Flag Day in the USA

Flag Flying over Fort McHenry

June 14th is Flag Day.   President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed June 14, 1916, to be a national celebration of the American flag, and the 1949 Congress declared June 14 to be national Flag Day every year.  This day commemorates the day the Second Continental Congress authorized the United States of America to adopt a flag to represent the new nation.

  

Fort McHenry, Baltimore, Maryland

We had the opportunity to visit Fort McHenry during our post cruise stay in Baltimore, MD after a recent cruise.

The flag pictured above was flown over the fort.   We were fortunate to be there for the lowering of the flag and raising of a much smaller flag that would fly through the evening hours.

O Say, Can You See?

When you visit Fort McHenry, you can learn all about the birth of our National Anthem.  

click images to enlarge

O say can you see, by the dawns early light, a large red, white and blue banner? Whose broad stripes and bright stars . . . were so gallantly streaming! over the star-shaped Fort McHenry during the Battle of Baltimore, September 13-14, 1814. The valiant defense of the fort inspired Francis Scott Key to write The Star-Spangled Banner.

This was an impressive flag ceremony.   I suggest you include a visit to Fort McHenry when visiting Baltimore.    Royal Caribbean Grandeur of the Seas and Carnival Pride have several sailings from Baltimore, so why not include a cruise in your plans and learn about our nation's history at the same time.

Flag Flying over Fort McHenry

Flag Flying over Fort McHenry

June 14th is Flag Day.   President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed June 14, 1916, to be a national celebration of the American flag, and the 1949 Congress declared June 14 to be national Flag Day every year.  This day commemorates the day the Second Continental Congress authorized the United States of America to adopt a flag to represent the new nation.

 Fort McHenry, Baltimore, Maryland

We had the opportunity to visit Fort McHenry during our post cruise stay in Baltimore, MD last year following our national conference convention aboard Carnival Pride.

The flag pictured above was flown over the fort.   We were fortunate to be there for the lowering of the flag and raising of a much smaller flag that would fly through the evening hours.

O Say, Can You See?

When you visit Fort McHenry, you can learn all about the birth of our National Anthem.  

O say can you see, by the dawns early light, a large red, white and blue banner? Whose broad stripes and bright stars . . . were so gallantly streaming! over the star-shaped Fort McHenry during the Battle of Baltimore, September 13-14, 1814. The valiant defense of the fort inspired Francis Scott Key to write The Star-Spangled Banner.

This was an impressive flag ceremony.   I suggest you include a visit to Fort McHenry when visiting Baltimore.    Carnival Pride sails year-round from Baltimore, so why not include a cruise in your plans and learn about our nation's history at the same time.

Emissions Regulations Prompt Deployment Changes

North American Emission Control Area     Source: EPA

New Rules Impact Cruise Industry

We are eighteen months away from the implementation of new regulations restricting the Sulfur oxide (SO_x) emissions of marine fuel in the North American Emission Control Area (ECA).   Under the new regulations, effective January 1, 2015, cruise ships operating in the zone must only emit .01% instead of the currently allowed 1% levels.  The ECA requirements will become enforceable in the U.S. Caribbean ECA in January 2014.

Complete details can be found in this EPA Briefing.

These low-sulfur fuel requirements could dramatically increase operating costs for the cruise lines and Carnival Cruise Lines has announced deployment changes of several ships as it tries to get ahead of the curve of the new regulations.

Where is the North American ECA 

The area of the North American ECA includes waters adjacent to the Pacific coast, the Atlantic/Gulf coast and the eight main Hawaiian Islands. It extends up to 200 nautical miles from coasts of the United States, Canada and the French territories, except that it does not extend into marine areas subject to the sovereignty or jurisdiction of other States.


Carnival Cruise Lines Deployment Changes

The announced redeployments means reduced Atlantic Canada cruises and no ships homeporting out of Baltimore, Boston or Norfolk, Virginia.These are the first announced changes that site the North American ECA and associated fuel costs as the determining factor.

Carnival Cruise Lines and others, including Royal Caribbean, which has ships in the same ports, are working closely with the EPA to find alternative means to reduce the emissions. One possibility is scrubber technology as cited in the letter in the references below.

Ship / Effective Date	Deployment Changes
Carnival Pride December, 2014	Repositions from Baltimore to Tampa
Carnival Glory November, 2013	Sailed seasonally from Boston or Norfolk; Repositions to Miami

The cruise lines have held the line on passing fuel surcharges along to consumers. Hopefully they will be able to find an economical solution to protecting the environment.

