
Passengers from the Carnival Splendor were robbed at gunpoint coming back from a ship-sponsored shore excursion in Puerto Vallarta on Thursday. A Mexican media outlet has reported that the passengers were returning to the ship after spending time in a tourist area, El Nogalito. At around 5:00 PM, masked assailants stopped the bus and robbed 22 cruise passengers of their money, watches, cameras and other valuables. All passengers returned to the ship safely, and Carnival released a statement that they were working to reimburse the victims and to help them obtain any lost passports and identification. The guided nature tour which they were on has been suspended by the cruise line.
This recent attack is not the first in Puerto Vallarta to put cruise passengers in danger. Just months ago, an armed robbery near the passenger terminal occured in the afternoon while cruise passengers shopped nearby. Many people have been questioning the safety of cruise ships in the Mexican Riviera, with cruise lines pulling out such as Disney, and others such as Carnival replacing larger ships with smaller ones and reducing itineraries. Yesterday's incident will certainly hurt confidence in this area.
This recent attack is not the first in Puerto Vallarta to put cruise passengers in danger. Just months ago, an armed robbery near the passenger terminal occured in the afternoon while cruise passengers shopped nearby. Many people have been questioning the safety of cruise ships in the Mexican Riviera, with cruise lines pulling out such as Disney, and others such as Carnival replacing larger ships with smaller ones and reducing itineraries. Yesterday's incident will certainly hurt confidence in this area.