The RMS Queen Mary

RMS Queen Mary Vintage Passenger Ship

by evolveshop

The RMS Queen Mary left Southampton on her maiden transatlantic voyage 76 years ago today.  She was one of Cunard White Star's elegant Queens of the Ocean, and won the hearts of people around the world.  She also earned an honored place in history, serving the cause of freedom in World War II. Read more about the Queen Mary, and two other famous ships whose collective carreers spanned generations, in Queens of the Ocean Past.

Maiden voyage of the RMS Queen Mary:  May 27, 1936 - Southampton to New York.

Hurricane Season Begins Soon

Hurricane Season is Nearly Here

Hurricane from Space Mousepad
by Modest_Mouse

The 2012 Atlantic Basin Hurricane Season begins two weeks from today. 

Are you ready?

Hurricane season each year is from June 1 through November 30 for the Atlantic Basin, which includes the Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean Sea, and the Gulf of Mexico.

REMINDER
If you haven't done so already, it's time to check your hurricane supplies.  Make sure you have enough batteries and other items to last for an absolute minimum of three days, and that you have a go bag ready in case you need to evacuate.  Don't forget about a supply of prescription medicines, copies of important papers, and evacuation provisions for pets.

Here are a couple of things to look at as the season approaches, if you don't have them already.  One is an absolute necessity and the other is something I've found really useful.  Here are links to reviews I've written about each of them:

Weather Alert Radio - a Necessity
If you live in an area that could be threatened by a hurricane, a NOAA weather radio is something you absolutely should have. These radios pick up special alerts from the National Weather Service, and will wake you with a warning of an incoming emergency.

Battery Organizer and Tester - Nice to Have
This isn't a real must have, but it sure is nice for keeping your battery supply both organized and handy, something that will make things just a little easier in the event of a prolonged power outage.

St. Kitts and Nevis - Third Best Island in the World



St. Kitts and Nevis - Third Best Island in the World

Arch at Brimstone Hill Fortress Postcard



According to a post at Cruise Line Fans, St. Kitts and Nevis has rung in at #3** on a recent list of the 10 Best Islands in the World.



Now, though I've cruised to a bunch of the islands in the Caribbean, I have not yet had the good fortune to be on board a ship that made a call at St.  Kitts.  It's something I'm still looking forward to.  Have you been there yet?



 

One of the interesting facts I learned while doing research for a page I did titled Pictures of St. Kitts and Nevis, is that one of America's own, Alexander Hamilton was actually born on Nevis.  Hamilton, was one of our country's founding fathers, and served as our very first Secretary of the Treasury.  It's his picture on the United States Ten Dollar Bill.



** The Maldives and Bora Bora captured the number one and two spots.

Cruise Destinations Board on Pinterest

Are you using Pinterest?  Lots of folks with an interest in travel in general, and cruising in particular are there.  If you are one of them, please feel free  to follow my Cruise Destinations pin board on Pinterest

Mothers Day Gift Ideas

Mother's Day is Three Weeks Away

Portside View No.2 Poster

Mother's Day is three weeks from today.  Right now, there's still plenty of time to shop Zazzle for Mothers Day Cards and Gifts.  You'll find some outstanding unique gifts for Mom there.  Here are a couple of samples:

For a Crusing Mom:

Portside View No. 2 Mothers Day Card and Portside View No.2 Personalized Electronics Sleeve by CruiseReady

World's Best Mom:

World's Best MOM and World's Best Mom Mug by Vilizard

BONUS -  Free Shipping!
FREE STANDARD SHIPPING on orders of $50.00 or more.  Use coupon code FREESHIPFORU at checkout.  Valid through June 30 for  orders shipped within the U.S. 

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Other places to find Nautical and Sea-inspired Mother's Day gift ideas:

Lighthouse Trinket Boxes
These lovely lighthouse trinket boxes make wonderful, unique gifts.

Jigsaw Puzzles - Ships and the Sea
Jigsaw puzzles of ships and the sea are enjoyable to work and beautiful when done. Everyone loves to work a good jigsaw puzzle, and there are nautical puzzles here for all skill levels.

Nautical Jewelry and Sea Life Jewelry
Gathered from several sources on the web, here's a nice variety of nautical jewelry for you to consider. You'll find boats, anchors, and ship's wheels, along with dolphins, sea shells, star fish, and other symbols of the sea. are always popular.

April 18, 1912: Titanic Survivors Arrive in NYC



RMS Carpathia in New York, following the Rescue (pd) 



April 18, 1912
It was another momentous day in the tragic saga of the Titanic.  It was the day that those who had survived the horrific events of the night of April 14-15 finally set foot on land again.

It was due to the heroic efforts of Arthur H. Rostron, Captain of the Carpathia, and the crew of the Cunard liner, that the souls who had been helplessly adrift in lifeboats in the icy North Atlantic survived at all.    Reaching the site of the sinking in record time had taken quite an effort, with the ship being pushed to sail beyond her rated speed.

The story of the remarkable voyage of mercy by the RMS Carpathia is well worth reading.  You can do so by following the above link - or this one.

