Hurricanes

What does RCCL do when a scheduled port was recently impacted by a Hurricane?

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Some of the ports have already re-opened, some cruises are re-routing to other stops, some are changing to sea days rather than stopping at certain ports. Best chance for a definitive answer about your particular cruise would be to contact RCCL but depending on how far out your dates are even they may not have an answer just yet.

This morning, there is the CNN headline: "Hurricane Maria: 'Significant' strengthening likely as storm nears land". Here is their quick summary: "Hurricane Maria is forecast to rapidly strengthen over the next two days as it takes aim at Caribbean islands devastated by Hurricane Irma just days ago. Maria has prompted a hurricane warning for Martinique, Guadeloupe, Dominica, St. Kitts, Nevis and Montserrat."

Sadly, this latest storm that will complicate even more the cruise ship folks in trying to figure out their schedules of port stops during the peak winter season for the eastern Caribbean.

Full story at:

http://www.cnn.com/2017/09/18/americas/atlantic-storms-maria-jose-lee/index.html

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

From our Jan. 25-Feb. 20, 2015, Amazon River-Caribbean adventure that started in Barbados, here is the link for that live/blog. Many visuals from this amazing river and Caribbean Islands (Dutch ABC's, St. Barts, Dominica, Grenada, etc.):

www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2157696

Now at 53,186 views for these postings.

Here is the CNN graphic this morning for the direction of Hurricane Maria as it heads to the Caribbean.:

(Open your screen/viewer wider to see these pictures larger!)

From what I have gathered PR which is the lifeline for the islands affected by Irma, at this time is thought to be in line to receive a direct hit by a category 3 hurricane. Some of the relief efforts have even haulted because of Maria as PR prepares for it.

Here is more as to what is hitting these scenic islands. Very sad and challenging situation with above details from another CC Board thread. We will all hope for the best, but "two-in-a-row" are too, too many dire happenings.

From the London/UK Daily Mail today, they have this headline: “Category 3 Maria takes aim at the Caribbean islands leveled by Irma” with these story highlights: “The National Hurricane Center in Miami says that Hurricane Maria has strengthened to a Category 3 storm and was 'rapidly' intensifying into a major hurricane. The eye is expected to move through the Leeward Islands later Monday. The storm's center was about 60 miles east of Martinique, with maximum sustained winds of 120 mph. The storm is on a path that would take it near many of the islands wrecked by Hurricane Irma and on toward Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and Haiti. Hurricane warnings were posted for Guadeloupe, Dominica, St. Kitts, Nevis, Montserrat and Martinique. A tropical storm warning was issued for Antigua and Barbuda, Saba, St. Eustatius and St. Lucia.”.

Below are a couple of their graphics to better show where this storm is headed, etc.

Full story at:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4895266/Hurricane-Jose-pound-East-Coast-week.html

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

Enjoyed a 14-day, Jan. 20-Feb. 3, 2014, Sydney to Auckland adventure, getting a big sampling for the wonders of "down under” before and after this cruise. Go to:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1974139

for more info and many pictures of these amazing sights in this great part of the world. Now at 187,278 views for this posting.

From the Daily Mail, here are the graphics/charts showing the Hurricane Maria path and direction.:

(Open your screen/viewer wider to see these pictures larger!)

The eye is currently right over Dominica as a cat 5. Praying for these people. We've never been here but it was on our list to go to. Hopefully someday.

Appreciate on these various CC boards, the kind follow-ups, prayers and wishes for the people of Dominica, etc. Above is one posted on the Dominica board. Last night around 8 pm, I was also watching the weather radar and saw when the center of this hurricane was directly over this very scenic and natural island.

Yes, it is very sad as to what Hurricane Maria has done to Dominica and other locations in the Caribbean. From the New York Post this morning, they have this headline: “Dominica PM shares frightening posts on destruction of Hurricane Maria”with these highlights: “The Prime Minister of Dominica posted live on Facebook as Hurricane Maria battered the country, including his own residence. 'My roof is gone,' the PM Roosevelt Skerrit posted Monday night. 'I am at the complete mercy of the hurricane. House is flooding.' Skerrit wrote the updates as Maria, a category 5 hurricane, barreled over the island with 160 mile-per-hour sustained winds.”

If that nation's top official was hit that way, you can image how bad it was on most other residents there. Personally, we loved our visit to Dominica in early 2015. BUT, it is a very poor country that also got badly damaged from a tropical storm two years ago. With a hurricane of this extreme force, it has to be very, very bad in an country not prepared for these winds and this level of damage.

Full story at:

http://nypost.com/2017/09/19/dominica-pm-shares-frightening-posts-on-destruction-of-hurricane-maria/

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

AFRICA?!!?: Lots of interesting and dramatic pictures can be seen from this live/blog at:

www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2310337

Now at 34,883 views for this visual sharing including Cape Town, along South Africa’s coast, Mozambique, Victoria Falls/Zambia and Botswana's famed Okavango Delta area.

Very sad. We are now learning much more as to how tragic have been the conditions and impacts for this entire area. There is a challenging question as to whether to cancel an upcoming cruise for these areas . . . VERSUS. . . not scrubbing as a way to help their local economies. SE Asia is our next major destination in early 2018. So, we do not have any travels to these scenic eastern Caribbean areas planned for the next year or two.

From the New York Times this morning, they have this headline:“Storms Moved On. Caribbean Islands Fear Tourists Might, Too” with these highlights: “Two ferocious hurricanes in less than two weeks caused widespread devastation, leaving dozens dead, millions without power or drinking water and countless homes destroyed. The storms also ripped through the tourism industry in a region unusually dependent on well-heeled visitors. In the wake, cruise ports and airports throughout the Caribbean are closed, beachside bars are flooded and, on many islands, tourists are absent. And the risk of a far longer term ripple effect looms, threatening the region’s ability to rebuild: Without a steady influx of cash from tourists, businesses suffer, employers cut back and local residents lose jobs; workers on especially hurricane-stricken islands could move elsewhere for opportunity, denting the local economy further.”

Their chart/graphic, shown below, gives background on the paths from these two hurricanes, plus the important shares of the local economies affected by these storm. There are many aspects from these impacts that we do not always consider. This includes: "In the Caribbean region, travel and tourism account for a higher share of the gross domestic product than they do in any other region of the world, according to the World Travel and Tourism Council, and officials say it is far too soon to know when the industry will fully recover. At stake are some of the more than 2.3 million travel and tourism-related jobs in the region." This is a fairly comprehensive look at these impacts, who is hurt most and which locations can recover more quickly. As shown below, Dominica depends on tourism for 35% of their total GDP, while that economic number for Anguilla is higher at 57%. That impacts the 4,500 jobs there in tourism.

Full story at:

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/23/us/tourism-hurricane-economy-caribbean-islands.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=second-column-region&region=top-news&WT.nav=top-news&_r=0

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

From our Jan. 25-Feb. 20, 2015, Amazon River-Caribbean adventure that started in Barbados, here is the link for that live/blog. Many visuals from this amazing river and Caribbean Islands (Dutch ABC's, St. Barts, Dominica, Grenada, San Juan, etc.):

www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2157696

Now at 53,403 views for these postings.

Here are the NY Times charts on the hurricane impacts in these key Caribbean areas.:

(Open your screen/viewer wider to see this visual larger!)