We are taking a Mexican Riviera cruise next week and I hate to go "naked". What can I reasonable expect to be able to take. Knife? Multitool? PSK? FAK? I suppose I should will contact the cruise line, but any thoughts or experience on this? Thank you in advance.

I am soo used to EDCing a knife, multitool, several lights, a whistle, BSA Hotspark that if I cant I will feel totally unprepared...

I travel to Mexico occasionally for work. Getting caught with any knife (pocket knives, locking, non-locking, multitools, etc...) will end you in up a Mexican jail. This is not a good thing.

Mexico, Know Before You Go

Whistles, lights, antibotics, anti-diarrhea meds, oral rehydration salts, some sort of water purification, radio, and a phrase book are good ideas. I also usually track down the phone number/address of the nearest American Consulate.

Most people are very nice but crooked cops are everywhere. If one tries to "fine" you insist on going to the police station to pay the fine.

As for the cruise ship, I remember when we took a Royal Carribean cruise they had metal detectors on all the gangways.

-Blast

Several years ago a close friend of mine was robbed and beaten by a taxicab driver outside of Ensenada, and was left for dead several miles off the main road.

After hiking through the desert for several hours he came upon a police station. The officer that took the crime report asked if the taxi driver had gotten all of his money, to which he said no (he still had $200 hidden in his shoe). The officer demanded that he give him this money, and then told him to return home and be thankful that he was still alive.

I have been stopped several times while driving in Mexico for bogus traffic infractions -- everytime I have simply paid the "fine" at the scene and moved on. It is very helpfull to keep the majority of your money in a separate pocket, as the "fine" is typically whatever amount you can produce.

I've also found it is helpful to have a bunch of ones and fives in your wallet, as the cops down there tend to be more concerned with the quantity of bills that you have, versus the individual denominations of them.

Jim

Yikes!

Our company's policy is that we have to go to the police station in such a situation and get a reciept. Then we can write off the the "fine" on our expense report.

Mexico, in my opinion, generally sucks.

-Blast

I have family that life in Mexico 8 months of the year and they have no issues...the difference? They live in a motorhome and stay in very very small towns. Crime only happens in the urban areas and areas with high population density.

That's strange... for starters I would think it would be FAR safer for you to pay the "fine" on the spot than to try to demand paying at the station from a "police officer" who has already made it clear that he's crooked. I would be fearful of being shot by that cop or somehow finding that a mile down the road 3 of his buddies beat the crap out of me and still take the money.

Then for my company at least, we have a very strict policy on ethics for global travel. It's a terminable offense to give bribes even in countries where it's expected. I can't even fathom that they would reimburse any false "fines". How do they even write that off legally?

I for one haven't been to Mexico. Ever. And I don't see that changing. There's a lot better places to be.

As for travel, make sure you MEMORIZE a credit card that is NOT with you, hide at least one more card on your person, and hide cash in several places. Belts, neck pouches, shoes (heal or under the cushion), hidden pockets, hats etc. Never go without some cash. If you get off the ship, make sure you are aware of your departure time. Don't leave the "safe" area.

Make a point of letting someone at home know you are departing the ship and that they can expect a call at a certain time. If they don't hear back, they should be calling the consulate and local policia. The ship to shore calls will seem cheap compared to both the cruise and the safety net it provides if you don't show up at the dock when the ship is pulling away. If they have internet access, it may be cheaper than making a call, but the same principal applies.

My company has a very strict policy on bribing people to obtain business. Heck, I can't give out anything worth more than a pen to a customer. However, bribes to kidnappers and crooked cops are a completely different catagory. It is okay for us to pay out money if we feel our safety is in danger. In fact, when we go to certian places in Africa and South America employees are given "blood chits", documents that tell the kidnappers exactly how much we are worth and how to go about collecting the money.

I'm worth $18,000.

-Blast

Wow. I believe we have some policies like that as well, but I think we try to avoid those countries. Still, that's probably prudent to have a policy for situations like that. Especially in our world.]

I should clarify... I think we have a policy if there was a kidnapping. Not sure about payments if your life is threatened or if you get a "fine". I'll have to check in ont.

Hi Fordwillman,

The Mexican Riviera is a great place for a vacation (one of the best place in the world) and a great place to go diving although not as good as Egypt. I found the Mexicans really friendly and approachable. A cool Dos Equis beer whilst sunbathing under an azure blue sky while topless europeans ladies playing volley ball on the beach is nice. Senor frogs, Chitzen Itza, swimming with dolphins,


I'm afraid these young ladies at Senor frogs nightclub, won't be interested in whats in your PSK

Just make sure you wake up the next morning with both kidneys.

