Recent visit to acapulco

[dotshub]

Has anyone been to Acapulco in the past couple weeks? If so is safety an issue there? Did you do a tour with or without Carnival? Getting a little worried about going to this Mexican city. Any information will be greatly appreciated. Dot

[roger001]

We stopped there about a month ago. My wife stayed on the ship. I got off, walked down a couple of blocks to cross the blvd, then up a few blocks to the old market. I browsed around in it some, then out the other side and through city streets back to the harbor. Traffic on the blvd was heavy. Several police vehicles with machine guns and loaded with police passed. Several police stood guard near the dock. The only thing that bothered me was the cab drivers and persons wanting to be my personal guide. I just said no, but had to say it frequently. However, I did notice the city in that area is getting pretty run down. The people were nice enough, just busy doing their shopping and daily routines. If you wish to use one of the public restrooms, be sure to have 5 pesos. I think Acapulco is on the way out as a tourist destination. I'm sorry for the good folks there and in the other soon to be former cruise ship stops that try to make a living with cruise ship passengers.

[Keith1010]

Most cruise ships are not stopping here anymore.

 

There is a reason for that.

 

Keith

[NYcruiserNY]

There are actually a number of reasons and many are financial not just safety.

 

Dot

As someone who has traveled there frequently over the years as a tourist both from a passenger cruise line and flying in directly I have never had any issues in regards to my personal safety. I am not one to be out and about at 3am mind you much more family orientated activities like beach, dining and still visiting the local sights that all 1st timers love to see. And I traveled at the height of the publicity in February no less. Saw nothing heard nothing and had a terrific trip. Do get off the ship and take an excursion you will be pleasantly surprised.

 

Roger

You are certainly not wrong in your assesment of the old section of Acapulco and while I still do visit that area usually for lunch or sometimes a bay cruise the better areas are more further away evenr past the Golden zone where I like to stay.

 

One does not get the clearest impression of Acapulco by walking around the Zocalo and the side streets by the terminal. There are many good and authentic places to eat in this part of town though and I would never discourage anyone from walking and and around the many local and inexpensive shops this area offers just start further east and work your way back to the older section and you will have a better impression I guarentee it.

[MSN-Travelers]

Has anyone been to Acapulco in the past couple weeks? If so is safety an issue there? Did you do a tour with or without Carnival? Getting a little worried about going to this Mexican city. Any information will be greatly appreciated. Dot

 

See this thread ... http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1037357

 

We had a very good experience with Rudy. We wouldn't hesitate to recommend him for a tour of ACA. We joined a group that was organized within our cruise rollcall. Spent a full day and saw/experienced the city in a safe environment.

[dforeigner]

Has anyone been to Acapulco in the past couple weeks? If so is safety an issue there? Did you do a tour with or without Carnival? Getting a little worried about going to this Mexican city. Any information will be greatly appreciated. Dot

 

Although I been called many names for posting facts about Acapulco, please take time to read the following:

 

27 Killed, 14 Headless Bodies Found in Acapulco MAY 8

 

5 killed in Acapulco shootout MAY 30

 

There have been many more murders that have gone unreported recently.

Stories are always getting buried in the news and others will tell you everything is just fine, no worries.

 

Be careful and only trust the news and your survival instincts.

The people of Acapulco are afraid to leave their houses at night and the streets become eerily silent. Drug dealers are still selling openly on the streets and the police are still protecting them.

 

The drug war is a joke of epic proportions. The military shoots the bad guys that the Municipal police are protecting. It is as if the Government is fighting a war with itself.

 

Since I am a local of Acapulco I can not talk about specific tour operators and I can not pitch specific companies. I must speak in general terms about Acapulco and companies.

 

In very general terms and very plain English I want to say there are hundreds if not thousands of tour operators in Acapulco and a couple have learned how to post their own reviews on message boards and somehow get away with it.

 

Almost all cruise lines have canceled stops in Acapulco and Mazatlan. The Panama canal ships stop in Acapulco mostly because they need to.

 

Very few people are getting off of the ships and most that do use ship arranged tours. The murder rate in Acapulco is off the charts recently. I have watched as it has become progressively worse over the years.

 

You will see posts that say, "If you want to be safe, use this tour operator."

You may read posts that say, "They took us to the places that tourists never see."

 

Let me cut through the myths here:

 

 

• All tour operators follow the same routes
  
• All tour operators go to the same places
  
• No tour operator can keep you safe.
  
• All tours must currently pass areas that are very dangerous (Drug dealers)
  

Any tour operator that takes tourists to areas that are not in the tourist zone is trying to get people hurt or kidnapped or killed.

