Mexico Danger-wedding cancelation PLEASE HELP

[yeya99]

I am at a loss. I have been my planning my wedding for such a long time and now 90% of my wedding party has bailed out on me. Even my own parents and family members do not want to go to Mexico.  They keep seeing the news every day and all the reports about Mexico seem to be about how horrible and dangerous Mexico has gotten. Every day they literally bring me to tears asking me to cancel my wedding or move it to a safer country.  Aft first I used to think its ok things will get better but it seems that now that we only have a 2 months away for me wedding the situation down there is getting worse.  First it was kidnappings and rapes and now the shootings and horrific things have spread from border towns are now Cancun itself.  First we planned for a 100 guest wedding then things in Mexico started to freak people out and then our guest were down to half. NOW I have about 20 and not even my family is up for going. =9(  I dont know if I should cancel and move the wedding to another country all together as every one is really concerned because they constantly keep stressing me out about the whole situation as if it was my fault.

 

 

What should I do should I cancel the wedding? My father refuses to go and says that Im putting every ones lives in danger when even the US warns its citizens about traveling to Mexico at this time.  It does not help either that it came out on the news that they found 50 dead bodies in a pit someplace in cancun and that some through a an explosive at a club in cancun also!. aggggggggggggggggggggggggg Im just in tears and dont know what to do.  Is any one else facing the same situation?  I really dont know what to do.  PLEASE HELP. Especially would love to hear from people who are there now or have just recently returned home fron a trip down there.

[starchild]

Sorry you are dealing with this.  I honestly do not know what is going on there but for what it's worth my 22 year old cousin and her girlfriend just went to Cancun 2 weeks ago alone and returned without incident after a week long stay.  Keep in mind that things like this do go on all over Mexico but the media hypes stuff up at the same time and it's not always as bad as it seems.

 

It stinks that you were told you are putting people's lives in danger, that's something you don't need on your shoulders.  How important is a Cancun wedding to you?  If it's really important you'll go whether you have 2 guests or 52 guests.  If having your parents and everyone there is more important then you will have to change your plans.  It doesn't sound like they are budging.

 

Me?  I would go to Cancun and maybe have an AHR or something when I return.  Follow your heart

[clgriffi7]

I am currently in the process of booking my wedding in Cancun for November 2011 - so you can see that the violence has not scared me off.  In my opinion the majority of the violence is along the border and not in Cancun.  However, Cancun is a city - there will be violence.  Are there not reports of murders and such in cities like NY, Miami, & LA.  Would you cancel you trip to those cities based on those reports? (My city in North Carolina reports murders weekly - it is all about where you go and when you go there.)

 

I have not heard of 50 bodies in a pit in Cancun.  I just went to google and looked and all I could find was a report in July of 6 bodies found in a cave.  As there was no report of these being tourists - I am not concerned.  For my trip, I plan on recommending my guests stay "on the beaten path".

 

I am truly sorry that your guests and especially your family are putting you in this position.  If they are convinced that it is dangerous, I doubt there will be anything you can do to change their mind.  my suggestion would be to go with your heart and make your decision to hold your current date/location or move to another country very quickly and then stick to your decision so that you are not being emotionally beat up.  My suggestion is to look at the list of guests who are still planning on coming and decide whether you will be happy with only those people being there for your special day.  Best of luck deciding!

[SusanInCancun]

Yeya99,

 

I'm sorry your family has made wedding planning (supposed to be a HAPPY time) a nightmare.  I hope you haven't cancelled yet, because your family is misinformed.  The US State Dept.  does advise against visiting border towns, where the violence is.  They do NOT advise against visiting Cancun and the Yucatan Peninsula, however.  

 

I live in Cancun (have been here for 7 years) and sure, there is violence.  Do I fear for my life every time I leave my home??  Certainly not.  The violence in Cancun, that you may have heard of on the news, is pretty much confined to the drug cartels.  To date, no tourists have been injured or killed, due to the drug cartel violence and, as far as I know, none of the incidents have taken place in the hotel zone.  I feel as safe here as I do in any city in the US.  You wouldn't cancel a trip to Florida if you heard there was violence in Texas, would you?  Then don't cancel your trip to Cancun because there is violence over 1,500 miles away.  Your family needs to educate themselves on the real situation in Mexico, and on the geography of the country, and stop raining on your parade.      

 

[Angie28]

i live in a beautiful place name Tulum  3 years ago just 1 hour and a half from Cancun at the South..... very safetly place..

 

The borders is where the violence is..so i think you should go forward with your plans and follow your heart... maybe you can come with your friends before to Cancun and check by yourself

[Angie28]

By the way, the borders are at the north of the country..

[LaLuna]

 

Originally Posted by SusanInCancun 

Yeya99,

 

I'm sorry your family has made wedding planning (supposed to be a HAPPY time) a nightmare.  I hope you haven't cancelled yet, because your family is misinformed.  The US State Dept.  does advise against visiting border towns, where the violence is.  They do NOT advise against visiting Cancun and the Yucatan Peninsula, however.  