I have done cruises to the Mexican Riviera and would venture that being on a cruise ship schedule, you almost have to look for trouble to find it. You are in well patrolled tourist spots where the local economy doesn't need any bad publicity... word travels fast when bad stuff starts happening to cruise passengers and the ships have been known to change itineries away from places that aren't percieved as safe. There is plenty of corruption in Mexico, no doubt, but plenty of legitimate "golden geese" of tourist $, tax $ etc that are protected carefully in all those ports.
With ship security what it is, you will be photographed preboarding and you will have you ID card scanned everytime you board or leave the ship. If you fail to return on time, the cruise line knows about it immediately.
I have made wallet sized color copies of my passport page for me and all my family, and I carry those when I go ashore. I leave my original in the room safe.
FWIW, being surrounded by inebriated, out of the (normal) mind cruisers, their are many easier targets for bad guys to focus on that the typical reader of a forum like this one! It a little like not having to be as fast as the lion thats chasing you, only faster than the guy next to you.
I carry as little as possible when I go ashore, split out different credit cards from different banks between my wife and myself, one carries the ATM card, with the back up on the ship.
It also does not hurt to call your CC companies and you ATM bank that you will be in Mexico during the time, so they don't freeze your card.
I find the tourist areas of Mexico to be very welcoming and freindly.

Dang Blast,
You are worth just eighteen dollars????

On another note, cruise line officers are not happy when one shows up to lifeboat drill wearing SCUBA fins, face mask, snorkel, and BC Vest! I won't admit how I know that, but they aren't!

ROFL! Classic!

Depends on who's paying the ransom, my wife or my company...


-Blast

To add to this... cruise ship officers don't like it when you try to dive under their ship!!!! Some divers here a few years back tried it to one of the ships in the harbor (in cayman they anchor a bit from shore - no finger piers). They got so close then you see 4 security personnel in dive gear drop in the water. Don't know what happen to the guys who attempted it, but they didn't work on the island after that! Since then, that cruise ship started to carry underwater speakers.

I doubt that I would worry about being attacked on a cruise ship, i mean were are you going to go? As someone said, they know who is missing so that is also the suspect list. And it would be easy to find someone on board.

-Jace

Good link Blast, excellent info. I guess I'm not going south of the border anytime soon because:

"Excessive alcohol consumption and unruly behavior can lead to serious problems with Mexican authorities."

Yeah, enough said.

Or ask where the exposure suits are on an Alaska cruise. Haven't had the opportunity ask that one (yet).

Thanks Blast and all who replied. Downloaded the stuff from the links...I guess it will just be the camera and the Fenix LOD.

"...The officer demanded that he give him this money, and then told him to return home and be thankful that he was still alive.

I have been stopped several times while driving in Mexico for bogus traffic infractions -- everytime I have simply paid the "fine" at the scene and moved on. It is very helpfull to keep the majority of your money in a separate pocket, as the "fine" is typically whatever amount you can produce..."

And that my friends is why I don't venture south of the border.

As for getting onboard a cruise ship, Norwegian Cruise lines has you go thru a metal detector, your "stuff" goes thru an x-ray. All of the security people are from Nepal (former Gurkas???). Take a flashlight, signal mirror, whistle, leave the rest at home and enjoy the ride...

IRT to the company, it depends on whether you have finished the job or not!!!

... "the "fine" is typically whatever amount you can produce."

In the US the word bribe has such a negative connotation. In poorer nations they don't see it as corruption or usurious. Police and other officials are not well paid. 'Fines', 'donations' and 'user fees' are how these people live. The deal is they, these officials, are given a position and a nominal salary. They are expected to carry out the majority of the concerns of the office but to also make what they will of the leverage the office gives. Generally the law, and the way the law is handled, is that as long as the 'fees' are not excessive, usually judged on a sliding scale, with Yankees being assumed to be rich, they are free to extract value from their office.

Local police are often seen as doing their jobs if the local crimes are kept to a dull roar. And not all crimes are equal. Local punks, high spirited and enterprising youths, stealing anything not bolted down and shaking down people for the content of their wallets is seen as relatively harmless. Within certain limits.

Punks know not to hassle people with connections to the local community. Also to avoid the main streets of the tourist areas. And to limit any violence to a roughing people up.

