Cheshire Cat Photo Blog(...said the Cat: 'we're all mad here....')

Hooded gunmen robbed 22 guests of the Carnival Splendor cruise (based in Long Beach, California) while they traveled on a bus from a jungle hike in the pueblo of El Nogalito back to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. The 22 guests took the tour while on a week-long cruise that left Long Beach on February 19 and returned Sunday morning.

“The gunmen boarded the bus about 5 p.m. on Thursday and took cameras, money, watches and other valuable items, according to the newspapers El Norte and La Jornada. The gunmen then fled toward the hilly countryside. None of the guests were hurt, and all made it safely back to the cruise liner, Carnival said in a statement.“

Local authorities criticized the tour operator for not following recommended security procedures,  😉 and the Mayor of Puerta Vallarta, Salvador Gonzalez Resendiz, said that the tours in the countryside were not following safety recommendations and that a police officer or a security guard should accompany the tours.

The cruise line suspended the tour on the guided nature trail, and the company is working with guests to reimburse them for stolen items and to assist with lost identification. The Carnival Splendor ship generally carries over 3,000 passengers.

“Carnival sincerely apologizes to its guests for this very unfortunate and disturbing event,” the Miami-based company said.

As of last fall, Santa Clarita-based Princess Cruises, which is owned by Carnival Cruise Lines, decided to suspend stops in Puerta Vallarta because of the ongoing drug war. Princess Cruises was scheduled to resume visits to Puerta Vallarta this month. In February of 2011, after a shooting in a parking lot in the tourist area of the city of Mazatlán left two dead, several cruise lines canceled stops in Mazatlán, including Carnival Cruises, whose cancellation for Mazatlán remains in effect.

-Bill at

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