Russian Federation Travel Alert

Courtesy Sochi 2014

SOCHI 2014 OLYMPICS

 Information for Travelers 

The U.S. Department of State updated a Travel Alert today for U.S. citizens planning to attend the 2014 Olympic Games in Russia that they should remain attentive regarding their personal security at all times.

Issued:              24 January 2014

Replaced:         10 January 2014

Expires:            24 March 2014

The alert replaces the previous one and provides updated information on reported threats against the Games.

Full information about the Olympic and Paralympic games for U.S. citizen visitors is available on the Sochi Fact Sheet and the Country Specific Information for the Russian Federation on their website, travel.state.gov.  The Department strongly recommends that all U.S. citizens residing or traveling abroad enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) in order to receive pertinent safety and security information.  

The alert covers several areas including the following:

MEDICAL CARE:  

• first large-scale event
• medical capacity is untested
• treatment differs substantially from Western standards
• recommend purchasing private medical evacuation and/or repatriation insurance

TERRORISM:

• attractive target for terrorist  
• U.S. Government monitoring threats
• bombings & hostage events have occurred
• no indication of a specific threat to U.S. institutions or citizens
• be aware of personal surroundings and follow good security practices

CRIME:

• remain alert regarding personal security at all times
• Criminal activity in Sochi is similar to other cities of comparable size
• avoid carrying large amounts of money or other valuables 

PUBLIC DEMONSTRATIONS:

• avoid large crowds in areas that lack enhanced security measures
• use caution if protests, demonstrations, or other public disturbances are taking place

LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, AND TRANSGENDER (LGBT) ISSUES:

• LGBT travelers should review the State Department’s LGBT Travel Information page

LODGING:

• May be shortages of lodging
• Book well in advance

SOURCE:   Russian Federation Travel Alert Last Updated: January 24, 2014 U.S. Embassy Moscow Bolshoy Deviatinsky Pereulok No. 8 (Consular Section located at Novinskiy Bulvar 21) Moscow 121099, Russian Federation Telephone (7) (495) 728-5000 or (7) (495) 728-5577 Emergency Telephone (7) (495) 728-5000 Fax (7) (495) 728-5084 Email moscowwarden@state.gov U.S. Embassy Moscow

Honduras Travel Warning Continued

State Department

Travel Warnings

The Department of State continues to warn U.S. citizens that the level of crime and violence in Honduras remains critically high.

Crime remains high and the warning indicates that the government of Honduras lacks the resources to control the problem.  Honduras has the highest murder rate in the entire world.   See full text of warning ...

UPDATE:  Subsequent to this article, a family of five - passengers on Carnival Conquest, were robbed at gunpoint.  See Passengers Robbed Honduras for complete details.

Tourist Areas  Have Fewer Incidents

Tourism is a large portion of Honduras economy, with cruise lines continuing to stop there even in light of the State Department warnings.   The Honduras government has increased police presence and established special police forces in areas frequented by tourists, such as the Copan Mayan ruins and Roatan.

Recommendations

The travel warning suggests that tourists be vigilant and travel in groups of two or more.  That is practical advice for any destination, even here in the states.  The warning states "It is also advisable to avoid wearing jewelry and carrying large sums of money or displaying cash, ATM/credit cards, or other valuables. U.S. citizens should avoid walking at night in most areas of Honduras or walking alone on beaches, historic ruins, and trails."

Know Before You Go

For more detailed information regarding personal security, please see the State Department's Country Specific Information for Honduras. For the latest security information, U.S. citizens traveling abroad should regularly monitor the Bureau of Consular Affairs’ Web site, where the Worldwide Caution, Travel Warnings, and Travel Alerts can be found. 

Consult our International Travel page for more links that are useful when traveling abroad.

