Mexico alerts re travel/Lagunamar

[mariawolf]

So I booked spring break for myself and grandchildren and their parents are saying we shouldn't go as there are alerts--I may go anyway with a friend--I don't plan to leave the resort.
Is this actually a real problem??

 

[r1lee]

We came back in end of august. No issues at all and we also went to isla mujeres.

 

[dioxide45]

You will be perfectly fine. I perhaps wouldn't venture in to downtown Cancun these days. We traveled between Tulum and Cancun in a rental car in May and didn't have any issues. Your chances of being impacted by major crime indicated in the travel alerts is rare. Though only you can make the decision as to how comfortable you are traveling there. Though you wouldn't have any issues in the hotel zone.

 

[DeniseM]

I am no Mexico expert, but there have been Mexico alerts forever. They are not specifically about Lagunamar.

You didn't discuss your plans with the children's parents before making the reservation?

Also, I believe there are some hoops to jump through to take children outside the US without their parents that you should look into.

 

[geist1223]

There have been long discussions under the Mecico section and under other sections of TUG. We have a 3 week stay in San Jose del Cabo coming up in January. We go there quite often and even drive a rental car. We are not changing our plans.

 

[krj9999]

I would certainly take the warnings under advisement, which I think are relatively new for Cancun/Quintana Roo. And probably be as cautious as possible. But not necessarily change plans. There can be risks anywhere (witness the FLL airport and Orlando night club shootings).

(removed political comment)

 

[WatsonC2]

So I booked spring break for myself and grandchildren and their parents are saying we shouldn't go as there are alerts--I may go anyway with a friend--I don't plan to leave the resort.
Is this actually a real problem??

Plenty of good advice here on how to interpret the warnings. Most people don't know you can register your travel plans on State.Gov (US Citizens). I always do this not thinking about crime but natural disasters and wanting (or hoping) that with that knowing where we were at, it would help our chances of rescue if a major disaster happened. Only takes a few minutes and you can opt in to get updates if the warnings change between registering your plans and your trip.

 

[SandyPGravel]

So I booked spring break for myself and grandchildren and their parents are saying we shouldn't go as there are alerts--I may go anyway with a friend--I don't plan to leave the resort.
Is this actually a real problem??

I am leery walking around outside the resort at night when I have gone to Lagunamar. But I am leery walking around any strange(new) place at night. During the day, I have never felt unsafe. Restricting yourself to the resort will really inhibit your vacation. Even with my concern we have still walked across the street to the mall at night. Only thing I have been worried about at the mall at night was the hawkers trying to get us to stop to hear their about their "deal". Hint: I always say "I am leaving tomorrow, sorry no time!" Works!!

We have walked a couple miles down the beach toward the Hard Rock hotel, no problems. (My only problem was I asked a question with my limited Spanish to a local and he answered very quickly in unlimited Spanish, he then answered slowly in easy terms for me to understand.)

We have gone toward downtown to where the Hard Rock Cafe is, another grocery store, to a dive shop all on the bus no problems. Last time we took the bus to the Las Americas Mall because we needed a specific battery for my DH dive watch. Didn't have any problems. (The aforementioned mall is past Costco & Sam's club.)

We have taken excursions to Cozumel and Chichen Itza felt completely safe.

Overall, just be conscience of your surroundings. Keep your purse/wallet safe. Someone complained one time about leaving their purse on the back of a chair and someone lifted their wallet...duh that will happen anywhere.

Enjoy Lagunamar, it's beautiful.

 

[cubigbird]

Cancun is no more or less safe than tourist areas here in the US. Did you know foreign state departments such as Canada issue travel warnings regarding their citizens traveling to the US? [political - deleted] Cancun and other areas of Mexico are safe in the tourist areas. Their economy depends upon it. There are even tourist police in most major tourist areas. This doesn’t change the “travel smart” mentality. If you travel smart and are viligent you have nothing to worry about.

Ditto to all the above, enjoy Lagunamar and even other tourist sites. Most of the “Mexico fear” is media driven.

 

[VacationForever]

When we go to WLR, we walk up and down the hotel zone, each way about 1 to 2 miles and have always felt safe. Occasionally we hop on the bus for a couple of stops. Whenever we wanted to go to the grocery store, we get a taxi through the hotel and have the taxi driver wait for us to take us back to the hotel. We feel that this is an added layer of protection.

Unfortunately we will be skipping Mexico for a while, less because of worry about safety but more of doing more cruises and land tours to ports and cities that we have never been before.

 

[T-Dot-Traveller]

Tiempo -Compartido en Mexico
Sales Statistics - 2015

Extreajeros - 150,974
Mexicanos- 58,036
Total -209,010

Warning
Biggest statistical risk while visiting a TS in Mexico - Mexican Timeshare Salespeople .

 

[Sea Six]

I have no problem walking the hotel zone, especially from the resort to the mall where Sorianos is. I doubt I will go to that marketplace in town anymore. We were there a few years ago and got disoriented and couldn't figure out where we were and how to get to WalMart. I don't want that feeling ever again. What's the name of that marketplace?

