2012 - Page 4 of 37 - Captain Greybeard

Strictly’s Craig scores 7 with P&O

One word darlings. Ah-MAY-zing. Acid-tongued Strictly Come Dancing judge Craig Revel Horwood will be joining seven (sorry, Len Goodman, SEH-VEN) P&O cruises next year along with a whole troupe of professional dancers from the hit BBC show. They will be strutting theitr stuff and showing passengers how to make an impression on the dance floor during voyages throughout the summer on five of the ships in P&O's fleet. Costumes from the show will be on display. Ian Waite and Natalie Lowe on a 13-night Canary Islands cruise on Azura departing May 11, 2013. Ports of call are Madeira, La Palma, [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:41+00:00 15 November 2012|Cruise Entertainment|0 Comments

Singapore’s new city by the Bay

Like much of modern Singapore, the Marina Bay Cruise Centre (above) is a state-of-the-art, purpose-built facility. Officially opened just last month, its design is supposed to evoke "cubic waves;" the painted ceilings and the acres of carpet - so new they are still shedding fluff - are the colour of the ocean. The terminal has been built to handle the biggest cruise ships in the world, even though Royal Caribbean has not yet made a decision on whether to deploy its Oasis-class vessels to the region (but watch this space). Transport links to the city centre and Changi airport are [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:41+00:00 15 November 2012|Cruise Destinations|0 Comments

Miranda named as ship’s godmother

When I heard that Voyages of Discovery's new cruise ship was to be christened by Miranda, I had visions of the galumphing comedienne Miranda Hart, whose sense of humour is something of an acquired taste. I need not have worried. Turns out that the godmother of Voyager, to be named in Portsmouth on December 4, is actually Miranda Krestovnikoff, a TV presenter and naturalist who also plays the flute. A regular member of the team on the BBC series, Coast, she is currentlty working on a new exploration book, titled Beach. She was chosen "in recognition of her passion for [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:41+00:00 13 November 2012|Cruise News, Cruise Ships|0 Comments

My Silver sling to Singapore

I'm flying to Singapore this morning, first to take a look at the Marina Bay Cruise Centre, and then to board Silver Shadow for a cruise to Vietnam. I'll be racking up a number of firsts. For a start, my Singapore Airlines flight will be the first chance I've had to travel in an Airbus A380 super-jumbo jet. It will, of course, be my first visit to the new terminal - officially opened only last month. When I was last in Singapore, on Queen Mary 2 five years ago, the ship berthed at the commercial container port, and on my [...]

By John Honeywell| 2012-11-12T01:03:15+00:00 12 November 2012|Cruise Destinations|1 Comment

Ruby loses some of her shine

They're not have too much luck at Saga Cruises at the moment. Venerable flagship Saga Ruby, almost 12 months away from retirement, couldn't make it back to Southampton at the weekend, and was held up in Portugal for emergency repairs. The ship was scheduled to go into dry-dock in Germany this week for a £4 million refurbishment, which will keep her in service until her farewell cruise next December. But a mysterious engine problem meant passengers were flown home from Porto on Friday. The ship remained there until Saturday afternoon when it set off at reduced speed for Bremerhaven. In [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:41+00:00 12 November 2012|Cruise News, Cruise Ships|2 Comments

Elegant, even out of the water

The classic lines of venerable cruise ship Marco Polo are a world away from those of modern ships. Built in 1965 as Aleksandr Pushkin it now sails from UK ports for Cruise & Maritime Voyages. That curving, ice-strengthened hull is obvious enough when the ship is at sea, and it's even more apparent at the moment, as the vessel is in drydock in Antwerp for her biennial overhaul. There's not a bulbous bow in sight as Marco Polo stands proudly on her blocks, being prepared for a winter season cruising to the Caribbean, the Amazon, and the Canaries. Before then, [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:41+00:00 8 November 2012|Cruise Ships|0 Comments

Passenger sues over 3.30 alarm call

A cruise passenger is suing for the refund of the full cost of a seven-day holiday because of the distress he claims was caused when he had to get up at 3.30 am to be ready to go through immigration procedures. David Bookbinder, a former leader of Derbyshire County Council, was on a Red Sea cruise aboard Thomson Celebration. Passengers were told they had to be ready at 5.00 am to be interviewed by Israeli officials before they would be allowed ashore in Eilat. Mr Bookbinder, 71, who was travelling with his 86-year-old brother, claims the early start was made [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:41+00:00 8 November 2012|Cruise News|3 Comments

Cruise ship’s safety drills reviewed after two crewmen fall overboard

A cruise line has been instructed to improve its safety training procedures, following an investigation into an incident which led to two crewmen falling overboard during a lifeboat drill. The men plunged 22 metres (72 feet) into the water from Saga Sapphire, when it was berthed at Southampton in March. The ship had just arrived in the UK after a lengthy refit, and was about to set off on a delayed maiden voyage. No passengers were on board at the time of the accident. Both crewmen were safely rescued, and suffered only minor injuries. An inquiry by the Marine Accident [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:41+00:00 8 November 2012|Cruise News|0 Comments

No stopping growth of cruising

Cruising in the UK appears to have shrugged off the effects of both the Costa Concordia tragedy and the financial effects of the euro crisis, with the latest industry estimates forecasting a rise in the number of passengers this year and anticipating a further increase in 2013. The total is expected to grow by 20,000 in 2012 to reach a record 1.72 million. A further 2 per cent rise next year will push the total number of cruises taken by Brits to 1.76 million. Growth has slowed since the heady days of double-digit annual increases, and the statistics do not [...]

By John Honeywell| 2012-11-07T02:05:27+00:00 7 November 2012|Cruise News|0 Comments

Balmoral birthday bounce in the Bay

There's no better way to celebrate a birthday than taking a cruise. Which is why I jumped at the chance to join a trip on Fred Olsen's Balmoral last week. It also helped that I had not previously visited any of the destinations on the itinerary. Unseasonably good weather accompanying us all the way . . . until the last couple of days. It was a bit rough during the night as we headed west from Avilés to La Coruña and by the time we came to leave, Captain Robert Bamberg was warning that we would be sailing into the [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:41+00:00 6 November 2012|Cruise Destinations|0 Comments