Blanca is Second Tropical Storm in East Pacific

Other images: 5-Day track off – 3-Day track off – 3-Day track on – Interactive

HURRICANE BLANCA

Tropical Depression Two-E formed Sunday, well south of southwest Mexico.  It has already become the second tropical storm of  the East Pacific 2015 Hurricane Season and it is expected to grow in strength quickly becoming the second hurricane.

Blanca is a category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale.

NHC issuing advisories on Hurricane BLANCA

(June 1) 

The National Hurricane Center is issuing advisories on category 4
Hurricane Andres, located several hundred miles southwest of the
southern tip of the Baja California peninsula, and on Tropical
Storm Blanca, located a few hundred miles south-southwest of
Zihuatanejo, Mexico.

Not the storm you are looking for?  Click Image or Here

Full coverage of this, and all tropical storms, can be found on our Hurricane Zone page.   There are RSS feeds from the National Hurricane Center posted there giving you up to the minute information.   For storms that impact cruises, we will bring you information on those details as well.  Please bookmark that page for further reference during the Hurricane Season which runs now through November 30th.

HURRICANE BLANCA	...BLANCA WEAKENS TO A DEPRESSION...
WIND:	near 140 mph (220 km/h) with higher gusts
WATCHES/ WARNINGS:	...ALL WATCHES AND WARNINGS DISCONTINUED...   A Hurricane Watch is in effect for... * Cabo San Lucas to Santa Fe A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for... * Loreto to Puerto San Andresito, including Cabo San Lucas A Tropical Storm Watch is in effect for... * North of Puerto San Andresito to Punta Abreojos * North of Loreto to Mulege
SHIP IMPACT:	Carnival Miracle altered itinerary traded a sea day for a call on Ensenada on Sunday changed Monday's overnight in Cabo San Lucas to Wednesday cancelled call to Puerto Vallarta on Wednesday

      A Tropical Storm Warning means that tropical storm conditions are
expected somewhere within the warning area within 36 hours.

A Tropical Storm Watch means that tropical storm conditions are
possible within the watch area, generally within 48 hours.
Storm Archive       Graphics Archive

NHC ACTIVE STORMS (CLICK HERE)

Real-Time Cruise Ship Tracking

MORE INFORMATION ABOUT HURRICANES (CLICK HERE)

HAZARDS AFFECTING LAND

SURF:  Swells generated by Blanca will begin affecting portions of
the coast of southwestern Mexico during the next couple of days.
These swells are likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip
current conditions.  Please consult products from your local weather
office.

HISTORICAL STORM NOTES 

530 PM CDT SUN MAY 31 2015

...NEW TROPICAL DEPRESSION FORMS WELL SOUTH OF SOUTHWESTERN
MEXICO...

1000 AM CDT MON JUN 01 2015

...TROPICAL STORM BLANCA FORMS...
...EXPECTED TO STRENGTHEN QUICKLY...

400 PM CDT TUE JUN 02 2015

...BLANCA BECOMES A HURRICANE...
...FURTHER STRENGTHENING EXPECTED...

1000 AM CDT WED JUN 03 2015

...BLANCA REACHES 130 MPH WINDS...
 

300 PM MDT FRI JUN 05 2015

...AIR FORCE HURRICANE HUNTER PLANE FINDS BLANCA WITH 90-MPH
WINDS...

The Government of Mexico has issued a Tropical Storm Watch for the
southern Baja California peninsula from La Paz to Santa Fe,
including Cabo San Lucas.

300 PM MDT MON JUN 08 2015

...BLANCA WEAKENS TO A DEPRESSION...
...ALL WATCHES AND WARNINGS DISCONTINUED... 

Carnival Splendor and Miracle Swap Coasts in 2013

More Cruise Capacity for Big Apple

Every change in cruise ship deployment results in "winners" and "losers".   If you are on the East Coast, you can consider yourself in the win column of this redeployment announced by Carnival Cruises.

Carnival Splendor Moves

to New York in 2013

Carnival will reposition Carnival Miracle to the West Coast following a special Panama Canal voyage, and bring Carnival Splendor to New York, following three spectacular South America cruises. 

