Must be Summer - Egypt Calls Canceled

Egyptian Sphinx - Courtesy Azamara Club Cruises

 Cruise Line 

Itinerary Changes

Princess Cruises and Seabourn become the latest lines to alter itineraries to avoid Egypt.

This situation has been going on for the last several summers, so it doesn't come as a huge surprise.

The lines have been monitoring the political unrest in Egypt and adjusting schedules in the interest of passenger safety.

IMPORTANT LINKS:

Recent Embassy Notices for American Citizens   

(July 3, 2013) The U.S. Department of State warns U.S. citizens to defer travel to Egypt and U.S. citizens living in Egypt to depart at this time because of the continuing political and social unrest.  More...

We strongly recommend that U.S. citizens traveling to or residing in Egypt enroll in the Department of State's Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP).  


American Citizens Services Facebook page (Egypt Embassy)

Additional links can be found on our International Travel Page

Cruise Line Advisories:

Holland America Line Travel Adviory
Seabourn Travel Advisory
 

Here are itinerary changes that we are aware of at this time:

SHIP	ORIGINAL	MODIFIED
Pacific Princess	Alexaneria Aug 1-2	Santorini & Corru
Dawn Princess	Safaga August 7	Ashod (for Jerusalem)
Dawn Princess	Alexandria August 10	Isarael
Dawn Princess	Sharm El Sheikh September 14	Crete (Aghios Nikolas) Greece
Seabourn Legend	Alexandria October 11	Santorini, Crete, Marmaris
Seabourn Legend	Hurghada October 24	Iraklion, Crete
Seabourn Legend	Sharm El Sheikh October 26	Rhodes, Haifa
Seabourn Legend	Safaga, for Luxor October 27-28	Ashdod and Aqaba
Seabourn Odyssey	Hurghada October 18	Sea Day
Seabourn Odyssey	Safaga, for Luxor October 20-21	Sea Day
ms Noordam	Alexandria August 15 & 26 Sailings	Ashdod (Jerusalem) & Haifa (Tel Aviv, Nazareth), Israel
ms Noordam	Port Said & Alexandria October 20 Sailing	Haifa (Tel Aviv, Nazareth), Israel, & Limassol, Cyprus
ms Rotterdam	Port Said & Alexandria October 31 & November 20 Sailings	Kusadasi (Ephesus), Turkey and Limassol, Cyprus
ms Prinsendam	Port Said & Alexandria October 28 Sailing	Rhodes, Greece, and Katakolon (Olympia), Greece

Read More

Carnvial in Middle of Venice Controversy

Carnival Sunshine

Too Close to Shore?

According to reports in the Italian press, an alleged incident involving Carnival Sunshine has triggered cries from Andrea Marcucci, head of Italy's Senate committee on art and culture, to ban cruise ships from sailing in the Venice lagoon.

This is not a new controversy.  We reported news about this shortly after the Costa Concordia shipwreck in our article Concordia Disaster Rekindles Venice Restrictions.  Even before then, there had been concerns raised about the harm done by cruise ships in Venice.

Claims Unfounded

British tabloids "The Telegraph" and "The Daily Mail"  broke the news citing information contained in the Italian news agency ANSA's article from July 29th.  Carnival Cruise Lines, The Italian Coast Guard and others contend that the alleged "sail by" did not occur.   

The interesting thing is that cruise line captains are not under the control of their vessels when they enter the Venice lagoon.   A pilot boards the vessel and takes control.  So, even if the news were true, it would not be the fault of the captain, but rather that of the pilot who should know the waters.

In addition, the ship is guided by two tugs, one in front and one in the rear of the ship.   Therefore, it is highly unlikely that all these local operators would steer the vessel too close to port.

Sailing into Venice in the early morning is a magnificent event.  It would be a shame if some hidden agendas prevented ships from seeing this perspective of Venice.

View our photo album on our Facebook Fan Page:

Arriving in Venice by Cruise Ship

 

Read More

Tropical Storm Gil Forms in East Pacific

POST-TROPICAL CYCLONE GIL

THIS IS THE LAST PUBLIC ADVISORY ISSUED BY THE CENTRAL PACIFIC
HURRICANE CENTER ON GIL UNLESS REGENERATION OCCURS

Post-Tropical Storm GIL	500 PM HST TUE AUG 06 2013 Gil becomes a post-tropical cyclone  This is the last advisory
WIND:	NEAR 40 MPH...65 KM/H...WITH HIGHER GUSTS
WATCHES/ WARNINGS:	NO COASTAL WATCHES OR WARNINGS IN EFFECT
SHIP IMPACT:	NO CRUISE SHIPS IMPACTED

