Cruise Entertainment - Page 7 of 17

Proof that one size does not fit all

My quest for fitness began within a couple of hours of stepping on board Celebrity Silhouette in Corfu. Turning my back on the Mast Grill with its tempting burgers and chips, and the Cafe al Bacio Gelateria's selection of decadent ices, I headed for the AquaSpa to discover what was in store. First, a session with the fitness centre's Laura Cull, a former gymnast from Guildford. After a succession of questions about my lifestyle, she proceeded to collate a pageful statistics with the aid of a set of bathroom scales and an electronic device that hooked up to a foot [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:48+00:00 9 June 2012|Cruise Entertainment|0 Comments

Fitness centre? Spa? It’s time for me to lie back and think of England

After the patriotic British fervour of the last few days, it was time for me to go abroad again. Leaving behind a distinctly dismal and rain-sodden Gatwick airport this morning to fly to Corfu, I now find myself in a foreign land far more alien than I have ever experienced. Not the Greek island - that was just a staging post. I was on terra firma only for as long as it took to grab my suitcase from the carousel, find a taxi and drive to the pier, where I boarded Celebrity Silhouette. The ship itself is like an old [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:48+00:00 7 June 2012|Cruise Entertainment|0 Comments

Jubilee at sea – how Britain’s cruise fleet will celebrate this weekend

CLICK TO ENLARGE The three Queens of Cunard's cruise fleet will be leading the way in celebration of Her Majesty's Diamond Jubilee this holiday weekend. After Saturday's Epsom Derby, Sunday's pageant on the river Thames, and the Jubilee concert in the Mall on Monday the ships will line up in Southampton on Tuesday to be saluted by a Red Arrows flying display and a fireworks farewell as they leave together at the end of the day. Sadly Her Majesty will not be in attendance - she will be otherwise engaged in a procession through the streets of London and a [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:48+00:00 1 June 2012|Cruise Entertainment|1 Comment

Cruising to Infinity – and the Wonder

Mickey Mouse won't be getting things all his own way on cruise ship Disney Wonder this year - he's facing a takeover by Buzz Lightyear and Woody from Toy Story. They will be joined by Mr Incredible, grumpy old Carl from Up, and Remy from Ratatouille in a series of four Pixar-themed cruises along the California coast. The seven-night voyages on board the 1,750-passenger ship will be sailing out of Los Angeles from September 16 and will visit San Francisco, San Diego and Ensenada. Pixar artists and film-makers will be on board to give passengers a behind-the-scenes peek at the [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:49+00:00 30 May 2012|Cruise Entertainment|0 Comments

Divine evening for MSC Divina

There was aerobatics and acrobatics, music and dance, and lots and lots of speeches at the spectacular christening ceremony of MSC's newest cruise ship, Divina, in Marseille at the weekend. There was excitement and thrills, and there were moments of blind panic as the organisers began to wonder whether it had been a wise decision to invite French actor Gerard Depardieu to take part in proceedings, and whether - as he prowled the stage like an angry lion - he would ever finish his lengthy oration. The audience sat breathless in fear, but he eventually made it to the end, [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:49+00:00 28 May 2012|Cruise Entertainment, Cruise News|0 Comments

Bowlers sail into battle

Greg Harlow, the world's leading bowls player, will be taking to the sea in a few days' time, on a cruise around the UK. Not to take part in an impromptu game of carpet bowls in a corridor - although I wouldn't rule out the possibility - but to lead a group of enthusiasts in competition against players from Ireland and Scotland. Fred Olsen's Braemar is the ship taking the bowlers into battle, in a partnership with No Fly Cruising, a sister company to Potters Leisure Resort in Norfolk, which is to the World Indoor Bowls Championships what Sheffield's Crucible [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:49+00:00 9 May 2012|Cruise Entertainment|1 Comment

Grand dame Ruby puts on a diva act and then misses a gala performance

There's disappointment at Saga Cruises over a planned triple celebration in Lisbon this week. The company arranged a unique opportunity for all three of its ships to be moored in the River Tagus together, and to be serenaded at a special concert by soprano Lesley Garratt. Saga Sapphire, now fully operational after engine room repairs which disrupted her inaugural voyage last month, was there. As was Saga Pearl II, making her last cruise before a name change to Quest for Adventure, which will happen in Southampton on Sunday (May 6). Sadly, they were let down by grande dame Saga Ruby, [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:49+00:00 4 May 2012|Cruise Entertainment, Cruise News, Cruise Ships|0 Comments

Does life get any better than this?

Today has been one of those days when I realise just how lucky I am to be Captain Greybeard. At sea on board Royal Caribbean's Splendour of the Seas, under a warming sun, I have been able to relax on my cabin balcony to finish a small amount of work, but mainly I have concentrated on doing very little. As the ship heads towards Venice, the only cloud on the horizon is the thought that in a few hours time I will have to pack my suitcase and tomorrow morning I will be flying home. I let my more energetic [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:49+00:00 4 May 2012|Cruise Entertainment|1 Comment

Ballet takes to the air on Splendour

Outside, the temperature has been in the 80s all day. Now, back inside the ship and just before dinner, there's a snowstorm raging in the central atrium - has the air conditioning gone haywire? Of course not. I'm on Royal Caribbean's Splendour of the Seas and this is the dazzling aerial ballet which is a new component of the entertainment programme. When I visited the cruise ship during its multi-million dollar dry-dock refurbishment last year, I saw engineers installing the complicated gantries, pulleys, wires which allow the show to take place in the vessel's seven-deck high Centrum. Tonight I watched [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:49+00:00 1 May 2012|Cruise Entertainment|0 Comments

The Simpsons go on a cruise

When Bart Simpson sells everything he owns to raise the money to take his family on a holiday they will never forget, there's only one place he can take them - on a cruise! The experience is so amazing, Bart is driven to the conclusion that from that moment on, the rest of his life will be all downhill, a moment captured in this song performed by cruise director Rowan Priddis. The part - and the song, titled Enjoy It While You Can - are performed by Steve Coogan. According to the lyrics, life on the cruise ship consists of [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:50+00:00 26 April 2012|Cruise Entertainment|1 Comment