April 2013 CLIA Position on North American ECA

The Cruise Line International Association (CLIA) made the following statement earlier this year:

"CLIA supports the goals and principles of the North American Emission Control Area (ECA). Our industry is committed to protecting coastal air quality not only because it is the responsible thing to do, but also because the very nature of our business depends on a healthy natural environment. We are proud of the environmental stewardship of our member lines and their proactive response to applicable international and Federal air emissions requirements wherever their ships operate."  

They, along with the IMO, have proposed the following:

"The industry supports a variety of flexible approaches that can be utilized to achieve equal or better health benefits, including averaging based on air quality, innovative exhaust scrubbers, using alternative energy sources such as shore power in port, and adjusting ship speeds."  [Full article]



Additional References:

EPA’s Office of Transportation and Air Quality web site

Designation of Emission Control Area to Reduce Emissions from Ships in the U.S. Caribbean

Designation of North American Emission Control Area to Reduce Emissions from Ships (PDF)

Letter to IMO from EPA and U.S Coast Guard regarding equivalent methods to comply with the ECA fuel sulfur requirements (PDF)

We will continue to monitor this developing story.   It is unfortunate that Carnival Cruise Lines has made these changes, but hopefully they will be able to return to these homeports in the future.

Lines Reduced Cruises to Bermuda

Holland America Line

Latest To Pull Out of

Bermuda

Holland America has announced that Veendam won't be returning to Bermuda for the 2013 summer season. 

"We will continue to call in Hamilton occasionally on other itineraries," said the line in a statement. "The 2012 season will mark three years of Bermuda cruising roundtrip from New York and in 2013 other destinations are being considered as part of our overall global deployment."


This announcement comes just weeks after Carnival announced that Carnival Pride would be redeployed  in the Eastern Caribbean instead of Bermuda for the 2012 Summer season.  Carnival Pride will still sail one voyage to Bermuda.

While The Veendam and Pride are pulling out, that doesn't mean that there won't be ships in Bermuda or that the region is being abandoned by the cruise lines.  Norwegian Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruises will offer regular Bermuda sailings in 2012, and Norwegian has already announced that its new Norwegian Breakaway will debut in spring 2013 with a series of Bermuda cruises. 

Bermuda is a great cruise destination.  Most cruises to Bermuda originate from New York and typically spend two or three days docked in one of Bermuda's ports of call so that you can explore the country both day and night taking in the complete atmosphere of the island country.  The people are very friendly there and there is much to do.  It is quite easy to explore on your own by using public transportation including buses and ferries.

For those that have never cruised before, Bermuda is a great destination to do since there is a minimal amount of actual sailing.   You can experience life onboard the ship and use the ship as your floating hotel while in Bermuda, saving on food and entertainment costs for example.

Tropical Storm Sean Heading for Bermuda

19th Tropical Depression

Forms in the Atlantic

Strengthened into Tropical Storm Sean
 

Cruise Ship Impact     Current Watches & Warnings

Atlantic Graphical Tropical Weather Outlook 

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

1100 PM AST FRI NOV 11 2011
 
...SEAN HAS MERGED WITH A COLD FRONT...THIS IS THE LAST
ADVISORY...

The latest tropical storm that we are monitoring reminds us that the 2011 Hurricane Season doesn't officially end until the end of this month.   A subtropical storm formed 445 miles southwest of Bermuda in the early morning hours today.  It has strengthened into Tropical Storm Sean.

SUMMARY OF 1100 PM AST...0300 UTC...INFORMATION
-----------------------------------------------
LOCATION...36.7N 57.7W
ABOUT 505 MI...815 KM NE OF BERMUDA
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS...40 MPH...65 KM/H
PRESENT MOVEMENT...ENE OR 60 DEGREES AT 35 MPH...56 KM/H
MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE...1000 MB...29.53 INCHES

Cruise Ship Travel Advisories

Carnival Tropical Update

RCI Tropical Weather Update

NCL Tropical Weather Updates 

Holland America Travel Advisories 

Celebrity Cruises Travel Advisories  

Real-Time Cruise Ship Tracking  
NOAA Hurricane Central 

Cruise lines are monitoring the tropical storms for potential impact to this week's cruises.   There is no impact to cruises at this time.

Carnival Pride was delayed getting into Baltimore due to bad weather. Embarkation for Carnival Pride's November 6 Bermuda cruise took place on November 7 from 9 a.m. to noon. The ship was scheduled to arrive in King's Wharf, Bermuda, at 1 p.m. on Tuesday and spend two nights in port. The revised itinerary has the ship arriving Wednesday at 1 p.m. and departing Thursday at 3:30 p.m.

