Princess Cruises said it would proceed with a planned port call by the Sapphire Princess at Puerto Vallarta Tuesday, following the
armed robbery of a group of Carnival Cruise Lines' passengers in the destination last week.
"We are aware of the recent incident involving Carnival cruise passengers who were robbed while participating in a shore excursion outside of Puerto Vallarta. As the safety and security of our passengers and crew is our highest priority, our security department has reviewed the situation in light of the Sapphire Princess call there Feb. 28," the line said in a statement Monday.
"Princess Cruises does not offer this specific tour, nor do we offer any excursions to this area (approximately 40 miles from Puerto Vallarta). Based on the information available at this time, we will proceed with our call in Puerto Vallarta during the current cruise, and we have communicated this to our passengers onboard," the statement continued.
The Sapphire Princess is operating a seven-day Mexico cruise from Los Angeles.
According to Princess, additional calls to Puerto Vallarta remain planned for this season, including one in April when the Star Princess is due to visit the port on a 10-day sailing from San Francisco.
Princess Cruises last June suspended calls to Puerto Vallarta and Mazatlan, Mexico, citing safety concerns, but announced in October that it would include both destinations on several cruises this year.
On Feb. 23, 22 passengers sailing on the Carnival Splendor were robbed by an armed gunman during a guided nature trail excursion outside of Puerto Vallarta. There were no injuries and all passengers returned safely to the ship, Carnival said in a statement.
For cruise news and updates, follow Donna Tunney on Twitter @dttravelweekly.