John Honeywell, Author at Captain Greybeard

Cruise ship’s safety drills reviewed after two crewmen fall overboard

A cruise line has been instructed to improve its safety training procedures, following an investigation into an incident which led to two crewmen falling overboard during a lifeboat drill. The men plunged 22 metres (72 feet) into the water from Saga Sapphire, when it was berthed at Southampton in March. The ship had just arrived in the UK after a lengthy refit, and was about to set off on a delayed maiden voyage. No passengers were on board at the time of the accident. Both crewmen were safely rescued, and suffered only minor injuries. An inquiry by the Marine Accident [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:41+00:00 8 November 2012|Cruise News|0 Comments

No stopping growth of cruising

Cruising in the UK appears to have shrugged off the effects of both the Costa Concordia tragedy and the financial effects of the euro crisis, with the latest industry estimates forecasting a rise in the number of passengers this year and anticipating a further increase in 2013. The total is expected to grow by 20,000 in 2012 to reach a record 1.72 million. A further 2 per cent rise next year will push the total number of cruises taken by Brits to 1.76 million. Growth has slowed since the heady days of double-digit annual increases, and the statistics do not [...]

By John Honeywell| 2012-11-07T02:05:27+00:00 7 November 2012|Cruise News|0 Comments

Balmoral birthday bounce in the Bay

There's no better way to celebrate a birthday than taking a cruise. Which is why I jumped at the chance to join a trip on Fred Olsen's Balmoral last week. It also helped that I had not previously visited any of the destinations on the itinerary. Unseasonably good weather accompanying us all the way . . . until the last couple of days. It was a bit rough during the night as we headed west from Avilés to La Coruña and by the time we came to leave, Captain Robert Bamberg was warning that we would be sailing into the [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:41+00:00 6 November 2012|Cruise Destinations|0 Comments

Dancing robots – Gangnam Style

There's no excuse for including this video on a blog about cruise ships - except it's from Korea, a country I visited on Diamond Princess earlier this year. But these irresistable dancing robots were one of the hits of the opening day of World Travel Market 2012 at London's ExCel Centre yesterday. I'm sure there are more professional videos around than the one I captured with my Blackberry, but enjoy! The cruise industry seems to ignore the event - I met plenty of river cruise operators yesterday but none of the ocean-going giants was represented. Travel Weekly editor Lucy Huxley [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:41+00:00 6 November 2012|Cruise Ships|0 Comments

Cruise chaos as Sandy scatters schedules, but QM2 sails on serenely

My cruise to France and Spain last week on Fred Olsen's Balmoral (more of that to come soon) made it difficult to carry news updates here. And there was plenty happening, particularly with the disruption caused by Sandy - which I have seen variously described as a hurricane, a tropical storm, a superstorm and the ultimate Frankenstorm. Here's an updated version of the column I wrote in midweek for publication in the print edition of the Daily Mirror on November 3. Superstorm Sandy wasn't just bringing floods and devastation to New York and the USA's eastern seaboard this week - [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:41+00:00 4 November 2012|Cruise News|0 Comments

Voyager – all white on the night

Gleaming white under lowering grey skies, Voyages of Discovery's new ship has arrived at Portland in Dorset for the final stages of a refit which seems to have been going on for months. During its four weeks alongside, the ship - formerly Alexander von Humboldt - will have cabins and restaurants spruced up by Northern Ireland-based fitters Mivan. At the beginning of next month, the ship will arrive in its new home of Portsmouth, and on December 4 will officially be renamed Voyager - although the new name is already painted proudly across the bow. Its maiden voyage for VoD [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:41+00:00 2 November 2012|Cruise Ships|0 Comments

Cunard choirs raise the roof

After his success last Christmas with the Military Wives, Gareth Malone has again been showing TV viewers recently how he can take reluctant singers and turn them into competent choristers. National Symphony Orchestra conductor Anthony Inglis has a different problem when he takes to the sea aboard Cunard's Queen Mary 2 - accommodating all the passengers who want to join the scratch choir. On a recent Transatlantic crossing, more than 200 volunteered - enough to form two separate choirs who then took part in a Last Night of the Cunard Proms event on the final evening of the voyage. The [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:42+00:00 2 November 2012|Cruise Entertainment|0 Comments

Travel agents declare war on cruise lines over cuts in commission rate

FROM MY DAILY MIRROR COLUMN, PUBLISHED OCTOBER 27 Thinking of taking a cruise, and planning to book your holiday through a travel agent? Don't be surprised if she (or he) tries to persuade you to choose a different ship from the one you originally had in mind. Independent agents are locked in a war with cruise lines over the commission they receive for taking bookings, and some have said they will actively drive business away from companies which have recently cut their rates. CCS, the umbrella organisation handling bookings for P&O, Cunard and Princess last year reduced its commission from [...]

By John Honeywell| 2012-10-28T09:20:29+00:00 28 October 2012|Cruise News|0 Comments

No-no-seven: The best things about Crystal are what’s NOT on board

Cruise lines love to boast about what they have on board their ships that might be better than their rivals. They trumpet every innovation and little extra. By contrast some of the best things about Crystal Serenity, as I discovered during my 12 days on board, are the things it does NOT have. For example . . . 1. No announcements: Captain John Økland broadcast a daily message from the bridge at 9.00 am each morning. But passengers having a lie-in were allowed to sleep on undisturbed. The message is played on the PA in the ship's public rooms, but [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:42+00:00 27 October 2012|Cruise Ships|0 Comments

Carnival orders 2 new cruise ships

That didn't take long. Within 24 hours of cruise giant Royal Caribbean announcing it was negotiating to build a new ship, along come rivals Carnival Corporation with news of an order for TWO vessels. While the RCI plans are still in negotiation and under discussion, Carnival's deal has already been inked with their regular shipbuilder, Fincantieri of Italy. A memorandum of agreement has been signed to build a 99,000-ton ship for the Holland America brand, to be delivered in autumn 2015, and for a 135,000-ton vessel for Carnival Cruise Line, to be launched early in 2016. Both ships are said [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:42+00:00 26 October 2012|Cruise News|0 Comments