 

I live in Cancun (have been here for 7 years) and sure, there is violence.  Do I fear for my life every time I leave my home??  Certainly not.  The violence in Cancun, that you may have heard of on the news, is pretty much confined to the drug cartels.  To date, no tourists have been injured or killed, due to the drug cartel violence and, as far as I know, none of the incidents have taken place in the hotel zone.  I feel as safe here as I do in any city in the US.  You wouldn't cancel a trip to Florida if you heard there was violence in Texas, would you?  Then don't cancel your trip to Cancun because there is violence over 1,500 miles away.  Your family needs to educate themselves on the real situation in Mexico, and on the geography of the country, and stop raining on your parade.      

 

 

Hola Amiga, right on.

 

Scroll down and click play on the video in this thread as you read this reply please?   ("music" for those of u at work that can't have any audio-- try and put "don't worry be happy" looping over and over in your mind, its pretty easy...

 

 

I'm a Playaence for nearly 4 years.  I spent time in Cancun in 2005 and 2006 with Sol.   Words can not describe the comfort and NO WORRIES in our minds about the cartel or any potential drug related incident.   We have traveled 3000+ Kilometers on lots of roads in the entire Yucatan Peninsula and the southern state of Chiapas.

 

We have grown to know a special energy living in Playa.  This place is honestly magical.    Folks come here by the millions and unknown zillions.  Military and police protect the Riviera Maya with a very obvious presence.  They are ready for war sometimes...police filtration stations are often entering and exiting playa and cancun.   I feel safe, live in a neighborhood that is nice enough... We ride our bicycles across the entire city, often and on many cross streets and side streets, even in the lean to hood.  Perhaps there is a security guard at my condo complex that ripped off a bike (then returned it 2 days later after getting called out) shocker he gets paid 400 dollars a month....Police officers take bribes, political officials keep proving to be corrupt... However, Comparing Playa del Carmen (or Cancun) to a border Mexico / USA town is a joke, totally absurd.  There is a war at the border, no question.

 

 

I think the universe's has a system of checks and balances to keep this place in check, so it could be a positive for the environment...less tourists,  Less impact and smaller carbon footprint for the region...  That is their destiny and more power to them, I'm driven to believe that everything is happening for a reason....SO sorry for the brides and families that they put this unnecessary stress on....oh well, i digress and regress and continue to stare at the turquoise water, drag my feet in the sand, paddle board, surf, dive, snorkel, swim and enjoy my little space in paradise.

 

Mateo (me) y Sol y equipo del Sol / Laluna (which is like 9 of us and all world travelers) with lotsa nationalities represented.  We are American, Mexican, Italian and French and can all testify to the sensationalism of national news media.... Crime happens and some very horrible terrible crimes against humanity from ordinary people, occur everywhere and often.  The news medias enjoy scaring folks.   Me think the fellow amigo Bobby McFerrin has the right idea:

 

 

If I dont worry and be happy, I think its all going to be ok, for now   Ok.... The mayan apocalypse in 2012...here we go again   Somebody should make another movie

[murmel]

I have visited Mexico numerous times and have never had an issue. I am heading down October 12-19, so I'll update you upon my return. But as most people advise, treat Mexico like any big city, be aware of your surroundings, don't show off your money, and relax. The tourist areas are beautiful and the people are friendly!

[murmel]

Sorry should have included I have travelled to the Mayan Riviera area, and Los Cabos area. The areas they are warning people about are the border towns and Mexico City can have its moments. But the tourist areas are safe! I am also sorry that your family hasn't taken the time to actually inform themselves of the proper information and are scaring themselves with stories of areas that are hundreds of miles away. Perhaps you can print off the actual US travel advisory, so that they can read it for themselves. I would also include a map to show how far apart the areas are as well. (we had a few guests that mentioned their fears, and after telling them what was really going on, they are not worried anymore)

Good luck.

[wnmrtn8]

I am not getting married in Cancun, I am getting married in Vallarta and I recently started listening to all the bad news of Mexico. I started getting concern and I don't want to place any of my guest in danger either, I want everyone to be safe and have a good time so I research and like the other lady's from this forum said it's not in tourist locations. If you really want to have your wedding in Cancun and you don't feel that Cancun is safe maybe you might want to change it to Playa del Carmen, Cozumel, Isla mujeres where its much quieter and peaceful.  I know when I went to Cancun 2 years ago our hotel recommended us not to go out side hotel zone after 10pm and also not to attend clubs or bars outside the hotel zone. My recommendation is to stay in tourist areas. People that work in Hotel zones most take care of their tourist b/c that's how the make their living and they need tourist in order to survive. I had a great experience with our hotel they took very well care of us.