Carnival is providing a partial refund to passengers and refunding pre-paid shore excursion funds.

Current Watches & Warnings

CHANGES WITH THIS ADVISORY...

NONE.

THERE ARE NO COASTAL WATCHES OR WARNINGS IN EFFECT.

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.
 
INTERESTS IN BERMUDA SHOULD MONITOR PRODUCTS ISSUED BY THE BERMUDA
WEATHER SERVICE.

MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 40 MPH...65 KM/H...WITH HIGHER
GUSTS.  THE POST-TROPICAL CYCLONE IS EXPECTED TO DISSIPATE ON
SATURDAY. 

HAZARDS AFFECTING LAND

None

Historical Data:         Archive      Graphics Archive                                           

200 PM AST TUE NOV 08 2011
...SEAN TRANSITIONS TO A TROPICAL STORM... 

400 AM EST TUE NOV 08 2011
...NEW SUBTROPICAL STORM DEVELOPS MIDWAY BETWEEN BERMUDA AND
THE BAHAMAS...

Tropical Storm Resources (click links below)
TROPICAL STORM SEAN	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

 

 

East Coast Snow Aims for Cruise Ports

Photo Courtesy Carnival Cruise Line

CARNIVAL PRIDE ®

Weather Forecast:
Baltimore - SNOWY
Bahamas - SUNNY

CARNIVAL FANTASY ® 

Delayed  Arrival

Carnival Fantasy's arrival in the Port of Charleston, SC  
Monday, December 27, will be delayed several hours. Carnival is advising embarking passengers to arrive after 1:30 p.m.  

Note:  This Blog Post covered a particular event, however, links contained in this article may still be useful during later weather events.     Click (here) for Weather & Travel Links

New York and New England Airports Closed

The East Coast is being hit by a major snow storm which has stranded passengers in several states including New York and Boston.   The closures won't directly impact cruises in that area since there are none scheduled to leave until January 2nd.   Of course, passengers trying to depart from or through New York or Boston, will be impacted by the closures.

 

Carnival Pride and Norwegian Jewel were not impacted by the snow storm.  They departed on schedule Sunday afternoon.

IMPORTANT WEATHER LINKS

NWS - Local Weather

NWS - Baltimore, MD

Baltimore Sun Weather Page

NWS - Charleston, SC

IMPORTANT TRAVEL LINKS

Airport Delays

Baltimore/Washington International Airport

BWI Ground Transportation

Port of Baltimore

Port of Charleston

It is always advisable to allow extra time for travel to your port of call, especially during winter months.   Check with your air carrier in advance to see if there are any changes to your flight schedule.   The cruise line will notify your travel agent of any known itinerary changes, but last minute changes can also occur.   Best advice is to expect changes and have travel insurance to assist you with any missed connections.

Tropical Storm Earl Expected to Become Hurricane

5-Day Forecast Cone for Tropical Storm Earl (Credit: NOAA NHC)

Click for Current 5-Day Graphic

Weather Underground Current 5-Day Graphic (click)

Coverage of Hurricane Continues with:  
(please click the following Blog Post link)

Major Hurricane Earl Forces Cruise Itinerary Changes

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

 Tropical Storm Earl in North Atlantic

UPDATE:  UPDATE:  1100 AM AST TUE AUG 31 2010

...POWERFUL HURRICANE EARL CONTINUES WITH 135 MPH WINDS... 

 
Earl now a Category FOUR Hurricane

For Latest Updates ... Please click here

Norwegian Cruise Line modifies Norwegian Epic

 & other itineraries (see below)  

Carnival Cruise Line modifies Carnival Pride

 & Carnival Victory itineraries (see below)

Royal Caribbean Cruise Line modifies Oasis of the Seas, 

Enchantment of the Seas, Freedom of the Seas,

Monarch of the Seas, and Majesty of the Seas 

itineraries (see below) 

Tropical Depression 7 became Tropical Storm Earl around 5 p.m. EDT on August 25.  Since that time it has continued its path westward through the warm Atlantic Ocean.   It is trailing Hurricane Danielle which we are also tracking.

Earl increased in strength over the weekend and became a hurricane, possibly a major hurricane.  Based on the current forecast, the Eastern Caribbean as well as the Bahamas could be impacted by Earl.  The current prediction is that Earl could become a Category Three hurricane today and a Category Four within the next 48 hours.

