National Safe Boating Week 2011

WEAR IT !!  -- Chris with fellow passenger Ken in Bartolome, Galapagos

SECOND ANNUAL “READY, SET, INFLATE!”

Inflatable Life Jacket World Record Day

TO KICK OFF NATIONAL SAFE BOATING WEEK 

Boating safety educators, the general boating public gather to demonstrate importance of life jacket wear, set world record on May 21

Bristow, VA (March 21, 2011) – It’s time to join efforts to once again bringing an important boating safety issue – life jacket wear – to the forefront and setting a world record along the way. The National Safe Boating Council (NSBC), in partnership with the Canadian Safe Boating Council (CSBC) invites boating safety professionals, the boating community and the media to participate in the “Ready, Set, Inflate!” event on Saturday, May 21, 2011. Participants will gather in cities around the globe to heighten awareness of inflatable life jackets. This year, the NSBC and CSBC will tally not only the number of participants who inflate their inflatable life jackets during the event, but also those who wear an inherently buoyant life jacket.

North America Safe Boating Campaign	Ready Set Inflate.com
NWS National Safe Boating Week	National Safe Boating Council
USCG Boating Safety Resource Center	USCG Boat Rental Safety

Ready, Set, Inflate - Post Your Pics on our Facebook Page

Safety is a primary concern in the cruise industry.  One of the first things you'll do once you are onboard the ship is a mandatory safety drill which includes locating your life jackets and proceeding to a muster station for further instructions.

When you put your life jacket back away in your stateroom, that doesn't mean you forget about safety for the rest of the cruise.   Instead, that is the start of paying attention to safety.    You may participate in some shore excursions that include water sports, sailing on small boats, etc.    Be sure to wear your life jacket during these excursions.

We thought it would be fun to post some of your pictures in life jacket attire, so I've started a Safe  Boating Photo Album that you can add your pics to.  Even if you don't send us one of your pics, check out the photos that are posted. 

 

National Weather Service Marine Forecasts

National Safe Boating Week May 21 - 27, 2011 

2011 Safe Boating Week : May 21 - 27
Sat.	Sun.	Mon.	Tue.	Wed.	Thu.	Fri.
LifeJackets	BoatingUnder theInfluence	Inflatable Life Jackets	Wind and Waves	Thunderstorm Safety	Safe Navigation in Fog	Marine Forecast

NOAA 2011 Hurricane Season Predictions

Looking Back and Looking Ahead

Hurricane Season Approaching 

Looking for past & current hurricanes?  Click Image or Here

The graphic above, courtesy of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)'s National Hurricane Center (NHC), was the scariest  moment during the 2010 Hurricane Season.   NOAA's Climate Prediction Center (CPC) had predicted an active season, but having three active hurricanes in the Atlantic Basin at the same time was definitely something to keep the scientists on edge.

Looking Back at 2010

In the chart below, the numbers in parenthesis are the averages, so you can easily see that the 2010 Atlantic Hurricane Season was above average, with 2010 ranking as the tenth most active season since 1950.

Atlantic Basin

Forecast Parameter and 1950-2000 Climatology (in parentheses)	NOAA 2010 Prediction	2010 Actual Results
Named Storms (NS) (9.6)	14-23	19
Hurricanes (H) (5.9)	8 -14	12
Major Hurricanes (MH) (2.3)	3-7	5
Accumulated Cyclone Energy (ACE) (96.1)	155 - 270	190

For more details, read the complete NOAA 2010 Atlantic Seasonal Climate Summary

The 2010 Eastern Northern Pacific Hurricane Season was well below average. The seven named storms was the lowest amount since the advent of routine satellite imagery in the basin in 1971.   The total number of three hurricanes was the lowest since 1971.

