Happy Birthday, Belize!

September 21 is Belizean Independence Day

Mahogany Tree in British Honduras
By Standley, Paul Carpenter,  [Public domain] 

Happy Birthday, Belize!

On September 21, 1981, the nation of Belize was born.  The Central American country that forms part of the western shore of the Caribbean Sea wan its independence from the U.K. on that day. 

Formerly called British Honduras, the country had been called by the new name of Belize since 1973, but didn't have full independence for nine more years. 

To celebrate Belize Independence Day, here's one fact you may not have known about the country:  

The Mahogany tree is the national tree of Belize.

Want to know a little bit more about this popular cruise port of call?  Check out Pictures of Belize, where you'll see some pleasant scenes from there, and pick up a few more interesting facts with which to amaze and astound your friends, co workers, and fellow cruisers.

A few years ago, I was fortunate enough to actually be in Belize on September 21, and that day filled itself with memories I'll treasure for a long time.

Belize Poster
by anitrone

Kudos to Crown Princess

Crown Princess: Heroine in the Med

With all the turmoil  in Syria, it was bound to happen.  Desperate Syrians are fleeing the utter horrors ravaging their homeland crowded by any means available.  158 of them piled into a small boat in an attempt to escape by sea.  Not surprisingly, the packed boat didn't' make it to their destination.  But the refugees did - courtesy of a cruise ship.

Crown Princess by UrbanCowboy89, CC

A call for help went out from the Italian Coast Guard, who had received word that the boat was adrift some 100 miles out at sea.  That call was answered by the Crown Princess, which was in the midst of a Mediterranean Cruise.  It meant the cruisers aboard would miss their stop at the port of Corfu.  But what is that compared with human lives, 64 of them women and children?

Crown Princess diverted to the location of the stranded boat, and brought all aboard.  What a relief that must have been to those refugees to be on the comfortable big ship, where they received food and water!  Medical attention, too.

The Princess cruise ship met up with Italian naval vessels that took all but one of the people from the small boat to Syracuse, Sicily.

Watch a short video of the dramatic rescue video here.  Note the very pregnant woman dressed in brown being helped onto the ship.  The last frames of the video show the same woman being taken onto the helicopter that airlifted her to a hospital.  Her baby was born shortly afterwards.



My favorite part of the video, though is the little girl reaching for what appears to be a hamburger.  I can't help but wonder how she will remember these events years hence.

Kudos to Crown Princess for coming to the rescue once again.  That's right, this isn't her first rodeo.  She's rescued boaters and sailors in distress before, and she's not the only cruise ship that has done so.  It just doesn't always make the cut for the TV news highlights, so most people don't realize how often it does happen.

Win a Norwegian Breakaway Plus Cruise!

Cruise Free on a Norwegian Breakaway Plus Ship

Here's your chance to cruise on a brand new ship for free.  Norwegian Cruise Line's two new Breakaway Plus ships, due out in 2015 and 2017, have yet to be named.  That's where you and (hopefully) your free cruise come in.

Ten possible names have already been selected.  All you have to do is vote for the two names you like best.  The ships will be christened with the names receiving the most votes. After the voting ends, the cruise winner will be chosen at random from among all those who voted.

Sky Stern Clock

That's it.  Just vote for your favorite two names.  Do it on the special NCL facebook page set up for the contest.  You can vote once each day, until September 24.  So, go vote now.  And again tomorrow, and the next day, too.

Time's a-wastin' - vote now!

Contest open to residents of the U.S. and Canada (except Quebec) who are at least 18 years old.  For further terms and conditions, see the contest page.

The 2013 Hurricane Season Marches On

The Tropics Were Busy This last Week

Hurricane Ingrid on 9/14, Courtesy NASA

From most people's perspective, the 2013 hurricane season has been a pretty ho-hum one so far.
However,  it might surprise a few folks to know that we are all the way up to letter I in the alphabet, and that hurricane watches and warnings are now up for parts of Mexico.