NHC issuing advisories on Hurricane DANIELLE, TS EARL and TS FRANK

As a service to our readers, we have RSS feeds from the NHC which can provide up to date information about these tropical storms.   We will also monitor the cruise lines for any itinerary changes as a result of the storms.

Current Watches & Warnings

NOTE:  This is no longer being updated ... please see latest post 

A HURRICANE WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR...
* ANTIGUA...BARBUDA...MONTSERRAT...ST. KITTS...NEVIS...AND ANGUILLA
* SAINT MARTIN AND SAINT BARTHELEMY
* ST. MAARTEN...SABA...AND ST. EUSTATIUS
* BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS
* U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS

A HURRICANE WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR...
* BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS
* U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS
* PUERTO RICO INCLUDING THE ISLANDS OF CULEBRA AND VIEQUES

A TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR...
* PUERTO RICO INCLUDING THE ISLANDS OF CULEBRA AND VIEQUES

HURRICANE CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED WITHIN THE HURRICANE WARNING AREA
WITHIN THE NEXT 24 HOURS.  PREPARATIONS TO PROTECT LIFE AND
PROPERTY SHOULD BE RUSHED TO COMPLETION.

HURRICANE CONDITIONS ARE POSSIBLE WITHIN THE WATCH AREA WITHIN THE
NEXT 36 HOURS.

A TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR...
* PUERTO RICO INCLUDING THE ISLANDS OF CULEBRA AND VIEQUES
 

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.

Discussion & Outlook
 

SUMMARY OF 800 AM AST...1200 UTC...INFORMATION (30Aug)

LOCATION...18.4N 62.9W
ABOUT 25 MI...40 KM NNE OF ST. MARTIN
ABOUT 140 MI...220 KM E OF ST. THOMAS
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS...110 MPH...175 KM/HR
PRESENT MOVEMENT...WNW OR 285 DEGREES AT 14 MPH...22 KM/HR
MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE...965 MB...28.50 INCHES

Weather Report

Saint John's, Antigua and Barbuda

HURRICANE CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED WITHIN THE HURRICANE WARNING
AREA...IN THIS CASE WITHIN THE NEXT 12 HOURS.  PREPARATIONS
TO PROTECT LIFE AND PROPERTY SHOULD HAVE ALREADY BEEN COMPLETED.

HURRICANE CONDITIONS ARE POSSIBLE WITHIN THE WATCH AREA...IN THIS
CASE WITHIN THE NEXT 12 TO 24 HOURS.

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.

 

HAZARDS AFFECTING LAND

WIND...HURRICANE CONDITIONS ARE NOW SPREADING ACROSS THE NORTHERN
LEEWARD ISLANDS...AND WILL SPREAD WESTWARD INTO THE VIRGIN ISLANDS
LATER TODAY. TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED TO SPREAD OVER
PUERTO RICO TODAY...WITH HURRICANE CONDITIONS POSSIBLE THIS EVENING
AND TONIGHT.

STORM SURGE...STORM SURGE WILL RAISE WATER LEVELS BY AS MUCH AS 2 TO
4 FEET ABOVE GROUND LEVEL PRIMARILY NEAR THE COAST IN AREAS OF
ONSHORE WIND WITHIN THE HURRICANE WARNING AREA...AND 1 TO 3 FEET IN
THE TROPICAL STORM WARNING AREA.  THE SURGE WILL BE ACCOMPANIED BY
LARGE AND DANGEROUS BATTERING WAVES.

RAINFALL...EARL IS EXPECTED TO PRODUCE TOTAL RAINFALL ACCUMULATIONS
OF 4 TO 8 INCHES OVER THE LEEWARD ISLANDS...THE VIRGIN ISLANDS AND
PUERTO RICO...WITH POSSIBLE ISOLATED MAXIMUM AMOUNTS OF 12 INCHES...
ESPECIALLY OVER HIGHER ELEVATIONS. THESE RAINS COULD CAUSE
LIFE-THREATENING FLASH FLOODS AND MUDSLIDES.

 

 Cruise Line Advisories

Carnival Tropical Weather Update

August 29, 2010 – 12:30PM

We are closely monitoring the two tropical systems (Danielle and Earl) that have formed in the Atlantic.  Rest assured, all of our ships will continue to operate at a safe distance from the storms.

The Carnival Pride will change it's itinerary now visiting Port Canaveral, Nassau, and Freeport.  In addition, the Carnival Victory will change the sequence of ports and will cancel St. Maarten. 

All of Carnival’s other ships are operating the scheduled itineraries.

