Did you feel safe in Mexico?

[Disney Dan 47]

Hello all,
We are pondering going on Disney's Mexico Riviera cruise next fall. (cabo,mazatlan and puerto).
Being that my family lives 10 miles from the mexico border, (San Diego), we are privy to news coming from Baja California more then most of the country. (mostly disturbing cartel news).
My question is, did you feel safe in the ports in Mexico? And did you feel safe on excursions.
Thanks for your input.
Dan

 

[DynamicDisneyDuo]

We have only visited ports on the Gulf side of Mexico where the issues don't seem as prevalent. We've never felt unsafe there but we generally stay within the port area. Only sign we've ever seen here are issues was a checkpoint on the way to the ruins with men in fatigues carrying long guns. They didn't stop us, I guess because we were on a tour bus.

 

[FigmentSpark]

We've just booked our first western Caribbean. It's a concern for me, but, like you, I don't know if that concern is founded in fact or fear.

 

[pezgirlroy]

I spent a week in Puerto Vallarta a year ago for a wedding. We had absolutely no concerns while there and it was a wonderful place. I would not hesitate to go personally. Just always keep your wits about you as you would do traveling anywhere.

 

[ahain]

Yes, we felt safe. But we also went on DCL excursions and/or stayed around the port area. We followed general guidance not to wear/flash expensive jewelry, etc, remained aware of our surroundings & didn't wander off on our own.

 

[pezgirlroy]

Yes, we felt safe. But we also went on DCL excursions and/or stayed around the port area. We followed general guidance not to wear/flash expensive jewelry, etc, remained aware of our surroundings & didn't wander off on our own.

And to followup on this. I did the same things I always do when I travel such as I don't wear my engagement ring when I travel just my band. Things like that.

 

[AquaDame]

We went on the Riviera cruise in autumn of last year and did not feel unsafe. The only eyebrow raise I had was when our tour operator pointed out the military trucks with large guns and soldiers around in Mazatlan. He kept saying they were there to make tourists feel safe but all it really makes you wonder is why it is necessary...

We are going on a western this winter that stops in Cozumel as well and I'm not worried about that one either.

 

[Melissa S]

We've just booked our first western Caribbean. It's a concern for me, but, like you, I don't know if that concern is founded in fact or fear.

We’ve been to Cozumel several times and felt very safe there and I’m an over cautious person lol.

 

[bcwife76]

We were on the Western cruise last week, felt very safe as we toured all over Cozumel. In August we were in Cabo, again had no issues with safety. We were in Puerto Vallarta last November (our 4th or 5th time there over the past several years) and again, no issues. Keep your wits about you, as you would in any major urban area.

 

[disneyfaninaz]

We were just in Cabo and felt entirely safe. We also did a DCL tour.

 

[Sun_soakin]

We did the riviera cruise in fall 2017 and felt safe. We did things on our own in Cabo and mazatlan , and a DCL excursion in Puerto Vallarta

 

[ludari]

I've done a few Mexican Riviera Cruises (MR) on Disney several years ago and I felt safe while on the DCL port adventures, however on one of these cruises DCL canceled one of our port stops (I believe it was Mazatlan) for safety reasons.

 

[mevelandry]

Do a DCL excursion, don't venture by yourself, don't flash anything that scream "luxury" and you will be fine.

 

[Disney Dan 47]

Thank you all very much for your advice. It seems pretty safe to assume these ports are nothing like Tijuana.
Dan O

 

[Rob1872]

On our last Western Carribean cruise:
Costa Maya has a shopping area right at the cruise terminal. It felt perfectly safe. We booked through Disney a trip to a beach area and felt perfectly safe at the beach resort. I would NOT have felt comfortable walking through some of the area between the port and the beach resort with my family.
At Cozumel we felt perfectly safe walking out along the street after having done our excursions. Since it is an island off of the coast, it might be easier to control access and keep safer.
In general, if you stick with cruise ship activities you should be fine. Just use the same common sense that you can wander around in the Inner Harbor shopping district of Baltimore at night and feel safe, but there are other areas of Baltimore that I wouldn't go into during broad daylight.

 

[disneyfaninaz]

Thank you all very much for your advice. It seems pretty safe to assume these ports are nothing like Tijuana.
Dan O

Being from a border state, I understand your concerns. We stopped going to Nogales years ago. No, the tourist towns along the Mexican Riviera are not like Nogales or Tiajuana, except for one thing: Pushy vendors!

 

[disneylove69]

When doing the PC cruise we were in Mazatlan and a small black boat with a gun attached kept circling the ship. Never saw a person. It actually became comical because he was pointing at the MICKEY ship. Talking with the Captain he said they were there to protect us. We just stayed on the ship when in Mexico on the West Coast. East coast side we stayed within a few blocks

 

[jiminyC_fan]

Spent 5 weeks in Cozumel this year and felt safe. We actually have local friends there so we even go back in the neighborhoods and go to restaurants off the beaten track. We have another 3 weeks coming up soon. BUT, I don't feel safe on the Western side of Mexico.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

We've only been to the Yucatan (6 times both on cruises and land stays), so can't really speak for the western side of Mexico. No, we won't go there right now. With the reports of a bomb on a ferry in Playa del Carmen and unregulated alcohol at resorts, I just don't see the point. Plenty of other lovely places to go that don't seem to be reporting so many issues. Does that guarantee our safety elsewhere including in the US? No, but Mexico just doesn't appeal at the moment.

 

[Duck In Blue]

We did the Mexican Rivera cruise last month and felt perfectly safe in all of the ports. As other have mentioned, it is important to be sensible and aware of your surroundings, but we honestly didn't feel any less safe there than in other cities we are visiting.