Got Bumper Stickers?

CruiseReady on Zazzle has cruise bumper stickers for you!  Put them on your car ...  put them on  hard-sided suitcases to make them easy to find on crowdedairport  luggage carousels, or at disembarkation. 

There are some other uses for cruise bumper stickers ... bulletin boards ... covering up a scratched area on a filing cabine, or other metal object ...  

 

Can you think of some uses for cruise bumper stickers?

Cruise Tote Bags

Ahoy Name Tote by CruiseReady

Looking for something special to take along on your next cruise?  How about a cruise themed tote bag with your name on it?   You can select most of the designs in a number of different sizes and styles, starting with budget totes at around $11.00. The Ahoy Jumbo tote above is 20"w x 14.5" h x 4.5"d.   And, for the AHOY design, as well as several others, there are even matching keds shoes if you really want to do it up right!

Life Ring Personalized Bag  and Ocean Waves Personalized Bag

Customizable bags for Group or Family Cruises can have your family or group's name on them, if you like, along with your cruise date and ship.  Customization is as easy as selecting your design, and filling in the blanks with your desired information.  And, if you need a great reusable souvenir for everyone in your party, bulk discounts start at at just 11 bags.

Rather Be Cruising Name tote  and Parrots of the Caribbean Name tote

You'll find a variety of bag designs to choose from at CruiseReady on Zazzle, including some that would be great for everyday use.  Again, you can make most any of them especially yours by personalizing the one you chose with your name or other special text.

Mark Your Territory at Sea

As I wrote in an earlier blog entry, my dear one always, but always,has a problem remembering his stateroom (cabin) number when we cruise. At one point, he had developed a nasty little habit of writing down the number - on his hand! (Men- what can I say?) I told you my solution was to put an attractive magnet or even a custom cruise magnet on our cabin door as a marker for him. We've done this on a number of occasions now, and it works like a charm!

I'm guessing he might not be the only one with that problem. And it will only get worse, as cruise ships get bigger and bigger... and the hallways with their rows of identical cabin doors stretch farther and farther.

So, I thought . . . Wouldn't it be a great idea to have magnets designed specifically as markers for cabin doors? Yep. So, Stateroom Door Markers became my latest design project. The first designs have now been added to my collection of cruise themed buttons, badges, and magnets in my design gallery at CruiseReady on Zazzle.

Now, of course, you could use any magnet to mark your cabin door... and there are lots of cruise themed magnets to choose from in my gallery - both fun magnets, and customizable cruise magnets that (like the cruise name badges) you can personalize with your own cruise information. But, now, there are cruise cabin door markers, too. Some are very generic, like the This is OUR DOOR one, while there are others you can personalize with your name or names. There's even a special one for honeymooners.

Maybe there's one there that just needs to go on your stateroom door for your next cruise. Look and see! And, please, feel free to leave a comment - either here, or at CruiseReady on Zazzle.

I Heart CocoCay buttons from Zazzle.com

I Heart CocoCay buttons from Zazzle.com

It's the Month of THE SUN

October is Sun Month at Port Canaveral! Yes, friends and neighbors, the Sun will be shining here, no matter how many clouds might be in the sky.

Why is that?

Because The Sun is coming - the Norwegian Sun, that is!

Yes, beginning the middle of this very month, there will be a new ship calling Port Canaveral HOME. For the first time in 11 years, Norwegian Cruise Line will homeport a vessel here at Port Canaveral. The Sun will be 'wintering' here for at least the next two years... She'll spend October to April plying the waters of the Eastern and Western Caribbean, with weekly Saturday turnarounds at our fair port. (The remainder of the year, she sails a Baltic Capitals itinerary.)

So, get ready, Port Canaveral, because:

HERE COMES THE SUN!
(Dah-duh-dah-duh)

This blog entry brought to you by
Norwegian Cruise Line Mementos at Cruise Ready Store

Isobel Peachey Paints Her Majesty The Queen

Just now, I am trying hard to imagine what it might feel like to be in Isobel Peachey's shoes, and I honestly can't get there. See the painting above? It was unvieled today. Isobel painted it, thus becoming, at 31, the youngest woman ever to be commissioned to paint a portrait of Her Majesty.

Imagine, if you will, yourself a young artist... having won some awards, and enjoyed some success ... but not enough to have your own studio. You are still painting in your "Mum's attic."

Then, you are intereviewed by someone from the famous Cunard Line about how you might "approach an important commission." And the next thing you know, you have been selected to paint a portrait that is to hang in the Grand Lobby of the new Cunard ocean liner, Queen Elizabeth. And the subject of the portrait? It is Her Majesty The Queen, Herself.