Storm Archive       Graphics Archive 

Tropical depression 7-E  hast strengthened into the next named tropical storm of the 2013 Eastern Pacific Hurricane Season.  The storm formed off the southwest coast of Mexico.  GIL has become a hurricane Tuesday afternoon (7/31) as predicted.  After degenerating into a remnant low, GIL has picked up intensity once again and become a tropical storm (8/5).   It is over a thousand miles east southeast of the Hawaiian islands at this time.  CPHC Advisories:   Tropical Storm GIL

NHC ACTIVE STORMS (CLICK HERE)

Real-Time Cruise Ship Tracking

MORE INFORMATION ABOUT HURRICANES (CLICK HERE)

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

SUMMARY OF 500 PM HST...0300 UTC...INFORMATION
LOCATION: 13.5N 142.5W

ABOUT 935 MI: 1510 KM ESE OF HILO HAWAII

ABOUT 1150 MI: 1850 KM ESE OF HONOLULU HAWAII

MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS: 30 MPH: 45 KM/H

PRESENT MOVEMENT: WNW OR 290 DEGREES AT 7 MPH: 11 KM/H

MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE: 1010 MB or 29.83 INCHES

Maximum sustained winds are near 30 mph, 45 km/h, with higher gusts.  

 Historical Data:

800 AM PDT TUE JUL 30 2013
...TROPICAL DEPRESSION FORMS WELL SOUTHWEST OF THE MEXICAN COAST...

200 PM PDT WED JUL 31 2013
...GIL NOW A HURRICANE... 

1100 PM HST MON AUG 05 2013
...GIL INTENSIFIES TO A TROPICAL STORM AS IT CONTINUES WESTWARD... 

Read More

Tropical Storm Flossie off Hawaiian Islands

Tropical Storm Flossie

The Central Pacific Hurricane Center in Honolulu, Hawaii is issuing advisories on tropical depression Flossie, located in the vicinity of the island of Kauai. The system is moving toward the west northwest at about 18 mph.

Jul 30, 2013 2:00 pm HST
The remnants of former tropical depression Flossie is located about 225 miles northwest of Lihue, Kauai. The system is moving toward the west northwest at about 18 mph. There is a near zero percent chance of redevelopment.

Cruise Ship Impact

Norwegian Cruise Line's Pride of America was impacted by Flossie. The line decided to leave Maui a day early, in the abundance of caution, to head out to sea avoiding the approaching storm.The ship returned to its regular schedule today when it docked in Hilo.  No further impacts are expected as the storm weakened.

There are no Watches or Warnings currently posted

Historical Data:

CPHC Storm Archive      NHC's Archive for Flossie      Graphics Archive 

800 PM PDT WED JUL 24 2013
 
...A TROPICAL DEPRESSION FORMS BETWEEN MEXICO AND THE HAWAIIAN
ISLANDS...

200 AM PDT THU JUL 25 2013
 
...DEPRESSION STRENGTHENS TO A TROPICAL STORM... 

Read More

2013 Summer Celebration Now History

Streamwood Summer Celebration
A Success  

 We've just completed our eighth annual appearance at the Streamwood Summer Celebration's Business Expo sponsored by the Streamwood Chamber of Commerce.

The Summer Celebration runs the last weekend of July each year and is well attended.  We've had all sorts of weather over the years.  This year we had the coolest temperatures with highs in the low 60's with a gentle breeze Friday and Saturday.   There was a downpour on Friday night which concluded with a gorgeous full rainbow.   It reminded us of some we've seen onboard a cruise ship after the storm had passed. Sunday was a little warmer, but it was still more like Fall than Summer.

In addition to show-casing local businesses in the expo tent, there were plenty of activities for families. Local bands performed throughout the weekend, there was a parade on Saturday with over 100 entries this year, rides for the children and young at heart, bingo, face-painting, ice cream eating content for the children and lots more.  Many volunteers from the village make this a special event each and every year.

Lots of Interest in Land & Sea Vacations

We spoke to many couples, families, and individuals that were interested in getting away for a vacation.   As usual, we had a large supply of brochures, which we call "wish books" on hand.  One of the most popular brochures was the Royal Caribbean Oasis-class brochure which highlights this marvelous cruise ship. The most popular destination was Alaska.   Coming in second was Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, the site of our National Convention last year.