East Pacific

Forecast Parameter and 1950-2000 Climatology (in parentheses)	NOAA 2010 Prediction	2010 Actual Results
Named Storms (NS) (9.6)	9 - 15	7
Hurricanes (H) (5.9)	4 - 8	3
Major Hurricanes (MH) (2.3)	1 - 3	2
Accumulated Cyclone Energy (ACE) (96.1)	45 - 105	50

For more details, read the complete NOAA 2010 Eastern Pacific Seasonal Climate Summary

Looking Ahead to 2011

Forecast of Atlantic Seasonal Hurricane Activity and Landfall Strike Probability for 2011 - PDF Format

As is customary, the Colorado State University releases its predictions in December and April. See our blog post,  Colorado State University: Above Average 2011 Hurricane Forecst, for their 2011 predictions.

Atlantic Basin

Forecast Parameter and 1950-2000 Climatology (in parentheses)	NOAA 2011 Prediction	CSU 2011 Prediction
Named Storms (NS) (9.6)	12-18	16
Hurricanes (H) (5.9)	6-10	9
Major Hurricanes (MH) (2.3)	3-6	5
Accumulated Cyclone Energy (ACE) (96.1)	105 - 200	160

East Pacific

Forecast Parameter and 1950-2000 Climatology (in parentheses)	NOAA 2011 Prediction
Named Storms (NS) (9.6)	9 - 15
Hurricanes (H) (5.9)	5 - 8
Major Hurricanes (MH) (2.3)	1 - 3
Accumulated Cyclone Energy (ACE) (96.1)	45 -105

Based on these early season predictions, it would appear that the Atlantic Basic will be active again while the Pacific will remain relatively below average.

New Hurricane Safety Video and Audio Available for Hurricane Preparedness Week (May 22-28)

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.

RELATED BLOG POSTS:

Hurricane East Coast Awareness Tour 2011

Above Average 2011 Hurricane Forecast

This article starts our 2011 Hurricane Preparedness Series

Be Sure To Visit All Week for More Articles

Fantastic Features On Disney Fantasy

Disney Fantasy Details Released

Disney Cruise Line announced details of the latest ship, Disney Fantasy, which is currently under construction  by Meyer Werft shipyard.  It is the sister ship to Disney Dream which debuted this year.

Disney Fantasy will have some of the same features as the Disney Dream, such as the AquaDuck water coaster, Magical Portholes inside the staterooms and Enchanted Art throughout the ship.  There will be new design elements to give the new ship its own identity. 

“Animation Magic” at Animator’s Palate

"Animation Magic" at Animator's Palate

For those of you who have sailed on a Disney ship before, Animator's Palate needs no introduction.  For those of you who have not, Disney Cruise Line takes dinner to a whole new dimension... with the scene changing as dinner progresses.

On Disney Fantasy, DCL takes things a step further.  "Animation Magic" will be a dinner show that celebrates the magic of Disney animation and allows families to participate in a unique new way.

Everyone will be a “guest animator,” as they will be invited to draw a character of their own using a simple template on their placemat. Later, these sketches will be revealed on several large screens along the walls to join in an animated sequence with beloved Disney characters. Check out this photo, courtesy of Disney Cruise Line, that illustrates some of the magic that will dazzle guests during their dining experience.

Europa - Night-time Entertainment District

Guests 18 and older can escape and enjoy a collection of sophisticated bars and trendy lounges inspired by European travel. La Piazza is themed after Italian cities and their decorative outdoor plazas. Skyline is a chic bar that provides birds-eye views of stunning European city skylines that transform from day to night. O’Gill’s Pub is a rollicking Irish bar with modern day twists. Ooh La La is inspired by an elegant French boudoir adorned with velvet tufted walls. And finally, The Tube transports guests to a vibrant metropolitan club via the London Underground. 

Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique!

Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique

Young cruisers haven't been left out.  At this very special salon, aspiring young princesses and pirates receive the full fairy tale treatment with pixie-dusted and piratical makeovers. After making their royal entrance, young princesses-to-be are greeted by their very own Fairy Godmother-in-training, who will transform them with the most magical makeovers you can imagine.