The new portrait was revealed to the press today. Is it not stunning? Isobel, your name is made!

On October 11th, The Queen will officially name the new ship, and Miss Peachey's painting will be on board, waiting to be enjoyed by legions of cruise passengers over many a year to come.

Visit the artist's website here:  http://isobelpeachey.weebly.com/index.html

Cruise Ship Cabin Door Markers

Personalized DCL Cruise Magnet   by CruiseReady

When hubby and I go cruising, one of us always seems to have a problem remembering our cabin number. (HINT:  It's not me!)  My solution: I put a little magnet on our cabin door as a 'marker' for him. They are a big help to him during the cruise, and we have a nice, inexpensive cruise souvenir afterwards.  You can buy my custom cruise magnets at CruiseReady on Zazzle, and have them printed with your own cruise information. (There are matching pin-on name badges, too)

Ocean Waves Custom Cruise Magnet and   Cruising to The Bahamas magnet

You can customize these magnets with the name of your group or family, an individual's name, and cruise info (ship, dates). If you're not cruising with a group or ffamily gathering, you might substitute other words instead of a group name, like "Sailing at last!" or "Ahoy, Matey" or "Our Very First Cruise" or "We Love Cruising" ... or ... well, you get the idea.

   

Crossed Palms Cruise Magnet and Fun Cruise Personalized Magnet lg rnd

They come in a bunch of different designs, all available in one square size and several round sizes, and they make a real nice little dated souvenir. Yes, you can evn order just one customized item. And yes, if you're ordering for a group or family, there are discounts for bulk/volume orders, starting at just 10 magnets, or 10 name badges. They're profesionally printed, and magnets and pin-back buttons are usually ready to ship within 24 hours.

Win a Cruise on Radiance of the Seas

Here's another opportunity to win a free cruise. This one is a four nighter on the Radiance of the Seas, a real favorite of many Royal Caribbean fans. The contest for the free cruise is from Cruise Elite, Inc. of Ormand Beach, FL, and you need to do two simple things to enter:

1 - Go to Cruise Elite's Facebook page, and click on the LIKE button at the top of the page.  According to the rules, the winner must ". . . be a 'fan' of Cruise Elite, Inc. on facebook at time of drawing ."

2 - Fill out the entry form on the Cruise Elite Website.

The drawing will be held at noon on September 28, aso enter by the 27th!

PRIZE:  Cruise for two on the Radiance of the Seas  (cruise only)
CRUISE DATE:  January 13, 2011 (Sailing from Tampa)
See website for additional details and complete rules.

I'm betting these folks will get a good number of entries, given the popularity of the Radiance of the Seas.  She's a well-loved ship!

BTW- The solarium on the Radiance is the photo for one of the months on my 2010 - 2011 Cruise Lover's Calendar, available at CruiseReady on Zazzle. 

Danielle, Earl Force Itinerary Changes for Cruises

Graphic from NOAA / NHC

Bermuda, and most of the Northern Leeward Islands are under Tropical Storm Watches, which means the closing of cruise ports in those areas. Cruise itineraries are being affected, and the first announcment of changes has come - from Norwegian Cruise Line.

NCL has posted that he Norwegian SPIRIT will tentatively arrive at Bermuda a day late; the Norwegian EPIC will sail to the western rather than the eastern Caribbean; and the cruise line is considering a possible itinerary change for the Norwegian DAWN, as well.

Announcements of changes by other lines are likely forthcoming. Check with the cruise line websites for subserquent news, or log on to http://www.cruiselinefans.com/ , and check the forums for individual cruise line, or see the DANIELLE, EARL- Cruise Line Updates thread on the Hurricane Watch forum.

While a delayed arrival at, or the missing of a port, on a cruise can be a bit disappointing, Cruising Musings is mindful that having your HOME affected by a tropical system can be a lot more than a minor disappointment. Please keep those in Bermuda, and especially the Antilles in your thoughts over the next couple of days.

This update brought to you by

Cruise Ready Store and CruiseReady on Zazzle

The Tropics Are Heating Up!

Peak hurricane season is here, and the tropics are letting us know it.

Tropical Storm Danielle- 08/23/10 - photo by NOAA

Tropical Storm Danielle is strengthening in the Tropical Atlantic, and may be a hurricane before she makes a predicted turn to the Northwest in the next couple of days. If she turns sooner, rather than later, she'll be "going fishing," missing land completely. If the turn comes later than expected, Bermuda will need to batten down the hatches, something they are very good at doing.. UPDATE 8/23/10 : Danielle became a hurricane at 5 PM today

In the Pacific, Tropical Storm Frank is making his way along the coastline of Mexico, and the Mexican government has issued tropical storm warnings from Lagunas de Chacahua to Zihuatanejo. The coastal area from Zihuatanejo to Pumta San Telmo is under a Tropical Store Watch. Itineries for Mexican Rivera cruises are likely to be affected.