Unfortunately, I couldn't talk with everyone personally this year because I was splitting my time between my booth and the Streamwood Chamber of Commerce's booth.   I still devote a lot of my time to the Chamber as past President, Board of Directors Member, and Chairman of the Streamwood Summer Celebration Chamber of Commerce Committee. On Friday, I was kept busy getting the businesses setup.  Saturday and Sunday I was busy answering questions at the Chamber booth, making announcements, and  judging contests.  I'd like to thank my Executive Assistant, Donna Lenhardt, who was invaluable in getting the event setup and assisting me throughout the weekend. 

Special Promotion Continues

We had a special Royal Caribbean promotion with up to $200 onboard credit for select sailings now through 2014.  The exclusive offer runs through July 31st - so be sure to see our website and Facebook Fan Page for complete details or contact us directly.

There are many other promotions - see our website for complete details.   For those looking for a Resort Getaway, see our current Resorts & Tours Specials.

Read More

Tropical Storm Dorian Forms in Atlantic

Tropical Storm DORIAN

Tropical Storm DORIAN	500 PM EDT SAT AUG 03 2013 ...DORIAN NO LONGER A TROPICAL CYCLONE...
WIND:	NEAR 30 MPH...45 KM/H...WITH HIGHER GUSTS
WATCHES/ WARNINGS:	NO COASTAL WATCHES OR WARNINGS IN EFFECT
SHIP IMPACT:	NONE

Storm Archive       Graphics Archive

The forthTropical storm of the 2013 Atlantic Hurricane Season formed over the Eastern Atlantic.

There we never any coastal watches or warnings posted for this storm.

 

NHC ACTIVE STORMS (CLICK HERE)

Real-Time Cruise Ship Tracking

MORE INFORMATION ABOUT HURRICANES (CLICK HERE)

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

SUMMARY OF 500 PM EDT...2100 UTC...INFORMATION
----------------------------------------------
LOCATION...31.7N 77.6W
ABOUT 160 MI...255 KM ESE OF CHARLESTON SOUTH CAROLINA
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS...30 MPH...45 KM/H
PRESENT MOVEMENT...NE OR 45 DEGREES AT 16 MPH...26 KM/H
MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE...1013 MB...29.91 INCHES 

MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 30 MPH...45 KM/H...WITH HIGHER
GUSTS. THE POST-TROPICAL CYCLONE IS EXPECTED TO DISSIPATE EARLY
SUNDAY.  

HISTORICAL DATA:

500 AM EDT WED JUL 24 2013
...TROPICAL DEPRESSION FORMS OVER THE EASTERN ATLANTIC...

1100 AM EDT WED JUL 24 2013
...FOURTH NAMED STORM OF THE 2013 SEASON FORMS...

500 PM AST SAT JUL 27 2013
...DORIAN DEGENERATES INTO A TROPICAL WAVE...
...THIS IS THE LAST ADVISORY... 

500 AM AST SAT AUG 03 2013
...DORIAN REGENERATES INTO A TROPICAL DEPRESSION EAST OF FLORIDA...

Read More

Streamwood Summer Celebration 2013

Meet us at the show

Once a year we participate in our local Chamber of Commerce hosted Summer Celebration. 
This will be our 8th appearance at the show.  I am Chairman of the Chamber's Summer Celebration Committee once again and am excited to report that the Business Expo will be even  bigger than last year.  I will be splitting my time between the Chamber Booth and my personal one, and look forward to meeting many of our fans during the three day event.

For those in the area, it is your chance to meet us in person to discuss your vacation plans, pick up some brochures, and take advantage of our exclusive offers.   Here is one of those specials that we will be featuring during the event July 26th - 28th.  We also extend the offers to our readers - ask us for complete details.  (click the link above for times and location)

Drawing on or about August 12, 2013 (click to enter)

Click for Schedule of Events

Brochures

We get several calls for cruise ship and land vacation brochures.   In this day and age, the majority of the suppliers have cut down on printed materials and replaced them with online versions.

We stock brochures that are available from our suppliers on a regular basis and increase our stock in time for this annual event.   If you are in the area, this is a great opportunity for you to browse our "wish books".

Did you know that was how I convinced my husband to take an Alaska cruise?  He had said, "It's cold there.   We live where it's cold.  Why would I go on a vacation to somewhere that is cold?"   Well we've been back to Alaska several times since that initial look at an Alaska brochure.

What's on your wish list?   If we don't have a brochure, we'll be happy to do some research and provide you with all the details.

Come see us if you are in the area this weekend - or call us afterwards to discuss your wish list.

Read More