Hurricane Ingrid

Hurricane Ingrid, the ninth named system of the season, is expected to make landfall, perhaps  somewhere north of Tampico, Mexico, tomorrow morning.

And Ingrid wasn't the only fish in the sea this past week.  Gabrielle and Humberto were both making waves of their own.

Tropical Storm Gabrielle

Gabrielle, the storm that wouldn't die, first appeared as a wave on August 25.  For 10 days beginning on Sept 4, she waxed into Tropical Storm Gabrielle, and waned back into a tropical depression several times, even dissipating at least once in the process. By the time she reached Bermuda, she was at TS strength (for the third time, if I'm not mistaken) and brought those folks some very unpleasant weather before finally zipping off for the north Atlantic on Sept 13.  

Hurricane Humberto

While Humberto never made landfall, he did raise some eyebrows as he became the very first full blown hurricane of the season on September 11.  Had he held off for just a few more hours, he would have been a record maker as the latest ever first hurricane of the season in modern history.  In 2002, Hurricane Gustav formed on the same date, but a few hours later than Humberto, making him the latest first storm of his season in the last 70 years. This past week's Humberto is in second place for that particular honor.

In an average season, two to three hurricanes have already formed by this time, with the first appearing around August 10!

Spookiness on the Seas

Halloween Cruising is an Experience

Stateroom Door Marker

Whether you dress in a costume or not, cruising during Halloween can be a lot of fun.

Though we've taken our full share of October cruises, only one included Halloween night.  We didn't do costumes, but we really enjoyed sitting on the lido and watching those who did parade by.  Remember - what happens on the lido stays on the lido, and some of those costumes weren't the kind a lady would tell about.  But some were a lot of fun.

There were the all too predictable pirate guys and gals, ghosts, togas, and yachting captains.  Gilligan showed up and a couple of masks of famous people.  Appropriately enhough, since the cruise left from Port Canaveral, within sight of the shuttle launch pads, one clever couple dressed in astronaut costumes.  There was even a black cat with a red and white striped stove pipe hat paying tribute to Dr. Seuss.

Costume parades on board can be either organized (with prizes) or casual, like the one we witnessed.  Some lines have special activities that night.  Disney, of course, does a great job making Halloween at sea special for the kiddies.

Each year also brings its share of private efforts, like the one being organized this year by SinglesCruise.com.  Theirs is for singles only, and they've reserved 500 cabins on Carnival Liberty's Oct. 26 sailing, promising special activities just for those solo travelers who book the cruise with them.

If you've never sailed on Halloween, this year could be your time. It just may turn out to be one voyage you'll remember for a while.  There's still plenty of cabins left on many cruise ships.

Sailboat Clocks

This page, titled Sailboat Clocks, has a  nice selection of desk and wall clocks for sailboat lovers, including this one from Amazon, which is especially pretty:

Quartz Desk Clock – Hand Sculpted Metal with Natural Capiz Shell – SailBoat Design

Quartz Desk Clock – Hand Sculpted Metal with Natural Capiz Shell – SailBoat Design

Hand sculpted deck clock made of metal and capiz shells.

If you're a cruiser, sailor, or are just fond of the ocean, it might be worth a visit.

Tropical Depression 7 Forms, Becomes Gabrielle

Tropical Storm Gabrielle Nearing Puerto Rico

T.S. Gabrielle this morning

The area of low pressure that I mentioned yesterday morning was declared  Depression Number Seven by late afternoon, and then upgraded to Tropical Storm Gabrielle late last night.

The center of the system is nearing the southeastern coast of Puerto Rico this morning.
The satellite image shown here may be a bit confusing until you realize you are actually looking at two systems.  The center of Gabrielle is actually somewhere off the southern coast of Puerto Rico.  The "blob of stuff" to her northeast is actually a separate area of  stormy low pressure (but not an organized system) which could possibly feed moisture into Gabrielle to aid in building convection.I say possibly, because I am not a weather expert, but it sure seems plausible to me.

