January 2010 - Page 3 of 3 - Captain Greybeard

QE2’s master moves to Seabourn

Cunard aficionados will be disappointed to learn that Captain Ian McNaught (above left), the last master of the QE2, is leaving the fleet to join Yachts of Seabourn. Word leaked out this week on website The QE2 Story, and although Cunard have confirmed it is true, the nearest they have come to making an no official statement is a response on their Facebook fan page, Cunard said: "Yes. Captain McNaught is completing his service with Cunard and will begin service with our sister-company Seabourn at the end of this month. We thank him for his many years of dedicated service [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:33+00:00 8 January 2010|Cruise News|2 Comments

Cruise ships hit by sickness bug

The 1,200 passengers setting out on a world cruise from Dover last night were no doubt happy to be leaving the snow behind, but they could have a few anxious days ahead as they sail towards Madeira, their first port of call. They will be hoping they can escape not only the British weather, but also the outbreaks of norovirus, or winter vomiting bug, and which have troubled the ship several times during 2009. A total of 342 passengers and nine crew were on Fred Olsen's Balmoral hit by the bug during its Christmas cruise, and specialist contractors were brought [...]

By John Honeywell| 2010-01-06T16:12:09+00:00 6 January 2010|Cruise News|1 Comment

New Queen afloat for first time

It's a mere six months since the first blocks for the construction of Cunard's newest ship were laid in the dry-dock at a shipyard in Italy. Today, that dock is being flooded, and Queen Elizabeth floats for the first time. Unlike her famous predecessor the QE2, which slid down a slipway on the Clyde in 1967 and splashed into the sea in a cloud of dust and smoke, the new vessel sat serenely in dock while lock valves were opened and the water level slowly began to rise. It will be another couple of days before the ship is gently [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:33+00:00 5 January 2010|Cruise Ships|0 Comments

Take a look round Thomson’s newest cruise ship – it’s a Dream

The arrival of the 1,500-passenger Thomson Dream in the Thomson Cruises fleet this week will help to boost the company's total capacity to 254,000 passengers a year. Dream joins Celebration, Destiny, Spirit and Island Escape in providing home-from-home cruises for the British market, packaged with flights from regional airports around the country. The ship, formerly the Costa Europa, came straight from dry-dock in Sicily to rescue 2,800 holidaymakers stranded in Majorca before embarking on its first proper cruise - with some crew members left behind because they were stranded by the ash cloud chaos. But operations swung into top gear [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:34+00:00 5 January 2010|Cruise Deals, Cruise Ships|0 Comments

Jo is looking forward to Allure and Eclipse bringing light to 2010

Jo Rzymowska, Associate Vice President and General Manager UK and Ireland for Royal Caribbean Cruise Line, looks back on 2009 and predicts what will be setting 2010 alight. What was your highlight of 2009? It has to be the launch of Oasis of the Seas. Who'd have thought you could be at sea and find a real park longer than a football pitch with over 12,000 real trees, shrubs and plants? Or that nearby there's an ice rink, rock climbing walls and surf simulators. This is a ship that really has to be seen and experienced to be believed. Watching [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:34+00:00 4 January 2010|Cruise News|0 Comments

Cruise deals of the week

The New Year hangover is wearing off at last, Christmas memories are fading fast, and within a few days it will be time to take down the tree and consign the cards to the recycling bin. Time to start planning the next holiday, and today's selection of cruises will take you to Africa, South America, and several of the fascinating islands in between. Fly to Salvador de Bahia in Brazil to join the MSC Melody on March 13 for a 14-day cruise calling at the Cape Verde Islands, Tenerife, Casablanca in Morocco, Gibraltar, Malaga and Genoa, for the flight back [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:34+00:00 2 January 2010|Cruise Deals|0 Comments