 

 

Do not think for a minute that your life is currently of more value to a tour operator than a plate of Tacos.

 

Think about this, when trying to sell a pack of cigarettes you do not tell people how wonderful lung cancer is. You sell a pretty package and advertise how fabulous they are.

 

Do not believe all that you read about tour guides, while some comments are genuine - IMO many are obviously fabricated.

 

I just saw this come across my desk:

 

Mexico Security Memo: The Battle for Acapulco

June 1, 2011 | 1808 GMT

 

Escalating Violence in Acapulco

Cartel violence and law enforcement operations spiked in Acapulco, Guerrero state, during the last week of May. On May 23, the severed head and decapitated body of a man were found in an abandoned vehicle next to the Malibu Hotel in the heart of Acapulco’s tourism district. Several body parts, including ears, were reportedly missing from the scene. The next day, federal police raided a condominium in the city’s Joyas Del ***** neighborhood and arrested eight members of a cell of Sinaloa hit men operating in Acapulco.

On May 29, a firefight broke out when gunmen in a convoy opened fire on an Acapulco municipal police car, reportedly killing two officers and two bystanders. Federal police responded to the scene and then tracked down the convoy, resulting in a second shootout in which three gunmen were killed. On the same day the body of a gunshot victim was found in one of Acapulco’s residential areas. Verifiable information is scant, but it appears that at least 30 killings were attributed to cartel activities in the greater Acapulco area between May 26 and May 30.

The battle for Acapulco and its vital seaport is escalating. As we have discussed, the seaport is the primary asset being fought over in Acapulco and would translate into control of methamphetamine production in Mexico — bulk shipments of the necessary ingredients originate in China, India and Bangladesh. The Sinaloa cartel has been in the business of large-scale methamphetamine production and distribution and already controls the ports at Colima and Mazatlan. It is therefore likely that, with La Familia Michoacana (LFM) busy battling the Knights Templar, Sinaloa expects at some point to be able to corner the methamphetamine market — a market in which LFM has been the dominant supplier.

 

Several of the murders have occurred near the dock and by the zocalo where the cathedral is located. Tourists are not the target. Unfortunately there has been some collateral damage involving tourists.

[Ine]

You might be shocked by dforeigners posting, but remember alomost all killings were drugs-related and as he also states:

TOURISTS ARE NOT THE TARGET.

Indeed when in doubt book a tour.

[gomexico]

I'm supposing Dot has asked the question because she has already booked a cruise which stops at Acapulco. Such stops tend to be for periods of about 8-12 hours.

 

Therefore, since this will be a short visit, I will offer the suggestion that she take advantage of one or two of the most often mentioned tour guides mentioned on this forum and who offers relatively secure excursions. These excursions can be specifically designed to last from a couple hours to all-day and priced accordingly.

 

There is a security risk associated with visiting Acapulco. A risk higher than many other ports of call. And though tourists, cruise passengers may not be the intended "target" of the terrorists some have been wounded, killed or have been traumatized by the violence as "innocent bystanders". People who would say something similar to "all is well," or "its just as safe as being at home," don't know what they're talking about.

 

There are different ways to 'skin a cat' and enjoy the stop at Acapulco. Just plan ahead so you know what you want to do when you get there.

[dotshub]

Thanks to all of you for answering my questions. Safety is the most important and of course we never go anywhere late when cruising. I guess there is no way Carnival is going to cancel Acapulco because this is a Panama Canal cruise. Why do they have to stop there-can't they pick another place near by? We will continue to moniter this situtation and talk to our other cruisecritic roll call friends. Again thank you for your honesty. Dot

[Rosefloater]

You might be shocked by foreigners posting, but remember alomost all killings were drugs-related and as he also states:

TOURISTS ARE NOT THE TARGET.

Indeed when in doubt book a tour.

 

We went in November and never felt unsafe. We walked over to the fort and then down to the Zocalo and church. Later we went into town for dinner. Just use common sense and be aware of your surroundings (just like in any major city in the U.S.). As Roger001 said, the worst part about Acapulco was the taxi drivers at the port that wouldn't take NO for an answer.

 

It's interesting that most of the cruiselines are avoiding Acapulco and Mazatlan where there have been mass killings within the illegal drug community, but still go to the Caribbean where tourists have been targeted and killed.:confused:

[Taxguy77]

Wife, Son and I went to Acapulco many years ago when Mexico was very safe. Once was plenty. :(

[quincytoo]

We did a Acapulco city tour in Jan with Sebastian Hernandez , eskp_rsh@hotmail.com who was recommended to me by NYcruisrNY of this forum (a few days after the bodies of quite a few drug dealers were found) and the day a peaceful rally was being held.

