Gusty UK Impacts Cruises

UK Experiencing

Gale Force Winds & Flooding

A nation that earlier in the week was celebrating their Queen's Diamond Jubilee, was forced indoors as Mother Nature brought Gale Force Winds and Rain to south-west England, the Midlands, the South East, and Wales Thursday and Friday.  The Met Office issued severe weather warnings and flood warnings and alerts for Wales and southern England as the weather system moved north-east.

Cruise Ships Impacted

MSC Opera, which was scheduled to dock Friday morning local time (GMT) in Southampton, made it into port at 4 p.m.  The adverse weather conditions and focus on passenger safety prompted the delay which threatened to impact the 8-Night Baltic & Northern Europe cruise departure.

Costa NeoRomantica was unable to dock in Dover, the ship's turn-around port, Friday as scheduled.

Instead, the ship  was redirected to Amsterdam to offload passengers from the current cruise and pick up those scheduled to sail on the next, also an 8-night Baltic & Northern Europe cruise. Passengers on both itineraries were being shuttled by air at the cruise line's expense.  No further delays were expected.

Weather Improving   

The Met Office forecast called for improving conditions on Saturday feeling warmer with some sunny spells.  Some areas however,especially northern England and mid and north-west Wales, will continue to see rainfall and flood warnings remain for many parts of the UK.

More information about the unusual weather for June:

BBC: Bad weather and flood warnings as UK hit by strong winds

Met Office: Stormy end to the week

Has Weather Ever Impacted Your Cruise?

We had a June departure scheduled from Dover, England one year where our ship was diverted to Southampton due to strong winds, similar to those of this weekend.   Once again, the cruise line handled the logistics for passengers so that they could get home or join their cruise.

What weather-related cruise stories do you have?  We'd love to hear your stories and how the cruise lines handled the situation.    As Hurricane Season gets into full swing, we can expect more weather-related itinerary changes.  We'll do our best to keep our readers informed as we have in the past.

London Violence Concern to Cruisers

Riots in London

"We needed a fightback and a fightback is under way"

BBC News is quoting the prime minister saying "We needed a fightback and a fightback is under way"  after four days of riots in London and surrounding areas.

The violence broke out over the weekend following a police shooting death of Mark Duggan, a 29-year-old father of four who was gunned down in Tottenham on Thursday under disputed circumstances.

Prime Minister David Cameron said every action would be taken to restore order, with contingency plans for water cannon to be available at 24 hours' notice.   On Tuesday night London was quiet amid the increased police presence, but unrest spread to cities including Manchester, Salford, Liverpool, Nottingham and Birmingham, with shops being looted and fires set.

Update:  Saturday 13 August:

London and surrounding areas are trying to get back to normal following the past week's riots.  Courts stayed open on the weekend to process more than 1,000 cases related to the violent spree.  The PM and others speak out about what's wrong and what's right in Britain.   Events like this tend to bring out the best and worst in people.   We hope that things will remain calm and that a rebuilding can take place.

For latest information on the Riots, see BBC News: 

• England riots: Fightback under way, says PM
• England riots Live
• England riots: Map and timeline 

From other news sites

• Telegraph David Cameron: It's time for a zero tolerance approach to street crime

• Daily Express PM forced to deny rift with police 

• Guardian.co.uk UK riots aftermath: live updates 

• Mirror.co.uk Parliament to debate disturbances 

• Financial Times* Focus of rioting moves beyond UK capital  

Concern to Cruisers

London is in proximity to three cruise ports: Dover, Harwich, and Southampton, with cruise passengers often extending their cruise vacations with pre-cruise or post-cruise stays in London.  In our post, London - A Favorite Pre-Cruise Destination, we talked about some of our adventures in London prior to our cruise vacations.

August is the height of European cruise vacation season with several ships embarking from one of those ports of calls or stopping there during their journeys to the British Isles, Norwegian Fjords, or Mediterranean.   If violence continues, there will be an impact on cruise vacations to this area.

Ships, such as Holland America Line Maasdam, offer shore excursions to London while docked in Dover. It isn't known at this time whether shore excursions were impacted on its current voyage. Cruise lines monitor situations like this and adjust their schedules as needed.

The U.S. Department of State has not posted any travel warnings at this time but is monitoring the situation.  The following resources should be monitored by anyone planning on visiting the London area at this time.

Tips for Traveling Abroad 

Travel Warnings, Country Specific Information & Travel Alerts

This is yet another reason for travelers to purchase Travel Insurance. What would happen if you were in London, and the riots broke out, and you were injured?  What if you couldn't get to the port because the streets were blocked by the police in response to the violence?   Our advice is to plan for the unexpected.

Common travel problems like flight delays, travel injuries and illnesses, unpredictable weather, and lost or stolen luggage are some reasons why we recommend you travel with the Travel Companion plan.  Consult your policy for specific coverages.    

We hope that the violence will stop soon without any additional loss or injury, so that cruise vacationers' plans won't be impacted.   We will monitor the situation and bring you any significant developments.

Oasis of the Seas Continues Journey

Oasis of the Seas

Sails Past White Cliffs of Dover

Day 4 finds Oasis of the Seas in the English Channel passing the White Cliffs of Dover. Having sailed past them, and left from Dover, England on several occasions, I can assure you that the captain, crew, and workers onboard the Oasis had a magnificent view as they continued their journey to Fort Lauderdale, FL.

I'm sure there will be pictures posted from onlookers, so make sure to come back for any updates. I've included the link to the Captain's Log video which does show the White Cliffs in the background.

As with any initial ship crossing of the Atlantic, it's not playtime, but rather the chance to put the ship through it's paces and finish up remaining work in preparation for the first passenger voyages. The video shows work that is still in progress on the ship. For the most part, the work includes minor cosmetic changes and additions.

Captains Log Day 4 Video: Building at Sea (click here)

Related Blog posts:

Oasis OTS Ducks Under Great Belt Bridge

Oasis of the Seas - Crossing the Atlantic

Oasis of the Seas Heads for Home

Oasis of the Seas Takes to Water

Watch Additional Oasis of the Seas Videos Here!

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