Cruise News

A cruise ship has come under attack from Somali pirates off the coast of Oman. A security team on board Azamara Journey is reported to have fired flares to ward off threatening approaches from two boats, which eventually turned away. The incident happened about 15 nautical miles off the coast of the island of Masirah, in the Arabian Sea, on the edge of the area patrolled by an international armada of naval protection vessels. Two skiffs, a popular choice of vessel for pirates operating in the region, were seen approaching Journey on Friday. Each was carrying three or four men. [...]

FROM MY DAILY MIRROR COLUMN. PUBLISHED NOVEMBER 17 It's difficult to resist uttering a smug "I told you so," but it's beginning to look as if an Australian billionaire's far-fetched plans to build a replica Titanic could be scuppered before they even reach the slipway. I am not the only observer to have expressed scepticism about Clive Palmer's proposals to establish a regular scheduled service between Southampton and New York in a copy of the liner which sank on its maiden voyage 100 years ago. Doubts were further fuelled this week by the announcement that a lavish dinner in New [...]

A cruise passenger is suing for the refund of the full cost of a seven-day holiday because of the distress he claims was caused when he had to get up at 3.30 am to be ready to go through immigration procedures. David Bookbinder, a former leader of Derbyshire County Council, was on a Red Sea cruise aboard Thomson Celebration. Passengers were told they had to be ready at 5.00 am to be interviewed by Israeli officials before they would be allowed ashore in Eilat. Mr Bookbinder, 71, who was travelling with his 86-year-old brother, claims the early start was made [...]

Cruising in the UK appears to have shrugged off the effects of both the Costa Concordia tragedy and the financial effects of the euro crisis, with the latest industry estimates forecasting a rise in the number of passengers this year and anticipating a further increase in 2013. The total is expected to grow by 20,000 in 2012 to reach a record 1.72 million. A further 2 per cent rise next year will push the total number of cruises taken by Brits to 1.76 million. Growth has slowed since the heady days of double-digit annual increases, and the statistics do not [...]

My cruise to France and Spain last week on Fred Olsen's Balmoral (more of that to come soon) made it difficult to carry news updates here. And there was plenty happening, particularly with the disruption caused by Sandy - which I have seen variously described as a hurricane, a tropical storm, a superstorm and the ultimate Frankenstorm. Here's an updated version of the column I wrote in midweek for publication in the print edition of the Daily Mirror on November 3. Superstorm Sandy wasn't just bringing floods and devastation to New York and the USA's eastern seaboard this week - [...]

FROM MY DAILY MIRROR COLUMN, PUBLISHED OCTOBER 27 Thinking of taking a cruise, and planning to book your holiday through a travel agent? Don't be surprised if she (or he) tries to persuade you to choose a different ship from the one you originally had in mind. Independent agents are locked in a war with cruise lines over the commission they receive for taking bookings, and some have said they will actively drive business away from companies which have recently cut their rates. CCS, the umbrella organisation handling bookings for P&O, Cunard and Princess last year reduced its commission from [...]

That didn't take long. Within 24 hours of cruise giant Royal Caribbean announcing it was negotiating to build a new ship, along come rivals Carnival Corporation with news of an order for TWO vessels. While the RCI plans are still in negotiation and under discussion, Carnival's deal has already been inked with their regular shipbuilder, Fincantieri of Italy. A memorandum of agreement has been signed to build a 99,000-ton ship for the Holland America brand, to be delivered in autumn 2015, and for a 135,000-ton vessel for Carnival Cruise Line, to be launched early in 2016. Both ships are said [...]