John Honeywell, Author at Captain Greybeard

Sapphire refit to be in Sicily

Saga will take possession of their newest ship, eventually to become Saga Sapphire, on November 1, and it was announced today that the multi-million pound refit work will be carried out by Fincantieri at their Palermo yard in Sicily. Currently the Bleu de France, and originally Europa, the 37,000-ton vessel is to have all its cabins and public areas refurbished and an entire deck fitted with balcony cabins. Other work to be carried out during the ship's stay in Palermo will include the overhauling of main machinery and equipment along with some steel and pipework replacement. The ship will be [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:00+00:00 7 October 2011|Cruise Ships|0 Comments

Winning wines of the house

Sharing a bottle of Cloudy Bay with Discovery's hotel director, Malcolm Cullen Before I get chance to write more about my current cruise on board mv Discovery, I must report a pleasant surprise which greeted me when I opened the wine list. There among the New World whites is the most excellent New Zealand Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc - and pleased don't rush to tell me it's over-rated and not what it used to be, it's miles better than most of your French Sancerre and it's very difficult to get hold of from British wine stores and supermarkets. Here on [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:00+00:00 5 October 2011|Cruise Food & Drink|1 Comment

Time for a subversive column

Having inadvertently succeeded in confusing one of my dinner table companions on board mv Discovery this week by writing about Sicily while cruising from Croatia, I have to apologise to him and issue a quick reminder that I am also trying to catch up with my journey last month on board Voyage to Antiquity's Aegean Odyssey. In a couple of days we 650 intrepid Discoverers will be arriving at Kalamata, in the south-west Peloponnese; we'll see for ourselves exactly what sort of pickle the Greeks have got themselves into, and whether there will actually be anyone available to take us [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:00+00:00 5 October 2011|Cruise Destinations|0 Comments

Strikers give the day added sparkle

So, following last night's post, and a day in the delightful Croatian town of Zadar . . . it's time to take you to Palermo, the capital of Sicily. Cruise ship Aegean Odyssey was staying overnight in port and when I boarded most of the passengers were on excursions to the magnificent Norman cathedral at Monreale, and to the Palazzo Gangi - one of Palermo's secret palaces and location for the memorable ballroom scene in Visconti's 1963 film, The Leopard. A general strike was threatened for the next day, but Voyages to Antiquity guests weren't going to allow a trivial [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:00+00:00 3 October 2011|Cruise Destinations|0 Comments

Voyages to discover antiquity

If you're travelling with Captain Greybeard, the next few days could get rather confusing. Let me explain. On Friday, I flew to Dubrovnik and I am now on a cruise which is taking me to Split and Zadar in Croatia, Venice for a couple of days, and then on to Greece, where we will visit Kalamata, Athens, Volos and Myrina before entering Turkish waters and overnighting in Istanbul. My reports en route will be interspersed with some from another recent voyage which I took from Palermo, in Sicily, to Rome - memorably visiting Pompeii and Herculaneum on the way, in [...]

By John Honeywell| 2011-10-02T21:46:13+00:00 2 October 2011|Cruise Destinations, Cruise Ships|0 Comments

Tell them Captain Greybeard sent you and claim a 10% cruise discount

Still time to take advantage of my 10 per cent discount deal with Virgin Holidays Cruises and save money on your next holiday at sea. It couldn't be simpler - choose your cruise from Virgin's website or glossy brochure and then mention my name when making your booking, in order to claim the saving. There are dozens of different ships and hundreds of possible cruises - Virgin offer deals with everyone from Azamara to Windstar, Thomson to Carnival and Costa to Fred. Olsen. If you're still not sure where to go, here are some suggestions: There are last-minute vacancies throughout [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:00+00:00 30 September 2011|Cruise Deals, Cruise Destinations|0 Comments

It’s time to update cruise rankings

The hidden cost of low cruise fares is revealed in the latest issue of the Berlitz Complete Guide to Cruising and Cruise Ships, published tomorrow (October 1). Author Douglas Ward discloses some of the tricks used to keep prices down - from smaller food portions to weaker coffee; reduced levels of service to cut-backs in staff training. He still highlights cruise holidays as the best value around, and says British families need look no further than the Mediterranean or Northern Europe where prices continue to fall because cruise lines have moved more ships into the region. While he commends the [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:00+00:00 30 September 2011|Cruise News|1 Comment

Canary cruises on volcano alert

We might be enjoying an Indian summer in the UK, but many people who wanted to guarantee a sunshine break in October will have booked cruises to the Canaries. They will be keeping their fingers crossed that warnings of a potential volcanic eruption will not disrupt their plans. Reacting to an increased level of persistent seismic activity - described as an "earthquake swarm" - Spanish officials have issued a yellow alert for the island of El Hierro, to the west of Tenerife and Gran Canaria. More than 4,000 tremors have been recorded since July and landslides, at least, are expected [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:00+00:00 29 September 2011|Cruise Destinations, Cruise News|3 Comments

Win FREE Cruise Show tickets

The biggest cruising showcase in the UK goes on the road next month, as The CRUISE Show arrives in Scotland and the Midlands. The first-ever show north of the border will be at Glasgow's SECC on October 22 and 23, and the following weekend it arrives at the NEC, Birmingham. All the major cruise operators - such as Carnival, Celebrity, Fred Olsen, Norwegian, P&O and Royal Caribbean are taking part, and new this time are companies such as Louis, Compagnie du Ponant, Thomson (Scotland-only) and Quark Expeditions. Among all the discounts and special deals on offer, the expert advice from [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:00+00:00 29 September 2011|Cruise Entertainment, Cruise News|0 Comments

A Liverpool home for historic liner QE2? Don’t tell the Dubai owners

A bold plan to provide a final resting place on Merseyside for ocean liner QE2 has been the subject of secret talks with Liverpool Vision, the economic development company responsible for the city's regeneration. The company has been involved in confidential discussions with Out of Time Concepts, a company headed by a former Chief Engineer on the ship, who recently advised its current owners on plans to turn it into a luxury hotel in Dubai. During the discussions, it was suggested that the project could create 450 jobs and would be worth an estimated £178 million by 2018. Out of [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:00+00:00 28 September 2011|Cruise Destinations, Cruise News|2 Comments