Stick with Riviera Maya or Change it?!

Well 1. It’s not new that you shouldn’t be off the resort after sunset in Mexico. That’s been in most travel advisories for a long time. 2. Several of the “tainted alcohol” stories in my opinion are bogus. Most of the ones I’ve read, people have no idea how much they drank before they got sick or they were pounding drinks while also out in the hot sun (a surefire way to make yourself sick).

I personally wouldn’t book a vacation to Mexico right now, but I also wouldn’t change it for the reasons you listed. Keep in mind that Punta Cana has a lot of the same issues Mexico does when it comes to crime off the resort.

I would change it. Either place sounds better than riviera maya right now. You want to go and be able to enjoy yourself

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The "tainted alcohol" stories are not bogus. A girl from my daughter's college who was traveling with her parents died. One of my co-workers witnessed a resort re-filling premium liquor bottles with other stuff in a back room at a resort she visited last year. Personally I wouldn't travel to Mexico ever, but just to be clear, the stories are not bogus when they touch the lives of people you know.

https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/2017/07/12/wisconsin-family-questions-daughters-mysterious-drowning-mexico/469647001/

View Quoted Comment I’m sorry that she died, and I didn’t say ALL the stories are bogus, but several of the news stories about this talk about visitors of the resorts doing several shots at the pool or drinking all day in the sun before they started feeling ill. Neither of those things takes tainted alcohol to cause issues. Could they be re-filling premium bottles with other, lower quality liquors? Absolutely. But they do that at bars across the US too.

I went to Mexico a year ago and felt super safe. We stayed on the resort.

The same warnings are in Punta Cana and Jamaica almost all the time. I've been to both places and it was fine. I wouldnt let it ruin your trip.

We are going to Mexico regardless of those two things. They are nothing new and there have been travel advisories in place for the last ten years . I wouldn’t leave a resort in most countries honestly. A friend of mine went to St John and was walking alone . He was badly beaten for a wallet he wasn’t even carrying with him. You have to be careful anywhere you go.

I was just at Riviera Maya last month and these travel warnings were already in place, and it was totally fine. We never left the resort, but did walk through the resort at night and felt completely safe (and we were 2 girls alone). These all-inclusive resorts have tons of security, so I think the only concern would be if you want to leave and go out on your own. Our resort also offered complimentary transfer to and from the airport, which helped a lot - I probably would have been nervous just getting into any cab.

We also drank whatever we wanted and never got sick. I imagine you’ve done research on your resort and it’s highly rated? Does your travel agent recommend switching? All in all, if your only concerns are the news stories, I wouldn’t change it - I’d go and enjoy your honeymoon!

If your other two options are Dominican Republic and Jamaica, I would say stick with Mexico and avoid the fee to change. Those three places all have a lot of the same risks which you can expect anywhere there are people struggling with poverty. Just follow the safety precautions you would as a tourist anywhere, avoid any situation if you get a bad feeling about it, and do research on the places you plan to visit/eat/party. You should be fine.

I live in southern Cali so I feel our view on Meixco is a little more relaxed from the rest of the country. We just spent 7 days in Cancun and had an amazing time. We didn’t have any issues with cocktails or the people. Traveling is dangerous- whether you are going to Europe, Mexico, or Colorado. Be aware of your surroundings and you should be fine. If it is something you aren’t going to be able to relax and enjoy don’t go.

Stick with your gut, whatever you decide. Personally I love the idea of traveling but I am a huge chicken about things so I don’t travel internationally much. If you’re really worried you could check out Prieto rico as well, it’s a us territory?

I was very nervous about travelling to Mexico before I went last October. We stayed at a nice resort and didn’t leave it. We felt absolutely safe the entire time we were there! We’ve also travelled to Dominican Republic and Cuba and felt absolutely safe. Just have to be aware of your surroundings.

Thanks all for responding!! We decided to change it to Jamaica. Even though the fees suck to change everything I think it'll be worth it.

I would definitely change it. Don't go anywhere that you are not comfortable with.