Cruise Entertainment - Page 16 of 17

Cruise ship Equinox goes green

If you're looking for the green shoots of recovery in the global economy, or in the travel industry, there are more than 2,200 square yards of them - the area of almost three tennis courts - on deck 15 of a brand new cruise ship being launched in the UK this week. The Celebrity Equinox, like its sister ships Celebrity Solstice, and the yet-to-be completed Celebrity Eclipse which will be based in Southampton from next year, has a real grass lawn, which today was the venue for the world's first croquet tournament at sea. Ten croquet experts gave demonstrations of [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:41+00:00 25 July 2009|Cruise Entertainment, Cruise News, Cruise Ships|0 Comments

Cold comfort in Iceland’s north

It was a busy Sunday for the northern Icelandic town of Akureyri. Not only was Cunard's Queen Victoria in the harbour, but in the morning there was also the Costa Magica, which was replaced in the afternoon by the much smaller MV Astor. Thousands of visiting passengers were drawn to the pedestrianised Hafnarstraeti shopping street determined to spend the last of their kroner before heading for Norway. Although, with a population of just 17,000, this is the second largest town in Iceland, and the so-called capital of the north, there were only about a half-dozen souvenir shops open, and people [...]

By John Honeywell| 2009-07-13T17:05:11+00:00 13 July 2009|Cruise Destinations, Cruise Entertainment|2 Comments

Strongman at Centre of the Earth

It's official. Captain Greybeard is strong enough to be an Icelandic fisherman, and he proved it by lifting a 54 kg stone on the beach at Djupalonssandur. OK, so there were two heavier stones which would have defeated me if I had tried to raise them, but at least I'm a half-carrier and not a weakling, which would have been my status had I managed only the lightest 23 kg stone. The beach is almost at the western tip of the Snaefellsnes peninsula, and its black lava shingle and sand is littered with the rusting remains of a Grimsby trawler, [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:41+00:00 11 July 2009|Cruise Destinations, Cruise Entertainment|0 Comments

James packs them in on the QM2

It's been standing room only in the Royal Court Theatre on board Queen Mary 2 this week as singing legend James Taylor and his band perform two shows during their Transatlantic crossing from New York to Southampton. The 1,200-seat theatre was packed last night for each of two shows by the multi-Grammy-winning singer famed as much for his relationships with Joni Mitchell and Carly Simon as for his songwriting. Author Bill Miller, who is on board this week, and who has made more than 300 voyages on liners and cruise ships, said Taylor's concert was the best performance he has [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:42+00:00 24 June 2009|Cruise Entertainment|3 Comments

Frights and diets take to the sea

Tormenting his audiences' minds night after night, Derren Brown has been filling theatres up and down the country on his latest tour. And in September the illusionist once described as the scariest man in Britain will be taking his show to sea, for two performances during a three-night mini-cruise aboard P&O's Aurora. The cruise, which leaves Southampton on September 23 and visits Zeebrugge and Le Havre, goes on sale at travel agents today with fares starting at £189 per person. Brown is not the only TV celebrity taking a cruise. Almost as scary is fitness freak Mr Motivator. Next week [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:42+00:00 12 June 2009|Cruise Entertainment|0 Comments

Faryl shows Ruby’s Got Talent

It's a good job that the "over-50s only" rule on Saga Ruby applies only to passengers and not to the entertainers. If it did, schoolgirl singing sensation Faryl Smith (above) would be left at the quayside instead of joining the ship for a cruise to the Baltic. Faryl, who sailed to success as a 13-year-old in Britain's Got Talent 12 months ago, turned down a contract offered by Simon Cowell before signing a £2.3 million deal with Universal, reported to have been "most lucrative recording contract ever handed to a schoolgirl". Her debut album reached number four in the charts [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:43+00:00 26 May 2009|Cruise Destinations, Cruise Entertainment|0 Comments

Blue Man show sets sail with Epic

Entertainment on board cruise ships is frequently mocked by people who have never spent a day at sea. Simon Cowell is fond of insulting X-Factor singers by telling them they have cruise ship voices, and Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi is derided for his early career as a "cruise ship crooner" every time his alleged philandering makes the news. But in the 21st Century world of floating mega-ships which are resorts in their own right, entertainment is a vital factor in attracting passengers, and it gets more important every year. West End-style "greatest hits" musical productions are all well and [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:43+00:00 21 May 2009|Cruise Entertainment|0 Comments

New Kids rock the boat

The passenger list on this weekend's three-day cruise from Miami to the Bahamas on board the Carnival Imagination must have looked a little strange. From what I have heard there were six women to every man, plus the special attraction - New Kids On The Block. The group launched their comeback summer tour by performing two shows at sea. Just as exciting for the 2,100 fans, who paid about a thousand dollars each for their weekend, was the opportunity to meet the "boys" - Joey McIntyre, Donnie Wahlberg, Danny Wood and Jonathan and Jordan Knight - for photo opportunities and [...]

By John Honeywell| 2009-05-18T21:18:40+00:00 18 May 2009|Cruise Entertainment|0 Comments

The secret of a happy passenger

The Independence of the Seas, which returned to its summer base in Southampton last week, and which will make the UK its permanent home from 2010, is a subtly different ship from the vessel which sails Caribbean cruises during the winter. It still has the ice rink, the FlowRider surf simulator and the Johnny Rockets burger bar; it is still - together with sister ships Freedom of the Seas and Liberty of the Seas - the biggest cruise ship in the world, at least until Oasis of the Seas enters service in December. Beneath the surface though, the experience has [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:44+00:00 7 May 2009|Cruise Destinations, Cruise Entertainment|0 Comments

An audience with the stars on the Spirit

Tony Blackburn is not the only radio DJ taking to the high seas this summer. Mike Read, fellow Radio 1 veteran, and coincidentally another former contestant on TV's "I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here," will be cruising from Newcastle upon Tyne to the Norwegian fjords and North Cape in June. Mike is one of a collection of familiar faces who will be hosting "An Audience With . . . " evenings on board Thomson Spirit throughout the summer. Bouncy gardening expert Charlie Dimmock sails on the Fire and Ice cruise to Iceland, and gold medal sprinter Derek Redmond, [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:44+00:00 23 April 2009|Cruise Entertainment|2 Comments