Prince Albert II, Tropical Storm Tracking, and Cruise Diva

The laundry is done, suitcases are open, and packing has begun. I've been anticipating my upcoming cruise on Silversea Cruises' luxury expedition ship, Prince Albert II for weeks. As I do before every trip, I keep an eye on the weather and I've never been deterred by a hurricane or tropical storm, even at the height of the Atlantic Hurricane Season. Will my good fortune continue as Gustav tracks through the Caribbean? It appears he will have passed, either as a tropical storm or hurricane, and won't effect the path of our trans-Panama Canal itinerary. However, there's a dark spot in the Atlantic named Hanna. While Prince Albert II will have sailed from Fort Lauderdale days ahead of her, she has the potential to cause problems, not only for cruise ships, but for residents along the east coast of the US.

I'm watching these storms and, if you are planning to sail soon, you should be too. As it often turns out, the best place to be when the Caribbean in unsettled is on a cruise ship. Your major concern before sailing should be your embarkation port. While a hurricane barrels down on your destination city, flights in and out are certain to be delayed or, worst case scenario, cancelled by an airport closing.

But, let's assume we made it to our ships and have sailed. What can we expect? In my case, Prince Albert II is all about expedition cruising and that means being highly flexible. As you'll discover in my article Cruising into Hurricane Season, the threat of imminent stormy weather doesn't have to spoil our cruises. We just have to go with the flow.

Photo: Prince Albert II, Courtesy of Silversea Cruises