kefthecruiser

@maddogesq So, I went back to the website I listed & lo and behold the link doesn't work. Here's another link to the same website: https://hawaii.portcall.com/ This site is run by the Harbors Division of the Hawaii DOT, one assumes they will know were the ships are, unless of course the cruise line changes it again. I pieced together what I found currently for your ship's timeframe: 10/6 Kona (Big Island); 10/7 Hilo (Big Island); 10/8 Honolulu; 10/9 Kauai. Is this final? Probably not since Princess is not saying. With all the cruise ships jockeying for an open port, Princess may be 'waitlisted' somewhere and negotiating for a better port. Yes, Princess is dropping the ball with its customers.

Here, take a look. Fun times in Bermuda; ship lashed to the dock with every line, wind and waves rocking, no one outside... time for Bingo anyone, followed by trivia? https://www.portbermudawebcam.com/ So where would you want to be?

Removing that chunk of sea ice from the ocean had no impact on the environment; it soon melted away either on board or in the sea. Was it gauche & uncouth? Sure, that's how the spoiled rich are. JMHO

It's rumored the NCL boardroom has a ouija board, but I can't vouch for it.

You are correct - it made it to CAT 4 over water, but then dropped to CAT 3 at landfall and continued to lessen as its heat (the hot Gulf waters) source was gone.

@3Sisters WOW! What's the chances of two guys in Miami named Jose driving black Suburbans for Uber? On second thought, better not answer that! ( I drive from Tampa for Miami cruise ship departures, thus struggling through the port traffic.)

Ok, just one more from memory lane, related to this post. I don't remember when Jubilee moved to Tampa for its homeport, We took it for a 4 day cruise in 2001 with port stops at Key West and Cozumel. Here's my Jubilee photo, sister ship to Holiday:

Ok, mystery solved! From "The Miami Herald, September 11, 1988", Carnival's ad for its Three New Superliners, the "Fun Ships". The ship at Grand Cayman is HOLIDAY.

Here is some additional information, directly from the Panama Canal Authority: ADV35-2023-Additional-Measures-to-Mitigate-the-Extended-Dry-Season-and-Reduction-in-Precipitation-in-the-Canal-Watershed.pdf ADV38a-2023-Monthly-Canal-Operations-Summary-July-2023.pdf

@Volcanomom Welcome to the forums. I'm sure you realize that none of us really know the answer and that this affects more than NCL ships, one RCL ship has already cancelled. SO, disclaimer aside, here is my view: Current drought conditions are creating a backlog of ships currently arriving without reservations (poorly funded commercial ships). Ships with reservations and below a certain ship size (typically a maximum draft limit) are currently able to transit on time. That is not to say this will continue. Canal water levels are completely dependent on rainfall, there is no return from the ocean. With each vessel crossing, the canal loses water. Panama's rainy season is from May to December, conditions will only worsen as the current drought continues. Keep in mind, that the Canal Authority must be forward looking, as the dry season follows the rainy season, and I'm certain they want to keep operating with perhaps more restrictions than shut down. My final thought is that cruise ships are a great revenue source for the Canal. However, they are the icing on the cake, whereas all the commercial traffic (container ships, tankers, freighters, etc.) are the cake, mainly due to their vast numbers compared to cruise ships. So who gets cut out? Clear as mud, right? All you can do is keep checking with your cruise line. I suggest the moderators move this to the Ports of Call forum.

So, my 2 cents worth. Idalia made landfall as a CAT 3 to a coastal rural section of Florida. It moved quickly and dropped quickly from CAT 3 to TS status. All as predicted and a best case scenario, unless you happen to live in an affected area. The landfall area coast is mainly wetlands and uplands are privately owned forests owned by lumber companies. So, a lot of fallen trees. Coastal flooding heights were less than predicted all up and down the coast, a good thing. Here in the Tampa Bay area it was little more than a summer rainstorm, like 3 occurrences. The Coast Guard had the port closed longer than I thought it should, but I'm sure it was valid. Port now open and Thursday cruise ships arrived a day late. So the main devastation is limited, and much less than had it hit a populated area. I'm thinking coastal surge did more damage than winds here in Florida. Yes, there are homes destroyed and peoples lives uprooted, and not everyone living in a flood zone can afford flood insurance.

@FJB Hey thanks, I'm convinced it's the Sky Princess. I'm still working on the CCL and RCL ships. I'm close on the CCL ship. This is a fun diversion for me from my family tree researching and it keeps me out of the Florida heat!

