Sunday, August 27, 2023

Cruise Impacts from Franklin and Idalia


Hurricane Franklin
Updated August 28, 2023

Hurricane Franklin, which was a Category 2 hurricane when we first published this article is now the first major storm of the 2023 Hurricane season.
 

Swells generated by Franklin are expected to begin affecting Bermuda by tonight. These swells are also likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions through the beginning of this week along portions of the east coast of the United States. Please consult products from your local weather office.


Hurricane Franklin
1100 AM EDT Mon Aug 28 2023
 
...FRANKLIN RAPIDLY INTENSIFIES INTO A CATEGORY FOUR HURRICANE...
...TROPICAL STORM WATCH ISSUED FOR BERMUDA...
Additional strengthening is possible today, but gradual weakening is expected to begin later 
Tuesday.
 
WIND:
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS...145 MPH...230 KM/H
WATCHES/ WARNINGS:
SUMMARY OF WATCHES AND WARNINGS IN EFFECT:
 
A Tropical Storm Watch is in effect for...
* Bermuda




Tropical Storm Idalia

Tropical Storm Idalia is centered 70 nm ESE of Cozumel Mexico, moving E at 2 kt. Estimated minimum central pressure is 996 mb. Maximum sustained wind speed is 35 kt with gusts to 45 kt. Peak seas are around 10 ft. Idalia is expected to become a hurricane by Tuesday. Heavy rainfall from Idalia is expected across the eastern Yucatan Peninsula and western Cuba. The heavy rainfall may produce areas of flash and urban flooding, as well as landslides, across western Cuba. Heavy rainfall is also likely to spread into portions of the Southeast U.S. by mid to late week. Minor coastal flooding is expected within the Tropical Storm Warning area over the Yucatan Peninsula in areas of onshore winds.



Tropical Storm Idalia
400 PM CDT Sun Aug 27 2023
...STORM SURGE AND HURRICANE WATCHES ISSUED FOR PORTIONS OF THE
FLORIDA GULF COAST...
 
WIND:
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS...40 MPH...65 KM/H 
WATCHES/ WARNINGS:
SUMMARY OF WATCHES AND WARNINGS IN EFFECT:
 
A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for...
* Yucatan Peninsula from Tulum to Rio Lagartos, including Cozumel
* Pinar del Rio Cuba
 
A Storm Surge Watch is in effect for...
* Chokoloskee to Indian Pass Florida, including Tampa Bay
 
A Hurricane Watch is in effect for...
* Englewood to Indian Pass Florida, including Tampa Bay
 
A Tropical Storm Watch is in effect for...
* Isle of Youth Cuba
* South of Englewood to Chokoloskee Florida
* Dry Tortugas Florida.
 


Please read the latest HIGH SEAS FORECAST issued by the National Hurricane Center at website - https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/text/MIAHSFAT2.shtml and the latest NHC Forecast/Advisory and Public
Advisory at www.hurricanes.gov for more details on Franklin and Idalia.

Several Cruise Lines have already made changes to their itineraries in anticipation of the approaching storms.  Cruise lines will take every precaution to protect passengers, crew, and ships from weather conditions.  When traveling during hurricane season, it is common to have modified itineraries.




Click Here to Learn More


Royal Caribbean Itinerary Updates 
(click for latest)
   



Royal Caribbean has multiple ships sailing toward the area of Tropical Storm Idalia, including Voyager of the Seas and Grandeur of the Seas. As of now, however, there are no updates to the schedule announced by the cruise line.


Follow @JamesVanFleet or visit the Royal Caribbean Facebook page for frequent updates.


Disney Cruise Line Weather Alert (click for latest)

Disney Fantasy is scheduled to visit Cozumel tomorrow morning.

MSC Cruises

No announced schedule changes for MSC at this time.


Norwegian Cruise Line Weather Alert (click for latest)

Norwegian Pearl's itinerary calls for a stop in Bermuda, which will likely feel the effects of Hurricane Franklin.

