Cruise lines turned a cold shoulder to Mazatlan, Mexico after safety concerns forced them to move ships away and sail elsewhere. Government and tourism officials caught the next plane to Miami, set on convincing cruise ship operators to come back. They did. Once back more crime came up and they went away again. Now, cruise lines have canceled far into the future, still leaving the door open to return at some point but Mazatlan officials have had enough and are lashing out at cruise lines.
“We understand that travel agents and providers have a duty to inform their customers, but we feel as if we have been unfairly singled out as an unsafe destination,” said Julio Birrueta, spokesperson for the Mazatlan Tourism Trust reports Caribbean News Digital “Perhaps the recent incidents have received critical attention because we are so widely regarded as one of the safest destinations in Mexico.” added Birrueta.
No, recent incidents received critical attention because more tourists were shot and hundreds of Americans have been killed since 2004.
That’s a big deal to cruise lines. It’s kind of a big deal to cruise passengers too. Are the cruise lines making too big of a thing about this? Is Mazatlan and just Mexico in general a safe place to visit? Some people/animated characters think yes.
Residents from local Trujillo, Honduras communities, along with politicians and business leaders joined recently for groundbreaking on a new 50,000-square-foot mainland cruise port, the first in Honduras.
The facility should help answer the call from cruise passengers who love the Caribbean but yearn for new ports to visit. That need leaves Honduras eager to build the next new cruise port.
“This project has a lot of significance for the region,” said Honduras President Porfirio Lobo Sosa. “The cruise port will be crucial for the development of Trujillo and its surrounding neighborhoods.”
The new port, set to open in 2012, is expected to create more than 3000 jobs and promote tourism to the Banana Coast as an alternative to Roatan, Honduras, Belize City, Belize, and Costa Maya and Cozumel both Mexican ports.
“We can only go to Cozumel just so many times” say frequent cruise passengers bored of the same ports over and over again.
As more ships enter the cruise market, 9 more in 2011, cruise passengers are looking for new ports of call to visit and cruise lines want to find (or build) them.
The new Jamaica port of Falmouth, a joint project between Royal Caribbean International and the Port Authority of Jamaica is hoping to help fill that need with an entirely different shoreside experience. To be reminiscent of the historic 1700’s and 1800’s when Falmouth was the big port for Sugar exports worldwide, the port is built to handle Royal Caribbean’s huge Oasis-class ships. The location will allow visitors to do shore excursions from both existing ports of Montego Bay and Ocho Rios, each about a half-hour away.
New or reworked ports are not always the answer though. San Diego’s new Port Pavillion at Broadway Pier, funded by Carnival Cruise Lines, will not see much action now that cruise lines have fled the hard-to-sell West coast market for more fertile seas.
Debuting in the spring of 2013, the first new-generation Princess ship will be named Royal Princess, a name used twice before by the line. The first Royal Princess which debuted in 1984 left the fleet in 2005, passing name to one of Princess’ small ships in 2007 which will be transferred to a sister company at the end of April. The latest rendition will hardly be a small ship and offer some pretty exciting new features.
During a press conference at Cruise Shipping Miami, the line announced Royal Princess as the name for a new 141,000 ton, 3,600 passenger ship that began construction last week as the first steel plate was cut. The prototype design is an evolution of the line’s existing ships with some new features and expanded signature spaces.
“Princess passengers will easily recognize our next ship as a natural progression in our fleet,” said Princess President and CEO Alan Buckelew. “We’re taking the best features of our newest vessels that have been such customer pleasers, and taking them to the next level. Just as the original Royal Princess ushered in a new era for our company with its innovative design, we expect our new Royal Princess to do the same.”
An over-water “SeaWalk” that I will probably try to call a “Skywalk” until the end of time, thinking of former-signature venue Skywalkers Nightclub on Princess Grand Class ships, will extend 28 feet or so out over the side of the ship. The glass-bottomed Seawalk will offer views of the ocean 128 feet below off the ship’s starboard side. On the port side, a SeaView bar will be positioned to offer cocktails and some great views.