We will update this information on Carnival.com if any new information becomes available.  Most importantly, we look forward to welcoming our guests onboard this weekend.


Royal Caribbean Tropical Weather Update

August 30, 2010 10:00 a.m. E.S.T

Due to the forecasted path of Hurricane Earl, Royal Caribbean International is altering the current itineraries for Enchantment of the Seas, Oasis of the Seas and Freedom of the Seas.

Enchantment of the Seas called on San Juan, Puerto Rico Sunday, as scheduled, but will cancel its call at St. Thomas on Monday in order to avoid inclement weather from the storm. Instead, the ship will call at Samana, Dominican Republic on Monday, August 30 and Labadee, Haiti, on Tuesday, August 31. The ship will spend Wednesday, Thursday and Friday at sea as it returns to Baltimore on Saturday, as scheduled. Enchantment of the Seas is currently sailing a nine-night Caribbean itinerary, which departed Baltimore on August 26.

Oasis of the Seas will be unable to make its scheduled port calls to Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas on Tuesday, August 31 and Phillipsburg, St. Maarten on Wednesday, September 1. The most recent forecast simply places the storm too close to these ports of call during the time Oasis of the Seas would be sailing there. The ship will now call at Costa Maya and Cozumel, Mexico, on Wednesday and Thursday, respectively. Oasis of the Seas is sailing a seven-night Caribbean itinerary, which departed Ft. Lauderdale on August 28.

Freedom of the Seas will be unable to make its scheduled port calls to Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas on Wednesday, September 1 and Phillipsburg, St. Maarten on Thursday, September 2. The most recent forecast simply places the storm too close to these ports of call during the time Freedom of the Seas would be sailing there. The ship will call CocoCay, Bahamas on Monday, as scheduled, spend Tuesday at sea, and call into George Town, Grand Cayman on Wednesday. On Thursday, the ship will visit Cozumel, Mexico. The ship will spend Friday and Saturday at sea as it returns to Port Canaveral, Florida on Sunday, as scheduled. Freedom of the Seas is currently sailing a seven-night Caribbean itinerary, which departed Port Canaveral on August 29.

No other Royal Caribbean International ship's itinerary is currently being affected by Hurricane Earl. Royal Caribbean will continue to closely monitor weather conditions and will update this information if there are any additional itinerary alterations due to the storm's projected path.

Norwegian Cruise Line Weather Alert 

Updated August 29 at 9 am ET

At Norwegian Cruise Line, the safety and security of our guests and crew is of the utmost importance. Therefore, the company is closely monitoring the paths of both Hurricane Danielle and Tropical Storm Earl.

Because of the storms, we are modifying the following itineraries:

Norwegian Dawn will depart New York as scheduled today. We are continuing to monitor the storm and there is a possibility of an itinerary change depending on the storm’s path.

Norwegian Epic departed Miami yesterday as scheduled. The ship will call into Cozumel, Mexico and Roatan, Honduras in place of Phillipsburg, St. Maarten and St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands. The ship’s call into Nassau on Friday has been extended.

Norwegian Spirit arrived in Bermuda this morning as originally scheduled.

Guests on board the vessels will be kept up to date by the ship’s Captain. It is also important to note that we will continue to closely monitor the storm and if the path changes, we may need to modify these itineraries.
We appreciate our guests understanding. As soon as there is further information, we will update NCL.com and notify our guests.


Updated August 28 at 9 am ET
At Norwegian Cruise Line, the safety and security of our guests and crew is of the utmost importance. Therefore, the company is closely monitoring the paths of both Hurricane Danielle and Tropical Storm Earl.

Because of the storms, we are modifying the following itineraries:
Norwegian Spirit’s arrival time into Bermuda, currently scheduled for 11 am on Sunday, August 29, will be dependent on the speed and the path of the storm, and will most likely be delayed until Monday morning, August 30.

Norwegian Epic will depart Miami today as scheduled. The ship will call into Cozumel, Mexico and Roatan, Honduras in place of Phillipsburg, St. Maarten and St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands. The ship’s call into Nassau on Friday has been extended.   

Norwegian Dawn will depart New York as scheduled on Sunday, August 29. We are continuing to monitor the storm and there is a possibility of an itinerary change depending on the storm’s path.

Guests on board the vessels will be kept up to date by the ship’s Captain. It is also important to note that we will continue to closely monitor the storm and if the path changes, we may need to modify these itineraries.

We appreciate our guests understanding. As soon as there is further information, we will update NCL.com and notify our guests.

