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Cruise Lines Skip Calls at Puerto Vallarta After Cartel Violence

Puerto Vallarta
iStock / Carlos Flores

Published Feb 26, 2026 10:44 PM by The Maritime Executive

 

During recent cartel violence in Puerto Vallarta, cruise lines paused calls at the port while the Mexican Navy began moving vessel assets in, both in response to a perceived need for improvements in security. 

On February 22, Mexican special forces killed top organized crime leader Nemesio Ruben Oseguera Cervantes, "El Mencho," the head of the powerful Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJGN) and one of Mexico's most-wanted fentanyl traffickers. In response to his death, cartel members launched a campaign of counterattacks across Mexico, including carjackings, fires and road blockades. 70 cartel operatives and law enforcement officers were killed in the operation and the ensuing violence, and 70 suspects have been arrested. 

Travel safety officials at the U.S. State Department issued a shelter-in-place order for U.S. citizens traveling in Jalisco, including the cruise destination and expatriate hub of Puerto Vallarta. As airlines canceled flights to and from Jalisco in response to escalating violence, many U.S. citizens were stranded. Others - members of the U.S. high net worth community - hired extraction teams and used private waterborne transport to get to the safety of Cabo San Lucas, private-security sources told the New York Post. 

A State Department Level 3 (reconsider travel) warning remains in effect for Jalisco, one step below the "do not travel" warning still in effect for nearby Sinaloa, Zacatecas and Colima. However, the port of Puerto Vallarta is now operating normally, and the cartel's blockades have been cleared from the roadways. All essential travel services have reportedly resumed as normal. 

In response to the unrest, Carnival Cruise Lines is maintaining a cautious approach and has suspended port calls in Puerto Vallarta for the time being. Guests for the February 28 departure of Carnival Panorama have been informed that the cruise line will be waiting "a few weeks" before returning to Jalisco; other Mexican Riviera ports are still on the itinerary, and Puerto Vallarta will be replaced by a sea day or by other ports of call. Pre-purchased shore excursions will be refunded accordingly. 

Norwegian Cruise Line, Princess Cruises and Holland America (a Carnival brand) have already taken similar actions affecting individual voyages, but Carnival Cruise Line's announcement is the first multiweek suspension. Meanwhile, Mexican Navy patrol boats have been seen arriving in force, patrolling the beachfront and the seaport. 

There are still reasons to proceed with caution in Puerto Vallarta, even though normal patterns of life have resumed. Nearly two dozen convicted criminals who escaped from the local prison during the violence are still at large, and a manhunt is under way across Mexico. And the CJGN is still very much active in the region, and its members continue to commit acts of retribution in neighboring states in connection with the killing of El Mencho.