While you may already be weary of reading and hearing about the U.S. government shutdown, don't turn a blind eye or deaf ear to it if you're on a cruise ships in the next few weeks. It could — repeat, could — have an impact on your shore excursion should it happen to include a visit to a national park or another government-operated facility.
The national parks are a no-brainer, because they're all closed, and some passengers have already had to change shore excursions on Fall Foliage cruises in the north-east. However, some national parks are "attractions" you 
may not have thought about as having locked doors right now because they don't have, you know, trees and animals.
Here's a few you may be planning on seeing either before, during or after your cruise (checking with your cruise line is highly recommended):
• The Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island in New York
• The Washington Monument, the National Zoo and the Smithsonian buildings in Washington
• The Hawaii volcanoes (Kilauea and Mauna Loa on the Big Island and Haleakala on Maui) and, yes, they are considered "national parks" but most people wouldn't think of them that way
• Alcatraz (above) in San Francisco
• Independence Hall in Philadelphia
If you're like us, your cruise experience is often more than the ship and the shore excursions. When you leave from an area you're not in often, it's usually worth taking a few extra days to see the sights.
Alas, the sights are often government operated.
When there is no shutdown, that is.
Carnival Ecstasy
5 nights
October 26, 2013
Port Canaveral (return): Little Stirrup Cay, Nassau, Freeport
Inside: $189
Cost per day: $37
www.carnival.com