Cruisers should take all United States State Department travel advisories seriously but also skeptically.
It’s not that the advisory does not contain real information that cruisers should be aware of. Instead, it’s a lack of context.
The State Department warning is absolutely important if you intend to explore on your own outside any closed-off cruise port areas. But if you never leave that safe zone, you should take basic precautions, but you are not really in the country, even though you are technically in the country.
In addition, if you take a cruise line sponsored excursion, chances are you will be mostly safe. Now, if the excursion includes time to explore local areas, you should certainly be cautious in those areas.
If, however, you are going to a private destination that has security, you simply don’t need to be as concerned.
It’s important to read every advisory issued and be aware of the potential danger, but you should not be scared about your cruise line actually putting you into a danger zone.
Doug Parker of Cruise News Today has the latest on a revised travel warning for the Bahamas issued by the U.S. government.
Nassau and Freeport cruise ports named in updated travel warning
Transcript:
This is Cruise News Today with Doug Parker.
Good morning. Here’s your cruise news for Thursday, April 3.
The U.S. State Department has updated its travel advisory for the Bahamas, warning cruise passengers to exercise increased caution.
Now for reference, the travel advisory, which has been at Level 2 for a while, was just updated to reflect unsafe jet ski rentals crime and the popular areas pointed out were Nassau and Freeport.
Passengers should stay with groups, avoid isolated areas, and double-check for banned items before boarding the ship. At the time of broadcast, no cruise lines have changed itineraries.
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Majestic Princess back at sea; Cruise ship stuck in ice
And the Majestic Princess is back in service after a two-week dry dock in Italy with a range of new dining, shopping, and entertainment upgrades. Princess Cruises unveiled the revamped spaces like O’Malley’s Irish Pub and Sabatini’s and expanded shopping.
After sailing Europe through the summer, Majestic Princess heads to Canada, New England, and the Caribbean later this year.
And a cruise ship got stuck in a sea of ice off the coast of Finland. The Hanseatic Spirit, with over 200 passengers on board, became trapped in ice up to nine feet thick, well beyond its limits.
Now two Finnish icebreakers with 25,000 horsepower were dispatched to free the ship, which allowed it to resume its expedition by Monday.
Despite the delay, the cruise remains on schedule to end this weekend in Hamburg. Passengers use the time to attend onboard lectures about the Arctic, the Northern Lights, and global warming.
If you have a lead on a story, let us know. [email protected]. A
nd this week’s cruise radio podcast, a review of Norwegian Prima, where you listen to your favorite podcast. I’m Doug Parker with Cruise News Today.
Have yourself a great Thursday.
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