Meanwhile, in the far eastern Atlantic, a new weather system has just moved off the coast of Africa, and the NHC has already upped the chances for its development to 40%.

If you're cruising this hurricane season, be prepared! Arrive a day early at your port of departure, take along your favorite motion sickness remedy, be prepared for possible changes in your cruise itinerary, and make sure your plans for post-cruise travel are flexible enough to allow changes in time, date, or point of departure. For more detailed tips on cruising during hurricane season, see Special Notes on Cruising During Hurricane Season near the bottom of the New Cruiser Tips page at Cruise Ready Store.

Tea Party at Sea

Tie for formal night on the Tea Party at Sea Cruise

You can find a theme cruise for just about anything these days... from Neil Diamond to scrapbooking to Nascar to Ancient Civilizations to Baseball to the Tea Party. Tea Party? Yep. You read it right.

There was a blog entry recently on the Ship Critic blog about a criuse coming up in on the Liberty olf th Seas, called the "Tea Party at Sea," and hosted by World Net Daily. It features a "special on-board program devoted to covering a broad range of conservative topics" If you want to get in on the Tea Party at Sea, and hear and hob-nob with such conservative notables as Alan Keys, Dr. Jerome Corsi, Joseph Farah, Aaron Klien, and Anm Colter, check out Tea Party at Sea for more details.

If you're tea party-ing at sea, or even if you won't be at sea, but might be sipping a little tea, you might be in need of some special cruise gear. like a hat, shirt, or button sporting an approriate slogan. , I guess it won't surprise you to find I know a placr to find a few of those items, will it? The place is WePeople, where there's a growing selection of patriotic and conservative themed products ...

Swimming with Stingrays Excursions

Stingrays are magnificent creatures... gracefully gliding through the sea much like huge birds glide aloft on air currents. Oh, they are truly are fascinating! As are Eeagle Rays and Manta Rays.

So far, I've been fortunate to "swin with rays" in at least five different locations. If you've never done it, it's a real thrill, and I hope I can help you decide where's the best location for you.

First- Grand Turk. I'd recommend this one for the faint of heart - those who are not really sure they want to actually swim with the creatures, but would like to see and touch them in a fairly safe environment. The stingray encounter portion of the excursion was just that. The group stood shallow water at a beach on Gibb's Cay, while theh guide 'summomed' rays. He then held one, and allowed each participant who desired to do so to touch, feed, and kiss it. A very tame time was had by all.

At Grand Cayman, the experience is a bit more intreactive, but still closely supervised. A really GOOD one for first-timers! I recommend Native Way excursions. On a sandbar, the water depth varies, but is shallow enough for an adult to stand. Activities include supervised feeding, holding and kissing the rays, as well as a group 'back massage' from a ray, quite a tactile experience. There is a little opportunity to swim around, if you take the initiative on your own. This "Swim" is the best known. It's been going on for so long that rays there associate the 'sound' of boat motors with food, flocking to the sandbar when a boat approaches.

In Antigua, there's a very diferent swim... way out in the water, but in a very large area contained by a fence. As in Grand Cayman, you are taken there by boat,and you can also participate in a supervised encounter, but there is also ample opportunity for you to freely swim and snorkel within the large, fenced area. this was the location wher I first watched rays go through the process of burying themselves in the sand... fascinating!

Head to Nassau, in The Bahamas for the best of all worlds. (my humble opinion) There, you'll also find an extremely large enclosed area at the edge of an island. Water depth starts off very shallow, and graduate to maybe 15 feet. The rays, which are captive and de-barbed, get the whole area, but the humans are given 'markers' beyond which they may NOT swim. You can freely swim and snorkel up to the markers. The rays will go beyond those markers when they are tired of you! There's also opportunity for (very) shallow water touching and feeding, which is supervissd.

On your own with Rays in the Wild.... OH! this one is a true thrill. If you are adventurouus to snorkel in the right places on your own, you might just encounter Stingrays, Manta Rays, and EagleRays. Really the best if you are an excerinced snorkeler, a strong swimmer, and love adventure. At the top of this post is a photo of an Eagle Ray that I encountered while solo snorkling off Royal Caribbean's CocoCay. Boy, was she beautiful... and FAST.

Where was YOUR most enjoyable Stingray swim? Or are you still looking forward to your first? If you are, this is something you really MUST make sure is on your official LIST, in my opinion!

NOTE: The "Swimming with Stingrays" products pictured in this post (and other stingray products) are available at CruiseReady on Zazzle.