Cuba & Recent level 3 warning from the State Dept

[hiberger]

Does anyone have any info on the Cuba cruises since the State Dept put Cuba on a level 3 warning? It says to avoid travel there. It was just placed Friday March 2nd and I can't seem to get any response from RCCL.

[FredZiffle]

It does not appear that anything has changed. The Level 3 warning is based solely on the illnesses of unknown cause experienced by embassy staff. I did find it interesting that they are recommending tourists stay away from the Hotel Nacional because some people have apparently also experienced similar symptoms there.

 

I see nothing in the warning that will change my plans.

[hiberger]

I would bet that RCCL will change the itinerary and exclude Cuba due to this warning. It just came out Friday and I bet they are discussing it now. A warning from the State dept of this magnitude is pretty alarming.

[WestfieldTraveler]

The link to the advisory is below

 

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories/cuba-travel-advisory.html

 

it is apparently the reaction to the apparent issues some embassy employees had while working or living in embassy buildings, which so far has been limited to that. The question at hand is will whatever the Cuban government let loose on the embassy now be turned on tourists. I would *guess* not as it is much easier to target a building rather than people moving around on the ground. Also, would Cuba really want to cut off a source of hard currency the tourists bring in? From another perspective you can read the following:

 

https://www.travelagentcentral.com/destinations/travel-professionals-petition-state-department-to-change-cuba-advisory

 

Keep in mind each statement has their own ulterior goals in mind.

[pbenjamin]

Nobody knows for sure what happened. A recent study suggests that it was just eavesdropping gone awry. Nobody is going to change anything in terms of cruise itineraries.

 

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/world/americas/cuba/article203221919.html

[floridatravelersforlife]

The evesdropping has been identified per a UK article I read on the Drudge report. Apparently two evesdropping systems were misaligned and this caused a human detectable frequency which was causing the sickness. We were in Cuba on Dec 22 and experienced no illness. Then again we never got close to the US Embassy. It was great visit. Hope we can go back by air.

[Go-Bucks!]

We drove past the embassy....completely fenced all around, security guards at fence and it's not located where you'll be walking around. The illnesses were politically motivated....not targeted to tourists. I'm sure they like our tourism dollars!

 

Relax and enjoy Cuba! :D

[Richard in Panama]

Having done now 14 cruises on PEARL MIST around Cuba, and just having returned from Cuba, quite frankly the only evidence of any illness relative to Cuba I have witnessed, or experienced, has come from drinking too much Cuban rum and not from any real or imagined sonic weapon deployed either inside the US Embassy, [perhaps as a way of eliminating the possibility that after all these years of the Embassy building sitting vacant, one of the "usual suspects" had installed listening devices, that the US deployed some new, perhaps imperfect, sonic device to prevent outsiders from evesdropping - and we know how candid the US has been in the past about potential dangers of stuff like Agent Orange] or deployed by some hostile force outside the Embassy. It would appear that one thing the CIA and Cuban intelligence agree on, is that neither has any idea what is going on. Some have suggested "stress" as a potential cause and obviously the US State Department has experienced a lot of stress over past months.

 

I would not let all this kefuffle deter you from exploring and enjoying Cuba while you may, and before it becomes another cruise ship parking lot like Nassau, St Thomas, and St Martin. The Cuban people are wonderful, welcoming US Americans, and they understand that while they may have issues with the US government as well as their own government, in terms of people to people, they welcome and love visiting US Americans. If there is any advantage of a police state, it is that nobody has guns but the military and police, and Cuba is a very safe place to walk around.

 

And I've just finished my newest book CUBA: A GUIDE FOR CRUISING AROUND CUBA. My book, or on your own, the more reading and preparation you do before your trip, the more exciting and rewarding will be your Cuban adventure. Regards, Richard