You may have recently read that Argentinian port authorities have refused entry to two cruise ships, the P&O Adonia, which was banned from entering Ushuaia earlier this week and the Princess ship Star Princess which was also prevented from entering the port.
When I first heard about this I thought it was just the Argentinian government being awkward as it was a British ship, (the Adonia), that had just called in at the Falklands.
But then the same thing happened to the Star Princess, which as we all know is an American cruise ship.
Predictably there has been a huge jingoistic response from UK based websites/forums/news outlets etc, but really what's the problem here? It's not like this is a new, or even unusual situation in cruising.
Take the issue of Cuba. No American cruise ships are allowed to dock at Cuba and no foreign cruise ship can call in at an American port for at least six months after visiting Cuba.
Look at some Middle Eastern countries, though won't let you in if you have an Israeli stamp on your passport.
So come on people get some perspective. If Argentina wants to turn away good tourist money, let it. It's a clear cut case of chopping off it's own nose to spite it's face. But don't act as though this is a new or even a particularly shocking phenomenon in the cruising world; it's been like this ever since I can remember it!
Happy cruising.
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