And on pirate party nights aboard the Disney Fantasy, Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique becomes a buccaneer’s dream – Pirate’s League, where we can help guests of all ages prepare for a swashbuckling evening with beards and bandanas, swords and scars, earrings and eye patches and more. If you like dressing up for the occasion, you arrrr going to love this place!

This is only a small sampling of what you can look forward to on the Disney Fantasy – Disney will be releasing more details and we'll bring you the information as that happens.   A special thank you to Disney Cruise Line for these artist renderings and for letting us take a sneak peak into the new ship.

Azamara Journey PrimeC Dinner

When writing my columns the past few days, I thought about sharing some of my favorite cruise moments.  

Celebrating a special event, with friends and family, in a specialty restaurant is one of those moments.

Azamara Journey

PrimeC

Dinner Experience

While on our 12-Night West Indies Cruise on Azamara Journey, we celebrated my birthday at the PrimeC specialty restaurant.  It was a fabulous dining experience (and the food was great too).  If you've never dined at a specialty restaurant onboard a ship, I highly recommend it.   You will pay a surcharge to do so, and the cost varies by venue, but the service and quality of food will leave you wondering why you hadn't done this before.

As with dinner in the main dining room of the ship, you'll have the opportunity to select from a menu that consists of Soups & Salads, Starters, Entrees, and Desserts.   The difference between PrimeC's menu and that of the main dining room is that it never changes during the course of the cruise.   

Soups & Salads

My husband and I had different soups with our dinner.   I selected the Wild Mushroom Soup (left) - Porcini Dust & Poppy Seed Twist while he selected the Three Onions Onion Soup (right) - Gruyere Cheese Gratin & Onion Tart.    Both of these soups were fabulous - we could have easily made a meal by asking for another bowl.

Starters

Several starters sounded really good on the menu, but our waiter suggested two of his favorites which we decided to try. The Macadamia-Nut Crusted Tiger Prawns - Orange-Horseradish Marmalade and the Chicken Lollipops - Crisp Waffle Potatoes, Trio of Sauces were both excellent choices. Again, if we ordered another helping, we could have skipped the main course.

We always find that when we follow the waiter's recommendations, we can't go wrong. Fortunately, the waiter spaced out the various courses so that we had a little time to rest before continuing.


Main Entrée

Dinner selections were difficult once again, so we presented out options to the waiter and let him help us make up our minds.   My husband opted for the Broiled Cowboy Bone-In Rib Eye Steak  - Zucchini & Squash, Crisp Onion Rings, Baked Potato and Condiments.   I on the other hand went for something a little smaller:  Sauteed Filet Mignon - Steamed Broccoli & Garlic Mashed Potatoes.

Dessert

Once again we couldn't decide on what to have for our final course.   In honor of my birthday, the waiter had brought me a small birthday cake and the staff sang happy birthday to me.   Since we wanted to try some of their desserts, they wrapped the cake up in aluminum foil so that we could save it for later.

I'll leave you in suspense ...  to see what we had for our dessert, you'll have to check out my Prime C Restaurant  photo album on Facebook.

Fun With Fishes in Bermuda

 

  HARTLEY'S UNDERSEA WALK BERMUDA

Yes folks, that's me in the picture above, displaying the latest fashion in underwater attire, along with one of my new friends, who  has come to visit.   What's that you ask, "Why am I smiling?" 

Those that know me are probably  amazed to see me in this picture at all. You see, I am a non-swimmer and have been afraid of water most of my life.

When we planned our activities for a recent cruise to Bermuda, I found out about Hartley's Helmet Diving and decided to learn more about it.    I first saw the shore excursion listed on the cruise line's website, and then did a search to take a look at Greg Hartley's page.

