Holland America and Princess Cruises have now both canceled calls to Mazatlán, following the lead of Disney Cruise Line, which pulled the port from Disney Wonder's seven-night Mexican Riviera sailings indefinitely.
Donaldm, who is currently sailing aboard Sapphire Princess, posted the following this morning on the Cruise Critic boards: "The official announcement says in part: 'There have been recent incidents of violence in the Mazatlán area. As the safety and security of our passengers and crew is our priority, we reviewed our call to Mazatlán with our Security Department shoreside. Based on information provided, Princess Cruises, along with a few other cruise lines made the decision to cancel our call to Mazatlán this week.'"
Sapphire Princess is in the midst of a weeklong cruise in the region. Instead of its previously scheduled half-day call in Cabo on Thursday, the ship will stay for a full-day on Wednesday (when it would have called in Mazatlán) and spend a full day in Ensenada on Thursday.
However, the Princess change may not be permanent. According to line spokeswoman Karen Candy, "We have not made itinerary changes to future Mexican Riviera cruises for Sapphire Princess. Our next Mexican Riviera cruise will depart Los Angeles on February 12, 2011 and we will continue to monitor the situation and communicate any new developments or itinerary change."
Holland America's Oosterdam, which embarked on Jan. 22 for a seven-day Mexico cruise, has replaced today's scheduled port call in Mazatlán with a call in Manzanillo. According to a statement from the line, the change was made "in response to recent incidents of violence in Mazatlán. Discussions will be occurring with local authorities to determine what steps are being taken to address this issue."
Like Princess, Holland America has only confirmed the Mazatlán cancellation for the current sailing. The line said it will make decisions regarding future calls on the basis of developments in Mazatlán and discussions with local authorities.
These changes come in the wake of a string of violent crimes in Mazatlán, including an incident in which a 68-year-old man from British Columbia was shot in the leg during an alleged gang shooting on Jan. 17. Furthermore, the Mazatlán Messenger, an online newspaper that covers Mazatlán and surrounding areas, reported on Monday that in January alone, "31 people have been killed in violent incidents, three of which occurred last Thursday."
In response to the situation, The Mazatlán Tourism Trust has issued a statement calling the port city "one of the safest destinations in Mexico, legendary for its history, culture and the warm hospitality of its people."
"The areas of concern are not the beach resorts or historical sites that visitors come here to see," the statement continued, "but rather the northern border towns far from the city. Reports of visitors being accosted or injured in the destination are extremely rare. Mazatlán will continue to ensure that travelers here find a warm, welcoming destination in which their comfort and security is, as always, top priority."
In the past few months, a string of other cruise lines — including Royal Caribbean, Norwegian Cruise Line and Carnival Cruise Lines — have announced departures from the region, citing decreased demand, possibly due to health and security concerns.
Carnival and NCL, both of which currently have ships sailing in the region, have not reported any itinerary changes. Carnival spokeswoman Jennifer De La Cruz said yesterday that the line has "not made any itinerary changes at this time but are carefully evaluating the situation." However, we're awaiting word as to whether the cancellations announced by HAL and Princess have swayed Carnival's decision.
