Costa Rica will increase security during cruise calls

By now, many of you have read the story about the cruise ship passenger who killed a mugger with his bare hands during an attempted robbery in Costa Rica. The incident generated some concern about the safety of Costa Rica, and Carnival even flirted briefly with swapping its Limon stops for calls in Honduras.

The Chicago Sun-Times recently reported that Costa Rica plans to tighten security when cruise ships are in town. The extra precautions include doubling the number of police officers on patrol, installing security cameras throughout Limon, and keeping a close watch on the cars and buses transporting cruise passengers to the beaches and other tourist destinations.

Between October and February, 85,000 cruise-ship passengers visited Limon and only four security incidents were reported. I’ve never thought of Costa Rica as a particularly dangerous place to visit, but muggings can happen anywhere—even in yuppie Bethesda where I live.

If you’re considering a cruise that stops in Costa Rica or are already booked on one, I would say you have very little to fear. But, it’s always nice to know that the Costa Rican authorities are looking out for you, and that they want to do their best to give you an enjoyable and safe stay in their country.