2010 - Page 4 of 41 - Captain Greybeard

Rough seas ahead for new Queen

When Queen Elizabeth left Southampton several hours late on Wednesday, after waiting for a special train carrying 300 passengers from snowbound Scotland and the north of England, I speculated on Twitter that if it had been just 30 people, they may have missed the boat. As it turns out, I hit the nail on the head. Captain Chris Wells told guests at his cocktail party last night for passengers travelling in Grills class that there were indeed 30 passengers who failed to make it to the Ocean Terminal on time. Their attempts to catch up with the newest Cunard ship [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:14+00:00 5 December 2010|Cruise Destinations, Cruise Entertainment|1 Comment

What happened when Captain Cook was let loose on Allure of the Seas

AS PROMISED, here's the full account of my adventures aboard Allure of the Seas, from today's Sunday Mirror. It was a simple task. All I had to do to start making smoked sweet potato soup to Molly Brandt's recipe was to dice half an onion, which had already been peeled and was waiting by the chopping board amid a sea of stainless steel. I am a master of the kitchen at home. I've made soup. I've diced onions. So I didn't wait to be shown how to do it by the star chef who has been given control of [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:14+00:00 5 December 2010|Cruise Ships|0 Comments

Take it away, Fred . . .

UK cruise line Fred Olsen is about to announce a new dining option, according to reports from the Seatrade Med convention in Cannes. Passengers will be able to order a "takeaway" meal to eat in their cabins. During longer cruises - of 21 days or more - and only on sea days, there will be a choice of Thai, Indian, Chinese, Spanish, French, Mexican and English pub food, and orders will have to be placed by 2.00pm for delivery between 7.00 and 8.30 pm. It actually sounds like what you and I - and a number of other cruise lines [...]

By John Honeywell| 2010-12-04T08:23:00+00:00 4 December 2010|Cruise Food & Drink|0 Comments

I’m one in a million today

Queen Elizabeth arrives in Lisbon today, and as luck would have it there's a group of English travel writers in town this weekend, so I will be joining them for a quick look round. A visit to the city's oceanarium - that's got to be bigger than an aquarium, right? - and to a restaurant part-owned by John Malkovich are on the schedule. I'm here at an opportune time. Figures released at the Seatrade Med convention this week in Cannes show that cruise visitors to Portugal are expected to reach a record one million this year. Numbers had already reached [...]

By John Honeywell| 2010-12-04T08:11:25+00:00 4 December 2010|Cruise Destinations|0 Comments

Top deals in the cruise sales

Cunard and P&O, the UK's top two cruise lines, are cutting each other's throats to capture passengers planning to travel next year. Both launched sales this week with cut-price fares and offers of on-board spending money. If you're not too busy baking the Christmas pud or shopping this weekend, check out these deals. Seven nights from £699 including a £50 per person discount. Departing from and returning to Southampton and calling in La Coruna, Bilbao, La Rochelle and Brest. Based on Ventura's April 22, 2011 departure. A 14 night cruise to the Mediterranean from £1,199 including a £200 per [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:14+00:00 4 December 2010|Cruise Deals|0 Comments

I’m dreaming of a bright Christmas

A week ago in Hollywood Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Christmas garlands festooned the lamp posts on the Broadwalk, and as I mentioned earlier today, giant inflatable Santa Claus figures were being put up in a central square in Vigo, Spain. A couple of years ago when I was enjoying an early December cruise in the Caribbean aboard P&O's Ventura, a team of riggers flew in and transformed the ship overnight with Christmas decorations that had a nautical theme, with seashells among the baubles. Here on Cunard's Queen Elizabeth, however, there is no sign of the festive season, unless you count the [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:14+00:00 3 December 2010|Cruise Gossip|0 Comments

Top marks for Queen Elizabeth

There may be feet of snow and lingering travel chaos back home in the UK, but the sun is beating down relentlessly from a hazy blue sky here in Vigo, where Cunard's Queen Elizabeth is spending the day. Appearances can be deceptive, however, and even at 11.00 am when I went ashore there was frost on the pavement in the shade cast by palm trees. Not what I was expecting. Many passengers had left much earlier, boarding a battalion of coaches for the 60 mile drive to Santiago de Compostela and the shrine of St James. Those of us who [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:14+00:00 3 December 2010|Cruise News, Cruise Ships|0 Comments

Follow me on Queen Elizabeth

Parts of Britain have had the heaviest November snow in living memory. Temperatures continue to fall faster than house prices. Time for me to escape. I'm off in search of the sun, though I'll have to cross the Bay of Biscay first. This afternoon I'll be submitting to the security checks at Southampton's Ocean Terminal and boarding Cunard's shiny new Queen Elizabeth (above) to sail to Gran Canaria in the Canary Islands, calling at Vigo, Lisbon and Cadiz on the way. It's the same itinerary as the ship's maiden voyage which departed seven weeks ago, and the first time Capt [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:14+00:00 1 December 2010|Cruise Destinations|0 Comments

Danger in Dingle’s message?

Carnival UK boss David Dingle runs the risk of getting a reputation for being a moaning Minnie. Not from his colleagues in the cruise industry, who he has been addressing today at the SeaTrade Med conference in Cannes - he is speaking up on their behalf. But I fear that other observers may take exception to his appeals against moves to legislate for cleaner fuel in ships and higher pay for crew. With an apparent disregard for green considerations, Dingle said that new regulations from the International Maritime Organisation which will prevent ships using so-called bunker oils, and require them [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:15+00:00 30 November 2010|Cruise News|0 Comments

Man charged with dropping anchor

Don't ever believe it if your travelling companion tells you that whatever happens at sea stays at sea. It's certainly not the case for 44-year-old Californian Rick Ehlert, who has been charged with attempting to damage a cruise ship and endangering its safe navigation. The man is alleged to have released the anchor on Holland America's Ryndam, which was en route from Costa Maya in Mexico to Tampa, Florida at the time of the incident in the early hours of Saturday morning. Ehlert, who is said to have entered a restricted area and put on work gloves to deploy the [...]

By John Honeywell| 2010-11-30T01:17:08+00:00 30 November 2010|Cruise News|0 Comments