In one case the break-ins to hotel rooms, rental cars, pickpocketing and muggings were a regular event. Usually it happens away from the main tourist areas and to people who were drunk or stupid. But it could happen to anyone. Generally the police would document the crime and only the stupidest criminals ever charged. Things changed when a punk stabbed someone during a robbery. Suddenly the local police were very effective. The perpetrator was found, confessed, evidently with a little help, and apologies and goods returned.

Shaking the tourists down is OK as long as it is done discreetly and they stay within the norms of behavior. Stabbing them crossed the line. This was clearly bad for business. The correction was swift and sure.

Note that the standard is a sliding scale. Remote areas with desperately deep poverty and boom/bust, sex trade and drug economies are still dangerous. You can be kidnapped, maimed or killed. Ironically extremely remote areas with pastoral and agricultural economies can be much safer than cities and tourist areas.

What I'm relating here is that crime here is seen as outside society. Over there certain types and levels of crime are seen as business as usual, part of the local ecosystem. Street thugs are essentially businessmen. They have a symbiotic relationship with the police and everyone works in the local industry, usually tourism, seen as extracting money from rich tourists without causing so much trauma that the tourists stop coming.

A policeman can't live on his pay. He sees his job as performing a service keeping the worse of crime, particularly violent crime, under control. He sees rich tourist as the primary beneficiaries of his efforts. So he considers it entirely right that the tourists should pay a user fee for his efforts to keep them relatively safe, if not entirely unmolested.

It pays to have many pockets and to have many small wads of money. Memorize what you have where. A five and five ones folded flat with a rubber band is a handy packet. This arrangement allows you to extract a 'donation' without exposing more than what you want to give.

Attitude also counts. Smile. Play the game. Be complimentary. If pulled for a traffic infraction you might comment that many, lesser, policeman might have missed the infraction. Comment on how official and respectable he looks in his uniform. Treat him with respect and acknowledge his authority without cloying. You need to be firm without challenging him.

Remember that he likely doesn't see this as a bribe or anything wrong. You are traveling in his territory. An area he works hard to make relatively safe for you. But for his efforts the local thugs might slit your throat and take everything you have. Donating to him is a small price to pay for his services.

Depends on who's paying the ransom, my wife or my company...


-Blast [/quote]
Pray it isn't the cat!

Hey, that cat loves me. I know this because when I wake up at night he's always sitting there staring at me.

That's love, right?

-Blast

Blast, Blast,,When he's licking his chops, it's because he's figuring out how to kill and cook you. Don't let him lull you with his guile!!!!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!!

"...That's love, right?..."

You just keep thinking there Butch...

Hi, fordwillman,
went on a cruise to Ensenada two weeks ago. A few surprises. The travel iron I've taken on three other cruises in the last three years is now considered a safety risk.. leave the iron behind. What I threw into the X-ray tray and was allowed was my Leatherman Squirt P4 and a titanium money clip.
Also, call your cell phone company and find out about foreign phone calls and check your cruise line's policy on their charges for your phone call going through their system. (And maybe you won't get an $800 surprise)
Save room for dessert(s) and enjoy.

P.S. Five litres of rum per person through customs hasn't been a problem yet.

A cruise ship off the coast of Antarctica has struck a submerged object and is sinking. All life boats have been launched and a handfull of crew remains onboard for the moment.

The question now is: What did the ETS member bring with his family, onboard the lifeboat, to ensure his family's survival????

In my case:
A) I would ensure everyone was dressed warmly and had a lifejacket,
B) grab every blanket we can carry,
C) grab whatever water, and
D) food that we can.

In that order.

E) I would bring whatever EDC I had brought/been allowed to bring onboard.

Remember, if you take too long, the last lifeboat may inadvertently leave you behind.

I was just going to bring up the cruise ship M/S Explorer. Seems like it doesn't take much to sink a cruise ship.

IF I was to take a cruise I'd take as much as they'd allow with the idea of getting to a lifeboat and surviving a short period as comfortably as possible. I'd pack a couple LED flashlights and I'd EDC my 1xAAA LED light -- when the lights go out a ship's interior is very dark. Signal mirror and whistle would be in my Mission Wallet with the 1xAAA LED. I'd have a small grab bag to store the extra supplies I'd want to have before the ship starts sinking. Have clothing that's good for an extended stay outside the ship's interior. On this M/S Explorer ship that might be Smartwool long underwear, wool socks, wool head cover (beanie) and a parka with a hood and big pockets to carry stuff -- nothing special, but layered and warm.

