John Honeywell, Author at Captain Greybeard

Godmother Mary Berry is the icing on the cake for Viking’s world record

The nation's favourite baker helped Viking Cruises break a Guinness World Record this week for the biggest number of ships inaugurated in one day. Mary Berry was one of 16 godmothers who christened new Longship river ships in three separate countries. She was in Amsterdam, where nine of the vessels were named, while TV wine expert Susie Barrie was among seven more women naming ships in the French city of Avignon and - remotely - four more in a German shipyard. Two smaller Viking ships were named on Friday in a separate ceremony on the River Douro in Portugal. All [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:27+00:00 22 March 2014|Cruise Ships|0 Comments

VAT confusion ahead for Ventura

There's going to be some head-scratching when passengers on P&O's Mediterranean fly-cruises aboard Ventura this summer get their final bills. But it will be nothing to the hand-wringing in the accounts department which has to wrestle with Europe's complex tax regulations. VAT - or IVA in Spanish - will be payable on certain items like drinks from the bar, restaurant reservations, pictures from the photo gallery and items from the on-board shops. Pity the poor P&O employee who has had to compile the comprehensive guide which has been published among the cruise line's "Your Questions Answered" section. I hope he, [...]

By John Honeywell| 2014-03-17T17:10:22+00:00 17 March 2014|Cruise News|0 Comments

A Crystal first: Female dance partners

There's a certain group of cruise ship passengers who travel frequently and often alone. We'll call them the Golden Girls although some are Platinum and others are Silver or just Blue. As well as the hair, they have the time and they have the money, because - let's be frank - they may have an inheritance or an insurance pay-out to support them. What they don't have in abundance is male company. Which is why many cruise lines employ gentlemen hosts to partner these ladies on the dance floor and to provide conversation over dinner or a drink. Because that's [...]

By John Honeywell| 2014-03-14T10:25:56+00:00 14 March 2014|Cruise Entertainment|1 Comment

Do YOU stay online when on board, or do you want to leave it all behind?

Cruise lines have invested millions in the past few years in providing improved Internet access on board their vessels. From begrudgingly installing a couple of dusty terminals in a corner of the library, they have extended access to ship-wide wifi, greater and faster bandwidth, and even to renting out tablets and laptops. They have responded to demand from passengers who - while taking a break from the burden of office emails - want to keep in touch with their friends on Twitter and Facebook, to share picture postcards of their travels, and to check-in online for their flight home at [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:27+00:00 13 March 2014|Cruise News|4 Comments

Cruise Shipping’s own Spring Break

Everybody who is anybody in the cruise business is in Miami Beach this week for the 30th annual Cruise Shipping Miami conference. There are almost 900 exhibiting companies and the organisers expect about 15,000 people to attend the four-day event filling all four halls of the city's Convention Centre. It kicks off today with the World Cruise Tourism Summit, a series of discussions led by industry experts, but the main event comes tomorrow morning with top executives from Carnival Corporation, Royal Caribbean Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line and MSC Cruises on stage to discuss the state of the industry. The event [...]

By John Honeywell| 2014-03-10T14:28:43+00:00 10 March 2014|Cruise News|0 Comments

Three Queens together in Liverpool and Southampton for Cunard’s 175

Looks like 2015 is going to be the year of the Britannia. TWO Britannias to be precise. In the blue corner (as far as funnel décor is concerned) P&O will be putting on a party to mark the christening of their Britannia and will be counting the takings as the newest and biggest ship built for the British market sails from Southampton throughout the summer. And in the red corner, Cunard will be marking the 175th anniversary of its first ship, Britannia, which set sail in July 1840 to inaugurate the first ever scheduled service across the Atlantic. Cunard's flagship [...]

By John Honeywell| 2014-03-06T18:25:17+00:00 6 March 2014|Cruise Destinations, Cruise News, Cruise Ships|0 Comments

Getaway lights up the Caribbean

Stars were shining down from a clear, dark sky; in the seas around, the lights of four other cruise ships surrounded Norwegian Getaway, somewhere between the Caribbean islands of St Maarten and St Thomas. Suddenly the night erupted in colour and noise, as fireworks shot into the inky blackness, accompanied by a soundtrack that included Slade's Cum on Feel The Noiz and Prince singing Purple Rain. What a way to mark the halfway point of what is becoming a great week on the newest cruise ship in the world! The advertising slogans proclaimed that Getaway Lights Up Miami, and here [...]

By John Honeywell| 2014-03-06T07:06:08+00:00 6 March 2014|Cruise Destinations, Cruise Entertainment, Cruise Ships|0 Comments

New Crimean war is threat to Black Sea cruises and could affect Baltic

Events in Ukraine could have a huge effect on cruises to the Black Sea this summer. If some analysts are believed, the crisis could also have an impact in the Baltic. Once reserved for intrepid adventurers, the region has opened up to mainstream ships in recent years as the Mediterranean and Aegean have become more crowded, and the Red Sea has been put off limits by Egypt's political troubles. The current Foreign and Commonwealth Office is to avoid all travel to the Crimea - the very region at the heart of Black Sea cruises. "British nationals in Crimea should leave [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:27+00:00 5 March 2014|Cruise Destinations, Cruise News|2 Comments

Give me a break – it’s going to be mighty crowded in the Caribbean

The weatherman was issuing snow warnings as I retired to bed last night. Today, as you settle in for an icy blast to top off the wettest winter on record, I'll be relaxing on Virgin Atlantic flight VS005, returning to the warmer weather of southern Florida. Tomorrow I will be boarding Norwegian Getaway for a week in the Caribbean - and what a week it's going to be. I'll have a chance to spend more time exploring the ship on which I spent a couple of days in Southampton in January. Another opportunity to marvel at the magic show in [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:27+00:00 28 February 2014|Cruise Destinations|0 Comments

Princess escapes to come back new

"A cruise isn't good enough, unless we come back new." Can't say I'm entirely sold on the new slogan from Princess Cruises, or exactly what it means, but watch their video and decide for yourself whether it's a suitable replacement for the old slogan, "Escape completely."

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:27+00:00 27 February 2014|Cruise News|0 Comments