 

At no time did we feel like we were in any danger at all. In fact I will return to this amazing city one day.

Sebastian picked us up in his suburban with the A/C temp, with water and a bottle of nice tequila, perfect....He gave us a little history of Acapulco as we drove. He drove us around the three parts of Acapulco, Traditional ( Old) Aca., Golden Zone and Diamante. The Bay views of course were spectactular from everywhere.

 

 

 

We went to the "Chapel of Peace" ( must admit I did not think this would be too exciting...ha, we found it wonderful). Sebastian explained all about the history of the chapel....and the enormous cross which can be seen from all over Acapulco, and also the hands statue and what makes it unique, will leave that for you to find out on your own...or go on a tour in ACA with Sebastian...LOL. We were surprised to see a moseleum (sp) there as well and a long history behind that also....Very impressive site to say the least. Many wedding and such are still held in this chapel. The time we spent there we saw two other tour guides come and go.....they did not get the in depth tour we had :)

 

We went out to the Fairmont (so want to stay here) and had a lovely time at the beach and then to a wonderful beachfront restaurant for lunch.

We went to see the Diego Rivera Wall Mural Mosaic, was very nice but what really made it special was the story behind it which Sebastian shared with us...amazing story. I have some knowledge of Diego and Freida so this just enhanced my knowledge and even hubby was fascinated.

 

 

 

We also went to La Quebrada, the Cliff Divers Show. We drove around the city a bit, peeking at Zocalo, Malecon, traffic, malls, stores, views etc. t

I recommend a city tour with Sebastian for any first time visitors to Acapulco to gain a better insight into the history and story behind the city. We felt we had a better appreciation of ACA and its sights due to having such a knowledgeable tour quide who we trusted and felt safe with and who spoke very clear and precise English.

 

 

 

Sebastian offers many other tours and airport pick up and drop offs, nights on the town, restaurant drives ....We will see you for some other tour next time Sebastian...

I think you need to use common sense and don't go looking for trouble but that applies everywhere in the world :)

 

We really enjoyed our cruise day in this port.

[dotshub]

Thanks so much for this reply-we are going to e-mai Sebastian and at least find out if he is available and his prices. We still have a little time to decide as we will not be in Acapulco until 12/2/11. I am glad to read he goes to the cave divers as that is one of the places i really waned to see. did you have him all day? we are there from 10am until 6pm. thank you again for the information. Oh you are not the only person who has mentioned Sebastian-I read about him on Trip Advisor too. Doris

[quincytoo]

Thanks so much for this reply-we are going to e-mai Sebastian and at least find out if he is available and his prices. We still have a little time to decide as we will not be in Acapulco until 12/2/11. I am glad to read he goes to the cave divers as that is one of the places i really waned to see. did you have him all day? we are there from 10am until 6pm. thank you again for the information. Oh you are not the only person who has mentioned Sebastian-I read about him on Trip Advisor too. Doris

 

You are so very welcome :) I arranged a group of 10 from our CC roll call and the price was $25 pp...I made sure everyone paid $30 PP and yes we had him for the whole day it turned into being about 7 hours!!!!

We all loved it, even the cruisers who were scared at first to venture into Acapulco.

 

Please tell him Jodi and Tony from Victoria say hi :)

[Acapulco Flores]

I live in Acapulco and do not feel comfortable walking around the Zocalo or in the areas around the Zocalo because I know what is there.

 

Just behind the cathedral about 4 blocks is a drug distribution point for cocaine. They have been operating there for a few years, protected by corrupt police. This is a fact.

 

In my quote above you see that I believe tour guides post their own reviews and then you see how this topic turned into an advertisement.

 

Don't trust what you read.

 

The violence and murder has been escalating for months. Not many people are leaving the ships which is safer considering drugs are sold openly so close to the port.

 

I don't even recommend visiting the beaches. When the military started shutting down the dealers in the neighborhoods the dealers started moving operations to the beaches. Now it is impossible to walk down the beach without a dozen dealers asking if you want to buy drugs. It is only a matter of time before more shootings happen on the beaches. One happened a few weeks ago. A 15 year old boy / dealer was gunned down and 6 others decapitated a day later.

 

If the drugs are so close - so are the guns.

 

This may sound shocking but if you want to buy drugs on the beach all you need to do is go to the areas that have Municipal Police cars parked. The police are not there to protect you.

 

In my opinion until Acapulco removes the corrupt municipal police there will be a never ending battle and Acapulco will continue to fall into an abyss.

