Carnival Cruise Passengers Robbed at Gunpoint in Mexico
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Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images(MIAMI) — Twenty-two passengers traveling on a Carnival cruise ship for the trip of a lifetime instead got a scare when they were robbed at gunpoint while on an excursion in the Mexican resort town of Puerto Vallarta.
The passengers were robbed Thursday during a guided trail excursion during a seven-day cruise aboard the Carnival Splendor, a Miami-based cruise line.
No one was injured and the guests returned safely to the ship, according to a statement from Carnival, which did not provide any further details of the robbery except to say that the company is assisting guests and reimbursing them for lost valuables.
“Carnival sincerely apologizes to its guests for this very unfortunate and disturbing event and is providing its full support and assistance,” the company said in the statement.
The 3,006-passenger ship departed from a Long Beach port on Feb. 19 for a seven-day Mexican Riviera cruise that included stops in Cabo San Lucas and Puerto Vallarta, according to the ship’s online itinerary.
The cruise line has suspended the nature trail tour where the robbery occurred, one of about 35 excursions the ship offers passengers while docked in Puerto Vallarta, according to the Carnival website.
The U.S. State Department issued a travel warning two weeks ago to Americans to avoid unnecessary travel to 14 Mexican states because of increased violence in the country. Included in the list is Jalisco, of which Puerto Vallarta is one of it’s largest cities.
The Los Angeles Times cites Mexican newspapers in reporting that hooded gunmen intercepted the tourists’ bus about 5 p.m. Thursday as it returned from the pueblo of El Nogalito. The gunmen took cameras, money, watches and other valuables from passengers before fleeing, the paper said.
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