Tropical Storm Resources (click links below)
Tropical Storm EARL	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

Major Hurricane Danielle Near Bermuda

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

Click for Current 5-Day Graphic

UPDATE: 500 AM AST MON AUG 30 2010

...DANIELLE WEAKENING AND QUICKLY LOSING TROPICAL CHARACTERISTICS
OVER THE FAR NORTH ATLANTIC OCEAN...  

500 PM AST SAT AUG 28 2010

...DANIELLE WEAKENING A LITTLE...EXPECTED TO PASS WELL EAST
OF BERMUDA LATER TONIGHT...
 

DANIELLE MAINTAINING CATEGORY ONE HURRICANE STRENGTH
Expected to Weaken Monday, August 30th

Norwegian Cruise Line modifies itineraries (see below) 

Carnival Cruise Line modifies Carnival Pride 

& Carnival Victory itineraries (see below)

Tropical Depression 6 formed in the Central Atlantic about a week ago and at that time was 600 miles west-southwest of Cape Verde Islands.  A couple days later it was a named Tropical Storm and then a Category One hurricane.    It has continued to strengthen and as a Category Four hurricane, it is approaching Bermuda's coastline.  This is a very powerful storm at the present time.   It appears that the storm might move away from Bermuda and weaken.

NHC issuing advisories on Hurricane DANIELLE, TS EARL and TS FRANK

As a service to our readers, we have RSS feeds from the NHC which can provide up to date information about these tropical storms.   We will also monitor the cruise lines for any itinerary changes as a result of the storms.

Current Watches & Warnings

Update 28Aug... AT 5 PM AST...THE BERMUDA WEATHER SERVICE HAS DISCONTINUED THE
TROPICAL STORM WATCH FOR BERMUDA.

THERE ARE NO COASTAL WATCHES OR WARNINGS IN EFFECT.

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.

Discussion & Outlook
 

SUMMARY OF 500 AM AST...0900 UTC...INFORMATION (30Aug)

LOCATION...40.4N 52.0W
ABOUT 440 MI...705 KM S OF CAPE RACE NEWFOUNDLAND
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS...75 MPH...120 KM/HR
PRESENT MOVEMENT...NE OR 40 DEGREES AT 17 MPH...28 KM/HR
MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE...984 MB...29.06 INCHES

MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 75 MPH...120 KM/HR...WITH HIGHER
GUSTS.  DANIELLE IS STILL A CATEGORY ONE HURRICANE ON THE
SAFFIR-SIMPSON HURRICANE WIND SCALE...BUT ADDITIONAL WEAKENING IS
FORECAST DURING THE NEXT 24 HOURS.  DANIELLE IS EXPECTED TO LOSE
ITS TROPICAL CHARACTERISTICS LATER TODAY...AND BECOME A LARGE AND
POWERFUL EXTRATROPICAL CYCLONE OVER THE COLD WATERS OF THE NORTH
ATLANTIC.

HURRICANE FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 85 MILES...140 KM...FROM
THE CENTER...AND TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 310
MILES...500 KM.

ESTIMATED MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE IS 984 MB...29.06 INCHES.

Bermuda Weather Forecast 

 

HAZARDS AFFECTING LAND

SURF...LARGE WAVES AND DANGEROUS SURF CONDITIONS WILL AFFECT BERMUDA
OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS.  SWELLS FROM DANIELLE WILL BEGIN TO ARRIVE
ON THE EAST COAST OF THE UNITED STATES LATER TODAY.  THESE SWELLS
ARE LIKELY TO CAUSE DANGEROUS RIP CURRENTS THROUGH THE WEEKEND.
PLEASE MONITOR PRODUCTS ISSUED BY YOUR LOCAL WEATHER OFFICE.

 

 Cruise Line Advisories

Carnival Tropical Weather Update

August 29, 2010 – 12:30PM

We are closely monitoring the two tropical systems (Danielle and Earl) that have formed in the Atlantic.  Rest assured, all of our ships will continue to operate at a safe distance from the storms.

The Carnival Pride will change it's itinerary now visiting Port Canaveral, Nassau, and Freeport.  In addition, the Carnival Victory will change the sequence of ports and will cancel St. Maarten. 

All of Carnival’s other ships are operating the scheduled itineraries.

We will update this information on Carnival.com if any new information becomes available.  Most importantly, we look forward to welcoming our guests onboard this weekend.




