Faremax: Travel Forums

My friend just returned from a Caribbean cruise.  They stopped in Mexico and when returning to ship to leave Mexico, they were escorted like 5 miles out by heavily armed guards or military or some such thing. Is this customary, or could it have been just a particular problem at the time they sailed?

I don't know if it is customary but is certainly sounds like a good idea right now.  I  assume these were Mexican guards or military? 

ozzie:

I don't know if it is customary but is certainly sounds like a good idea right now.  I  assume these were Mexican guards or military? 

I assumed they were Mexican, yes, but I didn't really ask.  He said from what they could see of the guards, they looked very much like machine guns and went about 5 miles out with them.

I think I remember seeing armed guards at the port of Puerto Vallarta. I've also seen a pretty serious looking Coast Guard ship there.

I've seen heavily armed guards outside banks in Mexico, too.

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Ricardo:

I think I remember seeing armed guards at the port of Puerto Vallarta. I've also seen a pretty serious looking Coast Guard ship there.

I've seen heavily armed guards outside banks in Mexico, too.

Now that I'm thinking about this, I wonder... are the guards there to protect the people on the ships, as I first assumed, or to protect from unwanteds getting OFF the ship and entering their countries?

That's an interesting question. If they're not checking passports or paperwork, I guess they'd have to size the people up visually?

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Ricardo:

That's an interesting question. If they're not checking passports or paperwork, I guess they'd have to size the people up visually?

Yes... well the question originally came up for me when my friend said the cruise ship was escorted out a few miles.  I knew that it had nothing to do with checking passports so I got to wondering who it was exactly that they were protecting.

 

From my knowlege it is not really an everday occurance and least not the last time I was out that way on a cruise, but I will tell you this it is probably a good thing with everything going on now days in the world.

attagirl:

From my knowlege it is not really an everday occurance and least not the last time I was out that way on a cruise, but I will tell you this it is probably a good thing with everything going on now days in the world.

I'm sure you're right... it's very noticeable when security is heightened at various places and especially

at a country's borders.  It gives a feeling of more safety.

In mexico, I wouldn't doubt that this is something that they do on a regular basis. When you drive through or into mexico, they have those same armed men standing there waiting to look inside your car.

I think there were some security problem. Like terrorism or something. So they may escorted them so they can reach to their destination safely.

I think they have been around the border some time now, I know when I drove to California they were right there waiting on me,lol.