All the latest cruise news from the man in the know

Turning up the Heat for Micky

Carnival boss Micky Arison (above) may be celebrating the success of his basketball team, Miami Heat, in the NBA Championship finals, but the performance of the biggest cruise company in the world must be giving him some sleepless nights. Thousands of fans were thronging the streets today to join the Heat's victory parade, following the team's 4-1 victory over Oklahoma City Thunder. When Micky and the team he owns have finished partying, he'll have to take a long hard look at the numbers thrown up in Carnival Corporation's latest financial statement. Earnings for the second quarter fell by 93 per [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:47+00:00 25 June 2012|Cruise News|1 Comment

New ports and destinations, plus free drinks – Fred Olsen includes them all

New ports around the world, additional disembarkation points in the UK, voyages of a lifetime, and free drinks - they are all included in Fred Olsen's 2013-14 cruise programme, announced this week with the release of a new brochure. The company's four ships - Black Watch, Boudicca, Balmoral and Braemar - will be visiting a total of 240 ports in 77 countries. Twelve of them will be maiden calls: Haugesund and Bronnovsund in Norway; Vaasa in Sweden; Husavik in Iceland; Boulogne, France; Melilla, a Spanish enclave in Morocco; Townsville, Australia; Puerto Vallarta, Mexico; Nawiliwili, Hawaii; Osaka and Hiroshima, Japan; and [...]

By John Honeywell| 2012-06-24T18:02:02+00:00 24 June 2012|Cruise Destinations, Cruise News|1 Comment

Silversea sets sights on Galapagos

When I visited the boutique expedition ship Silversea Explorer in Dartmouth a few weeks ago, there was speculation that the company was looking to purchase another vessel to bolster its fleet. Well they've only been and gone and done it. Silversea announced today they had bought Canodros, a company which operates voyages to the Galapagos Islands, and with it the upmarket ship Galapagos Explorer II. The vessel, which currently carries up to 100 passengers, will receive a major refit in September 2013 before being given a new name as it joins the Silversea fleet. Until then it will continue to [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:48+00:00 18 June 2012|Cruise Destinations, Cruise News|0 Comments

Concordia removal work begins

Work has started on removing parts of the cruise ship Costa Concordia in preparation for the effort to refloat the vessel. The first steps are to cut off the mast and take away a water slide and the giant yellow funnel bearing the Costa logo. With those projections out of the way, a floating work platform will be brought in, and piles eill be embedded in the seabed to keep the vessel upright for its eventual refloating. Another step will be to extricate the rock that ripped a hole in the ship, in order to incorporate it into a memorial [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:48+00:00 18 June 2012|Cruise News|0 Comments

Countess makes Jubilee history

A final word (or two) about the Queen's Diamond Jubilee before we draw a veil over proceedings. As promised, cruise ship Ocean Countess took the celebrations north of the border by becoming the largest passenger vessel to drop anchor off Fort William, at the head of Loch Linnhe. Marketing Manager, Mike Hall at CMV said "It was a memorable visit. Our passengers had been enjoying Jubilee celebrations on board and were thrilled to see that the last ocean going paddle steamer The Waverley was also in port. "It was fitting to be in the heart of the Scottish Highlands at [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:48+00:00 7 June 2012|Cruise News|0 Comments

Discovery joins in Jubilee fun

Cunard wasn't the only cruise line with an involvement in the weekend's Diamond Jubilee celebrations. Passengers from mv Discovery were in the thick of the action during Sunday's river pageant. Some were on two charter boats which berthed near Westminster Bridge to watch The Queen and the hundreds of participating vessels pass by; another group watched events from a lofty perch on the 29th floor of Millbank Tower. Even those who chose to remain on board ship for the day as many of the boats from the pageant passed by their mooring at Greenwich once the parade had broken up. [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:48+00:00 6 June 2012|Cruise News|0 Comments

Back on course: Cruise ships return to fjords after last-minute strike deal

The pilots' strike which has disrupted shipping in Norway has been settled and cruise lines are making hasty plans for their ships to resume their original itineraries. The dispute had closed Oslofjord since last weekend and spread to the rest of the country on Wednesday, initially forcing several ships to be diverted and later resulting in wholesale changes to itineraries. Announcing the settlement, the Norwegian Coastal Administration said: "The strike among the pilots in the Oslofjord, and the 103 pilot boat skippers in the country is over. The parties reached an agreement during the night of June 2. "NCA is [...]

By John Honeywell| 2012-06-02T12:45:40+00:00 2 June 2012|Cruise Destinations, Cruise News|0 Comments

How does this cruise deal add up?

I will never understand high finance. Norwegian Cruise Line has announced it is buying cruise ship Norwegian Sky, a vessel it has been operating for many years. NCL is 50 per cent owned by Star Cruises which is itself a subsidiary of holding company Genting Hong Kong. Norwegian Sky is owned by a company called Ample Avenue which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of, wait for it, Genting Hong Kong. NCL has been operating the 2,002-passenger ship under a bareboat charter, which means that while renting the vessel, they provide the crew, provisions and fuel. Under the new deal they are [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:48+00:00 2 June 2012|Cruise News, Cruise Ships|0 Comments

P&O Cruises re-routes ships to avoid Norwegian ports closed by strike

The Norwegian pilots' strike has forced P&O to devise completely new itineraries for two cruises departing from Southampton this weekend. Azura leaves on Saturday and was scheduled to take her 3,000 passengers on a seven-night voyage to Stavanger, Flåm, Olden and Bergen. Instead of cruising in the fjords, they will now travel to Zeebrugge, Rotterdam, Copenhagen and Gothenburg. Adonia, departing on Sunday, should have been taking a 14-night voyage along the Norwegian coast to North Cape and the Midnight Sun. Now her 700 passengers will be diverted to Iceland and the Faeroes, with calls in Ireland and Scotland en route. [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:48+00:00 1 June 2012|Cruise Destinations, Cruise News|8 Comments

Cruise ship Countess brings Jubilee cheer to disappointed Highland town

The people of Fort William were left disappointed last weekend when a cruise ship failed to turn up as expected. Local businesses had taken on extra staff, and restaurants and takeaways doubled their food orders in anticipation of the arrival of 800 passengers on board Marco Polo. The visit was called off when the ship's captain decided he was not prepared to take the 580-ft long vessel through the Corran Narrows and into upper Loch Linnhe without the assistance of a qualified pilot. Apologising for the disappointment, operator Cruise & Maritime Voyages assured Fort William that next Monday's planned visit [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:48+00:00 1 June 2012|Cruise Destinations, Cruise News|0 Comments