Hurricane Gustav blew through northwestern Ohio last week.  With it, as always with these things, a blast of warm, moist air passed through the region.  Like no other time than these occasional moments, does it feel as much like being on a cruise ship.  There is a smell to the air, which has to be matched with the right combination of humidity and temperature, which almost perfectly duplicates that which you experience when walking out on deck.  In particular, even a couple of days before Gustav actually reached us, the air was exactly as it is at Labadee in the morning.

Predictably, for the last week I have been deep into pondering my next cruise.  Oasis of the Seas is a given, but waiting until May of 2010 seems unbearable.  Liz and I are considering taking separate vacations, handing the kids off to the “parent of the watch.”  Her preference hasn’t been to take a cruise, which opens things up to my taking one on my own.  Free of the kids, until they are older, solves a pressing matter of money, that until we came up with this new spin, had stood in the way of getting back to a regular slate of cruising.

Time will tell how that  unfolds.

So if Oasis is set for ‘10, this opens the question of what ship to take between now and then?

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In the cruise industry at large, the news of the week has focused on the conga line of hurricanes moving through the Caribbean.  I’ve added a section to view where they are, as you visit Royal Caribbean Fan do feel free to take a peak.

Most cruise lines have had to shuffle itineraries to keep ships clear of the storms, which has lead to the normal array of “passenger mutinies.”  Nothing seems more insane to me, than taking a cruise and being so shocked and angry, that they raise cain on a ship.  These people know from day one, and if they have a good travel agent, should be told repeatedly, that if matters dictate, the ship could alter its plans.  Yet, each year, at least one well publicized event occurs, where passengers gather and make noise during a cruise.  If I ever am so unlucky to be among such people, I think I would counter sue the complainers for disrupting my vacation, however so altered events might make it.

The hurricanes reminded me of why I do not book during the peak of the summer.  The sun is bright, and I do rather enjoy rain and lightening.  However, I would rather having slightly cooler temperatures at January or May.

It happens that plans are starting to take shape for my next cruise.  Like many, I am looking at Oasis of the Seas.  However, not being as big a fan of eastern Caribbean cruises as I am those in the west, it is May, 2010 that I am likely to travel on the big new ship.  What I am finding, is that the ship is selling very well, based on feedback from Terri at Blue Moon Travel.  In my own case, I have a wife and two kids to take along.  So a quad cabin is a must.  They exist, but as many know, the line must have lifeboat capacity for all souls aboard ship.  So they can not offer an unlimited number of cabins with three or more people in them.  In addition to the limited number of cabins, I am also looking at the fact that prices may actually go up, not down, as the year draws on.  The hype is already so overwhelming, that there are not likely to be many discounts, if any.  And we have not actually seen much publicity focused on the general public.

As such, I may put a deposit down more than 19 months ahead of sailing, a personal record.  At least I’d have that much time to work on paying the cruise off.

Will that truly be my next cruise?  I suspect not.  But squeezing one into the mix between now and then will require much more time to think.

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