Sail Away From Civitavecchia

Star Princess Prepares to 

Sail from Civitavechia, Italy

Having completed our two-night pre-cruise stay in Rome, Italy, and our train ride to the pier, we were anxious to get on board the Star Princess for the actual cruise portion of our vacation.   These next posts will describe our Mediterranean adventure in detail.  We hope you enjoy your virtual cruise of the Mediterranean and Greek Isles.

Monday, May 30th was a beautiful day in Civitavecchi, Italy, as the Star Princess prepared to depart on its 12-Night journey to the Mediterranean ports with a special emphasis on the Greek Isles.

Passengers were up on the outside decks, soaking in the sun's rays and watching as last minute activities took place getting ready for our departure.   


As it turned out, we were not on deck when the actual sail-away took place, because we had early seating dinner (6 PM).  The ship departed shortly after that.

There were still some people in the pool as Star Princess was concluding final preparations for our departure.  The sun would be out for several more hours yet, so if you didn't have to be at dinner, there was certainly no rush to leave.

We had already completed the mandatory safety drill, where we learned about a situation that occurred on the previous sailing, which would have an impact on us for the first few days.   There had been an increased report of gastrointestinal illness on the last cruise, attributed to people eating meals on shore.   Consequently, the ship had undergone an extensive sanitation process when it docked in Civitavecchia.   

In addition to the sanitation, special food handling procedures had been put in place.   We hadn't paid much attention to it when we first got onboard, but after we heard the announcement during the safety drill, things made sense.

In the buffet, as well as other food venues, the wait staff was serving food.   Passengers were not allowed to handle food on the serving line - this included even such things as rolls and condiments.   After two full days, the ban was lifted and life onboard returned to normal with no outbreaks during our cruise.   While it was inconvenient for the first days, taking longer to get through the food line for example, we commend Princess Cruises for proactively handling the situation to prevent any further problems on our cruise.

Welcome aboard ... the Mediterranean adventure begins in earnest now.  Be sure to visit both our blog and Facebook Fan page often for more stories and photos of our journey.

Additional Reading:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (advice about any health advisories here and abroad)
Traveler's Health (CDC Travel specific topics)
Facts About Noroviruses on Cruise Ships  -  gastrointestinal (GI) illnesses can be prevented

Wash hands often. Wash hands after using the bathroom or changing diapers and before eating or preparing food.  Use alcohol-based hand sanitizer along with hand washing.

Norovirus outbreaks, when they occur on a cruise ship, always make the news.  The truth is these outbreaks can occur anywhere there are groups of people in a small area such as nursing homes, restaurants, catered events, hotels, and cruise ships.

 Vessel Sanitation Program - prevention and control of spread of gastrointestinal (GI) illnesses on cruise ships

 

Additional photos can be found on our Facebook Albums.




Click on the image to the left for more Blog posts about this trip.

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H1N1 Cruise Line Update - Norwegian Cruise Line

Norwegian Cruise Line's scheduled deployment does not include any ports of call in Mexico until the end of September 2009. However, they have proactively taken increased health and safety measures as a matter of caution.

The company has stringent protocols for cleaning and sanitation on all of its vessels to prevent the spread of infectious diseases. In addition, the company is taking proactive precautionary measures to protect its valued guests, including, but not limited to:

Fleet-wide guest screening via a health questionnaire prior to embarkation. Any guests exhibiting influenza symptoms which meet the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's case definition of suspect H1N1 influenza will not be allowed to board the vessel.

On-board education regarding H1N1 symptoms and preventative actions. An informative flyer is being placed in all staterooms fleetwide.

A mandatory visit to the ship's medical center for further evaluation and treatment if necessary for those guests who may develop flu-like symptoms while sailing.

On-board medical centers are stocking an appropriate amount of the anti-viral medication used to treat the illness, in the unlikely event the need for its use becomes necessary.

Norwegian Cruise Line will continue to closely follow developments regarding the H1N1 Influenza. Additional information regarding H1N1 is available at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website: http://www.cdc.gov/.