August 27, 2010 – 6PM

We are closely monitoring the two tropical systems (Danielle and Earl) that have formed in the Atlantic.  All of our ships are now operating a safe distance from the storms and performing the scheduled itineraries.  In addition, we are not anticipating any significant itinerary changes for our cruises departing from any of our Florida or East Coast home ports this weekend.

Royal Caribbean Tropical Weather Update

Due to Earl:  Oasis of the Seas and Enchantment of the Seas are sailing modified itineraries at the present time
 (See our Hurricane Earl post for details)

August 23, 2010 4:00 p.m. E.S.T

At this time, Royal Caribbean International is closely monitoring the path and progress of Tropical Storm Danielle to ensure guests enjoy safe and comfortable cruises, and to make certain our ships steer clear of the storm. The safety of our guests and crew is always the foremost concern of Royal Caribbean International.

Given Tropical Storm Danielle's current location and projected path, Royal Caribbean has not altered the itineraries of any ships. Royal Caribbean will continue to closely monitor weather conditions and will update this information if there are any changes to the storms' projected path.

Norwegian Cruise Line Weather Alert 


Updated August 28 at 9 am ET
At Norwegian Cruise Line, the safety and security of our guests and crew is of the utmost importance. Therefore, the company is closely monitoring the paths of both Hurricane Danielle and Tropical Storm Earl.

Because of the storms, we are modifying the following itineraries:
Norwegian Spirit’s arrival time into Bermuda, currently scheduled for 11 am on Sunday, August 29, will be dependent on the speed and the path of the storm, and will most likely be delayed until Monday morning, August 30.

Norwegian Epic will depart Miami today as scheduled. The ship will call into Cozumel, Mexico and Roatan, Honduras in place of Phillipsburg, St. Maarten and St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands. The ship’s call into Nassau on Friday has been extended.

Norwegian Dawn will depart New York as scheduled on Sunday, August 29. We are continuing to monitor the storm and there is a possibility of an itinerary change depending on the storm’s path.

Guests on board the vessels will be kept up to date by the ship’s Captain. It is also important to note that we will continue to closely monitor the storm and if the path changes, we may need to modify these itineraries.
We appreciate our guests understanding. As soon as there is further information, we will update NCL.com and notify our guests.

Tropical Storm Resources (click links below)
Hurricane DANIELLE	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.

Thoughts on Flag Day 2010 - Ft. McHenry

Flag Flying over Fort McHenry

June 14th is Flag Day.   President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed June 14, 1916, to be a national celebration of the American flag, and the 1949 Congress declared June 14 to be national Flag Day every year.  This day commemorates the day the Second Continental Congress authorized the United States of America to adopt a flag to represent the new nation.

 Fort McHenry, Baltimore, Maryland

We had the opportunity to visit Fort McHenry during our post cruise stay in Baltimore, MD last year following our national conference convention aboard Carnival Pride.

The flag pictured above was flown over the fort.   We were fortunate to be there for the lowering of the flag and raising of a much smaller flag that would fly through the evening hours.

O Say, Can You See?

When you visit Fort McHenry, you can learn all about the birth of our National Anthem.  

O say can you see, by the dawns early light, a large red, white and blue banner? Whose broad stripes and bright stars . . . were so gallantly streaming! over the star-shaped Fort McHenry during the Battle of Baltimore, September 13-14, 1814. The valiant defense of the fort inspired Francis Scott Key to write The Star-Spangled Banner.

This was an impressive flag ceremony.   I suggest you include a visit to Fort McHenry when visiting Baltimore.    Carnival Pride sails year-round from Baltimore, so why not include a cruise in your plans and learn about our nation's history at the same time.

Chef's Table Culinary Experience

Carnival Cruise Line

Chef's Table

Culinary Experience

One of the popular activities while onboard a cruise ship is participating in the galley tour.  Even if you aren't much of a cook at home, and don't really get excited seeing stoves and other cooking gadgets, it is still amazing to see the quantity of equipment and staff required to keep the passengers and crew fed during the voyage.

Carnival Cruise Line has taken the galley tour to a new level, introducing the "Chef's Table", as a pilot program last year, onboard Carnival Dream and Carnival Ecstasy.  The program is a one-of-a-kind culinary experience which includes an exquisite multi-course dinner hosted by one of the line’s master chefs along with a private cocktail reception and a personalized tour of the galley.  This year the program is being rolled out to six more ships.

The Chef's Table experience, which is limited to a select group of 12 guests, begins with cocktails and hors d’ouevres hosted by the ship’s chef de cuisine. The chef then takes the group on a personalized tour to see the galley in operation, providing participants with a unique perspective on Carnival’s extensive food and beverage operations. A traditional galley tour typically occurs when there isn't much activity in the galley and with much larger groups of passengers.

