John Honeywell, Author at Captain Greybeard

The Rockettes christen Breakaway

Through the wonders of the InterWeb, I watched New York's Rockettes christen Norwegian Breakaway last night, and then had to disappoint the high-kicking dancers when they invited me to join them for a work-out in the ship's Manhattan Room today. I also received an invitation to meet a passenger who thought I must be aboard. Sadly, I spent only a couple of days on the ship last week, and had to disembark before it sailed to America. I am crossing my fingers that I'll get a chance to return later in the year. "Cake Boss" Buddy Valastro was the star [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:33+00:00 9 May 2013|Cruise Ships|0 Comments

Couple overboard from cruise ship

UPDATE: The search for the missing couple has been called off. Police say examination of the CCTV footage shows they went overboard one after the other, and the incident is not being treated as suspicious. Australia's Herald Sun reports that the security video shows the woman jumped first and was followed by her boyfriend about 20 seconds later. An air and sea search is under way off the coast of New South Wales, Australia, after two passengers were reported to have gone overboard from cruise ship Carnival Spirit. The couple were discovered to be missing when the ship docked in [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:34+00:00 9 May 2013|Cruise News|0 Comments

Cruise ship rescues yachtsmen

Two yachtsmen have been rescued by a cruise ship in the middle of the Atlantic. Holland America's 86,000-ton vessel was crossing from Fort Lauderdale in Florida to Cadiz in Spain to begin its summer season in Mediterranean when it responded to a call for assistance from the US Coast Guard. The 44-ft yacht Embla had sent out a distress signal about 600 miles east of Bermuda, but the cruise ship was only 35 nautical miles away. Two men aged 29 and 61 were recovered by a team sent out on one of Nieuw Amsterdam's lifeboats on Saturday. They were taken [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:34+00:00 8 May 2013|Cruise News|0 Comments

Asian cruise Odyssey is cancelled

Persistent bad weather, rough seas and passenger discomfort have been blamed for the cancellation of a cruise ship's entire programme of winter sailings. Voyages to Antiquity's Aegean Odyssey spent last winter in the Far East - including a cruise to Burma on which I sailed in December - and was scheduled to return for the 2013-14 season. But in a surprise announcement the line has announced the ship will spend next winter laid up in Athens, as it had done during earlier winters following its programmes of destination-intensive voyages in the Mediterranean and the Red and Black Seas. The company [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:34+00:00 8 May 2013|Cruise Destinations, Cruise News, Cruise Ships|0 Comments

Hurtigruten celebrates in style

The 120th anniversary of the founding of Norway's Hurtigruten this summer brings a rare opportunity to travel off the beaten track. The coastal express, which provides a scheduled service to ports between Bergen and Kirkenes, is to make 11 visits to Lyngenfjord (above). On-board concerts and menus inspired by the 1890s when pioneering seaman Richard With founded the service will feature on voyages between June 21 and July 2. Hurtigruten has never before sailed into the fjord on its regular itineraries, but during this 11-day period a ship will stop there while travelling south between Skjervoy and Tromsø. The 50-mile-long [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:34+00:00 8 May 2013|Cruise Destinations|0 Comments

It’s a runaway success for Dream

Don't try this at home, or even on your next cruise. This fantastic video shows what happens when a team of free runners was let loose on Thomson Dream in the Caribbean. The guys look like they had great fun keeping one leap ahead of security - and in the process show off some of the best-looking features on the recently-refurbished ship. The short film was created by record breaking freerunning team, 3RUN who have worked on Hollywood blockbusters like Casino Royale and Harry Potter and use awe-inspiring stunts to give customers a unique look at the makeover on the [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:34+00:00 7 May 2013|Cruise Ships|0 Comments

Tour the new-look Ventura

Take a guided tour of the newly-refurbished Ventura with Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen. Appropriately enough, the Changing Rooms star takes a look at what P&O have achieved with a multi-million pound refit of the five-year-old cruise ship. Stand-out feature for me is Olly Smith's Glass House, which has moved into the Ramblas. LL-B seems equally impressed with the wine flights and the food, which includes small plates include:chorizo, pork belly and butter bean cassoulet and larger plates include a selection of steak, burger and fish dishes with triple cooked chips, and vegetarian options such as woodland mushroom and spring onion risotto with [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:34+00:00 7 May 2013|Cruise Ships|0 Comments

What’s so special about Europa 2?

Last week it was the bright and breezy Breakaway - Norwegian Cruise Line's newest ship - that was being shown off in Southampton. Today it's an altogether different vessel; Europa 2 is claimed to be the most luxurious cruise ship in the world. And who's to argue with the people whose Europa has been top-rated in the Berlitz guide for year after year? In fact, Douglas Ward, the editor of cruising's Bible, will be among those on board, and is giving a presentation tomorrow morning. I will be joining a select group of media from the UK, America and Europe [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:34+00:00 6 May 2013|Cruise Ships|1 Comment

Has a life of fine dining at sea lost its Allure for chef Molly Brandt?

The minute chef Molly Brandt saw me take a knife to an onion, she rolled her eyes in despair. She wanted the vegetable finely diced in preparation for making her smoked sweet potato velouté and realised immediately she was dealing with a rank amateur. I thought I knew what I was doing. I've made soup before - it all goes in the liquidiser in the end anyway, so why the need for precision? Chef Molly soon put me straight. If my take on her signature soup was to make it onto the tables of the $40-a-head 150 Central Park restaurant [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:34+00:00 3 May 2013|Cruise Food & Drink|1 Comment

Cruise fun fills the small screen

"There's something for all the family," and "You get treated like royalty, no matter what cabin you're in" are just two of the reasons customers in this video give for choosing a cruise holiday. Cruising holidays accounted for one in eight package holidays bought last year; one in five people who took a cruise were under 45 years old, while 36 per cent of the passengers who travelled were first time cruisers, dispelling the myth that cruises are exclusively for the older generation Giulio Libuttii from MSC Cruises says, "You don't need to spend a lot to go on a [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:34+00:00 2 May 2013|Cruise Deals|0 Comments