 

It is quite a system of cat and mouse and I could write a novel about the situation that would curl peoples hair.

 

I would currently avoid any activity that sets you apart from a local. Tour vans a very obvious, your clothes, your skin color - it all makes you stand out like a big neon sign.

 

Acapulco is a wonderful place with very nice beaches - today it is also a place to be avoided until the situation becomes stable.

[dotshub]

He is all booked. He wrote us a really nice e-mail and told us all the places he would take us and the price-WOW what a great price-we sure paid alot more for the private tours we took in Italy. I hope others will join us. He toldus to feel free to forward his e-mail and prices to others so Larry will do that and maybe someone else on our roll call will join us. Again, thank you for your time and information. We are looking forward to this trip. Do you have any cruises coming up? Maybe you should join our group on the 2- week cruise thru the Panama Canal. It sound like a really fun trip. Doris

[Acapulco Flores]

Has anyone been to Acapulco in the past couple weeks? If so is safety an issue there? Did you do a tour with or without Carnival? Getting a little worried about going to this Mexican city. Any information will be greatly appreciated. Dot

 

I replied to this question on comment #15 above

 

I see that you have quickly gone from fear of visiting to asking people to join your tour with a local tour guide. Interesting development. :rolleyes:

 

For the readers who are honestly concerned about safety and the Acapulco situation you might want to read this topic:

 

Acapulco

[quincytoo]

He is all booked. He wrote us a really nice e-mail and told us all the places he would take us and the price-WOW what a great price-we sure paid alot more for the private tours we took in Italy. I hope others will join us. He toldus to feel free to forward his e-mail and prices to others so Larry will do that and maybe someone else on our roll call will join us. Again, thank you for your time and information. We are looking forward to this trip. Do you have any cruises coming up? Maybe you should join our group on the 2- week cruise thru the Panama Canal. It sound like a really fun trip. Doris

 

Panama cruise is on our list but we have another trip planned back to PV soon and Mr.Qt wants to do another Caribbean cruise.

 

Just copy and paste his email to you onto your roll call, I had to say no to some people as we had too many wanting to join the tour:)

 

Make sure you control the head count through otherwise it might get too big too fast...10 people were perfect in his van.

I am so glad that you were able to have your question answered by someone who has actually done this tour in this amazing city and that you were not deterred by a poster whose main objective seems to be installing fear in amongst this forum.

 

FYI Not once, at anytime, were we approached with offers to buy drugs nor the fact that we were not Nationals did it seem like we had a target on our backs.

When we are Mexico (or anywhere in the world) we always use common sense and are aware of our surroundings, we do not seek out trouble or troublemakers and have alway managed to have a good time, see new parts of the world and throughly enjoy meeting new people. :)

[dotshub]

Larry and I have talked at length and decided that we will continue to monitor the situation in Acapulco and if come November the situation has gotten worse the we will do the right thing and cancel this tour. We are always very cautious when we travel and listen to all the warnings. we never go where we are told not to and use common sense. I do thank one and all for your opinions and I am just sorry for the folks in Mexico who are the losers thru all this drug dealing stuff. If it continues all the cruise ship will stop coming and what will happen to their economy. Sad Sad. Again thanks, Doris

[Acapulco Flores]

I live in Acapulco and do not feel comfortable walking around the Zocalo or in the areas around the Zocalo because I know what is there.

 

Just behind the cathedral about 4 blocks is a drug distribution point for cocaine. They have been operating there for a few years, protected by corrupt police. This is a fact.

 

In my quote above you see that I believe tour guides post their own reviews and then you see how this topic turned into an advertisement.

 

Don't trust what you read.

 

The violence and murder has been escalating for months. Not many people are leaving the ships which is safer considering drugs are sold openly so close to the port.

 

I don't even recommend visiting the beaches. When the military started shutting down the dealers in the neighborhoods the dealers started moving operations to the beaches. Now it is impossible to walk down the beach without a dozen dealers asking if you want to buy drugs. It is only a matter of time before more shootings happen on the beaches. One happened a few weeks ago. A 15 year old boy / dealer was gunned down and 6 others decapitated a day later.

 

If the drugs are so close - so are the guns.

 

This may sound shocking but if you want to buy drugs on the beach all you need to do is go to the areas that have Municipal Police cars parked. The police are not there to protect you.

 

In my opinion until Acapulco removes the corrupt municipal police there will be a never ending battle and Acapulco will continue to fall into an abyss.

 

It is quite a system of cat and mouse and I could write a novel about the situation that would curl peoples hair.