Carnival Splendor, a four-year-old, 3,006-passenger ship, will be redeployed in spring 2013 to New York City, where it will sail year-round Caribbean, Bahamas and Florida cruises.  The Splendor had sailed year-round itineraries from Long Beach-to-Mexico since 2009.  The Splendor will be upgraded with Fun Ship 2.0 amenities in a Q4 2012 dry dock.  


For more information on Fun Ship 2.0, see:  Introducing Fun Ship 2.0

Year-Round from New York


Beginning March 23, 2013, Carnival Splendor will launch a year-round schedule of eight-day Caribbean cruises from New York with three uniquely different itineraries that showcase the brilliant diversity of destinations throughout the Caribbean, Bahamas and Florida. 

The eight-day itineraries include Bahamas/Florida cruises with port calls to Port Canaveral (Orlando), Fla., Nassau and Freeport, The Bahamas; Eastern Caribbean departures with visits to San Juan, Puerto Rico, St. Thomas, U.S.V.I. and Grand Turk; and Exotic Eastern Caribbean cruises to the private Bahamian island of Half Moon Cay, Grand Turk and Nassau. There will also be a special seven-day Bermuda cruise departing April 16, 2013.

Less Capacity for West Coast


The "losers" in this redeployment appear to be those passengers hoping to go to the Mexican Riviera and other parts west from their own backyard port in Long Beach, CA.

All the major cruise lines have been gradually redeploying their ships from the West Coast market, citing increased violence and drug-related incidents in Mexico. 

While on the surface that seems to make sense, given news reports, one has to wonder if that were really the case, would there be any ships sailing there at all.  So, the real truth is that the cruise lines just aren't making the amount of money they'd hope for in that market.

Carnival Miracle, an eight-year-old, 2,124-passenger ship, will move from the Big Apple to the West Coast in Spring 2013.  The Miracle will sail a seasonal Mexican Riviera itinerary along with Alaska and Hawaii itineraries which had currently been offered on Carnival Spirit.  Carnival Miracle recently underwent its facelift with the addition of the adults-only Serenity and other enhancements.

Panama Canal

Carnival Miracle will operate a 15-day Panama Canal cruise from New York to Long Beach March 16-31, 2013, positioning the vessel for its year-round West Coast deployment. In addition to the unforgettable experience of transiting the Panama Canal, the cruise will visit beautiful and historic destinations in five different countries, including Grand Turk, Turks & Caicos Islands; Cartagena, Colombia; Puntarenas, Costa Rica; Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala; and Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.

Mexican Riviera

Carnival Miracle will operate seven-day Mexican Riviera cruises from Long Beach featuring the seaside resort town of Puerto Vallarta and a special two-day visit to beautiful Cabo San Lucas. These popular cruises will be offered in April 2013 and from October 2013 through April 2014.

Alaska

Carnival Miracle will reposition from Long Beach to Seattle in spring 2013 to operate the line’s seven-day “Fun Ship” Alaska program. Following a special eight-day Alaska cruise from Vancouver to Seattle departing April 29, the week-long voyages will depart from Seattle every Tuesday from May 7 to Sept. 10, 2013, calling at the scenic Alaska destinations of Skagway, Juneau and Ketchikan, as well as Victoria, British Columbia, and cruising Tracy Arm Fjord. This unforgettable Alaskan experience will offer consumers myriad opportunities to explore and enjoy the awe-inspiring scenery and wildlife of The Last Frontier.

 

Hawaii

Carnival Miracle will offer several 15-day Hawaii cruises in 2013 and 2014. Three cruises will operate roundtrip from Long Beach with departures on Oct. 19 and Dec. 7, 2013, as well as Jan. 18, 2014. There will also be a 15-day Hawaii cruise from Long Beach to Vancouver departing April 14, 2013 and another from Vancouver to Long Beach departing Sept. 17, 2013. These voyages feature some of the Aloha State’s most beautiful and breathtaking ports of call, including Hilo, Kona, Nawiliwili, Kahului, and Honolulu.

Carnival Spirit, a ten-year old, 2124 passenger ship, will reposition to Australia to offer the line's first cruises in that region. (more on this in another post).

