Maybe we’ve just been fortunate, but in many years of visiting many places in Mexico, we’ve never had a problem. In fact, quite the opposite.
So it’s understandable that we would have a soft spot for Mexican cruise ports, most of which we have visited at least once. That, of course, includes the beleaguered Mazatlan, labeled by many as a safety hazard…like some bandido is waiting around every corner for an unsuspecting cruise passenger.
It is, at the very least, an exaggeration. That may have something to do with why Norwegian will resume cruising the Mexican Riviera in 2013, after an absence of two years. And, perhaps surprisingly to some, its port calls include Mazatlan.
NCL started selling tickets yesterday for sailings on the Star, one of the first cruise ships we were ever on, and it will traverse the Mexican Riviera nine times from December 2013 to April 2014. It will also take passengers back through the Panama Canal…Los Angeles to Miami, and back.
Mexico has become a confusing cruise community. Who’s there? Who’s not? Who’s returning? Who’s leaving? One thing is crystal clear: When a cruise line returns to a place it abandoned because of safety concerns, the efforts of the Mexican tourist officials will be scrutinized.
A year from now, when NCL’s Mexican Riviera return is underway, it will be time for Norwegian to decide whether the Star (or another ship) will be back there in 2014.
DAILY DEAL:
Carnival Liberty
7 nights
January 14, 2012
Miami (return): Cozumel, Belize City, Roatan, Grand Cayman
Inside $449
www.carnival.com