All the latest cruise news from the man in the know

Cheers! to cruise award winners

'Tis the season for awards . . . every week seems to bring up a new list, and an avalanche of emails and press releases from cruise lines trumpeting their success. The latest collection, from Cruise Critic, has something for pretty much everyone, not only because there are 25 categories, but are also because there are two whole sets - one for the UK and another for the US. So while the best new cruise ship as far as we are concerned on this side of the Atlantic is Carnival Magic, the winner in the States is Disney Dream - [...]

By John Honeywell| 2011-11-18T09:54:53+00:00 18 November 2011|Cruise News|1 Comment

How your luggage gets on board

Living just 45 minutes away from the port of Southampton, I have grown accustomed to the ease of beginning a cruise from the UK's busiest passenger port. After a drive down the M3, I take my suitcases from the boot and while a porter whisks them away on a trolley, another man parks my car, leaving me free to check in and go aboard. There's more to turning ships around than processing passengers, however, as I realise each time I return from a cruise and take a moment to stand on my cabin balcony and look down at the fork-lift [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:58+00:00 11 November 2011|Cruise News|0 Comments

Monte Carlo or bust for Riviera

Oceania Cruises are gambling on the weather in Monte Carlo next April being better than I experienced on board Adonia at the weekend. Storms prevented the P&O ship from berthing in the principality - scuppering plans for a reunion lunch on board for godmother Dame Shirley Bassey. But Oceania have chosen to hold the christening ceremony for their next vessel - Riviera - at a gala ceremony at Monaco's Port Hercules on April 19. No word yet on the godmother though; sister ship Marina was named in Miami in February by American TV personality Mary Hart. The pier will be [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:58+00:00 9 November 2011|Cruise News|0 Comments

Welcome home for Finnmarken

There'll be a warm welcome in the Norwegian fjords next February, when Finnmarken, one of Hurtigruten's newest and largest vessels, returns after an absence of almost two years. The ship, built in 2002, has been serving as a floating accommodation unit for workers developing the Gorgon natural gas field at Barrow Island, in a remote corner of Western Australia. But it will be back on duty plying the picturesque route from Bergen to Kirkenes from February 16, standing in for Hurtigruten's Nordlys - which is still undergoing repairs after being damaged by fire in September. Nordlys is expected to return [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:58+00:00 9 November 2011|Cruise News, Cruise Ships|1 Comment

Adonia regrets, she’s unable to lunch with Dame Shirley today

From the moment she was invited to be godmother to P&O's pathfinder cruise ship, Adonia, Dame Shirley Bassey approached her responsibilities with the enthusiasm of an excitable teenager. At the naming ceremony in Southampton on May 21 she posed for photographs wearing the captain's white cap, successfully smashed a bottle on the ship's hull and dutifully intoned the familiar "I name this ship . . ." speech. Later in the evening she even burst into a spontaneous, unaccompanied performance of Diamonds Are For Ever. Dame Shirley also made a vow that when Adonia paid its first visit to Monte Carlo, [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:59+00:00 6 November 2011|Cruise News|0 Comments

P&O doubles up on UK cruises

Nicely-timed announcement from P&O Cruises - just as Royal Caribbean reveal the withdrawal of Independence of the Seas from the UK next winter, the line voted the UK's most popular confirms it will have two ships sailing out of Southampton year-round. Oceana and Oriana will be sailing cruises of anything from two to 35 nights in length. Oceana, which carries 2,016 passengers, will embark on its second year of winter cruising from Southampton. Highlights include two short (seven-night) cruises for Christmas and New Year, giving the opportunity to spend Boxing Day in Copenhagen or New Year's Eve in Amsterdam. http://www.pocruises.com/Cruise-Ships/Aurora/Ship-Overview/ [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:59+00:00 3 November 2011|Cruise Destinations, Cruise News|0 Comments

Ballard back where Titanic was born

The man who discovered the wreckage of Titanic has paid his first visit to the £97 million Titanic Belfast museum which is to open next year in time for the centenary of the liner's sinking. Deep sea explorer Dr Robert Ballard is providing previously unseen artefacts and images to be exhibited at the new visitor attraction being constructed in the Harland & Wolff shipyard where Titanic was built. Visiting the yard's drawing office, Dr Ballard said: "Titanic belongs to Belfast. I'm very pleased that the city which gave Titanic to the world will now be able to welcome the world [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:59+00:00 1 November 2011|Cruise News|0 Comments

Dramatic rescues in mid-Atlantic

The wide open spaces of the north Atlantic have seen two remarkable rescues in the past couple of days. A man who went overboard from P&O cruise ship Ventura was plucked from the sea after the ship performed a rapid turn in the early hours of the morning; a few hours later, Norwegian Gem pulled five people to safety from a sailing vessel in heavy seas 250 miles from Bermuda. Ventura could hardly have been in a more remote part of the ocean when the incident happened. The ship was crossing from Southampton to the Caribbean to start its winter [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:59+00:00 31 October 2011|Cruise News|1 Comment

Indy ducks out of winter in Europe

UNDER GREY SKIES: Independence of the Seas in Southampton Royal Caribbean's experiment of sailing year-round from the UK is over. The wide open spaces of the Independence of the Seas' upper decks with the H2O Zone water park for kids, the FlowRider surf simulator, and the whirlpool baths cantilevered over the side of the ship 112 feet above the waves, are apparently not best suited to chilly days in the Bay of Biscay. The winter 2012-13 deployment for the 154,000-ton vessel has it sailing six and eight-night Caribbean cruises from Fort Lauderdale instead of heading for the Canaries and the [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:59+00:00 30 October 2011|Cruise Destinations, Cruise News, Cruise Ships|0 Comments

What will the regulars make of Cunard’s makeover for QM2 pub?

In little over a month, Cunard flagship Queen Mary 2 will be coming out of the water for 14 days to get a bit of a wash and brush-up. There's enough new carpet to cover 10 football pitches and 18 miles of fabric waiting to be taken on board when the ship arrives in Hamburg on November 26. First details of the work that is planned were revealed today by Cunard presidernt and managing director Peter Shanks. There's a lot to be done in those two weeks. Every one of the 1,310 passenger cabins will be freshened up with new [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:59+00:00 25 October 2011|Cruise News, Cruise Ships|2 Comments