DO YOU LIKE SNORKELING

 As I mentioned, I'm not a swimmer, but in recent years have gone snorkeling.  We got our own snorkeling gear which included a mask, goggles, mini-fins, and a life-vest for me.  When I'm wearing the life-vest, I feel secure and  can even enter the water from a boat and snorkel.   Before getting our own equipment, the most I would do is walk into shallow water for a quick dip and then go back on the beach.

IF YOU LIKE SNORKELING YOU'LL LOVE
HARTLEY'S UNDERSEA WALK

Reading more about the Hartley's Helmet Diving experience, I decided to suggest the excursion to the rest of my family.  They are all swimmers and thought it was a good idea, so we booked it directly with the Hartleys.

Greg Hartley, one of his children, and another crew member got us loaded onto their boat and we headed to the dive spot.  After some paperwork and safety instructions, we were divided into small groups to await our turn.

Inspired by Jacques Cousteau?

The helmet pictured here looks like something inspired from Jacques Cousteau's equipment locker.  In some respects, Greg Hartely is very much like him, since he too is an undersea explorer, a photographer, an inventor of diving devices, and a writer.   This helmet is your life-line to the surface.   Notice the reflection of the rope in the helmet glass.

Not Just a Fun Walk With the Fishes

Now for the details of the dive ... A few divers at a time donned the helmets, and walked down the boat's ladder, one step at a time, until reaching the sea floor, 10 feet below the surface.   A rope marked the undersea path.  Air hoses connected the divers to the boat's air supply system.

Once the group had settled in on the sea floor, Greg got his underwater camera gear and took photos of those that purchased the photo package.   Before leaving the boat, each of those people had their own CD with stock photos,  individual, and group shots.

This was actually our second experience helmet diving.  Our other experience was in Tahiti.   Greg's undersea walk incorporates an educational element, making it more than just having fun with the fishes.   There is room for fun too as you can see.  Greg has trained these fish and they even did tricks for us.

Greg pointed out various fish and vegetation using a dive stick, which can be seen in the second photo above.   We took our own photos using disposable underwater cameras.   You could also use an underwater digital camera as long as it was good to a depth of at least 10 feet.    Our equipment was no where near the level of sophistication of Greg's, so purchased his photo package to preserve our memories.  We recommend you capture your sea exploration via his camera also.  Watch this video to learn more.




YouTube - Hartley's Helmet Diving, Bermuda review from LookBermuda.TV



For the legal minded, this by no means is an official endorsement of Hartley's Helmet Diving, nor are we being compensated by any means.   We simply had a very enjoyable time, and wanted to share our experience with you, so that you too can include this excursion in your cruise vacation if you so desire.

On our dive, there were people of all ages from young children to an elderly gentleman.  Some of the children were frightened, and Greg was great with them.   He got their siblings to assist in encouraging them to at least give it a try.  When they decided they had enough, he respected that.

Visit our Shutterfly Page

Bermuda is a wonderful cruise destination.   It is very easy to explore on your own using the public transportation, such as the ferry service and buses.  The locals recently have had an uprising about tourists overtaking the bus system, so you'll want to monitor that situation closely.

MSC Opera Loses Power

MSC Opera Bridge View                Credit: MSC Cruises

Electrical Power Problem 

Disrupts MSC Opera's Baltic Cruise

UPDATE: May 17th - Guests Disembark and Return Home from Stockholm, Sweden
MSC Opera will resume service next week, on Friday May 27^th, cruising from Southampton on a beautiful 8 night Norwegian Fjords cruise.  

MSC Cruises would like to once again thank the Stockholm Port Authorities for their efficient cooperation in assisting both the company and its guests and would like to apologize for any inconvenience experienced. 

UPDATE:  May 16th - MSC Opera's May 17th Cruise Cancelled

Despite having the majority of power restored, MSC Cruises has cancelled the next scheduled cruise so that technicians from STX Europe and the cruise line can examine the electrical system and determine the cause of the failure.   Impacted passengers will be contacted and offered compensation.

