MikeY137

Appreciate all for your input.  I appreciate the education and now get how the extra distance really would mess up both days in port... Thanks for the math and the pointers to St T boycott. We have a sea day tomorrow and I look forward to reading more.  Much appreciated!  

My kids make fun of me because I actually give them general safety briefings as well as CT briefings depending on the area. Avoiding large gatherings, to include protests, is always on the check list.. haha!

My kids make fun of me because I actually give them general safety briefings as well as CT briefings depending on the area. Avoiding large gatherings, to include protests, is always on the check list.. haha!

State probably won't have advisories as Puerto Rico is a US Territory, I believe.
And for the record, I agree. RC should have....
But as my grandmother would say, "Should have, would have, could have...."
Sadly, I have given up expecting anyone (person or entity) to do what they SHOULD do.
And, my post wasn't so much geared to you in particular, just to all those reading who don't travel often so might not be aware the resource exists.
Part of my job involves giving travel briefs, so it's just something I do as a matter of habit.
If an individual isn't used to doing that then it stands to reason they might be happy to IF they knew they could research it the same as they would research packing cubes or drink prices ?
If you or anyone happens to be in an area where a demonstration is brewing or appearing to gather, the advice I give my people is to duck into a store or other building and try to go out the back then make your way AWAY from the nexus of the gathering as quickly as possible without drawing too much attention to yourself by behaving in a way that suggests you are frightened or in a panic. And, of course, avoiding areas of demonstration altogether is even better but it's not always easy to anticipate those.
Even the State site isn't perfect and they can only report on trends or already publicized gatherings.
Maybe when I retire, I can live on a nice ship and do safety, security, and travel briefs for my retirement job ?
Side note: surprised they don't have those. They spend so much time doing a muster drill but don't prep you to be safe unless the ship is sinking or the deck is wet?
 

To all those reading who may not already, I highly recommend all those who travel do their own research on their destination(s) to see if there are any current travel advisories.
The State Department is an excellent resource if you are going out of the country: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories.html/
In addition, enroll in the STEP:
Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP)
Create an account at STEP.state.gov and provide the details of your specific trip, including dates of arrival and departure for the countries you choose. We will email you new Travel Advisories and Alerts as soon as we issue them, so be sure to provide an email address that you can access during your trip. Finally, if you are traveling within the US or one of it's territories you can always google: Travel Advisory NAMEOFPLACEYOUAREGOING and see what comes up as often other countries (Canada for example) might go more into detail on US locations as they are not part of their own country.
While I grasp the thought that RC maybe should have said something re demonstrations, I still see it as my responsibility to be aware of conditions or concerns wherever I am traveling to. But then, I have trust issues so I am not going to rely on a cruise company to have my back at the end of the day. No offense to RC but that's just how I roll.
For example, I am going to Bermuda in 281 days (who's counting!?!?) and I am already checking their page on the State Department weekly just to make sure I am on top of things there. They list out:
"Valuables left unattended in public areas, in unsecured hotel rooms, or on rental motorbikes are vulnerable to theft. Criminals have been known to target visitors on motorbikes and at popular tourist attractions, and purse snatchings (perpetrated by thieves riding motorbikes) and muggings have occurred in the past. The back streets of the City of Hamilton have been the setting for nighttime assaults, particularly at night after the bars close. Travelers should exercise caution when walking after dark or visiting out-of-the-way places on the island as they can be vulnerable to theft and assault, and because narrow and dark roadways can contribute to accidents.
Travelers should note the presence of gangs and illegal drug activity in Bermuda. There have been no reports of gang violence targeted towards visitors to Bermuda, although gang-related shooting incidents have occurred and continue to occur throughout the island."
Does this mean I have to panic and be scared? No.
But it probably means I will exercise responsible precautions based on the intelligence I am compiling as I prepare for my trip.
Educate yourself on beyond the drink packages and dining menus. Stay safe.
Or don't. Your call. But that's what I'll be doing.

I'm still trying to determine the validity of the St Thomas story.  Empress went to St Thomas today.  While it doesn't have the capacity of an Oasis class ship, it's still some traffic and revenue for the port.  In fact in the wake of the Cuba changes, St Thomas is picking up a number of ship visits from various cruise lines.  
It's possible the reporter that published that story was drawing conclusions to suit tbe narrative.   The story has since been taken down if I'm not mistaken.  

In addition to the detailed analysis by @twangster , there was a "boycott" of St Thomas which was recently announced for various reasons.  Not sure if your itinerary was caught up in that, and I'm not saying it was, but there's been some press...  All this means it made sense to go to San Juan. 

Today you departed San Juan at 2pm on the way to Nassau for a 10:15am arrival (guest walking off the ship at 11am).
The roughly 60nm extra for St Thomas may seem trivial but that is 3 to 4 hours for a ship especially for a ship that can't run at full speed.  
For a 10:15am arrival into Nassau you would need to leave St Thomas 3 to 4 hours earlier then you left San Juan, departing at 10am to 11am.  That would have created a port stop in St Thomas something like 7am to 11am.  That's not a very nice day in St Thomas.  
As an alternative you could have left St Thomas at 2pm and arrive into Nassau at something 2pm (with guest walking off the ship at 2:45pm) but you are leaving at 6:30pm so another short ugly day in port.
While 60nm may seem like nothing, it is for a ship.  Lobbing 3 to 4 hours off a port visit is a big deal.  

Appreciate all for your input.  I appreciate the education and now get how the extra distance really would mess up both days in port... Thanks for the math and the pointers to St T boycott. We have a sea day tomorrow and I look forward to reading more.  Much appreciated!