We will take a closer look at some of the special itineraries, in other posts. 

Cruise Itinerary Changes Following St. Kitts Robbery

Photo courtesy of Brimstone Hill Fortress National Park

In the wake of Sunday's brazen robbery at gunpoint of a bus full of Celebrity Mercury passengers on a St. Kitts shore excursion, at least two cruise lines have canceled calls on the island.   Carnival Miracle, scheduled to visit St. Kitts  headed to Antigua, and Princess Cruises' Grand Princess will make a similar detour on Wednesday.

Two masked gunmen on St. Kitts held up 17 passengers from Celebrity Cruises' Celebrity Mercury who were on a ship-sponsored tour, called "Essential St. Kitts", that includes a sight-seeing drive of the city of Basseterre.  The tour was headed to Brimstone Hill Fortress National Park, a popular tourist spot.

According to police reports, the gunmen blocked the road with a fallen tree which prompted the bus driver to exit the vehicle to clear the road.   When this was done, the band of robbers emerged from the  bushes and robbed the tourists at gunpoint before disappearing back into the woodlands.  The passengers' cash, jewelry, cameras and other valuables were taken and fortunately noone was injured in the incident.

Celebrity Cruises has cancelled the tour indefinitely and indicated that it will closely monitor the safety situation in St. Kitts, but has yet to cancel any calls at the island.  They released the following statement:


"We are thankful that none of our guests were injured in this unfortunate event, and will continue to provide them any support they may need.  A vacation is supposed to be filled with fun, rejuvenation and relaxation. An act of crime should not be part of any vacation, and we regret our guests had to experience those events."

St. Kitts-Nevis Observer was told by a police spokesperson, "this tour bus robbery is an unprecedented incident in St. Kitts, where visitor safety is of the highest priority. Last year, over (500,000) cruise passengers safely disembarked in St. Kitts...we deeply regret any type of incident that might tarnish our visitors' experience."

It is believed that the recent surge in violence in the Caribbean is linked to an increase in drug traffic. Much of the cocaine headed for the U.S. and European markets from South America transits the Caribbean.

Watch here for updates from the cruise lines in reaction to this incident.  

Hurricane Tomas Threatens the Caribbean

5-Day Forecast Cone for Hurricane Tomas (Credit: NOAA NHC)

Click for Current 5-Day Graphic

Tomas is 12th Hurricane in Atlantic
Heavy Rains are Possible Today

Not the storm you are looking for?  Click Image or Here

UPDATE:

800 AM EDT THU NOV 04 2010
...HURRICANE HUNTER DATA SHOWS TOMAS CHANGING LITTLE IN STRENGTH...

Watches and warnings are now discontinued for Hurricane Shary as she bypasses Bermuda, but a new tropical storm has become the 12th hurricane of the busy Atlantic season. Tropical storm warnings were posted for Barbados, Dominica, Trinidad & Tobago, and Grenada while Hurricane Warnings were posted for St. Vincent and the Grenadines, St. Lucia, and Martinique on Saturday.

Carnival Miracle altered it's ports of call due to the storm.  We will continue to monitor the developing situation.  Currently Tomas is a Category TWO hurricane.

NHC issuing advisories on Hurricane TOMAS

Updates from the Islands

Latest local updates from the special hurricane correspondents on the islands (with pictures):

  Barbados  --  Dominica  -- Grenada -- Trinidad & Tobago

Martinique -- St.Lucia  -- St.Vincent & Grenadines -- 

Current Watches & Warnings

 A HURRICANE WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR...
* HAITI
* THE SOUTHEASTERN BAHAMAS...AND THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS

A TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR...
* JAMAICA

A TROPICAL STORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR...
* THE SOUTHERN COAST OF THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC FROM THE HAITI
BORDER EASTWARD TO BARAHONA
* THE CUBAN PROVINCES OF GUANTANAMO...SANTIAGO DE CUBA...AND HOLGUIN

A TROPICAL STORM WARNING MEANS THAT TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS ARE
EXPECTED SOMEWHERE WITHIN THE WARNING AREA WITHIN 36 HOURS.

