We Sail Today!

Some persnal notes for today - Sailaway day! It's been SO long since we curised that I hardly know how to act, but today's the day!

We'll be on the Monarch of the Seas, with our good friends Sue and Dickie, and it will be three days of relaxing and catching up. Everything's ready. Bob and Marilyn are here to mind the house and Walker, and I've got my Bon Voyage to Me T shirt ready to wear.

Dickie informed me he brought his nautical tie clip - the one from my store with the cruise ship on it - but doesn't intend to dress up. Does THAT make sense??? Why bring it if you don't intend to wear it? We'll see. And Sue brought everything but the kitchen sink, as usual. The two of them are such fun. It's going to be great to cruise with them again.

They were really pleased with the way our little magnet door markers turned out. These come in handy for my guy, too, who can never remember his cabin number. Since all the doors on those long hallways look pretty much alike, I 'mark' ours for him with a pretty magnet. Here's a pic of the ones I did for this trip ... one for each of our two cabin doors. They'll be a nice little keepsake afterwards, too. This is just one of several designs available for personalization in my Zazzle Gallery. (There's buttons and shirts, hats, bags, and other things, too)

Well - time to get in gear... first, breakfast at our favorite pre-cruise spot - The Sunrise Diner. So, now IT BEGINS.

Cruising Musings is now Networked on Facebook

Well, it's done! Not sure that I followed the directions properly, or that I could repeat the process in the same order again, but this blog is now networked on Facebook!

This means (I think) that all my blog posts here will now be fed to my facebook Cruise Ready Store fan Page . (If you're on Facebook, please consider becoming a Facebook Fan of Cruise Ready Store!) So, you can now follow this blog right from Facebook.

If you'd like to set up your blog to feed entries to your facebook page, don't bumble through like I did... get some help at The Selling Lounge, where Valerie, of Mulewagon Antiques and Collectibles has been kind enough to post some step by step directions.

Well, here goes ... I'm gonna publish this post, and then see if it appears on my facebook page!

EDIT: It worked. (sort of) It's not feeding to a separate 'blog' page, but it's feeding.

Cruise Ship note cards

Cruise ship note cards are perfect for sending a thank you note to your travel agent, or for keeping in touch with those new friends you made on your last cruise.

Sunset Abaft note cards by CruiseReady

You can buy as many as you need, or just a single card. (Discounted pricing starts at 10 cards) They make nice gifts for your cruise loving friends, too!

St Thomas Harbor note cards by CruiseReady

Find these, and other great cruise gifts at Cruise Ready on Zazzle. Or, for cruise gifts, nautical hats, cruise shirts, ocean liner memorabilia, travel accessories, and other cruise gear, be sure to stop by Cruise Ready Store.

View from The Aft by CruiseReady

Magnitude 7.0 Earthquake Hits Haiti

A Magnitude 7.0 earthquake has hit near the Hatian capital of Port-au-Prince. At least two strong aftershocks, of magnitudes 5.9 and 5.5 have followed. Damage is likely to be widespread and devistating. There were early reports that screams were heard as a hospital collapsed upon itself. Houses were seen crumbled at the bottom of a ravine above which then had once stood.

Tsunami warnings have been issued for Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and The Bahamas.

Cruise Note: Royal Caribbean's private destination of Labadee is located on Haiti. Freedom of the Seas had a scheduled call there today. I believe Labadee is near Cap-Hatien, which is about 100 miles from the epicenter. Someone please leave a comment with correction if that is inaccuraate

EDIT at 7:52 PM(eastern): Tsunami watch has been dropped!

Thank you to Debi at The Selling Loungs

A big THANK YOU to Debi, who last night featured Cruise Ready Store's Tips for New Cruisers in the TSL Blog.

If you sell on the internet, you'll find sellers helping sellers at the Selling Lounge, where there is a great deal of information on a wide range of ecommerce related topics - and lots of peer support, too!

Thank you to Mary at KreatesKards Blog!

It's always nice to be recognized, and today, I want to thank Mary, who writes the KreatesKards blog, and point my readers back in her direction.

Mary very kindly mentioned Cruising Musings on her blog. Finding a notification of her Circle of Friends Award in my mailbox this morning was a wonderful way to start my day!

The cards this talented lady creates are absolutely amazing... Please take a moment to visit her KreatesKards blog, You'll see some photos of her amazing handiwork, and even some tutorials. You'll be glad you did. She also makes cards to send to our soldiers in combat zones, for which SHE deserves a big thank you from all of us!

Canadian Visa Now Required for Mexican, Czech Citizens

Important travel update: Cruising or traaveling to Canada? If you are a citizen of Mexico or the Czech Republic, you will need a visa to visit the US's northern neighbor. According the the Canadian Citizenship and Immigration website, Mexicans with US Green cards will be allowed entry. Please see that website for official details.
For the rest of us, this is a good reminder that any country may, at any time, revise its list of who is required to have a visa for entry, so it's wise to check official sources well in advance of a trip or cruise to other countries.

This announcement brought to you by

http://www.cruisereadystore.com/

It Only Happens Every 10 Years .- and Princess is Going

It only happens every 10 years. . . the next time will be in 2010. . . . And Princess can take you!

What's that, you say? It's the famed Oberammergau Passion Play, presented by the residents of the village of Oberammergau, Bavaria, Germany. Not just a play, this is a monumental once a decade event. It's seven hours long, with a dinner served at intermission, and the audience comes from around the world to see it every 10 years. It's been happening this way for centuries - since the 1600's, in fact. In order to be one of the play's 2,000 participants- actor, singer, stage hand, etc - one must have been a resident of the village in good standing for at least 20 years. All the costumes are also made by villagers. (Public domain image, right, from the 1900 play, taken from Wikipedia ) Why? See below.

The NEXT PRODUCTION DATES are May 15 to October 3, 2010, and Princess Cruisetours can take you there. There are just two dates for this special 18 day cruisetour: August 2 and 12, 2010. Included are an 8 day land tour, featuring two nights in Oberammergau with tickets to the Passion Play, and a 10 day cruise to Scandanavian and Russian ports aboard the Star Princess. (Photo credit: Princess Cruises)



WHY do the people of Oberammergau do this once every 10 years?
Because, in 1633, they promised God they would present a play about the life of Jesus if He delived their town from the plague. He delivered, and so did they. ... And nearly 400 years later, they still do. Now, that's keeping a promise!

This post brought to you by Cruise Ready Store

Happy Birthday, Harry!

Cruising Musings would like to take this opportunity to wish a Very Happy Birthday to Harry Cottreil, our young British friend. Why? Because he's a very nice fellow, and he turns 15 today.
What does Harry's birthday have to do with cruising? I'll explain THAT in a short article about him next week, complete with a photo that he was kind enough to send me this morning. BUT, FOR NOW -

Happy Birthday, Harry!

Happy Birthday, Willie the Shake!!

(Piture from Wikipedia)

While the exact date of his birth is not 100% certain, today, April 3rd, is widely accepted by many scholars to be the probable birth date of William Shakespeare.
So, to the man who gave us three of my all time personal favorites - The Tempest, Othello, and Taming of the Shrew -

Thank You,

and

Happy 445th!