@Grieving Mom With all due respect, I think your name “Grieving Mom” says it all. As I’ve read through your statements and try to make sense of it all, there is also the unknown “other side of the story”. The cruise industry has changed A LOT since the days you got cruises for $25/ night. Please get some grief counseling, you have had way too much happen in your life to go it alone. Personally, I watched as my wife wasted away, from cancer 8 yrs ago, yes, supporting her but I had no magic potion (nor did the doctors) to really change the outcome. You are not alone. Counseling will be a far better investment of your money than taking a helicopter excursion to a glacier, or even the cruise itself. We’re just a bunch of cruisers here that post back and forth. The state of the cruise industry is now focused on increasing income to pay back the horrendous debt they incurred during the pandemic. Many posts on the topics of all the new and increasing add-ons, few posts are complimentary. Find a path back. I heard a saying once: You never get over grief, you have to go through it. ALL THE BEST.

OOPS, missed one - the Star Princess as the Pacific Pearl:

@Hippo Zourides If the ship docks at 7am, when do you think you get off the ship? It is foolhardy to think you can realistically catch a 10 am flight. Port Miami is a mob scene most days. Noon is realistic. If you can't get a later flight that day, spend the night and see some of the Miami sights.

To All: It's amazing what is on the Internet, if you have time for mindless searching, like this retired old guy (me)! So I found pictures of the Princess fleet from that time period and will copy the 2 ships being bantered about, to compare to each other and the mystery ship. Sky Princess, photo from 2000 (this is my choice): @FJB Princess mystery ship 1989 at the Cayman's: Pacific Princess (The Love Boat) from 1987 Thoughts? The deck windows below the lifeboats is what convinces me. My source is Wikipedia, Princess Cruises

@Kendall James-Vargas Sealife impact is due to winds whipping up large waves. As an extreme example: "Waves nearly 100 feet tall were recorded last year in the Gulf of Mexico when Hurricane Ivan headed toward shore, forcing scientists to rethink what is normal. The center of the category 4 hurricane, with winds raging up to 150 miles per hour, passed right over six of the Naval Research Laboratory's wave-tide gauges, churning up waves more than 90 feet high. "We were a little surprised that the waves were so large," Bill Teague of the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) at Stennis Space Center told LiveScience. "But the reason we were surprised is because this was the first time measurements had been taken of large waves." " I doubt there is any significant loss of life or long term impact, more like riding a roller coaster! Yes, I suspect, once they realize it, the sealife that can moves out of harm's way by diving deeper into the sea.

@euroguy Enjoy and don't forget the details of your casino forays. I'm sure the IRS would appreciate it! LOL

@PaulB Yep, completely normal. The peak of the Atlantic hurricane season is Sept. 10, with most activity occurring between mid-August and mid-October, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The eastern Pacific basin peak is noted as late August, but this peak is less pronounced than the peak in Atlantic activity. I think hurricanes are publicized more now due to heightened concern over global warming. A silver lining not always noted is that ocean water temperatures drop after the hurricane passes as it is the ocean heat that powers the hurricane. It's Mother Nature helping itself. We call many of the storms 'fish storms'. Current examples are Irwin (east Pacific) and Franklin (Atlantic). These are storms that don't landfall and thus only the sealife is impacted. Ships of course typically divert to avoid. Nothing new here to this old hurricane tracker.

I was going to check my ouija board but couldn't find it. Seriously, based on the current forecast, Idalia clears out by Thursday. Saturday, September 2, should be all clear. Good to keep checking, these things move around! Enjoy the cruise.

Yep, they close the schools early for several reasons, but the main one is some of them are used for shelters for people evacuating. Local news is projecting it will become CAT 3 (major hurricane) before landfall. Batten down the hatches!!!

Idalia looks like it will be messing with ships mainly in the eastern Gulf of Mexico for the next few days. School closings announced for Tuesday and Wednesday, as have mandatory evacuations from Zone A (coastal regions that flood) here around Tampa Bay. Landfall likely west coast of Florida, north (hopefully way north) of Tampa.

If I did this right, this YouTube video shows the system in operation (annoying music!): Around 1:55 it shows how the system repositions with changing tides as the ship rises (one pad at a time). It's rather complex and sophisticated to sense all that. Pretty wild!

According to Hawaii.port.com website, on 10/9/23 Crown Princess is scheduled to dock at Nawiliwili, Kauai from 7:00 to 17:00.

Due to drought conditions, the Panama Canal is restricting traffic. I suspect more cancellations will come Check this out: https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/panama-canal-extend-transit-restrictions-least-10-more-months-2023-08-24/