Specialty Cards for Cruisers

You can find specialty cards for cruisers at CruiseReady on Zazzle.  Choose from Bon Voyage Cards, note cards, Thank You cards for crew members, or mailers for travel agents and group cruise leaders.

Many of the cards you'll find have customizable text messages that you can change to your own words. 

There's cruise themed postage and return address labels, too!

Stop by any time and browse all the gifts for cruisers  and custom cruise gear at CruiseReady on Zazzle.

Eight Weeks Until . . .

It's just eight weeks until the start of the 2012 Atlantic Basin Hurricane Season. 

Officially, hurricane season runs from June 1 through Nov 30, though storms can (and have) occurred outside that date range.  The most active part of the season is typically from about the second week of August through October. 

The alphabetical list of  hurricane names for 2012 starts with Alberto, and goes through William.  

Here's hoping they don't get all the way through the list this year!

With just a couple of months until the season begins, it's a good time to be thinking about things like your evacuation plans, checking the batteries in your NOAA Weather Radio, updating your hurricane supplies, and seeing to hurricane preparedness for your roof.

One Hundred Years Ago Today

Titanic's Sea Trials

Titanic's Sea Trials by spfino

 - Monday, April 2, 1912 -

 A century ago today, early in the morning, the RMS Titanic put out from Belfast for her Sea Trials.  After 12 hours of being put through her paces, she was pronounced sea worthy.
She sailed the same evening for Southampton, from which she would begin her maiden voyage just eight days later.  For that fateful maiden voyage, command was assumed by one of the most respected sea captains of the day,  Captain Edward John Smith.

Surely any of those involved had no suspicions of what lay ahead, or that, a century later, people the world over would still be fascinated with any and every little detail about the ship, her passengers, and her crew.

Kind of makes you wonder what events in our lifetimes will be so haunting to our descendents a century from now, doesn't it?  Of course, September 11th comes to mind.  But will there be anything else?  That's plenty, in my opinion. 

Related Articles:  Pictures of Titanic -  Books About Titanic for Kids

Ships Come and Go at the Port

Monarch of the Seas at Port Canaveral

Port Canaveral is gaining a new home ported ship next weekend, and will be losing one next year.

First, Saturday's gain. 
The New Disney Fantasy will be officially welcomed to Port Canaveral with a Sail-a-bration at Jetty Park next Saturday.  The Sail-a-bration is timed to see the Fantasy off on her 'maiden' boyage from the port, and will include prizes and entertainment.

I'm sure a good time will be had by all.  We've attended these Sail-a-brations in the past, and they're fun. 

Particulars:
DISNEY FANTASY SAIL-A-BRATION

Saturday, March 31, 4:00pm to 6:00 pm
Jetty Park
Admission: Non-perishable food item for the Central Brevard Sharing Center


Now, the Sadder News
Royal Caribbean has announced that they will be transferring the Monarch of the Seas to the Pullmantur fleet next year.  So, Port Canaveral will be losing their Sovereign Class ship.    

Her final sailing as a Royal Caribbean ship will be on March 29, 2013.

Even sadder is that no replacement ship for the Monarch has been announced.  However, the Port and Royal Caribbean are reportedly "in discussions" regarding the line "retaining a two-ship presence" here.

Oh, yes, please!
And can we have a Vision or Radiance class ship?  Or, maybe even a Celebrity ship?  OR BOTH?

Cruise Line Fans - Forum for Cruisers

If you're an avid cruiser, and enjoy interacting with like-minded souls, you should check out Cruise Line Fans, a friendly forum for cruisers.

And if you're new to cruising, or just considering taking your first one, you're sure to find lots of helpful advice there, too.

One Month and Counting

"Titanic Sinking," (PD-US, PD-1923)
by German maritime artist, Willie Stower

A month from now, we'll be commemorating the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the RMS Titanic.  You'll be hearing plenty about the fateful voyage of the luxury ocean liner between now and then. 

Chances are, you'll be party to some conversation, somewhere, during which the subject may come up.  It's timely, and it's an historical event with which many people are utterly fascinated.  If you'd like to familiarize yourself with some of the details, you might want to browse through several easy to read articles about several different aspects of what happened during and as a result of the events of the night of April 14 - 15, 1912, beginning with Pictures of the Titanic. 

For example - is it just a myth that the band went down with the ship, and played until the end?  No, not really!  They did go down with the ship, and played until they could no longer.   Wallace Hartley and the Titanic Band were hailed as heroes.

Do you know the name of the ship that came to the rescue of the 700+ passengers who survived the sinking of the Titanic?  Captain Rostron of the RMS Carpathia pushed his ship to her limits to get her swiftly to the site of the tragedy.

Related Stories:

Who Was the Captain of the Titanic?
Captain Edward John Smith, 62, was Master of RMS Titanic. He was not only highly respected within the maritime community, but admired by passengers who had s...Sister Ships of the Titanic
Everyone knows the story of the sinking of the Titanic, but not everyone knows that the RMS Titanic was one of a trio of sister ships that also included the ...Books About Titanic for Kids - New Releases
Why books about Titanic for kids? Everyone is interested in learning more about Titanic these days, and that includes kids. It's been 100 years since Titani...