Princess Statement about Calls to Mazatlan

[Host Mike]

"3/11/2011

Statement about Calls to Mazatlan

Due to continuing security concerns in Mazatlan that include incidents in the city's tourist areas, Princess Cruises has removed Mazatlan calls from all Mexico itineraries through the remainder of the spring cruise season. Itineraries for the six remaining sailings have been modified to include an extra day in Cabo San Lucas. Affected sailings are Sapphire Princess departures on March 12, March 19, April 9, April 16, April 23 and April 30. Passengers on these sailings have been notified of changes to their itineraries.

We will continue to monitor the situation and our decisions will be guided by information and recommendations from a variety of U.S. government and security agencies. "

http://www.princess.com/news/article.jsp?newsArticleId=na1148

[Host Mike]

Other cruise line operators are taking the example that Carnival, Norwegian Cruise Line and Disney set in dropping the Mazatlan, Mexico port from their cruise itineraries.  Cruise operators Princess and Holland America just announced they will be doing the same.

Both lines, like the other cruise operators, are concerned about their passengers safety in light of an increase in crime in the city’s tourist areas.  There have been incidents ranging from petty crimes like purse snatching to a murder of a cruise musician by a local known to the victim.

The Princess Cruises and Holland America ships will add other Mexican cities to their itinerary or in certain cases extend their stay in cities they are already visiting.  Certain Princess cruises have already announced extended time in Cabo San Lucas as substitution to their Mazatlan stops.

All the cruise operators say they will continue to monitor the situation in Mazatlan and if they feel they can guarantee their passengers safety they will resume travel to that port. 

http://www.hispanicallyspeakingnews.com/notitas-de-noticias/details/more-cruise-lines-drop-mazatlan-as-a-port-stop-in-mexico-in-light-of-i/6082/

[Host Mike]

"In Mazatlán, two visitors were shot in the parking lot of a hotel frequented by foreign tourists, prompting cruise lines to suspend port calls. In the first half of 2011, the number of cruise-ship passengers to Mexico dropped from about 500,000 to 58,000. Puerto Vallarta faced similar security concerns after incidents there."

http://www.foxbusiness.com/travel/2011/12/27/top-travel-news-2011/?test=bizsolutions