Cruise News: Mexican Banditos Hit Cruise Passengers

Every time I see one of those Mexico Taxi Project ads on television (like the one below), I shake my head in wonder. Is anyone watching gullible enough to think that travelers who just returned from Mexico would by chance hire that particular cab? What a coincidence! And the returning tourists all naturally had a great time. No rain, no hassles, no bandits robbing them at gunpoint.

What's the possibility that the Mexico Taxi Project will film any of the 22 passengers from Carnival Splendor who were held at gunpoint by masked bandits and robbed of their valuables (cash, cameras, watches, etc) while on a shore excursion in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico last week? Just a guess, but not likely in my opinion that you'll see any of them being chatted up by airport cabbies any time soon.

A story in informador.com.mx reports that authorities initially made light of the attack. While the story is in Spanish, my translator returned this result in English, "The Municipal police initially reported that it was only a slight incident with Americans; however, later they admitted that it was an assault, but that it had been only one subject." I guess one subject means it was no big deal since the 22 visitors were all robbed at the same time. The robbers fled into the hills and were reportedly pursued by "an intense mobilization of state and municipal police officers." Sure, they'll catch those bad guys. Or not. In any event, apparently none of the passengers were injured and they sailed away on their ship after what had to have been a harrowing experience.

It's a shame that the tourism industry along Mexico's Pacific Coast has been harmed by the country's high crime rate, but they have no one to blame but their fellow citizens and what appears to be the indifference of government officials. Cruise lines that might have been inclined to return to Mexican Riviera ports (after an absence due to the mere threat of crime in the area) may now rethink their decisions, particularly since the latest incident involved passengers on an excursion booked on board their ship. Clearly the robbers knew where they were going to be and targeted them at the best spot to commit their crime and make a quick getaway.

Mexico Taxi Project? Bah humbug.

Image Courtesy of Carnival Cruise Lines