A hundred years ago a volcanic eruption was something that just happened apparently out of the blue, with no advance warning. Fortunately we know today that these eruptions can be predicted with a remarkable degree of accuracy.

That will unfortunately not be much consolation for those of you who have booked cruises to the Canaries to get away from the awful winter weather in the Northern Hemisphere. Many people are no doubt keeping their fingers crossed that the predicted volcanic eruption in that part of the world will not materialise.

After increased seismic activity and more than 4,000 tremors since July, Spanish scientists have issued a “yellow alert” on the otherwise peaceful island of El Hierro – which is situated to the west of Gran Canaria and Tenerife. They fear landslides in the town of La Frontera.

Although no volcanic eruption is expected in the near future, the Foreign Office nevertheless warns that “The local government authorities have raised the risk level of a volcanic eruption from green to yellow and taken preventative measures in case of a volcanic disruption.”

Although El Hierro is not on the itinerary of any cruise ships, many of them will head to other islands in the Canaries over the next couple of weeks, including Mariner of the Seas, Adventure of the Seas, Independence of the Seas, Ventura, Silver Spirit and Queen Mary 2.

Royal Caribbean said they were monitoring the situation and wanted to ensure guests of a comfortable and safe cruise. Right now all their scheduled cruises to the Canary Islands are going ahead as planned.