Mexican violence leading LA’s biggest ship to find another home port
The West Coast’s biggest cruise ship is leaving the Port of Los Angeles next year, in large part because of fears of violence in Mexico.
That was behind the decision of the Royal Caribbean International to relocate ites 3,835-passenger Mariner of the Seas to move to Galveston, Texas., for trips to Europe and the Caribbean.
Since arriving in Los Angeles early last year, the $650 million passenger ship has been offering weekly seven-day cruises to Mexico.
“The widely publicized war between the country’s federal government and its powerful drug cartels has led to nearly 30,000 deaths since 2007. And on the West Coast – where 90 percent of cruises depart for the Mexican Riviera and other points south – the number of passengers in the last two years has dwindled by 21 percent,” according to the Los Angeles Business Journal.
“People are obviously concerned about the violence and justifiably so,” said Oivind Mathisen, editor of Cruise Industry New. “They don’t want to get caught in the crossfire.”
The Royal Caribbean cruise line told the newspaper that the decision is an economic one.
“We’re looking to maximize our profits,” said Harrison Liu, a spokesman for the cruise line, owned by Miami-based Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. “Both Europe and the Caribbean are hotter tickets than the Mexican Riviera, and there’s a stable market out of Galveston.”
This could be the start of other ships canceling Mexican stops, which so far has not happened.
The Port of San Diego recently lost the only luxury cruise liner based there: Carnival Cruise’s Elation. The ship relocated to Mobile, Ala., a port spokesman said, amid a bookings lull driven, in part, by the Mexican crime.
Mexican bookings have plummeted despite repeated publicity that shows most of the violence is restricted to border areas that are not normal stops for tourists.
By David Wilkening
David
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
CCS Insight: eSIMs ready to take the travel world by storm
Germany new European Entry/Exit System limited to a single airport on October 12, 2025
Airlines suspend Madagascar services following unrest and army revolt
Qatar Airways offers flexible payment options for European travellers
Air Mauritius reduces frequencies to Europe and Asia for the holiday season