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Hurricane Jimena Threatens the Mexican Riviera

Written by T.I. Cruiser on August 31, 2009 · Leave a Comment

144528W NL sm Hurricane Jimena Threatens the Mexican Riviera

Currently Hurricane Jimena, a Category Four hurricane is making its way towards the California Peninsula. The national Hurricane Center issued an advisory for the southern portion of the Baja California Peninsula from Bahia Magalena and San Evaristo Southward. What this means is hurricane conditions will most likely develop with 24 hours. There is also a hurricane watch in effect from those areas north to Punta Abreojos and Mulege which means that it is very likely hurricane condition will develop within 36 hours. Right now Hurricane Jimena’s maximum sustained winds have increased to 145 miles per hour, although there may be some fluctuations in the storms strength over the next few days.

In response to the growing dangers in the region, Carnival has altered the itineraries of both the Carnival Splendor and the Carnival Elation:

The Carnival Splendor was originally supposed to sail South towards Puerto Vallarta will now be staying closer to its long Long Beach homeport. Instead of sailing two days to the Mexican port the Splendor will be visiting Catalina Island today and Ensenada on Tuesday. For now the rest of the itinerary remains the same.

The Carnival Elation which departed Saturday from San Diego will be at sea today and will visit Catalina and Ensenada on Tuesday and Wednesday. It was originally supposed to visit Cabo San Lucas on Monday and Tuesday.

Royal Caribbean’s Mariner of the Seas did depart on schedule yesterday and was scheduled to be at sea today. There is currently a plan in place to sail a reverse itinerary depending on how the storm continues to track. However, the final plans won’t be known until Royal Caribbean makes their announcement later today.

The Only Category of Hurricane to Look Forward to

Written by T.I. Cruiser on August 28, 2009 · Leave a Comment

My Brain Scan After Drinking a Few of the Strong Ones

Usually we as cruisers will do whatever it takes to avoid a hurricane. However, there is one instance when a hurricane shouldn’t be avoided but instead embraced (and consumed). With the increase of hurricane activity in the Atlantic region I figure this week’s cruise cocktail should be something appropriate. Here is a a recipe for one of my favorite drinks. In fact I am including two hurricane recipes. The first is a pretty standard hurricane, the kind you want to sip while sitting on your deck on a breezy day. The second is more for when you are stranded indoors and the roads are washed away.

Standard Hurricane:

3/4 oz. Rum
3/4 oz. Meyers Dark Rum
Apricot Brandy
Splash of Grenadine
Sour Mix

Shake with ice. Serve in a hurricane glass and enjoy.

This one isn’t for the feint of heart. I first had this in a small little restaurant in Old San Juan (sadly it is no longer there). The waitress must have liked me for one reason or another because she kept bringing them over to our table. She only charged us for about one-third of what we drank. Now that I think about it, that may be the reason why the restaurant is no longer there.

Category 5 Hurricane:

1/2 oz. Vodka
1/2 oz. Tequila
1/2 oz. Rum
1/2 oz. Bourbon
1/2 oz. Gin
Sour Mix
Splash of Fruit Juice

Shake Vodka, Tequila, Rum, Bourbon and Gin with ice. Pour in a hurricane glass. Fill the rest of the glass with sweet and sour mix and a splash of the juice, stir. Keep the rest of the juice handy in case you need to water it down a bit.

The Incomparable John Heald

Written by T.I. Cruiser on August 27, 2009 · Leave a Comment

Cruise Director John Heald

One of the things I often take for granted when cruising is the cruise director. While I do both appreciate and enjoy all of the work they put into making sure us passengers have a good time, I rarely connect with them on a level that really resonates with me. Although there have been times when I have commented on cruise directors who didn’t impress me, I am guilty of taking for granted those who do impress. All of that stops right now. It is not that I am a significantly different person than I was before this last cruise (although I do believe I evolved each time I step on board a ship), its that I had the pleasure of sailing with John Heald for the first time.

For those of you unfamiliar with this particular cruise director, let me just start by saying he is brilliant. John Heald is the senior cruise director for Carnival Cruise Lines and is also a blogger. You can find his blog here, take some time to check it out. I was familiar with his blog before I went on the Carnival Freedom but had no idea just how funny he would be in person.

What I found most appealing about John was how well he was able to connect with all passengers. Most cruise directors are pretty good at schmoozing, but usually are most adept at connecting with a certain niche. On this particular sailing John’s humor and charisma seemed to shine down upon cruisers of every age, race and gender. It was truly a sight to behold. Additionally the entertainment staff seemed at least a notch better than most of the other Carnival cruises I have been on. You could really tell they enjoyed the work environment and were genuinely having fun. While this may simply be a testament to their abilities I am sure having a boss like John doesn’t hurt.