Is Mexico safe to travel to now?

[Midsailor]

I'm new to cruising and would like to see what comments people have.

[hallux]

A little context as to why you think it isn't safe might help others advise you.  Also - are you looking at Western Caribbean/Mexico or Mexican Riviera (West coast)?

[Liljo22]

For a cruise and resort towns, yes it is safe.  

[Midsailor]

Sorry I wasn’t more specific.  I’m concerned about the drug violence such as kidnappings, fires to vehicles, blocked roads as well as related physical injury and death.

Hope to travel to Mexican Riviera.  

[KatHaven]

7 minutes ago, Midsailor said:

Sorry I wasn’t more specific.  I’m concerned about the drug violence such as kidnappings, fires to vehicles, blocked roads as well as related physical injury and death.

Hope to travel to Mexican Riviera.  

I share your concerns, although I'm guessing we are in a very small minority.  I don't sail to Mexico, and if I did it is highly unlikely that I would get off the ship.  Historically, resort areas in Mexico have been safe......until they're not.

[wally4ever]

I've been to the Mexican Riviera and Cozamel/Costa Maya, and felt very safe at both.  

[dhanakorn]

If you cruise has a stop in Mazatlan, you may need to follow the news about the recent violence very carefully. This just happened on Jan 5. So all the comments from previous experiences may not account for the recent development. 

 

How bad is it? Airport was closed, airplane was shot, tourists are trapped inside the hotel. Winter is the high season for Mexican Riviera cruise, it’d have a big impact if cruise lines starts to cancel Mazatlan port. 
 

https://www.cbc.ca/amp/1.6706333

[Travelling2Some]

We are booked on the Bliss in a couple of weeks.  Right now I would not get off the ship in Mazatlan but I'm still very comfortable with Cabo and Puerto Vallarta.  In Acapulco I decided to book a short ship-sponsored tour that does not leave the tourist areas.  

[KatHaven]

13 minutes ago, Travelling2Some said:

We are booked on the Bliss in a couple of weeks.  Right now I would not get off the ship in Mazatlan but I'm still very comfortable with Cabo and Puerto Vallarta.  In Acapulco I decided to book a short ship-sponsored tour that does not leave the tourist areas.  

I'm guessing that a week ago the passengers were also "very comfortable" getting off in Mazatlan.

[Travelling2Some]

11 minutes ago, KatHaven said:

I'm guessing that a week ago the passengers were also "very comfortable" getting off in Mazatlan.

Sure.  Why would they not have been a week ago?  Life changes on a dime.  There is never a guarantee of safety anywhere.  We read the papers and we do what we think best and that's all we can do.  Did you notice I live in NY?  Cabo and PV are looking pretty good from here, lol.

Edited January 8, 2023 by Travelling2Some

[KatHaven]

9 minutes ago, Travelling2Some said:

Sure.  Why would they not have been a week ago?  Life changes on a dime.  There is never a guarantee of safety anywhere.  We read the papers and we do what we think best and that's all we can do.  Did you notice I live in NY?  Cabo and PV are looking pretty good from here, lol.

Good point.  That said, I wouldn't visit NYC either.  What's happening in Mexico and some parts of the US doesn't happen where I live, for many good reasons.

[BirdTravels]

2 hours ago, Midsailor said:

I'm new to cruising and would like to see what comments people have.

Cruising to Mexican ports has never been unsafe. We have called at Mexican ports 7 times in the past year and never thought of it as unsafe. 

[Travelling2Some]

1 minute ago, KatHaven said:

Good point.  That said, I wouldn't visit NYC either.  What's happening in Mexico and some parts of the US doesn't happen where I live, for many good reasons.

The last couple of years has shown us that risk tolerance is a very individual thing. 

[chloe173]

Mexico is a huge country, and it's impossible to generalize one answer that would fit every port. Having personally visited many countries people consider "dangerous", it most certainly doesn't phase me. Certain parts are safer than others, just as in the US. But the cruise lines wouldn't make money taking people to places that are too dangerous for them to get off the ship to visit. 

[RocketMan275]

There have been multiple attacks at Mexican resorts and beaches.

google 'gang attacks on mexican resorts'.

[KatHaven]

12 minutes ago, chloe173 said:

But the cruise lines wouldn't make money taking people to places that are too dangerous for them to get off the ship to visit. 

I can currently book three NCL itineraries that stop in Mazatlan.

[chloe173]

10 minutes ago, KatHaven said:

I can currently book three NCL itineraries that stop in Mazatlan.

 

Correct. Which means that it's not dangerous enough as to make them change the itinerary, in their estimation. 

[Laszlo]

2 hours ago, Midsailor said:

Sorry I wasn’t more specific.  I’m concerned about the drug violence such as kidnappings, fires to vehicles, blocked roads as well as related physical injury and death.

Hope to travel to Mexican Riviera.  

Mexico? That could be a dozen cities here in the US

[Travelling2Some]

Dropping ports can be a day to day decision (weather, civil unrest, etc.) or it can be "premeditated" in which case NCL is very likely to keep on advertising the original itinerary anyway.

[BirdTravels]

24 minutes ago, RocketMan275 said:

There have been multiple attacks at Mexican resorts and beaches.

google 'gang attacks on mexican resorts'.

If you were from Europe and read the news about New York, would you want to visit/embark/disembark there? (Sorry Traveling2some). We sail out of NYC at least once a year. 
 

If a Mexican Riviera port was truly unsafe, the cruise line would not call there. 

[Travelling2Some]

Just now, BirdTravels said:

If you were from Europe and read the news about New York, would you want to visit/embark/disembark there? (Sorry Traveling2some). We sail out of NYC at least once a year. 
 

If a Mexican Riviera port was truly unsafe, the cruise line would not call there. 

No problem, lol.  I'd be out of here in the proverbial "New York minute" (taxes and cost of living alone) if we didn't have a large family tied to the city by occupation.  It's truly a great city though.  We love it and believe it can recover.

[zzdoug]

In my opinion the benefits of traveling to Mexico vastly outweigh the risk. But as we have all learned in the past few years, different people assess risks differently.  I have friends who fear that the most dangerous part of a cruise to Mexico is the risk of drowning from the ship running aground and sinking like the Costa Concordia or being trapped on a virus infested ship like the diamond princess, and they are not bothered by traveling into cities in Mexico that endure much more violence than Mazatlan or any other port of call. I personally believe that the part of the trip where I am most likely to be hurt is the Uber ride from the airport to the cruise ship and back. 

It's really a personal assessment of relative risks. 

[Travelling2Some]

Very true.  I think fear, by it's very nature, is a highly emotional rather than reasonable thing.  We all are more bothered by some types of risk more than others, regardless of logic.  You're not going to enjoy a trip that makes you anxious so why spend good money on anything you won't enjoy?

[hallux]

2 hours ago, Travelling2Some said:

Right now I would not get off the ship in Mazatlan

Which is a shame - when I was on that itinerary in 2019 I actually liked the stop in Mazatlan the best.  I got off the ship and self-toured the city, walked 5 miles (I think), had lunch at a local restaurant, saw a few sights, just walked the city and took in what was going on...

[Liljo22]

1 hour ago, RocketMan275 said:

There have been multiple attacks at Mexican resorts and beaches.

google 'gang attacks on mexican resorts'.

The Cartels are not targeting tourists.  There has been gang violence between gangs which have killed tourists but not gangs purposely attacking tourists.