All the latest cruise news from the man in the know

Royal victory for Diamond passengers

At a time when every other cruise line is trying to improve the service for their best customers - the passengers who have sailed with them most often, and those paying for the best suites - it looked like Royal Caribbean had shot themselves in the foot by announcing they were restricting access to their concierge lounges. These are a popular perk, providing a meeting place for regulars, priority bookings for shore excursions, speciality restaurants and spa treatments, and - best of all for many passengers - free drinks, just like an airport business class lounge. Trouble is, the lounges [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:45+00:00 15 April 2009|Cruise News|0 Comments

Cruise will mark Titanic centenary

Not sure what to make of plans to mark the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic with a cruise on board Fred Olsen's Balmoral. The Transatlantic voyage from Southampton in April 2012 will follow in the doomed liner's wake to Cherbourg and Cobh in southern Ireland, before heading west towards America. There will be a special memorial ceremony between 11.40pm on April 14, when the Titanic hit the iceberg, and 2.20am on April 15, exactly 100 years after it sank. Balmoral will then head to Halifax, Nova Scotia, where many of the Titanic victims are buried at the [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:45+00:00 15 April 2009|Cruise Destinations, Cruise News|2 Comments

Your chance to cook with Marco

Marco Pierre White might have Ade Edmondson, Linda Evans, Anthea Turner and Ms Dynamite running scared in Hell's Kitchen, but get him on board a cruise ship and he is the perfect gentleman, as I discovered when he invited me to join him for breakfast on board P&O's Ventura. He was just as happy fulfilling an ambition to call the bingo numbers (above) as he was acting as a witness for a wedding on board, and telling a packed audience in the ship's theatre - who were then sworn to secrecy - that he would be cooking Christmas dinner for [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:45+00:00 14 April 2009|Cruise News|0 Comments

Smoking or non-smoking?

One of the things I enjoy about cruise holidays is that sometimes you never know what you are going to see outside your window when you wake up in the morning. But I'm not sure this is what passengers on the Dawn Princess were expecting when they arrived at Rabaul, in Papua New Guinea this week. This is the view from the ship's bridge-cam of the Mount Tavurvur volcano. The island province of East New Britain was shaken by a minor earthquake three weeks ago, and the volcano has apparently been spouting a plume of ash for some weeks. Sights [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:45+00:00 14 April 2009|Cruise News|0 Comments

Captain blamed for Explorer sinking

A investigation into the sinking of the expedition cruise ship Explorer in Antarctic waters places the blame squarely on the vessel's captain, who was making his first voyage in the area. The ship's 154 passengers, including 24 Britons, escaped alive in the November 2007 incident, largely thanks to "unusually benign" weather conditions according to the report, which will add to growing international pressure for tighter regulation of Antarctic cruises. Explorer was holed by ice and rapidly began to flood when it entered an ice field at night. Crew attempted to staunch the inflow of freezing cold water with pillows and [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:45+00:00 13 April 2009|Cruise News|0 Comments

Aurora is back from world cruise

As P&O's Aurora arrived back in Britain today from its world cruise, some passengers were still moaning about missing five of the 32 planned stops during the 93-day voyage. Engine problems affected the vessel when it was sailing from Australia to New Zealand, forcing an extended six-day stay in Auckland for repairs to be carried out. Southampton's Daily Echo reports that passenger Jennifer Dunthorne, who formed an action group during the cruise, said as she arribved at the city's Mayflower Terminal: "There are some really upset people here, it's been a nightmare." If your idea of a nightmare is a [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:45+00:00 13 April 2009|Cruise News, Cruise Ships|0 Comments

Hebridean cruise line goes under

The sale of Hebridean Spirit has not been enough to save Hebridean Cruises, and the company has now gone into administration. This year's programme of cruises on board the one surviving ship in the fleet - Hebridean Princess, which the Queen chartered for her 80th birthday holiday - will go ahead while the company seeks a buyer. Spirit is unlikely to re-emerge as a cruise ship under new ownership - she is believed to have been sold for almost £5 million to a Middle Eastern buyer for conversion into a private yacht. Speculation about a potential buyer for Hebridean Princess [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:45+00:00 9 April 2009|Cruise News|1 Comment

A day at sea, a night at the opera

There’s more to cruise ship entertainment than the Merseybeats and even New Kids on the Block. If you know where to look there’s plenty of classical action at sea as well, particularly for opera fans. P&O will be celebrating the 25 years of its Music Festivals at Sea by providing special concerts on seven cruise holidays on Oriana, Artemis and Aurora between April and November. They feature internationally-renowned artists including pianist John Lill and opera soprano Dame Felicity Lott, as well as music quizzes, and specialist shore excursions. Fares start at £1,367 for 14 nights to the Baltic on adults-only [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:45+00:00 7 April 2009|Cruise Entertainment, Cruise News|0 Comments

Time running out for Antarctic cruises

Adventure cruises to Antarctica have increased by 500 per cent in the last 15 years - presumably because we want to see the icy wildernesses before they disappear as a result of global warming. But it's time for the growth to be halted, or reversed, according to delegates at the 32nd meeting of the Antarctic Treaty organization, meeting in Baltimore this week. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, no less, has urged tighter control over cruise ships visiting both Polar regions, north and south. "We have submitted a resolution that would place limits on landings from ships carrying large number [...]

By John Honeywell| 2009-04-06T22:55:01+00:00 6 April 2009|Cruise Destinations, Cruise News|0 Comments

Name the ships to win a free cruise

They have given us Costa Romantica, Costa Mediterranea and even Costa Fortuna. In the summer they'll be launching Costa Luminosa and Costa Pacifica, and next year along will come Costa Deliziosa - quite a mouthful. But it seems that Costa Cruises has run out of imagination when it comes to naming their ships, because they have launched a competition to find names for two sister ships to be launched in 2011 and 2012 It's aimed at travel agents, who can win a trip to the christening ceremony, a free cruise, and a Costa workstation for their office. But there's no [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:45+00:00 2 April 2009|Cruise News|2 Comments