John Honeywell, Author at Captain Greybeard

Family bargains this summer holiday

Latest news on the best cruise bargain front: here's how a family of four can save up to £870 on a 10-night cruise during the summer holidays. MSC is marking National Family Week with deals for bookings in July and August for cruises on MSC Opera. Parents booking a second stateroom for one or more children get a 50 per cent discount on the additional cabin. And if it's a balcony cabin or suite, then gratuities are taken care of as well - a potential saving of £660 for the accommodation and £210 in tips. In addition, families can have [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:33+00:00 23 May 2013|Cruise Deals|0 Comments

Up she rises: P&O keel lifted out of dry dock for Royal Princess repairs

A last-minute hitch is sending Royal Princess - the cruise ship that will be christened by the Duchess of Cambridge in just three weeks' time - back into dry dock for emergency repairs, and causing an unexpected problem for P&O Cruises. Repairs to two air conditioning compressors units damaged during the Royal's sea trials are not expected to delay the vessel's arrival into Southampton for the ceremony. But they bring an unprecedented embarrassment to sister company P&O - both are part of Carnival UK. A lavish ceremony last week marked the keel-laying of their own new ship at the same [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:33+00:00 23 May 2013|Cruise News|1 Comment

How Costa Concordia looks today

Follow-up to yesterday's announcement that Costa Concordia captain Francesco Schettino will face trial next month charged with manslaughter and abandoning his ship. Here's a reminder of the consequences of his alleged actions in sailing the 3,780-passenger vessel too close to the island of Giglio. Sixteen months on, the capsized hull still lies in the sea, with engineers continuing the preparatory work needed to bring the hull upright so it can be towed away. The footage was shot by Team BlackSheep, using cameras mounted on radio-controlled helicopters. The guys were arrested by Italian police who want to prohibit unofficial photography of [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:33+00:00 23 May 2013|Cruise News|1 Comment

Concordia captain to face trial

The captain of Costa Concordia, the cruise ship which ran aground with the loss of 32 lives in January last year, is finally to face trial. A judge has decided there is enough evidence to try Captain Francesco Schettino on charges of manslaughter, causing a shipwreck, and abandoning ship before all 4,200 passengers and crew had been evacuated. The trial will begin on July 9 in Grosseto, the Tuscan city close to the site of the wreck. Schettino faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted, according to his lawyer, Francesco Pepe. Schettino denies the charges, and claims that [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:33+00:00 22 May 2013|Cruise News|0 Comments

Vikings set to conquer the world

While one river cruise line was launching its newest vessel in Bordeaux last week, another was announcing plans to take to the high seas. Viking River Cruises - familiar to ITV viewers for their sponsorship of drama programmes - is ready to branch out into Viking Ocean and will have its first ship, Viking Star, sailing from May 2015. Like its historical predecessors, the Vikings could be about to conquer the world all over again. Viking River has seen unprecedented expansion in the last couple of years - 10 new longships were christened a few weeks ago in Amsterdam and [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:33+00:00 22 May 2013|Cruise News|0 Comments

A dressing down for Fred. Olsen

Given the furore that followed Cunard's announcement a couple of months ago that it was "loosening its ties" and relaxing its dress code, it's brave of Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines to follow suit (pun intended). Just like Cunard, Fred has no intention of abandoning its formal nights, of which there are three or four during a two-week cruise. But the dress code for other evenings has now been simplified. Smart casual is all that is required, and there is no longer a distinction for "informal" wear, when a jacket or tie is required. Under the new code, gentlemen are free [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:33+00:00 22 May 2013|Cruise News|2 Comments

Have a whale of a time in Norway

One of the most magical excursions I have ever undertaken was a whale-watching safari in northern Norway. It was November and snowing almost continuously; there were only a few hours of daylight. Travelling by a Hurtigruten ship from Tromsø to a Lofoten Islands hotel converted from fishermen's huts, I togged up in warm, protective clothing and joined a converted trawler to sail back towards the mainland and Tysfjord, where killer whales gathered each year. We saw a group of whales engaged in their trademark carousel feeding - where they round up a shoal of herring into a whirling ball and [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:33+00:00 22 May 2013|Cruise Destinations|0 Comments

Why the best holiday bargains this summer are on board cruise ships

Continuing pressure to keep fares low in order to fill its ships has forced Carnival Corporation - parent company of Cunard, P&O and Princess Cruises - to slash its financial expectations this year. The company warned that earnings per share are likely to be around $1.45-$1.65, compared with its earlier guidance of $1.80 to $2.10. Carnival shares, which are traded on the London and New York stock exchanges, fell by as much as 15 per cent in early trading today - going in the opposite direction to the FTSE index which has reached its highest level since 2000. In recent [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:33+00:00 21 May 2013|Cruise Deals, Cruise News|0 Comments

Cruise ship runs aground off Oban

Divers will today examine the hull of a cruise ship which ran aground in Oban Bay, on the west coast of Scotland. MS Serenissima, carrying 61 passengers and 51 crew, was successfully refloated in the early hours of this morning after being stuck on a sand and shingle bank known as the Corran Ledge. There were no reports of injuries and no signs of pollution or serious damage to the vessel. The RNLI lifeboat tried to help pull Serenissima free, but early attempts yesterday evening were hampered by strong winds. RNLI spokesman Iain Fulton said: "The vessel was aground at [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:33+00:00 21 May 2013|Cruise News|0 Comments

Ground control to Royal Princess: commencing countdown, engines on

The curvature of the skyline might give the impression that this cruise ship is so huge it was photographed from the International Space Station by "Major Tom" Commander Chris Hadfield. But I suspect that the image of Royal Princess was shot from a helicopter using one of those expensive fish-eye lenses I could only dream of attaching to my Canon. The ship was undertaking its final sea trials in the Adriatic. It's now back at the Fincantieri yard in Monfalcone, Italy where crew are arriving and the final countdown is being made for the hand-over to Princess Cruises on May [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:33+00:00 20 May 2013|Cruise Ships|0 Comments