Cruise lines cancel Puerto Vallarta port calls

Civil unrest and violence around Puerto Vallarta led to cruise lines canceling ship calls there.

The Celebrity Infinity bypassed the Mexican port on May 10 for a day at sea, spokeswoman Cynthia Martinez said. On May 12, Royal Caribbean International’s Jewel of the Seas will substitute a sea day for Puerto Vallarta.

In a statement, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (parent of Celebrity and Royal Caribbean) said the decisions were made “due to the recent episodes of violent civil unrest, stemming from criminal gangs that have engaged in armed conflict with local authorities.”

Disney Cruise Line distributed a letter to passengers on a 14-day Panama Canal cruise aboard the Disney Wonder explaining that the May 12 port call was being canceled, citing “several reports of unrest in the area around Puerto Vallarta.”

Disney said taxes, fees and port expenses associated with the visit would be refunded to the original source of payment used by the passenger to book the cruise.

The Carnival Miracle will continue with its scheduled May 12 stop, but some shore excursions have been canceled, a spokesman said.

The U.S. State Department issued an updated travel warning for Mexico on May 5 detailing the “risk of traveling to certain places in Mexico due to threats to safety and security posed by organized criminal groups in the country.”

Celebrity to offer high-end cruise tours

By Tom Stieghorst
Celebrity Cruises plans to launch regular high-end cruise tours, with the first three set to be offered in 2015.

The product will be known as Celebrity Explorations. Travel agents will earn commission on the land portion at the same rate as their cruise commission, said Dondra Ritzenthaler, Celebrity’s senior vice president of sales and trade support and services.

“We are always trying think of things that our travel partners will like and embrace,” Ritzenthaler said, while at the same time being popular with cruise customers.

A cruise tour that combines a three-night stay and city tour in Sydney with a Celebrity Solstice cruise from Australia will kick off the new venture in January.

In August, Celebrity will begin offering a five-night African safari that will end with a cruise on one of several itineraries from Southampton, England.

Finally, in December, Celebrity will begin offering a river/ocean cruise combination that includes a four-night voyage on the Amazon River and a longer Celebrity Infinity cruise in South America.

Ritzenthaler said there will be other cruise tours developed as time goes by. “The strategy is we’ll continue to give our travel partners and guests Celebrity Explorations on an ongoing basis, so it’s not a one-time deal,” she said.

Celebrity earlier this year promoted a five-night African safari with a Black Sea cruise with departures this fall as part of a pilot program for the new offerings.