Cruise Ship Comes To Aid Of Tour Vessel At Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve | National Parks Traveler

 Statendam Photo by Saberwyn ,
 via Wikimedia Commons

Cruise Ship Comes To Aid Of Tour Vessel At Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve | National Parks Traveler

Love stories like this!

It's the story of an excursion boat, with about 100 aboard, stranded in a remote Alaskan waterway.  HAL's Statendam, which was in the area, dispatched lifeboats, and took on everyone from the smaller vessel, then delivered them safely to their originating location.

(to read more, follow the above link)

Bravo, Statendam!

St. Kitts Becoming a More Popular Cruise Port

Someone is Doing Something Right

Coastline St. Kitts Stretched Canvas Print 
by danitadelimont 

St. Kitts and Nevis, in the Leeward Islands, is a cruise destination that intrigues me.  Apparently, I'm not alone. According to an article called St. Kitts and Nevis enjoys hotel, cruise ship bonanza, posted this week by the Baltimore Post-Examiner, it's one of the " highest-rated Caribbean destinations for cruise tourism expenditures and passenger satisfaction."

The above article, which is worth a read, cites a study by a Pennsylvania based research organization that says there has been an astonishing 400% increase in the number of cruisers visiting there since 2006.

Perhaps even more significant was that the average per passenger expenditures almost doubled in the same period.  Obviously, somebody down there is doing something right!  (Maybe other tourist destinations need to take a lesson or two.)

I've enjoyed cruise ship port of call visits to some of the nation's Caribbean neighbors, including St. Thomas, St. Maarten, St. John, Antigua, Barbados, and St. Lucia.  But St. Kitts is still on my bucket list.

A while back, my curiosity about the place led me to create a page, called Pictures of St. Kitts and Nevis, as a sort of on line 'places to go' reminder to myself and others.   Now, after reading the Post-Examiner article,  I'm even more intrigued.

Jewel of the Seas - Fabulous!

Jewel of the Seas in Key West

We recently had the pleasure of spending a few days on Royal Caribbean's Jewel of the Seas.  It was a long overdue respite from ... well, stuff.

And what a pleasure it was!  She's a beautiful ship, from bow to stern, with a fabulous crew.   (I couldn't say enough good things about the crew, even if I tried!)

It was our first time on the Jewel, but not our first cruise on a Radiance class ship.  We'd previously cruised on a couple of her sisters, Radiance and Serenade.  That particular class of ships is something special.

After our sailing, the Jewel left the Port of Tampa for a new home in San Juan, and I know she'll be missed.

Late this year, the Brilliance of the Seas will be moving to Tampa to take over the same itinerary.  Odds are, we'll be sailing on that ship, too.  Tampa's an easy port to sail out from.  Not quite as easy for us as Port Canaveral, but a LOT more stress free than either Ft. Lauderdale or Miami, both of which are quite crowded, resulting in a much longer boarding and disembarkation process.  And RCL's choices of itineraries from there include 5 night cruises, which are the perfect compromise between a weekender and a week long voyage.

So, if you're looking for a short, but not too terribly short, cruise out of a less crowded port that's easier to navigate, on a beautiful ship that's not a behemoth, you might want to consider the Brilliance when she begins sailing from the only cruise port on Florida's west coast, beginning in November of 2013.

Cruise Luggage Tags and Luggage Spotters

Cruise Luggage Tags and Luggage Spotters

Cruise Ship Purple Luggage Tag by CruiseReady  

If you cruise from time to time, you might appreciate these cruising themed luggage tags and luggage spotters.

Luggage tags are one of Zazzle's newer offerings, and there are already thousands of designs by the independent artists and designers who show their work there.  There's even a  nice - and growing - selection of tags with cruise themes, like the luggage spotter at left.

What do I mean by 'luggage spotter,' as opposed to luggage tag?  A luggage spotter is something you can attach to your bag to help you spot it easily in a crowded luggage pick-up area.  Luggage spotters usually do not have your identifying information on them, like the examples below:

Now, there are some that can be personalized with your full name, address, and phone number. (The one on the left has an area for full personalization on the back.) But personally, I prefer to have only my last name and cell phone number showing, for security reasons. Or even just a cell number, like the one on the right.

A couple more luggage spotters:

Want to see a few more?  Here's a link:  More Cruise Luggage Tags

What are some of the Dining Options on Cruise Ships?

Food on Cruise Ships is a really big deal, with a LOT of it being available.  the bigger the ship, the more food there is, in more places, and in an ever greater variety.
From the main dining room to the buffet, to snack bars, and specialty restaurants, there's someting for everyone. 
See just what the big deal is in this article about food on cruise ships, complete with mouth watering photos of some of the fare.

Related Articles:
Cruise Sea Days
Read All About It - Cruises
The Higginbotham's Affordable Vacation Included a Cruise

About Cruise Ship Swimming Pools

Here's a link to a little article I wote about Cruise Ship Swimming Pools that my readers might find interesting.

It includes a pretty amazing video showing acrual breakers in the pool as a ship sails through high seas.  This, alone, is really quite something!

I'd love your thoughts on the article linked above...  there's a place at the bottom for your comments, and your visit and comments would be greatly appreciated.

It's Hurricane Season and Cruise Deals Season

Well, folks, the 2011 Atlantic Basin Hurricane Season began yesterday.  Hope everyone in or near a coastal area is prepared with their emergency supplies and evacuation plans.

Once again this year, I will have the Weather Widgets from wunderground.com posted on this blog, and will, from time to time, highlight any storms that are affecting cruise ships and/or cruise ports.  This year, I've also set up a 2011 Hurricane Season Journal on a separate site, where I'll log each tropical depression, tropical storm, and hurricane, whether it affects cruises or not.  You might want to access that page now, and save it to your favorites if you think you'll be interested.

For the cruising community, we know that hurricane season also means some of the best cruise deals of the year.  So, if you haven't done so yet, here's a reminder that you might want to start looking for an attractive last minute deal from your favorite cruise line. 

If you're planning your first hurricane season cruise - especially during the peak of the season, which includes August, September, and October - you might be interested in 10 Tips for Hurricane Season Cruising. 

Don't be afraid to take advantage of some of the great deals you're sure to find.  Chances are your cruise won't be affeted by a tropical weather system - but yes, it could.  That's the chance you take by making the decision to cruise the Caribbean during hurricane season.  If you are prepared to accept that risk in exchange for a great time for less money than you would pay other times of year, I'd say, "Go for it."  But know the risks and what you can do  to make sure you have a wonderful time no matter what might or might not happen.  (That's what the above referenced article is about)

RELATED ARTICLES: 

Hurricane Names for 2011

2011 EPAC Hurricane Season Journal

A NOAA Weather Radio Can Save Your Life

Pictures of Hurricanes and Other Storms