ports-of-call being visited in Iraq, either.

Many Americans are not interested in going down to Mexico. It used to fun and interesting but with all the crime and so many Mexicans here; it is not fun any more. We used to love to go to Tiajuana for an afternoon; but will no longer go there. It is filthy and dangerous. Cabo was nice but Ensenada was pretty depressing as were the rest of the "Mexican Riveria". Nothing very interesting about Puerto Vallarta, the beach was so dirty! It is too bad that cruise ships can't still leave from San Diego and Long Beach and go up the coast stopping in Monterery and San Francisco and Seattle. That coast is so beautiful. What a lovely cruise that would be.

Many Americans are not interested in going down to Mexico. It used to fun and interesting but with all the crime and so many Mexicans here; it is not fun any more. We used to love to go to Tiajuana for an afternoon; but will no longer go there. It is filthy and dangerous. Cabo was nice but Ensenada was pretty depressing as were the rest of the "Mexican Riveria". Nothing very interesting about Puerto Vallarta, the beach was so dirty! It is too bad that cruise ships can't still leave from San Diego and Long Beach and go up the coast stopping in Monterery and San Francisco and Seattle. That coast is so beautiful. What a lovely cruise that would be.

Another Judy from Las Vegas agrees with you. We had the pleasure of a Pacific Coastal on Mariner during the H1N1 scare. It was our favorite cruise to date!

Would have rebooked that one at least 3 more times. Shame RCCL didn't give it a try on a alternating basis before sending Mariner back.

In one of the published reports I´ve read about the itinerary changes, and repositioning of ships, one or more cruise line executives gave passenger concern about violence in Mexico as the or the most often mentioned reason for the drop in reservations and interest.

No cruise line exec is going to also mention that the pax on the Mex Riv cruises are not likely to spend on ANYTHING on the ship. Many of the pax on the Mex Riv cruises do the cruise only to go away; they have done the trip many times; they just want a cheap getaway. They don't spend on excursions, spa, upcharge dining, etc -- all the areas where the cruise line counts on pax spending. If the cruise lines were making money on the itinerary, they'd continue offering it.