All the latest cruise news from the man in the know

Why cruise holidays have never been better value than they are today

Good news for Britain's cruise passengers - the industry's latest annual report shows their holidays at sea are better value than ever before. The review compiled by the UK and Ireland arm of the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) shows the average fare paid in 2013 was £1,376. In 2007 the figure was £1,334, but taking inflation into account the cost in today's money would have been £1,568. Seven years ago, the cost per day was £137 - or £170 after inflation. Last year's daily rate, for a holiday which almost always includes all meals and entertainment, was just £134. [...]

By John Honeywell| 2014-03-29T08:03:13+00:00 29 March 2014|Cruise Deals, Cruise News|0 Comments

Britannia breaks booking records

Britannia brought in a record number of advance bookings for P&O Cruises this week. The company claims that the first day of sales on Thursday delivered 24 per cent more business than their previous best - when Ventura went on sale in 2007. The bookings - and accompanying deposits - came pouring in despite a computer system meltdown that crippled the company's systems for much of the morning. P&O said the technical issues were a result of "unprecedented demand" which caused the failure of all three booking engines. Marketing director Christopher Edgington published a number of apologies on P&O's Facebook [...]

By John Honeywell| 2014-03-28T22:58:38+00:00 28 March 2014|Cruise News|0 Comments

Jamie Oliver takes to the sea

Jamie Oliver has changed the eating habits of the nation and proved that you don't have to shout and swear to be a success in the kitchen. He took jobless youngsters off the streets to work in his pioneering 15 Restaurant, and he took on the Ministry of Education and stubborn turkey-twizzling mums to shake up school dinners. Now he is about to take his successful Jamie's Italian concept to sea for the first time, on Royal Caribbean's newest cruise ships, Quantum of the Seas and Anthem of the Seas. His is one of 18 themed restaurants on each ship [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:27+00:00 27 March 2014|Cruise Food & Drink, Cruise News|0 Comments

Fjord focus for Disney Magic cruises

Cruise ship Disney Magic will be making its first ever voyages to the Norwegian fjords - inspiration for the animated adventure Frozen - in 2015. The 1,750-passenger ship will also be coming back to the UK, with cruises starting and ending in the port of Dover. Magic, built in 1998 and given a multi-million pound makeover last year, will also be sailing in the Baltic and - another first - on a cruise to Iceland and the Faeroes. The first northern European cruise of the season is a seven-day voyage departing from Copenhagen on May 30 and visiting Tallinn, St [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:27+00:00 26 March 2014|Cruise Destinations, Cruise News|0 Comments

Dubrovnik Celebration for Thomson

Cruise ship Thomson Celebration is to call the walled city of Dubrovnik its home for the summer of 2015. The 1,250-passenger ship will be sailing four adults-only itineraries to ports including Sibenik, Korcula, Rovinj, Split and Hvar in Croatia, Trieste, Bari and Brindisi in Italy, and Corinth and Itea in Greece. Thomson will be increasing its air capacity on flights to Dubrovnik to 50,000 seats for the summer, and adding departures from Glasgow, Newcastle and Bristol to the existing airports of Birmingham, Manchester, and Gatwick. Its ships Thomson Spirit and Thomson Majesty have been elevated to Platinum status and will [...]

By John Honeywell| 2014-03-24T10:18:13+00:00 24 March 2014|Cruise Destinations, Cruise News|0 Comments

VAT confusion ahead for Ventura

There's going to be some head-scratching when passengers on P&O's Mediterranean fly-cruises aboard Ventura this summer get their final bills. But it will be nothing to the hand-wringing in the accounts department which has to wrestle with Europe's complex tax regulations. VAT - or IVA in Spanish - will be payable on certain items like drinks from the bar, restaurant reservations, pictures from the photo gallery and items from the on-board shops. Pity the poor P&O employee who has had to compile the comprehensive guide which has been published among the cruise line's "Your Questions Answered" section. I hope he, [...]

By John Honeywell| 2014-03-17T17:10:22+00:00 17 March 2014|Cruise News|0 Comments

Do YOU stay online when on board, or do you want to leave it all behind?

Cruise lines have invested millions in the past few years in providing improved Internet access on board their vessels. From begrudgingly installing a couple of dusty terminals in a corner of the library, they have extended access to ship-wide wifi, greater and faster bandwidth, and even to renting out tablets and laptops. They have responded to demand from passengers who - while taking a break from the burden of office emails - want to keep in touch with their friends on Twitter and Facebook, to share picture postcards of their travels, and to check-in online for their flight home at [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:27+00:00 13 March 2014|Cruise News|4 Comments

Cruise Shipping’s own Spring Break

Everybody who is anybody in the cruise business is in Miami Beach this week for the 30th annual Cruise Shipping Miami conference. There are almost 900 exhibiting companies and the organisers expect about 15,000 people to attend the four-day event filling all four halls of the city's Convention Centre. It kicks off today with the World Cruise Tourism Summit, a series of discussions led by industry experts, but the main event comes tomorrow morning with top executives from Carnival Corporation, Royal Caribbean Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line and MSC Cruises on stage to discuss the state of the industry. The event [...]

By John Honeywell| 2014-03-10T14:28:43+00:00 10 March 2014|Cruise News|0 Comments

Three Queens together in Liverpool and Southampton for Cunard’s 175

Looks like 2015 is going to be the year of the Britannia. TWO Britannias to be precise. In the blue corner (as far as funnel décor is concerned) P&O will be putting on a party to mark the christening of their Britannia and will be counting the takings as the newest and biggest ship built for the British market sails from Southampton throughout the summer. And in the red corner, Cunard will be marking the 175th anniversary of its first ship, Britannia, which set sail in July 1840 to inaugurate the first ever scheduled service across the Atlantic. Cunard's flagship [...]

By John Honeywell| 2014-03-06T18:25:17+00:00 6 March 2014|Cruise Destinations, Cruise News, Cruise Ships|0 Comments

New Crimean war is threat to Black Sea cruises and could affect Baltic

Events in Ukraine could have a huge effect on cruises to the Black Sea this summer. If some analysts are believed, the crisis could also have an impact in the Baltic. Once reserved for intrepid adventurers, the region has opened up to mainstream ships in recent years as the Mediterranean and Aegean have become more crowded, and the Red Sea has been put off limits by Egypt's political troubles. The current Foreign and Commonwealth Office is to avoid all travel to the Crimea - the very region at the heart of Black Sea cruises. "British nationals in Crimea should leave [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:27+00:00 5 March 2014|Cruise Destinations, Cruise News|2 Comments