Tourist shot in Mazatlan

From today's Globe and Mail:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/british-columbia/bc-man-wounded-in-crossfire-of-mexican-resort-city-shooting/article1875298/

It is time for us, and our government, to say enough is enough! Clean things up and we will be back.....not until!

It is time for us, and our government, to say enough is enough! Clean things up and we will be back.....not until!

Of course, you'll be told that Mexico is no worse than any big city blah, blah, blah, but it is worse. If I'm going to be shot at, I would at least appeciate the chance to return fire. I still resent the Mexican President criticizing my country on the floor of Congress to the cheers of some congressmen. That alone has turned me off spending any money or even visiting that country. Fortunately, the Princess trans canal I'm researching now does not stop in Mexico. Great.

Mexico doesn't maintain a database of crime statistics considered as reliable by international authorites, such as we find in Canada, the USA or developed countries. Any attempted comparisons will be an apples-to-oranges exercise, meaningless. About guns coming into Mexico from the USA - yes, I think that happens - but I think the claims that most of the weapons are supplied from the USA has be debunked over and over. Those are "internet facts" without basis in fact ... if I'm remembering correctly. What's happening in Mexico - the terrorism and the war - isn't taking place on the same scale in the USA or Canada. The international media almost ignores the scope of the problem. Acapulco is the only Pacific Coast port city I'd recommend my friends stay away from, though. Most of the problems are a bit further inland, in the interior of the country. That doesn't mean the cartels and terrorists aren't active in all of the port cities, because I think they are. Where the danger arises is being in an area that's undergoing a turf-war battle.

over the last 15 yrs we have gone down there once a year on a cruise , but seems like mazatlan is getting into the drug cartel thing . there isnt that many ships going there any more , anyways .do hope the cruise lines do some coastal cruises .

Swedish weave - I find it very interesting to see how far away the U.S. is from other Western democracies such as Canada.

The thing I find most interesting is that the news focuses the attention on Mexico but don't mention the countries that are much worse. Also that the USA is 24th on the list of 62 countries but that also is not mentioned in the news reports. There are shootings and killings daily in the Los Angeles metropolitan area that do not make the headlines.

The drug wars in Mexico are not to be discounted, because they are real, but the media seems to focus on Mexico to affect tourism while failing to report the other countries which are almost as bad if not worse. That includes the USA.

From today's Globe and Mail:

 

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/british-columbia/bc-man-wounded-in-crossfire-of-mexican-resort-city-shooting/article1875298/

I think that things happen all around the world. Even though this happens also, I would love to go back to Toronto!

Not just in mexico........

Remember that the US presses Mexico to fight against drugs that are sent to the US. So should the Mexican goverment fight them or ask them nice to stop growing and trafficking drugs?

Read this......

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/slain-teenager-veered-blithely-into-crossfire/article924626/

Louis

well sadly no matter how we feel about the issue, Disney has officially pulled out of Mazatlan. No more stops there for the time being. Looks like the country will need to start making safety a priority or their economy will tank with the tourist dollar pulling out...

If Disney is pulling out, that must mean it is bad. I only hope that the other cruise lines will do the same if it's too bad.:confused:

I was feeling fairly ok with stopping at Mazatlan thinking that we just practice good sense...but now our cruise has pulled out of that port (we are on Disney). We now have 2 stops in Cabo.

In a way it makes me feel much better about it all. I mean, they continued to go to Nassau even right after the tourist incidents last year and continue to go. If the cruiseline really feels strongly enough to change ports last minute (they start sailing this next week in the MR) then it makes me wonder how bad it really is there...

Guess I will never know now. lol.

Heard that current HAL Oosterdam cruise is skipping Mazatlan and going to Manzanillo.

Does anyone know where in Mazatlan it was? I was just there a little over a week ago near the Golden Zone and no problem there. It's really sad that it has gotten to this point. Situational awareness is very important ANYWHERE you go.

Heard that current HAL Oosterdam cruise is skipping Mazatlan and going to Manzanillo.

Do you mind me asking where you heard this from - a friend who is on the ship perhaps?

I am very curious to know as we are going on an upcoming Oosterdam cruise. There was no talk about it on the current roll call or the next roll call and I called HAL and was told, as far as they are concerned, the itinerary is the same - still have Mazatlan as a port (of course, this doesn't mean anything as half the time the agents know nothing:)).

