Norwegian Breakaway to Call at Port Canaveral

Norwegian Cruise Line has announced that the new 4000 passenger Norwegian Breakaway, scheduled for completion in 2013, will homeport in New York City,  Bahamas and Florida itineries that will include Port Canaveral as a port of call.

The seven night cruises, departing on departing on Sundays, will call at Port Canaveral on Fridays, after visits to Nassau and NCL's private island, Great Stirrup Cay.

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

Hurricane Irene - Wednesday, Aug 24

Hurricane Irene, having strengthened to a Major Hurricane, is making her way through The Bahamas today.  With maximum sustained winds of 115 miles per hour, the large Category Three storm is running the length of The Bahamas, and  virtually every one of the nations 3,077 islands, cays, and islets will be affected.

Residents on New Providence, where Nassau is located, have been boarding up, and shelters have been opened.  A bit farther to the north, similar preparations are, do doubt, taking place in Freeport on Grand Bahama Island, and on the Abacos to the east.

In the small island chain of the Berry Islands, Royal Caribbean Cruise Line is battening down and evacuating its private island of Coco Cay.

CRUISE NEWS:  To date, at least 15 cruise ship itineraries have been altered to avoid the monster storm.

Related Articles:

• 2011 Hurricane Predictions
• Tips for Cruising in Hurricane Season
• 2011 Atlantic Basin Hurricane Journal

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.

Happy Birthday, Jamaica!

Thursday of this week, August 4, is Independence Day in Jamaica.  The island country, located west of the southern tip of Haiti and south of the eastern end of Cuba, has been fully independent since 1962.

Here is a little article I wrote:  Pictures of Jamaica.  As the name indicates, it focuses on quite a few pictures of Jamaica.  Some of them are really beautiful, and others are just kind of fun images. This week would be a good time for you to enjoy them!  The pictures are collected from selected artists and photographers who show and sell their work at Zazzle

Some day, I'd love take a cruise that stops at Kingston, the capital, on August 4, just to see for myself  how Jamaicans celebrate their country's birthday.   My daughter and I visited Grand Cayman on that crown colony's birthday, and enjoyed a very special day in the midst of the celebrations in Georgetown.

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 

A Cruising Lens of the Day on Squidoo

Those interested in finding web articles about cruising might try surfing over to Squidoo. I've written a few articles there. Squidoo calls them 'lenses,' though. So, Here's a bit of an explanation about Squidoo for those who aren't familiar with it. And then, I have some big news about that. (For me, anyway)

(Surfer Squid courtesy of GeekGreek's Squidoo Graphics lens.)

Here's the scoop on Squidoo.

It's fun, but a lot of work. It's a platform for sharing your knowledge on any subject you choose. You do so by writing articles, called lenses, each addressing a focused topic. In that respect, a lens is like a blog entry, but it goes a lot farther, and has more permanence to it, and I like that.

You can join Squidoo, become a lensmaster, and write lenses too. There's even a way to earn a little money doing it. Or, you can just read what others have written, and participate by commenting, rating, and sharing the lenses that interest you.

Now, My Big News

So far, I've published 18 lenses, about half of them on cruising. That's not many in the world of Squidoo. "Giant Squids" have published at least 50, and many of them over five times that.

HOWEVER, in spite of my small stature there, this squid-of-few-lenses recieved a high honor on March 1st. My Picking the Best Cabin for Your Cruise lens was chosen as the Lens of the Day - out of the tens of thousands of lenses there!

I hope you have a moment to give it a read ... or at least a scan. There's a couple of polls you can vote in, and a place for your comments at the end, too.

Finally, an apology and word of explanation to my regular readers.

Between getting my feet wet at Squidoo, and tending to my hubbys needs during two (minor) eye surgeries, time has been limited. So, please accept my apologies for my lack of attention to Cruising Musings in the last couple of weeks.

No, I'm not abandoning blogging for Squidoo, just trying to find a balance. I know you are all very well aware that there's only so much time in an on-line day!

I'll be referencing some of my Squidoo lenses in future blog entries, too, from time to time. I'll be doing quite a few cruise related lenses, so it's all good!