John Honeywell, Author at Captain Greybeard

To see Capri, passengers must go ashore or keep a safe distance

At the weekend, I took an all-too-brief trip to Capri. Minerva was at anchor in calm waters off Sorrento, and passengers were taken ashore by the ship's brand new tenders to board a catamaran for the 35-minute journey to the island. After taking a ride up the funicular railway we arrived in the crowded Piazetta, packed not just with visitors, but with locals emerging from a Palm Sunday service, dressed in their finest and clutching wreaths of leaves. There was barely time for a quick stroll past the designer boutiques to take in the view of the island's spectacular cliffs, [...]

By John Honeywell| 2012-04-03T15:01:53+00:00 3 April 2012|Cruise Destinations|0 Comments

Could Mickey Mouse be taking a cruise on a slow boat to China?

Karl Holz is a busy man. As president of Disney Cruise Line, he has just overseen the design, building and launch of two new cruise ships which have more than doubled the company's passenger capacity. Last year's debutante, Disney Dream, exceeded all expectations as far as bookings are concerned. Sister ship Disney Fantasy, which set out on its maiden voyage on Saturday, promises to be just as popular among the travelling public. As president of New Vacation Operations Karl is also in charge of the Aulani Resort and Spa in Hawai'i, and is responsible for developing the business at Adventures [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:51+00:00 2 April 2012|Cruise News|0 Comments

The forecast on Minerva is Cloudy – and I couldn’t be more delighted

"Hi ho, hi ho, it's off to work we go," and while Snow White's Seven Dwarfs needed a shovel and a pick to help in their labours, I am rather more fortunate. Not sure "a camera, a laptop, and a boarding pass" would fit the rhyme, but that's more or less what I take everywhere. And so it was that within 24 hours of arriving home on Friday from the final pre-inaugural cruise of Disney Fantasy, I was heading back to Gatwick, this time to fly to Italy to join the newly-refurbished Minerva of Swan Hellenic. There wasn't a moment [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:51+00:00 1 April 2012|Cruise Destinations|0 Comments

Fire-hit cruise ship reaches port

Cruise ship Azamara Quest reached port today, following an engine room fire which temporarily crippled its propulsion and other electrical systems. The ship, with 100 British passengers among the 590 aboard, was making about six knots (6.9 mph) as it headed for Sandakan, Malaysia. Company president Larry Pimentel is flying to meet the passengers and crew and is expected to arrive on Monday morning. Damage caused by the blaze, which broke out on Friday, has forced Azamara to cancel the remainder of the 17-night voyage. The ship left Hong Kong last Monday and was due to complete the cruise in [...]

By John Honeywell| 2012-04-01T13:32:52+00:00 1 April 2012|Cruise News|0 Comments

Fantasy is finally a reality

The wait is finally over Disney's newest cruise ship, the Disney Fantasy, sets out on her maiden voyage today, a full month after she was named in New York by singer Mariah Carey. First, though, the crew were treated to a day out at Walt Disney World, Orlando, as a thank you for their hard work over the past few weeks. Many of them, from more than 60 countries around the world, had sailed across the Atlantic as the ship was delivered from the German shipyard where it was built. It may be several weeks or even months before their [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:52+00:00 31 March 2012|Cruise Ships|0 Comments

Fire on Azamara cruise ship

Passengers on cruise ship Azamara Quest were called to their muster stations today after fire broke out in the engine room. The ship, carrying 600 passengers (including 60 from the UK) and 410 crew, left Hong Kong on Monday for a 17-night cruise to Singapore. It continued to operate on back-up power. The vessel is currently between Manila in the Philippines and Borneo. Malaysian Transport Dept spokesman Lieutenant Commander Algier Ricafrente said five crew members had been injured, one seriously. A company spokesman said that about 8.19 am local time "Azamara Quest experienced a fire in one of ship's engine rooms. [...]

By John Honeywell| 2012-03-30T22:31:56+00:00 30 March 2012|Cruise News|0 Comments

Ventura gets single cabins, but misses out on Olly’s wine bar

P&O cruise ship Ventura is to have 18 single cabins added during a refit next March. The new accommodation will be identical to the extra rooms for solo passengers on sister ship Azura, alongside the main Exchange Bar, and reducing the amount of space for the casino. The cabins are revealed in the deckplans in the 2013 brochure, published for the first time this week. Accommodation for singles, with no supplement to the fare, will be available on three of the fleet's seven ships - Oriana also had some added during last year's refit - and they are promised on [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:52+00:00 27 March 2012|Cruise Deals, Cruise Destinations, Cruise News|1 Comment

Slow it down with Cunard

With fuel costs spiralling out of control, cruise lines are being forced to take steps to cut down on consumption in order to reduce costs. And anyone who has limped away from a petrol station with an overloaded credit card after filling up the family car will feel nothing but sympathy for the accountants who have to foot the bill for a tanker top-up that is counted in thousands of tons rather than a few dozen litres. Ships are taking longer to reach their destinations and spending longer in port in order to economise. It's become a fact of life [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:52+00:00 27 March 2012|Cruise Deals, Cruise Destinations, Cruise News|0 Comments

Princess bookings off to a Royal start

Record bookings for the debut of Royal Princess have set Princess Cruises up for a bumper 2013, when it will have an unprecedented seven ships in Europe and another seven in Alaska. The 3,600-passenger Royal Princess, currently under construction in Italy, will set off from Southampton on her seven-day maiden voyage to Spain on June 16 next year. UK director Paul Ludlow says the importance of UK passengers has been behind the decision to bring the ship to Britain, and is delighted with the response when sales opened on Thursday. "We've seen great bookings already from the UK on the [...]

By John Honeywell| 2012-03-24T05:12:57+00:00 24 March 2012|Cruise Deals, Cruise Destinations, Cruise News|0 Comments

Aurora drugs couple facing jail

Two passengers arrested when cocaine was found in their cabin on P&O cruise ship Aurora are facing up to four years in jail. Bar owner Tony Wilkinson, 42, from Auckland, New Zealand and his 25-year-old girlfriend Kirsty Harris pleaded guilty when they appeared in court this week. The pair were held when US customs officers searched the ship in San Francisco in January. A haul of 7 kg of the drug was found in the cabin of Australian Ahmed Rachid, who then led officials to the New Zealand pair. They tried to flush drug paraphernalia down the toilet before the [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:52+00:00 23 March 2012|Cruise News|3 Comments