Cruise lines are canceling stops in Mazatlan

By Sandra Dibble, UNION-TRIBUNE
Lori Weisberg, UNION-TRIBUNE
Wednesday, January 26, 2011 at 7:22 p.m.

The Holland America Oosterdam left San Diego last weekend for the Mexican Riviera but will not be stopping in Mazatlan.

Recent violence in Mazatlan, including assaults on tourists there, has persuaded three cruise lines to cancel stops at the Mexican port.

One of the lines, Holland America, had ships leaving San Diego last weekend for the Mexican Riviera, and at least one of those vessels was scheduled to stop in Mazatlan. Instead, the ship was diverted to Manzanillo, according to an Associated Press report. The cancellation was for one week only.

San Diego Port official Rita Vandergaw said Wednesday night she was unaware that the line had pulled the Mazatlan stop this week.

"I'm disappointed to hear that the crime has escalated there," Vandergaw said. "It’s very disappointing that we have that serious of an issue."

Also pulling Mazatlan from its Mexican Riviera itinerary this week was Princess Cruises. Disney Cruise Line, whose ship, the Wonder, sails out of Los Angeles, has decided to bypass the port through the rest of its sailing season to Mexico. It is instead adding a day in Cabo San Lucas, reports The Associated Press.

Meanwhile, Carnival Cruise Lines, whose ship, the Spirit, regularly heads to the Mexican Riviera from San Diego, is evaluating whether it will still stop in Mazatlan on Feb. 2.

The cancellations by the cruise lines follow three incidents in Mazatlan in recent days, one involving an assault on a tourist as he left the terminal last week. In another, a crew member had his computer stolen, and the third involved an attempted robbery of cruise ship passengers.

“There were three incidents in a short period of time,â€