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No Fantasy: Tropical Storm Ida hits Mobile Bay
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Jason Rodgers holds his girlfriend Lindsey Brown as they watch as rain and wind from Tropical Storm Ida approach the coast at Perdido Pass in Gulf Shores, Ala., Monday, Nov. 9, 2009. (AP Photo/Dave Martin)
Tropical Strom Ida was churning over Mobile Bay in Alabama early Tuesday, bringing heavy rains to the deep south and forcing Carnival Cruise Lines to delay an inaugural cruise from Mobile.
The Carnival Fantasy was supposed to arrive in Mobile today to begin its first voyage from the city, but the ship is delaying its arrival until Ida passes. The ship is expected to arrive late tonight or early tomorrow, delaying its departure from Mobile one day. Fantasy was supposed to take guests on a special six-day cruise to Mexican ports in Cozumel, Costa Maya, and Progreso, but the cruise will now be shortened to five days.
After the inaugural voyage from Mobile, Fantasy will be carrying passengers on four-day cruises from Mobile to Cozumel and back and five-day cruises to Cozumel and Progreso and back.
Fantasy is replacing Carnival Holiday in Mobile. Fantasy is newer and larger than Holiday, which was frequently booked beyond its rated capacity of 1,452 passengers. Holiday is Carnival's smallest ship and had been based in Mobile since 2004. It will be heading for its new home in Spain after closing out the year in Mobile.
At 6 a.m. CST, the center of Ida was located about 25 miles south of Mobile, according to the National Hurricane Center. The storm was moving to the northeast at about 9 mph.
The storm had decreased in intensity, with maximum sustained winds of about 45 mph. However, Ida was expected to continue to bring heavy rainfall to much of the South, with total accumulations of three to six inches most places. Some isolated spots could see eight inches of rain, according to the National Hurricane Center.
The center continued to warn of large and possible dangerous waves along the Gulf coast.
Note to readers: I will be reporting for the rest of this week from Manzanillo, Mexico. I invite you to join me in exploring this Pacific coast resort. Please bookmark this page and check back for photos and stories beginning Wednesday night.
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