Tropical Storm Gabrielle's vitals as of 8 o'clock EDT this morning:

LOCATION: 65 miles WSW of Ponce, P.R.
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS: 40 m.p.h., gusting to 50
MOVING:  Northwest at 8 m.p.h.
PRESSURE: 1008 mb, or 29.77 in.

Puerto Rico and the northeastern Dominican Republic are under a Tropical Storm Warning.  (No ships will be porting while this is the case)
The southeastern portion of the Dominican Republic has a Tropical Storm Watch.  Ports are likely closed there, too, at present.)

St. Croix has received heavy rainfall and some wind, as have some of the other Virgin Islands.

The center of the storm is expected to pass just east of the Turks and Caicos tomorrow, then head NNW, passing well to the east of Bermuda a few days later, if she holds together that long.  According the the experts there could be 'some strengthening' today and tomorrow.

Some cruise ships may alter their itineraries to ensure everyone's safety, and / or due to port closures.

As always with the tropics, things can and do change, so keep an eye on the NHC's  Public Advisory, issued every three hours when a system is near land, and every six hours otherwise.

UPDATE:   At the 11 am advisory, the NHC has downgraded this system to a Tropical Depression.   However, heavy rains and TropicaL Storm force winds are still expected today in the area including Puerto Rico and some of the Virgin Islands.

Blustery Weather for Carribean Cruising?

Tropical Low May Dampen Some Cruises

Image courtesy NOAA and the NHC

Cruisers to the northern Lesser Antilles, as well as Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, and possibly  Labadee,  and the Turks and Caicos might encounter a bit of wind and ran today and for two or three more days, due to a low pressure system moving through the area.

The latest computer models forecast it to turn north before making it into the Central Caribbean, moving towards the general vicinity of Bermuda later on.

As of this morning, the National Hurricane Center has given the system a 40 percent probability of strengthening into a tropical cyclone over the next two days, and a 60 % chance of doing so within five days time.  A tropical cyclone is an organized storm system of Tropical Depression strength or greater.

While chances of it becoming a named storm (the next stronger step after a Tropical Depression) are nebulous at this point, should it manage to do this, it would be called Gabrielle.

Some related pages:
2013 Hurricane Names
2013 Hurricane Season Predictions
Ten Tips for Cruising in Hurricane Season

Keep an eye on the tropics, folks - it's that time of year!

Tampa to Get Vision

Vision of the Seas to Home Port in Tampa

Port of Tampa getting a second Royal Caribbean cruise ship.

Vision of the Seas (P.D.)

Beginning in mid November of next year, the Vision of the Seas will sail seven night Western Caribbean itineraries out of Tampa, departing on Saturdays.

Ports of call will include Cozumel, Costa Maya, Belize, Roatan, and Grand Cayman.  It appears that most weeks, four out of those five ports will be on tap.

The ship comes to Tampa just a year out of an extensive dry dock, scheduled for 34 days, beginning later this month.  The refurb will include not only the things we've come to expect from a revitalization operation, like new carpets, furniture, and flat screens in cabins, but a whole lot more.  There will be new alternative eateries, including a Chef's Table, a re-done atrium, an outdoor movie screen, and even a few added balcony cabins.  Those will be near the bridge, where there is currently a crew conference area.

For Loyalty Program members: The Concierge Lounge  will be in a section of the Viking Crown, while the Diamond Lounge will be located in a part of Some Enchanted Evening.

The Vision will be joining Brilliance of the Seas, which will continue her winter schedule of five night cruises from Tampa.