Just for conversation, I don't take cruises, did that enough in the Navy, don't need to pay for it.

Mexico?: I live in San Diego and NEVER go south of the border. Last time was 1998 and it was not a pleasant drive. Going into a tourist trap via cruise ship with the intent of paying $$$ and having a good time might be a different experience I'll never get the chance to try

Didn't realize knives were an issue in Mexico. Glad nothing transpired to bring that to somebody's attention and cause me to: 1) lose the knife and 2) pay a contribution to avoid any further issue.

Blast,
I hope you and yours had a fine day, Turkey - oops - a fine Turkey Day!

If the poor little kitty has a napkin tied around it's neck, and is holding a knife and fork (although, from the pictures, it doesn't need them) in it's paws, and is licking it's chops, it prob. loves you like I love a fine steak!

Some lessons can be learnt from the story of the Cruise ship Oceanos which began to sink of the coast of South Africa a few years back.
The Greek captain and crew secretly abandoned the ship leaving the passengers to die. They didn't even send out a mayday or distress signal. It was left up the British entertainment staff to call in the mayday and organise the evacuation.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9BFux2AAMso&feature=related

If going on a cruise ship, just make sure the captain and crew isn't Greek.

I interned with a cruise line while in college. I kept on board ship and currently in my boat a very small waterproof bag with a set of rain pants and a hooded jacket (rain, wind, and sun protection), a boonie style hat, good wrap around sunglasses, a weeks worth of prescription meds, water packets or water bottle(s), SPF 45 water use sun screen, space blanket now replaced with AMK 2 person heat sheet(s), a book or 2 (keep the mind occupied and emergency TP), camping TP, plastic whistle, small LED light, a small modified military fishing kit with extra 50 pound line, FAK, a SAK and a few energy bars. .I'm not sure if a SAK is allowed on cruise ships at this time.

The AMK PSP and SOL kits weren't available when I had the cruise ship bag, but they are part of my boat bag.

I think every life vest should have a whistle.

I think the knife / multitool ban depends on the cruise line, but I wouldn't try to sneak one on. You can pick up at least a butter knife once you're onboard if you absolutely can't live without it, but I wouldn't.

I think a flashlight (or one per person) is an excellent thing to carry. It's pretty useful just in day to day situations.

I'd consider carrying hand sanitizer and wipes. Some cruise lines like Disney bombard you with these but I think others just ask people to wash their hands. Ships get some nasty outbreaks and that might be your biggest realistic threat.

If the cruise line allows it, I like to pack a suitcase of bottled water. Or booze.

If your party splits up, it helps to establish some place to keep a little notepad to pass messages. Or you could try using the phone / voicemail system to do that. It's amazing how crippled we feel without cell phones. You could try some FRS / GMRS radios but if you don't use them right they're useless. A couple postit notes on a cabin door work fine.

When I took a cruise to Alaska earlier this year I carried a Doug Ritter PSK, an AMK Ultralight 5, and my Swiss Army knife on and of the cruise ship each day. Their metal detector never went off.

I did not carry any of these items, however, on the flight to or from Alaska.

Not so much on topic, but I've never had a problem in Mexico- TJ, Ensenada, Cabo, Puerto Vallarta, most of the west coast tourist spots. Not even when I was there on my senior vacation, drunk for 7 straight days. One night I found myself stumbling through a neighborhood, off the main drag, back towards the hotel. A pair of cops stopped me: Who am I? Why am I here? etc... usual cop stuff. When I started to reply in Spanish things seemed a bit more at ease. The point is, 1) I apparently speak Spanish really well when I'm drunk, and 2) knowing the local language can help a great deal. I guess it forms a connection so it's harder to roll you for money.

On the other hand, I could have been so wasted that they knew I had no money left!!

Having spent 18 wonderful month in Panama long ago, where they seem to speak Spanish a lot, I used to be pretty good at it. Unfortunately, 'bout all I remember is uno cervaza por favor...

Getting drunk in a place like Mexico doesn't seem like a smart thing to do.

A friend of my brother's goes to Mexico, and she has money sewn into most of her clothes. She said she's never had a problem, but she knows many who have, but most of them are the people who insist on partying no matter what the place or conditions.

Sue

Just got back from a Holland America Cariberian cruise. I had my Leatherman Wave and a Mora knife with ferostick whisle and 10ft paracord attached, a FSK couple of flashlights and two GPRS radios. No problem now if I had tried to bring on a bottle of scotch then I am sure there would have been trouble, LOL.

cheers