Your guide to news from cruise destinations around the world

Your guide to the latest news and updates from cruise destinations and ports of call around the world. Mediterranean, Europe, Caribbean, Alaska, South America, south-east Asia, Australasia, Arctic, Antarctica, Middle East. Southampton, Barcelona, Rome, Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Barbados, Panama, Norway, Dubai, Bahamas, Abu Dhabi, Sydney, Auckland, Wellington, Baltic, Copenhagen, Stockholm, Oslo, Helsinki, St Petersburg, Marseille, Athens, Greece, Venice, Dubrovnik, Corfu, Malta, Sicily, Sardinia, Naples, Santorini, Mykonos, Le Havre, Amsterdam, Bruges, Dublin, Belfast, Edinburgh, Kirkwall, Bergen, Svalbard, Iceland, Reykjavik, Costa Rica, Dominica, Puerto Rico, New York, Vancouver, Seattle, Skagway, Juneau, China, Shanghai, Singapore, Myanmar, Thailand,

When charity begins on a cruise

With P&O cruise ship Aurora well into its round the world voyage, executive purser James Cusick recently led a group of passengers on an excursion by steam train to the Juanico Winery in Uruguay. As he recounts in his blog, following a journey hauled by a 101-year-old locomotive built by Beyer Peacock in Manchester, and in carriages built in Holland in 1925, they enjoyed a feast of barbecued beef, lamb and sausages. Meanwhile, another group was visiting an orphanage in Montevideo, run by SOS Children's Village, the world's largest charity for abandoned children. It was part of a new initiative [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:10+00:00 9 February 2011|Cruise Destinations, Cruise News|1 Comment

Unforgettable view from the top

For the last full day of its week-long cruise in the Arabian Gulf, Brilliance of the Seas was back in Port Rashid, Abu Dhabi, tied up at the quayside with Costa Deliziosa and, by afternoon, Costa Luminosa. Quite why the itineraries bring all three ships together at the same time, potentially straining the limited resources of the cruise terminal, I am not entirely sure. But it's a bonanza for local tour buses and taxi drivers, with about 7,000 passengers all arriving at once, and another 7,000 coming in the next day to join a new cruise. Dubai's newest attraction is [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:10+00:00 8 February 2011|Cruise Destinations|1 Comment

Faster, higher, crazier with Ferrari

That was breathtaking ! I've been driven round the streets of Maranello by Fernando Alonso, and taken Nigel Mansell's seat to compete around Abu Dhabi's Yas Marina circuit - all on fast-moving simulators. I have taken part in a roller coaster duel in the Fiorano GT Challenge, and most exciting of all, conquered Formula Rossa, the fastest roller coaster in the world. That's me in the centre of the picture, directly above the pillar. All in four action-packed hours at Ferrari World, Abu Dhabi - which is surprisingly not offered as an excursion from Royal Caribbean's Brilliance of the Seas. [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:10+00:00 5 February 2011|Cruise Destinations|1 Comment

Kung hei fat choy from Brilliance

There's a sizeable contingent of Chinese passengers on board Brilliance of the Seas this week, frantically taking pictures and videos of each other at every turn, determinedly taking over the tables and fruit machines in Casino Royale, and enthusiastically celebrating their New Year at a special party in the Colony Club. The 897 Brits out of a total passenger count of 2,110 are the biggest national group, but the 402 from Hong Kong and mainland China comfortably outnumber the 195 Germans - usually second in the headcount, according to Captain Henrik Loft Sorensen. Not surprisingly, only 55 brave Americans have [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:11+00:00 4 February 2011|Cruise Destinations, Cruise News, Cruise Ships|0 Comments

Is the QE2 pining for home?

The distinctive red funnel of the liner Queen Elizabeth 2 still stands proudly - if a little incongruously - in Dubai's Port Rashid. It rose through the mist and dust as I arrived at the port last Monday, although much of the ship was concealed behind huge heaps of stone and rubble on the quayside. It was almost as if Nakheel, who bought the ship for $50 million, and had ambitious plans to spend millions more converting it into a luxury hotel, had grown ashamed of the vessel and their ownership of it. As Rob Lightbody, of The QE2 Story [...]

By John Honeywell| 2011-02-04T08:22:56+00:00 4 February 2011|Cruise Destinations, Cruise News, Cruise Ships|2 Comments

All ashore that’s going ashore!

When Brilliance of the Seas reaches Abu Dhabi on Saturday morning I will be jumping in a taxi and racing to Yas island to visit the Ferrari World theme park. Next day in Dubai I'll be taking a bus tour of the city and a trip up the Burj Khalifa tower, tallest building in the world. A couple of days ago I was riding in a 4WD LandCruiser on a thrilling dune-bashing expedition in the desert, and for the past few days I have been exploring Muscat, the capital of Oman, courtesy of Panorama Tours (more of whom later). The [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:11+00:00 4 February 2011|Cruise Destinations, Cruise News|2 Comments

Welcome to our newest cruise port

Britain has a new cruise port - Ilfracombe in north Devon will be welcoming two Holland America vessels this summer. Victorian holidaymakers once flocked to this picturesque town on board pleasure steamers plying the Bristol Channel. This time around, the passengers will be coming aboard from Holland America's Rotterdam and Prinsendam during the ships' round-Britain cruises. Welsoming the news, Harbour Master Lt Cdr Rob Lawson said: "With the Exmoor National Park on our doorstep, and the highest sea cliffs in England rising to meet the moor, the harbour boasts a very dramatic setting. We are delighted that our hard work [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:11+00:00 4 February 2011|Cruise Destinations|0 Comments

Getting a bashing in the desert

If I ever had any green credentials, they are likely to take a bashing every bit as severe as the treatment meted out to some desert dunes on my off-road excursion in a 4x4. Ten white LandCruisers left the quayside at Fujairah carrying passengers from Brilliance of the Seas on the $125-a-head tour. The vehicles and their drivers were not local, however; while the ship haqd taken all night to sail from Dubai, they had come by road in about 90 minutes. We left the uninspiring town behind for an hour-long drive through the Hajjar Mountains to the flat plains [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:11+00:00 3 February 2011|Cruise Destinations|0 Comments

So long Sol, thanks for all the kisses

What a sensational two days so far in Dubai ! I spent this afternoon swapping salty kisses with Sol. Not footballer Mr Campbell, nor even South African hotel magnate Mr Kerzner, but one of the dolphins at Atlantis, The Palm. The 1,539-room hotel is a popular choice for Virgin RockStar Service customers en route to cruises departing from Port Rashid - there were dozens on my flight which arrived here on Saturday morning. Efficiently marshalled by greeters at the airport, we were whisked here by coach and taxi to the furthest extremity of the man-made Palm island, and soon set [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:11+00:00 30 January 2011|Cruise Destinations|0 Comments

Egypt riots disrupt cruise calls

Violent unrest in Egypt has forced Thomson Cruises to cancel shore excursions to Cairo and the Pyramids. Its ship, the Thomson Celebration will - for now at least - continue to call at Safaga and Port Sokhne on the Red Sea Magic cruise which starts and finishes in Sharm el Sheik. But the trips to the Egyptian capital, a two-hour drive away down a new highway, are off because of escalating anti-government protests. That means, in effect, an extra day on board the ship because unless the company makes arrangements to bus passengers to a couple of new hotels near [...]

By John Honeywell| 2011-01-28T18:54:33+00:00 28 January 2011|Cruise Destinations|131 Comments