The evening concludes with a sumptuous full-service dinner with delicious appetizers, entrees and desserts created by the line’s master chefs.  Depending on the vessel, the meal takes place in non-traditional dining venues throughout the ship – the galley, library, conference center, etc.

The Chef’s Table program is being rolled out to the following six ships over the next several weeks:  Carnival Liberty, Carnival Sensation, Carnival Imagination, Carnival Inspiration, Carnival Pride and Carnival Fascination.

The program can be booked on board through the ships’ guest information desk. The cost is $75 per person.

Weather Advisory Port of Baltimore

Photo Courtesy Carnival Cruise Line

CARNIVAL PRIDE ®

Weather Forecast:

Baltimore - SNOWY
Bahamas - SUNNY

Note:  This Blog Post covered a particular event, however, links contained in this article may still be useful during later weather events.     Click (here) for Weather & Travel Links

As the Nation's Capital and surrounding areas endures another blast of winter weather, passengers scheduled to leave on Sunday's departure of Carnival Pride's 7-Night Caribbean, Baltimore R/T anxiously watch the weather and wonder if they will be able to get to the Port of Baltimore in time for their cruise. Forecasts show total accumulation of up to 2 feet of snow in some areas. Snow is expected to taper off in the evening which should allow time for snow removal.

SUNDAY CRUISE PASSENGERS REMINDED TO ALLOW EXTRA
TIME FOR REACHING PORT OF BALTIMORE

The Maryland Port Authority reminds passengers to allow extra time for travel from their homes due to the upcoming snow event. This is not the first snow storm MPA has faced, so they have a plan in place. (Press Release)

“We strongly encourage our cruise passengers to exercise good judgment and use common sense when coming to the Cruise Maryland terminal on Sunday,” said Maryland Port Administration (MPA) Executive Director James J. White. “Comparable to our December snowstorm, MPA personnel will work around the clock this weekend to make sure our parking lots, walkways and pier are cleared of snow and are safe for the public.”

The Port Administration successfully combated a similar storm last December. The snow operations plan that worked last time will once again be implemented for this storm. The plan included round-the-clock snow removal by crews working in 12-hour shifts using heavy-duty equipment to move snow.

IMPORTANT WEATHER LINKS

NWS - Local Weather

NWS - Baltimore, MD

Baltimore Sun Weather Page

IMPORTANT TRAVEL LINKS

Airport Delays

Baltimore/Washington International Airport

BWI Ground Transportation

Port of Baltimore 

Saturday, February 6 at 10:00 AM -- A significant winter weather event is impacting the Baltimore-Washington region on Saturday. Airlines have cancelled all flights, and indicate most Saturday service will be cancelled. Travelers are advised to check with their airlines for information regarding flight delays or cancellations.

Sunday, February 7 at 11:30 AM --Snow removal operations continue at BWI Marshall Airport. Airline cancellations continue, and BWI Marshall expects limited, if any, commercial flight activity on Sunday. Travelers are advised to check with their airlines for information on flight delays or cancellations. Passengers are encouraged to rebook travel by telephone or airline website, rather than coming to Airport.

Monday, February 8 at 6:00 PM --Both of BWI Marshall Airport's main runways are now open for flight operations. Airlines are gradually returning to near-normal schedules. Travelers are advised to check with their airlines to confirm flight status BEFORE heading to Airport. Passengers are encouraged to rebook travel by telephone or airline website, rather than coming to the Airport. Those customers travelling from BWI Marshall this week should consider parking under cover in one of the Airport's garages. Light rail information is available here.

Baltimore/Washington International Airport

BWI Ground Transportation

Carnival Cruise Line has not altered the February 7, 2010, itinerary as of this posting. Should it be necessary for Carnival to alter the itinerary, an advisory would be posted to the following link: Carnival Travel Advisory

Winter storms like this are perfect examples of why to take Travel Protection Insurance. For example: Trip Delay / Missed Connection coverage would potentially cover any additional expenses necessary to join your cruise in progress if you aren't able to get to the departure point on time. There are several other unexpected situations that can occur after final payment. Protect your vacation investment and travel without worries.

No matter what policy you chose, make sure you understand the limitations and coverages so you are not surprised after the fact. It is for this reason that I advise my customers to utilize the insurance company's help desk to get your detailed questions answered.

Safe Travels to all Departing on Carnival Pride - Enjoy Your Cruise