John Honeywell, Author at Captain Greybeard

Rockettes to christen Breakaway

Most cruise ships have one godmother. The new Norwegian Breakaway will have a whole high-kicking line of them. The Radio City Music Hall's Rockettes will take part in a ceremony in New York on May 8 next year as the 4,000-passenger vessel arrives in the city. British cruise enthusiasts will get their chance to see the 144,000-ton ship first, though. Breakaway will visit Southampton at the end of April, en route from the German shipyard where it is currently under construction. Its maiden voyage with fare-paying passengers will be a Transatlantic crossing departing April 30. The ship will then take [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:43+00:00 18 September 2012|Cruise Ships|0 Comments

It’s time to party with magnificent eagles in the land of the midnight fun

TO MARK NATIONAL CRUISE WEEK, HERE'S A PIECE FROM MY HURTIGRUTEN TRIP EARLIER THIS YEAR, JUST PUBLISHED IN THE DAILY MIRROR The Norwegian fjords are the best tourist destination in the world, according to no less an authority than National Geographic. Which is why so many cruises to the region feature in the brochures of the major cruise lines each year. The scenery all year round, the fascination of experiencing the midnight sun during the summer and an opportunity to witness the spectacle of the northern lights in winter are all irresistible. But there's another way to tour the fjords, [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:43+00:00 18 September 2012|Cruise Destinations|0 Comments

Cruise ships divert to avoid unrest

A new wave of demonstrations and violent protests in north Africa has led to the cancellation of some cruise ship visits in Egypt and Tunisia, placing Alexandria and La Goulette off-limits to passengers. Cunard's Queen Elizabeth diverted to the Greek island of Rhodes instead of visiting Egypt's second-largest city at the weekend, while Royal Caribbean's Mariner of the Seas - due there today for an overnight stop - will instead call at Messina in Sicily, and the island of Malta. Holland America's Nieuw Amsterdam is in Cagliari, Sardinia today instead of La Goulette, although MSC Splendida is visiting the Tunisian [...]

By John Honeywell| 2012-09-18T14:14:39+00:00 18 September 2012|Cruise Destinations|0 Comments

Go local: the easy way to cruise

Fed up with the queues at airport security and the money-grabbing tricks of budget airlines? It has never been easier to sail away on a cruise and it's gaining in popularity all the time. Last year more British passengers than ever began their holiday from a UK port - up 100,000 to 753,000. More ports are getting in on the act as well. Southampton is the busiest cruise centre by far but, fearful of the competition, it has been fighting against the re-development of a Liverpool terminal, and it faces competition from Dover, Tilbury, Harwich and others. Ships leave Britain [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:43+00:00 18 September 2012|Cruise Deals, Cruise Destinations|0 Comments

Tide of protest delays Venice ships

Cruise ship MSC Armonia passing Piazza San Marco in Venice last Thursday Strange that the protesters who massed in Venice to delay three cruise ships from leaving the Stazione Marittimo chose Sunday for their action; a day earlier and they could have inconvenienced ex-prime minister Silvio Berlusconi, who is spending a week on board MSC Divina. As it was, the sister ships MSC Opera and MSC Musica, together with Costa Favolosa, were held up by about 70 small boats marshalled by the No Grande Navi organisation which wants large cruise ships to be banned from the lagoon on environmental grounds. [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:43+00:00 18 September 2012|Cruise Destinations, Cruise News|0 Comments

How to grab the best cruise deal

Cruise fares have never been so low. The economic situation, the Costa Concordia effect and even the Olympics have all driven prices down this summer. With their all-inclusive meals, a variety of entertainment on tap, holidays at sea have been good value for years. Now they are unbeatable. But how do you ensure you get the best deal? Book early, or wait for a last-minute bargain? It all depends, and the market is changing fast. Graham Dullop, director of Cruise Club International, told Travel Weekly recently:: "Previously, people would queue up to register for the following year's brochure when it [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:43+00:00 17 September 2012|Cruise Deals|1 Comment

EAST and BEST – the newest cruise hotspot is full of beauty and history

"Greatest Journeys" is the theme of National Cruise Week 2012. And they don't come much greater than the Far East voyage I made on Diamond Princess earlier this year, visiting China, South Korea and Japan. Here's my report, as published in the DAILY MIRROR Considering the unspeakable horror heaped on it in the name of war - or peace, depending on your point of view - the city of Nagasaki bears its scars lightly. A simple black obelisk and a symbolic marble tomb mark Ground Zero, directly beneath the explosion of the Fat Man atomic bomb on August 9, 1945, [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:43+00:00 17 September 2012|Cruise Destinations|0 Comments

Best cruise deals of the week

Thomas Cook was named best travel agent at this week's Cruise International Awards. Here's a selection of their latest offers for National Cruise Week: . LATE OFFERS • Stay 2 nights in a 4-star Barcelona hotel followed by a 7-night cruise with Norwegian Cruise Line on Norwegian Epic to Naples, Rome, Florence/Pisa, Cannes, Provence and back to Barcelona. Fares from £699 pp including return flights. Departs October 12. • Take a 12-night cruise to the Baltic capitals on Cruise & Maritime Voyages' Marco Polo. Departs Tilbury September 23 and visits Copenhagen, Warnemunde, Tallinn, St Petersburg, Helsinki, Stockholm, Holtenau, Brunsbuettel. From [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:43+00:00 16 September 2012|Cruise Deals|0 Comments

New cruise ships on the horizon

AN EXTENDED VERSION OF CAPTAIN GREYBEARD'S COLUMN PUBLISHED IN THE DAILY MIRROR, SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 15 The boom in cruise ship building may have peaked in the 'noughties, but new vessels are still being built and two of them will make their debuts in the UK next summer. The 4,000-passenger Norwegian Breakaway will set out from Southampton at the end of April on its maiden voyage, a Transatlantic crossing to set up home in New York. A few weeks later, the 3,600-passenger Royal Princess will be christened in Southampton. The name of the godmother has yet to be revealed, but it [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:44+00:00 16 September 2012|Cruise News|0 Comments

Top 10 surprise cruise treats

Cruises aren't all about deck quoits and sunloungers ... there's all kinds of things to do. Here's a Top 10 list of suggestions as part of the Sunday Mirror's coverage for National Cruise Week. . 1. WATCH FIREWORKS Fireworks are a regular feature of celebrations such as ship launches, and the annual New Year's Eve spectacular on the island of Madeira attracts ships like moths to a flame. But there's only one cruise line which puts on a pyrotechnic display with every voyage. That's Disney, whose four ships all feature pirate parties which start with Cap'n Jack and finish with [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:44+00:00 16 September 2012|Cruise Entertainment|1 Comment