Read More:  UPDATE MSC OPERA TECHNICAL ISSUE

MSC Opera lost power Saturday following problems with one of its electrical panels.  The ship was in the midst of  a 10-night Baltic sailing out of Southampton, England when trouble began.

According to a statement from the line, tugboats will assist the 58,600-ton, 1,756-passenger ship, which has been diverted to the port of Nynamshamn, Sweden.  The photo above, from MSC's website, shows  a view from the bridge with tug boat guiding the ship.


Details are sketchy at this time, but it appears that the electrical problem has knocked out at least half of the ship's power, causing a disruption in toilet facilities and hot food service.  The situation sounds very similar to the incident that left Carnival Splendor without power last fall, however in that case, there was a fire.  There is no indication that a fire occurred on MSC Opera.

The statement indicated that passengers onboard the Baltic cruise would be issued a future cruise credit, in the same amount, that could be applied to another sailing through December, 2012.   There is no word yet about MSC Opera's next sailing, which is scheduled to depart next Tuesday.


We will continue to monitor the situation and provide updates as new information is made available.

Fun Photo Journal of Norwegian Epic in Costa Maya

Photo Journaling
Your Cruise Vacation

Norwegian Epic

Costa Maya,

Mexico

Here I am in Costa Maya, Mexico, posing in front of Norwegian Epic.   Without any words being spoken, you can tell that I'm enjoying myself..   You can also see that it is sunny since my glasses have turned dark.

In the picture to the right, passengers are being taken from the ship by tram to the end of the pier where the resort is located.  The resort includes an administration building, several bars, swimming pool, beach, and souvenir shops.

Your Cruise in Pictures

Telling a story through pictures is known as photo journaling.  A cruise vacation provides many opportunities for story telling.  We join this photo journal in the port of Costa Maya, Mexico.   To tell this story, we begin with arrival in the port and continue with activities, the people, and the sights.

To add interest to the story, we have chosen to apply borders and effects to the images.   Thanks to the digital age, modifications to photos can be accomplished in the digital darkroom using Adobe Photoshop or other photo editing software.

The Plugin Site  offers various resources for Photoshop, Lightroom, Photoshop Elements, Paint Shop Pro, Photo-Paint, After Effects, Premiere and other applications.  We utilized effects from Edge & Frame Galaxy, Harry's Edges, and Harry's Actions in these images.

Arriving at the Costa Maya resort, the first building you see is the administration center.  You can obtain information, brochures, and obtain phone cards if you need to phone home.

To add interest to this photo, we have applied "Waterpaint3" effect to the image. The edge covers a portion of the image framing the photo and helping to call attention to the main focal point.

Costa Maya Resort is Colorful

Explore the many shops at your leisure, looking for local souvenirs.   Wear your swimming wear and you can pause for a dip in the pool.   Swim up to the bar if you like and enjoy your favorite beverage, or simply lounge on one of the chairs that line the pool area.

This photo was enhanced by applying the "Torn1" edge using Photoshop 6.0.

Colorful buildings and souvenirs can become more interesting when they are distorted.   Compare the original photos to their modifications.  Would you be able to determine what the original picture looked like?    We applied a Photoshop action which twirled the images to create these new images.

We applied a texture effect in the following two images.  The image on the left is an archway which we have framed with the "door5" effect.   The local liquor store becomes more interesting after the "canvas10" effect was applied.

These digital effects can be easily applied to your favorite cruise vacation photos to assist in developing a fun photo journal to share with family and friends.  You are only limited by your imagination.

Double the Fun

In this final image, we've used a Photoshop action which we found on About.com's Graphic Software pages.   The action was part of Sue's Symmetry Action collection.  The tool actually applied both vertical and horizontal symmetry to the original photo, but we then cropped the picture in half.   At first glance you might think this was an actual panoramic picture, but look closely.

Hopefully this gives you some ideas on how to take your digital images, which to some might be pretty boring, and breathe new life into them creating an intriguing photo journal.   Have fun creating your documentary of your next cruise vacation.