A TROPICAL STORM WATCH MEANS THAT TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS ARE
POSSIBLE WITHIN THE WATCH AREA...GENERALLY WITHIN 48 HOURS.

A HURRICANE WARNING MEANS THAT HURRICANE CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED
SOMEWHERE WITHIN THE WARNING AREA...IN THIS CASE WITHIN 24 TO 36
HOURS.  PREPARATIONS TO PROTECT LIFE AND PROPERTY SHOULD BE RUSHED
TO COMPLETION.

A HURRICANE WATCH MEANS THAT HURRICANE CONDITIONS ARE POSSIBLE
WITHIN THE WATCH AREA.  A WATCH IS TYPICALLY ISSUED 48 HOURS
BEFORE THE ANTICIPATED FIRST OCCURRENCE OF TROPICAL-STORM-FORCE
WINDS...CONDITIONS THAT MAKE OUTSIDE PREPARATIONS DIFFICULT OR
DANGEROUS.

FOR STORM INFORMATION SPECIFIC TO YOUR AREA IN THE UNITED
STATES...INCLUDING POSSIBLE INLAND WATCHES AND WARNINGS...PLEASE
MONITOR PRODUCTS ISSUED BY YOUR LOCAL NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
FORECAST OFFICE. FOR STORM INFORMATION SPECIFIC TO YOUR AREA OUTSIDE
THE UNITED STATES...PLEASE MONITOR PRODUCTS ISSUED BY YOUR NATIONAL
METEOROLOGICAL SERVICE.

Discussion & Outlook
 

SUMMARY OF 800 AM EDT...1200 UTC...INFORMATION
----------------------------------------------
LOCATION...15.9N 76.0W
ABOUT 305 MI...490 KM SW OF PORT AU PRINCE HAITI
ABOUT 150 MI...240 KM SSE OF KINGSTON JAMAICA
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS...50 MPH...85 KM/HR
PRESENT MOVEMENT...NNW OR 330 DEGREES AT 6 MPH...10 KM/HR
MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE...998 MB...29.47 INCHES

MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 50 MPH...85 KM/HR...WITH HIGHER
GUSTS.  SOME STRENGTHENING IS FORECAST DURING THE NEXT 48 HOURS.

TROPICAL-STORM-FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 115 MILES...185 KM
FROM THE CENTER.

AN AIR FORCE HURRICANE HUNTER PLANE JUST REPORTED A MINIMUM
CENTRAL PRESSURE OF 998 MB...29.47 INCHES.

HAZARDS AFFECTING LAND

STORM SURGE...A DANGEROUS STORM SURGE WILL RAISE WATER LEVELS BY
AS MUCH AS 1 TO 3 FEET ABOVE NORMAL TIDE LEVELS IN THE WARNING AREA
IN AREAS OF ONSHORE WINDS.  NEAR THE COAST...THE SURGE WILL BE
ACCOMPANIED BY LARGE AND DESTRUCTIVE WAVES.

WIND...TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED TO FIRST REACH THE
COAST WITHIN THE TROPICAL STORM WARNING AREA LATER TODAY..
MAKING OUTSIDE PREPARATIONS DIFFICULT OR DANGEROUS.  HURRICANE
CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED SOMEWHERE WITHIN THE HURRICANE WARNING AREA
BY LATE TONIGHT OR EARLY FRIDAY.

RAINFALL...TOMAS IS EXPECTED TO PRODUCE TOTAL RAIN ACCUMULATIONS
OF 5 TO 10 INCHES OVER MUCH OF HAITI AND THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC...
WITH POSSIBLE ISOLATED MAXIMUM AMOUNTS OF 15 INCHES.  TOTAL RAINFALL
ACCUMULATIONS OF 1 TO 3 INCHES ARE POSSIBLE OVER JAMAICA.  THESE
RAINS COULD CAUSE LIFE-THREATENING FLASH FLOODS AND MUD SLIDES OVER
MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN.  RAINFALL TOTALS OF 3 TO 6 INCHES ARE POSSIBLE
OVER THE SOUTHEASTERN BAHAMAS AND THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS. 

 Cruise Line Advisories

Update:  November 5th

Princess Cruises' Caribbean Princess, which was scheduled to visit St. Lucia on Thursday, will no longer be able to call there.