Other top-deck features on the new ship include a new adults-only pool surrounded by seven plush private cabanas that appear to be floating on the water. Getting in on the multi-use craze, two additional pools will flank a “tropical island” that will have pool seating by day then become a dance club with a water and light show by night.
Bigger is better for the popular Sanctuary adults-only area too and will be expanded both in size and amenities. Even Movies Under The Stars will increase in screen size and now offer high-definition viewing.
One of the simple truths about air travel is that the food is usually somewhere between sub-par and awful. Sure, there are exceptions, but these are unlikely oases in a desert of damp sodium-rich indelicacies. Unless you are posted up in first class on Singapore Air eating pan-seared Chilean bass in bouillabaisse broth with capsicum confit and zucchini pasta or one of their many other haute options, you will likely be eating a mass-produced goo concocted by scientists rather than chefs.
It seems a brief food revolt began and subsequently ended on a Continental Airlines flight from the Dominican Republic yesterday. According to MSNBC, the flight was bound for Newark, and a vegetarian passenger was served a meat dish that offended her greatly. Instead of politely returning the meal, disgust consumed her. She tossed the meaty tray at a flight attendant in a display of disorderly resentment. Upon landing, the port authority greeted the plane, but the flight attendant declined to press charges.
Be it the effects of an earthquake or tsunami, political unrest or criminal activity at a planned destination, travelers are concerned about security and being safe both when traveling and upon arrival. What was once a part of travel taken for granted with few precautions necessary has become a matter of primary importance and one shaping travel decisions for many. Should current world affairs keep us from traveling? Experts say no but urge caution.
“Most business and pleasure travelers don’t have a security plan” says Travel security expert Chris E McGoey who recommends meeting with business supervisors and family members “to discuss what if situations.”
What if your passport is lost or stolen in a foreign country? What if you are attacked, robbed or otherwise the victim of a crime?
The U.S Department of State’s Smart Traveler program is a step in the right direction. By enrolling in the program, travelers enable the Department of State to get in contact with them in an emergency. Bringing along contact information for the U.S. embassy in countries you will visit is important too.
Knowing the local customs of a country before visiting has always been good advice. Now, knowing more specifics on what to do in case of an emergency is more important than ever. But “what to prepare for?” has become a big question as travel disruptions from weather events to revolutions continue to occur world wide.
Security expert Christopher Falkenberg suggests travelers “take and all hazards approach. Think of the broadest range of problems-flood, fire, earthquake, terrorist attack, etc. Essentially, they will all need the same thing: effective communication, clean water, physical safety, flashlight, medical supplies, N95 mask, etc. Instead of a separate checklist for every possible crisis, think in terms of the common elements of what you’ll need in any emergency and how you can prepare for it. It helps when thinking about the “result” of an emergency versus the actual event itself.”
Security is a matter now given serious attention regardless of the method of travel. By foot, car, plane, ship or rail travelers are concerned that their method of transportation may be a target for terrorists and are apprehensive about what they will find at their destinations.
It has been suggested that travel via cruise ship may offer added protection to travelers. If for no other reason, the closed and secure environment a cruise ship offers if as nothing more than a mode of transportation is worthy of consideration.
As a potential terrorist target, strict maritime security laws are in place to protect passengers. and cruise ships. Back in 2004 the United Nations International Maritime Organization (IMO) introduced a comprehensive ship and port security code. According to the International Council of Cruise Lines (ICCL) “these regulations established international security regulations that require all ships, port facilities and governments to have formal security plans, screening measures, access control, waterside security and communications between ships and ports.”
Cruise lines place a great deal of effort in maintaining a secure environment for travelers both on and off the ships too. Recently ships have been diverted away from trouble spots like Mazatlan, Mexico where criminal activity is a concern and Japan where a damaged infrastructure might harbor unsafe conditions.
Airlines, cruise lines and other modes of transportation are operating at a high level of security that offer travelers some peace of mind in troubled times. Still, a customized security plan , considering the potential dangers in traveling to your destinations, should be at the top of every traveler’s packing list.