Fears about Mexico.

allychase · August 2012

Okay so I'm kind of stuck on that stigma about Mexico that it is dangerous and I totally agree the violence is far from the resorts and all and it shouldn't be a problem but I just keep getting hung up on the idea it's gonna be sketchy. Can someone who's been recently kind of give me an idea of your experience from the airport to getting to your resort and what there is to do as far as leaving resorts? Did you feel safe?

[Deleted User] · August 2012

We were there 3 yrs ago (stayed in Cancun) and it was perfectly safe( we went out walking at night on our own). The ride from the airport to Cancun was no big deal (about 20 min). When you land and get through customs and all that nonsense go straight outside to your ride. Do not stop for anything in the airport as you will be hounded by timeshare people.

We are heading back in March and have no fears about it. The tourist areas are perfectly safe. The trouble is in the border towns.

Honestly, I fear more for my husbands safety at work (he works in Philly which pretty much has a murder occuring every day) than I do with us going to Mexico. We also felt safer in Mexico than we did in Jamaica.

As for what to do off the resort, Chichen Itza,Coba and Tulum are just some of the Mayan ruins you can see. We saw Chichen Itza last time and it's amazing. We are heading to Coba and Tulum this time. There's all sorts of things to do off the resort other than the ruins. Here's the link to one of the tour sites I found http://www.mycancuntours.com

Just remember to use good ol' common sense and you'll be fine. Don't wear flashy jewlery,don't flash wads of money around and always be aware of whats around you.

MoonlightSilver · August 2012

I felt more sketched out in some major American cities than I did in Cancun / Rivieria Maya. There are police checkpoints along the roads between towns/areas where the bus or vehicle has to slow down and go over a speed bump, but it's not scary at all. One of our taxi drivers explained that the police prescence made it easier to stop the escape of a lawbearker if something WERE to happen in a city, but I never saw it happen.

For our Chichen Itza tour we had leave to wander around a few blocks of a city, and I never felt worried. You're a tourist, and you'll be in tourist areas. Your biggest worry should be making sure you don't get ripped off by street vendors (you're supposed to haggle, but they'd love if you pay full price for things).

When we exited the Cancun airport, a couple of travel company representatives politely asked us who we were looking for. I told them the company we had booked with and they pointed us to the correct person.

We went on excursions to Xel-Ha, Xplor and Chichen Itza. It was all organized and safe.

brilibby4 · August 2012

We were in Cancun Mexico for seven nights in July. We had absolutely NO problems and felt safe at all times. The airport felt like any other airport and we did not have any issues when we left the resort for our excursions.

SuMmErKuTiE · August 2012

We were just there about a year ago, and felt much safer there than we did on our recent trip to Jamaica.

cmusmiles85 · August 2012

We've been to Cancun/Riviera Maya several times over the past few years and have always felt safe. As in anywhere you go- just be careful and make smart decisions!

hz80408 · August 2012

Ditto what PP's have said; I would feel safer walker in Playa del Carmen or Cancun along the tourist areas when I would in several parts of Chicago.

Getting from airport to resort we've always prebooked our transportation so we've been on 10+ passenger vans with several other tourists and a driver. I've never felt unsafe on them

alithebride · August 2012

ive been to cancun and/or rm every december (and once this past may) ever year for the last 10 years. never had an issue. we leave the resort/hotel frequently. dh is nypd so he's pretty careful about safety etc... no problems.
as to what's to do-tons!! ruin sites (coba, chichen itza, tulum, ek balam), deep sea fishing, snorkeling, scuba diving, swimmign in cenotes, zip lining---the list goes on and on.
go and enjoy

smartlypretty · August 2012

I dunno- can I be the only voice of dissent? I went to Cancun in 2007, but I would probably never return. Although our resort was beautiful, I didn't feel safe at all in downtown Cancun where the bars were AT ALL. People try to scam you all the time and sell you crap EVERYWHERE. The bus drivers/taxi drivers try to scam you by not giving you change. Timeshare people/tour people everywhere hounding you. The security guard at our resort tried to steal our friend's IPOD. We took a "Booze cruise" where they packed so many people on our boat that it was pitching all over the place. Police with guns/rifles everywhere downtown. Men were VERY leery. Like, so much staring. I mean, I'm not hard to please so I still had a fantastic time, but I would go somewhere else before I went back to Mexico.

