Cruise Luggage Tags and Luggage Spotters

Cruise Luggage Tags and Luggage Spotters

Cruise Ship Purple Luggage Tag by CruiseReady  

If you cruise from time to time, you might appreciate these cruising themed luggage tags and luggage spotters.

Luggage tags are one of Zazzle's newer offerings, and there are already thousands of designs by the independent artists and designers who show their work there.  There's even a  nice - and growing - selection of tags with cruise themes, like the luggage spotter at left.

What do I mean by 'luggage spotter,' as opposed to luggage tag?  A luggage spotter is something you can attach to your bag to help you spot it easily in a crowded luggage pick-up area.  Luggage spotters usually do not have your identifying information on them, like the examples below:

Now, there are some that can be personalized with your full name, address, and phone number. (The one on the left has an area for full personalization on the back.) But personally, I prefer to have only my last name and cell phone number showing, for security reasons. Or even just a cell number, like the one on the right.

A couple more luggage spotters:

Want to see a few more?  Here's a link:  More Cruise Luggage Tags

Hurricane Chris - The First Hurricane of the 2012 Hurricane Season

Chris has intensified to become the first hurricane of the Season.

Hurricane Chris, 2012

He was Tropical Storm Chris Yesterday.  Today, He's Hurricane Chris, with maximum sustained winds of 75 mph.

(An FYI - Again this year, I'm keeping track of the season in a seasonal hurricane journal.  You can find it at Atlantic Basin 2012 Hurricane Season Journal.)

Not to worry - Hurricane Chris is way out to sea, and forecast to stay that way.  Currently around 600 miles to the southeast of Newfoundland's Cape Race, he's moving northeast right now, but is expected to loop around over the next day or two.  By then, he will have spent time over some pretty cool water, so is expected to transition into a post tropical cyclone before petering out.

The track from the NHC shows all this happening out at sea.  Thank you, Chris.  May you show the way for those who might follow, and may all our 2012 hurricanes avoid any encounters with land!

PS - Bone up on all the 2012 Hurricane Names here.

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A Flag Day Picture of Freedom for You

Sailaway Poster by CruiseReady

A Flag Day picture for my cruising friends -
The Freedom of the Seas makes her way to the open Atlantic as our country's beautiful symbol of freedom appears to be giving her a bon voyage wave.

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.