Cruise News

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All the latest cruise news from Captain Greybeard, the man in the know. Recipient of the CLIA Contribution to Cruise Media Award in 2017, John Honeywell is the leading cruise expert in the UK with the ear of the industry’s most important leaders and innovators

Concordia captain to face trial

The captain of Costa Concordia, the cruise ship which ran aground with the loss of 32 lives in January last year, is finally to face trial. A judge has decided there is enough evidence to try Captain Francesco Schettino on charges of manslaughter, causing a shipwreck, and abandoning ship before all 4,200 passengers and crew had been evacuated. The trial will begin on July 9 in Grosseto, the Tuscan city close to the site of the wreck. Schettino faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted, according to his lawyer, Francesco Pepe. Schettino denies the charges, and claims that [...]

By | 2017-06-15T15:59:33+00:00 22 May 2013|Cruise News|0 Comments

Vikings set to conquer the world

While one river cruise line was launching its newest vessel in Bordeaux last week, another was announcing plans to take to the high seas. Viking River Cruises - familiar to ITV viewers for their sponsorship of drama programmes - is ready to branch out into Viking Ocean and will have its first ship, Viking Star, sailing from May 2015. Like its historical predecessors, the Vikings could be about to conquer the world all over again. Viking River has seen unprecedented expansion in the last couple of years - 10 new longships were christened a few weeks ago in Amsterdam and [...]

By | 2017-06-15T15:59:33+00:00 22 May 2013|Cruise News|0 Comments

A dressing down for Fred. Olsen

Given the furore that followed Cunard's announcement a couple of months ago that it was "loosening its ties" and relaxing its dress code, it's brave of Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines to follow suit (pun intended). Just like Cunard, Fred has no intention of abandoning its formal nights, of which there are three or four during a two-week cruise. But the dress code for other evenings has now been simplified. Smart casual is all that is required, and there is no longer a distinction for "informal" wear, when a jacket or tie is required. Under the new code, gentlemen are free [...]

By | 2017-06-15T15:59:33+00:00 22 May 2013|Cruise News|2 Comments

Why the best holiday bargains this summer are on board cruise ships

Continuing pressure to keep fares low in order to fill its ships has forced Carnival Corporation - parent company of Cunard, P&O and Princess Cruises - to slash its financial expectations this year. The company warned that earnings per share are likely to be around $1.45-$1.65, compared with its earlier guidance of $1.80 to $2.10. Carnival shares, which are traded on the London and New York stock exchanges, fell by as much as 15 per cent in early trading today - going in the opposite direction to the FTSE index which has reached its highest level since 2000. In recent [...]

By | 2017-06-15T15:59:33+00:00 21 May 2013|Cruise Deals, Cruise News|0 Comments

Cruise ship runs aground off Oban

Divers will today examine the hull of a cruise ship which ran aground in Oban Bay, on the west coast of Scotland. MS Serenissima, carrying 61 passengers and 51 crew, was successfully refloated in the early hours of this morning after being stuck on a sand and shingle bank known as the Corran Ledge. There were no reports of injuries and no signs of pollution or serious damage to the vessel. The RNLI lifeboat tried to help pull Serenissima free, but early attempts yesterday evening were hampered by strong winds. RNLI spokesman Iain Fulton said: "The vessel was aground at [...]

By | 2017-06-15T15:59:33+00:00 21 May 2013|Cruise News|0 Comments

Brighter Brilliance off to the Baltic

The spectacular Russian port of St Petersburg welcomes Royal Caribbean's Brilliance of the Seas tomorrow (Tuesday) for the first of eight scheduled visits this summer. The 2,112-passenger ship arrived in the Essex port of Harwich last week fresh from a £20 million revitalization. The 11-year-old vessel has been brought it up to date with the addition of many of the features which are now taken for granted on newer ships. There's a 220-square foot LED cinema screen above the main pool as well as new flat-screen TVs in every cabin, wi-fi access throughout the ship and an interactive touch-screen information [...]

New P&O cruise ship is on its way

The biggest cruise ship ever to be built for the British market started to take shape today, as P&O managing director Carol Marlow gave the order for the first section of the vessel's hull to be lowered into a dry-dock in Italy. A 408-ton steel block, already fitted with pipes, cables, insulation and other equipment, was lifted by a giant crane at Fincantieri's Monfalcone yard near Trieste - where I watched Regal Princess being floated out at the end of March. Scheduled to sail its maiden voyage in 2015, the 141,000-ton P&O ship will carry 3,600 passengers. It is being [...]

By | 2017-06-15T15:59:33+00:00 15 May 2013|Cruise News|7 Comments

Couple lost overboard were seen arguing in cruise ship casino

The couple who went overboard from a cruise ship off the coast of Australia had been arguing shortly before they disappeared, according to the latest reports. Paul Rossington, 30, and his girlfriend Kristen Schroder, 27, were seen having a "short but heated argument" in the casino on board Carnival Spirit, a senior police source has said. As a result of the incident, the couple skipped dinner with Ms Schroder's family. But they were seen "mucking around" in a corridor on their way to a lift, giving the impression they were no longer quarrelling, according to the Herald Sun. The couple [...]

By | 2017-06-15T15:59:33+00:00 12 May 2013|Cruise News|0 Comments

Carnival switches OFF fun in Europe

Carnival Cruise Line will not have any of its Fun Ships sailing in Europe in 2014. The company has taken the decision to pull out of the region next year just as Carnival Sunshine - fresh from a £100 million makeover - makes its first voyage in the Med. Carnival Legend, which will be based in Dover from next month, is to be redeployed in Australia next year. The decision follows a lavish TV advertising campaign which urged holidaymakers to "Switch On Fun." While Carnival's UK managing director Adolfo Perez say the ads persuaded more Brits than ever to cruise [...]

By | 2013-05-10T12:24:44+00:00 10 May 2013|Cruise News|0 Comments

Couple overboard from cruise ship

UPDATE: The search for the missing couple has been called off. Police say examination of the CCTV footage shows they went overboard one after the other, and the incident is not being treated as suspicious. Australia's Herald Sun reports that the security video shows the woman jumped first and was followed by her boyfriend about 20 seconds later. An air and sea search is under way off the coast of New South Wales, Australia, after two passengers were reported to have gone overboard from cruise ship Carnival Spirit. The couple were discovered to be missing when the ship docked in [...]

By | 2017-06-15T15:59:34+00:00 9 May 2013|Cruise News|0 Comments