All the latest cruise news from the man in the know

Smoky start to Saga maiden cruise

The thick black clouds billowing from the funnel of Saga Sapphire (after about 25 seconds) as the ship pulled away from the quayside at the start of her inaugural voyage do not, I am assured, presage the engine failure which has brought the cruise to a premature end. Indeed, there's no such smoke apparent in the second video, which shows the vessel's spectacular arrival at El Ferrol in northern Spain two days later - looking resplendent in her new livery with a light blue funnel instead of the familiar buff colour of her sister ships. But I have also realised [...]

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

Engine problems force Saga Sapphire to abandon maiden cruise

Engine problems have forced cruise ship Saga Sapphire to abandon its maiden voyage. The vessel is in harbour at Valencia, Spain, awaiting repairs and passengers will be flown home to the UK on Monday. The new flagship of Saga Cruises' fleet should have been returning to Southampton next Wednesday (April 18) at the end of an inaugural cruise which was delayed by a week because its multi-million pound refit overran, but passengers due to join the next voyage have now been told they will be flown to Marseille on April 25. Plans for a gala welcome in Lisbon tomorrow (Sunday) [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:50+00:00 14 April 2012|Cruise News, Cruise Ships|19 Comments

MSC Cruises pulls out of the Gulf

The Sex and the City girls may have had an exciting time when they visited Abu Dhabi for their second outing on film, but the experience is not proving as rewarding for cruise line MSC, who have announced they are withdrawing from the port - and the Arabian Gulf - after just one season. Definitely not a case of Carrie On Cruising, then. The company cited the limited facilities and range of destinations in the area when they disclosed that MSC Opera - the ship they planned to have in the Gulf next winter as a replacement for MSC Lirica [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:51+00:00 12 April 2012|Cruise Destinations, Cruise News|1 Comment

Why Micky should thank protesters who disrupted Carnival meeting

When Micky Arison gets into his office at Carnival Corporation HQ in Miami today, the first thing he should do is sit down and write a big thank you letter. The chairman and CEO of the biggest cruise company in the world - which owns UK brands Cunard and P&O - may not have enjoyed being harangued by activists at the annual shareholders' meeting yesterday, but in a roundabout way they did him a huge favour. Protesters from a group calling itself 1Miami, an offshoot of the Occupy Wall Street movement, bought shares so they could attend the meeting and [...]

By John Honeywell| 2012-04-12T06:40:24+00:00 12 April 2012|Cruise News|0 Comments

Titanic memorial back on course

One hundred years ago today, relatives stood on the quayside at Southampton to wave farewell to some of the city's 538 residents who were doomed never to return from the Titanic's maiden voyage. Today their descendants gathered at the same spot to place wreaths on the water and observe a minute's silence before marching through the streets alongside schoolchildren who were carrying pictures of the crew members. They finished up at the new SeaCity museum, where Olympic oarsman James Cracknell cut the ribbon to declare it officially open, assisted by William and Henry Ward, aged eight and six, whose great [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:51+00:00 10 April 2012|Cruise News, Cruise Ships|0 Comments

Thomson ships go Platinum

Thomson Cruises plans to spend millions of pounds on modernising two of its ships, putting them on a par with the four-star hotels in its Platinum Collection. Thomson Dream, built in 1986 and carrying 1,506 passengers, will be first to get the treatment. Cabins will be re-furnished and supplied with flat-screen televisions and tea and coffee-making facilities. Bars and restaurants will be up-graded and décor throughout the ship will be brighter and more contemporary. A suite of treatment rooms is to be added to the spa. Platinum-rated hotels must attain a 90 per cent "good" or "excellent" customer rating - [...]

By John Honeywell| 2012-04-06T10:04:42+00:00 6 April 2012|Cruise News, Cruise Ships|1 Comment

Could Mickey Mouse be taking a cruise on a slow boat to China?

Karl Holz is a busy man. As president of Disney Cruise Line, he has just overseen the design, building and launch of two new cruise ships which have more than doubled the company's passenger capacity. Last year's debutante, Disney Dream, exceeded all expectations as far as bookings are concerned. Sister ship Disney Fantasy, which set out on its maiden voyage on Saturday, promises to be just as popular among the travelling public. As president of New Vacation Operations Karl is also in charge of the Aulani Resort and Spa in Hawai'i, and is responsible for developing the business at Adventures [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:51+00:00 2 April 2012|Cruise News|0 Comments

Fire-hit cruise ship reaches port

Cruise ship Azamara Quest reached port today, following an engine room fire which temporarily crippled its propulsion and other electrical systems. The ship, with 100 British passengers among the 590 aboard, was making about six knots (6.9 mph) as it headed for Sandakan, Malaysia. Company president Larry Pimentel is flying to meet the passengers and crew and is expected to arrive on Monday morning. Damage caused by the blaze, which broke out on Friday, has forced Azamara to cancel the remainder of the 17-night voyage. The ship left Hong Kong last Monday and was due to complete the cruise in [...]

By John Honeywell| 2012-04-01T13:32:52+00:00 1 April 2012|Cruise News|0 Comments

Fire on Azamara cruise ship

Passengers on cruise ship Azamara Quest were called to their muster stations today after fire broke out in the engine room. The ship, carrying 600 passengers (including 60 from the UK) and 410 crew, left Hong Kong on Monday for a 17-night cruise to Singapore. It continued to operate on back-up power. The vessel is currently between Manila in the Philippines and Borneo. Malaysian Transport Dept spokesman Lieutenant Commander Algier Ricafrente said five crew members had been injured, one seriously. A company spokesman said that about 8.19 am local time "Azamara Quest experienced a fire in one of ship's engine rooms. [...]

By John Honeywell| 2012-03-30T22:31:56+00:00 30 March 2012|Cruise News|0 Comments

Ventura gets single cabins, but misses out on Olly’s wine bar

P&O cruise ship Ventura is to have 18 single cabins added during a refit next March. The new accommodation will be identical to the extra rooms for solo passengers on sister ship Azura, alongside the main Exchange Bar, and reducing the amount of space for the casino. The cabins are revealed in the deckplans in the 2013 brochure, published for the first time this week. Accommodation for singles, with no supplement to the fare, will be available on three of the fleet's seven ships - Oriana also had some added during last year's refit - and they are promised on [...]