John Honeywell, Author at Captain Greybeard

Time for some Splendour in the Med

The last time I saw Splendour of the Seas, the ship was out of the water in dry dock at Cadiz, having millions spent on bringing the vessel up-to-date with new restaurants and bars, added cabin balconies, and a spectacular aerial show in the Centrum. Every square foot of carpet was ripped up and replaced, cabins were getting new furnishings, and the ship even received a substantial addition to its stern - a ducktail - to improve stability. The crew weren't ignored either. They were provided with a new restaurant, upgraded accommodation, and wi-fi so they can keep in touch [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:50+00:00 28 April 2012|Cruise Destinations, Cruise Ships|0 Comments

Within spitting distance of Titanic

Here's a bit of fun for the weekend - a spoof trailer for an enhanced 3D-version of the film Titanic with added extras. There are monsters, explosions, and an updated soundtrack. Customers sitting in the cinema seats get to feel the action as they are showered with chunks of ice and far worse, especially when Leonardo diCaprio and Kate Winslet are standing at the ship's rail.

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:50+00:00 27 April 2012|Cruise Ships|0 Comments

Gales delay Balmoral’s return

UPDATE: Balmoral now expected to reach Southampton about 6.00 pm Sunday, approximately12 hours late. Cruise ship Balmoral, returning to the UK after its Titanic Memorial Voyage, has been delayed in the Atlantic by extreme weather conditions. Passengers coming home have been warned to expect delays, and those planning to join the ship in Southampton on Sunday for a cruise to the Atlantic islands have been advised not to arrive until later in the day. Captain Robert Bamberg will assess overnight progress and the weather forecast before informing his passengers and Fred Olsen's head office when he expects to be arriving [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:50+00:00 27 April 2012|Cruise News, Cruise Ships|0 Comments

The Simpsons go on a cruise

When Bart Simpson sells everything he owns to raise the money to take his family on a holiday they will never forget, there's only one place he can take them - on a cruise! The experience is so amazing, Bart is driven to the conclusion that from that moment on, the rest of his life will be all downhill, a moment captured in this song performed by cruise director Rowan Priddis. The part - and the song, titled Enjoy It While You Can - are performed by Steve Coogan. According to the lyrics, life on the cruise ship consists of [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:50+00:00 26 April 2012|Cruise Entertainment|1 Comment

Troll tales from the Foreign Office over cruising in Arctic waters

Regardless of the disturbing evidence being heard at the trial of mass murderer Anders Breivik and the gruesome fiction of writers such as Jo Nesbø, Norway is among the safest countries on earth for the visitor. The biggest risk is running out of money in a place where nothing less than a mortgage is required to purchase even the most modest of sandwiches washed down with a small glass of lager. Yet prudent tourists checking the Foreign Office website for travel advice might think they had stumbled accidentally into an anarchic third-world state. Despite being assured that the Norwegian crime [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:50+00:00 26 April 2012|Cruise Destinations, Cruise News|0 Comments

Cruise ship Pearl to the rescue

Cruise ship Saga Pearl II raced to the rescue of a tugboat in trouble during heavy weather between Cornwall and France, standing by as two crewmembers were winched to safety by a French rescue helicopter. The 60-ft long tug Aquarius, heading for Plymouth, sent out a Mayday distress call on Monday. The vessel was shipping water and the three crewmembers were taking to the liferafts. Within 10 minutes of the radio message, the boat sank. The cruise ship, heading from Southampton to the port of Ferrol in Spain, was about 44 miles north of Ushant, and the nearest vessel to [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:50+00:00 25 April 2012|Cruise News|0 Comments

New safety measures for cruise ships

In the wake of the Costa Concordia disaster, the cruise industry is to implement new safety procedures including the provision of extra lifejackets and restrictions on visits to the bridge. It has taken the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) and the European Cruise Council three months to come up with the proposals, following their decision in February to make it mandatory for ships to hold the passenger safety drill before the ship left port. The new policies require ships to provide additional lifejackets in busy areas; the total number of lifejackets on board will be far in excess of the [...]

By John Honeywell| 2012-04-25T00:24:04+00:00 25 April 2012|Cruise News|2 Comments

Gladiator Beard is the winner

It may not quite be a gladiatorial contest, but the battle of words between Professor Mary Beard and hapless TV critic A.A. Gill is as one-sided as any confrontation witnessed in the Colosseum. Beard's BBC2 mini-series Meet The Romans reaches its second episode tonight, following an opener which concentrated on the lives and deaths of the man in the street rather than the Emperors in their palaces. Her down-to-earth approach, carried forward from the lecture theatre at Cambridge University to the small screen is what makes her such a hit. But in his review Gill foolishly demonstrated his preference for [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:50+00:00 24 April 2012|Cruise News|2 Comments

Are guns the next winning formula?

Stand in the middle of one of the frenetic casinos on a modern cruise ship, and you might almost think you're in Las Vegas. There's big money to be won - and lost - on the nerve-jangling, flashing slot machines, card games and roulette. One lucky punter paid for his cruise and a few more besides when he collected an eye-watering $235,000 (£168,000) on the craps table in Queen Mary 2's Empire Casino (above). Some cruise lines even have special programs for high rollers, although they are reluctant to talk about them too widely. After all, how many passengers would [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:50+00:00 23 April 2012|Cruise Entertainment|0 Comments

Watch Balmoral arrive in New York

Wreaths have been laid, prayers have been said, thousands of words of learned lectures have been delivered, and the last of the fancy dress dinners has been eaten. The Titanic Memorial Cruise is over and cruise ship Balmoral is on her way back home. After arriving safely in New York - something Titanic never achieved - the Fred. Olsen ship is returning to Southampton, visiting Martha's Vineyard today and the French territory of St. Pierre & Miquelon, off the coast of Newfoundland, on Monday. Whatever welcome awaits back in Britain, I can confidently predict it will not be as emotional [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:50+00:00 21 April 2012|Cruise Ships|3 Comments