 

I would currently avoid any activity that sets you apart from a local. Tour vans a very obvious, your clothes, your skin color - it all makes you stand out like a big neon sign.

 

Acapulco is a wonderful place with very nice beaches - today it is also a place to be avoided until the situation becomes stable.

 

I just want to make a note here.

 

I am not a tourist, I am a local. I do not visit "sometimes" and I do not endorse nor condemn tour guides. I have nothing to gain or lose by telling the truth from a local's perspective.

 

Cruise lines are not cancelling stops in Acapulco and Mazatlan because they do not like these stops. They are cancelling because they do not want you to be in danger.

 

I encourage you to look at your sources of information and make a practical decision based on factual information. Tour guides are desperate to make a sale and all is not as it appears.

 

For those of us who have provided information in the Acapulco Topic we have pulled information from many news sources and are not making stuff up. We are simply pointing to facts so that you can make an informed decision.

[roger001]

I see on NCL's 2012 schedule, they have dropped ACA as a port stop on the Pearl and Jewel PC cruises and replaced it with PV.

[NYcruiserNY]

Panama cruise is on our list but we have another trip planned back to PV soon and Mr.Qt wants to do another Caribbean cruise.

 

Just copy and paste his email to you onto your roll call, I had to say no to some people as we had too many wanting to join the tour:)

 

Make sure you control the head count through otherwise it might get too big too fast...10 people were perfect in his van.

I am so glad that you were able to have your question answered by someone who has actually done this tour in this amazing city and that you were not deterred by a poster whose main objective seems to be installing fear in amongst this forum.

 

FYI Not once, at anytime, were we approached with offers to buy drugs nor the fact that we were not Nationals did it seem like we had a target on our backs.

When we are Mexico (or anywhere in the world) we always use common sense and are aware of our surroundings, we do not seek out trouble or troublemakers and have alway managed to have a good time, see new parts of the world and throughly enjoy meeting new people. :)

 

 

Boy you sure said it Quincy wow...This fellow had the same TA handle for awhile and dissappeared (IP frozen perhaps) I wonder why that was?? I am uncertain as to his motivation.

 

Dot you will have a very nice time in port so look forward to your vacation...

[Acapulco Flores]

Larry and I have talked at length and decided that we will continue to monitor the situation in Acapulco and if come November the situation has gotten worse the we will do the right thing and cancel this tour. We are always very cautious when we travel and listen to all the warnings. we never go where we are told not to and use common sense. I do thank one and all for your opinions and I am just sorry for the folks in Mexico who are the losers thru all this drug dealing stuff. If it continues all the cruise ship will stop coming and what will happen to their economy. Sad Sad. Again thanks, Doris

 

Yes. It is very sad. People killing and decapitating people is sad too but as you can see - it has become a frequent event here in Acapulco.

 

Being safe is a good idea. Don't believe all of the advertising and disgruntled advertisers. People will put others at risk to make a sale.

 

I live in Acapulco and follow the news so I can tell you what I know to be true. A CC member compiled a list of recent events and there has been much more to add since then.

 

click here for the list

 

Actually we were already discussing this topic under the Acapulco Topic located here

[tonit964]

The last cruise we were on that stopped in Acapulco was a year ago April.

 

Due to the violence, we decided to stay on the ship and enjoy the day in a safe manner.

 

It is really very sad what has happened to Acapulco, we think it is a beautiful ctiy, but not enought to get off the ship and worry about our safety.

Right before the ships stopped the call on Mazatlan, we did the same, stayed on the ship and had a great time.

[CruisingChronicler]

I would suggest doing a Bay Tour - I did this on Celebrity, and you just left right from the dock, you didn't even have to walk into the town or see the busy streets!

The Bay Tour was wonderful, as Acapulco Bay is famous in itself. It takes you around the whole bay, past the old Hollywood glam houses (you see Steve McQueen's house and many more!), and go visit the Cliff Divers - spectacular! We even had three of the cliff divers swim all the way out to our giant catamaran and take pictures with us. They offered a buffet of snacks and drinks on the catamaran, it was a great tour!

The tour guide gave tourists an option to extend their tour to go shopping (I am sure he got a percentage for bringing tourists to the market), but I opted not to go both for safety reasons, exhaustion reasons, and because I already had enough souvenirs! There was a large shop located on the dock, so don't worry if you do want to get Acapulco souvenirs.

I would also not get a beach massage, a friend of mine did and they took advantage of her and tried to go a little too far. So don't consider it.

Again, keep an eye on news - I am glad you said that you would cancel the tour if you felt unsafe, this is a good mindset!