Have You Been To Cozumel?

Cozumel Sandy beach
by LionheartXray

Have you been to Cozumel?  It's an incredibly popular port of call on Western Caribbean cruise itineraries. 

If you haven't been there (or even if you have) you might enjoy browsing this selection of Pictures of Cozumel, with a little dose of facts and information about Cozumel sprinkeled in.  Enjoy!

Hurricane Alex

 

Tiki bar at Cozumel on a beautiful day.

Some cruisers encountered less than ideal weather in Cozumel last week, courtesy of then Tropical Storm Alex.

Well the 2010 Hurricane Season is off to a rip-roaring start in the Atlantic Basin.  Alex was upgraded to a hurricane last night, and, while he's still a Category 1, he's a big boy in terms of size.  He also has a very low minimum central pressure, so additional strengthening is certainly possible before landfall on the western gulf coast.  He's slowed down, and that can make him even more dangerous for wherever he strikes... and for a wide surrounding area, given his size.

There was minimal disruption in cruise itineraries as TS Alex came near Cozumel. Just one ship headed east to Nasau in leiu of Cozumel, and two others simply  reversed their scheduled port calls. 

Today's  turn-around for the Ecstasy could have been be affected, but the storm was considerate enough to move in time for the port of Galveston to be out of the danger area for the ship to return.  (Passengers may well have experienced the effects of some higher than normal seas, though.)  Let's hope he's equally considerate to the residents of northern Mexico and lower Texas.

June hurricanes aren't common, but aren't unheard of, either.  The season has just begun, so aware that your cruise between now and late November  could be affected this year, which is predicted to be unusually active.    Check my previous blog entry, Cruising During Hurricane Season for some basic tips.

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Ida Approaching Hurricane Strength in NW Caribbean

First things first - there has been no reported loss of life in either Nicaragua or Honduras from Ida. This may be due to the fact that she took a more northerly than first expected route across the two countries, and spent less time than projected getting herself back out into open water.

She emerged earlier than forecast into the NW Caribbean Sea, as a Tropical Depression, but has quickly ramped back up, and now, with maximum sustained winds of 70 mph, is once again nearing hurricane status.

The northeastern coastline of the Yucatan Peninsula (including Cozumel) is under a Hurricane Watch, while other areas of the Caribbean are under Tropical Storm Warnings and Watches, including western Cuba, Grand Cayman, and the Isle of Youth. Cozumel is probably in for some real weather

ITINERARY CHANGES - IDA
The Carnival Liberty will alter her itinerary, postponing the schduled port of call at Cozumel, and calling instead at Ocho Rios on Monday. Other changes may also be needed with other ships. I will post any that I am made aware of. Now is the time for everyone who is about to cruise to keep a wary eye on Ida. If at all possible, it would be wise to arrive at your port of embarkation a day early, just to be on the safe side.

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EDIT at of 5 AM Sun, Nov 8, Ida is a strong catetory 1 hurricane, with maximum sustained winds of 90 MPH. She was upgraded to a hurricane just before midnight last night.