Carnival Cruise Line Travel Alerts (click for latest)

Carnival Magic: Originally set to sail from Norfolk, VA to Bermuda on a six-day cruise, Carnival Magic will now instead sail to Half Moon Cay, Nassau and Freeport to steer clear of Hurricane Franklin.

Carnival Legend: Similar to Carnival Magic, Legend was slated to sail from Baltimore on a six-day cruise to Bermuda. Instead, it will now visit Nassau and Freeport.

Virgin Voyages

Scarlet Lady is scheduled to sail from Miami to Costa Maya, which would put in in the path of Idalia.

If you are sailing this week or next, please consult with your travel agent or the cruise line's website for up to the minute information.  The information below was accurate at the time of publication.

Hurricane Season Dates 

Hurricane season in the Atlantic begins June 1st and ends November 30th. The Eastern Pacific hurricane season begins May 15th and also ends November 30th.
Make a Plan (FEMA) 




Read entire series (click here)



More links and information about tropical storms and other weather conditions can be found in the Weather & Hurricane Zone tabs above.


If you live in, or plan to vacation in, an area where hurricanes are prevalent, please prepare in advance by reading our series.
I recently completed extensive training and have become Travel Safety Verified. As your dedicated Travel Advisor, your safety is our priority, and it's our job to ensure you have the necessary information you need to give you confidence and peace of mind when making your future travel plans. Click the link to review our Travel Safety program with valuable resources that will answer many of your questions.




Where have you explored? 

Gather your travel and food pics and join us every Wednesday afternoon at 4 PM Eastern for the latest installment of #FoodTravelChat





Tuesday, January 24, 2023

Discover Alaska

From action-packed wilderness adventures to extraordinary
sightseeing, a journey to Alaska is an unforgettable experience.

There are three vacation options for experiencing the natural splendor of Alaska: Inside Passage, Northbound or Southbound cruise, and Guided Tours which
can be added to a cruise or completed on their own.

With the completion of our Inside Passage cruise from Seattle on Discovery Princess (May 8-15, 2022) we have now experienced all three options. We'd love to share our experiences with you.

We will start our exploration with our most recent voyage.





Tuesday, January 17, 2023

2022 In Review

Our Cruise Pause / Resumption Story

In February 2020 we were in Australia on a repositioning cruise from Melbourne, Australia to Singapore.  The Covid-19 Pandemic was about to shutdown the cruise industry. Prior to departing Melbourne, we were informed that we would not be sailing to Singapore, but instead would be flying home from Perth, Australia, just 7 days into our cruise.   The long pause in cruise travel had begun for us and our clients.

While on our Australia cruise, we had booked a South America & Antarctica cruise for January, 2021.  Unfortunately, that too would be cancelled, along with a family vacation we'd planned for the summer.

The Cruise Travel Restart

In November, 2021 we attended our National Conference on Celebrity Apex.  During that conference we were given the opportunity to book several cruises in 2022 at reduced rates in order for us to experience cruising after the restart and report to our guests.  In addition, we had several cruises, like the ones mentioned above, that we'd need to reschedule.   2022 was going to be a busy cruise year for us.

We began 2022 with a sailing on the brand new ship & cruise line - Virgin Voyages Scarlet Lady.  The highlight of the year was our final river cruise on Avalon Waterways Imagery II from Prague to Frankfurt visiting several Christmas Markets.   For more details, click below for our 2022 cruise page.

2022 cruises
Our 2022 Cruises - Click for Details



I recently completed extensive training and have become Travel Safety Verified. As your dedicated Travel Advisor, your safety is our priority, and it's our job to ensure you have the necessary information you need to give you confidence and peace of mind when making your future travel plans. Click the link to review our Travel Safety program with valuable resources that will answer many of your questions.




Where have you explored? 

Gather your travel and food pics and join us every Wednesday afternoon at 4 PM Eastern for the latest installment of #FoodTravelChat