Politics, Punditry, and Seabourn

POWER, POLITICS AND PUNDITRY: WASHINGTON INSIDERS HIGHLIGHT SEABOURN’S 2007 DRESS CIRCLE ENRICHMENTMIAMI

Guests traveling on select cruises aboard The Yachts of Seabourn in 2007 will share their voyages with luminaries from the closely entwined worlds of international politics and investigative journalism. Seabourn has invited a trio of prominent personalities, each possessed of special knowledge on these topics, to sail on board and provide its guests with privileged insights into the inner workings of public policy and the news mePdia, as a part of the Dress Circle onboard enrichment program.

David S. Broder is a Pulitzer Prize-winning correspondent for the Washington Post; a syndicated columnist whose insights are carried in over 300 newspapers nationwide, the author of half a dozen books on U.S. politics and a regular commentator on NBC’s Meet the Press; PBS’s Washington Week in Review and CNN’s Inside Politics. He will sail aboard Seabourn Pride’s 13-day cruise of “Rio & the Amazon” departing Rio de Janeiro on February 18, 2007.

Robert C. McFarlane is intimately familiar with the corridors of power, having served as national security advisor to President Reagan and in key White House posts in the Ford and Nixon administrations. As founder of Global Energy Systems and a director of the Washington Institute for Near East Studies, he is uniquely suited to join Seabourn Spirit’s 16-day voyage to “Arabia, India & Orchid Isles” departing Dubai on November 20, 2007.

Bob Schieffer was the popular anchor of the CBS Evening News in 2005 and 2006, but his exemplary career as a broadcast journalist includes 20 years as anchor of the Saturday CBS Evening News, 15 years as moderator of the network’s Sunday staple Face the Nation, and much more. As CBS chief Washington correspondent, he has covered presidential campaigns since 1972. He will be on board Seabourn Spirit’s 14-day cruise of “Asian Capitals & Vietnam” departing Singapore on December 6, 2007.On Seabourn’s yacht-like, 208-guest ships, guests will enjoy a privileged proximity to these celebrated experts, whose insights and anecdotes will surely add luster to the fascinating journey that they all will share.

They will also enjoy Seabourn’s Signature Delights including complimentary service of spirits and wines including French champagne throughout every cruise, gourmet cuisine created by celebrity chef Charlie Palmer, indulgent Pure Pampering therapeutic bathing selections from Molton Brown and an Exclusively Seabourn complimentary shoreside experience on every cruise.

Seabourn has been the highest-rated cruise line for two consecutive years in Travel + Leisure’s annual “World’s Best Awards” poll. The line has been honored on every Condé Nast Traveler Gold List and placed at the top of the luxury cruise category by readers of Departures, published exclusively for American Express Platinum and Centurion Cardmembers.The Yachts of Seabourn provides the ultimate in ultra luxury cruise vacations to the most desirable destinations on earth.

We're there. Shouldn't you be too?

Do I need a passport?

Clearwater Cruises only recommends traveling with a passport. We have offered this advice for over a decade, irrespective of current rules or changing rules. It has always been good advice, but now it makes sense for a lot more reasons. Most especially, it eliminates all those ifs, ands, or buts, and clears the way for any upcoming changes. It also helps protect you from unforeseen circumstances.

Do you need a passport? Maybe, or maybe not. It depends on where you are going, and when you are traveling.

All travelers will be required to have passports - including U.S. citizens returning to the U.S. by air from throughout the Western Hemisphere - on January 23, 2007. This new requirement includes Canadians, Americans and others who have previously been exempt from having to carry a passport to enter or re-enter the U.S.

Do I need a passport for my cruise? Maybe, or maybe not. It depends on where your cruise goes, or possibly some unplanned events.

No exact date is set but passports will be required for sea or cruise passengers entering or re-entering the U.S. on the same deadline as for land border crossings - some time before June 1, 2009. Here is a circumstance you may not have considered. What if an unforeseen accident or illness prevented you, or your travel mates from returning with the ship on the planned itinerary? For example; what if you slipped and broke a leg on the last stop in the Bahamas, and the ship left before the doctors got you fixed up in a cast? First, I hope you purchased ITravel insurance to cover the unexpected costs. Second, you will be returning home by air. You are required to have a passport. If you are wise and travel with a passport you won’t have a problem.

Personally, I never leave the U.S. without my passport no matter what itinerary I plan to travel. Whether the rules require it or not, I know this is good planning for unexpected circumstances. They are affordable, easily acquired, and they are valid for 10 years.

Travel Industry Association of America launched a new website -- www.GetAPassportNow.com -- to provide information to travelers about documents and deadlines mandated by the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative. The site also provides links to help U.S., Canadian, and Mexican citizens obtain passports. The message is that if you want to travel to or from the U.S., get a passport, said Roger Dow, president of TIA. According to the group, 40 percent of Canadians and just 27 percent of Americans currently have a passport.

Clearwater Cruises only recommends traveling with a passport, because we care about you.

Cruises and Norovirus

The recent news stories regarding norovirus incidents aboard cruise ships may cause some to express concern about vacationing at sea. Here is the latest norovirus information at your finger tips. Included are the procedures that cruise lines are taking, plus preventively measures you can take to stay healthy while enjoying their vacation. According to the most recent information, the facts are as follows:

What is norovirus? Norovirus sounds exotic, but it's well known as the "24-hour stomach bug" and is the second most prevalent illness in the U.S., after the common cold. Symptoms may include diarrhea, vomiting and stomach cramps that typically last one to two days.

There are numerous incidents of norovirus across the country, but the reason you hear about it with regard to cruise ships is because they are the only ones required to report gastrointestinal illness to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Hotels don't have to report it. Neither do airlines, universities or hospitals!

On cruise ships, the illness is typically spread through person-to-person contact by touching surfaces that someone with the virus previously had contact with, not from the food or water. So, cruisers should heed their mother's advice and wash their hands! The best way to prevent illness is to wash your hands thoroughly and often with soap and warm water.

What are the chances of getting norovirus? The CDC estimates that 23 million people in the U.S. (or eight percent of the population) contract norovirus each year; that's 1 in 12 people. In contrast, far less than one percent of all U.S. cruise guests are affected by norovirus annually; that's 1 in 3,600 people. The few cruise guests who experience symptoms should follow the guidance of the ship's medical staff to prevent the spread of the illness to fellow passengers.

In addition to taking individual precautions, you can be sure that cruise lines are vigilant in keeping a clean ship. Rigorous cleaning procedures are idisinfecto disinfect and sanitize public areas including all door handles, railings, elevator buttons and slot machine levers, to name just a few. In fact, according to the CDC, cruise lines have the highest sanitation standards in the world!

Rest assured that the safety and well-being of our guests is the cruise industry's highest priority. Should you seek additional information, including more information on norovirus, tips for staying healthy on a cruise and proper hand-washing techniques, please visit the CDC's Vessel Sanitation Program Web site at www.cdc.gov/nceh/vsp or www.cdc.gov