EDIT: I went to Aruba two years ago and had a very different experience. No slums on the island, no police like that, friendly population and the men weren't so gross about the hitting on me, no one selling crap on the beach or bothering you on the street, VERY safe at night, tons of bars and restaurants.

islandmonkey8 · August 2012

I agree with all PP - as long as you're smart you'll be safe. BUT if you are worried. Fly in to and stay in Cozumel. It's an island and they have little to no crime there because the ferry is generally too expensive for locals to take over just to commit a crime. Also, it's gorgeous.

chaniray · August 2012

i went to cancun last april. while in cancun i visited xplor (FUNNNN!!!), chichen itza, and took a boat ride on a catamaran over to isla mujeres (so beautiful). i really enjoyed mexico. we took the bus downtown late at night and walked around and had a street taco. saw some nice clubs but didn't go in.

only issues i had in cancun were the little kids trying to sell me stuff constantly. it was hard saying no AT FIRST. also, they apparently have no issues with cats being around the restaurant's outside tables but if you complain they will shoo them away.

at no point did i not feel safe. i actually can't wait to go back and bring the kids.

Peledreamsofrain · August 2012

I never felt unsafe when I visited Puerto Vallerta in 2009, but I have to agree with SmartlyPretty. There were a lot of elements that made it unpleasant. We were SWARMED by hawkers on the beach, hounded by timeshare agents on the street and at the resort, constantly leered at everywhere we went, and constantly ripped off by taxi drivers. Most of the people were really lovely to talk to, but the 'salespeople' were the worst.

If I ever go back to Mexico, I will actually avoid the large resort towns, or stay on a cruise ship. You don't get a good feel of culture anyway from those huge resort cities.

cwaggoner07 · August 2012

Went to Isla Mujeres Mexico just last month and would HIGHLY recommend. Like, not just for Mexico, but for anyone wanting a beach vacation on a budget. I did not feel safe once, and we took quite a few cab rides on the island.
We were talking to a guy who worked at our resort just hanging out one day and he made a good point. In the tourist cities, the MAIN mode of income is tourism. He said 99% of the people he knows work in some form of tourism and the last thing they want is for a tourist to get hurt or killed and hurt their economy and their paychecks.
I can't recommend Isla Mujeres enough.

JadziaDax · August 2012

We went to Cancun in February. The airport was safe but you'll have a lot of people wanting to help you with your bags. Just tell them No and carry your own bag to your car/ shuttle. We didn't leave the resort and we felt safe on the resort- just make sure to use the in room safe. I'm a pretty worried person and I don't travel much, but I felt safe in Mexico and would definitely visit again.

MrsF0831 · August 2012

I went to mexico in may on a cruise cozumel i stayed right by the port I just heard stories so I get sketched. if u go just dont leave the restort I hear a friend of mine recently went to cancun w his fiance and recently posted a status hes glad he had enough money in his pockets to get the cop to leave them alone..... ur not even save w the cops down there a lot of them r crooked. just be careful. but all the tourist countries u have to worry about people trying to scam u or hassle u to take their tour or something.

Azsunspot161 · August 2012

It is exactly that "a stigma". My fiance, my family and I frequently visit Puerto Penasco, Mexico and we love it! The water is amazing and the tide pools are a different adventure every day. However, it is important to remember that you are in a foreign country and as long as you keep to yourself and spend most of the time on the beach and the market towns, everything will be very enjoyable. It is completely at your own risk if you wander off the beaten path.

Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_honeymoon_fears-about-mexico?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:11Discussion:a1cc16b6-cce2-4bf2-a872-78a75dc63857Post:e6e669d0-5a4c-4eee-b9c2-ece4d1bff077">Fears about Mexico.</a>:
[QUOTE]Okay so I'm kind of stuck on that stigma about Mexico that it is dangerous and I totally agree the violence is far from the resorts and all and it shouldn't be a problem but I just keep getting hung up on the idea it's gonna be sketchy. Can someone who's been recently kind of give me an idea of your experience from the airport to getting to your resort and what there is to do as far as leaving resorts? Did you feel safe?
Posted by allychase[/QUOTE]

dazyabbey · August 2012

The people that post negatives on these type of threads make me laugh. Especially people like keyshkeyshx04x who say they heard how sketchy it is so they were worried. That just spreads the lies around unfortunatly.

I agree with the other 14 posters though. We left the resort every single day and took public transportation (Busses/Collectivo's) and never had a problem. We were constantly out and about and never had any problems and never ever felt unsafe. The security in the area is top notch, a bit shocking at first but once you realize they are there for your safety it is acceptable. I think the huge difference between other countries is the fact that from Cancun all the way down to Tulum is entirely made up of tourist villages and touris area. Unlike Jamaica where everything is so spread out and they literally tell you not to leave your resort. It was so safe and we had such a great time.

I will however agree with a couple people about the pushy sales people however I seem to see this everywhere I go. When we went to London, Paris, Orlando, New Orleans we saw people similar to this. Where they are over the top trying to sell you stuff and they are on the streets selling their goods. You just have to be firm in saying "No Thank You" and keep walking. I don't know why someone would be so upset about this as I think it is standard in tourist areas of all types not just Mexico.

Our resort did also have a couple of cats running around at the outside restaurant and people at dinner kept feeding them (I won't lie... I was one of them... haha) and if you don't like them then you can eat inside at the other 4-5 restaurants or get free room service. I didn't notice animals in the streets or anything like that though.

I think the positives of Mexico way outweigh the tiny bit of negetivity. The cost to go there is so inexpensive and the excursions and things to do are so affordable. The beaches are gorgeous and if you go out to Cozumel you can do some of the best Scuba Diving in the world. The snorkeling is amazing too if you don't have your certification. You can swim with dolphins or mantarays or swim through caves. The people are so friendly and so willing to help you. One day we wondered through Playa Del Carmen trying to find their Walmart and had several people help us and point us in the right direction. Almost everyone speaks English since it is such a huge tourist area and most of the people there work in the tourist industry. We didn't feel ever like we were in such a huge touristy area that it was a mess however we didn't go to Cancun except to fly in and out so that might be why. Although they have touristy things and shops it wasn't overly fabricated like something at Disneyworld if that makes sense. Everything there was still so real and so full of character and it was full of honest and good people. I loved the history involved in the area and seeing ruines that had been there before they even knew and knowing that they just were untouched for such a long time until they were 'rediscovered' and learning about the history involved. I also love that you can negotiate on pretty much everything as I am a natural negotiater. Paying full price for anything there is pretty much silly. Ask a Taxi driver how much the fare will cost and tell them no and keep walking. They will go down on their price. We took a few taxi's when we weren't taking the Collectivo's and never had an instance where they took advantage of us.

Mexico is really the same as any other tourist place though. If you set yourself up to be taken advantage of it will happen. Same thing in New York City or any other place. You have to be smart enough to travel without being taken advantage of, know how to work with people and negotiate and ask a price before you agree to anything.

mahoganieyes · August 2012

Just got back last week from El Dorado Royale and we still have our heads. My husband was afraid due to people telling him the same crap about safety in Mexico. He finally caved in and our last day suggested we come back next year. He loved it!!! We never felt so safe. The resort was private, secluded and guarded. No need to worry about being harassed by the local. We even took the free shuttle to Playa de Carmen for shopping and still had fun. Now my husband was taken back a bit when the bus stopped in Playa de Carmen, but he realized it was safe. Police presence is known! Also Playa de Carmen is a local tourist spot and that's how the locals make money. So why mess up your way to make $$$.

Fears about Mexico.

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