John Honeywell, Author at Captain Greybeard

Cunard’s Eric sails into the sunset

For longer than many of us care to remember, the second Tuesday in December has been a highlight in the calendar, a date not to be missed. It's the day of the annual Cunard Christmas press lunch. The generous hospitality of the day, the fun, the food and the goodie bags contribute greatly to the fact that - as Cunard president and managing director Peter Shanks acknowledged yesterday - the company punches above its not inconsiderable weight when it comes to reaping good publicity throughout the year. And this in a cruise industry which he also said recently garnered more [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:57+00:00 14 December 2011|Cruise Gossip|0 Comments

Titanic tickets go on sale today

The 12 days of Christmas are beginning today for the new Titanic Belfast exhibition, as tickets go on sale to the public for the first time. Between now and Christmas Eve, everyone buying tickets online will receive a five per cent discount on admission and will also be entered into a prize draw to win tickets for an MTV concert taking place on the Titanic slipway next spring. Also up for grabs are VIP tickets to special previews before the official opening on March 31. Marketing manager Claire Bradshaw said: " This is the world's largest Titanic attraction and will [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:57+00:00 12 December 2011|Cruise News|0 Comments

It’s all go for Ruby’s Captain Alistair

A busy week on Saga Ruby's mystery cruise drew to a close with two maiden calls - difficult to find for the well-travelled ship. First came Sète, which claims to be known as the Venice of the Languedoc-Roussillon region in south-west France. Sunrise painted the horizon in a vivid palette of reds, pinks and oranges as the ship slid into port, but passengers emerging on the deck were more concerned with something else in the air - the pungent aroma from a livestock carrier being loaded with cattle just ahead of Ruby at the quay. Respite came with a quick [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:57+00:00 11 December 2011|Cruise Destinations|0 Comments

Cunard’s QM2 is back from dry-dock refit and looking pretty as a picture

The stern of Cunard flagship Queen Mary 2 may now be emblazoned with the name of Hamilton, her now port of registry, but a new reminder of her British heritage is now on display in the Grand Lobby. A portrait of the Queen, painted by celebrity artist Gail Graham, was unveiled last week when the ship returned to service after a multi-million pound refit. The oil-on-canvas work shows Her Majesty during her final visit to Queen Elizabeth 2 to mark the ship's 40th anniversary in June 2008. The picture above shows the artist with Cunard president Peter Shanks and Captain [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:57+00:00 11 December 2011|Cruise Ships|0 Comments

A rum do for Saga Ruby

Day Six of the mystery cruise and Saga Ruby returns to Europe - although when I mentioned that the day's activities would include visits to a sugar museum and a rum distillery, a friend thought I had lost my bearings and had arrived in the Caribbean. Which is ironic because Motril, on Spain's Costa Tropical, claims to have introduced sugar cane growing to the West Indies centuries ago. It's only in the past few years that the region, sandwiched between the sea and the snow-capped mountains of the Sierra Nevada, stopped producing sugar cane. Now it has acres of custard [...]

By John Honeywell| 2011-12-08T16:02:22+00:00 8 December 2011|Cruise Destinations|0 Comments

Play it again, Captain

Beep, beep-beep, beep. The message I had been waiting more than three days for arrived at 5.09 this morning when my BlackBerry sprang back into life to welcome me to Morocco. If the 600 passengers on Saga Ruby's Mystery Cruise had fallen for the subterfuge and red herrings provided by Captain Alistair McLundie (such as local news from BBC Scotland on cabin televisions) they might have been expecting to arrive in Dublin, Oban, or even Iceland, possibly spending all that time going in circles in the north Atlantic. But he had done the sensible thing and steered his ship away [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:57+00:00 6 December 2011|Cruise Destinations|0 Comments

Ruby keeps us all guessing

The mystery deepens . . . two days into Saga Ruby's mystery cruise and we still have no idea where we are going. Only Captain Alistair McLundie and a handful of senior officers are privy to the secret, and they are doing their best to keep 600 passengers confused. Shortly before leaving Southampton on Friday evening, the captain announced the first three days of the voyage would be at sea, and we'll only know he wasn't bluffing if we make landfall before Tuesday morning. He asked passengers not to cheat by using portable GPS devices and advised that if anyone [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:57+00:00 4 December 2011|Cruise Destinations|0 Comments

Just the time to party at sea

It's not too late to organise a Christmas party at sea, snap up some last-minute shopping, and pick up duty-free gin or vodka for less than £10 a litre. Cruise ship Marco Polo leaves the London Cruise Terminal at Tilbury on December 8 for a three-night voyage to Amsterdam and Antwerp with fares - which include all meals and entertainment on board - starting at £179 per person (two sharing) for an inner cabin and £249 for a sea view. On December 11 the ship takes a two-night cruise to Antwerp. Fares from £119 and £169. www.cruiseandmaritime.com 0845 833 9798 [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:58+00:00 3 December 2011|Cruise Deals|0 Comments

Follow me on Ruby’s mystery cruise I haven’t a clue where I’ll be going

Packing for my next cruise, which starts tomorrow, is creating a bit of a dilemma. Because I don't know where I'm going. Don't worry, it's not that I'm in the throes of a bout of amnesia, or -whatever you might think - suffering from dementia. No, I'll be one of about 600 passengers travelling on a mystery cruise aboard Saga Ruby (above) and we are all completely in the dark about our destination. All we know is the ship leaves Southampton on Friday afternoon, and will return in the morning of December 18. We have been told that during the [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:58+00:00 1 December 2011|Cruise Destinations, Cruise News|1 Comment

New bridge will limit cruise access to Norway’s second-longest fjord

A new bridge being constructed across Norway's second-longest fjord will restrict cruise ship access to some of the country's more remote and picturesque ports of call. While smaller vessels such as Saga Pearl 2 (above) will still be able to travel the 179 km (110 miles) length of Hardangerfjord, towns like Eidfjord will become off-limits to some of the bigger ships which have been venturing into the fjords in recent years. Costa Fortuna, for example, has cancelled calls from 2013; at its highest point the ship is 62 metres above the waterline, while the new Hardangerfjord bridge will have an [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:58+00:00 30 November 2011|Cruise Destinations|0 Comments