Thanks,

Canuck

Droop: in an earlier posting in this discussion there's a link to a Toronto Globe and Mail article about the shooting. One of the passages in the story says, "He added his parents had just walked out of a pharmacy a few blocks from Mazatlan's main tourist strip when the shooting began." The comments are from the son of the victims. The father pushed the mother out of the way but caught a bullet himself. The attack on the 4 foreign tourists participating in the guided ATV tour was someplace away from the center of the city and I haven't seen specific reference to the location in the news reports I've seen about it the incident.

I suppose that if the mostly irrelevant crime statistics being tossed about for destinations that aren't covered by this forum, and some not even by cruise lines making stops there, would be relevant if tourists were among the victims. Mexico doesn't maintain a uniform or accurate compendium of crime reports so trying to make a comparison between a small city and large ones elsewhere in the world (where all sorts of statistics are kept, verified, etc.) is just an apples to oranges exercise. I don't doubt that some tourists - out of town folks - are victimized in other cities around the world and if so and if there was a parallel situation to the warfare and terrorism that's taking place in Mexico then those are subjects which certainly ought to see the light of day on the travel forums where they occur. Travelers, no matter their destinations, are entitled to know of the risks they may face and then have the opportunity to decide for themselves which and how many they're willing to accept.

As someone who has traveled to and through much of Mexico during the course of the past 42 years (starting as a young man), I personally would not be hesitant to visit Mazatlan right now. I believe I know Mexico well enough and understand the cultural and language sufficiently to have permitted me to develop a good "gut feeling" about many things in the country. I would alter my typical pattern of behavior, though, because of the current and increased risks we now know about.

Some of the areas away from the border war zone - which are amongst the most dangerous environments on earth at the moment - see fluctuating degrees of violence and risk. It's a very fluid situation which requires all of us travelers to remain aware of current developments.

Whichever your ports of call, have a great trip!

The previous post by "gomexico" is spot on! While I haven't been traveling to Mexico for 42 years...I have traveled there since 1984...and spend at least 2 weeks a year in Mazatlan. I've seen the violence slowly increase over the past several years...and it's disheartening. Some people hate Mazatlan..I love it! Some people love Cabo...For me..it's "ok". Mexico is an amazing country..rich in history and culture. You won't find nicer people anywhere!!

I have many friends(Mexican)in Mazatlan...they are deeply saddened and frustrated over the recent escalation in violence. I received a call yesterday from one of those friends and she wanted to make sure I was still coming down next month on the Carnival Spirit. I told her yes and that I was looking forward to taking her to lunch at Victor's on Stone Island.( Lety's next door... is also amazing)

I understand that everyones level of comfort is different.....If you don't feel safe going in to old Mazatlan or north to the tourist zone..don't go!!!...But you might try taking the 5 minute boat ride to Stone Island,,and enjoy some GREAT seafood and a nice beach! IMHO..Stone Island is a "whole different world" than the "hustle and bustle" of the city of Mazatlan!! Whatever you decide...I hope you have a wonderful cruise!!

I see that my previous posts were deleted, so I will ask a couple of questions.

Who loses when tourists stop going to Mexico -- Answer -The merchants who depend on tourism.

Who wins -- Drug dealers because they don't depend on tourism.

That leaves the question why the US media and others are trying to discourage tourism to Mexico. On another thread, some were accused of being paid by the cruise lines to post positive comments about them and the post referenced an article that supposedly backed up the statement. Could the drug dealers be supporting the drive to discourage Mexico tourism ??

Read the article about Mexico crime in http://www.bajainsider.com about Mexico travel warning if you are interested.

Last time I was down there, the first thing I noticed coming off the ship were the soldiers with loaded M-16's. I approached one of them to ask about it, and was given a very rude and curt explanation that they didn't talk to tourist. They also would not allow anyone to take their pictures for the "You aren't going to believe this ****" wall back home.

It wouldn't hurt my feeling much if they did take Mazatlan off their list of ports to go to, because it has to be one of the dirtiest cities that there is that take tourist in that region.

My son and daughter-in-law are on the Sapphire Princess right now and call to ask me to look up some things in Cabo as their stop in Mazatlan has been canceled. They will be going to Cabo and spending more time there then they will be going to Ensenada with a sea day.

Just thought it was interesting.

When did your daughter find out they are not stopping in Mazatlan? We are going on Feb. 19th on the same ship. I called Princess today and they told me they are not planning on changing the itinary at this point and we will be stopping in Mazatlan. I have a tour I booked through an independent so just wondering if I need to cancel. Thanks for the info.