Canaveral to Get Sunshine, Liberty

New Carnival Ships to Call Port Canaveral Home

Sailing from Port Canaveral Post Card by CruiseReady 

In case you haven't heard - Next year, fans of Port Canaveral and Carnival Cruise Lines will have some new choices.  That's because, beginning in 2014, the line will re-position two ships that are currently sailing from East Central Florida's only cruise port, replacing them with two others.  Neither is a brand new ship, but both are new to Port Canaveral cruisers, and one has just undergone an extensive make-over.

The Sensation (pictured above) will be staying here, and will be joined by the Carnival Sunshine (replacing the Dream) in April and the Carnival Liberty (replacing the Ecstasy) in May.

Sunshine is the new name for  the older Carnival Destiny, which has undergone such an extensive refit that the cruise line felt it appropriate to re-christen her with a new name.  She'll sail 5, 7, and 8 night cruises, with each length sailing two choices of itineraries.

The seven and eight night itineraries of the Liberty will visit the same ports as those called on by the Sunshine.  The five night sailings will differ, however.

Sensation will continue to offer three and four night getaways to The Bahamas.

Today is National Aviation Day

Honoring Aviators and Aviation History in the U.S.
August 19 is National Aviation Day

Space Shuttle Columbia 

I think it's probably a pretty safe bet that a lot of people are unaware that today is National Aviation Day in the United States.  It's a day specially designated to celebrate the development of aviation.

August 19 was chosen because it's the birth date of Orville Wright, one of the famous brothers who made that famous first flight in 1903.

It's a perfect time to reflect on the amazing progress that has been made in the 110 years since Orville and his brother Wilbur made the first successful flight in a heavier than air craft.

Historic Wright Brothers Flight

The distance of their flight was measured in hundreds of feet, and the time it
stayed aloft was measured in seconds.  It went largely unnoticed by most of the rest of the world.  Yet, it was the start of something big - very big.

Now, ordinary folks routinely fly across the country and half way round the world.  A lucky few humans escape the bounds of earth and enter orbit, living in space for prolonged periods.  Amazing, isn't it?

Hurricane Hunter Aircraft

Today, I am reflecting on two groups of modern aviators for whom I have a great deal of admiration:  NASA's astronauts, and the men and women of the Hurricane Hunters. For me, both groups are filled with modern aviation heroes.

One thing that readers of this blog may find interesting is the seafaring  connection of the names of NASA's space shuttles.  Every one of them!   It's a fascinating connection for anyone who loves ships and the sea.  You can find out more about that in two articles I wrote, called  Space Shuttle Names, Part I: Columbia and Challenger  and Space Shuttle Names: Part II, Discovery, Atlantis, and Endeavour.  Have a look, and see what you think.  Leave a comment, if you're so inclined.

I know I'll never fly into space, or into the eye of a hurricane.  But I like to think that if my life had taken a different turn, I might today be waiting a call to climb aboard a Gulfstream or Hurcules to help investigate the next developing tropical system.  What an amazing life that must be!

So, to all aviators, but most especially anyone connected with NASA, or the Hurricane Hunters:

HAPPY AVIATION DAY!

Cute Bon Voyage Gift Idea

Wish Your Favorite Cruiser a Sweet Bon Voyage

Red Anchor Jelly Belly Candy Tin

Need an idea for a cute little bon voyage gift for your favorite cruiser?

Zazzle has added custom Jelly Belly tins to their line up of products.  They come filled with your choice of mints, or any one of more than a dozen varieties of Jelly Belly candies.  The candy is gluten free and soy free/  It's kosher, too.

Not only that, they are available in half a dozen shapes and sizes, including rectangular, round, bean shaped, and an old fashioned candy jar shape.

There are a couple of color choices, too.  For instance, the rectangular shape (which has a hinged lid) comes in either white, or a metal color, and the round tin even has a peek-a-boo lid option.

Sea Princess Candy Tins

On the Lido 

Of course, you don't have to wait until someone you know is about to set sail, and your favorite cruiser just may be yourself!

Blue Sea Anchor

     

Upgrade Fairy 

See more nautical candy tins