Escaping winter’s chill

Getting out while the gettin’s good: Escaping the looming Arctic blast heading for the Gulf coast, the passenger ship Carnival Spirit heads out of Mobile Bay Saturday evening, beginning a twelve day tour of the Southern Caribbean. Moving at 15 mph, the ship sets sail for Grand Turk Island, with arrival expected Tuesday. Stops include Aruba, Curacao, Jamaica and Grand Cayman Island. This is Spirit’s final cruise out of Mobile until the fall. The ship is scheduled for six weeks of dry dock beginning JAN 30th. Maintenance, upgrades and other work is done during drydock. After drydock, Spirit’s first voyage will be from Barcelona, Spain to Miami in March. Even after drydock, Spirit won’t head straight back to Mobile. In April, the ship changes home port to Seattle where it will offer tours of Alaska through September. Spirit won’t return to Mobile until October. When passengers arrive at Grand Turk Island Tuesday, they can expect sunshine with a temperature in the mid 70s, while Fairhope’s Tuesday forecast includes a chance of snow, freezing rain and sleet with a high in the 30s. Photo shot from Fairhope’s Orange St pier, roughly 6.5 miles away…