John Honeywell, Author at Captain Greybeard

A free cruise on Silver Shadow – now that’s what I call a banker’s bonus

It's not just in Britain that bankers' hefty bonuses and extravagant perks provoke anger and concern. The third-biggest bank in Australia has found itself in the headlines after news of a luxury cruise for 200 of its staff was leaked, only days after mortgage rates had been increased and 1,000 workers were sacked. ANZ - whose advertising slogan is "We live in your world" - has paid A$1 million (£680,000) to charter Silver Shadow for a five-day voyage to the Langkawi islands in Malaysia, and a further A$750,000 (£510,000) to fly the lucky few into Singapore. Silver Shadow, operated by [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:54+00:00 17 February 2012|Cruise News|0 Comments

Yeah, mon – but do passengers think Falmouth is worth the hassle?

Seven days in the Caribbean on the biggest cruise ship in the world. Diary of a week on board Royal Caribbean's Allure of the Seas WEDNESDAY: The port at Falmouth, Jamaica (above) is a new development. It shouldn't be quite as new as it is, because the facilities were originally supposed to open soon after Allure's sister ship, Oasis of the Seas, made its debut in 2009, but the laid-back approach to getting things done on the Caribbean island - where they simply don't have a word which conveys the same sense of urgency as "mañana" - led to delay [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:54+00:00 16 February 2012|Cruise Destinations|0 Comments

A blissful day at the beach and a marvellous evening with chef Molly

Seven days in the Caribbean on the biggest cruise ship in the world. Diary of a week on board Royal Caribbean's Allure of the Seas TUESDAY: There's a red light flashing on the cabin phone when I wake up. Message waiting. Fernando, the concierge at Barefoot Beach has a private cabana available if we want it. Well, it would be rude not to, don't you think? Allure of the Seas has arrived at Labadee, Royal Caribbean's private 260-acre resort on the north coast of Haiti. The ship is tied up at the pier, built in 2009 specifically for it and [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:54+00:00 15 February 2012|Cruise Destinations|0 Comments

P&O’s Aurora in £1m drug bust

American law enforcement agencies announced today that they seized 13 kilograms of cocaine with a street value of more than £1 million from a cruise ship docked in San Francisco last month, according to a report in SF Weekly. According to a statement from U.S. Customs and Border Protection, a joint operation among federal agencies and local law-enforcement led to two separate discoveries of a large amount of the drug on a cruise liner at Pier 35 on January 25. The CBP spokesman said a routine search was carried out, in accordance with the agency's practice for all vessels arriving from [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:54+00:00 14 February 2012|Cruise News|0 Comments

UK debut for the new Royal Princess

More exciting news for British cruise passengers - they will be the first to experience the new Royal Princess when the ship makes its debut next summer. Currently under construction in Italy, the 3,600-passenger vessel will sail two three-night preview cruises before embarking on its maiden voyage from Southampton on June 16, 2013. The maiden season cruises will see the 141,000-ton ship plying a route between Barcelona and Venice, on itineraries slightly different from those announced for Carnival Legend earlier today. After the advance sailings - round-trips to St Peter Port, Guernsey, leaving Southampton on June 10 and 13, Royal [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:54+00:00 14 February 2012|Cruise News, Cruise Ships|1 Comment

QM2 becomes Queen of Hearts

Cunard flagship Queen Mary 2 became the Queen of Hearts when it arrived in Sydney, Australia, carrying a special marriage proposal. A giant banner bearing the message "Marry me Jess?" was festooned below the ship's funnel, and giant love hearts had also been applied to the ship - all to help make Valentine's Day extra special for 32-year-old Stefan Libon pop the question to girlfriend Jess McGarrity. "We've been together so long I really wanted to do something big to make the proposal memorable," said Stefan."When a friend who works with Cunard said they were looking for a way to [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:54+00:00 14 February 2012|Cruise Ships|0 Comments

Carnival’s back in the UK

It's carnival time! Celebrations get under way around the world later this week, with the biggest street party in the world ready to rock Rio de Janeiro. Here in Britain, Carnival Cruise Lines have chosen today to announce it is bringing a ship back to the UK next year for the first time since 2008. Carnival Legend, which was christened by Dame Judi Dench (above) in 2002, will be based in Europe for 17 voyages between April and October 2013, visiting 34 ports in 18 countries. The 2,600-passenger ship will sail eight cruises from Dover to the Baltic, the Norwegian [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:54+00:00 14 February 2012|Cruise Destinations, Cruise News, Cruise Ships|0 Comments

Wow! There’s so much to keep us busy during a restful day at sea

Seven days in the Caribbean on the biggest cruise ship in the world. Diary of a week on board Royal Caribbean's Allure of the Seas MONDAY: We are at sea for the first full day of this cruise, which will take us from Fort Lauderdale to Royal Caribbean's private resort of Labadee on the north coast of Haiti; on to the newly-developed port of Falmouth, in Jamaica, and then to Cozumerl, off the coast of Mexico. No need to rush then, and I took the chance of a lie-in to catch up on sleep lost during the previous couple of [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:54+00:00 13 February 2012|Cruise Entertainment, Cruise Ships|0 Comments

It’s all about the motion of the ocean: cruises are sexy and you know it

Good to see the cruise industry can't resist jumping (if you'll pardon the expression) on the Valentine's Day bandwagon with a typically topical piece of promotion. A survey has discovered that 90 per cent of people questioned rated sex as the top item on their cruise itinerary. Half of those taking part said they were more likely to "be intimate" during a cruise than on a holiday ashore, and almost two-thirds said that sex on their last cruise was better than normal, while a quarter chose their cabin balcony for those close encounters. Here's the money shot for Royal Caribbean, [...]

By John Honeywell| 2012-02-13T12:19:51+00:00 13 February 2012|Cruise Entertainment|0 Comments

New-look Minerva takes shape

The £10 million refit of Swan Hellenic's cruise ship Minerva is nearing completion - as Victor Lunn-Rockliffe's cartoon illustrates. The ship should be leaving dry-dock in Bremerhaven in two weeks' time, ready for what will almost be a maiden voyage leaving Portsmouth on March 2. The 15-day cruise to the Canaries has been sold out for months, with regular Swans eager to see the changes that have been made to their favourite ship. The list of improvements announced by managing director Colin Stone six months ago seemed substantial enough, including as it did the fitting of a new observation lounge, [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:54+00:00 13 February 2012|Cruise News, Cruise Ships|0 Comments