safety concerns

[dtootsie42]

My husband and I were wanting to go on one of the cruises that will be going out of LA to different ports in Mexico. We are a little concern about safety issues since Mexico is having turmoil. Does anybody know where I may look to see what Disney may have planned to keep guests safe? This may sound like a silly question and when we first booked it was not even a concern but lately with all the news stories we are just not sure. Thanks!

Dec. 1997---Contemporary
Dec. 1999--Poly
June 2000--Disneyland
Dec. 2001---Poly Concierge
Dec. 2003---Poly Concierge
Dec. 2005---Poly Concierge
Nov. 2007---Poly Concierge
Oct. 2008--DisneyLand
Dec. 2009--Poly Concierge
Next Trip Nov. 2010 Disneyland

[BrerGnat]

I hear you on that. I have ZERO desire to travel anywhere near Mexico at this point. I live in So. Cal and it's a very "easy" destination, but I refuse.

Apparently, the "tourist" beach areas are safe, but I don't really trust what the Mexican government is saying regarding that.

If you already have a cruise booked, you can either stay on the ship or only book cruise ship endorsed shore excursions (this is not the time to go off "on your own").

I don't think Disney (or any other company) can really make any guarantees of safety, unless you stay on their ship. Once you leave the ship, really, anything can happen.

[lynnek]

We did a re-positioning cruise out of LA to Florida a few yrs ago. We were scheduled to stop in Cabo, but couldn't becasue we were outrunning a hurricane. They stopped at a Mexican port instead, I think Monzanillo--not really sure, but it wasn't a pre-scheduled stop. It was not a problem. No we didn't go off on our own or anything, but Disney did everything to keep things safe. Also, that cruise followed Katrina in....wouldn't have known by looking at Castaway Cay, or the feel of the boat.

[Zippy 1]

We were in the Mexican Riveria last January and had no problems. We actually walked 4 miles along the beach to a little town. We ran into lots of other tourists but did not have any problems. You just need to be very aware of what is going on around you. If you are traveling with children I would advise not to let them go off on their own. Hope you get to go and enjoy yourself.

[Ian]

We did a Mexican Riv cruise in February of 2009 and we felt totally safe the entire time.

Our cruise stopped in Cabo, Mazatlan, and Puerto Vallarta and never once did we see or experience anything that made us worry ... and we had our two children with us, as well.

In fact, probably the most unsettling thing we saw was all the armed police and soliders that were visible! We're not used to seeing 10 car convoys of police and military cruising around town with machine guns.

[BrerGnat]

A lot has changed in Mexico over the past year. Just keep that in mind.

[Ed]

The U.S. State Department issued a "Travel Warning" regarding conditions in Mexico (http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/tw/tw_4755.html) on September 10, 2010.

[BrerGnat]

I'm actually sort of surprised that Disney chose to do a Mexican Riviera itinerary in light of recent events in Mexico. A cruise up the Pacific Coast would have been more scenic and enjoyable...Catalina, San Francisco, Portland, Seattle...

A lot of ships have pulled out of Mexican itineraries. There is only a small handful that continue to go there.

[MarkC]

We are booked on a Carribean cruise for 2012, and I would still go on the western Carribean cruise to Cozumel as that is an island that is pretty safe and secure. I would not consider going on a Mexican Riveria cruise at this time. I agree with BrerGnat that a cruise up the American/Canadian coast would be much more desirable. I know they do that on repositioning cruises but I think a normal cruise would also do well.

[dtootsie42]

Thanks for everybodys thoughts....there are some other things that came up in our lives so we are going to cancel this cruise. Safety is a great concern and we just don't want to take the chance...like BrerGnat said Mexico has changed a lot in the last year.

The last time we went to Mexico was three years ago and seeing all the soliders with their guns was not a surprise but instead of making me feel safe I had a feeling of unease. My husband did not enjoy going off the resort even with a guide. We have friends who go to the resorts every year but they have canceled for this year and are thinking they won't go back for some time.

Its a bummer because it would have been our first cruise but we think we will try one of the other cruises that Disney offers.

[BrerGnat]

Since you live in Seattle, why not try the Alaskan itinerary. Not far for you to travel. Unless you've already done an Alaskan cruise on another line, I'd recommend this! Although, to be honest, Disney's itinerary isn't the best (they don't cruise the inside passage, which is really a shame).

Good decision cancelling the Mexico cruise. It will be interesting to see how this itinerary does for Disney next year.