When did your daughter find out they are not stopping in Mazatlan? We are going on Feb. 19th on the same ship. I called Princess today and they told me they are not planning on changing the itinary at this point and we will be stopping in Mazatlan. I have a tour I booked through an independent so just wondering if I need to cancel. Thanks for the info.

PLEASE PLEASE do not listen to the agents at the Cruiseline. They do not know ANYTHING. I called HAL after I knew that someone was on the ship telling everyone that they were NOT going to Mazatlan - instead going to Manzanillo and the agent told me that they were still going to Mazatlan and there were no changes. The agents are usually the last to know anything - lol.

Disney, HAL, Princess and rumour has it that NCL has pulled out of Mazatlan. Carnival must surely follow as they own HAL and Princess. This will NOT be just for one week. In every scenario I have heard, not one passenger has been notified of these changes BEFORE getting onboard, so you may not officially know until your cruise.

Canuck

Last year in Cabo I talked to one of the soldiers with the M-16 if I could get a picture with them. (This was just as we were getting off the tender). There were very nice and didn't mind. I did not see them in Jan of this year. It was funny because we did not see as many soldiers this year than in the past.

It's really unfortunate that this has taken place.

Aza: We really enjoyed an ATV ride in Cabo Jan 2010 then a Baja Buggy ride not far from the ATV place we went to before., which was half in the desert and half on the beach. I hope that she has a great cruise.

I was not trying to highjack the thread but I wanted to let you know that we felt safe in Mexico. As I've said before you just have to be aware of your surroundings at ALL times. It's a common sense issue. Have a great cruise everyone!:D

This is so sad.

Mazatlan Frank posted the following on the Disney Cruise boards:

Wow!! Cant believe it. First the Wonder, then the Oosterdam and now the Sapphire princess. Rumors are that the Spirit, Norwegian Star are not coming either.

Imagine having a good job and from one day to the other, no income.

I am about to change professions. I have to change the one I liked the best.

Well, thats life. I think this cycle ended unless a miracle happens.

I wonder if the ships will come back to Mazatlan.

To all of you, I wish you the best.

Mazatlan Frank

Figuring there must be some sort of political unrest, I Googled to find Mazatlan news in English and found:

http://mazmessenger.com/2011/01/24/violence-continues-to-plague-the-city/

Media reported today that to date in the month of January, 31 people have been killed in violent incidents, three of which occurred last Thursday.

On that day in the early hours of the morning a man showing signs of torture was dropped from a vehicle in front of the D’Gala Hotel in the Golden Zone where he was assassinated on the sidewalk. The gunmen then opened fire on the glass door entrance to the hotel, which is located across from the Canadian Consulate and adjacent to the American Consulate. No one else was injured.

Two separate incidents occurred later that day in the Colonia Ramón F. Iturbe and Colonia Federico Velarde.

On Saturday at 3:20am, two young men were murdered as they left the Dolshe nightclub on Av. Del Mar where a dance organized by supporters of Farid Aún, a Carnaval candidate for the King of Happiness was in full swing. Present at the party were all the Queen of Carnaval candidates and several local bandas.

According to media reports, the attack caused panic among partygoers within the nightclub, resulting in the closure of the club an hour before schedule.

Media also reported that 33 homicides occurred in the municipality in the month of January, 2010.

If this happened on Thursday night, it would explain why Disney decided to pull out of Mazatlan on Saturday and the other cruises are following suit this week.

Wow, SHTF is going down now, no wonder the cruiselines are cancelling their stops immediately. I doubt we are going to stop there next week also.

I though I read a blurb somewhere with a quote for someone named Gil Diaz who is affiliated with the port of Mazatlan talking about 3 recent incidents of street crime in the area surrounding the port, but darned if I can find it again.

Last time I was down there, the first thing I noticed coming off the ship were the soldiers with loaded M-16's. I approached one of them to ask about it, and was given a very rude and curt explanation that they didn't talk to tourist. They also would not allow anyone to take their pictures for the "You aren't going to believe this ****" wall back home.

 

It wouldn't hurt my feeling much if they did take Mazatlan off their list of ports to go to, because it has to be one of the dirtiest cities that there is that take tourist in that region.

Hey, do you think they will CX Carnival Splendor stop in Mazatlan?