 

[dioxide45]

I have no problem walking the hotel zone, especially from the resort to the mall where Sorianos is. I doubt I will go to that marketplace in town anymore. We were there a few years ago and got disoriented and couldn't figure out where we were and how to get to WalMart. I don't want that feeling ever again. What's the name of that marketplace?

Marcado 28.

 

[SandyPGravel]

I have no problem walking the hotel zone, especially from the resort to the mall where Sorianos is. I doubt I will go to that marketplace in town anymore. We were there a few years ago and got disoriented and couldn't figure out where we were and how to get to WalMart. I don't want that feeling ever again. What's the name of that marketplace?

I felt the same as you at the Marcado 28 (thanx Dioxide for the name). Never want to go back. We were there in Dec 2010, maybe it has changed, but I'm not willing to find out.

 

[elleny76]

I think it will be fine in Cancun besides There is not even 1 room available in Lagunamar for 2018 spring break!,But anywhere you go Please be careful. (look what just happened in Vegas)
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/29/travel/mexico-cancun-safety.html
“Resort areas and tourist destinations in Mexico generally do not see the level of drug-related violence and crime that are reported in the border region or in areas along major trafficking routes,” the warning stated. "....................... Government forces and the private sector have stationed more police and military in tourist zones. (political comments removed)

 

[Sea Six]

I felt the same as you at the Marcado 28 (thanx Dioxide for the name). Never want to go back. We were there in Dec 2010, maybe it has changed, but I'm not willing to find out.

100 vendors all selling the same crap. Cheap T shirts, Cuban cigars, Mayan calendars, Chichen-Itza pyramids, ......

 

[mariawolf]

Thanks all--I booked this exactly at 8 months timeframe with "restricted points" and figured if it didn't work I could always cancel. Kids or not I am going and will make it a "girls trip"==Southwest to Cancun is less than my flights to Memphis and Nashville. And yes I take kids out of country all the time--mostly to Harborside and never have an issue but ways have a letter saying travel is OK--never been asked for it...........need SW to fly to St Thomas.

 

[VacationForever]

Thanks all--I booked this exactly at 8 months timeframe with "restricted points" and figured if it didn't work I could always cancel. Kids or not I am going and will make it a "girls trip"==Southwest to Cancun is less than my flights to Memphis and Nashville. And yes I take kids out of country all the time--mostly to Harborside and never have an issue but ways have a letter saying travel is OK--never been asked for it...........need SW to fly to St Thomas.

Aren't restricted points the ones where a reservation is cancelled within 60 days and they have to be booked within 60 days of stay? I am confused as to what the restricted points are because you have booked 8 months out.

 

[mariawolf]

Yes I did have to cancel due to a health issue at the last minute--coincidentally also at Lagunamar--and paid the fees. I also had to cancel a Marriott trip but they were way more understanding. They actually gave me a time extension after explaining the situation (my husband had pancreatic cancer--has since passed away and had an emergency hospitalization two days before our 47th anniversary trip). I called Vistana and told them we had been owners for almost 18 years and had never cancelled. I explained how Marriott was more understanding and felt they should reconsider the 60 day reservation window--which pretty much eliminates anything but Florida...... they didn't remove the "restricted" status online but said I had to call for any reservations. So I can't book at midnight online at 8 months out but can call them early the next day.

 

[SandyPGravel]

...........need SW to fly to St Thomas.

Totally agree!!!!

 

[tomandrobin]

Totally agree!!!!

Add me to the list.....

I am hoping that with Delta, United, etc pulling flights to St. Thomas that it give SW a chance to add a flight or two to the Virgin Islands.

 

[canesfan]

I’ve been here for 3 days and haven’t noticed any difference from last year. It’s safe as far as I can tell. We’ve taken the bus and have walked around. Tomorrow we plan to go Isla Mujeres.

On a side note I’m also another one who wishes SW would pickup STT.


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[blondietink]

On a side note, I purchased some trip insurance yesterday for an upcoming cruise and during the process a window popped up on my computer that stated if we visited a port that has a travel warning in effect, the insurance would not cover that portion of our trip.

 

[elleny76]

So I booked spring break for myself and grandchildren and their parents are saying we shouldn't go as there are alerts--I may go anyway with a friend--I don't plan to leave the resort.
Is this actually a real problem??

I just came back from Cancun this weekend! Amazing weather . We stayed 1 week and we even took the zone hotel public buses 12 pesos per person (lol) to go from our hotel (no WLM )to Isla Mall (across from WLM). Nothing out of ordinary, police everywhere as always, all clean and 86 degrees every day!... We will come back in 2018 to WLM

 

[RnU]

We’ve been going to the Lagunamar for years now and this year patrols by the Federal Police on the beach and MP in the mall across the street are definitely up. We are there right now and their increased presence on Thanksgiving in particular made me wonder if something was up.