John Honeywell, Author at Captain Greybeard

Ready for a Royal arrival

Excitement is mounting as cruise ship Royal Princess draws nearer to Britain ready to be christened next week by the Duchess of Cambridge. The 141,000-ton vessel, largest ever built for Princess Cruises, left Italy last weekend and called at the Spanish port of Algeciras yesterday to take on fuel. The ship will arrive in Southampton on Friday, ready for a series of introductory events and a two-day mini-cruise before Thursday's naming ceremony, which is expected to be Kate Middleton's last public engagement before she withdraws to have her baby in July. Royal Princess will be off Ryde, on the Isle [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:31+00:00 5 June 2013|Cruise Ships|0 Comments

Dingle rings changes at the top on Carnival UK jobs merry-go-round

OUT GO: Giles Hawke, Cunard's Shanks and P&O's Marlow When you board a cruise ship for your best holiday of the year, you will get to know your cabin attendant and your waiters at the dinner table. You may find a favourite barman who makes a cocktail exactly the way you like them, or who knows that look on your face means it's just the time for a G&T or a glass of lager. You may get acquainted with a few of the entertainment staff, especially if there's a run-in over the correct answer to that awkward question in the [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:31+00:00 5 June 2013|Cruise News|12 Comments

Flooding disrupts river cruises

Severe flooding is disrupting river cruising in central Europe. The picturesque Bavarian town of Passau where the rivers Danube, Inn and Ilz meet, is one of the worst affected with water levels at their highest for 500 years. Viking River Cruises have cancelled departures from Passau to Budapest and from Budapest to Nuremburg, and another 16 itineraries have had to be amended. Avalon Waterways have cancelled three departures and other operators are assessing the problems faced as the rivers rise to record levels and in some cases burst their banks. Other operators have moved guests to hotels, or transferred them [...]

By John Honeywell| 2013-06-04T10:09:09+00:00 4 June 2013|Cruise News|0 Comments

Sharks can earn a cruise discount

Some of the most awe-inspiring television in the past few weeks has been a nature documentary series shown only on BBC Scotland, although it was available south of the Border on the iPlayer and on Sky Channel 951. With a voice-over by Ewan McGregor and stirring shots of sea eagles and otters, rutting stags and basking sharks, HEBRIDES: Islands on the Edge has been an absolute feast. Those sharks could get you a discount on a visit to the region - just mention them when booking a cruise with Majestic Line to get £250 cash-back. The marine juggernauts - the [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:31+00:00 4 June 2013|Cruise Destinations|0 Comments

Lobsters force cruise cancellation

There can't be many places on the planet where travel is more strictly regulated than the Galapágos Islands. Even so, it comes as a surprise to discover that a ship has been forced to cancel two cruises as punishment for carrying frozen lobster tails on board. Celebrity Xpedition fell foul of the national park authority's strict rules during a regular inspection. Park wardens who came on board in March found 12 kilograms of lobster tails and some octopus stored on the ship at a time when the fishing season for these species was closed. Celebrity says the lobsters "were purchased [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:31+00:00 1 June 2013|Cruise Destinations, Cruise Food & Drink, Cruise News|0 Comments

Plan now to take a cruise to follow the sun, and then watch it disappear

Unless you happen to be one of the 49,000 residents of the Faroe Islands, your best chance of getting a good view of the solar eclipse in March 2015 will be from the decks of a cruise ship. The event, on March 20, will be the last total eclipse visible in Europe until August 2026 - but only a small part of Europe will get to see it. Cruise lines have been quick to schedule voyages to take passengers to view the eclipse - it could get quite crowded in that small patch of the north Atlantic. At that time [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:31+00:00 1 June 2013|Cruise Destinations, Cruise News|0 Comments

Royal Princess is on her way to UK

After a last-minute hiccup during sea trials, requiring an unexpected return to dry dock for emergency repairs, Royal Princess is sailing to Britain. With its air-conditioning compressors working properly again, the 4,000-passenger ship was handed over by its builders in Italy yesterday, and Capt Tony Draper is now at the controls. The flags of Italy and Fincantieri were ceremoniously lowered before the flags of Princess and Bermuda - where the vessel is registered - were raised. At 141,000 tons, Royal Princess is the largest ship ever built for Princess Cruises, and the biggest assembled at Fincantieri's Monfalcone yard, near Trieste. [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:32+00:00 31 May 2013|Cruise Ships|0 Comments

QM2 marks a maiden anniversary

Cunard's Queen Mary 2 arrives in New York tomorrow, 77 years to the day that the original Queen Mary made her maiden visit to the Big Apple in 1936. Many things have changed in the intervening years, not least the fare for a crossing from Southampton. Passengers travelling in third-class accommodation on Queen Mary paid £8 10 shillings (£18.50) for the privilege. An inside cabin on QM2 this week was £1,199. A Main Deck suite in 1936 would have cost £102 per passenger; the Balmoral duplex suite on QM2 was a mere £9,016 - but did come with its own [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:32+00:00 31 May 2013|Cruise Destinations, Cruise News, Cruise Ships|3 Comments

Third Quantum-class ship confirmed

Royal Caribbean has confirmed today that it has signed a contract for a third Quantum-class ship, to be built by Meyer-Werft in Germany. Details of the first ship's innovative features, such as a sky-diving simulator, an observation capsule and dodgem cars - all firsts at sea - were announced only last month. Quantum of the Seas will launch in November next year and its maiden voyage, which went on sale this week, is a Transatlantic crossing from Southampton to New York. The second ship, Anthem of the Seas, is due to be completed in 2015 and the third will now [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:32+00:00 30 May 2013|Cruise News|0 Comments

Do these videos prove Cunard has discovered the secret of time travel?

If you are thinking of booking a cruise on Cunard's Queen Elizabeth, everything you ever need to know - and probably more - is set out in this instructive video. How to tell the front of the ship from the back and port from starboard, where to enjoy afternoon tea, and how to book a shore excursion - it's all here. The film - some of which was shot while I was on board in April - gives the impression of being educational rather than an entertainment. It's certainly nowhere near as much fun as the free-running tour of Thomson [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:32+00:00 30 May 2013|Cruise Ships|0 Comments