All the latest cruise news from the man in the know

Egypt loses out to Canaries as cruise line cancels a season in the Red Sea

Interesting how cruise lines always fall back on safety and security as a justification for most things they do. As when MSC Cruises announce that they have cancelled a season of cruises in the Red Sea. MSC Armonia will instead be cruising in the Canary Islands and to Madeira and Morocco.. Unrest in Cairo and Alexandria has not yet spread to ports such as Sharm el Sheikh, Safaga and Sokhne. But passengers have voted with their feet and have chosen to avoid Egypt entirely. So the fact is that it's not really safety that has led to MSC's decision, it's [...]

By John Honeywell| 2013-07-25T07:52:10+00:00 25 July 2013|Cruise Destinations, Cruise News|0 Comments

Carnival sees a new Vista ahead

P&O might be coy about revealing the name of the new cruise ship they plan to launch in 2015, but sister company Carnival has no such qualms. Their 4,000-passenger vessel scheduled to debut in 2016 will be called Carnival Vista, the company's chief marketing officer, Jim Berra, revealed to a media briefing on board Carnival Sunshine in the Mediterranean this weekend. In a welter of sales-speak, he promised the ship would be "extremely connected to the ocean" with vistas from many spaces on board an important element for the passengers' experience. Berra cited last year's newly-launched Carnival Breeze - which [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:30+00:00 21 July 2013|Cruise News|0 Comments

Tempest plays the P&O name game to keep cruise customers guessing

Britain's biggest cruise line is likely to look to its 176 years of history and heritage when choosing a name for its next ship, which will be launched in 2015. Whether that means the revival of a familiar old name like Canberra remains to be seen, and we'll have to wait a few months to find out. There are fans who would love to see a return of the name carried on the popular ship which served from 1961 to 1997, while others would prefer it was laid to rest. Gerard Tempest, who has been in his job as Chief [...]

By John Honeywell| 2013-07-20T06:41:56+00:00 20 July 2013|Cruise News|0 Comments

Balmoral’s world cruise TV series pulls in £1m sales for Fred Olsen

A TV series which has come in for criticism for making a cruise ship look like a floating old people's home has nevertheless helped to attract £1 million in advance bookings for world voyages. The Cruise: A Life at Sea reaches the third of its six episodes on BBC2 next Tuesday. The first show pulled in an audience of 1.9 million viewers. The series was filmed during a 112-night world cruise earlier this year on Fred Olsen's Balmoral and follows the work of ship's chaplain Colin Still. Nathan Philpot, sales and marketing director for Fred Olsen, said: "It is important [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:30+00:00 18 July 2013|Cruise News|0 Comments

Royal visit to Norway’s finest fjord is cancelled because of cruise crowds

Passengers who joined Queen Mary 2 on Saturday for a cruise to the Norwegian fjords were expecting to spend today in the beautiful UNESCO-listed Geirangerfjord, often claimed as Norway's finest. But the visit has been cancelled and they are in the pretty, Art Nouveau town of Ålesund instead. Not quite the same. Shortly after boarding in Southampton, passengers received a letter from the captain, Commodore Christopher Rynd, explaining: "Due to concerns over our ability to secure a safe anchoring position in Geiranger we have taken the decision to substitute our call at Geiranger with a call to Ålesund." Geiranger lies [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:30+00:00 17 July 2013|Cruise Destinations, Cruise News|2 Comments

Mistake by bridge crew made cruise ship fire worse, says Splendor report

Human error by a crewmember on the bridge has been blamed for the severity of the fire that crippled cruise ship Carnival Splendor. A 15-minute delay in activating an extinguishing system allowed the blaze, in November 2010, to spread to overhead cables, disabling power throughout the ship. The vessel, with 3,299 passengers and 1,167 crew aboard, was left without lighting and functioning toilets in the Pacific for three days before being towed into San Diego. The report, by US Coast Guard, says a member of the bridge crew reset the fire alarm and water mist fire suppression system instead of [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:30+00:00 16 July 2013|Cruise News|0 Comments

Injured crewman taken off P&O ship

A crew member from P&O's Arcadia was taken ashore by RNLI lifeboat last week after suffering a suspected broken arm. I hope for his sake the journey to shore was gentler than the rescue boat's rapid arrival, bouncing across the waves from its base in Bangor, Northern Ireland. Arcadia is on a two-week cruise to Iceland and the Norwegian fjords.

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:30+00:00 14 July 2013|Cruise News|0 Comments

New luxury cruise ship for Regent

Six-star all-inclusive cruise line Regent Seven Seas has ordered a new ship; Seven Seas Explorer will be larger than any of the three ships in the current fleet and will boast one of the highest space ratios and staff to guest ratios in luxury cruising. To be built by Fincantieri in Italy and scheduled for delivery in summer 2016, the vessel will measure 54,000 gross tons and carry 738 passengers. It will be Regent's first new ship in more than 10 years and is reported to be costing $450 million (£301 million). Accommodation will all be in suites ranging from [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:30+00:00 10 July 2013|Cruise News|0 Comments

TV series follows ship’s chaplain Colin on his round-the-world cruise

Take a world cruise tonight, without leaving your sofa. BBC2 is showing the first episode of a six-part documentary filmed during a 112-night voyage earlier this year. The series, The Cruise: A Life At Sea, focuses on ship's chaplain, the Rev Colin Still, as he travels the globe on board Fred Olsen's Balmoral. The Rev Still, of The Mission to Seafarers, provides advice, solace, and support to more than 1,700 passengers and crew on the ship. He is called on to renew wedding vows, gives spiritual guidance, and in his spare time, escorts guests on shore excursions. Tonight he is [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:31+00:00 9 July 2013|Cruise News|3 Comments

QE2 prepares to leave Dubai

While Cunard flagship Queen Mary 2 makes history this week on her 200th Transatlantic crossing , illustrious predecessor QE2 is being prepared for departure to a new home in the Far East. Its Dubai owners have announced the ship will depart under its own power on October 18, and will visit Singapore and Hong Kong before it enters a Chinese shipyard for work to complete its conversion into a luxury hotel. The ship, which itself completed 812 Transatlantic crossings during its 40 years service, was sold to Dubai property developers Nakheel for £50 million in 2008. Earlier plans to moor [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:31+00:00 8 July 2013|Cruise News|0 Comments