John Honeywell, Author at Captain Greybeard

The fjords are so affordable

For several weeks, my email inbox has been filled with promotions for cruises to Norway at almost unimaginably low prices. Resisting the obvious and painful puns, I can only agree that the fjords have never been more affordable. The destination consistently wins praise and awards as the most scenic in the world, and a cruise to the region has so many benefits. There's departure from a UK port for a start, so no need to fly or to worry about airline baggage restrictions. A ship takes you effortlessly past rugged cliffs, spectacular waterfalls, and deep into the heart of the [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:34+00:00 22 April 2013|Cruise Deals|0 Comments

Book early to grab a Quantum berth

We've seen the never-before innovations to come on Royal Caribbean's Quantum of the Seas; now we know where the ship will be sailing when it starts earning its keep, in autumn 2014. The 4,180-passenger vessel will be based at Cape Liberty in Bayonne, New Jersey - which Royal likes to remind us is part of New York Harbour. For Brits flying to join a cruise, it's an easy 20-minute transfer from Newark airport. Quantum's itineraries will include seven and eight-night sailings to the Bahamas, eight and 11-night cruises to the eastern Caribbean, and a 12-night route to the southern Caribbean. [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:34+00:00 20 April 2013|Cruise Destinations|2 Comments

Behind the doors marked ‘Crew Only’

All over a cruise ship, there are doors marked "Crew Only." For passengers, they mark forbidden territory. Unless allowed to use a crew stairway during muster drill, we must not cross the threshold into the other world - even if invited by a crew member. Perhaps ESPECIALLY not if invited by a crew member. But yesterday afternoon, as one of a select group of 11 Queen Elizabeth passengers who paid $120 each for the privilege, I spent three hours behind those doors, on a fascinating behind-the-scenes tour. Not before we each signed a fearsome-looking waiver absolving Cunard of any responsibility [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:34+00:00 18 April 2013|Cruise Ships|2 Comments

Video tour of Quantum of the Seas

Are you intrigued by the introduction of sky-diving and dodgem cars on a cruise ship? Do you wonder how the North Star thrill ride is going to transport passengers 300 feet above the waves? Want to know what the three-deck-high Two70° entertainment room will have to offer? Then wonder no more. This video tour will explain everything. Apologies for the annoying noise throughout. That's Kristin Chenoweth, who has been chosen as the godmother for Quantum of the Seas. She gets a helping hand from IndyCar driver Hélio Castroneves, basketball great Chris Webber, illusionists Penn and Teller, and even Shrek. Royal [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:34+00:00 18 April 2013|Cruise Ships|3 Comments

£200m safety investment for Carnival

Carnival Cruise Lines has confirmed a £200 million investment programme to improve power supply and safety its 24 ships, following incidents in which passengers were left without power and with limited bathroom facilities. Every ship will have an additional emergency generator installed to ensure that 100 per cent of cabin and public toilets, fresh water supply and lifts will continue to operate in the "unlikely event" of a loss of main power. Once the initial phase is complete, the company will instal a second permanent back-up power system on each ship to provide an even greater level of hotel and [...]

By John Honeywell| 2013-04-17T17:58:41+00:00 17 April 2013|Cruise News|0 Comments

Royal Caribbean make a Quantum leap with sky-diving and dodgems

Sky-diving and dodgem cars - on a cruise ship! Sounds ridiculous, impossible even. But those are just two of the first-time-at-sea features planned for the next generation of cruise ships. Royal Caribbean promised that their new Quantum-class vessels would have innovations never seen before on a cruise ship, and boy, have they delivered! There's even a thrill ride to whisk passengers 300 feet above the sea - it looks like a single capsule from the London Eye, on the end of a giant cherrypicker (below). The rock-climbing walls, ice rinks and surfing simulators - all Royal Caribbean firsts in their [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:35+00:00 16 April 2013|Cruise News|3 Comments

Cruise passengers robbed in St Lucia

A tour bus carrying 55 cruise ship passengers - including 10 from Britain - was held up at gunpoint during an excursion on the Caribbean island of St Lucia. The group, which also included two members of crew from Celebrity Eclipse, was on a tour to the botanical gardens in Soufriere. Reports say three masked gunmen took cash and jewellery from the passengers. A statement from Celebrity Cruises said no-one was injured during the incident and all passengers returned to the ship unharmed. St. Lucia Tourist Board Chairman Mathew Beaubrun said the robbery was a "rare incident." The Celebrity spokesperson [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:35+00:00 15 April 2013|Cruise News|0 Comments

All the time in the world, and it’s still not enough for a day full of activity

Leaving the sunshine of the Canaries behind, Queen Elizabeth has turned for home. Since late on Sunday afternoon, when we cast off from Arrecife, the capital of Lanzarote, we have been heading north towards Lisbon, our final port of call before returning to Southampton. Today is another sea day, and it's when the ship comes into her own. We have all the time in the world, and it's still nowhere near enough to do everything on offer. With apologies to the stretch and relax class, the fab abs class and the total body conditioning on offer in the Royal Spa [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:35+00:00 15 April 2013|Cruise Entertainment|0 Comments

Cheers! I’ll drink to $140 credit

There's a picture alongside here of yours truly sampling a lurid blue cocktail, a Sapphire Martini if I remember correctly. The photograph was taken in the Commodore Club on Cunard's Queen Mary 2 some years ago, and it may now be time for an update. In which case, I could probably do worse than have my portrait taken with a new cocktail devised to mark the 140th anniversary of Holland America Line. The Dutch Heritage is orange, in keeping with the official colour of the country's Royal Family, and is a mix of Aperol, vodka and triple sec, shaken and [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:35+00:00 14 April 2013|Cruise Deals|0 Comments

Scaling the peaks of perfection

We must be an orderly and well-behaved bunch of passengers on board Queen Elizabeth this week. At each port of call so far - first Funchal, Madeira, then Santa Cruz on La Palma, and today another Santa Cruz, in Tenerife, Captain Alistair Clark has announced at about 5.30 p.m. that "everyone is back on board and we are ready to sail." It's a pleasant change from the last-minute panics over late arrivals and no-shows that I have seen on some ships. It's certainly a sign that the 1,941 British passengers, and the 98 others of various nationalities including Americans, Canadians, [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:35+00:00 13 April 2013|Cruise Destinations|0 Comments