Major US cruises are diverting their ships away from popular Mexican ports due to widespread violence after the death of the country’s top cartel boss.
Norwegian Cruise Line said its 4,000-passenger ship, the Norwegian Bliss, would skip the resort community of Puerto Vallarta on Wednesday.
The move comes after Carnival Corp opted to have its Royal Princess cruise also skip Puerto Vallarta, where many American tourists are currently taking shelter.
The Royal Princess, which can carry more than 3,000 passengers, was instead ordered to extend its stop at Cabo San Lucas, on the other side of the Gulf of California, on Monday.
The ship will then travel to Mazatlán, about 280 miles north of Puerto Vallarta, on Wednesday.
Carnival issued a similar order to the subsidiary Holland America-operated Zuiderdam ship, which skipped Puerto Vallarta for a day at sea.
Along with the cruises, major American and Canadian airlines canceled their flights to the Puerto Vallarta and Guadalajara airports on Sunday following the death of Jalisco New Generation Cartel drug lord Nemesio Oseguera, known as “El Mencho.”
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Oseguera’s death triggered mass attacks across Jalisco and at least 19 other states, with the cartel creating more than 2,500 roadblocks by burning and blowing up vehicles.
Tourists in Puerto Vallarta were subsequently ordered to stay indoors, with the US State Department urging citizens to shelter in place until the violence ends.
