Tropical Storm Ana Forms!

Ana, the first tropical storm of the 2009 Atlantic Basin hurriane season has just formed 1000 miles east of the Leeward Islands. See tracking widget, right, for projected track.

This special announcement brought to you by

Cruise Ready Store

Eastern Pacific Continues its active Season

This morning we have another hurricane in the Eastern Pacific. Hurricane Guillermo is a Catehory 1, and, at this point, is expected to track well north of Hawaii.
Right now, there's not even a Tropical Depression in the Atlantic, much less Ana. That could change if the large area of disturbed weather SSW of the Cape Verde Islands continues to develop, which the NHC says is likely.

The Tropics Appear to be Waking Up

Holy Cow! The tropical alarm clock is ringing, calling the season awake!

• Welcome rain is coming to Hawaii courtesy of the remnants of Felicia.
• China and Japan are reeling from a hard hit byTyphoon Morakot.
• Two Tropical Depressions (9E and 10E) have shown up in the Eastern Pacific.
• Tropical Depression Two is workng its way across the Atlantic, and may become our first named storm of the season.
• And, there are three other suspect areas spread out between the coast of Africa and the southeastern Caribbean.

There's plenty for tropical weather watchers to watch . . . and plenty of reason for those of us in coastal areas, and who love to set out on sea voyages, to keep an eye peeled on tropical activity starting now!

Check your hurricane preparations, everyone!

Felicia's Bands to Reach the Hawaiian Islands Overnight Tonight

Once powerful Felicia, now a Tropical Storm with 45 mph winds, is expecetd to arrive Hawaii tomorrow, with outer rain bands coming before morning. Even a Tropical Storm can cause flash flooding and plenty of damage. . .

On the other side of the globe ... in an all out assault by water, Typhoon Morakot dumped 80 inches of rain, causing mudslides, toppling entire apartment buildings. "Hundreds" are reported missing in Tiwan and China.

Felicia Heads for Hawaii

As Felicia continues to head west, most of Hawaii is under a Tropical Storm Watch. We talked to our son there yesterday. While their hopes are that she will weaken to a Tropical Depression before arriving at the shores of the Aloha State, indications are that at least the eastern most islands may be facing a Tropical Storm in a day or two. Our hopes are with theirs for rapid weakening of this system. We will certainly continue to watch!

Meanwhile, the Atlantic Basin has not yet seen a named storm this season. A disturbance off the coast of Africa is being monitored for slow development, but the NHC (at this point) pegs the chance of that at 50% or less. Things can change quickly in the tropics, so we'll watch this one, too.
Now, just because we've passed the first week of August with no tropical threats is no reason to breathe easy. RECALL 1992. That year, our first storm came on August 17th. It's name? Andrew. 'Nuff said?

This report brought to you by

Cruise Ready Store

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

Time to Start Watching the tropics

Half of July is behind us, and the EPAC is on the FOURTH named storm ... with two (Carlos and Dolores) churning in that basin as of last night! Luckily, it appears that neither will affect land. However, in the Atlantic, we haven't seen Ana yet. But, it's approaching the time when weather exiting off the west coast of Africa wants to try to get its act together and make the trek across the ocean, sometimes ending up in our neck of the woods.

Yes, it's nearly 'Cape Verde Season,' so ... eyes east!

Reminder to residents of hurricane country: Things may be quiet now, but that can change quickly, so please make it a point to check your level of emergency preparation.

And, for my cruising friends . . . Cruise Ready Store now has Anti-Nausea Bands, sometimes referred to as motion sickness bands. Here's a picture and link:

Anti-Nausea Bands from Cruise Ready Store:

Carnival Tries Kiosk Check-in at Port of Miami

Anyone who has cruised out of the Port of Miami knows that just getting yourself onto the ship can be quite an undertaking. In an effort to streamline the boarding process, Carnival is piloting kiosk self check-in at their terminal there. If succrssful at that very busy port, the cruise line says they will expand the program to other ports.

Some details from Carnival's press release:
". . . guests must have pre-registered online and be a U.S. or Canadian citizen, or from a Visa waiver country. To access their booking information and check in via the kiosk, guests simply swipe their passport or the credit card used to pre-register . . ."

A cash deposit can even be made at the kiosk to initialize your shipboard account if you aren't charging it to your credit card. After completing kiosk check-in, you go to a desk to pick up your cruise card. For those who don't know, a cruise card is an all-in-one room key, ID, ship entry /exit card, and on board charge card.

Will kiosks prove to be a solution - or partial solution - to long check-in lines for cruise ship embarkation? Will cruisers take to them, or find them a bit too impersonal?

What do you think? Leave a comment here, or follow a poll on the subject that has been set up on the CruiseLineFans forum. Here's a direct link to the polling thread, where you can vote and weigh in with your opinion. Of course, you have to be a member of CLF to do that, but it's free to join.

Brought to you by CruiseReadyStore

H a p p y B i r t h d a y , U S A !!!

Thank you, Selling Lounge!

Many thanks to Bays, at The Selling Lounge, who posted this yesterday on the TSL Blog:

___________________

Have you cruised to Barbados? (Or been there)

Did you forget to pick up your souvenir T shirt?

Well, never fear - it's Cruise Ready Store to the rescue! We have a very limited supply of just what you need! Nice, red tshirts - souvenir of Barbados, from Princess Cruises.



Princess Cruises RED BARBADOS Cruise T Shirt Available sizes: Small. Medium. Large. eXtraLarge . . . and there's only ONE left in each size! Great cruise wear for your next cruise . . . to let your shipmates know you've "been there, done that."




If you just can't wait for your next cruise... or smile wistfully at memories of happy times spent onboard your favorite cruise ship, then you just might like Cruise Ready Store , a store especiallly for folks who love to cruise!

__________________

By the way - if you're an internet retailer, and don't know about The Selling Lounge, do yourself a favor and check it out! You'll find lots of helpful information that is well organized!

THANK YOU, Selling Lounge, from CruiseReadyStore!