John Honeywell, Author at Captain Greybeard

Heart-warming reunion for solo oarswoman and QM2’s Captain

Cunard flagship Queen Mary 2 was the setting for a heart-warming reunion this weekend, as solo rower Mylène Paquette took a trip on the liner which came to her rescue in mid-Atlantic. It was back in September that Captain Kevin Oprey responded to an SOS call from the French-Canadian adventuress. She had set out from Halifax, Nova Scotia on July 6, heading for Lorient, in Brittany, but lost her sea anchor and a satellite phone when her boat was hit by a storm. Queen Mary 2 greeted Mylène with three blasts on the ship's whistle and slowly circled her boat [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:28+00:00 16 December 2013|Cruise News|0 Comments

Ruby refuses to go quietly: generator fault cancels Caribbean Christmas

The last cruise ship ever built in a British shipyard is determined not to slip quietly away into retirement. Saga Ruby - built as Vistafjord at Swan Hunter on the Tyne - has thrown a final wobbly on her final cruise, which was to have been a month-long round-trip voyage from the UK to the Caribbean. One of its generators has failed, which would have left the air-conditioning plant underpowered and the ship uncomfortably steamy. Arriving in Santa Cruz on the island of Tenerife, Captain Krzysztof Majdzinski discovered repairs could not be made until a replacement part was manufactured. After [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:28+00:00 13 December 2013|Cruise News, Cruise Ships|5 Comments

Singing the praises of Anthem

As the name suggests, Royal Caribbean's Anthem of the Seas will include some of the most technologically advanced music and entertainment spaces in the world when it starts sailing from Southampton in spring 2015. These include the Music Hall venue and Two70°, named for its magnificent 270-degree panoramic sea views from floor-to-ceiling windows. Lauren Laverne and Stuart Maconie, who were at the announcement of Anthem's UK deployment, reveal more in this video

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:28+00:00 10 December 2013|Cruise Ships|0 Comments

Storm delays cancel Arcadia cruise

Posted on P&O Cruises' Facebook page: Unfortunately due to strong storms in Northern Europe, Arcadia has been delayed in leaving her refurbishment in Germany. As a result, we have had to take the difficult decision to cancel the two night cruise departing on Sunday. We are currently contacting all of our customers by email or phone to advise them of the cancellation. Everyone booked will be getting a full refund and a future cruise credit. There are also options for passengers to move to any other two night cruise next year. We are really sorry that we have had to [...]

By John Honeywell| 2013-12-10T15:15:37+00:00 10 December 2013|Cruise News|2 Comments

Impress me with a favourite menu and you could win a dream cruise

Think you know about food and cruise ships? Could you design a menu for a three-course dinner on board a ship? If you can, and you can impress me with it, you could win your dream cruise. The competition is being launched today by Thomson Cruises, who are looking for a menu to be featured in the Grill restaurant on their Platinum-rated ship, Thomson Dream. The Cruise Kitchen menu creator allows entrants to choose from a selection of ingredients to build their dream dinner, deciding on the central element of each disch - whether it be duck, scallops or venison [...]

By John Honeywell| 2013-12-06T14:04:11+00:00 6 December 2013|Cruise Food & Drink, Cruise News|2 Comments

Getting a taste for Crystal luxury

Crystal Serenity is looking fresher than ever after an £11 million facelift in a Spanish dry dock. The 12 days out of the water were enough for unseen mechanical overhauls and a touch-up job on the underwater part of the hull with slippery, fuel-saving silicon paint costing £160 a litre but there wasn't enough time to complete the re-design of the ship's Lido restaurant. As the ship filled with passengers, 150 workmen remained on board to finish off the transformation into a lighter, airier buffet with new server islands and lattice-work screens to separate tables from passengers queuing for their [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:28+00:00 6 December 2013|Cruise Food & Drink, Cruise Ships|0 Comments

Behind the Britannia design

P&O Cruises are not quite ready to tell all about the design of Britannia, which will be the largest cruise ship ever built for the UK market - the next major announcement is expected on February 12. But they are prepared to share this teaser video about the work of the designers planning the ship's interiors. Just as fascinating are the splendid Movember moustaches on display ...

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:28+00:00 5 December 2013|Cruise Ships|0 Comments

Cruise passengers return to the Nile

Updated advice from the Foreign Office has allowed travel company Discover Egypt to resume cruises on the Nile. More than 50 British passengers are on board for a seven-night cruise which departed on Monday, the company's first for five months. Fares are as low as £799 per person including flights from London and Manchester and up to 10 guided excursions in Egypt. There are no single supplements and add-ons include a visit to the Pyramids for £60, an additional week in a Luxor hotel from £149, or at a Red Sea resort for £299. Sales director Philip Breckner said: "There [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:28+00:00 5 December 2013|Cruise Destinations, Cruise News|0 Comments

Money-back promise from Fred

MY COLUMN FROM SATURDAY'S DAILY MIRROR Not sure whether you would enjoy a cruise? Now there's a way to find out that could cost absolutely nothing except time. Fred Olsen Cruise Lines' Enjoyment Promise will give any customer who has not travelled on the company's ships before the chance to try a cruise and to get their money back if the don't enjoy it. What's more, having made the decision - and it has to be within 48 hours of boarding - they will be flown home at Olsen's expense. The scheme will be launched on Monday [December 2] and [...]

By John Honeywell| 2013-12-01T12:10:37+00:00 1 December 2013|Cruise Deals, Cruise News|1 Comment

A question of sport … and everything else, as passengers get competitive

Katherine Jenkins may have been top of the bill on this week's Oriana cruise, but there's no doubt what was the most popular activity - and the most frequent - outside the privacy of the cabins, at least. There have been no fewer than 19 quiz competitions. Jeopardised, "Fun" pub quizzes (it's not fun, this is a serious business), individual quizzes (no conferring), sports quizzes, and quizzes to identify the Bond Girl actresses and other famous faces. For the dedicated contestant, nothing competes with the late night action of the Syndicate Quiz in the Crichton Room. There's no bar to [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:28+00:00 30 November 2013|Cruise Entertainment|0 Comments