John Honeywell, Author at Captain Greybeard

Tugboat Toia taps a Cunard Queen

Cunard are deservedly proud of the fact that the arrival of one of their ships in a far-flung port generates huge excitement, drawing crowds of people to the shoreline and out onto the water. They must sometimes wish that spectators weren't quite so enthusiastic, particularly after an incident in New Zealand at the weekend. Queen Elizabeth's arrival in Wellington coincided with the port's open day, and about 50 sightseers were crowded on the tug Toia when it came rather too close to the cruise ship. The tug's funnel hit the ship's port-side docking platform, about 36 feet (12 metres) above [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:37+00:00 26 February 2013|Cruise News, Cruise Ships|0 Comments

Royal goes for a Quantum of Kristin

So, Royal Caribbean's much-touted ads during American television coverage of the Oscars were not to announce another new ship (Argo of the Seas, anyone?) but to reveal the name of a ship's godmother. Yes, the cruise line paid about $1.5 million for each 30-second slot so that Kristin Chenoweth could bounce on screen to get excited about her latest role. Don't pretend you've never heard of her. The 44-year-old actress and singer was a regular in The West Wing and has appeared in occasional episodes of Glee and The Good Wife. She also performed the closing song at the Oscar [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:37+00:00 25 February 2013|Cruise Ships|3 Comments

On another Odyssey to Burma

What a treat this weekend for passengers on Voyage to Antiquity's Aegean Odyssey. The ship is back in Yangon for the first time since it delivered me there in December. If I close my eyes I can imagine them gazing in wonder at the golden splendours of the Shwedagon Pagoda, and snapping up souvenirs in the rambling maze that is the Bogyoke Aung San market. Some will be touring the colonial buildings of the city on one of the included excursions and will be setting out to see more pagodas and Buddha statues in Bago. They may have had an [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:38+00:00 24 February 2013|Cruise Destinations, Cruise Ships|0 Comments

Behind the scenes of Switch On Fun

There's no secret to having fun on a cruise ship - if you can't enjoy yourself in a floating resort where every whim is pandered to, then there's no helping you. But what's the secret to making a TV commercial in which people fly through the air and crash through walls at speeds that should leave them crippled for life instead of ready to enjoy everything a Carnival cruise has to offer? This behind-the-scenes video made during the shooting of the Switch On Fun ad explains everything. And it IS fun!

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:38+00:00 23 February 2013|Cruise Entertainment|0 Comments

Breakaway ready for floataway

Weather permitting, Norwegian Breakaway will be emerging into the daylight on Tuesday morning. Just 17 months after construction work started at the Meyer-Werft shipyard in Papenburg, Germany, the 146,600-ton cruise ship will be towed gently out of a giant construction shed and into the river basin. After initial tests, the ship will be berthed alongside and the first members of crew will be moving into their cabins within a couple of days. Final construction work and fitting out will continue for a few weeks, and the ship, built for 3,969 passengers, will make the journey down the River Ems to [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:38+00:00 23 February 2013|Cruise Ships|0 Comments

Cheers! Oz is back on board

Wine expert Oz Clarke had so much fun on his first cruise last year that he's coming back for more. He will be hosting a themed cruise in October which takes in Bordeaux in France, the Rioja region of Spain, and the home of port in Portugal. Once hailed as Britain's youngest-ever Wine Taster of the Year, his enthusiasm, his encyclopaedic knowledge, and his gift for entertainment remain undimmed 40 years later, as he demonstrated with a virtuoso performance in London this week for guests of Celebrity Cruises. Taking us through a collection of wines he had selected from the [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:38+00:00 22 February 2013|Cruise Food & Drink|0 Comments

Relief as Ruby gets under way

PICTURE: Patricia Dempsey If there was an extra rustling among the trees and a whoosh of air in the breeze earlier this evening, it was probably the collective sigh of relief coming from the South Coast. It started on the quayside at Southampton, continued down through the Solent, and spread as far as Saga head office 140 miles away in Folkestone. Passengers, crew, and backroom office staff could relax as Saga Ruby finally set off for what should have been her final world voyage but which has instead been curtailed to a mere 66 nights to Cape Horn and the [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:38+00:00 20 February 2013|Cruise Ships|0 Comments

Follow Danielle and her young person’s guide to the Oceana

Apart from a week in the Caribbean early in January, it's been a quiet start to the year for Captain Greybeard. But the cold, grey days of winter have been warmed by reading of another blogger's cruise to the sun. Danielle Fear, aka CruiseMiss, who says she caught the cruise bug in 2007 when she was just 21, spent 35 nights on a round-trip from Southampton aboard P&O's Oceana. There were constant updates on Twitter and Facebook and since she returned she hasn't stopped writing about the trip, posting pictures and videos of the ship and the islands she visited. [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:38+00:00 20 February 2013|Cruise Destinations|1 Comment

Swans safe for another 8 years

There have been a couple of hiccups along the way, but Swan Hellenic has been an institution in British cruising for almost 60 years. Its loyal passengers will be delighted to hear that its future should be secure until at least 2021. The company was launched by the Swan family in 1954, with the colourful Sir Mortimer Wheeler (whose BBC television appearances were in black and white) as a figurehead. It was taken over by P&O in 1983 and later absorbed into the Carnival Corporation, but was threatened with closure almost six years ago. Rescued by former P&O chairman Lord [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:38+00:00 19 February 2013|Cruise News|0 Comments

Seabourn sells 3 ships to Windstar

Luxury operator Seabourn is selling its three oldest cruise ships. The Pride, Spirit, and Legend, each of which carries 208 passengers, are to be taken over by Windstar Cruises, doubling the size of its fleet. The ships will complete their scheduled voyages before leaving Seabourn; Pride, originally built in 1988, will be transferred in April 2014; Spirit (1989) and Legend (1992) - pictured above - move in April and May 2015. The company will retain the newer and larger vessels, Odyssey, Sojourn and Quest, and are planning to order a fourth vessel of similar design. Announcing the move today, Seabourn [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:38+00:00 19 February 2013|Cruise News|0 Comments