Grand Princess' scheduled calls to the Dominican Republic on Friday, November 5 and to Grand Turk on Saturday, November 6 have both been cancelled. A visit to San Juan on Friday has been added to the ships itinerary.

Ruby Princess will no longer call in Grand Turk on Friday, November 5. Th ship will take a longer southerly route in order to avoid Tomas, but is expected to arrive in Fort Lauderdale on time.

Silversea Cruises' Silver Spirit, which was scheduled to visit St. Lucia on Friday, will call in Roseau, Dominica.

Carnival Miracle, which was scheduled to dock in St. Lucia on Saturday and St. Kitts on Sunday, instead spent the weekend at sea. To compensate, it stopped in Grand Turk on Monday and Nassau on Tuesday.

Carnival Victory, which was scheduled to stop in St. Lucia on Thursday, November 4, will now spend the day at sea.

Carnival Freedom's scheduled call to Ocho Rios on Thursday, November 4, is being replaced with a visit to Cozumel.

Freedom of the Seas replaced yesterday's sea day with a visit to CocoCay, and instead of calling in Labadee today the ship will remain at sea.

Serenade of the Seas departed from San Juan for a Southern Caribbean cruise on Sunday, and rather than calling on Curacao, Aruba and Dominica, the ship will now visit Barbados, Antigua, St. Maarten and St. Thomas.

P&O's Ventura will skip its scheduled call in St. Lucia tomorrow, and will instead call in Dominica.

Celebrity Millenium will no longer call on St. Lucia on Friday, November 5, but will instead visit Martinique.


Update:  November 2nd

Freedom of the Seas replaced yesterday's sea day with a visit to CocoCay, and instead of calling in Labadee today the ship will remain at sea.

Serenade of the Seas departed from San Juan for a Southern Caribbean cruise on Sunday, and rather than calling on Curacao, Aruba and Dominica, the ship will now visit Barbados, Antigua, St. Maarten and St. Thomas.

P&O's Ventura will skip its scheduled call in St. Lucia tomorrow, and will instead call in Dominica.

Carnival Cruise Line :    

MSC CRUISES: 

Norwegian Cruise Line:

Royal Caribbean International:  

Celebrity Cruises: 

Tropical Storm Resources (click links below)
HURRICANE TOMAS	National Hurricane Center
Atlantic Tropical Weather Outlook	National Weather Service
Atlantic Tropical Weather Discussion	Hurricane Preparedness
Graphical Tropical Weather Outlook (ATL)	Real-Time Hurricane Information
Active Storms	NOAA Satellites & Information
NASA: Latest Storm Images	WMO Severe Weather Information Centre
Real-time Monitoring (Atlantic)	The Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale
Real-time Weather Sites	Real-Time Cruise Ship Tracking

Carnival Cruise Lines 2011 Bermuda

NOW EVEN MORE BERMUDA ITINERARIES!

From April to November 2011, Carnival Cruise Lines will be offering 16 departures to the island from Baltimore, Norfolk, New York - and for the first time, historic Charleston!

Carnival's 2011 Bermuda departures include:

• Baltimore (7-day cruises on the Carnival Pride) – April 10 and 17, September 18, October 2 and November 6.
• New York (7- and 8-day departures on the Carnival Miracle) – April 14 and 21, and September 11 and 27.
• Norfolk (6-day sailing on the Carnival Glory) – October 16.
• Charleston (6-day voyages on the Carnival Fantasy) – April 23, May 19, June 16, August 25, September 15 and October 6.

Reservations are currently open for these 2011 Bermuda sailings.
Cruises to Bermuda (select date)        Other Bermuda Posts

All of the Bermuda voyages will dock at King's Wharf. Guests on 6-day voyages will be able to spend two-day calls in King's Wharf; those on the 7- and 8-day cruises spend three action-packed days in Bermuda.

The people of Bermuda are very friendly and helpful.  There are plenty of activities for the entire family in Bermuda.   It is very easy to get around Bermuda by bus, taxi, and ferry.  King's Wharf is the perfect location for starting your day's exploration.   Hamilton is a short ferry ride away, so you are not limited to one area.