All the latest cruise news from the man in the know

Ready at last, Sapphire is a little gem, glowing with fun and surprises

It's taken six months, and - thanks to some unexpected delays - a little bit longer. It's cost £25 million. And from what I saw yesterday, the creation of Saga Sapphire has been worth every minute and every penny. The vivid blue of her newly-decorated funnel shone out across a grey day in Southampton as passengers arrived at the City Terminal and when they stepped aboard into the deck 7 reception area they were greeted by a spectacular 22-ft high sculpture consisting of a shoal of 1,395 fish. Design duo Scabetti have created a similar work for Rick Stein's fish [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:49+00:00 7 May 2012|Cruise News, Cruise Ships|1 Comment

Farewell Pearl . . . welcome to Quest

Coming soon, my first impressions of Saga Sapphire, - I spent two hours crawling over the ship in Southampton this afternoon. But before boarding the newest gem in Saga's fleet, I had to take a quick look at Saga Pearl II before she was transformed into Quest for Adventure. Actually, it's something of an exaggeration to say she has been transformed. Although she has inherited a number of crew from predecessor Spirit of Adventure, little has changed in the fabric of the ship. The new name had been painted on the bow while I was enjoying a chicken curry for [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:49+00:00 6 May 2012|Cruise News, Cruise Ships|0 Comments

Grand dame Ruby puts on a diva act and then misses a gala performance

There's disappointment at Saga Cruises over a planned triple celebration in Lisbon this week. The company arranged a unique opportunity for all three of its ships to be moored in the River Tagus together, and to be serenaded at a special concert by soprano Lesley Garratt. Saga Sapphire, now fully operational after engine room repairs which disrupted her inaugural voyage last month, was there. As was Saga Pearl II, making her last cruise before a name change to Quest for Adventure, which will happen in Southampton on Sunday (May 6). Sadly, they were let down by grande dame Saga Ruby, [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:49+00:00 4 May 2012|Cruise Entertainment, Cruise News, Cruise Ships|0 Comments

QM2 delivers Bush family to NY

President George H W Bush and wife Barbara are back home in the US after fulfilling their ambition to cross the Atlantic by sea. Bush, who also took daughter Dorothy and grand-daughter Gigi on the trip, said of the voyage when he arrived on board: "I've been looking forward to this for weeks," to which his wife responded: "You've been talking about nothing else for months!" After dining in the Queens Grill and Todd English restaurants, taking advantage of the Canyon Ranch spa, and taking part in an Apple iStudy session, they will have plenty more to talk about in [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:49+00:00 4 May 2012|Cruise News|0 Comments

P&O defends new tipping policy after claims that crew will lose out

The travel pages of The Guardian hardly ever register the slightest interest in cruising, despite the fact that it earns thousands of pounds each week from cruise lines and specialist travel agents. But the newspaper must think its readers have some interest in the subject because it has launched an attack on Britain's biggest cruise line, claiming its new tipping policy will result in crew members losing out financially. P&O introduced auto-gratuities in April. Instead of stuffing cash into brown envelopes to be handed to waiters and stewards on the last night of the cruise, passengers now have £3.10 per [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:49+00:00 1 May 2012|Cruise News|5 Comments

Helicopter to the rescue

A Royal Navy helicopter from Cornwall flew 100 miles into the Atlantic in near-storm conditions to airlift a cruise ship passenger to hospital. The 83-year-old man was travelling on Marco Polo, which was crossing from Cobh in southern Ireland to France. He had suffered a suspected heart attack. Lieut John Duke of RNAS Culdrose said: "It was very rough weather. You're talking 30 to 40-foot waves and wind blowing against the ship, making it roll. It was a very deep swell with very choppy waters. It's certainly an aggressive sea out there, bordering on storm conditions, but the crew conducted [...]

By John Honeywell| 2012-05-01T08:48:37+00:00 1 May 2012|Cruise News|0 Comments

Cunard’s first wedding at sea

It's not just President Bush and his wife making waves on board Queen Mary 2 this week - the ship has also hosted its first wedding at sea. Denise Holding and Barry Maloney, who run the Accrington Riding Centre in Lancashire, have cruised with Cunard many times during their 28 years as a couple. From today, they are sailing together for the first time as Mr and Mrs Maloney. Their wedding was conducted by Captain Kevin Oprey, seen after the ceremony (above) and greeting them as they boarded the ship in Southampton on Friday for the seven-day Transatlantic crossing to [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:49+00:00 29 April 2012|Cruise News|5 Comments

President Bush crosses the Atlantic on Cunard’s Queen Mary 2

There's an extra-special VIP guest on board Cunard flagship Queen Mary 2 this week - ex-president George Bush is fulfilling a long-held ambition to make a Transatlantic crossing. Together with his wife Barbara, daughter Dorothy Bush Koch, and grand-daughter Gigi, 87-year-old Bush boarded the ship in Southampton on Friday for the seven-night voyage to New York. Bush, the 41st president of the USA, joked that friends have teased him about making the journey in the centenary year of the Titanic's sinking. He is reported as reassuring them with his customary wit and grasp of world affairs: "I think global warming [...]

By John Honeywell| 2012-04-29T10:28:02+00:00 29 April 2012|Cruise News|0 Comments

Gales delay Balmoral’s return

UPDATE: Balmoral now expected to reach Southampton about 6.00 pm Sunday, approximately12 hours late. Cruise ship Balmoral, returning to the UK after its Titanic Memorial Voyage, has been delayed in the Atlantic by extreme weather conditions. Passengers coming home have been warned to expect delays, and those planning to join the ship in Southampton on Sunday for a cruise to the Atlantic islands have been advised not to arrive until later in the day. Captain Robert Bamberg will assess overnight progress and the weather forecast before informing his passengers and Fred Olsen's head office when he expects to be arriving [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:50+00:00 27 April 2012|Cruise News, Cruise Ships|0 Comments

Troll tales from the Foreign Office over cruising in Arctic waters

Regardless of the disturbing evidence being heard at the trial of mass murderer Anders Breivik and the gruesome fiction of writers such as Jo Nesbø, Norway is among the safest countries on earth for the visitor. The biggest risk is running out of money in a place where nothing less than a mortgage is required to purchase even the most modest of sandwiches washed down with a small glass of lager. Yet prudent tourists checking the Foreign Office website for travel advice might think they had stumbled accidentally into an anarchic third-world state. Despite being assured that the Norwegian crime [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:50+00:00 26 April 2012|Cruise Destinations, Cruise News|0 Comments