John Honeywell, Author at Captain Greybeard

Adonia regrets, she’s unable to lunch with Dame Shirley today

From the moment she was invited to be godmother to P&O's pathfinder cruise ship, Adonia, Dame Shirley Bassey approached her responsibilities with the enthusiasm of an excitable teenager. At the naming ceremony in Southampton on May 21 she posed for photographs wearing the captain's white cap, successfully smashed a bottle on the ship's hull and dutifully intoned the familiar "I name this ship . . ." speech. Later in the evening she even burst into a spontaneous, unaccompanied performance of Diamonds Are For Ever. Dame Shirley also made a vow that when Adonia paid its first visit to Monte Carlo, [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:59+00:00 6 November 2011|Cruise News|0 Comments

P&O doubles up on UK cruises

Nicely-timed announcement from P&O Cruises - just as Royal Caribbean reveal the withdrawal of Independence of the Seas from the UK next winter, the line voted the UK's most popular confirms it will have two ships sailing out of Southampton year-round. Oceana and Oriana will be sailing cruises of anything from two to 35 nights in length. Oceana, which carries 2,016 passengers, will embark on its second year of winter cruising from Southampton. Highlights include two short (seven-night) cruises for Christmas and New Year, giving the opportunity to spend Boxing Day in Copenhagen or New Year's Eve in Amsterdam. http://www.pocruises.com/Cruise-Ships/Aurora/Ship-Overview/ [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:59+00:00 3 November 2011|Cruise Destinations, Cruise News|0 Comments

Ballard back where Titanic was born

The man who discovered the wreckage of Titanic has paid his first visit to the £97 million Titanic Belfast museum which is to open next year in time for the centenary of the liner's sinking. Deep sea explorer Dr Robert Ballard is providing previously unseen artefacts and images to be exhibited at the new visitor attraction being constructed in the Harland & Wolff shipyard where Titanic was built. Visiting the yard's drawing office, Dr Ballard said: "Titanic belongs to Belfast. I'm very pleased that the city which gave Titanic to the world will now be able to welcome the world [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:59+00:00 1 November 2011|Cruise News|0 Comments

Dramatic rescues in mid-Atlantic

The wide open spaces of the north Atlantic have seen two remarkable rescues in the past couple of days. A man who went overboard from P&O cruise ship Ventura was plucked from the sea after the ship performed a rapid turn in the early hours of the morning; a few hours later, Norwegian Gem pulled five people to safety from a sailing vessel in heavy seas 250 miles from Bermuda. Ventura could hardly have been in a more remote part of the ocean when the incident happened. The ship was crossing from Southampton to the Caribbean to start its winter [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:59+00:00 31 October 2011|Cruise News|1 Comment

Indy ducks out of winter in Europe

UNDER GREY SKIES: Independence of the Seas in Southampton Royal Caribbean's experiment of sailing year-round from the UK is over. The wide open spaces of the Independence of the Seas' upper decks with the H2O Zone water park for kids, the FlowRider surf simulator, and the whirlpool baths cantilevered over the side of the ship 112 feet above the waves, are apparently not best suited to chilly days in the Bay of Biscay. The winter 2012-13 deployment for the 154,000-ton vessel has it sailing six and eight-night Caribbean cruises from Fort Lauderdale instead of heading for the Canaries and the [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:59+00:00 30 October 2011|Cruise Destinations, Cruise News, Cruise Ships|0 Comments

Get on board with the Osmonds

Fans of the Osmonds won't know where to turn next year: TWO cruise lines are offering chances to meet the '70s superstars on THREE separate voyages. Trouble is, they won't all be sailing together. Fred Olsen know their customers, and realise that the teenybopper fans who bought records like Crazy Horses and Love Me For A Reason are now in their 50s and 60s. At least. There will be a warm welcome on the 1,340-passenger Balmoral when brothers Wayne, Jay and Jimmy take to the stage. They are performing during a 14-night cruise to the Western Mediterranean which leaves Southampton [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:59+00:00 30 October 2011|Cruise Entertainment|0 Comments

What will the regulars make of Cunard’s makeover for QM2 pub?

In little over a month, Cunard flagship Queen Mary 2 will be coming out of the water for 14 days to get a bit of a wash and brush-up. There's enough new carpet to cover 10 football pitches and 18 miles of fabric waiting to be taken on board when the ship arrives in Hamburg on November 26. First details of the work that is planned were revealed today by Cunard presidernt and managing director Peter Shanks. There's a lot to be done in those two weeks. Every one of the 1,310 passenger cabins will be freshened up with new [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:59+00:00 25 October 2011|Cruise News, Cruise Ships|2 Comments

Lidl muscles in on cruise sales

A Which? consumer survey may have rated Lidl supermarkets ahead of the big four of Tesco, Asda Sainsbury's and Morrisons, but in my (limited) experience they are not the ideal place to shop. They might have some of the best bargains for fizzy drinks and bottles of bathroom cleaners (I try not to get them confused) and the fresh fruit and veg is competitively priced - I'm a big fan of Lidl green apples. But their systems for managing stock are chaotic - if you go looking for something specific, the shelves might be bare - and customer service at [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:59+00:00 25 October 2011|Cruise News|0 Comments

Book now for first crossing to New York aboard Norwegian Breakaway

As Norwegian Epic heads back across the Atlantic at the end of its debut European season, Norwegian Cruise Line is taking the first bookings for a Transatlantic voyage from Britain to the United States on the company's next new ship, Breakaway (above). Epic, which can carry a maximum of 5,400 passengers, left Barcelona on Sunday for a 13-night crossing with only two ports of call - Ponta Delgado in the Azores and St Thomas in the Virgin Isles - before arriving in Miami on November 5. Norwegian Breakaway, which is in the early stages of construction at the Meyer-Werft shipyard [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:59+00:00 24 October 2011|Cruise Deals, Cruise Destinations|0 Comments

Beginning and end for 2 cruise ships

Two rainy days, two cruise ships at the opposite ends of their lives, and two contrasting pictures. In a shipyard Italy yesterday a traditional ceremony marked the keel-laying of Royal Princess; thousands of miles away in a Chinese breakers' yard, Saga Rose nears the end of her life. The first 500-ton construction block for the new 3,600-passenger Royal Princess was blessed by a priest before being lowered into drydock at Fincantieri'e Monfalcone yard near Trieste (above). The first in a new class of ships - a similar vessel will be built for P&O - Royal Princess will be floated out [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:59+00:00 21 October 2011|Cruise Ships|6 Comments